The sky above the Demon Realm shook, rivers of flame twisted across the horizon, and the ground below was cracked and glowing with molten veins of fire. At the center of the wasteland, a massive portal churned in a tear in reality.
Through that gateway, armored demon soldiers marched. They moved in disciplined formation, stepping through the portal one by one as the gateway pulsed with unstable energy. On the other side of the rift was a different world entirely—lush forests bathed in sunlight. An invasion had begun.
Watching the scene unfold stood Zavala, the Demon King. His red hair flickered like flame against the burning sky, and his golden eyes gleamed with quiet satisfaction.
"Win or lose…" Zavala said softly. "I've already won."
The words drifted through the inferno as his gaze shifted toward the battlefield behind him. Two warriors faced each other across the cracked earth. One cloaked in living shadow and the other clad in blazing red armor. Zether and Valak, once friends now enemies.
Valak stood calmly in the firestorm, silver hair whipping in the heated wind. The molten glow of the battlefield reflected in his sharp golden eyes. Across from him stood Zether, his body almost swallowed by shadow. Zether was not taking any chances, using his ascension form from the start.
Black armor fused with darkness itself, and amber light flickered within the seams. His glowing eyes burned through the shadows, fixed entirely on Valak.
I need to be careful. If I get caught by his chaos energy, I'll be in real trouble. I need to make sure every strike of mine is calculated and not rash.
Valak raised his hand to gesture to Zether. "Can you cross the line, Zether?"
For a moment, nothing moved. Suddenly, ripples in the air could be felt as Zether vanished. The air split as he surged forward with explosive speed. His fist tore through the air. Valak twisted just in time, the strike passing inches from his face.
But Zether followed immediately with another punch. This strike had purpose behind it. Valak had to react quickly or he would suffer a significant blow. He countered with his own blow, fist to fist.
Before Valak could think, Zether was already a step ahead. Valak suddenly felt the shadow aura of Zether behind him. This time a chop was coming straight towards Valak's neck. Valak's eyes glowed as a scarlet red aura enveloped his entire body. The force of the strike slammed into the aura causing a massive chain reaction of energy.
Red and black light consumed the sky, blinding everyone near by. Stone erupted into the air as the battlefield shattered beneath the impact. Dust and fire filled the air.
When the smoke cleared, Zether stood untouched within the inferno. Shadow flames surged behind him like wings spreading into the firestorm as his glowing eyes narrowed slightly.
No more holding back…
Zether knew this was a battle that would require his full attention. One mistake could cost him his life.
Across the battlefield, Valak pushed himself up from the rubble. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. And smiled.
"That's the spirit, Zether," Valak said, excitement creeping into his voice. "Show me your true potential."
The shadows around Zether twisted violently. Zether once again leaped towards Valak with the intent to kill. Valak was ready but within a matter of milliseconds, Zether was gone. The air warped as he appeared beside Valak in an instant.
His fist struck like a hammer connecting directly with Valak's rib cage. Valak's body launched backward from the impact as he slammed violently into the ground, skidding across broken stone until he came to a stop among shattered debris. For a moment, the battlefield went quiet.
Then Valak laughed.
He pushed himself upright, blood dripping down his chin as he wiped his mouth again. Across the battlefield, Zether spread his arms slowly.
"Shadow Ascension." Zether said with authority and certainty.
Dark shadows erupted around him, rising like massive wings of shadow. His glowing eyes burned brighter as power gathered around him like a storm. Zether was now tapping into his maximum output.
Valak rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck as energy flared from the glowing core embedded in his armor. A blazing halo of fire erupted behind him.
"Let's see," Valak said with a fierce grin, "if these shadows of yours can handle the chaos."
The scarlet red aura had returned, Valak was awakening a terrifying power that had long lain dormant within him. The aura took a fiery form, his eyes burning with pure battle instincts. Valak had now awakened his own ascension form.
Moving faster than light, he lunged forward. His fist slammed into Zether's face before Zether could react. Fire and shadow exploded outward from the impact. The battlefield trembled beneath them as the two warriors collided like clashing gods.
Across from their battle, the portal continued to burn and through it the demon army marched into another world. The war had already begun.
The battlefield exploded into motion once again. Valak and Zether collided in a flash of fire and shadow, their fists crashing together with a thunderous impact that shook the burning wasteland. The shockwave rippled across the cracked ground, sending molten debris scattering into the air.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Their fists remained locked together between them, power grinding against power. Valak grinned while Zether's glowing eyes narrowed. Then both warriors moved again.
Their strikes came faster—each blow met with another. Fists crashed against guards, elbows twisted past defenses, and the air itself screamed beneath the force of their battle.
The sky burned brighter as their power surged. Volcanic eruptions consumed the horizon as the demon realm tried to deal with the sheer amount of energy that was generated. Zether swung again, a crushing strike aimed straight for Valak's chest.
Valak twisted his body, letting the blow slide past before countering with a vicious punch toward Zether's jaw. Their attacks collided again and again, neither gaining ground. Then Zether's leg snapped forward.
His kick slammed into Valak's side, the impact bending the air around them. Valak gritted his teeth, blocking the strike with his arm as sparks of energy burst outward from the collision.
Both of them pushed forward, their foreheads nearly touching now as they struggled against each other's strength. Valak's eyes burned fiercely with a savage grin spread across his face.
