Hello, everyone! As per usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

64- It's Not Over Until the Demon King Sings

The thing about fighting Azarel was, the group knew that they couldn't expend all their energy or magical capacity doing so. The Demon King was still there, warming up as far as they knew, and he would be their next opponent. There was no point in blowing all your ammo on the midboss only to be rendered helpless when the final boss battle came around, right?

Azarel was making that difficult.

Azarel's attacks had such a long range, it was difficult to get close to them. Magical swords weren't of much use when the target was so far away, and medium-level spells could only do so much.

"Even if I could get close enough for a Ragna Blade, I couldn't use it knowing that Shabranigdo might awaken afterward." Lina spoke to Amelia as they began to regroup. "And the only spell more powerful than that is totally out of the question."

"So what's left?"

"I could try a Dragon Slave, but there's no guarantee that would work, and it could be dangerous if we're all spread out like this. Besides, that's not a spell that can be fired in rapid succession either."

"I'm glad you ladies know what not to do." Lyos grumbled. "But since we're in the middle of battle, can you try figuring out what to do?"

"That's easy for you to say, Mister Knight-of-the-Aqualord." Lina shot back. "Why don't you pull something out of your bag of tricks?"

In the meantime, the only ones who had been able to get close to the Demon King's body were Zara and Enrique. Everyone else had been chased off by Azarel, but when they saw the two friends approaching, they just muttered "stupid kids" and left them alone.

"We just have to destroy this body, right?" Enrique whispered. "How should we go about it?"

Zara moved closer to him. "I'm not sure." he whispered back. "I could try a spell, but I don't know how much good it might do. If the Demon King is still alive in there, he might have some sort of barrier for protection."

"It's so weird, seeing him like this."

"I know. I've seen pictures of the Great Sage before, but he looks so different in person."

"His face is all white- his lips look almost blue, even."

"And his eyes are so scary. They're cloudy and pale and... I can't even look at them." Zara covered his eyes with his coat sleeves.

"Are you okay? Should I... move him or something?" Enrique offered, tugging at Zara's arm. "I could turn him so that his eyes aren't looking up."

"You would? You're not scared to touch him?"

"Sure thing. You know I'd do anything for you."

Zara smiled briefly before placing his hands on Enrique's shoulders and looking on nervously as the boy approached the Demon King's body. "...be careful..." he murmured. "...if there's a barrier, it might..."

"I know, I know." Enrique nodded. "I'm okay-"

Lina and the others were too involved in their fight with Azarel to notice the boys' quiet activity. Lina and Zelgadis had managed to get close enough for some close-range spells, but Azarel had no trouble managing multiple protective barriers. Lina began approaching Azarel from a different side to distract them while Zelgadis and Amelia readied an attack from behind. It looked for a brief moment like it would work, but even Lina's taunts couldn't fully distract Azarel from Amelia and Zelgadis' chanting.

"...everlasting flame of blue..."

"Oh no, you don't-"

Azarel was about to throw an attack in the couple's direction, but everyone was taken by surprise by a loud mix of noises that sounded all at once. There was a child's scream- no, a mix of two- and a hissing, searing noise as though something were being burnt. A large patch of snow around where the Demon King's body lay had suddenly been turned to steam. For a split second, Lina stopped breathing.

"ZARA!"

The first thing she did when she caught her breath again was to yell and run toward the boy. Zara was sitting a few paces away from the steam, both of his bare hands buried in the snow. The red mittens he'd been wearing were discarded a few paces away, the palms charred and burnt. His face was pale, and tears streamed down his cheeks.

"It hurts." he sobbed as Lina knelt beside him and took hold of his wrists to examine his hands. She began working healing spells before even asking.

"Zara, these look like bad burns. Why would you touch a body you knew was inhabited by a Demon Lord?"

"I-I didn't." Zara sniffled. "It was Enrique. I had my hands on his shoulder, and he... he..."

"What?"

"Enrique!"

