Eztara stared menacingly at the Primordial Black, twirling his scythe elegantly. His glowing form was blinding, and I was forced to raise an arm to block the light. The moon above seemed to reflect Eztara’s powers, and violet energy no longer clad his form. Instead, his scythe had transformed, its blade formed from pure darkness, while tendrils of black and white danced from the top of his head to the bottom of his cloak.

  Then, he struck.

  I couldn’t even track the wraith’s movements, now flying through the air in a blur. He slammed his weapon directly towards Lunarius, but the demon disappeared, reappearing behind the wraith.

  [Shadow Step]

  “You can’t hide!” Eztara raged, whirling around to strike at his shadow, but the demon was already gone.

  “Hide? Why should I hide from the likes of you?” Lunarius taunted, beating his wings and taking to the sky. Eztara followed, and their figures tore through the air like twin fireworks, illuminating the landscape below.

  [Lunar Slash]

  A bolt of blackened energy tore from Eztara’s scythe, followed by a swarm of additional attacks. A seemingly infinite number of crescent blades soared through the air, but Lunarius weaved between each one with ease. He vanished behind the wraith. A simple backhand sent Eztara crashing down towards the ground.

  “They’re on another level,” Viressa commented breathlessly, staring wide-eyed at the ensuing battle. I nodded in agreement as Eztara plummeted to the ground. He landed with an earth-shattering quake, forming a large crater.

  “I didn’t have much faith in your strength to begin with, but really, the guardian of my former domain is incapable of entertaining me for even a moment?” Lunarius said, disappointed. He landed with an unbothered grace, holding his hands behind his back as if he were out for a midnight stroll.

  Former domain?

  “Shut your mouth!” Eztara seethed, rising from the ground and activating another skill.

  [Severed Radiance]

  That's the skill Luminarch used to escape from Zerethiel.

  [It seems he has met the demon.] Joshua agreed.

  Eztara vanished in a flash of light, then a wave of energy flew towards Lunarius, who deflected the strike with a simple hand gesture. The wraith teleported again, more times than I could count, striking the demon from all angles, but Lunarius reacted with an almost tired demeanor, deflecting each strike with a wave of his arm.

  “What a waste,” Lunarius snapped, “I expected much more from you.”

  [Mordeth, the Blackened Blade]

  A huge, dark greatsword appeared in Lunarius’ hand, shadows drooping from the blade like liquid. He raised the sword, meeting the wraith's scythe, and a clash of darkness shook the ground around me.

  “We need to get out of here!” I shouted, grabbing Viressa by the arm and hurrying to safety. The ground beneath me split from the impact, suddenly forming a massive ravine. I jumped, pulling Viressa along with me as we landed hard against the sand. It fell in torrents into the massive rift in the landscape.

  My eyes widened as I observed the battle.

  Lunarius and Eztara darted through the infinite landscape, blinking in and out of existence faster than I could track. They were like two forces of nature, blowing apart the environment whenever their blades met.

  [Lunar Barrage]

  Eztara teleported higher into the air, and a torrent of silver bolts tore through the sky headed straight for Lunarius.

  With a flash of his Blackened Blade, Lunarius deflected each one, sending them hurtling towards the ground and exploding with a plume of silver energy. Each blast was like a miniature nuke, blowing dust and debris in every direction. I huddled to the ground, trying to avoid becoming collateral damage in their fight.

  Their clash brought them back down to the ground, appearing directly in front of us with a debilitating shockwave. Eztara strained, pushing his scythe against Lunarius’ blade, but the demon’s expression had hardly changed, still looking as if he were bored.

  Just how strong is he?

  [I want to be his parasite.]

  Eztara disappeared behind the demon, the point of his scythe headed straight for Lunarius’ head.

  The blackened edge came to a stop.

  The tips of Lunarius’ long, wiry fingers had caught the blade, and the Primordial smiled cruelly before speaking. “You’re pathetic.”

  With a roar of frustration, Eztara disappeared, teleporting into the distance. “Do not toy with me!” He screamed, and then the entire world suddenly shifted.

  [Ysoldeir, the Waking Nightmare]

  The sky blackened, the vibrant colors that once danced across the horizon disappearing, and the world was plunged into pure darkness. After a moment, the moon changed, now becoming a sphere of silver, similar to how it would normally appear back in the real world.

  Then, phantom soldiers shimmered into existence around us, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands. They took similar forms to the wraith, each one clad in blackened robes. They spoke together, mirroring the words of Eztara.

  “You now face my transcendent skill!” The crowd of ghastly forms recited, “Surrender now, and I promise your death will be painless!”

  “Interesting, I don’t recall you having one,” Lunarius’s eyes narrowed. He stepped forward.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  [Time Stop]

  In the blink of an eye, no, in less time than even that, it was over.

  There was not a single wraith left on the battlefield, besides Eztara, who was keeled over with blackened blood spilling onto the sand below. He had shrunken, now appearing the same size as when he first began to fight us. The sky above had returned to normal, and the moon was back to the violet color that had first welcomed me and my companions.

  “What just happened?” Viressa choked, completely shocked, staring around her as if the army of wraiths would appear from thin air and kill us where we stood. I recognized the skill from when the demon had used it in the pits of Hell, but that time, he had exempted me from its effects.

  Are you telling me that he defeated all of those things before the duration of his skill ran out?! System! Nerf that shit!

  [I don’t think the system can do that.]

  “Hmm, I would hardly call that entertaining,” Lunarius mused, grabbing hold of the wraith, then teleporting to my shadow. I recoiled, whirling around, but Lunarius shot me a calming look, and I slowly relaxed. “Now then, mind telling me where my brother went with the relics?”

  Eztara sputtered, spitting blood onto the sand, then locked eyes with me. “You! How did you summon this monster?! You’re just a lowly demon!”

