Ash stood still, watching the demons close the distance.
Their skin looked like cracked ash, rough and dry. Two of them walked side by side, each a little shorter than Ash's titan frame—around 7 feet tall. Small black horns curved out from their foreheads, sharp and jagged. Arrow-shaped tails flicked behind them, cutting through the air. Their swords gleamed dull silver, chipped but dangerous.
The third one walked behind them, larger, towering almost as tall as the angel. Long black horns with red on their tips. Black wings stretched from its back, thin like a bat's, veins pulsing through the membrane. Red markings burned across its body, glowing like molten veins beneath stone. A golden axe rested on its shoulder, massive and heavy, yet it carried it like it weighed nothing.
A wide grin split across its face as it met the angel's gaze.
Its voice rolled out like thunder dragged through gravel.
"See, boys? Told you one would show up. He played his part well, didn't he?"
Ash's mind turned over those words.
'Who's "he"... someone planned this?'
The lesser demons laughed. Harsh, broken sounds. One of them spat words through sharp teeth.
"Yeah, yeah. This idiot walked right into it."
The other sneered, tail lashing.
"Let's cut him open fast. I want fresh sky-born meat."
That's when Ash saw it.
Behind the demons—scattered across the rocks—bodies. Torn and broken. Strangers who never reached the mountain's top. Their blood is still fresh.
Ash clenched his jaw.
'We walked in on their feast.'
The angel's smile was long gone. His perfect face darkened, his voice low and sharp as a blade's edge.
He stepped forward.
"So it was you. You're the ones who planted the black branch. Wretched things..."
His wings lifted slightly as light crackled across his shoulders.
"You've slaughtered countless souls of this realm. You know what that means."
The greater demon laughed loud enough to shake the branches.
The two lesser demons doubled over, their laughter broken and sharp like cracking bones.
The bigger one tilted his head, grinning widely.
"Why the speech? Trying to impress the kids?"
He tapped his axe against his shoulder, a soft thud like warning drums.
"Don't act righteous. Weren't it your kind and those sky-borns who killed the Abyss-born when this trial started? You tore them apart without mercy. Consider this my gift back to you."
The lesser demons cackled again, repeating the word like a chant.
"Payback. Payback."
The angel's fingers curled into fists. His wings twitched. His jaw tightened, holding down the anger burning in his chest.
Ash kept his eyes locked on the demon's axe.
He could feel it.
A fight was seconds away.
The angel lunged forward. Light flared from his arm, shaping into a gleaming sword. He swung wide, forcing the demons to leap back, their feet scraping against the stone.
Without pause, he thrust the blade forward.
The ground split apart.
Golden vines burst from the cracks, twisting upward like living chains. They wrapped around the legs of the two lesser demons, pulling tight as the earth trembled beneath them.
The bigger demon let out a sharp growl. He swung his great axe down, splitting the vines apart in a single strike. Splinters of golden light scattered into the air.
He turned to his trapped kin, voice sharp.
"Move!"
The lesser demons broke free, sliding beside him. Their formation shifted without a word, swords raised in sync.
Ash watched them move like predators on instinct. Perfect timing. No wasted steps.
The greater demon smiled, axe resting on his shoulder.
"I wasn't expecting that. Good. This won't be boring after all."
He shot forward. The two lesser demons flanked him, blades flashing like teeth in the dark.
The angel met them head-on. His sword spun, carving a radiant arc through the air. Sparks flew as steel clashed with light.
A vine shot from the ground again—faster this time—but the greater demon saw it. His axe swept low, slicing it apart before it touched him.
The three demons attacked in waves. Each strike forced the angel to step back. Every dodge grew tighter. Every block slower.
But the angel didn't break.
With a sharp cry, he turned, blade sweeping sideways. Golden light burst outward.
One of the lesser demons stumbled, too slow.
The sword carved through its neck.
The demon's head fell with a sickening thud. Its body collapsed, smoke rising from the wound.
For a moment, no one moved.
The two remaining demons stared at the fallen body. Rage burned in their eyes.
The bigger one smiled again, wider this time.
"Impressive. But I guess it's time I stopped playing."
The angel shifted his stance, wings spreading wide. His breathing was sharp now, ragged.
He spoke low.
"You should watch your back."
Another vine burst from the ground behind the demon, aiming for his spine.
The demon turned fast, spinning his axe. The blade sliced through the vine before it touched him. Sparks of golden sap scattered across the earth.
He charged.
The angel raised his sword to block, but the great axe came down like a falling star.
It struck the angel's wing.
The left wing tore at the edge, feathers falling like ash. Blood spilled down his back.
The angel staggered back, jaw clenched. Pain twisted his face, but he kept his ground.
Ash watched, silent. Every breath tightened in his chest.
This was the moment. The angel could flee… or stay and die.
Ash didn't care either way. He wasn't here for the angel. His only thought was simple:
'Will the demon leave us alone if this ends?'
The greater demon laughed, voice sharp as rusted blades.
"What now? Had enough? This will be your grave. You killed one of mine. I'll pay you back with your blood… and your body."
The remaining lesser demon stepped closer, grinning widely.
But then—
"Sir. Your leg."
The demon glanced down.
Golden vines coiled around his leg, almost to the knee. He hadn't noticed.
He cursed.
"You angels and your cursed tricks!"
He looked up—too late.
The angel drove his sword straight through the demon's chest. Right through the heart.
The demon froze.
For a second, the whole world went quiet.
Blood spilled from the wound, hot and bright. The demon's grin faded into shock.
"How...?"
The blade twisted, and the demon dropped to his knees.
