Abraxis didn’t trust his body enough to not slam the doors and wake Lilith, so he manipulated his shifting shadows that danced along the walls and vibrated with ecstatic energy, almost as if celebrating his Existential Ranking increase with him. Once he exited and Lilith’s door was shut without waking her, he began adapting to his enhanced body properly.

Stretching, moving his arms and legs, practicing to familiarize himself until he felt as proficient as before, he began his return to the throne room. Albagoroth had been his benefactor when it came to securing the bout between Abraxis and Yugmuswa, had cowed Lucifer and Andariel into submission, but now that he wasn’t around, Abraxis wondered if they’d hold up their end.

However, if his theory about Uncle and Albagoroth was correct, they were somehow intrinsically related—to the point that Uncle wouldn’t let a deal made between Albagoroth and Abraxis fall to the wayside and be kicked under the rug.

Althazar bowed and silently opened the throne room for Abraxis. Again, Abraxis silently berated the pathetic pride demon for being subservient to another, but that didn’t last long. It was quite inconsequential in the scheme of things.

Wow, really? His mind felt clear, not bogged down by the pitiful disdain he’d once felt so strongly for Althazar’s mere existence. That’s right, he’s too pathetic to even contemplate anymore. This growth spurt probably puts me on par with his power, he boasted to himself, grinning as he entered the throne room and saw Lucifer, Andariel, and a bored-looking Yugmuswa attending to Uncle. I guess he’s good for something.

Putting aside the two archdemons in attendance and whatever Uncle was, Abraxis sneered at Yugmuswa. A fiend of sloth and greed, Yugmuswa had a similar outfit to Abraxis—one he’d adapted to his own tastes after seeing how great Abraxis’ ingenuity was. To even contemplate wearing something Abraxis made for himself, something that was far too superior for a slothly fiend so inferior to his greatness…

It fueled him, his pools of Miasma buzzing. Even as he’d made his way down, he’d pushed all the prideful Sin he received from Lucifer into his Nexus and throughout his very existence, converted all the Miasma he could into more Sin, though it varied, and began absorbing more from the two archdemon’s passive auras.

Which reminded Abraxis of the most unsettling thing about Uncle. He had no presence, none whatsoever. The reminder that the only reason Abraxis knew the demon was there felt like a pale lie, considering he’d admitted to being “both here, there, and nowhere at all”, was one he immediately suppressed and promptly ignored. An existence that defied existing, Abraxis concluded, not that such a discernment eased his feelings of discomfort in Uncle’s presence.

Just another reminder of the greatness that Abraxis would surpass in due time, but first, he’d start with Yugmuswa. He could see the question in Lucifer’s eyes, the grotesque realization in Andariel’s, and the indifference in Yugmuswa’s. The reason he wanted to fight Yugmuswa was both simple and complex: Abraxis didn’t like him, but also, Yugmuswa was the chief executive officer of Hell’s demonic pact and contracting firm.

The authority of his position wasn’t deserved by someone so… ew. Despite that, he was also the successor to Lucifer’s position. The position at the firm was a long-form test, one Yugmuswa seemed to, admittedly, excel at. His disinterest in having to do work paired with his greed made him an excellent delgator, but Abraxis knew just how much efficiency was being wasted there. With a bit more effort, profit margins could be boosted by over thirty percent. Thirty! Percent!

Such a wasteful person, one affiliated with Abraxis’ once-idol, Lucifer, and his betrothed… He would need to be taught a lesson, learn a bit about diligence, swap his slothly nature for a better Sin—he had four, so why would he choose the worst?! His lazy, inefficient ways were an affront to Lilith’s reputation, and by proxy, they were an affront to Abraxis’ own image!

He could, and would, do better than Yugmuswa once he stole the firm. And he’d do it right under the nose of Lucifer and Andariel, proving how he was superior in power to not one, but two of their spawns and superior to them in intellect.

His greatness would be recognized. Plus, the power buzzing in his veins needed to be released, and Yugmuswa, with his dual Sins, made for a really good punching bag. Even if nothing else came out of this, Abraxis would have a fun time wailing away on the fiend.

“Who’s ready?” he asked, glowering towards Yugmuswa and regarding Lucifer and Andariel. He contemplated embodying a moment of apathy before remembering that Uncle wouldn’t actually do anything to stop them from incinerating him on the spot. A shame.

“You had a growth spurt.” Lucifer pointed out what everyone had already noticed, nodding wisely to himself. “Just as I’d hoped.”

Don’t take credit for my efforts, bastard! Ignoring Lucifer and Andariel, Abraxis turned to Yugmuswa. “You ready?”