"Zara, wait! Your hands are still-"

Zara had pulled away from Lina in an attempt to rejoin Enrique where he had finally pulled himself to his feet. A strange, pulsating energy surrounded him, but Zara didn't seem to notice. "Enrique, are you okay? Please be okay! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Zara was reaching out towards Enrique, but Enrique grabbed his arm and held it out away from him. The two boys' eyes met, and Zara suddenly tried to back away as best he could with the grip his companion had on his arm.

"You... you're not... who are you? What have you done with Enri- AH!" Zara shrieked as the boy's hand began to burn through his coat sleeve and touch his bare skin. Zara struggled to get away, but Enrique's grip was firm. "STOP, STOP! PLEASE, LET GO! THAT HURTS- MAKE IT STOP!"

Pestis was the closest to the two at that point and rushed over, grabbing hold of Enrique's other arm and pulling him away from Zara.

"Ow, hey! What happened?" Professor Nisery shook his hands off to cool them. "You shouldn't- er... you..." He caught sight of the boy's eyes and his stern expression melted into one of fear. "En...rique..."

"You're an unfamiliar face." The voice that answered was not Enrique's. it sounded too large for the boy's small frame. "That's right- Vireas died before we could have a rematch. How rude of him."

"ENRIQUE!" This time, the yelling came from Azarel. "Lord Shabranigdo, what've you done to Enrique?!"

"I don't like your tone, Hellmaster. What happened to I am your loyal servant?"

"You... you..." Azarel stammered weakly. "Enrique's soul..."

"-was easy enough to consume. And look!" Enrique-Shabranigdo disappeared and then reappeared behind Pestis, reaching up to place his hands on the professor's shoulders. "My new body isn't restricted to this plane of existence like my old one was. What a perk!"

The plume of energy surrounding the boy grew in intensity, and Pestis cried out in pain before pulling away, rubbing his shoulders. "Th-that's-"

"Enrique!" Azarel yelled again, running up to Enrique-Shabranigdo and reaching through the chaos to grab hold of his hand. "You can't do this! Give him back! Can't you choose another host? Any other host, please!"

"I didn't choose this host. He was the first to come in contact with my former body. That one wouldn't move- it was too stiff and weak. This one works perfectly- why give it up?"

"Azarel, your hands..." Pestis murmured. His own shoulders had been protected by his clothing, but Azarel's hands were bare and probably blistering by now.

"Because Enrique is too young... too innocent… he doesn't... he shouldn't..." Azarel stammered, and was finally forced to release Enrique-Shabranigdo's hand with a pained cry. "I-If you want another Mazoku host, take me instead. But please... let Enrique go."

The Demon Lord paused a moment to think. "Not possible." he finally replied. "His soul has already been consumed by chaos. But if you desire destruction that badly, I can arrange it."

"Wha-"

It happened so fast, it was difficult to see. There was a flash of light and a scream, and suddenly the swirling cloud of miasma burst forth, consuming everything in its path- Azarel included. The burst then died down, and Enrique-Shabranigdo calmly lowered his hand. "Anyone else crave destruction?"

"NO! Azarel!" Pestis shrieked.

"How dare you? All they wanted was to rescue that boy!" Lina called out.

"It makes no difference." Enrique-Shabranigdo responded firmly. "But of course I can't kill Pathosmaster. I've been waiting for millennia to get my rematch. It's a pity that Vireas isn't here, but you'll have to do, I suppose."

"M-me?" Pestis choked. "But I can't-"

"If you want a fight with him, you'll get a fight with us too." Zelgadis was the first to speak, but the rest of the group had circled around, with the exception of Lina, who was still tending to Zara's wounds a short distance away. However, as Enrique-Shabranigdo scanned the group, his gaze fell directly on her.

"Lina Inverse. I should've guessed. Why is it always you?"

As soon as he spoke her name, she stiffened and pulled Zara close. "Don't blame me. I guess I just have the worst luck in the world."

"Fine, then. I'll get my rematch with Pathosmaster and revenge on Lina Inverse all in one."

