Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"Die!" I howled, jabbing my spear in every direction possible. Flooding Julius in an endless wave of spear strikes, the clanking and slashing of our Dao clashed, sending tremors through the stone room.

Flashing at speeds that would make the light seem like a fleeting concept, every part of our bodies became like cold, grim weapons. Julius' claws tore through space without resistance while my fingers would pierce forward like spears. His tail was like a cruel ax that would smite my every move, while my spells were my saving grace to their ability to arrive instantly.

A grim mask crossed my lips as I became caught in a deadlock with the Abyssal Devil. However, I knew Julius was holding back; he was wearing down my divinity. While we were on the same level, I was sure Julius had far more than I.

Racing towards me, Julius' spear-like tail, littered with white bone spikes, shot towards me. Harboring an amethyst-black aura over its tip and edge. My eyes grew wide as the tail abruptly exploded out with a booming shockwave, like a meteor crashing to earth, blasting me back into the wall.

Coughing up a mouthful of blood. My eyes grew bloodshot red as I glared. Wiping the blood dripping from my lips and eyes, I cursed beneath my breath. The Pale Lord could have Julius kill me now, but he didn't. This was a hard lesson, a ruthless one, but one I learned.

Pride was my sin, the sin I resonated with the most. Ever since my rebirth, it had been calling to me, and I never once resisted its call. To say I was the strongest of all, I knew, would be a lie, but seeing Julius standing all high and mighty over me, I understood what true power is.

Abyssal Demons were a bit like demons of the Hells but far more deadly. I have never fought an angel, but it would be safe to assume the same thing. Be it, Dao, Julius was the highest, not when compared to my darkness, but his almost infinite supply of Dao made it practically impossible to harm. I was outmatched, and not by a little.

Sure I could adapt, but this battle had gone on for seven minutes, and I was sure by ten, I would be dead, leaving me no time to adjust.

I had not used Crimson Winds, as I knew I was not ready, same with War of Kings. The toll it would take on my divinity was not light. I was but a two-day god, and I needed time to build. This was but a lesson in pride.

"Reach me," Was the lesson; standing not with devils or angels was no longer my goal but rather the Abyssal Monsters.

Into the Abyss, the ability to connect to the collective consciousness of all Abyssal Children made it almost impossible to contest fairly. I needed to use the weave. I needed Zariels help, something I honestly did not wish to use.

Zantar was, in a way, correct. I could not reach my little brother.

Dismissing my flaming spear, I sighed, "I give." I calmly said, bearing the humiliation clawing at my heart." lesson learned. But what I don't understand is why? Why do this for me?"

Lifting his lips with a bit of contempt, Julius smirked, "And here I thought you would continue till I crush your skull open, how I regret not bathing my feet in your brain. Shame." he said amusingly. "My Lord, the Pale Rider, knows that our lady, the Queen, will side with you a mistake the four lords of the apocalypse have deemed. So we decided to show you the power of our kind. We needed you to understand that it is not the Fallen that rule, but we who hold the Blood of All. Who holds even the Fallen in contempt."

"And Zariel?" I grimly asked.

"The Silver Devil. As it stands, Zariel is weak, but his promise is the greatest one we will ever see. You will do well to take advantage of his gift. It will not always be there, not with your pride." Said Julius, losing his demonic form; he returned to his human appearance carrying a victorious smile.

Touching my bleeding chest, I knew my body help the power to be perfect, yet for that, I needed to work for it. As for my Dao, it will never be like Lilith's and her children.

Using my divinity to stop the flowing of blood, Julius waved, causing my vision to shift. Instantly appearing in a strange room, where the skies looked to be a nebula, my heart shook at its beauty and power.

There was an elegant scarlet moon bleeding light over a bed. Surrounded by four decrepit pillars that conveyed four different auras, a silver-headed goddess untouched by creation lay still.

Curling up into a small ball, with her knees resting against her ample chest, a smile grace my lips, "Is she becoming a god?"

"She already is. Why she wished to only be at your level is a mystery. With her legacy, our Queen could shoot past the Thirty-Three heavens and enter the--"

"I would learn to hold your tongue Julius, or are you too plagued by the sin of Pride?" A deep devilish voice announced, drawing my attention.

Meetin, my gaze with an elderly man, draped in a five-piece black suit, holding onto a cane that held a silver skull, glistering an emerald-colored flame through its eyes and mouth. The elderly man was a bit tall, having a bony exterior and a thin build, but something deadly about him was there.

He gave off a sense of belonging, almost like a calling one could not resist. Before this man, with shorty grey-black hair, and grey eyes, I did not feel like a God, but instead a mortal, looking at death. He did not feel evil like one would assume but rather hollow, carrying a comfort I felt nothing but dread for.

"So you are the child, Her Majesty has taken a liking to." Death asked slowly.

Unsure how to even respond, something almost primordial held my tongue. Uncertain if it was fear or something else, I could only nod.

"Take her, and return when you genuinely wish to grow. Devils grow with words, but it is demons who grow with death. You are a compilation of both and more.. I hope you know how to train it."