The scene before Rin's eyes resembled the end.
Yui lay silently, and Infernos stood with a body ablaze... no, a body about to explode from the intensity of fire and madness.
In the sky, Zalauria stood above the glow of the moon, her hair flowing, darkness surrounding her like a carpet of terror.
With a voice dripping with hatred, she shouted:
"I will gouge your eyes out of their sockets!"
She darted toward Infernos like a shooting star.
But...
Infernos did not move, did not raise his sword, he only whispered softly, as if the fire was breathing within him. He clenched his fist sorrowfully:
"You killed Yui..."
Suddenly, the ground beneath him exploded.
Black flames emerged, unlike his previous fire—these were... black.
Flames from the very depths of hell, fire that swallowed light.
Zalauria collided directly with the black aura, exploding into the air, her body scattering like ash everywhere, but she immediately reformed her body while laughing.
Zalauria (laughing bitterly):
"Hahaha!! Black flames?! What have you become, Lord? A monster... or a walking hell?"
Infernos answered in a faint voice filled only with madness:
"I... will only burn you."
He charged toward her with a speed as if the earth no longer bound him, delivering a fiery punch that pierced her defense barrier, followed by a kick that sent her flying into the sky.
Zalauria flew but raised her hand and shouted:
"Enough nonsense! Now... your end has come!"
Mysterious incantations flowed from her mouth, strange words, the sky split open, and a distorted, terrifying creature appeared, embodying distortion and horror at once. It had three heads:
The first head breathed ice that froze everything in its path.
The second breathed fire.
The third breathed a strange black light that melted bodies on contact.
Zalauria (shouting and raising her hand at the first head):
"You are of fire... but this? This is from the cold void! Freeze!"
The creature attacked Infernos, freezing the area for seconds; everything froze, even the flames extinguished.
Zalauria thought she had won.
But...
The ice cracked!
Infernos emerged from it, his body burning hotter than before, and the flames returned. But this time, it was not just fire — it was flame and black hellfire!
The ice cracked as if it could not extinguish Infernos's fury,
And from the cracks emerged... not only Infernos — but a new entity,
Half human... and half flame from the black hell,
Sparks flew around him like souls, his eyes burning like two suns in the middle of the night.
Infernos (in a low voice yet roaring like a volcano):
"What fire extinguished... I rekindle with catastrophe."
He raised his hand and fiery laser-like beams shot out... splitting the sky in two.
His hands no longer just flames, but time seemed to slow at his fingertips.
Infernos rushed toward the three-headed beast without fear.
He struck the first head, melting the ice shell around it.
He twisted his body and punched the second head, causing the opposing flames to explode and vanish.
As for the third head... the strange, deadly light,
When Infernos looked at it, his eyes ignited, and he said with deadly calm:
"I will make you feel the weight of all existence."
He grabbed the third head with his bare hand—
Suddenly, from his other hand emerged a black sun,
Surrounding the head and burning it completely, erasing even its soul.
The creature screamed, then...
Silenced... disappeared.
Zalauria (from afar, stepping back, then another step):
"Impossible... no way... that was one of my strongest skills! Could I really not defeat him?"
But Infernos did not look at her.
Everything around him burned:
The snow melted, the air boiled, the ground cracked,
Even the moon began turning into a red disc of reflected flames, and the barrier Zalauria had created was destroyed.
He approached Zalauria with slow steps, each step causing an explosion in the earth.
But suddenly... he fell to his knees.
His features returned to humanity... the flames gradually died down.
Everything was silent.
Infernos (in a choked voice, as if the ashes of his heart were leaving with him):
"Is it over already?! So fast."
Rin, watching from afar, placed his hand on Rio's shoulder—
Who had just arrived and saw the land... a hellscape.
Burnt corpses, black skies, boiling air, and Yui's blood still wet.
Rio (in shock, voice trembling, barely holding back tears):
"This... is what I trained to return to?"
He approached slowly, bent near Yui's body.
His hands trembled as he ran them over her scattered hair.
Rio (whispering sadly):
"Who would have thought... I'd return to see you like this?"
Then he raised his eyes and looked at Infernos standing in the sky, tears flowing.
Rio (in a sharp voice):
"Was this your plan? To let her die and then blow everything up?"
Infernos (in a soft, broken voice):
"I... couldn't..."
Rio did not continue the argument, he just stood, then looked at Zalauria,
Who was still bleeding... but laughing.