Yugmuswa yawned and regarded Abraxis with languid lids, barely open and struggling to remain that way. “Ready? Only if it’s to go back to lounging in my comfy office chair back at the firm. This is pretty boring and requires way too much effort, so… don’t die too fast, Abraxis.”

Bristling, Abraxis leapt forward through the distance in a split second, but Yugmuswa leaned back, looking at Abraxis over his shoulder, and casually dodged. He took a single step forward and reoriented his body, stifling another yawn before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I really thought you might’ve grown a bit more, Braxy, but I was sorely mistaken. It wasn’t even worth my time coming here,” goaded Yugmuswa, voice devoid of emotion.

He really didn’t care about this fight, and that pissed Abraxis off even more. Steeling himself and leashing the indignation fueling a bubble of noxious wrath, he upped his speed, increased the power behind his attacks, and started to wield the shadows around the throne room.

Even as he did everything he could, focused as hard as he possibly could, he never once stopped the process of nullifying Lucifer and Andariel’s auras brimming with Sin, absorbing Lucifer’s, and converting Andariel’s lust into raw Miasma.

They would be the fonts of power that fueled his victory, no matter how long it took. Even if they didn’t realize, their power would become his, bit by bit. When they were weak enough, he’d make sure Lilith feasted well—on Andariel. Lucifer was his. Archdemons of pride were rare to come by, after all, and would greatly boost his overall capabilities.

But that was the future, and Yugmuswa was now. Abraxis hated how leisurely Yugmuswa dodged each attack, fended off his shadows with a cold reminiscent of ice magic, and didn’t even try to attack back when given the opportunity.

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He knows they’re baits. Interesting. Faster, he pushed himself. This whole bout was a challenge set by Abraxis for Abraxis with heavy expectations placed by Abraxis. After the spurt, he needed to push, and push, and push. Make the most of the energy caressing the internals of his being, guiding him forward with his movements and growth, that ephemeral sense of enlightenment as something beautiful and terrifying spoke to his core, to his Nexus, to his identity.

After each attack, he felt his identity stabilize. After each dodge, he felt it shift as he learned to read Yugmuswa. After each attack, his Nexus bristled as expenditure was immediately replaced and refined. No matter what happened, he grew. He excelled, pushing himself as he grew and refined himself and everything that made Abraxis… Abraxis.

And the thrill, the greed, the desire to gain all that he possibly could from these few precious opportunities, to not waste even an iota of this growth spurt to push his heights even higher. He wouldn’t allow himself to be like Yugmuswa. Ever. He would temper himself, push himself harder and harder, and relish in the transcendence of his continued success, time after time, until the end of his existence.

But that would never happen.

His claws nicked Yugmuswa’s hand, barely scratching but enough to draw blood, and Abraxis’ grin spoke volumes. “Got you.”

Once might’ve been a fluke for some, but it was visible improvement to Abraxis. On top of that, his sharpened nails, like claws, were covered in his prideful Sin. Copious amounts with a density that even he’d balk at, and he prided himself on his indomitable will. Against the slothly, weak-minded Yugmuswa, that nick meant everything. That one cut would change the pace of the fight exponentially, already had.

Another scratch, Yugmuswa was getting slower and Abraxis had learned, refined himself, pushed past his previous limits. And as Abraxis moved, attacked relentlessly, pushed his limits higher and higher, his conscious mind was elsewhere.

It was inside Yugmuswa, waging an unseen war of wills—and he was winning. Abraxis, for a split second that felt like a chasm as he saw Lucifer’s knowing grin, felt a brief flutter in his chest. Yugmuswa was losing, but not fast enough. His demeanor had shifted, and the radiating powers oozing off of him began to, once again, equalize their speeds.

Focusing, Abraxis targeted the faint barrier in Yugmuswa’s Nexus. It was currently impenetrable, but as the prideful Sin, laced with his bloodline’s power, attempted to nullify and subdue the resistance, things changed.

But would they change fast enough? His limbs ached as shifting shadows of black crawled up his skin, like a second, living layer that fought off the chill—no, rather, it stagnated the progression of the chill. As they were, Yugmuswa returned to deftly dodging Abraxis, and they entered a stalemate.

One Abraxis was thankful for. Where his prideful Sin found impenetrable defenses one moment, cracks appeared in the next. Determination forced Abraxis’ focus to remain within the fiend, guiding his invading Sin and nearly penetrating Yugmuswa’s Nexus, the core of his ability to fight back. If he could get his Sin within, he’d be able to absorb all of the fiend’s power and, potentially, force another growth spurt.

Two in one day, he’d go mad with glee. Add to the Amulet of Despair, and the day looked to be shaping up quite well.

