"Just because you rule this universe doesn't mean everyone will bow to you, Zenobios," Aeonoch said as the Elder God approached. "Respect is sometimes earned, not demanded."
"Oh? Speaking wisdom now, demon king?" Zenobios smirked, swinging the relic weapon of Eden, its blade blazing blue.
"Ironic. The purest form of evil lecturing me about godhood."
Aeonoch chuckled, low and amused.
"Hehehe… true, perhaps I'm overstepping. But tell me—are my words wrong?"
The question made Zenobios' eye twitch. His silence said enough.
"Brother, what are you waiting for? Let's finish him," Areios urged.
"Ending him won't solve the problem. Temporarily, maybe. Not permanently," Zenobios replied calmly.
"That's right, Edenites!" Aeonoch stood, his voice filling the throne room. "I am destructible—yet indestructible. Kill me, and I return. Again, and again, and again…" He stepped down from the dais, his voice dripping with certainty. "Just like those you thought destroyed in Arcadia."
He raised his hand toward the entrance. Kerberon and Zir entered.
Euryssa's eyes lit up at the sight of them, but she quickly masked it, schooling her face into indifference.
"Yo, ruler of all," Zir growled, forcing restraint into his rage. "Remember me?"
"I don't waste memory on pests like you," Zenobios sneered, not even glancing at him. "Begone before I burn you again."
Zir bristled, stepping forward, but Kerberon's arm barred him.
"Show respect before His Majesty. We'll deal with him later." His burning gaze flicked to Zenobios, hatred smoldering.
Zenobios' voice turned cold, though his eyes never left Aeonoch.
"Hmph. I haven't forgotten that boulder you hurled at me, my wife, and my brother in Eden. You'll get a special punishment for that."
Kerberon snarled, baring his teeth. "We'll see about that, bastard."
Athanasia chuckled suddenly. All eyes turned toward her.
"What is it?" Zenobios asked with a warm smile.
She dabbed a tear from her eye.
"It's just funny…" Her gaze slid toward the demons, her eyes hollow, void of warmth. God or demon—hard to tell.
"…that this excrement of the cosmos dares feel brave simply because they're standing in this black latrine."
Her cold laughter echoed, slicing deeper than any weapon. The insult landed hard. Aeonoch's smirk vanished, his jaw tightening, while Euryssa and the others clenched their fists, humiliated.
Zenobios gave a grim smile, nodding in quiet admiration at his wife's venom.
Aeonoch's teeth ground audibly before his smirk returned.
"It would be a shame if your lovely bride suffered… complications here in the demon realm. She's quite beautiful, after all."
The look he gave made Zenobios' face harden instantly.
"Oh, please—" Athanasia began, but Zenobios cut her off.
"Enough." His tone was sharp. She fell silent, torn between pride and the reminder that her husband stood at the peak of all existence.
"We've wasted enough time."
"Is that so—" Aeonoch's words died as Zenobios blurred forward, blade already descending.
SKREEEENG—!!!
The relic sword crashed down, obliterating the throne where Aeonoch had sat. The demon king now hovered above, wings spread.
"Phew… close." Aeonoch smirked down at him. "But really, Elder God—do you mean to fight me with toys?"
"Heh. Fine by me." Zenobios dismissed the relic, letting it shrink back into its artifact form. His hands clenched into fists, crackling with raw power.
"My bare fists are more than enough."
"But first…"
Zenobios' chiton and godly armor shimmered, dissolving into modern human gear.
"I get why you demons dress like this. Practical… mobile."
In their place, he now wore a Kevlar vest woven with divine compression fabric, a Crye Precision AVS rig humming with glowing runes, reinforced combat pants with armored knee pads, and grip-lined gloves that clung to his fists like steel.
He rolled his shoulders, exhaled, then threw a few test punches. Each swing cracked the air with explosive gusts, pressure waves rippling outward.
"Hmm. I can definitely see why."
Aeonoch muttered under his breath, "Damn… that looks cool."
"I know, right? Feels cool too," Zenobios replied, smirking, having heard him clearly.
Aeonoch sighed, his tone twisting from awe to irritation.
"Tch… what the hell is even going on?"
He lunged, body blurring to impossible speeds. Zenobios was still casually punching the air, yet Aeonoch's speed bent time around them, the Elder God's fists slowing in contrast.
Aeonoch's kick was a hair's breadth from smashing into Zenobios' face—when Zenobios' eyes suddenly flicked toward him. In the frozen moment, he smirked, caught Aeonoch's leg mid-strike, and with both arms slammed the demon king into the floor.
CRASH. CRASH. CRASH.
He pounded him into the obsidian ground again and again, each impact opening massive craters that spiderwebbed across the hall. Aeonoch shielded with his forearms, but the sheer force still rattled his bones. Then Zenobios let go, stepping back.
"Come on. Get up. It's not fun if you just lie there. Hit me."
Aeonoch rose, pride burning hotter than his pain. The smug arrogance from before was gone, replaced with raw fury.
"Fine. I'll grant your wish," he growled through clenched teeth.
He threw a punch so fast it ripped the air, a sonic crack splitting the room.
SMACK! Zenobios caught it on his forearm, the collision sounding like boulders colliding. He grinned, leaning back and snapping a kick into Aeonoch's shoulder. The blow hurled him across the floor.
Aeonoch skidded, feet digging trenches through the tiles until he halted. Without hesitation, he charged back in, launching a furious roundhouse. The first kick was blocked. The second slammed into Zenobios' vest—only for the divine runes to flare, sparking arcs of holy electricity.
The shockwave blasted Aeonoch back. His body convulsed as the enchantments rejected him, divine law repelling demonic flesh.
"Damn it… you didn't take your toys off," Aeonoch spat.
Zenobios laughed, voice booming.
"Oh yeah? You want me to strip myself of all power just to make this fair, you knuckleheaded idiot?"
He charged, leapt high, then brought down an axe kick like a meteor. Aeonoch had only a heartbeat to shield with his forearms.
BOOOOOOM!
The impact drove him into the obsidian floor, burying him under debris and sending a shockwave that rattled the entire throne hall.
"H-Holy shit…" Aeonoch wheezed from beneath the rubble.
Zenobios tilted his head, grinning coldly.
"Unholy shit, you mean. You're a demon, remember?"