The courtroom door flew open.
Lutz: "What the hell was that for?!"
Judge: "Mr. Harridwen? What's wrong?"
Lutz: "You know damn well what's wrong! Murdering that angel... sparked a war!"
Judge: "'Murder' is a strong word. You did it to survive. Unlike you did with your past crimes."
Lutz: "And YOU forced me to do it! Was the war really necessary? You knew that would happen!"
Judge: "It was going to happen regardless of your actions, Mr. Harridwen. But now that we have you on our side, we can finally strike back."
Lutz: "Millions are going to die because of this stupid decision!"
Judge: "That's just the reality of this world. Peace was never an option. Besides, they're going to die fighting, instead of letting themselves rot away for the gods."
Silence took over the room, driven by the sinister atmosphere. There was seemingly no negotiating with that man. Deep down, Lutz knew he wasn't the only one who wanted a war.
Judge: "Now, follow the demon army. We cannot afford to lose a weapon as valuable as you."
Lutz: "Listen here, old man. I may be your weapon, but I am not going to fight unless I decide to. I will be the judge now. I'll only go if you accept my terms."
Judge: "I see no reason to refuse. Do as you wish."
Lutz: "Really? So I can just kill you right now?"
Judge: "I wouldn't advise that, for I am the only one who knows how to free you from your curse. But if you're so eager to become the judge, be my guest."
Following the death of Lux, the Angel of Light, the already tense relationship between humans, demons, and deities ignited a long-awaited conflict. They did not know whom to blame, nor did they need to; they simply wanted a reason to start the war.
It was night. Lutz walked behind the army of giant demons. The most notable among them was so tall that it could reach the clouds. Each step unleashed a powerful shockwave. It had no eyes, only a massive horn on its face. Its skin was gray.
Scott: "That's the local demon lord."
Lutz: "I thought this was supposed to be a not-very-important city."
Scott: "Well, it's probably just angel-level. The deities are less numerous, but they could deal with it in an instant."
Lutz: "What about me? Could I solo that thing?"
Scott: "Probably, who knows?"
Walking ahead of them was a tall, brutal demon. He was muscular, red, and had two horns. He appeared to be in a towering rage, though he was held in check only by massive chains attached to a wooden platform on wheels.
Scott: "That's our platoon's general. Just don't be around when he's in berserker mode."
Lutz: "I hope I don't have to interact with any of them at all..."
Scott: "They don't see us as enemies. Just be nice to them and they'll respect you."
Lutz: "Unlike humans..."
Suddenly, the army ahead of them began to come to a halt. Wary of bumping into anyone, Lutz stopped right where he was.
Lutz: "What happened? We're not in the capital yet, are we?"
Scott: "Is that...?"
Scott squinted at the sky, trying to make something out. He could see a man up there, floating. He appeared to be wearing golden armor.
Scott: "Hey, you can't be serious..."
Lutz: "What's wrong? What do you see?"
Lutz tried to make out the figure in the sky. Thanks to his enhanced senses, his eyes could now focus over great distances. The man in the sky wore a red cape and had brown hair and a beard. His face was covered in scars, especially around his blind right eye, where there was a deep gash. His left eye was red.
Scott: "That can't be Victor, can it?"
Lutz: "Who's that?"
Scott: "Have you never heard about him? He's a Superior God."
Lutz: "A Superior God...?"
Scott: "You don't know what a Superior God is?"
Lutz: "No. I don't know much about anything besides humans."
Scott: "The deities of our world are just called Gods, Angels, or Demigods. The Superior Gods come from a much higher plane. Let's just say they are the most powerful beings in their own domain—of all time."
Lutz: "Huh...? Then what is he doing here?"
Scott: "I really hope I'm mistaken and that it's not him."
"Listen well, monsters, demons, and humans!" the man shouted for all to hear. Although he was very far away, his voice could be heard clearly. "There is an impostor among you—an anomaly! If you manage to bring me his head, I won't interfere in your little war."
Scott: "He's Victor..."
Lutz: "How can you tell?"
Scott: "He's been overseeing our incoming war. He's the God of War."
The army, previously noisy, was now completely silent. Most of them did not know whom he was referring to.
Victor: "It's a human! He's using a relic that shouldn't be allowed in this world, as it disrupts the balance of the war!"
The demons began to realize whom he was referring to. Their gazes fell upon Lutz, one by one.
Scott: "Lutz, get out of here, now."
Lutz was backing away when a gigantic snake flew past them. It rose toward the floating god. As the creature drew near, a golden portal appeared beside Victor, firing a swift spear that pierced the snake, pinning it to the ground.
Victor: "I'll give you one more chance. If you fail to kill him or if he escapes, I will destroy your army."
Seriously...? Why is he so obsessed with me?
Lutz walked ahead, taking the initiative.
Scott: "What are you doing? Go away while you still can!"
Lutz: "If a Superior God is here, he won't back down until he gets what he wants. He might even exterminate the human race to achieve it."
Scott: "You're out of your mind... do you have any survival instinct?"
Lutz: "I used to have, when I was a human."
He smiled at his friend, looking back in farewell.
Lutz: "Run as fast as you can, Scott. This is going to get dangerous."
Scott drew his sword with a determined expression.
Scott: "I won't back down again. We're going out together!"
Lutz was impressed, but not surprised. He chuckled.
Lutz: "It's too late for regrets now."
Scott: "To war!"
He moved forward, ready to fight the army of demons to protect Lutz.
The general of their squad grew increasingly furious and flushed, venting hot steam. He broke his chains and lunged at Lutz, grabbing him and dragging him through the air for hundreds of meters. Then, he spun his body and hurled him into the sky.