The last lesser demon staggered back, disbelief on his face.
Ash stared at the scene.
'This… this isn't how it was supposed to go. The angel was meant to die or run. There's no way the last demon can face him alone.'
But part of him relaxed.
'Still… this is good. If the angel lives, maybe we're safe.'
Then a colder thought crept in.
'Wait… if the angel follows us up the mountain… won't that draw more angels here? And the book says they killed everyone…'
Ash clenched his teeth, heart pounding.
Nothing was certain anymore.
All he could do was watch and wait.
Because whatever happened next, it felt like death was still waiting for him… just a little further ahead.
The angel's voice was faint, his sword still buried deep in the demon's chest.
"This… this should avenge them. All those you slaughtered. May your soul find no rest."
Suddenly, the lesser demon let out a laugh.
The angel's head snapped toward the sound.
Suddenly. A thick tail lashed out and wrapped around his throat. The force crushed down like iron bands. The angel struggled, hands clawing at the tail, but his strength was already slipping away.
Ash froze. His heart sank. The demon was smiling. Even with a sword in its heart, it smiled.
The demon spoke, voice sharp and mocking.
"Foolish angel. Didn't your kind teach you anything? Every true demon has two hearts. And no warrior demon ever fights without its tail."
The angel gritted his teeth, but his body was failing. His light dimmed. He couldn't even lift his sword.
The demon's grin widened. Slowly, it raised the axe.
"This is the end."
The axe fell like a judge's sentence. It split the angel's forehead in two, cracking bone and spilling blood. The impact shook the earth.
For a moment, the forest was silent.
The demon yanked his axe free, then uncoiled his tail. The angel's body dropped to the ground, face frozen in shock, wings broken, blood spilling into the dirt.
Ash stared. His thoughts tangled in disbelief. He had been sure the angel won. But now, a corpse lay before them.
And now… what happens next?
He clenched his fists. Would the demon let them walk away? Or were they all about to die?
He scanned the others. Some stood frozen. Some clutched their weapons, shaking. He looked for answers, but found only fear.
The demon's voice cut through the stillness.
"Relax. I'm not here to wipe you all out. Just hand over the sky-borns hiding in your midst. Give them up, and you can leave this cursed place."
Everyone tensed.
Ash's gaze drifted to Lunaea. She clutched the small winged creature against her chest. A sky-born. A child of the Sky Realm.
Fear trembled in her arms.
Ash's teeth clenched.
'Why is no one saying anything? This isn't the time to play heroes. This trial doesn't care about teamwork. In the end, only a few survive. Shouldn't we just give them up?'
His hand drifted toward his sword. Words gathered on his tongue.
But before he could speak, Kyrios stepped forward.
Flames roared to life along his sword's edge.
He pointed it straight at the demon.
"You'll have to cut through every one of us first. No one else dies today."
Ash froze, eyes wide.
'Idiot. This is the worst time to act righteous.'
The demon's smile faded into a thin, sharp line. His axe rested on his shoulder, but his eyes darkened.
Around them, the wind grew cold. The mountain watched in silence.
And Ash knew.
There was no going back from this.
Ash gritted his teeth, his gaze locked on the demon.
The demon laughed, the sound sharp as broken glass. The lesser demon joined, their voices twisting through the cracked air.
"Wow. How noble. But I don't care what a single fool says. Tell me, is that how you all feel? Do you really want to die with the sky-borns?"
Vynessa stepped forward. Her voice rang clear.
"Do your worst. We'll cut you down first."
Ash couldn't hold it in anymore. The pressure in his chest snapped loose.
"No, we can't! Are you blind? Did none of you watch him kill the angel? That was a one-sided slaughter. Tell me, how many of you are even Tier 1? How much soul energy do you have left?"
Before anyone could answer, a sharp cry tore through the air.
Ash spun around.
The last lesser demon stood frozen, a golden vine piercing through its chest. It thrashed, but the vine writhed like a serpent, lifting its body into the air and flinging it aside like dead weight.
The demon's grin broke.
"No... don't tell me... it turned Fallen. That's supposed to be rare—how did this—"
He never finished.
Another vine shot forward, stabbing clean through his skull. His body froze, and the shock still stretched across his face. Then he dropped, lifeless, into the dust.
Ash staggered back.
'What is happening now?'
The earth trembled beneath them. Cracks tore through the ground. The mountain itself seemed to groan in warning.
Serian's voice broke the silence, sharp and shaken.
"Look. I swear... I swear I saw it move."
He pointed at the angel's corpse.
Ash's heart sank.
The memories rushed in—the vision of the past, or the future, or whatever cursed glimpse he'd seen. He remembered Tachyros watching the angel rise from the dead, far from the battlefield, hidden in the shadows of a thick bush. Watching as his teammates died.
Ash turned his head. There, half-hidden in the distance, was the bush.
A bitter laugh built in his throat.
So that was it. Tachyros never stayed. He left before it happened. Tried to warn them, and when they didn't listen, Serian and Vynessa followed him. The rest stayed. And died.
Ash clenched his teeth. Even though it was a different outcome. This was the moment. The vision made sense now.
The angel's corpse twitched. A low hum filled the air. Its beautiful features twisted by death, blood streaked across its face like war paint. Its bright eyes are now drowned in blackness.
Slowly, it rose. Wings cracked and crooked. Its gaze swept across them all. Cold. Empty. Hungry.
Ash drew his sword.
He wasn't alone. Every godborn still standing drew theirs too. Fear in their bones, steel in their hands.
This was it.
The final obstacle stood between him and escape.
He planted his feet. Blade steady.
'Live through this. Then leave them all behind.'