Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Well into the night, I sat on the balcony near the window frame that showed a clear view of Iliya. Even from here, I could feel Lilith’s intent and another. It was subtle, but it felt familiar. It wasn’t especially powerful, but I could feel its call, almost like how a–

My ears twitched as I turned towards the door below and sighed, “What kind of Assassin goes through the front door? But I guess there will be some better sustenance than those seven bitches I ate. They were good but just a little too bland for my taste. Maybe it was the seasoning I used.

Sensing the intent to kill, alongside the seven assassins all trying to enter the home Valice gave me, I Shadowed Stepped to the lone Assassin that slowly opened my door and pointed towards him. Ignorant that I had landed right behind him under the cloak of night, I tapped his head as the sigil in my eyes hummed to live.

Genesis.

Exploding into a pile of mush as every wound he ever had through his life opened up in an instant, blood splattered over the ground. Still, by the time it had fallen to the ground, my fingers had already touched upon yet another assassin trying to break through a window.

Painting my windows red, I did not bother to step into my house as I could sense multiple intents already inside.

Leaping down from the window into the wide open area, I stood still and waited. I wasn’t going to destroy my house or dirty it with the scent of blood. Standing still, it hadn’t taken long for the five remaining assassins to find me, alongside the remains of the dead assassins.

I could feel anger in their hearts as they glared with fire in their eyes that bled a dark, sinister light; I indifferently bore down with a cold intent sucking the life from the air.

I couldn’t be too sure who was watching me, as this was not my land, and despite my master of intent, I was sure others were better than me. I need to hold back until I’m at one hundred percent.

Summoning a sword from the darkness, a bolt of scarlet lightning skimmed over its edge as an intent capable of cutting down Dukes of Hell rippled out. The void of the abyss began to bleed a deep light as I readied myself.

Assassin one dashed at me at a blinding speed, but by the time I arrived, the Dao of illusions had come into effect; my physical body appeared behind Assassin three as my sword arm danced like a deadly reaper.

Blood splashed over my face as I severed his two hands and legs before severing his head. When suddenly, I arched my sword high as Assassin two appeared from above, cleaving his blade down with earth power.

“Sword Breaker!”

The hairs on my neck stood on end, but I didn’t move, not yet anyway, as the Assassin four flanked me. My left arm rose in advance as a magical shield appeared, blocking his sword from meeting my neck, creating a massive tremor throughout the earth.

The Black Villa instantly came alive.

Eying the second Assassin use an Arte, I narrowed my eyes and allowed the blade to cut right through me. Trusting my ability to use the darkness, I felt like I was standing on eggshells when I had a tingling sensation of a sword cutting from my shoulder to my groan appear.

However, to everyone’s surprise, a dark mist appeared from my ‘wound’ as I chuckled. To be one with the darkness is to be intangible.

Monarch’s abilities are stupidly strong.

Taking advantage of Assassin two being star-struck, my blade took his head, just in time for the first Assassin to reach me, but with a shadow step, under the Dao of Illusion, I left behind a clone and pointed my finger towards Assassin one and four.

“Heavenly Bind,” I uttered, chanting an angelic spell fueled by the Path of Abyssal Night.

Suddenly a pentagram appeared beneath the two assassins’ feet, followed by seven ethereal swords piercing down into each point of the Pentagram; a magical field appeared, stopping them from moving.

The truly terrifying thing about the angels is their ability to affect everything. Unless you can overpower an angel’s Circle, there is no defending.

All of their spells can affect everyone and everything. As the guardians of Creation, it’s their right.

Frozen in position, one in the air, the other with his sword still trying to pierce through my shield spell, I smiled and walked closer, noticing they didn’t even know they had been frozen in time. I grew surprised.

Heavenly Bind also froze their minds. It was a powerful ritual on the same level as Lilith’s Genisis spell.

“You know, heavenly spells?” A voice that made my skin crawl said as I turned to look at the Watcher of all Angels, the Creator of the Grigori, Samyaza.

“What are you doing here?” I inquired, walking into the heavenly Bind, severing the heads of the two assassins. .

“You’ve become quite the warlock. Although, if you like, I could show you the fallen spells shunned by the Heavens.” he offered with a smile.

“Thanks, but Mephisto is teaching me,” I said, concluding this conversation.

“You Snow’s are so cold,” Samyaza remarked, shaking his head, “But despite my fall from graze, I am still the watcher, and you Arsene do not have the justifications to use an angelic spell.”

I chuckled, summoning a cloth, and cleaned the blood off my sword; I smirked, ” And? Just tell me what you want, Samyaza. I’d rather not get involved in dealing with the man who Belphegor hates.”

The Fallen expression grew solemn, ” So you know about that, huh. Well, Bel is a bit of a drama queen.”

“You killed him.”

“He would have come back,” Jusfited Samyaza.

“I have no words. What do you want?”

The Head of the Grigori crossed his arm over his chest and studied me with his golden scarlet eyes, ” I’ve got a mission for you.”

“I don’t work for you,”

“You do when it benefits you. The time when the Gate of Iluthath opening is coming, and there is a particular item Zariel sealed away in Oblivian I wish for.”

“And the Key is in Lilith’s hands, right?”