The relentless clashes from their weapons had flattened the forest into a desolate land devoid of life and nature. And ever so often, the beam of concentrated light shooting out through the archangel's eye turned the very ground into a coarse desert. However, even then, despite taking countless hits from his hierarchical predator, the king of wrath simply laughed it all off.
"Is this the best you can do, dragon slayer?" His hands spread carelessly wide open, mocked Michael in an indirect manner.
Resting his lance over the shoulder, Michael shot a scornful gaze at the undead lord. His armor, although dented, was still protecting him from the true holy magic cast by the angel, and no matter how many physical attacks he landed on it, not a single dent had appeared because of them.
"Angel's might!" In his rage, Michael stomped his feet on the ground, and as it passed through a small realm tear portal, a giant leg of an armored angel came crushing over the warlock. "Take this and die!"
While bringing the gilded boot down on Almuld, Michael had expected him to be crushed right under, but to his surprise and the surprise of an onlooker, the warlock held the boot over his head with the strength of his body alone.
"Don't make me laugh!" Emanating an oozing aura of death from his body, Almuld pushed the leg back into the portal. In doing so, he made Michael stumble back as his own leg was pushed out of the portal as well.
And in that small frame of distraction, Almuld leaped forward with his axe burning with dark flames of certain death. One hit alone would've been enough to kill any human, no matter how strong, however, right as it made contact with Michael's chestplate, an explosion of light pushed both of them back.
"What?" For the first time through the battle, Almuld felt a sense of shock. "What is that armor?! How did it deflect my axe?!"
Still a bit thrown off, Michael was panting for breath. Yet as soon as he felt slightly better, a hysterical smile crept over his face.
"You said I didn't know anything, but it seems like you're the naive one here," gripping his lance tight, he directed it right at Almuld's chestplate. "Also, you're not the only one with enchanted armor and weapons!"
With that distractive show, Michael fired a beam of holy light right through Almuld's armor, and this time, it pierced through the warlock's body. Grunting in pain, he clenched his fist over the now shattered chestplate.
"You sneaky rat!" Shooting a sharp gaze back at Michael, Almuld stood back tall. "AAGHHHHH!!!"
Screeching out the souls of countless undead from his mouth, he sprang forth an army of warriors much familiar with Michael. Taking physical form through the sand, they all stood tall before him with their blades directed right at Michael.
"REMEMBER THEM YOU RAT?!" Almuld exclaimed before cackling like the devil he was.
"Of course…" Seeing the spirits of his own dead soldiers directing their swords toward him, Michael felt his chest tighten from discomfort. "They're my loyal men, who'd gratefully die again rather than be your servants!"
Rushing forward Micheal swung his lance sideways to get the entirety of his men. However, even though he managed to crumble them to dust with a single physical blow, it was too late for him to realize the kind of grave mistake he'd just made. Traveling through his fuming dark shadow, the king of wrath emerged behind Micheal's body.
"Thanks for the meal, slayer," he muttered.
Realizing in time, Michael was about to turn around and spear the undead in his eye, however, limited by his mortal body, Almuld managed to get him first.
"Curse: Memento Mori!" Casting the curse on Michael, the king of wraths escaped the shadow before his spear could reach his eyes.
"GHHH!" As the miasma of death began crawling all over him, Michael's body contorted inward. "D-amn you, y-you monster!"
Despite the pain, and the shriveling of his youthful skin, he glared at Almuld with the greatest of contempt. Slowly, as the curse continued to eat away Michael's youth, his muscles withered away just like his skin and bones.
"How many times do I need to teach you this lesson?" Walking closer to the rapidly aging general, Almuld looked down at him as he curled up on the ground. "I am death, and sooner or later I get you."
His head pressed against the ground, Michael could feel his soul draining out of his body. Reminded of his mortality, he could see his memories flashing before his eyes, but as the words of the emperor's promise resounded in his ears, his hands squeezing the sand under him finally let go of it all.
Flipping Michael's corpse with his legs, the king of wrath tried to inhale the essence of the warrior's spirit, but as strong as his body, his soul wouldn't allow itself to be consumed by any.
"What a waste, and I thought you could ever work for me," turning around, Almuld shifted his gaze to the angel still peering right at him through the realm tear in the sky. "Piss off, your master is dead, you mutt."
And as if adhering to his demand, the angel shied away and the tear closed a moment later. Done dealing with the dragon slayer, Almuld shifted his gaze to the city he had come to conquer. Seeing it tattered and resting in a pile of rubble, he no longer felt the thrill to continue onward with his assault on the new emperor of the Marquis kingdom.
"Time to slumber…" he muttered, walking back in the direction he'd come from.
"Not before you pay for destroying my cities," echoing through the skies, came the voice of the demon Almuld had come so far for.
Peering up, he saw Haruki in his demon form looking down at him like an insect. Shadowed under his own shade, his eyes glowed a sinister violet, the sign of a true candidate for the next demon lord of lust.
"You…So it was you all this time," walking closer under his shade, Almuld kept his eyes fixed on Haruki. "Those invisible abominations, that false dragon burning the city, and the reason the dragon slayer had to die by my hands, it wAS ALL YOU?!"
Instead of just a reply, the king of wraths got something more lasting.
"I am death, warlock." Holding his hand towards the demon lord, Haruki unleashed a single spell on the undead. "Godsmite!"
'What?!' Hearing the name of the true holy spell, the undead could only watch in horror as it was being cast on him by a demon.
"HOW IN THE HEL-" However, coming to his aid before the spell could hit his body, was not another undead, but the mistress who was the real owner of the spell.
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