Lucifer watched the storm of lightning fall towards him with a seemingly permanent uncaring expression.
He stood as still as a stone statue, and allowed the powerful attack to wash over him without bothering to hide.
BOOOOOMMMMM!!
Abaddon tilted all four heads in surprise when he saw that Lucifer made no move to avoid his attack and instead took it head on.
'He didn't look concerned about being injured in the slightest... Is this related to his sin or does he just consider me to be that far beneath him?'
His knowledge about the sin of pride was admittedly very poor.
And it wasn't just him, no one seemed to know what the sin of pride actually did or why Lucifer was so powerful.
Most just attributed his strength to the fact that he was the only demon in existence who was capable of holding the element of light.
Suddenly, all eight of Abaddon's eyes went wide as he sensed something from within the cloud of smoke below.
It was faint, but he still noticed it.
Just for a second, Lucifer's aura became a tiny bit stronger.
The difference could only be described as infinitesimal at best, but that small change was enough for Abaddon to put together an understanding of the sin of pride.
But if he was correct... things were about to become much more difficult.
Almost as if to prove his point, Lucifer burst through the cloud of smoke and appeared directly in front of Abaddon in the sky.
"I will not warn you again. You have no right to be above me."
Abaddon watched as Lucifer swung his sword in the air a single time, seemingly attacking nothingness.
But before the dragon knew it, several large gashes appeared on the entirety of his body, everywhere from his heads and wings to the tip of his tail.
Finally, Abaddon decided that being bigger was only causing him to be easier to hit and his body shrank down to it's normal appearance.
The dragon tucked in his wings and allowed his body to fall freely from the sky while he thought about a solution to his current predicament.
'If he gets stronger every time that I hit him, then I can no longer afford to attack him so recklessly as I have been before. A new approach is required...'
Abaddon landed silently onto the ground and looked up just in time to see Lucifer's foot coming directly for his temple.
Activating mist body, the attack passed harmlessly through the dragon, causing Lucifer to click his teeth in annoyance when he pulverized the ground instead of his opponent.
"Just like Asmodeus. You foolishly believe that trickery equates to prowess and ability. You would make a better jester than a warrior."
Abaddon leapt away to put some distance between himself and his monstrous opponent. "I'll consider changing careers once this is all over, Pride."
"Presumptuous."
Whoosh!
Even though Abaddon had put several feet between himself and Lucifer, the demigod had closed that gap in an instant and snatched the dragon out of the air.
By channeling mana into his hand, Lucifer was able to easily grab Abaddon by the neck even if his body was incorporeal.
"When this is over you will be dead, Abaddon. If you were going to live your life on a different path then you never should have come to challenge me in the first place. "
Lucifer took his massive golden sword and stabbed Abaddon through the chest.
Unconcerned with the large blade that was now coming out of his back, Abaddon temporarily lost himself in his instincts and opened his mouth wide.
When Lucifer noticed the white and purple glow that was building within the back of the dragon's throat, he knew that he had to act.
Even his ability would not protect him from the power of the first flame.
Before Abaddon realized what was happening, Lucifer had his hand on his jaw and had forced his mouth shut.
A monstrously irritated growl rose from the throat of Abaddon.
He had never been so overwhelmed by an opponent before.
Even when he fought against Satan, he was at least able to counterattack with his own martial arts to defend himself.
But Lucifer was unfairly stronger and faster.
Not to mention the fact that even if the gap between them were a bit smaller, Abaddon still had no way to attack his opponent without strengthening him.
'I have to even the odds... and soon...'
At this rate, he was going to die within the next few minutes.
He had no second life to fall back on this time, so he could not rely on the activation of phoenix heart as he had before.
Wracking his brain for a solution, he realized that he had the power to escape from this predicament all along.
'I had hoped to never have to do something like this... It seems as though it cannot be helped.'
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and opened his mind up to the millions of people connected to him.
- Luxuria
As always, the streets of Luxuria were bustling and filled with an abundance of souls.
With the demonic war nearing it's end, some followers of the five fallen demon lords were making their way here, lured by both new opportunity and curiosity.
Once they saw the beautiful and highly advanced architecture, they were nearly convinced to stay in this place for life.
And when they saw the thriving and abundant brothels filled with gorgeous men and women, they dunked their heads into the fountain of rebirth without a second thought.
