As the soldiers marched in heavy ranks beneath the clouded sky, Poseidon walked with firm steps, carrying upon his shoulders the lifeless body of Oungan, silent as the ashes of a battle whose flames had been extinguished.
His features were grim, and his eyes raged like a storm that knew no rest.
Semifel approached with heavy steps, casting a glance at the corpse, then at the tense face of the Lord of the Sea.
Poseidon (angrily, in a thunderous voice):
"Look at him, Semifel… our friend has fallen, while the kings recline upon their ivory thrones, bickering like children!
I swear by my seas and my depths… if this war passes as though it never happened, I will cut their heads one by one!"
Semifel (calmly but sharply):
"Hold your hand, Lord of the Sea… if you lose yourself to rage, you will be the first criminal. I know fury burns within you, but blind vengeance will not bring Oungan back."
Poseidon (striking his spear upon the ground):
"Do you want me to let the kings laugh, as though my friend's blood were but unseen drops?!
No, Semifel… I will not rest until I see their heads rolling beneath my waves!"
Semifel (firmly):
"I understand you… but remember, even Odin himself I could not reach, for hordes of demons stood in my way."
Semifel (eyes blazing):
"Odin… that old fox… I will tear him apart with my own hands if need be! He will not escape judgment."
Poseidon (boiling with rage):
"All of this… because of him, that wretch."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the creak of torn banners trembling in the wind.
Suddenly, a massive shadow tore across the sky; it was the phoenix, Phinikeiros. His body was stained with dust and blood, and his eyes shone with the bitterness of his message.
He descended, kneeling for a moment to catch his breath, then lifted his head and spoke in a voice dripping with sorrow:
Phinikeiros:
"Hades fell from a towering cliff… and Asmodeus was with him. Both vanished into the abyss.
All signs confirm… they died together."
Silence spread, as though even the sky had withheld its breath.
Poseidon clenched his grip on his spear, the sea behind him roaring, as if echoing his vow of vengeance.
Semifel (eyes burning):
"Damn it… we lost another friend. But he dragged the King of Demons with him to the end."
Narrator:
In that moment, it was not grief alone, nor anger alone, that consumed Poseidon and Semiphil… but doubt, dread, and fear of a future growing ever darker.
After severing Asmodeus's head, Lucifer carried his corpse with him, seeking a new prey to quench his thirst for blood.
His steps led him to a dark cave, its walls dripping with suffocating dampness, as though the earth itself wept.
He entered, and there he saw Hades lying upon the ground, his body covered in wounds, yet undergoing some strange healing.
A cold smile crept across Lucifer's lips as he raised his sword, ready to finish him.
But before the blade could fall, a deep, thunderous voice resounded, making the cavern quake:
The Mysterious Entity:
"What is a filthy demon… doing in my domain?!!"
Lucifer turned swiftly, and from the depths of the cave emerged a shadow of a man.
His bare body looked like bones wrapped in pale skin, his face akin to a human skull, eyes like hollow pits blazing with red embers, his disheveled hair flowing like tongues of cold flame.
In his hand, a long black weapon glimmered, etched with cracks glowing with faint fire.
The air itself grew heavy… as though death itself had arrived.
Lucifer (nervously, swallowing hard):
"I… I apologize for trespassing in your domain… but I came only… to destroy the enemy who slew my king."
The entity stepped forward, with darkness shattering at every move.
A terrifying smile appeared on his skeletal face, his voice echoing like nails piercing through Lucifer's skull:
The Mysterious Entity:
"That man… is mine. His life… belongs to me.
Do not dare even to touch a hair upon his head."
Despite his pride, Lucifer trembled, every instinct screaming against taking another step.
He retreated, step by step, staring at the figure.
Before vanishing outside the cave, he raised his head:
Lucifer:
"Who… are you?"
But the entity gave no answer.
He only watched Lucifer depart.
Narrator:
Lucifer left, the cold gnawing at his bones… and he knew then that he had not faced a mere foe, but a power without a name… or perhaps a name forbidden to be spoken.