Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

It was getting cold. Demonic Resonnnonce was using my attunement to the Abyss, and the Hells, alongside the Elements of the Fourth Heaven, and it was turning cold the longer I held onto this power.

When I fought, everything was instantaneous. When I was moving, I just needed to think; when I swung my spear, there was no windup; my blade was going to meet its mark. Demonic Resonnnonce made it so that every circle, every Arte, every thought was instantaneous. It was an Almighty Spell that would be my next bloodline technique.

Dusting himself off, Bael looked at me without a single injury. I don't know how he did it, but he was perfectly fine. There was not even a tear on this clothing or a look of concern. He stood peacefully without a look of terror.

Lifting his twin spears, I felt the King of Hell before me grow slightly more solemn as his form seemed to make my heart palpitate.

Sweat dotted my brow as the coldness in me continued to grow, spreading from my soul to my body. Unsure what it meant, I applied Soulforce from my tarnished soul to help my body adapt.

I stared at the man and moved.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Somehow blocking an instantaneous move, Bael smiled, "Welcome to how people of the Fifth Heaven all fight. This spell of yours is not to be used in the Lower Realms as they will perceive it as an instantaneous moment, but there are ways to get around that."

Taking his criticism, I began to make adjustments to battle against this bastard. It is said that knowledge is power, and Bael's archive held so much I just needed time to adjust my battle style to fit all I learned.

Beating my spear left and right, I became like a black whirlwind, bringing a cloud of embers from our spears striking against one another.

Listening to the sounds of steel against steel erupt, the song of metal alongside the drums of war resounded.

Unsure when it happened, wounds began to appear around my body, but under the effects of Demonic Resonance.

I felt immortal.

My injuries would heal as fast as they appeared, making me stronger, and the more my spear spun through the confines of space and time, I began to feel my comprehension of the Dao of Spear grow. I could feel my battle prowess rising without end.

But the coldness only continued to grow. No injury or wounds were appearing, but I slowly felt a coldness growing within me, an indifference I knew all too well. I'd seen it in Asmodeus, Baphomet, and even Lilith when she was trying to get her bloodline under control.

Finding myself casting without thought, the battle between Bael and myself had long passed the minute mark, but neither of us was stopping. Minute after minute, a battle that could be had in the higher heavens was being fought right now, in front of me.

It's said only God-Kings, held the battle prowess to fight a being of the Higher Heavens, but as I fought Bael, who I could see was going easy on me, I came to a halt, dismissing the Demonic Resonance.

"Are you done?" He asked with an aged eye and a smile that didn't seem to meet his eyes.

"I am; I need to meditate. I also need to connect to the other three souls within me," I softly said, looking down at my body grievously sweating. I dismissed the Spear of Noctem, but this coldness still lingered, showing no signs of leaving.

"It's going to be there forever. It's the sign you have pushed your bloodline to a specific limit." He said, and I lifted my head to him. "I'm sure you still have tons of potential left, but you need time to incorporate all of my knowledge and Soloman's wisdom. You damn Snows are monsters. Especially that sister of yours."

"Truck-kun?"

"Please, that immortal bastard is the bane of many. She is the definition of an immortal. There is no killing her. Maybe if Zariel used the Weave against her, but her ability to be 'reborn' makes it impossible to harm or injure her. I know because Master Azazel has tried. That girl is a monster."

"Is it Mortal Dao?"

"No idea. You'll have to ask her that." He said, shaking his head. "Now, as you have passed your battle test, all that's in the Ring of Bael is yours. And to complete our little bet, I'll tell you something. Run. Trust no one on the Devil's side. If everything goes according to plan, you, Arsene, will need an escape plan."

"Then who can I trust?" I curiously asked as Bael was kind of vague.

"You're not going to like it." He said, arching his lips, " The person you must trust to escape this ordeal is the man who killed you.'

'Aldrich," I grimly said, clenching my fist into balls, "You cannot be serious."

He chuckled, and his body slowly faded, " I have no reason to lie. Your enemies are close, Arsene. If those two Fallen capture you, it's game over. No one can save you. Oh, and before I go, I had almost forgotten. The Fallen has this ability that allows them to use pure seraphic qi that is not tainted. I'll leave you to think how they did that."

Withdrawing from sight, I pondered the little riddle Bael left me. But as I did, I slowly shifted my attention to the imp on one knee.

"Master." He echoed in a respectful tone I'd never heard leave his lips.

Pulling myself out of the Ring of Bael, the icy flow of water caressing my body took me by surprise as I felt my soul feasting upon the spring I resided within.

Picking myself up, I glanced at the smiling face of Levi-chan. "Your mine as soon as Paimon leaves."

Paimon? A King of Hell? Tilting my head past Leviathan, I glanced at a smiling old goat that looked like a goat mixed with a toad.

"Are you ready to meet, Lord Lucifer?"