Lucifero’s dark holy energy erupted like a tidal wave, shaking the cathedral to its foundations. Stained-glass windows shattered into shards, and the marble floor trembled beneath the family’s feet.
Safari and Angeleva barely had time to react before Lucifero vanished, reappearing before them with a mocking smile.
“Let’s see how long you can last, demon.”
With blinding speed, he struck. His palm slammed into Safari’s chest before the devil could even brace. Angeleva tried to dodge, but their bound hands slowed them down.
The impact launched them into the pillars, stone splintering under the force.
“Ahh!” Angeleva gasped, staggering to keep her balance.
Safari coughed blood, his body screaming with pain, but Lucifero was already there— looming above him like a predator savoring the kill.
BAM!
Another blow, this time to the gut. Safari doubled over, choking, as Angeleva stumbled with him.
Off to the side, Ian crouched behind the rubble, camera still rolling.
“And there we have it, folks!” he whispered theatrically. “Big bro Safari just ate that hit, and—yep, I felt that one from here.”
Zack tugged on his sleeve. “Shouldn’t we… help?”
“Relax, kid,” Ian muttered, eyes glued to the viewfinder. “This is the setup for the big comeback. Trust me, the fans love this.”
He zoomed in on Lucifero’s smirk. “Look at that face. Classic villain overconfidence. Never ends well.”
Lucifero strolled forward, every step deliberate.
“You’re nothing but dead weight,” he sneered at Safari. “She fights well, but with you chained to her? You’ll both die.”
Safari’s eyes flickered with doubt.
Lucifero leaned in closer, his voice dripping with mockery. “You can’t even defend yourself. And you think you’ll protect your family?”
Ian muttered into the lens, “Oof, going for the mental damage. Textbook boss move.”
Lucifero's words echoed in Safari’s mind, feeding the spiral of doubt. Every failure, every injury—it all screamed that Lucifero was right.
But before despair could sink in—
Angeleva pulled Safari into her arms, holding him tight.
“Safari,” she whispered, her voice steady, “you’re not weak.”
Ian’s camera zoomed in dramatically. “Plot twist alert—emotional reassurance incoming!”
Her words grew softer, but they struck deeper. “Even if I’m strong, even if the family is strong… none of it matters without you.”
Lucifero’s smirk twitched.
Safari’s heart pounded. That warmth—it wasn’t pity. It wasn’t duty. It was Angeleva.
He wasn’t alone.
“…I’m not leaving them behind.”
His grip tightened on her hand. She smiled, her wings glowing brighter.
Ian gasped. “And there it is—the resolve comeback!”
Lucifero’s eyes narrowed, his patience thinning. “Sentimentality is worthless.”
A massive sphere of black energy swirled into existence above his hand, crackling with corruption.
“Dark Divine Ruin!”
He hurled it forward.
“Safari!” Angeleva cried.
“Got it!”
Their bound hands flared as one, energy surging in perfect harmony.
“Fairy–Devil Unity Merge!”
The energy collided with Lucifero’s sphere in a thunderous explosion. Light and shadow raged together against Lucifero's Attack, shaking the cathedral walls.
For a heartbeat, the clash was even. But Safari, his will burning, poured everything he had left into the beam.
“Go!” Angeleva shouted, adding her strength.
“Together!” Safari roared.
Lucifero’s eyes widened. “Impossible—!”
The Unity tore through the Dark Divine Ruin, engulfing Lucifero in a violent burst. He crashed into the altar, stone shattering beneath him.
His robes hung tattered. His wings dimmed. He coughed, forcing himself upright, face twisted in fury.
Safari and Angeleva stood tall, hands bound, breathing hard but unbroken. Their bond glowed brighter than ever.
“And that, ladies and gentlemen,” Ian announced, swinging the camera toward himself, “is what we call a game-winning play!” He winked. “Next stop: let’s see if our shiny villain still has some fight left. Stay tuned!”
But the battle was far from over.
Lucifero rose slowly, brushing dust from his sleeves. His voice was calm, but edged with menace.
“…Impressive. For misfits.” He lifted his palm, dark light warping the air. “But that wasn’t enough to kill me. Not even close.”
