Chapter 7.8: The War (9)

  As they closed in on one another, both kings threw their punches at the same instant.

  Their fists collided.

  A shockwave detonated outward, ripping through the air. But this time, neither stopped. They kept striking—again and again—each blow faster than the last.

  With every collision, miniature shockwaves burst forth, stacking upon one another. Their speed increased with each exchange, blurring their movements into streaks of gold and violet.

  The battlefield trembled.

  The first shockwave was enough to halt the war below. Demons and humans alike froze mid-combat as the ground quaked beneath them. Weapons lowered. Breaths caught.

  All eyes turned upward.

  To them, it was no longer a battle between kings—it was a clash of gods.

  Lucifer and Alexander paid no attention to the devastation around them. They continued their relentless exchange, each strike cracking the air like thunder. Within minutes, the land beneath them was annihilated.

  The earth fractured. Craters scarred the ground. The terrain was reduced to barren ruin, scorched and lifeless.

  Seeing their enemies distracted by awe, the demonic army acted. They surged forward, seizing the moment.

  The humans snapped out of their trance and retaliated, steel and magic colliding once more.

  The war reignited.

  Lucifer and Alexander’s clash did not slow.

  Miniature shockwaves erupted across the field with every exchange, rippling outward in erratic bursts. Dust tried to rise around them, only to be instantly erased as the shockwaves stripped the ground bare. The air itself seemed unwilling to remain still.

  Each time they collided, the force between them blasted them apart. And each time, they returned—relentless, unyielding, drawn back together by sheer will.

  Neither could land a decisive blow. Their speeds were perfectly matched, movements mirroring one another with terrifying precision.

  They charged again.

  This time, their fists didn’t meet.

  They passed each other by a fraction—close enough to feel the heat—before both kings twisted mid-motion and drove right hooks into each other’s faces.

  The impact cracked like a thunderclap, sending blood and power scattering through the air as the battle finally shifted.

  The impact sent them both staggering back a few steps.

  Neither hesitated. They surged forward again.

  Lucifer struck first—an uppercut that slammed into Alexander’s gut. The force lifted him slightly off the ground. Alexander doubled over, coughing blood as it splattered onto the shattered earth.

  Before Lucifer could withdraw his arm, Alexander clenched his teeth, braced himself against the embedded fist, and drove a brutal right uppercut into Lucifer’s stomach.

  Lucifer bent forward, blood spilling from his mouth—only for it to evaporate before it could reach the ground, hissing into nothingness.

  They tore themselves upright at the same time.

  Left hooks landed simultaneously, cracking against their faces and snapping their heads sideways. Both kings stumbled back, boots grinding against broken stone, then steadied themselves almost instantly.

  Lucifer’s right hook connected cleanly with Alexander’s jaw.

  Alexander answered immediately—his own right crashing into Lucifer’s face.

  Lucifer retaliated with another right, bone against bone.

  Alexander came back with a vicious left hook, smashing into Lucifer’s cheek.

  Each blow echoed across the ruined battlefield, not just fists colliding—but wills refusing to yield.

  Their fight had turned into a brutal slugfest.

  They had abandoned any pretence of perfectly matching strikes. Now, it was raw power—blows landing with bone-shattering force, each attack dealing immense damage to the other.

  Amid the chaos, a miniature shadow slipped out from the side of Alexander, firing an invisible wind blade at Lucifer.

  Lucifer’s eyes narrowed. His enormous sensitivity to magical energy allowed him to sense it immediately.

  Interesting, he thought. So the rest are tired of just watching… let’s see how you react to this.

  “COPY,” he said aloud.

  The skill activated instantly. As the name suggested, Copy allowed him to replicate an opponent’s ability after it had been used.

  Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

  Lucifer’s fist shot forward, a right hook smashing into Alexander’s jaw. Then he leapt back, narrowly avoiding the invisible wind blade.

  As he landed, he pointed a finger at Alexander. The copied wind blade surged forward, invisible and precise.

  Alexander raised his arms to block, but shallow cuts appeared along his skin. With a grunt, he leapt backward, creating distance.

  “I thought we were ending this with just brute strength,” Alexander shouted, eyes narrowing. “What’s with the magic, Lucifer?”

  Lucifer’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Hmm… I should be asking you that—or should I say, all of you. I only copied what you were doing.”

  The battlefield trembled around them, dust and debris swirling in response to their combined energy. Every strike, every spell, every evasion made the world itself shiver under the weight of their power.

  Alexander’s shock lasted only a heartbeat before he forced his composure back.

  “What do you mean by ‘all of you’?” he asked, his voice sharp.

  Lucifer sighed, calm as ever. “If you think I didn’t notice the wind blade your friend just fired at me, then you must take me for a fool. I can tell that there are four of you within that one body.”

  Alexander’s eyes widened.

  “So tell me, Alexander,” Lucifer continued, his gaze piercing, “do you still not understand what I meant?”

  Memories struck Alexander like lightning.

  He remembered the moment just before Lucifer had fired his dark energy beam. One of the beings inside him had been preparing a surprise attack, forming a miniature shadow outside his body. The plan was flawless—or so he had thought.

  The beam had struck precisely at that point.

  A jolt of clarity hit him. The grazing strike had not been aimed at a healer or any other target—it had been aimed directly at one of the beings within him.

  He also recalled the warning from that internal voice, a fleeting thought that maybe… Lucifer already knew. At the time, Alexander had dismissed it. He had been consumed by the sight of a fallen healer atop the capital walls, convinced Lucifer’s target had been the human.

  Now there was no doubt.

