The moment Lucifer said "fine," the square cracked open beneath him.
Mana surged from his body in waves—deep red, shadow-laced, burning hot and cold at once. His eyes glowed like blood suns as his aura flared, pushing outward like a tide. The stone around his feet shattered. Dust curled up into the air, circling him like ash pulled by gravity.
Valecar moved first.
He was fast.
A flicker. A ripple in the air. One heartbeat.
And then his fist slammed toward Lucifer's head with enough force to break a mountain in half.
Lucifer ducked low, the punch slicing overhead, carving a crater through the air. He countered with a sharp elbow to Valecar's ribs—clean, precise—but Valecar twisted, using his momentum to spin and strike with a backfist laced in dark crimson flames.
It hit.
Lucifer flew sideways, cracking into the shattered remains of the plaza wall. Dust exploded outward as he righted himself mid-air, sliding backward across the rubble.
