The Demon Emperor's court was constructed block by block using ancient black marble. An ugly monument to cruelty and hate. That was the only opinion Kaspar had of it. He'd developed an absolute hate for everything Demonic, the very idea sickened him and he was here, to put an end to this endless serpent of pain.

He'd lain waste to every single demon in his path. The Demon-Guard had been reduced to a ground full of bones and blood. Their bodies were emitting smoke and tar from the sheer heat of his electricity. The Hero of Aether strode upto the giant demonic doors and waited for it.

The door spoke, "Another hero is it?" A face crawled out of its grimy marble visage. Kaspar could make out the thousands of screaming souls in its gray smoky visage. "The way forward dwells in a riddle. How many imps does it ta-"

Kaspar motioned to Ray-Ray, his elven companion. She loaded her bow with an ancient arrow, charged it up and let the bow go. It was a smooth fluid motion and the arrow pierced into the door with a satisfying thunk. A pulse of holy energy ran through the visage and the door collapsed into fine dust. A splendid view of a throne room spread out.

Rugs from the Peran-Plains were rolled straight out from the throne room to a giant raised throne. It wasn't built like any King he'd seen. It was wider with a tall back. Careful inscriptions had been carved onto the throne.

The giant room was empty but not without opulence and excess. Four giant pits in the center of the hall, filled with fire cores. Pillaged and rummaged from far and wide. They were arranged in a meticulous fashion giving rise to a series of dull-hazy spectres above them.

The walls were covered with a series of giant tapestries. Giant pillars were erected underneath each banner. They were totems exerting the ancient power possessed within.

More than half of them were cracked and broken down, courtesy of Kaspar and his companions. His gaze followed the single demon sitting on the throne. He had a wistful expression on his face. A half-sneer hanging from his lips, he still didn't take them with any serious thought. Not for long, thought Kaspar.

His elven companion hung back, she would back him up. Two of his other companions couldn't come down here, it'd been a hard but essential decision. He'd used them to bait the demon army down to the Mos-Marshes. Their presence would lull the enemy into thinking he was there.

He'd decided to pierce deep into the enemy lines and take out the commander. More people didn't need to die for this. He would finish this here.

He tried to make sense of the demon's weapons but his gaze couldn't leave that beasts' armour. It seemed so wrong, so out of place. "You don't have the leisure to be distracted."

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A giant flaming ball of green hell-fire had bloomed behind him. Trickery of this sort was to be expected. He'd forgotten about an honest duel the day he crossed swords with a demon.

The Demon-Emperor, rose from his throne. He grabbed his spear and launched it at the Hero. Dodging it was easy. A soft ping echoed through the room and an arrow had been launched by Ray. The arrow was dodged and it pierced the throne. Its tail vibrated with the power infused within.

Dai had manged to dodge it with a slight movement of his head. He launched the spear at her now, mid-air it transformed into two and then four. She would be able to handle herself. Kaspar drew his sword out and rushed up the steps to the throne, Dai had the higher ground. He swung down with a spear but Kaspar infused his legs with lightning.

He jumped up from the ground and was at his throat. He cleaved upward with a diagonal slash. His sword parted through the demon's armour too fast. This wasn't it. It was an illusion, it shattered into a million tiny shards. This was why he'd been so distracted by the armour. It was too perfect for it to be real.

A shrill, guttural scream made him turn his head. Oh, no. Ray-Ray's throat had been slashed open. In that brief moment, the immense horror of the monstrosity he was dealing with crashed down on him. She grasped at her throat and tried to keep the blood in. She wheezed and chortled before a soft whimper escaped her lips. She collapsed on the ground.

All he could see and think was red, coated by an immense rage. A spear was coming for him from behind. He just knew it. he turned around and stabbed Dai. He wasn't there anymore! This wasn't working! Frustration, anger and grief drove him to use that power.

He'd vowed to not use it. He'd somehow fooled himself into thinking that half-hearted measures and a limited skill-use would allow him to take care of him.

He stabbed his sword into the ground and a giant force-field of black electricity spread through the ground, it arced and raced through the ground and Kaspar started unwinding the binds he'd placed on himself.

A forceful, omnipotent flow of power coursed through his body. He was aware of any and every minute thing in his surroundings, he could sense that mongrel. He was hiding behind Ray. He teleported straight beside him. A singular black dot was in the centre of his brown pupil. It was expanding like ink dropped into a pitcher of water.

He stabbed his sword at him and it was launched away. He could sense the very incantations of essence and the makings of another spell but he'd teleported away.

Thus followed, a spear and sword battle between evil and the one good thing gracing the continent. It would raze the castle down to a storm of jumbled up spatial co-ordinates. Black fire composed of the most dangerous spells haunted the castle, melting the magical marble down.

At last, thirteen full days of battle passed and Kaspar coated his sword with the power of space. He stabbed it straight into Dai's abdomen.

His pristine black-grey armour had been crushed and destroyed. A massive chunk of flesh was missing from his neck. Dark purple scabs had formed over it, some botched healing spells.

Kaspar grabbed Dai's head and screamed one word, "WHY!?" Why do this? Why plunge not one but two worlds into an infernal conflict with no end in sight? He wanted an answer, anything.

Dai decided to finally say something. Yet when he opened his mouth, the very fabric of space exploded, hurtling him to another reality.