Inside the Octagonal Room, just before the clash with Medusa
A rain of scarlet petals was slowly descending from the ceiling, while Alexander looked at the walls and Helial, who had his eyes still closed, was lying on the stone floor, drowned in a sleep that seemed deep.
Around him, Iblis and Bucephalus were busy listening to what could be considered an interesting history lesson.
“When I died, my generals created a temple for the ceremony, where all these scarlet flowers - yes I must admit, I had a great dramatic sense - rained from the sky. In the meantime, among them, my most trusted companion, Bucephalus, had saved my soul from Samsara."
Iblis sipped his tea, uninterested and equally unimpressed. He was looking at the crumbs that Alexander had left on the table after playing with some cookies. Anyone who thought that a King should have certain table manners was certainly wrong.
Bucephalus also frowned at the chaos his friend carried with him every time he approached food.
“The earth shook for days on the planet we were on. And remember, it wasn't just any planet, it was one of ... "
"Please, be kind to all living and non-living things, like me, and shut the fuck up before I lose my patience and an interplanetary, or even universal, war breaks out because I had to kick you," Iblis cut short , about to explode in front of the King of Madonia.
Alexander looked at his spectators, ignoring the contempt in both sets of eyes, and simply shrugged.
"The shithead is about to wake up," Iblis noted.
"It takes time to make the new memories integrate with the old ones, for the two personalities to become one again, to make two lives into one ..."
"Yes, yes. Besides, I remember when you spoke of your cloak and crown", pondered Iblis blowing on the cup of tea," the famous Scarlet Tear and Morning Lightning."
He paused for a moment and moved his gaze close to Helial, where two objects lay in a bundle. Putting a hand on his temple and massaging it lightly, he asked, "Are they there?"
The boy's cadaveric white finger pointed to the two objects.
"Yes," laughed Alexander.
Bucephalus looked at Alexander and shook his head.
“Devil, we all know what is going on in the future. Do you really think we will let you do what you want, injuring innocent people without intervening? "
The cup in Iblis's hand suddenly exploded, as all the space around him in the Octagonal Room was slowly beginning to lose colour.
Skill Activated:
Transformation
Iblis's Aura manifested itself in all its power, but fortunately the influence of the Octagonal Room hid most of it. However, it was so strong that Cesar, with his Divine Sense, managed to identify it without difficulty, although he did not understand what it was. The Goblin King began to doubt again the decision he had made, to train his disciple in that cursed room.
Approaching Bucephalus, Iblis had an infinite desire to grab that stupid beast by the throat and break his neck.
The sudden outburst had also taken Alexander by surprise. And now he found himself in front of a Devil two and a half meters tall, with a wingspan that went from one side of the room to the other.
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"Are you going to interfere, Alexander?" Iblis said without moving his eyes from Bucephalus. On the other hand, the horse in human form stared into his eyes without the slightest hint of fear.
"Devil."
Alexander's words were like thunder in a clear sky.
Iblis felt an indescribable pressure envelop him and the space around him, while a terrifying Aura began to duel in the void with his own.
Alexander rose from the table where he had been sitting until then. Leaving the chair, he looked like another person.
The smiling, affable, joking and melancholic Alexander had been replaced by another person. His slightly narrowed eyes and high chin conveyed the feeling of an undisputed tyrant.
Alexander, the King of Kings.
“Do you think I'm one of your minions or an ordinary Immortal, Iblis? Do you think you can speak like this and show this form, guilty of infinite iniquities within the universe in which I reside? "
Even the King's clothes had changed: instead of the simple tunic he had worn until then, a golden armour covered Alexander's body from the shoulders to the feet, leaving only his head uncovered. His eyes seemed to contain all the secrets of death and Time itself. Alexander had his hand wrapped around the hilt of his sword, carved in the shape of a mermaid.
Iblis was now really about to explode.
Both were ready to fight for the umpteenth time in a matter of days. When two great personalities met, one always had to deal with their arrogance and consider that, if they had been in the right mood, they could have detonated an entire planet with a single snap of fingers.
"Ahhhh ..."
A loud yawn flooded the room and came between the Auras of Iblis and Alexander. Helial had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes.
Iblis calmed down in an instant and glared at Alexander. In seconds he had returned to his child-like shape and had hidden his huge bat wings.
“I will not allow you to intervene more than necessary. And remember, I killed more kings than you conquered empires."
Iblis's last words made a shiver run down Bucephalus and Alexander's back. Alexander had heard threats like those for his whole life, but they had never had an effect like the one uttered by an eternal ten-year-old boy achieved. Alexander felt that every single word exuded a terribly frightening truth and that Iblis would be able to annihilate him at any moment.
Neither Alexander nor Bucephalus were sure they could suppress Iblis. After all, most of Alexander's most powerful abilities consisted of Command Skills. Alexander was a formidable warrior, but first of all he was a king and the commander of his own army.
Iblis, on the other hand, would probably have put Ligir to shame in a battle. During the Age of Destruction and Life, where Iblis and Amaterasu had been the undisputed pillars, more than one Dimensional Beast had breached the universe.
An unwritten agreement decreed that in the face of monstrosities like Iblis, endowed with combat capabilities that exceeded any imagination, the conflicts between the powers of the universe would have to cease, whatever their nature, to focus on that threat. Exactly as it happened when Ligir had defeated the monstrous creature that attacked his universe.
Alexander had personally killed more than one Dimensional Beast, probably reaching roughly a little more power than Ligir.
But Iblis, oh, Iblis.
Behind that slender little body and that bowl-cut hair hid one of the most terrifying creatures that had walked the universe.
Iblis had literally slaughtered any beast that had ever come across him. A few years after Iblis's disappearance, the Dimensional Beasts disappeared inexplicably and never showed up again.
To date, Alexander still had to receive news of a new invasion.
He had several theories as to why this event occurred and roughly as many about Iblis's true fighting skills.
But by now so many years had passed since the conflicts between Iblis and Amaterasu, that nothing remained but legends around the figure of the Devil. Not counting his disciples, who still mourned his disappearance, and his enemies, who feared that he had not definitively perished, Iblis's memory had been totally forgotten.
Alexander composed himself and his combat armour disappeared in an instant, before Helial could see it. He started applauding with great emphasis in the boy's direction.
"I see you did it. I know you have many questions, but now is not the time to ask them. There is still a duel to be won and, after defeating your opponent, you will have plenty of time to find out what happened during these two long weeks. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Whenever you want, you will find me here, in the Octagonal Room. "
Bucephalus took a deep breath, not happy at the idea of having Helial around again to disturb his peace.
“Next to you are two objects I have decided to give you. I warn you: at the moment, you cannot activate either of them and their name will not be revealed to you until the opportune moment. But treasure them, you will hardly find better Equipment. At the right time, they will reveal themselves to you."