Chapter 7.7: The War (8)

  (Lucifer sighs.)

  “Glad to see you’re observant as always. Did you not find it odd that when he was at a distance, his energy signature was enormous… but as we got closer, it felt like there was more than one energy signature hiding within the shadows?” asked Lucifer.

  “Hmmm… yes, I did notice it. It was strange, but I didn’t think much of it at the time,” replied Kane.

  “Kane, what do you know about demi-gods?” Lucifer asked.

  “They are the highest form of existence that humans can achieve—a state in which they have fully comprehended what it means to be human,” Kane answered.

  “Well then, it shouldn’t be hard to believe that what we faced… was a demi-god,” said Lucifer.

  “My lord… are you saying that human was a demi-god?” Kane asked, his face a mixture of shock and disbelief.

  “No,” Lucifer corrected. “I didn’t say that demi-god was human. In this world, there are two types of demi-gods. The first are as you described—humans who have reached the peak of their existence. The second are true demi-gods. True demi-gods are beings created specifically by the Supreme Being himself. They act as his eyes, his feet, and his law enforcers, for the Supreme Being cannot directly interact with the physical world,” explained Lucifer.

  Kane was shocked by Lucifer’s explanation, but before he could ask anything further, they arrived at the Frontline of their army.

  Lucifer stopped by The Sins and asked Pride, “Did you see it as well?”

  Pride nodded. “Yes, my lord. I’ve already informed the others.” His eyes, keen at noticing even the smallest details, were another reason he was the leader of The Sins.

  Kane looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

  “There are four demi-gods within that king’s shadow,” Pride explained. “That is why he was able to emit such an intimidatingly large energy signature.”

  “Human or not, even if he were a true demi-god, he shouldn’t be able to use demonic abilities,” Kane said. “Especially ones as advanced as hiding multiple beings within his own shadow.”

  Lucifer let out a low chuckle. “That’s the amusing part, Kane. That demi-god is a demon—and so are all the demi-gods hidden within his shadow.”

  Kane was struck completely silent.

  “You asked me earlier why I didn’t kill him,” Lucifer continued. “The answer is simple: I’m not certain I could defeat all of them at once. If it had only been the king, I would have killed him the moment he stepped outside the Capital. And the only reason they didn’t attempt to kill me when we met is because of my curse—my true power remains hidden from them.”

  Of all the things Kane had heard, one detail stood out above the rest—Lucifer’s curse.

  “My Lord,” Kane said, curiosity written plainly across his face, “what is this curse you mentioned?”

  Lucifer’s gaze remained fixed ahead. “You’ve noticed by now, haven’t you?” he asked calmly. “You can’t sense any magical energy from me.”

  “Yes,” Kane replied. “But I assumed you were suppressing it to such an extreme extent that no one could detect it unless you allowed them to.”

  Lucifer shook his head slightly. “Whenever you—or anyone—has sensed my power, it was because I forced a small amount of it outward. Under normal circumstances, my energy cannot be sensed at all.”

  He paused, the air around them subtly tightening, as if remembering the past caused the world itself to respond.

  “I realized this in the Forest of Slaughter,” Lucifer continued. “No matter how powerful I became, even the weakest monsters still attacked me—as if I were prey.”

  His voice remained calm, but Kane could hear the weight beneath it.

  “I couldn’t rest. Not for a moment. I was hunted constantly by every creature in that place.”

  Lucifer’s eyes darkened. “But it worked to my benefit. After all, … I did become this powerful.”

  Kane’s eyes widened. “My Lord—you entered the Forest of Slaughter?”

  Lucifer allowed a faint smile. “Anyway,” he said smoothly, steering the conversation forward, “it seems we’ll let our armies clash until one of us is forced to intervene personally.”

  He turned, shadows curling faintly at his feet.

  “That’s perfect,” Lucifer added. “The demons already have the upper hand.”

  The distant roar of the gathered army rolled across the land, as if the world itself acknowledged his certainty.

  “My Lord, what about their armour?” Pride asked, his eyes fixed on the distant walls.

  “The miasma will weaken their defences,” Lucifer replied calmly.

  With that, the discussion ended. Lucifer and Kane walked back toward the rear of the demonic army, where his throne awaited. The ground trembled faintly beneath their steps, responding to the collective hunger for blood.

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  Lucifer seated himself upon the throne, its obsidian surface cold and familiar.

  Kane raised his arm. “Advance.”

  The demons surged forward.

  On the opposite side, Alexander barked orders of his own. His fury burned hot—the moment he noticed a human soldier atop the capital walls collapse, a clean hole punched through his skull, his rage snapped into full force.

  Both armies charged.

  The demonic horde thundered across the field at full speed, claws tearing into soil, wings beating the air, fangs bared. The Sins and Demon Lords joined the charge, eager for battle. The human generals had taken the field as well, and both sides sought not just victory—but dominance. This was a display of power.

  Time blurred.

  Screams echoed endlessly, tearing through the battlefield like dying prayers. Demons and humans fell in droves. Bodies piled high, limbs twisted unnaturally. Blood flooded the land, flowing through trenches and cracks like a crimson river.

  Lucifer watched in silence.

  The sight stirred something old within him. Nostalgia.

  Death accelerated the miasma’s birth. It thickened unnaturally fast, coiling around corpses and crawling across the battlefield like a living fog. The land itself seemed to rot beneath it.

  For the demons, it was a blessing.

  For the humans, it would have been a death sentence—if not for their enchanted armour, now slowly corroding under the miasma’s touch.

  From his throne, Lucifer observed patiently.

