Chapter 40: The Abyssal Sovereign Awakens

A storm of blood and abyssal fire raged across the battlefield.

The heavens trembled beneath Zerath's Bloodstorm Manifest, a cataclysmic technique designed to annihilate everything in its wake. Thousands of crimson blades howled through the air, tearing through the land like vengeful wraiths, leaving nothing but ruin in their path.

Yet—

Lucian stood amidst the carnage, untouched.

His abyssal flames coiled around him like a living entity, consuming every blade before it could reach him. Shadows wrapped around his figure, their tendrils extending outward, devouring the bloodstorm itself.

Zerath's gaze darkened.

"You dare defy my slaughter?!"

Lucian tilted his head, a slow, mocking smile curving his lips.

"You act as if your techniques are absolute."

He lifted his hand—and clenched his fist.

The world shuddered.

The very fabric of reality twisted around Lucian, his abyssal energy warping the air itself. The ground beneath him cracked and crumbled, as if the Demon Realm could no longer withstand his presence.

Then—

The Abyss responded.

The shadows exploded outward, surging through the battlefield in a wave of pure devastation. Like a monstrous tide, they swallowed the bloodstorm whole, reducing Zerath's technique to nothing but fading embers.

Zerath's eyes widened—only for a fraction of a second.

Then—

Lucian moved.

Abyssal fire trailed behind him, his form a blur of black and crimson as he lunged forward with terrifying speed. His blade descended—

Straight for Zerath's throat.

The Executioner's Counter – Zerath Unleashed

CLANG!

The impact of their blades shattered the air, sending shockwaves rippling across the battlefield.

Zerath's twin swords—Bloodrender and Carnage—met Lucian's abyssal blade in a violent clash that split the earth apart.

Lucian's strength was immense, but Zerath did not yield.

Instead—he laughed.

"That's it, Lucian! Show me your wrath!"

His crimson aura erupted, his blood-soaked armor pulsing with terrifying energy. His crimson wings flared as he pushed forward, his swords a whirlwind of pure carnage.

Lucian matched him strike for strike.

Each swing of his blade sent tremors through the battlefield, each impact releasing a burst of abyssal flames that scorched everything in its path.

The ground beneath them could not hold.

It shattered.

Chunks of molten rock levitated into the air, caught in the gravitational pull of their overwhelming power.

Yet neither warrior relented.

Their battle had transcended the limits of mortals—this was a war of Sovereigns.

The Abyss Calls – Lucian's Awakening

Lucian felt it.

The Abyss whispered to him, its voice a distant echo, a melody of power that had always been his to claim.

His body burned—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer magnitude of his own strength. The abyssal flames within him roared, demanding release.

And then—

He surrendered to it.

Abyssal sigils ignited across his body, ancient runes forming along his arms, his chest, his very soul. His crimson eyes darkened, shifting into a deeper void—a color beyond black.

Zerath saw it.

And for the first time—his grin faltered.

"What… are you?"

Lucian smirked.

"I am the abyss that devours all."

Then—he unleashed his true power.

The sky darkened.

The land wept molten rivers.

The entire Demon Realm shuddered as Lucian's aura expanded, eclipsing everything in existence.

The Sovereign's Domain – Abyssal Ascension

Zerath barely had time to react.

The moment Lucian stepped forward, the entire battlefield was consumed in darkness.

Abyssal Domain: Eclipse of the End.

The world itself shifted.

They were no longer standing in the Demon Realm.

Zerath's body tensed as he glanced around, his instincts screaming danger. The sky had vanished—replaced by an endless void, swirling with abyssal energy. The ground beneath him was no longer solid—it was liquid shadow, shifting and writhing like a living entity.

There was no sound.

No light.

No escape.

And then—

Lucian emerged from the void.

"This is my domain."

His voice echoed from every direction, distorted, omnipresent, as if the Abyss itself had spoken.

Zerath gritted his teeth, his crimson aura flaring as he prepared for an attack.

But there was no attack.

Because—

The Abyss was already consuming him.

Shadows slithered around his body, creeping up his limbs, tightening around his throat like invisible chains. His bloodstorm energy was fading, devoured by the very essence of Lucian's domain.

Zerath struggled—but it was futile.

The Abyss had no weaknesses.

And then—Lucian appeared behind him.

His voice was a whisper against Zerath's ear.

"Checkmate."

A suffocating silence gripped the battlefield.

