Chapter 7.3. The War (4)

  Determined, Lucifer forced his magic through each blockage. With every breakthrough, he coughed up more blood. The pain was unimaginable, yet he reminded himself that the burning agony of the casket when he first arrived in Hell had been far worse.

  With a surge of force, he shattered the final internal barriers. A flood of magical energy coursed through his body without resistance. But the sheer intensity began to take its toll—his skin started cracking, splitting under the pressure of so much unleashed power.

  Lucifer fell off the chair, landing on all fours.

  “STAND BACK!” he shouted as Kane reached out to help.

  His body began to crack violently, and he screamed in agony. Every nerve, every fibre felt like it was being torn apart from the inside out. He was close to passing out, but he forced himself to remain conscious.

  Piece by piece, his skin started peeling away until it was gone entirely. Beneath it, a new layer of skin emerged—harder, stronger, and brimming with magical energy.

  Kane watched in awe as Lucifer began to rise, but what truly shocked him was what happened next: Lucifer’s blood and shed skin turned to dust within seconds.

  “Wh—what just happened?” Kane asked, helping him back onto the dining room chair.

  Even Lucifer had never seen this before. He examined his body and realized that he had never been in a better state. The shedding had stabilized his form, cleared all internal blockages, and allowed his magic to flow like a river. For the first time, he could wield his full power without restriction.

  As he finished his meal, Lucifer returned to the throne room, accompanied by Kane.

  Once inside, Kane asked, “My lord, how do you feel?”

  Lucifer smiled. “I feel great—better than I ever have. That rune… if I hadn’t used it, I would have never reached this state.”

  Hearing the mention of the rune reminded Kane of a question he had been meaning to ask.

  “My lord, that rune you created… what exactly was it?”

  Lucifer leaned back on his throne. “It’s one of the twenty-four ancient runes of power. That particular one is called Uruz, which means power.”

  Kane’s eyes widened.

  “The rune requires an immense amount of magical energy to use,” Lucifer continued. “Its purpose is to transfer the activator’s power to the intended target, which is why it consumes energy so quickly.”

  Kane hesitated. “So… you actually shared your power with the Demon Lords? Can they even handle it?”

  Lucifer chuckled. “I gave them only a fraction of my power. It’s designed to grow within them gradually, only until they reach their limit. Once they reach that limit, they can never grow beyond it. In terms of using my power to grow stronger, that is their ceiling.”

  Kane nodded, impressed despite himself.

  A few days later, the Demon Lords returned to the Demon King’s castle.

  The moment they stepped into the throne room, they felt it—something about Lucifer had changed. His presence was heavier, sharper, far more powerful than before.

  They kneeled before him. As they did, Lucifer immediately noticed that each of them had gained a small measure of control over the power he had given them. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

  Mephistopheles was the first to speak.

  “My lord… what exactly did you do to us during that ritual?”

  Lucifer stood up from his throne.

  “I gave you power,” he said simply. “Power so that you would never have to feel ashamed again—if you can master it.”

  The Demon Lords froze. They had expected punishment, not a reward. The realization washed over them slowly, and they bowed their heads even lower.

  “Thank you, my lord,” they said in unison, grateful and humbled.

  Lucifer’s expression, however, remained cold.

  “Do not misunderstand. When the war resumes, I will not save you again.”

  The room fell silent.

  They all understood what he meant—if they failed to master this new power before the next attack, then they were never worthy of receiving it in the first place.

  Lucifer continued, “You will have five years to master the power inside you. Whether you succeed or not, the war against the humans will continue.”

  He walked past them, and his voice carried through the chamber like thunder.

  “Be aware—the humans will be far more prepared next time. They have officially declared war on us.”

  He paused, then looked back over his shoulder.

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  “Prepare yourselves. The real war shall now begin.”

  The Demon Lords left the throne room and headed out to begin their preparations.

  Lucifer, watching them go, turned to Kane.

  “I will be training as well,” he said. “I’ll return after five years have passed.”

  Kane bowed in acknowledgment. Before he could say anything else, Lucifer spoke a single word:

  “Lokie.”

  In an instant, Lucifer’s body dissolved into shadow and was absorbed into the throne itself.

  The battlefield inside Lucifer’s training realm was in ruins. Craters, cracks, and fading trails of dark magic stretched across the endless field. At the centre stood Lucifer and Lokie—both bloodied, bruised, and breathing heavily.

  Yet neither showed the slightest intention of stopping.

  They charged at each other again, fists clenched and auras flaring—until a deep resonant bell echoed through the realm. Their final blows landed at the exact same moment, their right hooks connecting with each other’s jaws and knocking both of them back several meters.

  Lucifer wiped the blood from his lip, exhaling slowly.

  “I’m still amazed you can mimic my current level of strength.”

  Lokie grinned, despite the swelling on his cheek.

  “My lord, mimicry is my greatest ability. If it belongs to you, then of course I can copy it perfectly.”

  Lucifer tilted his head, thinking aloud.

  “I remember you also have mind-based illusion magic… the same trick you used on me the first time I entered this realm. I escaped because of my strong mind—but now that I think about it, even Kane broke free when you tried it on him.”

  He crossed his arms.