The demon lord pointed his horn at the armored man, preparing a tremendously powerful attack. After a few seconds of channeling, the horn fired an extremely dense beam. It was blue and red, merging into a concentrated blend of destruction.
The beam struck Lutz head-on, dragging his body across the horizon. The attack decimated everything in its path for kilometers. Surprisingly, he was still alive. His skin was charred and he was in intense pain, yet he remained conscious.
The general charged rapidly at Lutz with his horns, pinning him down and dragging his body across a mountain. At the summit, a black dragon was resting; it awoke and took flight, feeling threatened.
Its wings spread open and turned white. The ground beneath Lutz and the general also turned white, pulling them up toward the sky and then slamming them against the earth, forming a massive crater.
The general grew even more furious and powerful, turning his attention to the dragon. It ran as fast as it could and leapt toward the beast, attempting to tear its wings apart. The dragon flew off and spun, forcing him to let go of its wings.
Lutz rose slowly, trying to adapt to the extreme circumstances.
I'm still not used to fighting with this thing...
He pointed his finger at the dragon, trying to channel an attack. His mind was flooded with memories from centuries ago.
He caught a glimpse of a woman with pinkish skin, white hair tied back, and two horns. Her smile was cruel as she watched him—and all creatures—suffer under her command.
I won't let you control me...
The Lunar Dragon took flight and spread its wings against the backdrop of the moon. The clouds dissipated as the moonlight grew increasingly intense, melting the army of demons. The demon lord shielded his face with his massive arm, his rage mounting.
Then, a fireball began to form in front of his gaping maw. He roared and fired it at the dragon, vaporizing it. All the remaining clouds vanished as the intense light illuminated the entire horizon.
Lutz stared at the previously unimaginable scenario.
I could let them kill each other and leave...
Up in the sky, Victor was staring fixedly at him—and only at him.
Nah, I can't let Scott's sacrifice be in vain.
The general lunged forward again, ready to throw a punch at Lutz. This time, Lutz's reaction was faster; he managed to grab the demon's arm and strike him in the stomach with his palm, shoving him back onto the battlefield. The shockwave was so powerful that a vertical blade of wind sliced through the area.
He also did this with a specific goal in mind: to block the demon lord's beam. The gigantic beast was already channeling its most powerful attacks into a single blast. The general stood in the path but quickly dodged the attack.
Lutz didn't have time to dodge; instead, he raised his hand, blocking the beam with an even more powerful shield that deflected the attack, causing it to destroy everything behind him.
This time, the beam was constant. Lutz had to withstand the attack for several seconds until his shield began to give way. Then, the general punched the demon lord in the face, redirecting the beam toward the sky. The beast knocked him back with a punch.
Lutz sprinted as fast as he could to eliminate the greatest threat. He leaped with such force that the ground gave way, opening up a massive crater. Just as he was about to land a punch on the demon lord, the snake opened its jaws and lunged straight at him, raking its fangs across his head and injecting a potent venom.
The general grabbed the snake and began to eat it. The snake escaped his grasp and coiled around him, squeezing him. The demon lord roared again, far more furious this time. He stomped on the general, while the snake fled as fast as it could.
Lutz couldn't see anything clearly, as the venom had already taken effect. The snake lunged straight for his head again. Sensing the approaching threat, he grabbed the snake's jaws and forced them open, tearing the animal in half. The venom from its stomach splashed onto his face, blinding him once more.
The demon lord kicked him into the air, then lunged forward—with speed surprising for a beast of that size—and landed another punch, sending his body flying through the mountains.
Lutz's body was beginning to develop immunity to the poison as he rose to his feet. The demon lord was about to fire another beam. Lutz prepared to do the same with his hand—but using Lux's beam of light.
They fired their massive beams, locked in a test of endurance for several seconds and illuminating an area the size of an entire country.
As soon as both of them gave way, Lutz lunged forward. He couldn't see anything due to the intense light, but he could make out the demon lord's silhouette. He landed on the creature's head and twisted its horn with all his might, wrenching its head around.
The beast stopped moving and, after a few seconds, collapsed to the ground. Lutz stood over the carcass, panting. The battlefield was completely devastated now. The army had been decimated.
Suddenly, a golden spear pierced the white crystal in Lutz's chest. He looked up; Victor was already attacking him with thousands of weapons. He managed to dodge, but they were endless. The god fought while remaining motionless, floating in mid-air.
Lutz tore the spear from his chest, but the wound would not heal. He had no choice but to press forward with all his remaining power, for he could not escape a Superior God.
Victor: "I am disappointed, human. I thought you would put up a better fight, especially with such a powerful tool."
Lutz leaped toward the god, blocking his attacks with his black-and-white shield. As he closed in on the deity, he prepared to throw a punch but was run through by a golden sword.
He spat out black blood, for his body was no longer human. He could not move.
On the verge of death, he once again caught glimpses of that pink demon.
The Primordial Goddess, huh...?
Primordia, the Goddess who created the world along with all malice. She smiled at him, offering her hand to help him up.
You were supposed to be dead since forever ago...
The blinding light surrounding him began to fade as his life force ebbed away. He had no choice but to accept her help.
I won't let you control my body... I can't let you go through with your plan... whatever it may be...
But he couldn't bring himself to help whoever had caused all that suffering in the first place.
With his last ounce of strength, he lunged forward and embraced Victor while channeling all his remaining power into the God of War.
This triggered an expanding explosion. It was black and spherical, with a white silhouette. The sphere grew so large that it blotted out an entire continent.
Ucathia was now gone.