It's no use anymore

Blood gushed from his body, forming a scarlet red sea around him. Crimson flames rose in titanic columns, engulfing the last remnants of the creatures. The ground itself fractured under the intense heat, consuming everything in its path. The creatures, weakened by Uriel's power, offered no resistance.

Uriel, for his part, raised his lance towards the sky. Golden lightning bolts erupted from the tip, forming a luminous network above the battlefield. With a gesture, he lowered his lance, and the sky itself seemed to collapse.

A downpour of lightning struck the enemy ranks, pulverizing the last pockets of resistance. The liches, despite their desperate efforts, were reduced to ashes by this divine fury.

When the dust settled, Uriel and Linfer stood alone in the midst of a devastated landscape. Smoking craters and charred bones were all that remained of the army that had assailed them.

Exhausted but victorious, Uriel and Linfer exchanged a glance, observing the remaining skeletons, now distant and harmless. They fell back-to-back on the ground, their bodies weary. Uriel absentmindedly wiped the monsters' blood from his sweaty chest, while Linfer, equally breathless, struggled to stand upright.

"Every day, I realize just how powerful you are. What was that technique?" Linfer asked, smiling as he smoothed back his hair.

"Ha, you're exaggerating, man. It's a last-resort technique. It drains all my energy. Your law is impressive too, copying abilities is formidable. Wasn't it Devour or something like that?" Uriel replied, straightening up a little.

"Exactly, but in reality, it's not that powerful. I've noticed it has no connection to my soul, a bit weird as a law. But compared to your law, it's like facing the god, the supreme being. Affecting reality itself is not given to everyone."

Uriel shrugged, amused. "You overestimate me, really."

As they chatted to pass the time before returning to base, a frigid aura spread around them. Linfer felt a shiver run down his spine, and his right hand became uncontrollable.

"What is this aura?" he murmured, his eyes scanning the surroundings with worry.

...

Millions of kilometers away from any civilization, in a vast desert expanse where only a sea of violet sand stretched, known as the *Demonic Ruin*, billions of immobile skeletons stood, frozen in silence. The landscape, tinted with dark violet, exuded a sinister tranquility.

Perched atop a throne made of bones, a thin young man seemed to be dozing. His eyes, encircled by deep dark circles, betrayed an almost eternal fatigue. His skin, paler than a ghost itself, had a morbid whiteness, almost blending with his skeletal soldiers. He had the sickly appearance of a being made solely of bones and skin.

His long black hair fell in disorderly locks over his face. He wore only a long black silk robe, revealing his thin flanks, and purple trousers. His bare feet rested carelessly on the armrest, like a lazy cat on a cushion.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a distant rumble. The man slowly opened his half-closed eyes, as if emerging from a millennia-long slumber. He scratched his head nonchalantly and then straightened up. Rising, he contemplated his army: billions of skeletons and millions of liches, all at least Origin 3 or 4, mounted on monstrous creatures.

This was his true army, immortal beings, far superior to these mere mortals whom he considered insects. In the violet sky above him, gargoyles, harpies, and wyverns circled menacingly.

Behind him, ten skeletal knights stood firm, clad in solid black armor, mounted on skeletal horses. They were the *Knights of Death*, each capable of vanquishing a being of Origin 6 in an instant.

If Linfer were there, he would mock himself at the sight of such an army compared to his pitiful wendigos.

Without a word, Belzebuth fell to the ground. His bare feet touched the cold violet sand. He bent slightly, picking up a handful of sand between his fingers. As the violet flame of his power wrapped around his palm, the sand began to vibrate and shiver. The grains separated, and a myriad of tiny black dots appeared, flapping their wings frantically. In a split second, the handful of sand had transformed into a buzzing swarm of flies that rose into the air, forming a dark, humming vortex. Belzebuth's violet irises then sparkled in synchronization with the insects' flight.

...

The sky, which had been clear until then, gradually filled with a violet mist that spread, darkening the horizon. This strange mist made of flies gradually concentrated, twisting and moving, eventually taking on a more defined shape.

At the center of this nebula, an immense eye appeared, shimmering with an amethyst gleam. The pulsating violet iris emitted a sinister glow, like a demonic lighthouse emerging from the darkness.

The globular eye, suspended in the sky, fixed its gaze on the raging battles below. Like a distant god observing insignificant creatures struggling, like insects in his palm.

Uriel looked up at the sky, biting his index finger with a slight excited smile, as he had never been before.

***

Linfer's hand became uncontrollable, a searing pain shooting up his arm like thousands of worms wriggling under his skin. His fingers, turning increasingly violet, twisted into impossible angles, making every movement unbearable. Although he was used to enduring pain, this was beyond anything he had ever experienced. Clenching his teeth, he plunged his claws into his arm with a stifled cry and, in a brutal gesture, tore off his own hand. Almost instantly, a new hand grew back, shaped from his blood.

"Fuck... I knew injecting that poisoned blood was a bad idea," he muttered, his voice trembling with frustration and exhaustion.

When he looked up, he met Uriel's gaze. The latter was staring at the sky with a strange intensity, a shadow of resignation veiling his features. Linfer had never seen his friend so dejected, so... detached.

"We have to flee, Uriel," he said, trying to hide the tremor in his voice, but a lump formed in his throat.

Uriel did not move, his gaze fixed on the distance. "It's no use anymore, Linfer. Look around you."

Linfer averted his attention, and what he saw made his heart sink. What had been, moments ago, an open field, was now a sea of skeletons and monstrous creatures, their numbers overwhelming the horizon. He felt panic rise, his breath caught in his throat. Even at full strength, they would have had little chance of survival. But now, exhausted, they were doomed.

He sighed heavily, lifting his eyes to the immense globular eye that observed them from the sky. "We're so dead..." he murmured, unable to see any way out.

Uriel turned his head slowly towards him, his face softening despite the gravity of the situation. There was a gentleness in his eyes, a kind of strange peace that contrasted with the chaos around them.

"It was an honor to fight by your side... even if it was brief," Uriel said, his voice broken but sincere.