'My people.'
Suddenly, the entire city came to a dead stop all at once when the voice of the king echoed throughout each and every one of their minds.
Demons young and old listened eagerly, as they waited to hear the words of their beloved king.
'I have prided myself on never asking anything of you thus far, but it seems like today I must put an end to that streak. I ask that you rest now, and have only the most peaceful and transcendent of dreams. I do this so that when you awaken, the lives that you and I cherish will still be open to us.'
It took a moment for the request of the king to sink in, as no one really understood exactly what was being asked of them.
But eventually, the voice of an older phoenix woman who ran the city's most popular bakery echoed within their minds.
'The king has given us so much and now all you request of us is to rest? Should you have asked I would have gladly spilled my own blood. I would do anything for the one who has given us new life.'
Once the old woman voiced her devotion, she seemingly started a chain reaction of citizens who were eager to do the same.
'I do not understand it, but I will rest for the king as well!'
'As will I! Anything that I can do to help the one who has helped me so much!'
'I hope that I have dreams about bearing the king's child...'
'Please my king, feel free to do whatever needs to be done!'
'All of you... you have my sincere thanks.' Abaddon said sincerely.
As soon as Abaddon expressed his gratitude, the bodies of the demons connected to him began to feel heavy.
Soon the miraculous and somewhat humorous sight of demons lying down in the oddest of places could be seen.
In the middle of the street, on the tops of food stalls, even in the colosseum stands.
The bodies of these demons began to glow with a dull green light, and they finally let their eyelids fall as they drifted into the best sleep of their lives.
-
By the time that Lucifer realized that Abaddon had stopped struggling, it was already too late.
BOOM!
A whirlwind of dull green energy began to envelop Abaddon and flooded into his very being.
Abaddon opened his eyes that were burning with a newfound power and gave Lucifer an annoyed look.
Snap!
Using his free hand, Abaddon broke the golden sword that was lodged in his chest.
"You..." Lucifer growled.
Abaddon wrested himself free from the grip of the large demon lord and kicked off his body.
Summersaulting through the air, Abaddon landed on the ground several feet away and removed the lingering piece of sword in his body.
"The sin of sloth... another testament to your weakness." Lucifer grumbled as he tossed his broken weapon over his shoulder.
"Relying on the slumber of others as a power source... how miraculous that someone incapable of accomplishing things under their own power has come so far in this backwards world. What kind of ruler are you?"
Abaddon did not immediately respond as he looked down at his hands and felt the power of all of his people coursing through him.
"Incapable of accomplishing things under their own power, huh...? To tell you the truth there was a time where such an insult would have irked me horribly. But for some reason I do not feel that way today."
Abaddon held out his hands and allowed Lucifer to watch as he changed into a black skinned demon with four arms and three eyes.
"I am what you see. The power flowing through me belongs to the sons, the daughters, the husbands, and wives who are under my protection.They are reborn from my blood, and thus are apart of me.
I will no longer be ashamed of the fact that I have people who are willing to help me. It is a sign of their faith, and of their unwavering loyalty. Neither you nor anyone else have the right to tell me that such a thing is dishonorable, or makes me unworthy of my throne."
Abaddon was a man with the hopes of millions riding on his shoulders.
And due to all of his feats and achievements that he has had so far, it was easy for many to forget how young his body actually was, as well as the fact that he was only a stage two evolved.
Everyday the odds he faced become more and more insurmountable, and because he was still far from a god, he was bound to stumble.
But luckily, in those moments he could use the connections he'd formed with the people who believed in him to ensure that he never had to fall.
And he would continue to use the faith that his people had placed in him, until he reached a point in his life where the power that he possessed was wholly undeniable.
"Needless words." Lucifer said with a scoff. "This is why all are inferior to pride. I require no one and therefore am superior."
Suddenly, the primordial demon held out his hand and a weapon suddenly came into view.
It was an entirely red spear, dyed with the blood of a well known mortal man.
At about eight feet long with two prongs, Abaddon was able to recognize the weapon at a glance.
And when he felt the chilling pressure coming off the weapon, he realized that it was in the same class as his black sword and his daughter's witchblade.
"With the weapon bestowed to me by my father I will grant you true erasure." Lucifer said as he twirled his spear casually.
"We will see if those that place their hopes in you can continue to do so after you have become nothingness."
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