Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Sicker than anything I’ve seen.”

“I agree.” But as I gazed upon this bastard, only a half-smile seemed to present itself.

Belphegor stood tall and chuckled, “The opinion shared by you two stings, but killing you now will do very little for me in the long run, so I’ll give you a gift. A going away present, if you will.”

My stomach bubbled like bubbly champaign the longer I looked at this demon. “In twenty minutes, the Warding around the Cathedral will activate. If you can escape, you’ll live. If not, well, you die. And I assure you the wardings will make quick work of a Chaos Lord.

The temperature dropped to sub-zero as Belphegor spoke, but the more I heard, the angrier I became. I always knew there would be at least one demon or devil that would threaten my child, maybe even hordes that would claw their way out of hell for my babies, but hearing him now, listening to that disgusting story.

He subjected a woman to such a depraved fate to have wine, a commodity. It was sick. Was her blood type so intricate? Was her torment felt through the wine? But what of the kids?

I’d never let that happen to my babies. Never!

Loki took a stand and gave a modest smile, “I knew this would happen. It will seem our discussion has ended.”

“So it would seem, but allow me some entertainment,” Belphegor uttered in an embellishing tone that had my skin crawling and my blood reeling. He stepped from around the table, and his entire demeanor shifted.

A stillness came like an evanescent wave. In that single moment, that single instant, all I could hear was the thumping of my heart and the shimmer of my soul flame.

A strange lump formed in my throat under the empty silence,” Do any of you know how a Lord of Sloth fights?” He asked

Loki stepped forward and pulled out two half swords from space, ” I do. As I said, it’s not my first time.” 𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶

“But it would be your first time, am I right, Arsene? I know you feel strong and almost invincible with your mediocre grasp of Devils Hearts and the Seven Sins, but have you ever battled a true practitioner in the art of sin?”

Arsene shrugged,” It’s all the same to me.”

“A naive response, one I fell prey to during my battle with Samyaza. He was quite the prideful Fallen, far different from Lucifer, who held a noble pride.” Belphegor responded, “Well, the life of a Lord of Sloth is anything but slow or easy. I usually take my pride in watching the descendants of my work prosper. It’s a sin few can ignore.”

Loki nodded, “I see what you mean. A hardworking man will build wealth, but somewhere along the lines, the descendent who is not as hardworking will fall into the lavishing lifestyle granted to him by others. He’ll fall into the trap of sloth.

“A fine trap, or con,” Arsene said.

“Yes, it’s how we work. We build each day. We Lords of Sloth work till our souls bleed and our fingers break.” he uttered with a challenging smile.” If there was a mind greater than mine in the advancement of knowledge, I’ve not met them. It was by my will that Genisis was created.”

My heart shuttered; Genesis was the Holy Land of Technological advancement and the home of Avar. I’ve not seen her fight yet, but I know it’s not tied to QI or divinity but rather to Technology, which has long since broken the barrier cap on evolution. Be it, cultivators or normal humans, we all use weapons, runes, and books; all this was the compilation of all the complex work others made in order to advance us.

It’s not far fetch to say the moment we are born or even conceived; we are in a world of sin.

“I’ll always admit Mephisto has me beet in terms of trickery and schemes; aside from Zero, there is no one I’ve seen match him.” He said, causing the void to tremble, and out from the dark, a menacing aura tainted by the odor of death appeared. “But I’m not so bad myself.”

The hairs upon me stood on end as my eyes widened watching Baphomet emerge, and by his side of all people stood Andor and Kain.

Jagged markings of incisions could be seen around their bodies, which seemed to fester with the Dao of Death. The wounds appeared to have somewhat healed, but the stitches could still be seen with pus running from the lining of their injuries.

“Who the hell are they?” Arsene uttered, ” They look familiar.”

Wanting to clock him with the hilt of my sword, I sucked in a deep breath for this idiot’s terrible memory, “That’s Kain, and Andor, the tools the demons used to get around Asmodeus’s rule of demons not being in the Bed of Chaos. I’d heard Baphomet had taken them away.”

“He had, but Little Zantar allowed his emotions to get the best of him and called upon me,” He said, arching his lips.

My eyes slid to Baphomet, and the arm that I severed was now somehow reattached. Something that should be impossible; once my sword cuts, it’s impossible to heal.

‘Lilith, this mission is now impossible; we need to leave,’ Arsene uttered firmly in a soul whisper.

“Death is such a clutch, so I removed the concept. It’s a shame Zantar destroyed Baphomet’s soul; that fool is too prideful at times. A curse we all must bear sometimes.” He mused, circling the three still men standing at attention.

“They’re dead?” Loki asked as a question, but it felt more like a statement.

“Made in Arsene’s image,” He replied, sending an even greater chill down my spine.” I may have stolen part of Zariels work, granting them a vastly inferior adaptation, but they are immune to Darkness and Fire. And with the battle prowess of a Saint, joined with Baphomet and me. Your chances of survival are dropping.”

I tether my mind with Arsene, and a myriad of emotions touched my soul as I tapped into the Abyss, allowing us to share everything.

“I’ve got your front,” Arsene said.

“And I’ve got your back,” I responded, tilting my ruby red blade towards Belphegor.