The night was heavy with silence. Lilith stood at the edge of her growing kingdom, the moon casting silver light across the rocky plains. Her followers once weak mortals had become something else. Stronger. Fiercer. Bound to her by the power she had given them.
But tonight, something felt different. The air buzzed with a strange energy a warning she could not ignore.
Samael appeared at her side, his crimson eyes narrowed. "They're coming."
Lilith didn't need to ask who. The heavens had been patient long enough. But she would not run. Not now.
A blast of light split the sky. For a moment, the world burned gold. Then, from the heavens, a figure descended his wings blinding white, his armor shining like the sun.
Michael. The Archangel of War.
Lilith's lips curled into a smile. "They finally send their strongest."
Michael landed before her, his expression cold and unreadable. His sword, glowing with divine fire, hung at his side. "You have gone too far, Lilith," he said. His voice was deep, carrying the weight of heaven's judgment. "The Creator's mercy is at an end."
Lilith took a step forward, unafraid. "Mercy?" she laughed softly. "Was it mercy when you let Adam chain me? Was it mercy when I was cast out, forgotten?"
Michael's eyes darkened. "You chose this path. But there is still a chance to turn back. Surrender your power. Return to Eden. The Creator will not offer forgiveness again."
Lilith tilted her head. "And if I refuse?"
Michael's hand tightened around his sword. "Then I will destroy everything you have built."
The threat hung in the air. Behind Lilith, her followers stirred ready to fight, ready to die for the queen who had freed them.
Samael stepped forward, his voice sharp. "You cannot touch her, Michael. She no longer belongs to your heavens."
Michael's wings flared. "This is not your fight, fallen one. Stay out of it, or face judgment yourself."
For a moment, the earth seemed to hold its breath. Lilith's heart pounded, but not with fear. This was what she had been waiting for a chance to strike back.
"You think you can break me?" she said softly. Power coiled through her veins. "I will never kneel again."
Without warning, she unleashed her magic. A wave of dark fire rushed toward Michael, fierce and wild. But the Archangel was faster. His sword flashed, cutting through the flames, and in a blink, he was before her his blade inches from her throat.
"Yield," he commanded.
Lilith met his gaze, her smile cold. "Never."
A pulse of shadow exploded from her palm, knocking him backward. Samael moved in a blur, meeting Michael's strike with his own. Light and darkness clashed, shaking the ground beneath them.
Lilith watched, her blood burning with rage and power. She would not fall. Not now. Not ever.
Raising her arms, she called to her followers. "The heavens wish to break us let them try!"
Their cries filled the night as the battle began.
And in the chaos, Lilith knew one thing for certain if the Archangels wanted to destroy her, they would have to tear the world apart to do it.