Zether once again threw a punch towards one of Valak's vital spots. However, Valak had adapted to Zether's fighting style. Valak ducked under the punch which stunned Zether. Then he stepped forward and drove his hand against Zether's chest.
For a single heartbeat nothing happened. Then the core in Valak's armor ignited. Crimson energy erupted from his body and raced down his arm like molten lightning. The power gathered in his hand, swirling violently as red energy devoured his fingers and palm.
The air around them began to distort. Cracks exploded across the ground beneath their feet as the Demon Realm itself trembled under the pressure of the gathering power. Valak leaned closer, his voice low and filled with ruthless excitement.
"Chaos… Hakai."
The energy detonated. A catastrophic blast of crimson destruction erupted from Valak's palm at point-blank range. The explosion swallowed the battlefield instantly reducing stone to dust.
Rivers of fire burst from the shattered ground as the shockwave tore across the wasteland like a raging storm. Mountains trembled in the distance. The ground split apart beneath them as the blast expanded outward in a massive sphere of annihilation.
For a moment only fire existed. The explosion finally faded into drifting embers. Valak stood within the fading inferno, breathing heavily. Sweat ran down his face as molten energy crackled around his armor. Using that much energy in that form had taken its toll on his body.
Across the burning field, a silhouette slowly emerged from the smoke. Zether emerged, also panting with exhaustion after taking that attack head-on. Zether managed to wrap his shadows around him just before the explosion.
Both warriors stared at one another through the dying flames. Neither spoke nor moved. But the tension between them grew heavier with every second. Both knew that this was it. One more final attack to end it all.
Their power surged again as energy gathered in their hands. Zether raised his arm, a sphere of dark golden energy forming in his palm. Across from him, Valak conjured a blazing orb of chaotic energy. Their voices thundered across the battlefield at the same time.
"Obsidian Ray!"
"Chaos Comet!"
The attacks fired. Zether's beam of condensed shadow energy ripped across the battlefield like a spear of pure destruction. Valak hurled his blazing sphere forward, the comet roaring through the air with unstoppable force. The two attacks collided.
The world erupted. A blinding explosion swallowed the battlefield as the two powers annihilated each other in a violent storm of light and darkness.
"IT'S OVER!!"
"NO ESCAPING NOW!!"
"THIS IS THE END!"
"TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!"
The explosion expanded outward like a newborn sun. For a moment, everything disappeared inside the impact. When the blinding light finally faded, Zether was still holding on. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away with a trembling hand as pain shot through his body.
"That Chaos Hakai…" he muttered through clenched teeth. "…did more damage than I thought."
He coughed, blood spilling from his lips. "I need to get out of here…"
But his eyes sharpened again. He pointed his other hand down towards the ground. Shadow energy gathered in his palm.
"Shadow Clone," he muttered.
The darkness around him stirred once more. Valak's crimson eyes gleamed with cruel excitement. He could feel Zether's energy fading quicker than his own. Blood trailed from the corner of his mouth, but his grin only widened as more chaotic energy gathered violently in his palm.
"Feeling weak, are we?" he mocked.
The energy in his hand flared brighter.
"Here… have some more!" He thrust his palm forward.
A blazing surge of destructive power erupted from his hand, tearing through the air and adding more power to his chaos comet. Far below, Zether looked up just as the attack descended. The sky above him turned red.
The blast slammed into the ground with catastrophic force. The impact split the demon realm apart as molten rock and shattered debris erupted outward in every direction. A massive explosion swallowed the battlefield.
Flames roared across the wasteland as the shockwave ripped through the canyon. When the firestorm finally began to fade, Zether's body lay motionless against the cracked ground. For a moment, everything went silent.
Valak dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. "Haa… Hff…"
His armor flickered with unstable crimson energy, the chaotic power still raging through his body. Around them, the Demon Realm itself reacted. The ground trembled violently. High above, the sky split open with jagged red fractures as if reality itself were cracking under the weight of the battle. Lightning tore across the crimson clouds.
Across the shattered battlefield, Zether stirred. He slowly pushed himself up, blood dripping from his mouth as he spat onto the broken stone.
"Haa… Hff…"
Despite the damage, a faint smirk appeared on his face.
"A shadow clone…" Valak muttered, wiping blood from his own lips. "Impressive."
Behind Zether, a swirling vortex of shadow began to form. Dark energy twisted into a portal, the air around it distorting like a whirlpool of night. Zether turned slightly, his glowing eyes locking onto Valak one last time.
"This isn't over, Valak." Zether claimed.
Valak laughed softly.
"I look forward to it." Valak answered with excitement.
For a brief moment, the two warriors simply stared at one another across the ruined battlefield. Then Zether stepped backward into the vortex. The shadows swallowed him instantly. With a violent ripple the portal vanished.
Silence returned to the wasteland. Valak stood alone among the shattered stone and burning craters. After a moment, he exhaled slowly and straightened. The fires of the Demon Realm flickered across the horizon as distant mountains collapsed under the strain of the battle's aftermath. Valak turned toward the blazing portal. A faint smile appeared on his blood-stained face.
"Now my real fight…" he murmured. "…begins."
He stepped forward into the portal and disappeared into the unknown jungle.
End of Chapter 4