When the light faded and the smoke began clearing, two figures lay motionless in an enormous crater where part of the palace had once stood.
King Asmodeus and Prince Malphas were still alive—barely. Their grandmaster constitutions had kept them breathing despite injuries that would have killed others instantly. But they were broken, bleeding, and utterly defeated.
The fighting throughout the city stopped as everyone turned to witness what would happen next.
Lola descended slowly, landing at the crater's edge and walking down the slope toward the fallen usurpers. Her expression showed no mercy, and no hesitation.
The master-rank demons who had served Asmodeus began surrendering en masse. Weapons dropped from nerveless fingers. Auras retracted in submission.
They had seen enough. Their king was defeated, his heir broken, and the princess they had underestimated had proven herself overwhelmingly superior. Continuing to fight was suicide.
