Armageddon’s eyes flare bright red. “What are you saying? Where’s my son? WHERE IS MY SON?”

“Killed by his own hand,” says Lincoln. “He died a true thrax warrior.” He tosses his blade from hand to hand, sizing up Armageddon.

The demon leader throws back his head and howls. The sound rattles the desert. “My son is dead? MY SON IS DEAD?!” He crouches to Xavier’s side, grips his hair and yanks up his skull. “I want to you watch your daughter closely now, because I’m going to break her bones and drag her to Hell. She will fulfill my vow to torture Maxon.” He turns to me and offers a smug grin, certain he just scared the fight out of me.

Not even close, buddy.

Every cell in my body pulses with fury. “Try this on for size.” I blast my column of white lightning straight into the sky, pumping the storm clouds with bright flashes. “How about you get your goddamn hands off my father?” The clouds roll with an ear-splitting peal of thunder. “NOW.”

Growling, Armageddon leaps onto the ridge. Beside me, Lincoln flinches as the greater demon’s aura slams into him. Nothing happens to me this time; igni must block the effect. Armageddon strides toward me, raising his hand to strike. Every instinct I have screams for me to move, but I can’t control igni and dodge blows at the same time. And if I lose the igni, I lose this fight too.

The King of Hell swipes his fist toward my head. I wince, waiting for the blow. At the last moment, Lincoln jumps between me and Armageddon’s fist. His baculum collide with the demon’s stone-smooth skin, sending a shower of blood-red sparks through the air. The King of Hell pulls back his arm; his flesh is unharmed by the sword. The demon continues his onslaught, every volley coming faster. Time and again, Lincoln meets each blow before it connects with my—or his—exposed skin.

My regular self would be horrified at this moment: Lincoln in danger, my father in chains, everyone I love at risk, and all of Purgatory relying on me. But I lock those thoughts away, sealing them inside an internal vault. My mind snaps into the hyper-focus of battle mode. There is nothing but my task—moving demons to Hell—and the next step to accomplish it.

I size up Armageddon’s blows and Lincoln’s counter-strikes. The Prince can only give me a few more minutes; I need to move faster. To my right, the igni column glimmers with power as it pumps more white light into the dark clouds. I set my fingertips a few inches into the column’s sparkling skin. Igni voices grow louder in my brain. Something new joins them as well: images of demons across Purgatory.

An idea forms. I know exactly how to speed things up. Excitement kicks inside my chest.