The abyssal void swallowed all light, an infinite darkness that bent reality itself. Zerath, the Crimson Executioner, stood motionless, his twin swords trembling in his grip. His crimson wings flickered with unstable energy as the abyssal tendrils continued to coil around him, devouring his strength.

Lucian's abyssal eyes gleamed, his expression unreadable.

"You feel it, don't you?"

His voice was calm—too calm.

"The inevitability of the abyss."

Zerath gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched so tightly it threatened to shatter. He refused to believe it. He was one of the Nine Demon Kings, the Crimson Executioner, the Bloodstorm Reaper who had slaughtered entire worlds—he would not fall here.

"I… will not be devoured!"

His roar shattered the silence.

A tidal wave of blood erupted from his body, exploding outward with terrifying force. The liquid crimson turned into thousands—millions—of razor-sharp blades, each one carrying the essence of his murderous will.

"Crimson Requiem – Deathstorm Manifest!"

The abyss trembled.

Lucian did not move.

The endless bloodstorm surged toward him, screaming like tormented souls, a tempest of absolute slaughter.

And then—

Lucian raised his hand.

Abyssal flames burst to life, swallowing the incoming blades like a starving beast.

"Useless."

The flames spiraled, twisting into a vortex of pure annihilation.

Zerath's ultimate attack—his life's strongest technique—vanished into nothingness.

His crimson eyes widened in horror.

"Impossible…"

Lucian stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant.

His abyssal blade descended.

CLANG!

Zerath barely blocked the strike, his body nearly buckling under the force. His arms numbed instantly, his knees threatening to give way.

Lucian's strength was monstrous.

And yet—Lucian was not done.

Before Zerath could react, Lucian's free hand shot forward.

Abyssal chains erupted from his palm, piercing through Zerath's armor and wrapping around his limbs, binding him in place.

Zerath struggled violently, but the chains only tightened.

The abyss was swallowing him whole.

"You never had a chance."

Lucian's voice was like a death knell.

"You just didn't realize it yet."

Zerath's crimson energy flared one last time—desperation turning into madness.

"I WILL NOT FALL TO YOU!"

A final, reckless surge of power exploded from his body. His blood boiled into raw destruction, igniting into a suicidal bloodstorm detonation.

But—

Lucian smirked.

"Then disappear."

BOOM.

The abyss roared to life.

Lucian's chains snapped taut—and then, in a single, effortless pull—

Zerath was gone.

His body collapsed into the abyss, dragged into the eternal darkness, his final scream cut short.

The Crimson Executioner had fallen.

The War Rages On – The Demon Kings Strike Back

Far beyond the battlefield, the other Demon Kings watched in stunned silence.

From his throne of obsidian, Azazel, the Lord of Pandemonium, leaned forward, his sharp claws tapping against the armrest. His black horns pulsed with unholy energy, his expression unreadable.

"The Crimson Executioner… has been erased."

Beside him, Belial, the Silent Tyrant, opened his eyes. The endless void within his gaze reflected Lucian's power.

"He is more dangerous than we anticipated."

Further in the shadows, Haizel, the Abyssal Nightmare, let out a low chuckle.

"Dangerous? No. He is fascinating."

His lips curled into a twisted smile, his crimson pupils dilating.

"I wonder… how he would taste if I devoured him?"

A chill ran through the gathered Demon Kings.

Even among them—Haizel was feared.

And now, his interest was fully locked onto Lucian.

"Shall we test him, then?" Azazel murmured, his voice carrying a dark amusement.

Belial remained silent.

Then—

He nodded.

The decision was made.

The Demon Kings would strike back.

Lucian's Next Move – Claiming the First Artifact

As the abyssal darkness faded, Lucian stood alone in the shattered remains of the battlefield.

The land had been erased.

The sky was fractured.

And yet, his war had only just begun.

Azrath appeared beside him, his abyssal form flickering like a shadow in the wind. His glowing azure eyes studied Lucian with quiet approval.

"You did not hesitate."

Lucian exhaled, his gaze fixed ahead.

"Hesitation is a luxury I cannot afford."

Azrath chuckled.

"Then you are ready for the next step."

From the void, an ancient relic emerged.

A piece of a shattered artifact—a fragment of the Eternal Shackles of Darkness.

Lucian's eyes narrowed.

He reached forward—

The moment his fingers touched the artifact, a surge of power flooded through him.

Visions of the past—of long-forgotten wars and broken deities—flashed through his mind.

And in that moment, he understood.

This was only the beginning.