  Lunarius grabbed the wraith by the head, forcing Eztara’s eyes away from me, then began to whisper with a vicious tone. “I am speaking to you.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck rose in fear, and Viressa shivered beside me at the demon's words, grabbing hold of my arm and hiding behind my shoulder.

  Eztara gulped. I momentarily wondered how that was possible, the anatomy of the ghost-like figure eluding me. “Please, don’t kill me.” The wraith begged.

  “I wouldn’t kill my first servant,” Lunarius replied, his demeanor shifting drastically. He smiled cheerfully.

  “Servant…?” Eztara began, then he gasped as Lunarius activated his skill.

  [Shadow Corruption]

  Tendrils of darkness fought against the light energy cladding the wraith's form. Eztara quivered, his eyes bulging in pain as the two clashing forces collided, then he suddenly went still.

  “Welcome back, old friend,” said Lunarius.

  Eztara floated, eyes wide, then he knelt, despite having no knees. “Please forgive me, master! I was corrupted by Luminarch! I have been awaiting your return ever since the God King cast you out of the Mortal Realm—” He rambled. Lunarius smiled, lifting the wraith's chin with the tip of his blackened blade.

  “No need to apologize, you hardly pose a threat to me.”

  Eztara looked as if he might cry.

  I feel bad.

  [I don’t.]

  That goes without saying.

  “What exactly’s going on here?” I interjected hesitantly, both of the powerful figures before me whipping their heads around, as if they had forgotten I was even there.

  “Ah, little demon. Forgive me, I shall explain,” Lunarius started. “This,” He gestured around him, “Is my domain.”

  “You lived in a World Dungeon?” Viressa inquired quietly, eyeing the imposing demon with cautious eyes.

  “It wasn’t always a dungeon,” Eztara explained. “Before the last war between the angels and the demons, Lunarius created this place, entrusting me as its guardian. It was our last bastion before the God King and the Aspects defeated us.”

  “God King?” I said curiously.

  “Orion, the God King, the Celestial Tyrant, ruler of the High Heavens, blah blah blah,” Lunarius said dismissively. “A rather boring one, to be truthful.”

  “And after the demons had been expelled to the fiery depths of Hell, I was given a choice by the Aspect Seraphael. I could remain here, guarding over Lunarius’ territory as a dungeon boss, or I could join them in the Demon Realm.”

  “It’s pretty boring down there, so I guess you made the right decision!” I replied.

  “It’s quite the coincidence that you managed to summon me directly into my former home, little demon,” Lunarius said playfully. “I knew I could count on you.”

  The world around us shifted, and we were now back in the clearing in the Moonwake Jungle, where we had left Lioren and Kril. The pair glanced curiously at the portal, then the Imp flew towards me excitedly, stopping as soon as he saw Lunarius and Eztara.

  “Who the hell are you guys?” He challenged, raising his pitchfork. “Release my brother, or you will face the wrath of the Imp Duke of Hell!”

  “Calm down, Kril. These guys are,” I glanced hesitantly at the pair, who both stared back at me expectantly. “Uh, let’s call them acquaintances.”

  Kril eyed the two suspiciously, lowering his weapon. “If you say so.”

  “Now then, Eztara,” Lunarius began. “Where did Luminarch go with my relics?”

  The wraith bowed his head apologetically. “I am unsure, my lord. He defeated me in battle and stole the relics, corrupting me with his skill and altering my memories. I have no recollection of his motives or where he went.”

  “I see,” Lunarius stroked his chin in thought. “Well, I would assume he is gathering the Primordial relics in hopes of revenge against the God King.”

  “What are Primordial relics?” Viressa asked.

  “They take a different form for each of us, forged back when we still freely roamed the Mortal Realm,” The demon replied. “Mine are the fragments of the six moons, and with them I would be able to awaken my true power.”

  That wasn’t his true power?!

  [Please don’t piss him off.] Joshua begged.

  “So what does he want with them?” I inquired.

  “To summon the Demon King, I gather.”

  Hey, that’s me!

  “Demon King?” Viressa said slowly, mulling over the words with curiosity.

  “With the power of the Primordial relics, it is said that their union could give birth to a powerful being, one who would come to be known as the Demon King. Although such a feat has never been accomplished,” Eztara added.

  “Why not?”

  “We simply don’t get along,” Lunarius explained. “Now, little demon, I have a favor to ask of you.” I looked at the Primordial, waiting for him to continue. “Find the other relics before Luminarch does, and do with them what you will,” He finished.

  “What?!” I exclaimed in surprise. Eztara looked equally shocked.

  “My lord, please excuse my insolence, but why would you entrust a mere Greater Demon like him to such an important task?!”

  “It’s simple,” Lunarius began to explain. “I cannot leave my territory, as the second I do, the system will announce my return, and I will have to face the full might of the Aspects.” He paused, his focus shifting between me and the wraith beside him. “As of now, and especially without my relics, I am unprepared for such an ordeal.”

  Eztara interrupted the explanation. “Then allow me to accomplish this task!”

  “You are not strong enough.”

  The wraith hung his head in defeat.

  “And I am?” I mumbled in disbelief.

  “Perhaps not yet, but…” He stared at me with a wide smile, his striking silver eyes piercing my soul. “I have a feeling you will be soon enough.”

  A blue system message suddenly appeared.

  “Think of this as my first gift to you. After the six-day cooldown has finished, you may return here to receive an additional gift,” His eyes twinkled, staring at me with an expectant gaze. “I hope you succeed, little demon.”

  [Rate the goddamn story, or I’ll gut you all where you stand!]

  [They’re all bots anyway, dumbass! If there aren’t ten ratings on this story by tomorrow, I’ll kill all of you!]