Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

,m "And why do you carry the foul scent of the Nines upon you!

Half of a smile arched itself over my lips. "And what would a Sovereign like, you know about the Nines?" I asked, sliding my eyes over the vast waterfall crashing over the surface of the lake.

"Perhaps, he's got inherent memories," Said Ezra, her gaze without the slightest hint of fear as she shot this man a long measuring stare. "Or maybe his God speaks to him."

The Golden Eye man grimaced. "I will not ask again."

I peered deep into his heart, and an odd sensation trickled into my soul, a familiarity of some sort that reminded me of… "Mithra! That's who he worships. I can feel it."

"You speak her name as though you are equals." His blade lowered itself, but his gaze carried a tinge of loathing I couldn't miss. " Leave you are not—"

Staring at the blade that made my insides feel off, I glanced at Ezra, who, too, had noticed something strange about the weapon he carried. It was… It was Seraphic.

"A-A-A-ARSENE!!!!!"

Pivoting off my feet into the air, as a pillar of golden seraphic energy pierced down from the skies, my eyes snapped towards my attacker, that held four golden black metallic wings. His hair was the color of his wings, and his eyes were the shade of blood. The Angel… or whatever this creature was growled.

"It's a Teleth," Said Lily in an alarming tone. "How can one be—

Shattering the earth beneath my feet as I hovered in the air, an intense heat rippled, evaporating the lake around me as the beast howled my name, bellowing like a creature out of the Hells.

The area had become so hot it felt like acid rain washed over me. Ezra and I were immune to such things, but at that time, I began to hear the screams from the villagers a little ways away.

'You know these creatures?' I hurriedly asked, sensing an odd seraphic energy billowing like a volcano from this man.

Fangs bared, and a strange back substance began expanding over the entire eye, making this thing look like a devil. My guard instantly raised as I glanced at the surprised look on the other man.

"Teleth are abhorrent amalgamations born from the remains of corrupted Angels." Said Lily sharply. "Instant comprehension on any technique, immunity against most dao… and any wound caused by a Teleth will harm both the soul and body… and they'll be permanent."

"Ezra, stand back."

"Daughter of the King, I will cut you in twain and bathe over your rancid corpse till your father coils in his fucking grave!" The Teleth barked, opening his hand as a golden longsword similar to the one the other man held materialized.

"No!" Said the stranger, rushing off towards his village under siege by the acid rain.

"You need to burn the corpse of any angel Arsene or Nephilim you find. The Teleth is like a disease. Not even a Fallen can resist its curse after death." Lily informed. "If you don't wipe their bodies out of existence, they'll resurrect as mindless Teleth till a new consciousness is formed."

Two lives, huh? Interesting. That bastard actually did it. He made a new race out of the Angels.

"Ezra, you head to the village and find any other angels and put them down. My shadow flame should be able to wipe them out of existence. The Abyss tarnished it.

"Yes, master," Dashing out of sight, I flickered as the Teleth whipped his sword towards Ezra, but I was quick to parry his blade with my arm. I stared coldly as a sea of embers flickered like small stars.

"You will pay! Where is our lord? Where is Lord Balor!" He barked right in my face. "We can't feel his light! We can't!!!! We can't!!!! We can't!!!! We can't!!!! We can't!!!!"

Howling like a crazed madman, the pressure against my arm began to increase to a point I could feel the small qi barrier around my arm about to shatter.

"Shadow Lance,' I said in a whisper as the very shadow below the angels suddenly shot up, spiking at him. But with a vicious swipe of his wings, a cut through the darkness alongside the waterfall flashed. Eruptions exploded one after the other as he crackled in laughter.

"Heavenly Bind!" he shouted instantly as the skies grew bright with radiant qi. I Shadowed Step the instance Binding Sword fell from heaven, striking the earth. His eyes snapped towards me, and the sword in his hand began to burn radiant energy, " Feel the wrath of Atonement!"

The hairs on my neck instantly stood on end as the karmic laws slowly began to hiss around his golden blade.

"Let that sword touch you, and it'll harm everyone related to you. Including your children. And no one but Zareil will be able to stop it." Lily coldly said, " Atonement is the soul weapon of the Teleth. It can be stolen, but… should one hold the blade of a living Teleth without permission, everyone related to you will be attacked by the Karmic Laws."

"I'm immune to—"

"I know what you're immune to, Arsene, but the Teleth exists outside the natural order. Don't get hit. You are not immune to it and will never be. Trust me on that. You anger the twins, and their Abyssal power will wipe out the lower heavens, forcing a fixed event. They are still super young and only know how to react."

"We sealed them."

"I know. And to protect her children, Lilith will not hesitate to destroy the seal she created. Kill this bastard as fast as you can."

Spewing out a string of curses, I nodded. "I see. So that's how it is. You've got a bit of explaining to do."

"I know. And I'll try to explain all I can. Like Lilith, I've got access to the Abyss's infinite knowledge, but I'm restricted in what I can say. And it's not due to the One but the All."

Unsheathing Noctem from my soul, the burning crackles of my blade fell into my ear as I pointed the burning wreckage of my polearm towards the Teleth.

The world grew silent as Noctem, still cooking, began to release a dreadful aura that started to peel away the skin over my arm, burning through muscles and nerves till it landed on my bone.

The hissing of burning flesh filled my nose as I stared coldly and without feeling.????n????????ℯ????d.＆nbsp;????o????