In the heart of a colossal volcano, whose size rivaled many city-states, a battle raged. Deities, who had conquered and destroyed much of the underworld, had finally arrived at the abode of the mightiest demons, beings of equal power and antiquity.
Tens of thousands of golems, glowing with fiery runes, clashed with demigods clad in magical armor. Lava elementals unleashed a rain of meteors upon the battlefield, only for the fiery rocks to vanish into portals conjured by human archmages. Cries and explosions mingled with incantations and prayers, a cacophony of chaos. Only the demonic creatures fought in eerie silence, systematically annihilating the invaders.
Yet, despite the relentless might of the golems and elementals, the human army continued to pour through spatial rifts. Gradually, the defenders began to falter. Demigods breached the gates of the fortress towering at the center of the volcanic crater.
As the gates fell, the entire fortress erupted in a massive explosion, spreading molten lava in every direction. Amidst the ruins, the battle continued unabated. Supreme beings, only slightly singed by the boiling magma, pressed on to finish their grim work.
"I told you, even united, we can't defeat him in his slumber!" growled a god armed with a spear and shield.
"Focus, Ryg," snapped a goddess clad in full armor, though her head was bare. "Even he must have taken some damage from that!"
She was right. The supreme demon, whose power rivaled the mightiest gods, now barely stood. Boiling magma encased his lower body, modestly concealing him. Despite the commotion, the demon had shown no inclination to wake earlier. What was happening outside had seemed no reason to interrupt his well-earned rest.
"What is the meaning of this?" The demon, known as the Sleeping Volcano, lazily raised his gaze to the invaders. "Was there not a truce between us?"
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"Ha! A truce? What truce?" scoffed one of the goddesses, a youthful beauty clutching a harp. "There is no truce anymore! You slept through it all, Volcano! Now surrender, and let us grant you eternal rest!"
"Eternal rest? Sounds tempting," the demon smirked. "But you, meddling brats of the middle realms, aren't worthy of offering me such!"
Igniting with fury, Volcano seized control of what remained of his fortress, creating dozens of massive stone tendrils. Here, in the depths of the underworld, he was practically a god despite being a demon.
"Fall back! Don't let him touch you!" commanded the warrior goddess, her wings unfurling. "He's wounded; he can't sustain this form for long!"
Volcano proved his strength in moments. Two of the ten gods were dragged into the molten depths by his fiery tendrils, falling directly into their adversary's hands.
"Is this all?!" he roared, reducing his divine captives to ashes. "You weaklings talk too much!"
The invaders, despite their losses, refused to retreat. They were clearly stalling for something. Soon, Volcano realized their plan. His warriors had fallen, and the human army encircled the ruins, bombarding him with spells. Worse, priests who had been chanting since the battle’s start finally succeeded.
"So that’s your game," Volcano grumbled, seeing elder gods emerge from a rift above him. "Why didn’t I realize sooner?"
Under normal conditions, supreme beings of the upper and lower realms couldn’t meet in their true forms. To ascend or descend, even to enter the human world, they used avatars. What Volcano saw now, however, were no mere avatars.
"One question," the demon growled, deflecting attacks from demigods and humans alike. "Do you realize that if you defeat us, you’ll be next?"
"Don't listen to that filthy demon!" shrieked one of the elder goddesses, radiant in her divine beauty. "It's high time we eradicated them all!"
"Nanoris! I bet this is your doing!" Volcano roared, summoning strength for an attack. "Aren’t you afraid your actions will upset the balance?!"
"To hell with balance!" laughed the goddess, blessing her army with a mere wave. "Kill him!"
Volcano fought with ferocious rage, depleting the power he had stored over centuries of slumber. Yet, the elder gods had tipped the scales. Even as his fortress was demolished and his strength waned, he battled on. But it was not enough.
Bound by a network of spells cast by thousands, he was pinned to the ground. Once, such magic would have been trivial to him, but in his weakened state, it proved insurmountable.
The priests completed their ritual. A pillar of searing light descended upon Volcano, burning his flesh and draining the last remnants of his energy.
"Na-no-ris!" he howled, realizing escape was impossible. His body turned to ash, and his soul was cast toward reincarnation, leaving the ruins of his fortress behind.