The ground trembled under a distant rumble. On the horizon, dark silhouettes gradually took shape, moving with terrifying discipline. The army of the two Demon Kings advanced, each step echoing like the beat of a monstrous heart.
Ryo tightened his grip on the blade, feeling the Orbe's energy condense around him. His golden eyes scanned every movement, anticipating the slightest fluctuations in the air, the shadows cast by the massive demons.
> Ryo (thinking): "Fifty thousand… Very well."
Morvath and Azrakel stood firm, each radiating a distinct aura of power. Kaelen floated slightly above the ground, his piercing gaze analyzing the enemy army.
> Kaelen (telepathy): "Lord… I advise you to start by testing your weapon on the vanguard. The two Demon Kings are watching every move."
Ryo nodded and stepped forward. The air thickened around him, heavy with an invisible but oppressive energy. He lifted the Orbe blade; the runes shone with a dense light that cast moving shadows across the ground.
> Ryo: "Then let's begin."
A violent gust of wind rose, lifting dust and debris. The vanguard of the demonic armies wavered, sensing the imminent threat. Morvath and Azrakel advanced beside him, forming a triangle of power around the King of Ashen, ready to support each strike.
> Morvath: "Lord… allow us to clear the way."
Azrakel: "Every demon who dares advance will meet its end."
Ryo inhaled deeply, the blade quivering in his hands. Even Kaelen, usually stoic, let out a faint breath:
> Kaelen: "Lord… let Ashen's power reveal itself."
Ryo surged forward, the blade tracing a trail of pure light. He struck with precision, adjusting his power to remain localized. The Sword's wave erupted across the armies: the ground cracked with massive fissures, chasms opened, hills collapsed. Whirlwinds of debris and rocks were hurled into the air. The destruction was immense but contained, focused entirely on the battlefield.
Gabriel resonated in Ryo's mind:
> Gabriel: "Ryo… you are using only a fraction of your power. If you unleashed your full potential… the planet itself would be destroyed."
The waves of energy obliterated the enemy army completely. The fifty thousand demons were reduced to nothing, thrown into gaping fissures, crushed, or dispersed by the Orbe's shockwave. Only the two Demon Kings remained standing, unable to flee but still alive, watching with a mixture of surprise and hatred.
Kaelen communicated telepathically:
> Kaelen: "Lord… their army is annihilated! Only the Demon Kings survive."
Ryo adjusted his stance, blade still ready, calm and focused. He did not boast; he simply prepared for what was next.
> Ryo: "Morvath, Azrakel, Tavric… I'll handle the Demon Kings. Secure the battlefield."
The three nodded immediately. Under Tavric's precise orders, the Guardians and Ashen's troops consolidated their positions around the cracks and chasms, transforming the battlefield into a natural fortress.
Ryo watched the two Demon Kings, his golden eyes reflecting total focus. The fissures and destruction around him silently testified to what a fraction of his power could accomplish. He was ready to face the true leaders.