The Resurrection Of The Demon Lord

The Forest of Death trembled.

From the shattered mist, the Obsidian Reign Cult surged forward like shadows given form. Their robes slithered with unnatural movement, torn and soaked in dried blood, ancient runes glowing dimly beneath the rot. Their leader towered above them — a figure sculpted of cracked obsidian and pulsing red veins, humanoid only in silhouette, its head crowned by twisted horns of Aether-infused bone.

His voice was low — not heard, but felt, like a curse whispered into the soul.

"You're too late."

With a flick of his stone hand, the corrupted Aether around him roared — a vortex of violet and black energy spiraling into the sky, warping the forest canopy above.

Nizara's eyes narrowed. "He's summoning something.

"Then we stop it now," Kairo snapped, stepping beside him.

They moved in tandem — like blades drawn from the same sheath.

Zalthor's shadow cloak unfurled, forming a dome of darkness that hid Squad Z's movement. Lucien vanished in an instant. Zyra's palms lit up with roaring flame. Elowyn whispered, and threads of silver wind coiled around her like living spirits.

The cultists struck first — runes glowing, launching volleys of cursed bolts toward the group.

Zalthor raised his hand.

"Grave Mirror."

A wall of dark crystal emerged, reflecting the first wave of attacks back — but not all. Two bolts ripped through the side, nearly hitting Elowyn — only for Kairo to deflect them with a twirl of his staff, red Void energy whipping like a serpent.

Nizara darted forward, his blade sparking with fresh lightning, despite his injuries. "I'll take the right side!"

Kairo nodded. "Left. We crush their flanks, then converge on the leader."

Zyra blasted forward with a wave of fire, melting the ground beneath her as she ignited several cultists mid-cast. "They're regenerating!" she shouted. "Their bodies are absorbing the Aether around us!"

"Then we drain it first," Elowyn said, kneeling. "Aether Dispel: Spiral Gale!"

A vortex of wind exploded outward, shredding through corrupted mana like a cleansing typhoon. The cultists stumbled, their regeneration halted. Lucien appeared behind one, dagger through the throat, disappearing again into shadow.

In the heart of the chaos, Nizara and Kairo reached the leader.

He raised both hands — and the forest floor cracked open, birthing a monstrosity made of corrupted Aether, stitched together with bones, roots, and chains.

It roared — a sound not meant for human ears.

Nizara didn't hesitate.

"We take the limbs. You high or low?"

"Low," Kairo said, already moving.

The two attacked as one — Nizara slashing through the monster's shoulder with a storm-charged strike, while Kairo swept the legs with a crackling red arc. The creature staggered — but didn't fall. Instead, its chest split open, revealing a glowing, beating heart of obsidian Aether.

The Cult Leader stepped behind it.

"Witness the Vessel of Reign. The first of many."

He raised his arms — and the heart began to consume the forest, drawing Aether from every living thing nearby.

"He's siphoning life!" Elowyn cried out.

"Then cut the source!" Zalthor roared. "NOW!"

Nizara gritted his teeth. "We hit it together. One shot."

He turned to Kairo, eyes flickering like lightning storms. "You ready?"

Kairo nodded, lifting his staff. "Void Spiral incoming."

They both shot forward.

"ThunderBlade V2: Execution Line — OVERDRIVE!"

"Void Spiral: Fracture Pulse!"

Nizara's blade roared with unrestrained lightning, ripping through the air like a divine scythe. Kairo's staff spun in a crescent, coiling red Void around Nizara's strike — amplifying it, stabilizing it, pushing it past its limit.

They slammed into the creature's chest.

A shockwave exploded outward — the very sky cracked with white and crimson as the Aether Heart shattered like glass, vaporizing the monstrosity and throwing the Obsidian Cult Leader back with a roar of pure agony.

KA-BOOOM!!!

Dust and raw Aether rolled outward like a hurricane wave.

For a moment… silence.

Then the sound of cracking.

The Cult Leader's stone body was splintering, the glow in his veins flickering.

"You… you ruined the ritual… you—"

Before he could finish, Lucien's blade pierced the back of his skull, and the obsidian shell collapsed to the forest floor in a heap of shattered stone and smoke.

Breathing hard, Nizara collapsed to one knee, coughing blood again.

Kairo offered a hand. "You alright?"

"…No," Nizara muttered, smirking. "But we're not dead. So… close enough."

Zalthor stepped forward, inspecting the remains. "Whatever they were summoning, it wasn't finished. But this is proof they've infiltrated the region. Maybe even the tournament itself."

Zyra added, "We need to get back before someone realizes we're missing."

Lucien nodded. "Let's move."

Elowyn knelt beside Nizara, healing light already forming on her fingertips. "Just hang on a little longer."

Kairo looked around the battlefield, then back at Nizara.

"You're strong," he said, eyes serious.

Nizara looked up at him, still catching his breath. "You're not bad yourself… for someone who tried to kill me earlier."

"…Fair."

Zalthor raised a shadow-cloaked hand, forming a portal behind them.

"One day left. Let's deliver what we found — before the next round begins."

They stepped into the portal, leaving behind the shattered heart of the cult's monster, now fading into ash.

But deep in the forest, buried beneath the roots…

the ritual stone still pulsed.