  The Demon Lords and the Sins had finally met their matches. Locked deep within the demonic ranks, they were too consumed by their own battles to spare a thought for anything else.

  To their surprise, the human generals were nothing like the otherworlders they had faced before. Their power stood on an entirely different level. Even the Demon Lords’ purple energy—infused with Hell itself—could be resisted.

  The reason was obvious.

  The humans’ armour was layered with countless holy enchantments, spell upon spell forged to endure the abyss. Even so, the energy still burned them from within. It felt like Hell—searing, suffocating, unrelenting.

  From his throne, Lucifer watched every moment unfold. His eyes missed nothing—the clashes, the strain, the slow erosion of restraint.

  After a while, he sighed.

  “Looks like it’s almost time for us to join in on the fun,” Lucifer said casually.

  “My Lord?” Kane replied, shock flashing across his face.

  Lucifer laughed softly. “Relax, Kane. I don’t mean you. I mean the human king… and myself.”

  “But, my Lord,” Kane protested, “the battle between our forces hasn’t concluded yet.”

  “I know,” Lucifer said calmly. “But the human king and I were never going to wait for that.”

  His gaze sharpened, locking onto the battlefield’s far end.

  “This was always a test—a contest of restraint. To see who could keep themselves contained the longest while watching their armies tear each other apart.”

  A faint, dangerous smile crossed his lips.

  “And besides,” Lucifer continued, “the demonic nature within those five is already aching for release.”

  The air around his throne pulsed faintly, as if Hell itself leaned forward in anticipation.

  “If you look closely,” Lucifer said calmly, before Kane could even respond, “you’ll see that Alexander is about to explode with frustration… and come straight for me.”

  Kane stiffened. “My Lord, if you know he’s about to lose control, why not wait until he does before making a move?”

  Lucifer’s lips curved into a faint, dangerous smile.

  “Simple,” he replied. “This time, I’m letting my demonic nature guide my passion for battle. It’s not every day I encounter a worthy opponent.”

  The battlefield trembled in the distance, metal clashing against claw and magic tearing the air apart.

  “I’ll wait for him to charge,” Lucifer continued, eyes locked forward. “And I’ll meet him halfway.”

  He extended his hand without looking back.

  “But before that… show me your hand.”

  Kane hesitated only a moment before placing his palm forward. The instant Lucifer grasped it, an overwhelming surge of energy flooded into him—raw, violent, and burning hot.

  Power coursed through his body in seconds. The air around them warped, shadows recoiling as if in fear. Even the distant battle seemed to falter for a heartbeat, as though the world itself sensed what was about to be unleashed.

  Lucifer inhaled slowly.

  The wait was almost over.

  Kane dropped to his knees the moment the transfer ended.

  His breath came in short, strained bursts. The power still lingered inside him, vast and unnervingly deep—like a bottomless pit of darkness that refused to settle.

  “My… my Lord,” Kane managed, panting, “what is this?”

  Lucifer looked down at him calmly. “What I gave you is to be used when I give the signal.”

  “Signal?” Kane repeated as he forced himself back to his feet, his legs trembling under the unfamiliar weight.

  “Don’t concern yourself with when,” Lucifer replied. “When the time comes, you’ll know.”

  He turned his gaze back to the battlefield, shadows gathering at his feet.

  “All you need to do,” he continued, “is snap your fingers while focusing on the power I gave you.”

  The darkness inside Kane stirred in response, as if it were listening.

  Before Kane could ask another question, a violent surge of magical energy erupted across the battlefield.

  He snapped his head toward the Capital—and saw Alexander hurtling straight toward them, a comet of fury wrapped in holy light.

  Kane glanced to his side.

  The throne was empty.

  He barely had time to react before an enormous gust of wind slammed into him, throwing him several meters back. The air screamed as something tore through it.

  Kane looked up just in time to see Lucifer launching himself forward, wings slicing through the sky as he charged to meet the human king.

  The two kings collided mid-air.

  Fists met fists.

  A thunderous shockwave exploded outward, flattening anything caught in its path.

  They recoiled, twisted, and struck again—second fists colliding with bone-shattering force. Another shockwave ripped through the battlefield, folding the air in on itself.

  As the first and second shockwaves merged, Lucifer and Alexander locked hands, fingers interlaced in a brutal contest of strength.

  The combined force detonated downward.

  The ground beneath them collapsed instantly, caving in as the earth gave way to their power. The battlefield cracked open, swallowing stone, blood, and broken bodies as the clash of kings tore the world apart.

  A barrier formed where their powers collided.

  It pulsed violently, hurling lightning in every direction, splitting the air with deafening cracks. The clash held for several seconds—power grinding against power—until the force became too great for either of them to contain.

  They were blasted apart.

  Lucifer and Alexander were hurled backward, tearing through the air before crashing into the ground nearly a kilometre apart. The earth buckled beneath their impact, shockwaves rippling outward.

  Alexander recovered first. Without hesitation, he hurled a massive sphere of golden energy toward Lucifer, its holy light scorching everything in its path.

  Lucifer spun his body in response. As he rotated, a sphere of purple energy formed around him, wrapped in crackling lightning. When the spin completed, he released it.

  The two spheres collided.

  A colossal explosion erupted, expanding into a massive dome of fused energies—gold and purple interwoven, raging against each other. The battlefield was swallowed by blinding light and thunderous force.

  Time stretched.

  Slowly, the dome began to fade.

  The instant it vanished, both Alexander and Lucifer lunged forward. Their speed erased the distance between them, making the kilometre separating them seem meaningless.

  The next collision was inevitable.