  Lucifer’s dark beam had never been aimed at the healer. It had been aimed at him—at them—all along.

  The realization left Alexander momentarily frozen, a cold dread tightening in his chest as the battlefield roared around him.

  Alexander exhaled slowly.

  “I suppose there’s no point in hiding it anymore,” he said. “You’re right. I’m not alone in this body. There are four others with me.”

  Lucifer smiled faintly. “Good. Then this fight might finally become interesting.”

  He tilted his head. “And by the way, even if you call yourself the King of Humans, you are not human.”

  Alexander stiffened.

  “You know that too…” he said quietly. “Yes. I’m not human. I’m a demon—or rather, we are demons. Just like you.”

  Lucifer chuckled. “Of course I know. I am the King of all demons.”

  His eyes narrowed. “But you are nothing like me. You are a demon, yes—but you are also a demi-god. A being created directly by the Supreme Being himself.”

  Alexander froze.

  “Y–you knew?” His voice trembled despite himself. “You knew we were demi-gods, knew about the Supreme Being, and yet you still fought us without hesitation?”

  He swallowed. “Does that mean… you’re a demi-god as well?”

  Lucifer shook his head.

  “No. I am not.”

  There was no bitterness in his voice—only honesty.

  “I will give you this much praise,” Lucifer continued. “You are a demon who was elevated into a demi-god. Even I find that astonishing.”

  A faint smirk crossed his face.

  “I have yet to become a god—let alone a demi-god. In that regard, you truly have my utmost respect.”

  Alexander clenched his fists.

  “Then how,” he demanded, “are you able to fight me on equal footing?”

  The air between them grew heavy, as if the world itself was waiting for Lucifer’s answer.

  “You don’t deserve to know,” Lucifer said, his voice calm but edged with a dangerous intensity. “Demi-gods are created by the Supreme Being. Their power is given freely. You wonder how a non-demi-god can stand against you? You’re facing a demon who destroyed his own body to grow stronger. I will never be defeated by a power that isn’t earned.”

  Alexander’s eyes narrowed, a cold resolve settling over him. “I see… then there’s no reason to hold back anymore. One of us will die here.”

  Lucifer’s lips curved into a faint, predatory smile. “You are right. From this point on, you will face the true power of the one the demons call King. Don’t disappoint me.”

  With a sudden motion, he ripped off his shirt. The dark, writhing tattoos etched across his chest and arms seemed to pulse like living shadows, crackling with energy.

  Alexander’s grin was sharp, teeth glinting. “Let’s dance.”

  In a heartbeat, both kings vanished from the ground and reappeared high in the air. Their fists collided mid-flight with a deafening crack, the shockwave exploding outward larger than anything the battlefield had yet witnessed. Dust, debris, and displaced air spiralled into the sky, whipping through the battlefield below and sending both armies skidding to halt.

  Four miniature shadows burst from Alexander’s form, each stretching into human-sized figures. They unleashed a coordinated volley of fireballs, streaking like molten comets toward Lucifer, flames sizzling and leaving trails of smoke as they tore through the air.

  Lucifer’s eyes glowed a deep, burning red. He pivoted mid-air, launching a roundhouse kick that connected with Alexander’s chest. The force sent Alexander careening downward, crashing into the earth and kicking up a plume of dust, debris, and fractured stone.

  The fireballs closed in on Lucifer, trailing heat and flame like streaking meteors. Without hesitation, a purple, electrified sphere flared to life around him, crackling violently with arcs of lightning. The fireballs slammed against it, erupting into sparks and smoke, leaving Lucifer completely unharmed.

  The four shadows recoiled and merged back into Alexander’s side, their forms flickering as the two kings faced each other once more. The battlefield itself seemed to hold its breath—craters and fissures marred the ground, dust hung heavy in the air, and the war below had momentarily frozen, all eyes locked on the sky where the two titans hovered.

  The purple barrier around Lucifer flickered and vanished, crackling one last time before dissipating into the air. He landed lightly on the scorched ground, boots crushing stone and dust beneath him.

  Alexander rose as well, shadows still flanking his form, merging and shifting like living darkness. His eyes blazed with cold determination.

  Lucifer’s gaze sharpened, a faint smirk curling at the corner of his lips. “I see… so I was mistaken,” he said, voice low and amused. “I spoke of four demi-gods within you as if they had a physical form. But they are… spirits. Demi-gods fused into one body. Fascinating.”

  Alexander’s jaw tightened. “Well, Lucifer… it’s time. Time for the climax of this fight.”

  With a roar, the demi-god spirits surged forward, their forms glowing golden, energy crackling like lightning around each of them. They shot toward Lucifer, their combined aura warping the air, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake.

  Lucifer’s crimson eyes narrowed, his aura flaring like wildfire. A dangerous grin spread across his face.

  “Bring it on,” he said, voice carrying over the battlefield, calm yet brimming with lethal confidence.

  The earth trembled beneath them, the wind howled, and the air itself seemed to pulse with raw, unchecked power as the two forces prepared to collide.

  Lucifer’s lips curved into a cold, confident smile as the four demi-god spirits surged from all directions.

  Dark spheres, pulsating with crackling energy, erupted around him. They shot outward in every direction, streaks of shadow tearing across the air like falling meteors. The spirits reacted instantly, raising golden barriers to block the barrage. Sparks and arcs of energy scattered in every direction as the spheres collided with their shields, lighting the battlefield in a staccato of dark flashes.

  Before the spirits could recover, Lucifer vanished in a blur, reappearing directly in front of Alexander. His fist drove forward with bone-shattering force, slamming into Alexander’s stomach. The impact knocked the wind out of him.