The collision between shadow and darkness tore across the Spirit Realm like a storm breaking the sky.
For a moment, nothing existed except the violent explosion of power.
Black energy clashed with ancient void, creating waves that rippled through the floating Pieces. Fragments of shattered marble and stone drifted away from the impact, spinning slowly through the pale sky like debris caught in a cosmic tide.
Liora shielded her eyes.
The air felt heavy—so heavy it pressed against her chest and made it difficult to breathe.
Above the platform, Cairis stood unmoving.
His wings stretched wide behind him, vast and black against the colorless sky. The demonic aura surrounding him rolled outward like a dark ocean, swallowing the remnants of Azhrael's attack.
For the first time since she had met him, Liora realized something unsettling.
Cairis had never been fighting seriously before.
Not until now.
Across from him, Azhrael floated calmly within a mass of shifting darkness.
The enormous blade he had summoned moments ago had been completely destroyed, shattered into fading fragments of void energy.
Golden eyes glowed through the shadowed figure.
"…Interesting."
The ancient entity tilted his head slightly.
"You are stronger than I expected, demon prince."
Cairis's voice was cold.
"Leave."
The command echoed across the floating ruins.
For a brief second, everything seemed to hesitate.
Azhrael laughed softly.
"You command me the same way she once did."
His eyes shifted toward Liora again.
The weight of that gaze made her stomach twist.
"…Stop looking at me like that," she muttered.
But Azhrael ignored her.
Instead, he raised one hand.
Darkness poured from the sky like ink spilling into water.
"Let us see how long you can protect her."
The shadows around him thickened suddenly.
Then they exploded outward.
Hundreds of jagged tendrils shot across the air, slashing through floating ruins and slicing apart ancient structures as they rushed toward the platform.
The witch hunters immediately reacted.
"Formation!"
Holy light flared across their armor.
Several of them raised enchanted blades, sending arcs of silver energy toward the incoming darkness.
But the attacks barely slowed it.
The tendrils tore through their defenses, shattering several barriers instantly.
One hunter cried out as the force knocked him off his feet.
The commander gritted her teeth.
"Hold the line!"
But the truth was obvious.
They were completely outmatched.
Cairis moved again.
His wings snapped forward.
The shadows beneath him surged upward like a rising tide.
Dark energy wrapped around the platform in a protective dome just as the tendrils struck.
The collision thundered through the Spirit Realm.
Shockwaves rippled outward, sending nearby ruins drifting further away.
For several seconds the two forces struggled against each other.
Then Cairis clenched his hand.
The shadows exploded outward.
Every tendril disintegrated instantly.
Fragments of void energy scattered into the sky like fading embers.
Azhrael's golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Impressive."
But he did not seem threatened.
Instead, the ancient entity slowly descended toward the platform.
With each step he took through the air, the Spirit Realm trembled.
The floating pieces shifted uneasily.
Ancient towers groaned as though reacting to his presence.
Liora swallowed.
"…Why does it feel like the entire world hates him?"
One of the spirit wolves nearby whined softly, its glowing body lowering closer to the ground.
Even the creatures of this realm seemed afraid.
Cairis stepped forward to meet Azhrael.
Their auras collided again.
The air cracked.
The demon prince's crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"Your existence ends here."
Azhrael stopped several meters away from him.
"So confident."
He studied Cairis for a moment.
"…Tell me, demon prince."
His voice softened slightly.
"If she loses control again… will you still stand beside her?"
Liora frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
But neither of them answered.
Azhrael continued speaking to Cairis.
"Do you know what she did the last time her power awakened?"
Cairis did not respond.
But the shadows around him grew darker.
Azhrael smiled.
"She destroyed an empire."
The wind swept across the ruins again.
Floating fragments of stone drifted slowly through the air.
"Not by accident."
His golden eyes flickered toward Liora.
"…But by choice."
Liora's heart skipped.
"That's a lie."
Azhrael chuckled.
"Is it?"
Suddenly—
The ruins beneath them reacted.
Symbols carved into the ancient platform began glowing faintly.
Silver lines spread across the stone floor like veins of light.
The spirit wolves lifted their heads.
A low hum echoed through the air.
Liora felt it immediately.
Something was responding to her.
The glowing symbols brightened.
Ancient runes began appearing along the surrounding ruins.
Floating towers shifted position.
Broken staircases slowly rotated through the air.
The entire Spirit Realm seemed to be rearranging itself.
The witch hunters stared in shock.
"…What is happening?"
The commander's eyes widened.
"The realm is reacting to her magic."
Liora looked down at her hands.
A faint glow surrounded them now.
"…I promise,I'm not doing anything."
But the reaction continued.
The spirit wolves stepped closer.
One of them approached Liora slowly before lowering its head again.
The others followed.
Within seconds, dozens of glowing creatures knelt around her.
Azhrael watched the scene calmly.
"Yes."
His voice carried quiet satisfaction.
"They remember their queen."
Liora shook her head.
"I'm not anyone's queen."
The runes beneath her feet flared brighter.
The platform trembled.
Then something enormous stirred in the distance.
Deep within the floating ruins, a massive structure began rising.
An ancient temple.
Its towering pillars emerged from layers of drifting stone, lifting slowly toward the sky as if awakening after centuries of sleep.
Golden symbols glowed across its surface.
The entire Spirit Realm seemed drawn toward it.
The commander whispered in disbelief.
"…That's impossible."
One hunter asked quietly,
"What is it?"
Her voice was tense.
"…The Throne of the Star Witch."
Liora stared at the distant structure.
A strange feeling filled her chest.
Like a memory just out of reach.
Azhrael's voice cut through the moment.
"You see?"
He gestured toward the rising temple.
"Even this broken world recognizes you."
His expression hardened slightly.
"But that is precisely why you must die."
Dark energy gathered around him again.
This time it was different.
More concentrated.
More violent.
The sky above twisted into a spiral of black clouds.
A massive sphere of darkness formed in Azhrael's hand.
Its surface rippled like liquid void.
The spirit wolves immediately retreated.
Even Cairis's eyes narrowed.
"That attack…" the commander whispered.
"…It could destroy this entire platform."
Liora looked up at the growing sphere.
"…That seems excessive."
Azhrael's voice echoed across the realm.
"This world will not fall into your hands again."
He raised the sphere higher.
"Not while I still exist."
The attack began to descend.
Reality itself warped around it.
Floating ruins shattered as the energy passed by them.
Cairis stepped forward.
His wings spread even wider.
The demonic aura around him surged violently.
Black flames ignited along his arms.
His horns gleamed like obsidian.
Liora felt the pressure of his power increase dramatically.
Then he spoke quietly.
"…You've talked enough."
The shadows behind him gathered into something enormous.
Something monstrous.
A pair of colossal demonic wings formed within the darkness.
The air cracked under the pressure of the transformation.
Even Azhrael paused.
"…Ah."
His golden eyes widened slightly.
"You intend to reveal your true form."
Cairis's voice turned colder than before.
"You threatened something that belongs to me."
The shadows erupted.
Power unlike anything Liora had felt before exploded across the platform.
And for the first time—
The true strength of the Demon Prince began to awaken.
The coming clash would shake the Spirit Realm itself.
And this time, neither side intended to hold back.