The Demon Lord stood at the precipice of chaos, his exhilaration palpable as he finally prepared to descend upon the battlefield. His mismatched eyes gleamed with wicked glee, and a maniacal grin stretched across his face. The air around him grew heavy, oppressive, as his unsuppressed demonic energy began to pour forth, saturating the battlefield like an inescapable storm. The raw, malevolent power surged outward, snuffing out lesser flames and shaking the ground beneath him.

  With a deep, guttural roar, his transformation began. His skin darkened to a vivid, blood-red hue, veins of glowing, molten energy coursing like rivers beneath its surface. His horns, sharp and jagged, curled further outward, their dark edges shimmering faintly with unholy light. The runes that adorned his body pulsed and shifted, alive with the raw magic that radiated from him. His wings unfolded, vast and imposing, casting an ominous shadow over the battlefield. The transformation complete, the Demon Lord stood as the embodiment of wrath and dominion—a towering figure of unbridled power.

  “Now it is my turn, my faithful Archdemons,” the Demon Lord declared, his voice reverberating like a thunderclap across the battlefield. “Your time on the battlefield has ended for now. Go and kill the traitor.”

  At his command, Insight and Greed, bloodied but victorious, rose from their kneeling positions. It was only now that they realized Ciel’s absence, the faint unease they had felt earlier crystallizing into certainty. Insight’s crimson eyes narrowed, her sharp mind piecing together his likely destination. “The Emerald Tree,” she murmured, her voice heavy with understanding.

  Greed’s golden eyes flared with anger, her hands tightening around her twin axes. “I knew something was off,” she growled. Without another word, the two Archdemons leapt into the air, their wings carrying them swiftly toward the heart of Verdince and the Emerald Tree.

  The Demon Lord turned his gaze toward the Sun God, who still rested upon his gilded throne far above the battlefield. The God’s radiant armor, once pristine, was now scorched and battered from his battle with Lexor. His fiery orange eyes, glowing with contempt, locked onto the approaching Demon Lord. Lumen worked tirelessly by his side, her divine energy attempting to mend his wounds, but the weariness in her movements betrayed the strain of the conflict.

  The Sun God’s elite Archangels, sensing the threat, moved to intercept the Demon Lord. One by one, they spread their wings, their divine light blazing against the oppressive darkness that emanated from their enemy. Without hesitation, they soared toward him, their weapons of golden fire drawn and ready.

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  The Demon Lord grinned, raising a clawed hand. With a single swipe, he sent crescent-shaped waves of dark energy slicing through the air. The magic cut through the Archangels with horrifying precision, each blade tearing through their divine forms like they were paper. Wings, arms, and weapons were severed mid-flight, golden blood spraying into the air before their bodies crumbled to the ground in lifeless heaps.

  The battlefield momentarily hushed, the soldiers of both sides frozen in awe and terror at the sight of the once-mighty Archangels brought low in mere seconds. The Sun God’s fiery gaze darkened further as his contempt for the Demon Lord boiled over.

  “So it looks like you vermin truly did escape from that cursed place,” the God hissed, his voice sharp and dripping with disdain.

  The Demon Lord threw back his head and laughed, the sound dark and manic. “Yes, we did. And now the king of ‘vermin’ stands before you, laughing at your pitiful state! You—a so-called God—sitting here wounded, laid low by a mere human.” He gestured mockingly toward the smoldering battlefield, where the body of Lexor had faded into ash.

  The Sun God’s expression twisted with fury. With a sharp motion, he raised a hand to halt Lumen’s healing efforts. “Enough!” he barked. Rising from his throne, his flames burned brighter, the divine light radiating from his body intensifying. “You dare mock me?!”

  The Demon Lord’s laughter faded, his mismatched eyes locking with the Sun God’s. His voice turned cold, his words laced with venom. “And you dare look down upon a true God that stands before you. For your arrogance, I sentence you to death.”

  With a snap of his clawed fingers, the air around them seemed to shift, heavy with dark intent. Lumen, standing at the Sun God’s side, turned with an eerie calm, her golden eyes now void of light. Without hesitation, she plunged her blade into the Sun God’s chest, the divine weapon piercing his armor with ease. The God staggered, a guttural cry escaping his lips as golden blood spilled from the wound.

  “Bow before a true God,” the Demon Lord commanded, his tone absolute and dripping with malice.

  Lumen withdrew her blade and, with a swift kick, sent the Sun God tumbling from his throne. He landed heavily on the ground, his fiery aura flickering weakly as he kneeled before the Demon Lord. The God of Sun, brought low, struggled to rise, his defiance shining through even in his weakened state.

  The Demon Lord’s grin widened as he stepped forward, pressing a boot against the back of the Sun God’s head and slamming his face into the scorched earth. “That’s better,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery. “This is your place. Remember it well.”

  The Sun God’s body trembled, his rage surpassing anything he had ever felt in his eons of existence. With an earth-shattering roar, his flames erupted once more, burning brighter and more violently than ever before. The inferno consumed his form, transforming him into a being of pure holy fire.

  The Demon Lord leapt back, his wings unfurling as he avoided the searing heat. His smile did not waver. If anything, his excitement grew as he readied himself for what promised to be a battle of truly apocalyptic proportions.

  “Come then,” the Demon Lord said, his voice a dark promise. “Show me the fury of a dying star.”