King Domine stood with his arms crossed, his three eyes narrowing in unison. The air was thick—saturated with the scent of iron. Blood. He could distinguish the difference easily: mortal and demon, both mingled in the wind. The latter was stronger, far stronger than expected. He let the air fill his lungs, his expression tightening slightly as he exhaled a low growl. "I anticipated bloodshed. This world managed to drive back two Demon Lords after all but this much demon blood?" he muttered under his breath. His tail scraped lazily against the stone behind him, its barbs clicking like metal claws. His lips curled faintly in irritation. "It's concerning."
He tilted his head slightly, sensing something sharp cut through the air—a split-second before it reached him. The arrow came fast, straight for his heart. His body reacted on its own; the flesh over his chest split open like a seam being unstitched, a dark void gaping within. The arrow disappeared into it without resistance. A wet sound followed as the fissure sealed shut, flesh knitting cleanly. A second later, his jaw unhinged, and the same arrow shot back out from his mouth with a snap of air. It streaked through the sky, whistling as it turned mid-flight to strike again.
"Interesting," he murmured, watching its path with all three eyes fixed on it. The arrow twisted, driving for him once more. Another part of his torso opened—a seamless slit between ribs that swallowed the projectile whole. Then, from his chest, the first gap reopened, spitting the arrow back out as if mocking the weapon's persistence. It spun, homing again, only for another section of his body to open, devouring it once more. Each time the arrow struck, it was consumed and reemerged elsewhere, caught in an endless loop of futility.
Domine's expression remained flat, but there was a faint rumble beneath his breath, something between amusement and annoyance. "Persistent thing," he muttered as his tail coiled around one leg. His gaze drifted toward the swirling gateway behind him, its center pulsing faintly with crimson light. "Too bad I can't deal with her myself," he said, voice lowering. "Guarding this portal takes priority. The other two will manage."
The arrow came again, screaming toward his face this time—its aim precise, deadly, headed straight for his third eye. His arm moved in a blur, catching the shaft mid-flight. The arrow quivered violently against his grip until, with a flick of his wrist, it snapped clean in two. The broken halves clattered against the stone at his feet. Domine glanced down at them briefly, then brushed his hand off against his arm. "And that's enough of that."
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Ercale struck down from the sky as a bolt of lightning, the impact cracking the stone of the guard tower beneath his boots. Smoke and static clung to the air around him as he steadied himself, one hand pressing against his chest where Arkanis had struck him. "That bastard…" he muttered, his tone low and sharp, eyes narrowing as he looked out across Arcadicia. The city below burned in chaos—rising smoke, screaming voices, and demons surging through the streets. It was a scene he knew well, one he had orchestrated several times before. *I need to get back into Xain to recover, but he has to be alone first…* His jaw tightened. *Ugh, why the hell did he have to be here?*
Arkanis. The name alone irritated him. The man wasn't stronger than Domine, not by raw power, but his versatility made him infinitely more dangerous. His magic was vast—an arsenal of possibilities. *I need to figure out a way to deal with him,* Ercale thought, his eyes tracking movement in the distance.
Four arrows shot up from a distant street, spiraling high before halting midair. They hovered for a moment, tips shifting as if scanning the battlefield, then snapped into motion—each finding a direction. One turned toward him.
"She's here!?" he hissed, eyes widening. The arrow closed the distance in an instant, streaking toward his heart. He didn't move. The shaft drove into his chest and stopped shallow, barely piercing the skin. The faintest hum of divine energy dissipated uselessly. "Knew it," he muttered, yanking the arrow free. "Those are the ones that grow stronger the more you try and get away from them." The arrow's head glinted faintly before he tossed it aside, its point clattering against the tower's stone.
"I'd like to see what she's doing here…" he murmured, gaze cutting back toward the burning city. "But I can't risk that right now. Not in this state." His attention lingered briefly on the direction the other arrows had gone. "Four arrows, huh?" He smirked faintly. "She's getting a visit from someone at least—but it won't be me."
In the next instant, his body dissolved into light. A sharp crack of lightning split the sky as Ercale shot back into the storm above, vanishing into the clouds to let another Demon Lord handle this world's Goddess.