There was a deafening cracking sound, and the air vibrated with the breaking of ice. Before anyone could make another move, they suddenly found themselves on one of the rocky cliffs surrounding the glacier, out of harm's way for the moment. It was obviously Pestis' doing- once the group materialized, he fell to his knees with an exhausted sigh. His shoulders trembled for a brief moment before he began to sob, loudly and openly.

"WHAT am I going to DO?! Enrique… Azarel… They're GONE and it's ALL my FAULT!"

"…Pestis…" Filia reached out toward him, but seemed too shy to actually touch him. Lina, on the other hand, had no such reservations. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him tightly to her chest.

"Don't cry." she murmured softly, as though she were comforting Luke or Enrico. "We're gonna fix this."

"How?" Pestis whimpered, his voice muffled by Lina's scarf.

"I've created an illusion to distract him for the time being." Shizuri explained, one hand outstretched toward the Demon King. "It'll buy us at least a little time, but it's not going to last long. This is a tough opponent."

"We can start by having the rest of us come up with a counterattack while Lina and Pestis stall." Zelgadis broke in. "You two are the ones he wants, after all. You can distract him while the rest of us combine our powers to-"

"I don't wanna be bait!" Pestis shrieked.

"We're not bait." Lina interrupted, pulling him away from her scarf. "We're the first line of defense. You're the Pathosmaster now, so act like it."

"B-but Enrique and Azarel are-"

"Dead. We know." Gourry broke in, separating Lina and Pestis. "People die. I don't expect you to deny that. But our duty is to save those who are still living. That means you and everyone else standing here. And if you don't listen to us, we can't do our job."

Pestis stared at him for a moment. "Gourry, you… yes. I'm sorry. Forgive m-"

"ZARA!"

Lina and Gourry suddenly snapped to attention at the sound of Shizuri's voice. The boy had managed to sneak away from the others and was halfway down the cliff face, climbing intently toward where the Demon King was tearing apart the glacier below.

"ZARA, get back here NOW!" Lina yelled.

"WHAT do you think you're DOING?" Filia joined in.

"I'm… gonna… save Enrique…" Zara called back up without looking back at them. His grip on the cliff face was firm, but he put his weight on a foothold that wasn't sturdy enough and started to fall.

"ZARA!"

The whiplike strands of energy surrounding Enrique-Shabranigdo seemed to have minds of their own, and one reached out and wrapped itself around the boy. Zara screamed as the miasma touched his skin and began to burn.

"NO!" Lina gave a shrill shriek. She didn't have time to think- all she could do was start murmuring a spell under her breath. "…crimsonbeyondbloodpledgemyselftoconquerallthefoesmyunworthyhand… DRAGON SLAVE!"

The spell was aimed just right that the energy surrounding Zara lost its form and dissipated. The way he fell, it looked like he was unconscious, but he was suddenly scooped up by a passing Mazoku a split second later. There was no time to worry- Lorelei appeared behind the group with the boy in her arms.

"He's okay, just a little burned." she assured them tightening her grip on the boy. "Lord Beastmaster has ordered me to take him somewhere safe. He's too attached to Enrique and that's dangerous for him."

"Take him back to the Lin Estate. That's where his brothers are and there are healers there who can help him. I trust you with him." Lina replied.

As Lorelei disappeared, Filia grabbed hold of Lina's arm. "Miss Lina, how did you do that? I thought the Dragon Slave drew power from Shabranigdo."

"It does. That was a trick I picked up in Taforashia." Lina replied, and she was going to say more before Pestis cut her off.

"Since those appendages are extensions of the Demon King's energy, the nearby Dragon Slave sucks the power right out of them."

"I see... incredible-"

"Then why don't you just fire a bigass Dragon Slave right in the middle of the cloud thing and suck all the power outta that guy?" Lyos interrupted.

"Are you kidding? A Dragon Slave that big isn't possible. The explosion would wipe out half the known world."

