Chapter 225: The Primodial Demons
The Eternal Tree’s roots stretched like mountain ranges, glowing faintly in defiance of the corruption that gnawed at them. Yet three towering figures stood barring the way—Spirit Wardens, once the most loyal guardians of Seraphina, now twisted into hulking juggernauts of despair. Their crystalline armor had been blackened into jagged obsidian, and their once-holy weapons leaked flames of green corruption that burned the very air.
Each step they took cracked the ground. Their voices boomed as one, distorted by demonic chains that bound their souls.
"Queen of Spirits... you are no longer worthy. Leave this realm... or be destroyed."
Seraphina’s eyes widened, trembling as she whispered, "No... Eryndor, Kael, Sylas... you swore to protect me. Please... fight it! Remember who you are!"
The Wardens did not answer. Their chains clattered like funeral bells.
Igaris stepped forward, golden eyes glinting under the shadow of the Eternal Tree. He raised his hand to halt Seraphina.
"Do not weep, Seraphina. You’ll only dishonor them."
He unsheathed his blade, and the air itself seemed to bend around him.
"I will free them."
The first Warden, Eryndor, swung a colossal glaive wreathed in black fire. The attack tore through the land like a tidal wave of corruption, turning the flowers and rivers into ash. But Igaris raised his hand, fingers glowing faintly.
"World Destroying Finger."
He pressed forward, and the force of his strike shattered the entire attack. The shockwave obliterated the corrupted flames, then pierced through Eryndor’s chest. The giant roared, his armor fracturing, and his body erupted in bursts of light before collapsing into stardust.
"Rumble, Rumble!"
Kael, wielding twin greatswords, leapt in, his strikes faster than thunderbolts. Each swing carried enough power to split mountains. But Igaris moved with perfect precision.
"Kinetic Redirection."
He twisted his body, redirecting Kael’s monstrous strength back at him. The greatswords clashed against one another, shattering into fragments that rained like meteors. Before Kael could recover, Igaris vanished in an afterimage.
"Phantom Shift."
He reappeared behind the Warden, and his blade cut through the chains binding Kael’s soul. A flash of light erupted, and Kael’s corrupted form shattered, leaving behind only a kneeling knight of crystal who bowed once more before dissolving into light.
The last Warden, Sylas, bellowed with fury. His body expanded, merging with corruption until he stood like a giant of molten obsidian. A tidal wave of black fire surged from his hammer, threatening to engulf the Eternal Tree itself.
Seraphina screamed, "No!"
But Igaris only narrowed his gaze, stepping into the inferno without hesitation. His voice was calm, absolute.
"Soul Eclipse."
A wave of shadow devoured the corruption, swallowing it whole. His blade rose in the darkness, cutting through Sylas in a single, merciless strike. The giant’s roar shook the heavens, but as his form cracked apart, his true self—the loyal warden Sylas—emerged for a brief moment. He knelt before Seraphina, whispering her name, before vanishing into light.
Silence fell.
The battlefield, once drowning in corruption, now shimmered faintly with restored spirit-energy. The Eternal Tree’s bark glowed brighter, as though recognizing Seraphina’s return.
She stood frozen, emerald eyes wide, her hands covering her lips. The chains that had bound her heart for so long broke with her tears.
"You... you freed them all... with your own hands..." she whispered, voice trembling.
Igaris sheathed his blade, his expression calm.
"No. They chose to be freed. I merely answered their will."
The Spirit Queen fell to her knees before the Eternal Tree, her tears flowing like rivers of light. For the first time in countless years, hope returned to her heart.
The Spirit Realm trembled. The Eternal Tree’s colossal trunk stretched endlessly into the heavens, its glowing bark shimmering as Seraphina approached to touch it. Yet before her fingertips brushed the sacred wood, the sky darkened.
"RUMBLE!"
Thunder split apart, and an endless abyss opened above.
From it, seven figures descended, each cloaked in demonic authority that eclipsed the stars. The earth itself screamed, and the rivers turned black with despair. Seraphina’s breath froze in her chest as her emerald eyes widened in terror.
"The Seven Primordial Demon Lords..." she whispered.
Her legs trembled, for each of these beings alone had once slaughtered Saint Ranks without effort.
---
The Seven Demon Lords
1. Azgorth, Lord of Despair
A towering, skeletal demon cloaked in endless chains that dragged screaming souls wherever he walked. His hollow eyes radiated madness. His aura eroded hope itself.
2. Belmira, Lady of Temptation
A six-winged succubus with eyes of molten ruby, her beauty intoxicating enough to break wills. Her whispers could enslave the minds of Saints. Black roses bloomed in her wake, only to bleed and wither.
3. Droskar, Lord of Ruin
A colossal, armored giant carrying a molten great-axe. Every step he took shook the world like earthquakes. His breath was volcanic fire, and his armor was forged from collapsed stars.
4. Nhyzra, Lord of Plagues
A swarm-like demon with no fixed form. His body was made of a million chittering insects. His voice was a hive of whispers, and his touch spread disease that could rot even immortal flesh.
