Seven months passed. The war was postponed because the public had grown accustomed to adapting to the underworld. Even so, the heavens did not give up—they kept spreading hatred toward the demon race. Until finally, war was about to break out in the near future. Word of mouth spread quickly, growing the tree of hatred that had long been dead.
At that time, a young man in a miserable condition, walking unsteadily with a cane, crossed the vast expanse of grassland, watching them dance as war was about to begin. Between the great mountains that divided them, gray smoke billowed upward, right where the war was about to take place.
With determination the young man walked, climbed, and crossed steep ravines toward the place he had to reach before it was too late. Several times he fell, sustained injuries, and tumbled. His breath was short, his heart was no longer receiving oxygen properly.
It was terrible. But in the end, he made it. The palace standing before him was pointed, with solid walls, and every corner bore ancient artistic carvings. Seeing it, he could no longer hold back his emotion and relief, and shed tears of gratitude.
"Let... me in." With a weak voice he asked the two gate guards. "Ah, no. Just summon your King." He drew closer, leaning heavily on one of them.
"Lord... Lucifer!?" A guard who was walking while picking his teeth shrieked loudly, alerting the two guards at the entrance to who had just been speaking to them in that weak tone.
"Hurry...! Summon your King!" Lucifer could no longer be patient, grabbing the guard by the collar, and showing a burning, furious face.
"Yes!" The guard who had recognized him first ran in the opposite direction, into the compound.
A gate guard helped Lucifer sit on a stone near the post and asked, "Your wounds could almost kill you. How did you get them?" With a worried voice while treating him he looked at Lucifer bravely. "Not many can defeat an archangel."
"I fought the Gods of heaven." With a smile Lucifer told him, uncaring that the listener would be shocked.
"What?—" His words were cut off by three hurried footsteps approaching.
"Lucifer!" Aetheria's voice as she ran, aided by Ethan, worried, anxious, and confused. "What is this? Why are you.. No! Quickly take Lucifer!" Aetheria ordered the one guard who had called her to take Lucifer to the healer.
Lucifer brushed aside the hand that wanted to help him stand, and he quickly approached Ethan while grabbing his collar, "Hurry! Go!"
Ethan was confused, unsure what to do first. Worry about Lucifer's condition or ask further about his strangeness. "Go see the healer, then we can talk."
"No!" Lucifer's grip tightened until it felt like he intended to choke him to death, "Go! There's not much time left!"
Aetheria saw Lucifer crying, "Lucifer... what has happened," She occasionally wanted to touch Lucifer's wounds, but held back because it would surely hurt.
"Galadriel... That bastard..." Lucifer dropped to his knees, "Carry out an evacuation quickly." His voice grew weaker, and both Ethan and Aetheria understood what was happening.
"I didn't expect father would go this far."
Ethan approached Aetheria, standing behind her and gently rubbing her belly, which was large and nearing the day of birth. "Calm down. I will handle it."
"Ethan...."
Ethan smiled, then rubbed her head, "Stay with Lucifer. I will take care of it." Seeing Aetheria nod obediently made him glad.
After Aetheria left with one escort and Lucifer, a gate guard approached. "Sir... the humans of the upper world have raised the war flag again. It has been happening for several months, and this time the scale is much larger."
Ethan gazed at the sky, which had no sun, yet remained bright. "While I wait for the emperor of heaven, I have sent the great demons to handle that part."
"Sounds like you are waiting for great danger alone."
"Hah..., really? I feel like I'm waiting for a father-in-law who wants to scold the kidnapper of his daughter." Ethan fell silent after saying it, bowing his head as if he had just committed a great sin. "All of this is my fault. If destruction comes, please write my name down as the culprit."
The gate guard watched Ethan's body walk away with his back to him. "It's not because you married the Goddess of light. Haven't the heavenly faction hated us since long ago? Sooner or later they would come even if you stayed away from them."
From that moment, the war between humans and demons erupted again. From the east and west smoke billowed upward, fire burned settlements, and the plains were flooded with blood. There was not a day without the sound of explosions and screams. The sky was covered by storm clouds, lightning occasionally striking violently.
The beast tribes, Elves, and dragons fought alongside humans, while demons remained demons. Even so, the power of the demon race was more dominant. Their magic was unmatched, especially after the great demons exerted their strength to nearly the maximum limit.
"War...? I had just gone out to carry out a task." A child, yes, it was little Niel, looking up to see the sky full of the colors of death above the vast grassland that would soon turn red. "Demons are truly disgusting." He followed his squad toward the northwest.
Wherever Niel was in wartime, that was where he was. As one blessed with the mana of light, he joined a squad on the battlefield, exterminating thousands of demons. That day was the first time for Niel to kill.
While Niel was busy killing demons and the two beings from two different worlds were at war, Ethan stood calmly looking out the window even though weapons were aimed at him from all around. Beings from heaven had come specifically to see him. With arrogance and rage, they surrounded him. Those beings who always felt superior would never want to assess an opponent before challenging them.
"Did you come on the orders of the Emperor of heaven to kill me?" Ethan asked without turning around.
"If so, then what can you do?"
Ethan did not flinch as they tried to approach, his eyes glancing before he spoke, "Don't come closer if you don't want to get hurt. I'm busy thinking about how to deal with you without hurting you."
And they ignored him. They came closer and were hurled backward hard. The weapons they wielded floated into the air because of Ethan, then turned and attacked their owners at Ethan's command. Afterward, Ethan walked over, crouched down and said, "Where is Aetheria?"
"It's not proper for you to look for her!"
"Where is Aetheria?"
"Bastard!"
Ethan took a deep breath, "Where is Aetheria?"
"Tch!"
Veins of anger could be seen crawling from Ethan's neck up to his jaw, "Where is Aetheria!?" His voice rose in anger.
"Are you looking for her?"
A strange voice made Ethan turn around, seeing Galadriel standing behind him beautifully. Ethan growled and stood up, "Give her back!"
"What if I kill the child in her womb?"
"You...!"
Galadriel snorted in amusement, "Why?"
Ethan's clenched hand sparked with lightning now and then. It would be a lie to say he was fine. The deaths of his own kind, or of humans, were all the same. Both sides were being toyed with by the one who was supposed to bring peace. Who else if not this Galadriel! Damn it!
"You... do you want to fight me? Hah. Fine, fine. I will entertain you with all my heart, and then when we're done playing I'll make sure you are buried properly along with your people."
No emotion remained in Ethan's eyes, just as when he fought his father. The black lightning surrounding him grew thicker and larger. Several times it struck the room and shattered it. Like Ethan in truth as the Demon King.
"Galadriel!" Ethan lunged forward quickly, charging at Galadriel.