"What else are we supposed to-"

"You guys... I think he's catching onto us..." Shizuri's sentence drew everyone' attention back to the glacier and the Demon Lord.

"I commend you, Lord Pathosmaster. That's certainly a trick Vireas never used."

"Yeah, well, we've got a few other tricks up our sleeves!" Lina called back, grabbing the back of Pestis' sweater and raywing-ing into the air off the cliff. Pestis yelped as the ground disappeared below him, kicking around.

"Linaaaa! What are we doing?"

"Don't you remember? We're the bait."

"I thought you said we were the first line of defense!"

"Yeah, yeah, that too."

"Don't change it on me like that! What are you-?"

Lina had managed to fly completely around the cloud of miasma, and finally hurled Pestis toward it.

"Hey, Shabranigdog! Play fetch!"

"NOLINADON'TDOTHATSOMEONEHELPMEI'MGONNADIE"

In the meantime, the rest of the group stayed close to the rock face, trying not to draw attention to themselves as they worked out a plan.

"The Aqualord was the one who sealed away the Demon King before. Lyos should be able to do that again."

"Yeah, but we want to destroy him, not seal him away."

"Miss Filia can perform Holy Magic too. They could combine their powers."

"But I can't fire the Aqualord's power long-range. This is a regular sword, and it'll break if I try to channel too much of the god's power. We'd have to get close, and there's no telling how dangerous that would be."

"Filia could clear a path in her dragon form while carrying Lyos. That way Lyos could get close with his sword, right?"

"That's not a bad idea, Gourry."

Everyone looked to Filia first. She stiffened in surprise, but nodded her head. "J-just... be sure to watch the Demon King while I'm transforming, okay?"

"Why? It's not like he's going to-"

"Just do it."

Pestis had forgotten briefly that he was able to teleport and levitate on his own. Oops.

"That was close! Be more careful next time, Lina!"

"You don't seem to be taking this rematch very seriously, Lord Pathosmaster."

"It's not exactly a rematch for me." Pestis answered weakly, having to teleport back and forth to avoid the Demon King's strikes. "Can you go easy on me for maybe the first ten minutes or so? Just so that I can get warmed up."

"I have been. Is this really the best you can do? If so, there's no reason for me to fight you. I should just kill you outright-"

The voice was cut off by a powerful explosion from the other side of the glacier. All Lina could see from where she was levitating was a burst of light- it had to be Holy Magic. "Filia!" she gasped under her breath.

The dragon's magic had cut straight through the miasma cloud, and created a narrow pathway that she was able to just barely maneuver through. She could feel the tips of her wings beginning to burn, but there was no turning back now. "Lyos! In a few seconds, I'll have to pull back. That's your cue to jump!"

"Right!"

Filia's flight path screeched suddenly to a halt as she neared the centre of the miasma cloud and Lyos jumped from her back, holding the sword over his head in preparation to strike. It was hot, and the water that swirled around the edges of his sword began to evaporate, but Lyos didn't back down. He brought down the sword toward Enrique-Shabranigdo, prepared for a powerful explosion when it hit, but... it didn't.

Enrique-Shabranigdo had raised one hand, and Lyos, the sword, and every single drop of water still in liquid form froze in midair. Lyos struggled to move his sword, and though the sword could be heard making sizzling and popping noises as the Holy Power came into contact with the miasma, it wouldn't budge. One further swipe of Enrique-Shabranigdo's hand sent a burst of energy out in all directions, and Lyos, powerless to avoid it, could only scream.

Pestis' eyes widened in fright as he saw the burst of energy. "FILIA! LYOS!" He flew toward the Demon King as fast as he could, as though he were going to fight Enrique-Shabranigdo hand to hand.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get close enough. The Demon King saw him and concentrated a blast of miasma directly toward him. It hit its target and Pestis was sent flying back. His body shot through the air and skidded across the surface of the cliff.

The glasses that had been on his face fell and cracked, coming to rest several paces from where his body, just as still and lifeless as the glasses, lay.