Chapter 76. Demons Let loose

**76. Demons Let loose **

***Astrid's POV:***

Cindy shrieked, glancing behind Vincent, while I was still attempting to console Rafael.
"What happened?" I asked.
"I see an army of demons approaching us," she said, and my jaw dropped wide in horror. I turned to face Rafael, who seemed equally astounded as I was.
"That means..." I began, but Rafael finished the sentence for me.
"Hell has broken loose." Rafael finished
Rafael turned to face Brandon and Nick, who were in human form. He motioned for them to shift into demons and began going towards the location Cindy said the demons were coming from.
Everyone was taken aback when they saw Brandon and Nick. They mistook them for other supernatural creatures who had come to our help, but that is exactly what they were. Nobody believed they were demons.
"I asked them to go check on what was going on." Rafael informed me, and they rushed in the direction Cindy specified.
"What are we going to do now, Rafael?" I asked Rafael with concern.
Rafael let out a long sigh. "There is no other way.  The damage has been done, and now you and Cindy must try to calm the mayhem." Rafael let out a deep sigh.
I could see he was blaming himself for whatever was going on. "Rafael, you have nothing to blame yourself about. We tried everything we could to manage the circumstances, but we can't blame you if things didn't work out." I tried to explain to him that the problem was out of our hands and that it would happen one way or another. I tried to explain it to him, trying to make him feel less guilty.
"If I had tried more, I think I would have avoided it. only because of me now, I've risked everyone's life. We have no idea what will happen next. We're not sure if Cindy can put out that fire or if you can close the portal.". He didn't even look me in the eyes, meaning that he couldn't get over his guilt.
"Don't worry, Rafael, we'll do our best; we'll fight, and I promise you, I and Cindy will do everything we can to stop this." I made a promise, and for the first time, I was skeptical that I could keep it, especially after my child had been injured earlier. I simply hope nothing bad has happened to the baby. I could feel the heartbeat inside of me, which gave me some hope.
We could have avoided the scenario if I hadn't been harmed earlier or if I could have changed into my Lycan form. Brandon and Nick returned soon after, followed by a swarm of demons.
Everyone around us gasped and looked, backing away, but it was pointless since Cindy had cast a spell that made it impossible for anybody inside the territory to escape. That was done to keep our enemy from escaping, but now even our own people are trapped. They retreated away into the corner, staring at us with horror.
Rafael took a step forward, and everyone was scared of him. We can't blame them; anyone with a rational mind would be terrified of Rafael after witnessing him morph into a monstrous demon right in front of their eyes.
We wanted to warn them about the larger threat that was waiting for us and assure them that these demons intended no harm to us. "I don't want you to be scared of me. This is my true identity. I am a demon-vampire hybrid, and I am both a vampire and a demon king. You don't have to be afraid of me. Demons are among the many supernatural beings that exist in today's world, and we intend no harm to anyone. I swear to protect everyone with my life." They all began to calm down a little."Anyone who wants to leave is free to do so." He turned to face Cindy. "If someone wants to go, Cindy will lift the veil."
"anybody?" He inquired, but not a single person on our side agreed.
"Thank you," Rafael said gratefully. "Now I'd like to warn you of a larger threat that awaits us.  Just be aware that a disaster is on its way. You can escape from this area even if you leave it. know that not just this ground, not just one or two magical worlds, but the whole world will be affected by it. But we're doing our best and will do all we can to save you all." Rafael carefully chose his words as he said everything. That's Rafael's allure. He is quite honest and has high regard for his subjects. He has the ability to persuade anyone, but only if he follows the road of truth. That characteristic about him most impressed me. I couldn't have asked for a greater person. I used to believe that all of my struggles would be worth it someday, but now that I have Rafael, I feel that anything I have gone through is nothing in comparison to him.
I smiled Hearing my own thoughts, .
Rafael quickly turned towards the demon battalion since everyone trusted us. Yes, they were frightening, but now that everyone has seen Azael, they don't seem so bad compared to Azael that we have seen earlier.
Rafael joined them, taking me along whilst having a firm yet comfortable grip on my waist.
They all bowed in front of me and Rafael to show their respect.
Brandon and Nick stood up and bought an amulet, which they fastened to Rafael's arms. It was likewise liquid, and it had a little crimson crown embedded in it.
"Your Majesty: This contains the blood of all demons that have ever existed, including your grandfathers.  This belongs to the heir to the kingdom, and you can pass it on to them whenever they are born and ready to claim the throne. We've done everything we can to keep this safe, and if it falls into the wrong hands, they can rule over us," Brandon stated.
Rafael's expressions were clear to me. He was concerned that the talisman might get into the hands of the wrong people.
"What if someone grabs..." he began, but our concerns were addressed as the pendant vanished into Rafael's flesh.
