The sky fractured the moment Tenmaru took flight.
Blue surged from his body—not as fire alone, but as intent made manifest. The air screamed under the pressure, rippling outward in violent waves as the abyssal flames wrapped around him like a mantle. Below, demons staggered back instinctively, shielding their faces as frost formed on the ground beneath their feet.
Tenmaru raised his hand.
The flames obeyed.
They stretched, elongated, sharpened—shaping themselves into dozens of long arrows forged from freezing blue fire. With a single forward motion, he released them.
The sky lit up.
The angel reacted instantly, wings snapping forward to envelop her body. Layer upon layer of radiant feathers locked together, forming a luminous shield just as the arrows struck. Explosions of frost and flame tore through the heavens, scattering burning feathers across the battlefield.
Some fell aflame.
Others froze midair—then shattered.
The angel hissed in pain, but her eyes burned brighter.
She flared her wings wide.
The falling feathers halted, vibrating violently as divine energy coursed through them. They twisted, reshaping themselves into razor-edged constructs that hummed with wrath.
"Technique: Iconic Resonance — Fury."
The feathers screamed forward as a storm, blotting out the sky as they descended upon Tenmaru.
"Tch."
Tenmaru twisted midair, flames surging to intercept, but his gaze flicked downward—to the battlefield, to the wounded, to the barely standing figures still struggling to rise.
"Aspen. Volic." His voice cut through the chaos.
"Get Rin and Blist to safety. Now."
There was no hesitation.
Aspen seized Rin, slinging her arm over his shoulder, while Volic hoisted Blist without ceremony. They retreated, legs trembling, bodies screaming in protest as they pushed themselves beyond exhaustion.
Above them, Misha hovered unsteadily, mana pulsing erratically around her.
"I've got your back," she said, though her breath came shallow.
The angel noticed.
A faint smile curved her lips.
"To face me with such numbers… how inelegant." Her voice carried effortlessly.
"Very well. I will correct this imbalance."
Light shimmered around her form.
"To one against one—no observers."
Her body split cleanly in two.
Two angels now occupied the sky.
Before anyone could react, one vanished—reappearing directly before Misha, wings reshaped into a long, gleaming blade.
The strike came instantly.
"Arcane Barrier!"
Misha's shield flared into existence just in time. The blade struck, cracks spreading across the barrier like spiderwebs. A second blow shattered it completely, sending her tumbling backward through the air.
Blood spilled from her mouth.
Her vision blurred—but her resolve hardened.
"…So that's how it is."
Dark mana erupted outward.
"Unique Skill — Ouroboros."
Space warped violently as several miniature black holes formed around her, devouring light and sound alike. The angel halted mid-strike, wings flaring wide as she resisted the pull.
"Unique Skill — Cascade."
Divine energy poured forth, chaining through the air like liquid radiance.
"Divine Technique — Shatter Reverse."
Reality twisted.
The black holes reversed course—collapsing inward and redirecting toward Misha with catastrophic force.
The angel laughed as the void swallowed her enemy.
"Pathetic."
The sky detonated.
Silence followed.
Then—
A presence appeared behind her.
Misha.
Her body trembled violently, blood pouring from her eyes and nose as her mana spiraled out of control.
"Mana Overdrive… Two Thousand Percent."
She clenched her fists, every fiber of her
being screaming.
"Helix Smash."
Her blow landed.
The angel's head exploded in a burst of light.
The body plummeted.
Misha's strength vanished instantly. She collapsed midair, falling helplessly as consciousness slipped away.
Across the battlefield, the remaining angel staggered.
She clutched her abdomen, coughing violently as divine blood spilled from her lips.
"So… my other half is dead."
Tenmaru hovered before her, flames swirling calmly.
"You gambled everything by dividing your existence," he said coldly.
"Losing half of yourself carries a price."
His eyes flicked downward—to Misha's unmoving form.
The angel followed his gaze.
Rage consumed her.
"I have had enough of your schemes, demon scum!" she screamed.
"Prepare to die—along with your kingdom!"
The heavens darkened.
"Supreme Skill — Celestium Descent.
Bring down divine retribution upon these sinners!"
Her voice thundered across the world.
"Rerkadon Madis!"
Hundreds of divine beams tore through the sky—pillars of annihilating light descending toward the battlefield.
Demons screamed. Some dropped to their knees, whispering final prayers. Others froze, unable to even run.
Misha, barely conscious, cracked one eye open.
"…Oh," she muttered weakly. "We are so doomed."
Rin, Blist, Aspen, and Volic stared upward in disbelief, bodies trembling from exhaustion after burning through their sins.
How was such power even possible?
Tenmaru inhaled.
The world stilled.
"I stand before you," his voice echoed, calm and absolute,
"unfazed, unmoved, unchanged, and untouched."
The air itself bent toward him.
"As Sovereign.
As Lord."
The blue flames deepened—growing colder, darker.
"Abyssal Blue Flames."
The ground froze instantly.
"Beget… the ice-cold tundra."
The environment warped violently. Ice surged across the land in jagged veins while blue fire burned atop it, refusing to be extinguished.
"Dual Sovereign Technique — Tundron Blaze."
The divine beams struck.
And stopped.
Frozen midair.
Then ignited.
They shattered—burning and freezing simultaneously as the battlefield transformed into a frozen inferno. The sky itself screamed as reality buckled.
The angel screamed.
"What—what are you?!"
Her body froze solid, blue flames consuming her from within.
Tenmaru descended slowly.
"I am demolition.
I am unity."
He stood before her.
"I am the Sovereign Lord."
He placed a hand against her chest.
"Tell your masters in Heaven that I am coming," he said softly.
"I will lay waste to anything that stands in the demon kingdom's path."
His eyes burned.
"Tell them to offer their last prayers—and hope there is still a god left to answer."
Blue light surged.
Her wounds healed instantly.
"I won't forget this!" she screamed, fleeing into the heavens.
Misha groaned faintly. "Now that… is what I call a Demon Lord."
The demons erupted into thunderous cheers.
Far away, in the Celestial Plane, the angel collapsed before a towering figure.
"It seems you failed," said the Angelic Supreme Commander calmly.
"I'm sorry—Kavex," she pleaded. "One more chance—"
"You were ranked tenth among the Golden Circle," he said coldly.
"And now you grovel."
A blade flashed.
Her head fell.
"Summon the Golden Circle," Kavex ordered. "All of them."
Elsewhere, in the Night Kingdom—
"My lord," a scout knelt. "The Zonac Battalion has fallen. And Golden Circle member Hibel of Pride was defeated by a new Demon Lord."
Lord Dracula laughed softly.
"How amusing."
He turned to his daughter.
"Theora, dear. It seems it's time you paid the demons a visit."
She smiled.
"I hope they're entertaining."