Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

With the crackle of Balor, my eyes slid towards the southwest as a pillar abruptly flared into the black skies, twisting with unimaginable energy before connecting just above the city alongside the other congealing essence.

“Yu Jing,” I muttered and nudged Lilith’s shoulder with my own. ” Get out of here. Things are about to get complicated if Balor were to find you.” Lilith looked at me with something to say, but I shook my head. ” Just go. I got this. Plus, you left a clone.”

Lilith’s lips pressed tightly together, and her cool amethyst gaze slid to the Ilthad and then to Balor. “Alright. But I’ll be watching. You better be careful. I’ve got a few ideas on creating the Abyssal System.”

Turning into a sea of embers, Lilith vanished, leaving the bird cage Zantar had prepared with utter ease.

“Arsene Snow,” Balor finally called, snapping his regal eyes blazing with a tainted seraphic qi. “Belphegor has informed me of your Flames of Abyssal Night, a product of tainting your Flames of Hellfire.” He paused and dragged his lips upwards. ” You will burn the souls that carry my King’s Crest, searing them out of existence.”

Another pang struck me as I stared at the endless soul overflowing with essence, and a smile came to me as I had a thought, noticing Levi and Asmo’s souls within the king’s mark.

“Lilith will have to do some work in the origin realm, but it should work.” I mused to myself, opening my palm and sending a sliver of intent through the battlefield, seizing everyone’s soul. 𝘣𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙．𝘤𝘰𝘮

“Oh?” Said Lucifer. “That’s a savage move. Have you never heard of respect?”

“And when I’m dead, you should do the same for me,” I coldly mentioned as each soul began to glow, and before anyone could think of my action, I stole everything from the soul space where most gods usually kept their most prize possessions. While I couldn’t do much with it, I was sure Lilith could find someone in the Origin Realm to upgrade them to match our children’s power.

Keeping a mental note on all that belongs to Baphomet, Azeroth, Levi, and Asmodeus, Embers of my Abyssal Flames began to trickle into existence one by one. And with a thought, I set the world aflame with black embers that congealed into a gruesome flames baring its fangs, generating flames as strong as a million imploding stars; the birdcage locking everyone in began to scream, as did the souls caught by my fire.

Burning the world, ash, and king marks alike, ensuring everyone here would never revive and would fade from the minds of everyone, including myself, the world stilled.

“Lord Snow,” A mental call came. ” We can stop Zantar, but you’ll need to figure out a way to stop Balor. Layla can stop him for a few seconds, but she’ll die.” Aegis remarked sternly, then added. ” Also, remember Zantar acting like Soloman? Fallen can split themselves in half; this may be just half his power.”

“I’ll be quick,” I mused and snapped my eyes to the pooling gate absorbing the pure soul essence.

“Will you?” Balor barked, unknowingly standing before me with blazing eyes. “You will do your job: Open the Gates to Iluthath, lead me to Arcadia and then die.” He lifted his gaze to Lucifer,” And you will prepare yourself. I am coming for the Nines.”

“Little angel. Has Bephigor turned your brain to rot? I commend your courage, but it’s because you still have minor use that I, Lucifer Morningstar, allow you to breathe the same air as I. Belphegor is in my Hells; should I wish his death, his head would have long been mine. Do not mistake patients as weakness.”

Balor crackled as something odd began to occur. His eyes began to bleed, and the iris began to expand into a pooling sea of black, while his wings that once shimmered began to… bleed. Feathers began to fall as if he was no longer worthy, leaving only bones and the faint outline of ethereal wings.

“I am no longer an angel, no longer a Fallen! I will be more; I will be the New GOD!”

… Madness. Is he serious? It’s one thing to steal the throne of a lower realm but… but does he think it’s so simple?

“Your time is coming, Lucifer Morgninstar… Former Lord of Hell.”

My eyes narrowed, and I didn’t need eyes in the back of my head to know Lucifer had done the same; This was utter Madness.

“Look carefully, Arsene; This is true madness,” Lucifer said after a bewildered pause. ” Insanity at its finest.”

I snorted, shaking my head, and refocused on the pooling essence, sucking in a long breath; darkness filled my eyes, and the world turned to utter darkness, leaving not an ounce of light. I blocked out everything and everyone.

Suddenly from the darkness, a wisp of light barrelled through the night, whipping through the horizon, and vanished. And there was only darkness.

“What the…”

Again?! Another wisp of light flashed this time, two of them moving faster than ever before. And somehow vanished over the horizon before I could even move. Over and over, more wisps of light flashed till a meteor shower of starry light fell from the skies, banishing the darkness. A massive gate emerged.

“Crowe, Stop it!” came a rasping voice that sounded so weak barked. “We’ve already fucked with the timeline!!”

“Fuck time! We were sent back to make all these events happen, idiot! How are you a fucking Snow! Keep that up, and I’ll t-bag your bitch ass,” the one called Crowe barked.

“Please. Does your dick even work?”

Blinking as the voices came out of nowhere, ethereal and without definition, I stood a little confused. But I knew the name, Crowe. It was what Aurelia and Zariel called they’re secondborn.

“Look, he’s figuring it out. He looks so young, lol. Old man, you good!” Crowe asked. “Sorry, but the twins can’t talk to you as there ‘might’ be a minor paradox event like last time. “But once the gates snap open, you must head to the Isles of S’lova. The gates are there! Shit, we’ve got to go. Thanks for opening the path to Ilutath. Oh, give aunty kisses from all of us! She’s the best!”