5. Veythos, Lord of Hatred
A horned beast with burning blood in place of veins. His every heartbeat pulsed waves of rage that infected all around him. His claws could shred space, and his roars shattered mountains.
6. Zarkon, Lord of Oblivion
A cloaked figure with no face, only a void. His presence erased existence—stones, trees, even light vanished where he walked. His power devoured memory, making foes forget their very selves in his presence.
7. Ithrael, Lord of Dominion
The eldest, crowned with black fire, holding a scepter forged from fallen worlds. His command could bend the weak-willed into slaves. His very words carried the authority to topple kingdoms and force Saints to kneel.
---
The seven spread out, their combined auras forming an ocean of annihilation. Seraphina fell back, clutching her chest, her lips trembling.
"They came... to stop me from sealing the Gate... if I touch the Eternal Tree, their invasion ends. That’s why..."
Her words faltered as the air split with unimaginable killing intent.
But Igaris stepped forward. His shadow covered her, standing between her and the Seven Lords. His golden eyes gleamed like twin suns, unwavering.
"You won’t touch her."
The Demon Lords laughed, voices shaking the sky.
"You, human? You think yourself worthy to stand against us?"
Igaris exhaled slowly. His aura expanded, twisting the very fabric of reality. Space groaned. Time wavered. The Spirit Realm itself bent beneath his presence.
Saint-9 Power. Dimensional Sovereign. Laws of Fire, Genesis, and Ruination.
The battle began.
---
The Battle of Seven Lords
Azgorth, Lord of Despair swung his chains, summoning millions of enslaved souls to overwhelm him. Igaris raised his hand.
"Soul Eclipse."
All the souls turned to light, freed in an instant. The chains shattered, and Azgorth’s hollow form collapsed under a World Destroying Finger, obliterating his skeletal chest in a single strike.
Belmira, Lady of Temptation descended, her whispers coiling around Igaris’ mind, attempting to enslave him. But his eyes burned with The Architect’s Eyes, cutting through all illusions. His voice cut like steel.
"Your beauty is wasted. Begone."
He split into a thousand Limitless Doppelgangers, each wielding Godslayer Sword Style, encircling her. Their blades converged into a single infernal vortex.
"Infernal Tornado."
Belmira was torn apart, her crimson wings burning into ashes.
Droskar, Lord of Ruin roared, his axe cleaving down, splitting mountains. Igaris’ body grew, bones and flesh reshaping into a colossal giant.
"Ancient Titan Transformation."
The Titan Igaris caught the axe in one hand, veins glowing with fire-law. He inhaled deeply, his chest swelling with nuclear heat.
"Nuclear Fire Manipulation."
"BOOOOOOOOOOM!"
The explosion swallowed Droskar whole, his armor melting like wax, leaving nothing but slag.
Nhyzra, Lord of Plagues unleashed his swarm, a billion insects blotting out the skies. But Igaris raised his palm.
"Infernal Tornado + Lightning Shell + Spin-Shell Burst."
A storm of nuclear lightning and flame ripped through the swarm, annihilating every insect. Six Directional Sense locked onto Nhyzra’s core. One precise strike of World Destroying Finger ended him.
Veythos, Lord of Hatred lunged, claws slashing space apart, his fury endless. But Igaris opened his arms.
"Space-Time Domain."
The Demon Lord froze mid-roar, his hatred suspended in stillness. Igaris walked up to him, his calm footsteps echoing like judgment. With one stroke of Godslayer Sword Style, he decapitated Veythos. His head dissolved into black mist.
Zarkon, Lord of Oblivion approached. Everything around him was erased, vanishing into nothingness. Even laws broke down before him. But Igaris smiled faintly.
"Yin-Yang Reversal."
Taboo power surged. Where Zarkon erased, Igaris restored. Where Zarkon consumed, Igaris generated. The Lord of Oblivion shrieked as his own law was reversed, his void crumbling into infinite light.
Last—
Ithrael, Lord of Dominion.
Crowned in black fire, scepter raised, his voice thundered.
"Kneel, Mortal."
Seraphina gasped, clutching her ears as even the Eternal Tree quivered under his command. But Igaris’ eyes burned like stars. His body split into millions of doppelgangers, each one radiating Saint-9 power. His Titan form loomed behind them, while his Space-Time Domain locked the battlefield.
"I kneel to no one."
The millions of Igarises surged forward, each strike echoing his Laws of Fire, Genesis, and Ruination. His Concept of Yin-Yang Reversal shattered the demonic command, and the Titan’s colossal fist drove Ithrael into the ground.
With one final strike of World Destroying Finger, Ithrael exploded, his scepter fracturing into dust.
The Spirit Realm fell silent.
The Seven Primordial Demon Lords—each capable of ending worlds—lay defeated. The corrupted sky cleared, light pouring over the land.
Igaris stood at the center, his aura retracting, his golden eyes calm as if he had merely swatted aside insects.
Behind him, Seraphina looked flabbergasted.
Just what this power?
But then, she knew this wasn’t over. Not yet.
"Lord Igaris! Careful!"