The cathedral trembled. Shattered glass pieced itself back together, reversing as if time obeyed his will. Holy inscriptions spread across the floor, glowing with blackened divinity.
Lucifero’s wings flared, gold stained with violet corruption.
Safari’s breath hitched. Even in his weakened state, he could sense it—Lucifero had been holding back.
“I’m done playing,” Lucifero declared.
Then—he vanished.
A crushing blow struck Angeleva’s back, sending her skidding across the marble, dragging Safari with her.
Lucifero appeared above them, his foot descending like a meteor.
Instinct took over. Safari rolled with Angeleva, barely dodging as the floor split open into a yawning abyss.
They landed hard, gasping. But Lucifero was relentless—his hand closed around Safari’s throat, lifting him with effortless cruelty.
“A parasite like you doesn’t deserve to exist.”
Safari’s legs kicked helplessly, pain searing through his battered body.
“LET HIM GO!”
Angeleva’s wand struck Lucifero’s face, a Fairy Justice Beam erupting point-blank.
Lucifero staggered, loosening his grip just enough. Angeleva dragged Safari free.
He coughed violently, clutching his throat, while Lucifero straightened, rubbing his jaw in mild surprise.
“You actually hurt me,” he mused. Then his lips curled. “But not enough.”
With a snap—
A golden chain materialized, binding Safari in mid-air. The force ripped him away from Angeleva, snapping the tape that bound them.
“NO!” she screamed, lunging—only to be slammed back by a barrier.
The family rushed to help, but Lucifero raised his hand. A wave of holy energy blasted them aside like ragdolls.
Suspended by the divine chain, Safari writhed as it burned into his skin.
“You rely too much on others,” Lucifero said coldly, tightening his grip. “Without them, you’re nothing.”
Safari clenched his teeth, suppressing a scream.
Angeleva pounded against the barrier, fury boiling over. “STOP IT!”
Lucifero turned to her. “Or what? You’re no stronger than he is. Weak—both of you.”
The words cut deep. The same blade that nearly broke Safari.
Lucifero smirked. “Pretend all you want, fairy. You’ll never be enough.”
Angeleva trembled—not with fear, but with rage.
Then—her aura exploded.
The cathedral shook as her golden light shattered the barrier like glass. Lucifero’s eyes narrowed as she shot forward, faster than his gaze could follow.
Her hand found Safari’s.
The instant their palms touched, a shockwave erupted, blindingly bright. Their energies—dark and radiant—no longer clashed. They harmonized.
Lucifero’s expression hardened. “You little—”
Angeleva’s eyes blazed. “Safari isn’t weak.”
Lucifero flinched.
“And neither am I.”
Their combined energy surged, forming a white-black vortex that ripped through the chain. The unleashed force blasted straight into Lucifero, engulfing him in a storm of light and shadow.
BOOM!
The explosion tore through the cathedral.
When the dust cleared, Lucifero stood, intact but stripped of his robes. For the first time—he looked furious.
Angeleva smirked. “Not so high and mighty now, are you?”
Safari coughed, but managed a grin. “For someone who calls us weak… you sure look pissed.”
Lucifero’s jaw tightened. His eyes burned with deadly light.
“…You should’ve stayed in the dirt.”
With a flick of his wrist, the cathedral collapsed. A gaping abyss of black flames yawned beneath them, swallowing the ruins.
Lucifero hovered above, wings blazing with violet corruption. His aura towered over them like a god’s wrath.
“You want a real fight?” His voice was deadly calm. “Then I’ll show you what happens to insects who dare challenge me.”
From the rubble, Ian peeked out, still filming, sweat dripping down his brow.
“Whew!” he whispered into the lens. “And just like that—the power couple breaks the evil bishop’s chains! Relationship goals, people. Relationship. Goals.”
He zoomed in on Lucifero’s furious glare.
“And there’s our sore loser of the day. What happened to all that confidence, big guy?”
Finally, he swung the camera toward Safari and Angeleva, their hands bound once more.
“Our underdogs? Absolutely killing it. That synchronized blast? Solid eleven out of ten. Bet they practiced that in front of a mirror.”
Despite the chaos, Ian grinned.
“Stay tuned, folks. Because this story? Oh, it’s far from over. To catch the next part of my documentary… go to the next chapter.”