"Even gods fall, Archmage."
The demon lord's voice echoed across the scorched battlefield as Eldric the Heavenly Archmage collapsed to his knees, his staff shattering into crystalline fragments. Blood dripped from his lips, staining the ancient runes carved into his robes.
So this is how it ends.
NINTH CIRCLE METEOR STORM. His vision blurred and the spell that should have obliterated his enemy had merely scratched the demon lord's obsidian armor.
"A thousand years of magical research, and yet you cannot breach my defenses," the demon lord continued, his clawed hand reaching toward Eldric's throat. "Your magic is obsolete, old man."
Eldric's fingers twitched, summoning the last dregs of his mana. If I'm going to die, I'll take this bastard with me.
SOUL SEVERANCE. The spell began forming. A forbidden magic that would destroy both caster and target.
"Farewell, world of magic," he whispered, activating the spell that would unravel his very essence. The last thing he saw was the demon lord's eyes widening in surprise before everything dissolved into infinite darkness.
But death, it seemed, was not the end.
Where... where am I?
The darkness gave way to unfamiliar sensations. The feeling of small, weak limbs, the scent of incense, and voices speaking in a language he somehow understood despite never hearing it before.
"The seventh young master has awakened!"