  “That means even Kane could have challenged for the position of Demon King.”

  Lokie laughed softly. “My illusionary magic might be easy to break for those with strong minds, but don’t forget my real strength—mimicry. I can copy up to three times my opponent’s power. And after seeing what they fear most during the trial of illusions, I simply take the shape of that fear. I break their mind, crush their spirit, and once both are gone… I devour them. That’s how I grow stronger.”

  Lucifer raised an eyebrow. “If that’s true, then why did you take form instead of something I feared?”

  “In your case, my lord, the answer is simple,” Lokie replied. “First, you shattered my illusion too quickly. Second, there was nothing left for you to fear—nothing you hadn’t already overcome. Any fear I could have taken the shape of would’ve been meaningless. So instead, I chose the greatest challenger anyone can face: themselves. Besides…” He smirked. “Your body holds an absurd amount of power. Any other form would have collapsed under it.”

  Their conversation trailed off as they tended to their wounds. Lokie cleaned himself with water magic, then dried his clothes with a gentle swirl of wind. He watched Lucifer quietly, noting how strangely he used magic—efficient, instinctive, and almost effortless—but chose not to comment.

  Lucifer emerged from the throne, finding the Demon Lords waiting patiently in the hall. He told them to rise, and they obeyed. As his gaze swept over them, he could already see the results of their training—their forms were more refined, their horns smaller, their presence steadier. They had fully mastered the power he’d given them.

  “Good,” Lucifer said as he stepped forward. “You’ve done well.”

  He raised a hand, and the ground trembled. Stone shaped itself into thrones along the walls, each one carved perfectly to fit its intended ruler. The Demon Lords stared in awe as the last chair settled into place.

  The Demon Lords bowed their heads, then moved to their newly formed thrones—each one engraved with their names. Once they were seated, Lucifer announced that the war against the humans would resume now that the five years had passed. He expected that new demonic armies had been prepared, as it would be impossible to continue the war using only the forces left on Earth.

  Fortunately, the Demon Lords had anticipated this long before his return. Their preparations were thorough—greater numbers, stronger soldiers, and improved demonic creatures. Even the demons that had remained in the human world had multiplied and evolved. Lucifer was genuinely impressed.

  With everything in place, they departed the Demon King’s castle and made their way to the Gates of Hell. When they arrived, hordes of demonic creatures were already gathered, waiting for the order to storm through the portal. As Lucifer approached with Kane and the Demon Lords, every creature dropped to its knees—their unified gesture acknowledging that their king had arrived.

  Lucifer didn’t bother giving a speech this time. Instead, he created three massive portals—just as he had before. Each Demon Lord led their army through their assigned gate, with Astarte and Ammit once again sharing the same portal.

  When the last of them crossed over, Lucifer entered the main Gate of Hell himself and emerged inside the miasma barrier he had created five years ago—five years by Hell’s count, at least.

  As he flew forward, demons below dropped to their knees. While passing overhead, Lucifer wondered what had become of The Sins, so he asked Kane. Kane explained that they were already positioned on the frontlines and were waiting for their revenge. Lucifer doubted they were truly ready—until he reached the edge of the barrier and saw them for himself.

  The Sins had grown. Their auras were heavier, sharper, far more controlled than before. Lucifer remembered that demons naturally evolved when challenged by stronger opponents, and seeing their newfound power eliminated his doubts.

  He joined them on the frontlines, and the moment he landed, The Sins knelt. Lucifer simply told them to rise as he walked past.

  Lucifer placed his hand on the barrier and glanced back at the massive demonic army. Then he turned his attention fully to the barrier and began opening it.

  The hordes of demons surged forward like a tidal wave, passing right by Kane and The Sins, and eventually moving past the Demon King himself.

  Lucifer’s throne appeared behind him. As he sat, Kane and The Sins took their positions beside him, following as before.

  The humans had grown cautious since five years ago. They had placed traps around the towns closest to the miasma barrier. But Gluttony’s nose was unmatched. As they approached a town, he could detect magically set traps as easily as he could detect food, and he dismantled them without triggering a single one.

  This town had a barrier. From past experience, they knew otherworlders were likely inside. But this time, the humans were better prepared.

  Lucifer pointed at the barrier, causing a small ball of energy to form. Suddenly, Greed charged at it with full speed and slammed his fist against the barrier. It wobbled. A second punch made cracks appear, and the third shattered it completely.

  Meanwhile, beside the Demon King, the rest of The Sins face palmed themselves. All they could think was,

  Lucifer, still pointing at the barrier, lowered his hand and ordered the demonic army to attack. As the army surged forward, Greed returned with a wide grin, clearly proud of himself. The atmosphere turned awkward, as he was the only one enjoying the moment.

  Lucifer sighed and told The Sins that they could also attack. Greed, still basking in his own glory, didn’t hear the orders. Wrath turned back, dragging Greed along.

  The Demon King face palmed again, then sighed, as he watched the chaos unfold in the town. He closed his eyes and sent out sonar pulses across Demacia, quickly locating the Demon Lords. He stopped monitoring closely—they seemed to have everything under control this time. Unlike before, they stayed back and let their armies handle the fight, which was a much smarter approach.