Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"Are the abyssal children here yet?" I asked, and Lilith nodded as ash touched her skin, sending small shutters throughout her tiny body. She hadn't shown much pain witht the ashes of Arakiel, but I knew she could feel that unbearable pain. Even I could feel it.

"Elsa said she wants to stay with—"

"Did he finally hit that?"

"Can you be so vulgar?" She mouthed off.

Turning her cheeks bright red with a clap to her bottom cheeks, I smiled. " Don't pretend you haven't told your lady friends what I'm like in bed. I'm a man; I'll speak how I like."

"Some might call that toxic masculinity."

I crackled for a bit. " And I'll raise my middle finger to every person who said that to me. I don't give a fuck."

"For a Lord of Pride, I find that hard to believe."

I shrugged. " I got thick skin. People talk and talk. But I don't have to listen. I've got a wife, a kingdom. And let's be honest, some badass children."

Lilith's eyes leveled on me, and her fingers passed through my hair as she squatted down to look me straight in the eye. She giggled. And pressed her lips against mine in such a passionate way I could feel her emotions run wild through me, swallowing me with a carnal desire.

By the time she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were wet with glee. " I love it when you talk like that."

"... You like when I'm misogynist?"

"Dummy! You know what I mean!"

"Do I?" I pointed to myself, smiling inwardly.

"I like it when you take charge, dummy!"

… I can never understand women… At this point, I've seen hundreds of races, and the oddest ones are a woman. Maybe I'm the odd man, but I swear all the females I've met have been crazy… Lisa wasn't, but then again, she was skinned alive and fucked into insanity and killed. That was… Damn. I hope her soul went to heaven. Or did I destroy it? I think I destroyed it. Shit. That was a good piece of ass.

"Sene, what are you think—"

Ruthlessly kicking Lilith in the chest, blasting her off the bridge of the damned, Noctem whipped out of the sheath that was my soul and materialized just as Avenos shuttered.

Everything had happened so quickly as my eyes swept back and forth, as a warm red liquid whipped over my cheeks just as Noctem swept over the blade that came from subspace, cutting a few inches into my shoulder before my spear could stop it.

Burning heat crawled from my shoulders with such intensity my blood felt like ice as I watched the charred face of an abomination, revealing bones and soot, come out of the void. Wings black as night, and eyes red as blood. The entity I was all too familiar with bore its silvery teeth as Necrotic qi exploded out of my wound, ruthlessly scarring my soul.

I howled in pain as my small self was blasted off the bridge of the damn and through mountains. I skidded through the surface of Avenos before I pierced Noctem into the earth and glared towards the bridge a few parsecs away.

Blood dripped over the ground, bathing it red as I struggled to stand. My soul was still shuttering with arcs of Necrotic Qi damaging it.

"That mark…" Said Lily "the mark over his face! That's Infernus!"

Ignoring her for a second, darkness stretched over my wounds like a patch halting the bleeding as I stared dead at the man on the bridge.

Despite being so far away, I could still see him. Surrounded by Seraphic and Necrotic Qi, I felt the hairs upon my neck spike.

"Zantar," I said his name, knowing he could hear me.

"Arsene, watch out!" Lily shouted, and I tilted my head and danced to my left as the shutter of sword intent came.

I dodged, watching as that bastard Beleth took advantage. But it wasn't enough.

The King of Hell smiled. " Fallen, of the Endless Principalities."

Hairs on end, death flashed over me. But just then, a crack through subspace appeared, and from its darkness, the woman of my dreams stood gripping the black blade of Laevatein, ebbing a nefarious aura that rejected laws, a forsaken aura I knew came from my child exploded, destroying the weapon in the King of Hells hands as her blade shrieked through the darkness.

"Severing End"

Time reversed, and blood rushed through the air as Beleth suddenly became covered in Almighty Essence. He suddenly changed… he switched positions with a demon as Lilith's sword cut the beast in half, killing it in a second.

Clitting my tongue, knowing he just Sasuke'd me, I instantly saw Zantar step across an insane level of distance and cleave his palm towards me. ????n????????eа????. ????o????

Snorting, my palm met his, to his surprise, stopping his hand dead in place. But just as he came, shock followed as a ruthless force struck him across the face tearing him off his feet and into the distance.

Darkness was everywhere. The moment I took Zantars full attack head-on, all I needed to do was banish it into another realm or, in this case, distribute the force to his face. It was similar to Seraphina's almighty attack that almost killed me.

"ARSENE!" Shouted Zantar, skitting over the surface of Avenos like a rock on water.

I hissed in response. Seraphic qi suddenly swallowed Lilith and me as Beleth appeared with duke Bune by his side, bearing a nasty smile.

"FALLEN LORD OF THE PRINCIPALITIES! SAMYAZYA, CLEAVE THEM IN HALF!!"

Locked in place as space and subspace became sealed, I groaned, but Lilith narrowed her eyes as two being appeared just as space began to peel away.

Grabbing Lilith, darkness twisted as I howled and opened up my attunement to Tenebrae. Darkness filled my eyes as wings of black sprouted from my back, turning the Demonic Seraphic Qi, locking us in place black.

Even the demonic spear-like cross that had materialized turned black.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM~

Ash and brimstones whipped over my eyes as my darkness acted as a virus, ensuring no matter how Beleths attack struck, it wouldn't affect us. I'd tarnished it, turning it to the dark side.

"What the?" Said Lilith inside the explosion of black light that held no effect.

Paling at the insane drain ebbing from my wounded soul and body, I could feel myself wither at the life force and divinity used to keep up this tarnishing effect.