Alastor kept grinning as Valentino charged him, but the blade cleaved only air as he dissolved into shadow.

Then a pair of monstrous claws grabbed Valentino from behind, one digging into waist while the other was around his neck.

"̴̪̮̠͓̈́̀͗I̸̬̾̀̌̚ ̸̛̈́͊͌̎͜͜t̷̛̟̫̄̀͝o̷̞͕͈͍͌l̷̡̡̈́͊̕̕d̸͈̬͒̅̄ ̴̰͚͕̊̊y̵̱̽̓̚͝ō̴͔̥̭̤̏͋͋ű̶̹͊͝.̵̣͈̯͌.̶̤͖̌͛.̷̺̞̩̖̰͑I̴̭̍̎ ̶̲̣̹͗d̷̢͔̩̥͕̄͂o̷̫̿̈́͋͛ņ̴̭̣̬͕̇'̷̨͇͖͚̿̈́̿t̴̢̯̘̝͒̅̈́̎̊ ̷̧̹̿̇l̸̤̲̺͙̓̓̐̓ȋ̶̲k̴̖͋e̶͓̲̓̀̄ ̷̛̼̘̰̳̜̀̋̂͛i̷͙͑̔̔͜͝͝t̵͈͂͒̔͐͗ ̷͙̟̼͑w̸̪͓̠̐̄͌̊̚h̸͎̖͓͎͎̄̐̽e̶̛͚̗͙̔͂͊n̵̪̹͘ ̷̦̖̲̯͑͑o̸̗͕̖̳͗̐͌ṭ̵͔͕͇̐h̴̹̞̦̱̍e̶̲̻͎̓̔͊͛͝ͅr̵̳̘͛̓̀s̶̹͝ ̶̯̹̞̩̊̏̈́̾b̷̡͎̮̠͙̔r̸̻̭̝̒̂̓͜ḛ̵̽̓̅ạ̴̄k̶͙͖͖̰͍͘ ̵̧̓̆̈̈͠m̸̝͕̭͂͜ỹ̷̨̯͈͘͠ ̸͉̑̒͋̚ẗ̷̨̧̞̺̯͝o̴̥̹͛̈́͂̑ÿ̴̯̙̹́̏s̸̪̒̊͝.̶̢̫̳͉͘͜.̸̯̯̺̈.̴̡̼̓̕̕"̴͖̞̀͗͠ͅ

Alastor was in full demon form for the first time in quite some time. Black voids gazed into Valentino as viscous black fluid dripped from them and his openly-grinning mouth.

"̴̼̿̄ͅY̴͎̙̫̳̼̎̆͛̉ȍ̸̩̗̃̋͒͝ú̵̧̩̥̣̀͆ͅ'̴̗̙̈́̊͝r̷̡̛̈́̆̉͘e̶͍̠̞͙͊ ̴͍̤͇͇͝a̵͙̋̋̏͋͝ ̷̠͇̜̳̰̒̚p̷̮̤͎͋̉ͅe̵̛̥̯͆̃͋̊r̴̘̀̆̇̀f̸̮̉̇ọ̵̙̞̊r̸͉̥̤̍̚͝m̷̱̬͚͎̌̃͜e̵̥̻͔͂r̶̯̱̰͌̾̕,̴̨͍̅͂́ ̸̹͍͗̃͋̈t̶̻̻̣͖̓̚o̷̞̣̱͔̽̏̀̀͝ơ̵̯̌͌̄,̶̞̇̄ ̸̢̢͇̔ầ̷̗̓̀ͅr̸̮̯̘̅̅̑́̚e̸̡̺̽͛̄͝ǹ̸̲̫̞̜̏͂̑'̵̫̪̟̰͖͛͊̀̄̚t̴̟͙̗́̉ ̴̫͙͇̬̰̈́͋͂ÿ̵̝̟̺̙̔o̴̡̘̲̞̿̉͝ú̸͍͈̦̞̀?̶̹͔̣͍̦̋ ̵̜̥̫̬̍͛̈͘͠E̷͔̬͘ň̸̹̬̩̜̳̽ţ̵̡̺̬̋̾̆́͒͜ẻ̶͉͛͊͌͠r̵̤͙͚̜͐̓̕͜ṯ̴͕̫̻̑ą̷̣̹̖̈́̂̀̈́̎i̵̘͇͝n̷͓̈́̄ ̴̼̫͓̘̜̒ţ̴̲̻̭̺̿ḩ̶͇̍̀e̷̙̣͙̤͗̌͛͠ ̴̱͛g̴͍̪̓o̴̹̲̿͊ó̸̧̢̮̈́͐̾̚ḑ̴̱̜̮̿̄ ̷̡̡͇͖̉̆͋̑̕l̸̘͈̦̹̱̂̄̊í̶̢̙s̶̨̮̗̩̐̿͗̉͜t̵͉̒̔̕é̵̛͚̣̬́̏͠n̸̗͓͎̺͔̊̏͝e̵̢̨̙̲͙͂͒͊ṛ̵̥̲͍̑̋͜ś̸̠̦͈̍̾̍.̸̠̖̟̹̣̎̒̊̅͌.̶̢̱͍͓͐̇͘.̶͙͊"̶͓͗͋͋̄̈

He clenched his claws farther into Valentino's guts.

"̵̨͙͐.̶̫̈.̵̠̙̺̜̍̏̀̂.̸̝̬̄̑͐͠a̴̪̪̥͊̎ͅn̶̙̦̲̟̜̕͘d̷̢̛̒͂ ̶̧̛͇̱̍ś̴̮̈́c̸̛̰̠͍͗̄͜ͅr̵͉̪̖͉̃͗͆ḙ̸͍̬͖͊̅a̸̝͚̳̗̽̐̐̈́̔m̵̢̛̻̠̰̀́͂̕ ̸̨̡̹̤̳͂̈͒͝f̵̨̲͂͌̏͑o̷̯͇̾̔r̵̡̼͚̘͓̋͆̿̑̀ ̷̧̲̤̣̊͐͑̚ṁ̴͓̳ẹ̶͔̓̏.̶̖̉̈́̂"̸͔̫̿̋̈͘͠