Zalauria (bleeding, laughing in a sarcastic tone):
"The beauty died... and the king shattered... what will you do now?"
Suddenly, everyone fell silent.
Rio was not like Infernos; he did not explode with anger but looked at Zalauria with deadly eyes and said to her:
"Be silent now. Don't worry, you will die eventually! Don't rush it!"
Zalauria heard Rio's voice behind her and felt his hand on her shoulder.
She felt a heavy weight on her shoulder, as if mountains rested there, and his voice sounded as if it came from the depths of hell.
Zalauria turned but found no one; she looked at the ground and saw Rio staring at her with the same cold, deadly gaze.
Rio:
"Infernos, how many days have you been fighting that girl? You seem tired!"
Infernos:
"I have been fighting her for two days! Continuously."
After a while, a huge army arrived, numerous in numbers and clearly intimidating from afar.
Rio turned to them and stood:
"Who are they?"
Infernos (smiling):
"They've finally arrived! The Karojin Empire's army... has come!"
The number of soldiers was enormous, about 20 million!
Zalauria stood in the sky, looking down at them contemptuously.
Zalauria:
"More ants have come!"
One of the Karojin army members saw Zalauria and dashed toward her at a speed beyond sound, reaching her in the blink of an eye, despite being 4 kilometers away.
Zalauria (surprised):
"What?"
He punched her in the face, sending Zalauria flying about 6 kilometers backward, leaving an echo in the sky that pierced the air.
The man (smiling childishly as if playing a game):
"Yes! I landed a hit... How was it, little girl?"
Infernos and Rin were shocked and amazed at the man's strength, even the aura coming from him was terrifying and indicated a very high level!
But his appearance didn't reflect that fearsome power; he had blond hair, dark brown eyes, wheat-colored skin, and looked like a nice person.
The man descended toward Rio's location.
Rio:
"What do you want?"
The man answered:
"Don't worry, we're on the same side and I don't want any trouble!"
Rin:
"Who are you? What's your name?"
The stranger:
"My name is Satoru, Satoru Kai, and I am also one of the commanders in the Karojin Empire army, the Eighth Supreme Commander Satoru."
Rio:
"Eighth? Does that mean there are people stronger than you?"
Satoru:
"Yes, there are about seven others, but not all of them came. I came along with the Ninth Supreme Commander, Shinsu Azumi!"
Infernos:
"I have heard of you. The Tenth Supreme Commander was said to be the strongest ten people in the Karojin Empire after the Emperor himself. Has the Emperor come?"
Satoru Kai:
"The Emperor?? No, why would he come here himself? That would be too much. He could destroy the entire place with a single finger if he came."
While they were talking, the army arrived and Zalauria returned.
Zalauria (with a tone full of hatred and loathing):
"You bastard! How dare you? How dare you punch me?"
Satoru Kai:
"Indeed, congratulations to you. I heard you are the first true Demon Lord."
Rin (surprised why he acted that way and that Zalauria was his friend):
"What's wrong with your behavior?"
Satoru Kai (surprised):
"What do you mean?"
Rin:
"I mean, why did you congratulate her?"
Satoru Kai:
"What's the problem? And don't worry, I never betray."
While they were talking, Zalauria's Shadow Army appeared, and this time the battle was Zalauria versus Infernos, Rin, the Eighth Supreme Commander Satoru Kai, the Ninth Supreme Commander Shinsu Azumi, and the empire's army behind them.
Then Yui's Azo weapon started transforming into a human form.
Shinsu Azumi (stepping forward, with long black hair, lifeless eyes, wearing black clothes, white clear skin like snow, calm tone and presence, but clearly powerful from his terrifying calm aura, like a trapped demon waiting to be unleashed):
"Zalauria is the first true Awakened Demon Lady, which allows her to abandon her physical body and become a spiritual entity without any physical form or material existence."
Satoru Kai (amazed):
"Wow, unbelievable!"
Then Azo's spear transformed into human shape and said:
"I will fight with you too, for I want to kill that woman no matter what!"
And so the battle became 9 against 1: Rin, Rio, Azo, the Eighth Supreme Commander Satoru Kai, the Ninth Supreme Commander Shinsu Azumi, and the army behind them against Zalauria alone!
Zalauria (smiling twistedly, as if excited for the fight):
"Nine? Against me alone? Then come to me, great lords!"
To be continued...