Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

"Into The Abyss"

With my lightning tearing at the flesh of the Abyssal Demon in my eyes, his words only served as my death call as I stood caught in some strange force.

The night I was lord in had failed me as everything around me turned to a misty black and red sea. Everything had happened so quickly all that I could forsee was my death.

Thinking hastily on my feet, I dropped my divinity in the air and applied it to my body. Giving off the aura of an almighty one. My mobility returned just as something sinister clawed through the misty darkness.

Ripping through the space like butter, I moved at the last second, yet it was not enough as Julius' claws tore through my chest, taking a few bones with him.

Groaning with a bit of pain, I countered with a swift kick that met with air. Kicking back to make the distance, a primordial grown shook the air and my heart.

"What the hell was that, Arte?" I muttered as a single circle appeared below my feet. Widening my eyes, I leaped once more as an abyssal spear holding various runes rushed up, missing me.

My vision was limited to five feet of me, and something was going on with Julius. He had never used Circles before.

"Domain of Flames," I coldly shouted as a great sea of perfect flames came, storming the stone room I resided within. Knowing my flames acted a bit like normal flames to the likes of Julius, I did not mind as I smiled, watching the misty domain begin to burn away.

Searing away the smoke, black scales carrying a hazy fog, blacker then my darkness rose. Revealing a sinister tail with spikes and a blade just at the tip, bleeding a powerful spear intent. There he stood, a monster that appeared almost like a devil but far more sinister. There were strange runes I could not read despite my race being able to understand all languages.

Julius did not appear to have wings, but eying the scales on his body, I knew it would be hard to break through them.

Touching upon my injured chest missing a chunk of meat and bone. A bitter smile appeared as I cursed my immunity to flames.

Shooting me a hungry smile, Julius flashed towards me in a goldy flicker of light. Seamlessly dodging his left hand clawing at my neck, his tail rushed towards me with ruthless intent.

"Shield," I chanted, summoning three large shields of golden black light. Rushing past my tier one spells like glass, I did not hesitate to get the hell out of range as that damn tail headed for me missing me by a hair's length.

"You are losing," Julius coldly claimed, in a calm, collected manner, unlike his usual crazed self.

"What is going on? What is this form?" I inquired, a bit overwhelmed by the demon in my eye.

He smiled and narrowed his sharp scarlet eyes carrying a draconic glint. "Into the Abyss is the first Arte we learn. It was usually useless, but as more people started entering the abyss, the more we started to learn."

"Mindless beast they call us, deprave demons, a monster without a home—so many names, but how wrong they were. We hold what you might call a collective consciousness. Talk to one of us; you talk to all of us."

Shaken to my core, a bit of despair ran down my spine as I recalled that Circle Julius had used.

"For one swing we make, an infinity amount of thought will go into it. We are a hive of higher thought, which is growing by the second, and we have none to thank than the Queen herself."

"Lilith? How?" I said, playing along to have my body naturally heal my wounds.

"It was her majesty who awoken us from the fog of war. She did something even she did not realize with her desire to protect you. A deal, or should I say a command to Asmodeus, was given, and we achieved full-on consciousness.

"That day, she used Into the Abyss unknowingly, and we had all awaken as one."

(A/N: Expanation at end!)

"Fuck my damn luck," I cursed, knowing this was not going to be a fair battle, not in the least. "So I guess that Pale Lord you mention is helping you?"

Shaking his head, Julius smiled, "No, far from it. Only those at star-lord are, but there are so many of us, but no one in our realm can defeat us."

For god's sake, they are born with that Arte to connect to some colony? What are they? Ants? What about the other artes. If they are born with that one ridiculous Arte?

This battle is going to get messy. My divinity is limited; I have maybe one hour before I run dry. What the hell can I do to get around this damn inevitability?

I don't know how to use the Weave unless I enter that Royal Domain, but that requires so much Soulforce I have one second to kill off Julius, something that I know will not happen.

Taking in a deep breath, my skin began to turn black; as a wave of darkness wrapped around me, cloaking my body with its sinister nature, I stared coldly at the Demonic Beast.

"Noctem of Destruction, the Qi or, in your case, destructive divinity used by those in the realm of Noctem. You disappoint us, Arsene Snow; it will not be this power that you will defeat us with." He claimed, strolling towards me with a cruel smile.

Thinking about everything I had, I shot towards Julius with a spear of hellfire. Piercing my blade towards his neck, a great profoundness flashed as I thrust out over a hundred times.

Weaving seamlessly, the condescending smile upon Julius grew as his tail whipped towards my head. Lowering my center of gravity, I ducked, but the spikes upon his tail still managed to nick the tip of my head.

Drawing a stream of blood, I did not mince as I roared, "Arcane Gale!"

Creating an invisible domain filled with spear intent, my blade fused with the Dao of Fire and flicked.

"Die!"