"Don't worry, your highness. until you're alive. Nobody can extract it from you. The same thing happened to your grandfather. The amulet emerged from his skin only after his death, and he made us swear that we would not let it fall into the wrong hands and that we would present it straight to the future heir when the time was right," Brandon recounted.
There was no time for inquiries, and we decided to store some for later because we could see hellfire approaching.
"Astrid!" Cindy shouted
We grew more concerned as it got closer. "You can do it, little dove," Rafael encouraged me, kissing my forehead. "Now go," he said, motioning for me to go.
The majority of Vincent's men were slain by our forces, although some escaped.
Rafael signaled for demons to take down the left-out people because our troop was exhausted.
Rafael moved towards our side as they followed him. He first lifted that James guy (the one who leaked the information to Vincent) up off the ground by the scruff of his neck.
"Please forgive me, your highness. I won't do any such thing again in my life.  I will never, ever get in your way," James said.
"You are right; you will never get in my way. You should have considered everything before spying on us." Rafael smirked as he took James's heart out of his chest with the other hand while still holding him in the air.
"Are you ready, Astrid?" Cindy inquired, jolting me out of my reverie and allowing me to see what I was up to. Everyone's attention was drawn to us. I turned around and nodded.
As the massive ball of fire approached, a clearer view unfolded before us. It resembled a fiery tunnel, its innermost layer shrouded in impenetrable darkness, concealing the depths beneath. The tunnel of fire extended as far as my eyes could perceive. The second layer boasted sea-blue circles and ombre, contributing to a vivid tapestry of colors—shades of blue, red, orange, and scarlet.
Elliot's lifeless form lay in the farthest corner of the ground, the initial casualty of the hellfire's wrath. As the flames engulfed him, his body vanished, dissolving like a sheet of polythene.
Witnessing this phenomenon left me in awe, and a heavy-hearted realization prompted us to step back. Uncertain of how to halt this destructive force, one thing remained clear: I had to find a way, or the people we love and who trust us, including ourselves, would suffer the same fate as Elliot.
The relentless advance of the hellfire claimed more victims, among them Vincent's men, who had, moments ago, attempted to get hold of me upon Elliot's arrival. In a matter of seconds, the flames devoured them whole, leaving nothing but remnants.
Next in line was Vincent. He began to back away, attempting to put out the fire, but it was a portal to hell, and nobody could close it down.
"Please, someone save me!" Vincent yelled, but no one came to his aid. They were engaged in combat with our forces.
"Shall we start now?" Cindy asked, stepping back a little.
"Just a minute." She kept gazing at Vincent, and I had an idea. It's best if I drain as much life force as possible.  That will help us later in extinguishing the hellfire.
"Do it," Cindy urged, as if she could read my mind.
I took that as a compliment and stared at Vincent. He sagged on the ground, his head down. His shouts reverberated over the whole terrain.
He deserved it after what he had done to us. He earned it. I don't know much about him, but he and Elliot had an equal say in everything.
He tried to back away but couldn't. In his spot, he trembled. I maintained my focus and felt a wave of energy rush through me. I put him on the ground while taking a step back when I thought he had had enough and needed to relax.
The fire engulfed him, and I felt the warmth of the flames reach for me.
"The time has come. Don't back down, and don't let go of my hand even if you want to."  Cindy got the ball rolling.
Cindy took my hand in hers and requested that I forward another one while I closed my eyes.
"Open your eyes now?" she demanded. I had my hands held out as if I were the one who would do some sort of magic. Cindy had her hand out in the same way, although she was further away from me.
She began to recite a spell. Cindy's hand emitted sea blue lightning, while my side emitted electric blue lightning. They transversed for a short distance and mingled, dissolving into the hellfire, which stubbornly refused to be extinguished.
The heat was becoming very severe. I was on the verge of passing out, but Cindy clutched my palm even tighter.
My mind began to race as I felt an enormous amount of energy drain from me. I had the sensation that millions of needles were pricking into my flesh.
I couldn't soothe Cindy because her situation was significantly worse than mine. Her screams made it clear that she was using all of her might to put out the flames.
As hope flickered, a deceptive breeze encircled us. I anticipated relief, but to my dismay, it only fueled the inferno. A tumultuous tornado spiraled around us, a manifestation of the energy enveloping Cindy and me.
Everything, including trees and stones, began to fly about us, entering the fiery maelstrom. The intensity became unbearable, and though I resisted the urge to flee, Cindy abruptly released my hand, leaving me frozen in the tempest.
Amidst the pandemonium, a mysterious crowd materialized, seemingly carried by the wind. Unfamiliar faces surrounded us, with only one lady in the distance who appeared quite familiar.
"Mom!" Eva and Rafael's voices pierced through the chaos. Time pressed upon me, and without hesitation, I did what needed to be done.
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**2-3 chapters to go, followed by an epilogue. The last few chapters will be dedicated to the top three positions in the gem ranking. I think they deserve it. If I had missed dedicating a chapter to anyone who had provided me with gems, please let me know.**