Riser Phenex POV
"The barrier around Earth has finally disappeared, after being constantly assaulted for more than a year," said my father, Duke Artacus Phenex, as we watched the humans battle Great Red once more.
I was honestly in awe. Thanks to the barrier going down, the wards that devils and other supernaturals had monitoring Earth were back online. Within hours, we were caught up on the chaos that had unfolded without us.
Humans have become strong. Very strong. They are no longer pushovers to be ignored or kept ignorant. They now have hundreds of Ultimate Classes, millions of High Class, billions of Low Class—and one, possibly two, Satan Classes, if Soleil Strider's enlightenment counts.
As of now, humanity could defeat most, if not all, supernatural factions through sheer numbers. Their abilities keep improving, and so have their lifespans.
Worse still, Yahweh has returned. Most of us didn't even know he was dead—except the top echelons of devils who were there when he fell. Now that knowledge is useless, because some dhampir bitch succeeded in resurrecting him where all others had failed.
Now Earth is moderately hostile to all dark-aligned beings, especially devils. Any devil's power on Earth is suppressed by at least one level for those below Satan Class, and those above are suppressed to Ultimate Class. Going to Earth is a deadly risk for most devils.
Even Evil Pieces have been corrupted. Ajuka Beelzebub himself told us that someone powerful performed a ritual that conceptually erased them from existence. Those who remained devils were converted into full-blooded devils, but they could no longer feel the effects of the chess pieces.
Meaning we can no longer improve our numbers and have to work with what we have, gaining strength the old-fashioned way once again. It sent the nobles into a frenzy—they lost their conceptual dominance over their peerages and could no longer turn disobedient members into stray devils.
Already the Satans are drafting new laws to integrate former peerage members fully into devil society, but that will take time. A decade at least before any true headway is made.
Watching Soleil stirred anger in me and the rest of our house. We quickly realized we had been played by a human. Soleil—or should I say, Zahad—was banished for a time by the Faceless God to the Underworld, where he took on the guise of a devil through means unknown. His looks…remained. Not exactly, but similar enough to draw conclusions. When we searched for Zahad afterward, he was nowhere to be found.
We had given him access to magical items and training most would dream of, because he was Ultimate Class and we were courting him as either a vassal or an ally—something that would have bolstered our family's standing.
The anger flowing through me at the thought that we personally trained our enemy… I even sparred with him, thought I'd befriended him because of how easily we related. Now I see I was just being used.
"What has the council decided to do, Father?" my sister Ravel said, lounging in an armchair and looking away from the TV, straight at our parents.
They sighed.
"A show of strength will be necessary—that's the general consensus. No concrete plan has been made, but Serafall has been sent to create alliances with other factions, like the Grigori and the Olympians, for an attack on humanity to show we still mean business."
"That's stupid," Ravel replied sharply, revealing the sharp intellect she keeps hidden behind her ditzy public persona. "They're protected by two Chief Gods, incredibly powerful ones. If we're not careful, we could be wiped out by an alliance of Heaven and humanity."
"That's why we can't do it alone. The other pantheons will be there to make them hesitate to commit their forces, allowing us to rampage through them and kill as many combatants as possible," Father said.
Before he could continue, Mother chimed in, excitedly pointing at the screen. "Ohhh, look! Soleil is restraining Great Red!"
Our attention snapped back.
"Planetary Devastation!"
Damn, he's strong as fuck. I have to train more. To catch up—and kill this ungrateful deceiver.
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Lugh, God of Light, Celtic God and self proclaimed king.
The Faceless God has been thorough.
I watched the spawn of the King of Uruk trap Great Red in a perfect sphere—shaped like the moon, formed from the debris of the land they fought on. It was packed with seals, demonic runes, and barrier techniques from that new power avenue, Cursed Energy, that humanity has embraced.
Most of my pantheon have been vying for blood ever since we were sealed within our realm a year ago. Even that old bitch, The Morrigan, started flexing her power again, trying to usurp me as leader because she has nothing better to fucking do!
That thought was followed by the sound of the armrest of my throne crumbling under my grip.
I don't understand why they can't see it. Our time has gone. The era of controlling the world from the shadows, of keeping humans weak and ignorant, has passed. Now we must appear more benevolent than our counterparts, so we can at least get the people of Ireland believing in us again. If not, some of us may start to fade—lacking the strength and faith to remain anchored to this world, sent to the Reverse Side where vanquished gods and monsters are trapped with no hope of return.
I turned my attention back to the screen just in time to hear the boy—who'd performed a feat that would forever prevent anyone from underestimating him again—declare his victory.
He'd trapped Great Red. An avatar, yes, but still on the level of a Heavenly Dragon—the same theoretical level as me.
Meaning there exist humans with the right skill set to trap, or in extreme cases, kill me.
Caution would normally be advised—and in truth, it's what I'd recommend as the next course of action. But it has been so long.
So long since I could cut loose against an enemy in a battle to the death. No politics forcing me to hold back. Nothing but steel and the drive to rip each other's heads off.
It's war my people want, and as their king, I will give it to them.
I concentrated once more on the screen. Great Red overpowered the seal after a minute and escaped the artificial moon.
He then shifted size and form, taking on a more human-like shape with flowing red hair, black armor, and a massive greatsword the size of his own body. Condensed, he was stronger, faster, and packed more of a punch.
The last hundred humans immediately swarmed him with a coordination that made it seem planned from the beginning.
The blond boy teleported around the battlefield, a constant nuisance. A shirtless black-haired Japanese boy kept disrupting Red's rhythm, teleporting him whenever he was about to finish someone off or mid-swing, making him miss before teleporting him back into the crowd.
This battle was an information mine—they were forced to lay everything on the line just to survive.
Eventually, Red tricked the black-haired boy. Feinting for the first time in the fight, he stopped his swing as the boy teleported him to an empty space, then brought him back before completing the strike—bisecting two humans: the masked powerhouse and the blood teleporter. A stone spike then impaled the Japanese boy from behind.
People forget: just because he's the strongest doesn't mean he doesn't know how to—what do the kids say these days?—ah, yes, "run those hands."
He then proceeded to slaughter more. The masked woman with an "invincible" body died when he poured dream-forged lava down her throat. The spawn of Gilgamesh kept raining swords from the sky, disrupting his movements and wounding him slightly.
The Dragon God seemed to grow bored of his human form. He abruptly transformed back into a titanic dragon and teleported high above the clouds.
He paused, as if contemplating, before opening his mouth and forming the largest ball of explosive energy I'd ever seen. He fired it downward at nearly light speed.
The impact was catastrophic. The beam was large enough to engulf the whole island, and the subsequent explosion obliterated it completely—leaving no remains, only a trench in the ocean that would never close.
"The trials are over! Great Red wins!" The Faceless One's voice echoed through the broadcast.
"What is your verdict, Dragon God?"
"I can see why you love them so much. They truly surprised me—against anyone else, they might have won. I approve. You may proceed with your plans."
Great Red's avatar dissolved into motes of light and vanished.
"There you haveit," the Faceless One said. "You made me proud. Especially you, Soleil. I saw you aura-farming hard back there. Ha! Rewards will be shared tomorrow, but for now… rest, fuck, celebrate life. My protection has ended. Your survival is in your own hands now."
Then, to all watching
"Humanity has claws now—and won't hesitate to tear out your throat."
Maybe I should rethink this war thing.
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Note: We are finally done with this arc. The next one will be the Marvel invasion arc after that we will follow Soleil as he runs across the multiverse.