Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"Heed my Call, Lord Hellmaster," I heard my bastard son utter.

According to Tenebrae\'s knowledge, the Higher Heaven\'s cultivation system held Eight major realms: Immortal, Immortal King, Celestial God, Progenitor, Void God, Infringement God, Fell God, and Chaos Monarch.

The realms of Immortals were based on the survival of a single Hell Cycle. Immortality was a cruel thing. Especially when one suffers from madness. The idea of cultivation was already considered a sin. It goes against the natural order.

And living for an entire Hell Cycle was something not even the creator of cultivation Azazel considered.

There was a reason that people\'s Hell Cycles marked the Birth of Madness. It was the deterioration of the soul\'s ego. No matter how much one wishes to live. One of the primary reasons the Wheel of Reincarnation exists is to renew the soul.

The first and second major realms of Immortal were created to maintain one\'s self in an infinite state of being, similar to Dao. But to do so, we must sacrifice our sanity. We must taint our morals and our wills.

In a way… ascending to an immortal was the same as crippling one\'s future path. Only when one becomes a Celestial God can the healing begin.

"..." Silently staring at my bastard call upon Lord Hellmaster, I coldly watched as the seven stars that hung above his head turned corporeal. Taking the shape of a crown, marking Zaid an Immortal King, an instinctual sensation of death caught me where I stood.

When Seven ethereal swords suddenly appeared, bleeding seven out of the nine auras of the Hells, marking me with their Intent, sending slivers of sweat curling down my neck.

"Now. How did you turn from an Immortal into an Immortal King when you weren\'t even at the peak? Hmmm. Was it Lord Hellmasters Blessing? Does it infringe on the Concept of Order?"

How monstrous. But… It\'s not enough. My body feels danger, but that delicious, tingly sensation of fear isn\'t bellowing through me.

Am I merely too unparallel?

Zaid pointed his Greatsword toward me. Suddenly the seven ethereal swords\' outer appearance shattered, revealing seven corporeal weapons. Each blade was dark as the night, carrying intricate webs of lines throughout the blade, bleeding a deadly scarlet light.

Suddenly, the seven blades hurled themselves towards me, arriving instantaneously, forcing me to read the Intent of the blades as a whirlwind of sword light flared. They carved through my clothing, wishing to draw blood, but…

"Not enough, Boy," I muttered half-heartily.

He flashed using instantaneous movements skills, but Zaids intent wasn\'t even masked, making all his blows easy to read.

Creating a blade from Chaos Qi, a hollow sigh resounded through the Hells as our blades clashed. The clouds over the skies of Irkalla parted at our blows. Earthquakes ruptured parts of my palace as a flurry of fatal blows followed quickly.

Ember swallowed my sight, but I merely followed the weave of Intent surrounding me. I was able to easily combat Zaid with superior cultivation. He was stronger and faster, but I found his combat skills severely lacking.

Mephisto had taught me much about Intent, and my battle with Zariel had truly taught me how to use it. It was truly one of the greatest powers under the many heavens. And while Zariels was superior, attacks from Zaid that were faster and stronger than what I could perceive were easily blocked by my Qi spear.

Not to mention… Zaids bleeding heart of vengeance was too open. My Boy was an open book.

I sighed, "Let us end—"

My eyes went wide as blood splattered over me as I watched a gruesome slash appear over my chest. As deep as the very bone, I retreated with a Shadowed Step, startled by the gruesome cut.

"He infringed on the laws." Lily suddenly said to me. "Careful. Lord Hellmasters blessing lets you Infringe on any Laws you can perceive. Zaid may break any laws he sees fit."

Picking my gaze to meet the smiling Zaid, I found a demonic grin as my heart, deep within my chest, began to pick up. Enjoying the throbbing pulse of my wound matching my heartbeat. I licked the blood over my palm.

"Good. Very good." I told him, dismissing my Qi blade. Laughter spilled from my lips as my dripping blood began to rise into the air. Even the blood that laid over Zaids sword began to tremble, rising towards me.

As if called upon by a great power, each droplet of blood returned to my palm, turning a deep shade of black. An almighty light began to twist the very hells within this realm.

The emerald flames seen throughout Irkalla began to vanish, crushed beneath my aura as the Intent of all Nine Lords of Hell landed on this king. Fear clouded all of the hells as the will of the Abyss began to gather at my palm.

Voices of the dead heard throughout the nine Hells went silent, and heartbeats of the living froze as if their masters compelled them not to beat. In contrast, those of weak will were instantly atomized, unable to exist on the same plane as me.

"Zaid…" I called as the powerful aura around my head continued to grow more intense. Blood bubbled and popped like snot from his eyes and mouth, forcing him from the skies: "This wound, Boy. There will be a price you\'ll have to pay."

"Father…"

Unsure when I moved. All I saw was a single eye popping out of Zaids skull as the heel of my foot caved my son\'s skull in.

My spear had not even materialized, but an unparallel power swelled all through my meridians, burning me from the inside out. As if caught by Hellfire, a burning rage exploded out of me.

Uuummmmmm~" Came the simpleton voice of my son, now nothing more than a retard drooling away.

He fell to his knees, the seven swords around him dismissing themselves. But before his healing factor could kick in, my fist hammered into his already disfigured face.

Blood drenched every fiber of my being as I began beating Zaids skull open. Not stopping even as brain matter painted my fist, I continued till a palm grabbed hold of me, stopping me.

"Enough," Mephisto said. " He\'s lost. Any more, you\'ll destroy his soul as well as his body."

Catching hold of myself, realization came as quickly as the horror. My eyes shot open as my Qi flared, wrapping Zaids damn-near lifeless body in a healing light.

"GET ME A CLERIC!!!" I howled my command that bellowed throughout the hells.

"AAAAAAAAAH~"

Staring at the moaning sounds of Zaid as his face began to regenerate due to my Qi, I glanced at Mephisto, who shook his head.

"That\'s on you… You lost control."