But he knew better than to put all of his efforts in one place and kept tabs on his two fronts, as did Yugmuswa. Just as Lilith had clearly been trained before meeting him in the ways of those who spawned her, so had Yugmuswa. And of the two, Yugmuswa had far more time to learn the ways of defending against pride Sin, against one of the most powerful archdemons of pride—Lucifer, Emperor of Hell.

He churned out more energy, converting, refining, imbuing that energy into his veins. It wasn’t enough. Even with additional application of prideful Sin, the ability to subdue and dominate Yugmuswa failed. Again and again, it failed.

Attacking Yugmuswa’s mind had the same outcome as assaulting his Nexus, for he’d not mobilized all of his power to defend or attack. He’d been patient, languid, letting Abraxis lead the song and dance while waiting until Abraxis could no longer push.

Now that they were at a standstill, Abraxis unable to utilize any more Sin or Talent or power from his bloodline than he already was, Yugmuswa started to push back. His strikes, slow with the augmentation of sloth, had this inevitability to them. Yugmuswa was not fast in his strikes, but that did not mean he was not effective.

Heavier than Abraxis could ever have anticipated, nor could he escape them, Yugmuswa targeted parts of Abraxis that were crucial for keeping in the fight. He snapped a shin there from an unavoidable kick, dislocated a shoulder there meant he was unable to attack or defend with that arm, and then a punch right to his gut, stuttering Abraxis’ Nexus to a full-stop and ending the fight.

“Passable,” Yugmuswa muttered as he patted off his clothes. Abraxis could hardly move by the time the fiend stopped hitting him, too bored and lazy to finish Abraxis off—which almost felt worse than if he’d just killed Abraxis. “You’ve got a lot of growing to do. I’m not surprised that Lilith has a hard time keeping up with you.” He grinned and held up a finger. “I’ll answer anytime you call, but only once per Existential Ranking increase. This was more fun than I thought it’d be.”

Without further adieu, Yugmuswa patted him on the shoulder, stood, and gave a lazy wave towards Lucifer and Andariel. He didn’t even care to regard Uncle, but Uncle didn’t seem to care either way. Definitely not a pride demon, then.

Despite the pain of his beating and the failure he’d endured through, he still grinned through the blood on his face. He watched Yugmuswa’s back as the older fiend disappeared beyond the two double doors. He’d likely make his way back to the demonic pact and contracting firm to relish in his victory over Abraxis as he continued to get away with being the biggest slacker in the world that made the most profits.

Profits Abraxis himself greeded for, the stimulants of pure packaged Sin with a wealth of raw Miasma to amplify and empower those wealthy or powerful enough to afford such luxuries. The day would come when he’d become one of those people that others gave free things to, purely by virtue of his very existence. Soon, that day would come, and he’d relish in every moment.

But that would only come after he got his hands on the Amulet of Despair. Forcing himself to his feet, channeling enough raw Miasma through the limbs to make sure they didn’t corrupt his image and add more shame than he already felt, he too left without another word towards any of the others.

Even if he could stay there and slowly absorb more power from the two archdemons, passively and without much concern they’d find out, he also knew that the Amulet of Despair would be incomparably more valuable than what he could get from them in a millenia, let alone one evening.

With his head held high, he snapped his shoulder back into place through clenched teeth and forced the sinew to stitch back together, forced all of the wounds to heal as fast as he could. He didn’t have time to heal, and from his expectations, all his meticulous planning, he’d kept enough in his Nexus to handle what came next.

But first, he needed to wash the blood off of himself. Such a disgrace was it that he walked around so pitifully, covered in his own shame.

He reached his door, entered, and was clean within minutes. If he’d adored himself before, which was totally a part of his plan, something he’d truthfully known he couldn’t resist and had actually been accounted for, he nearly drooled over his visage grinning back at him now.

Sleak musculature that made him realize how much he’d ignored the frustration of definition that refused to grow. He still had a long way to reach peak, but the visibility of progression made his chest heat up in anticipation.

Then his watch began beeping. He touched the full-length mirror, brushing against the reflection staring back at him, and then walked over to the door leading to the hall. He cast a longing glance backwards. “Maybe I should keep a mirror on me?” Knowing better, he shook his head. “As amazing as I am, I need to keep becoming greater. I can’t just get lost in admiring myself before I’ve reached the full extent of my vast and untethered potential.”

Even Uncle had said so. Abraxis’ potential for growth had no limit. He was the greatest thing in the universe. Idly, he formed the portal as he ran those words through his head on repeat. Uncle, a being greater than Albagoroth, who was greater than Lucifer and Andariel, had been surprised and excited.

“As he should be.” Abraxis completed the swirling vortex, muttering a deep and throaty lust for blood and treasure as he stepped through, “Time to hunt!”