CHAPTER 560: SHAKEN RESOLVE

The live feed soon ended as Will was declared the winner. However, below the Colosseum, the Factions just watched the dark holo-screen with mixed feelings.

The first two days really shook their confidence. Lucifer was especially furious...

"I can’t fucking believe this! How the hell did Death lose to these idiots!"

His voice was low and carried none of its usual cunning delight. Behind him, Famine, Pestilence and War laid splayed out on couches carelessly, while a few higher ranked demons stood trembling nearby.

"I mean, Death couldn’t have predicted that this Reaper chick would be immune to her aura." Said War, his voice bored but also pretty anticipatory, since tomorrow it’ll be his turn to fight!

Lucier’s nearly black crimson eyes snapped towards his subject. A shiver ran across War’s armored body as his body moved on its own.

He stood up, walked before Lucifer and gazed deep into those terrifying eyes. The distant sound of screams echoed in War’s mind as he stared into their fiery crimson depths.

Blood dripped from his nose, while his mouth filled completely. He felt the viscous red liquid drip down his throat and into his lungs, yet his body couldn’t move or cough. It was pure agony as the screams gotten louder.

A second passed, yet for War it felt like an eternity. Suddenly, the giant man fell to his knees, coughing up liters of blood. Above him, a joyous smirk spread across Lucifer’s pale, handsome face.

"You’re an idiot as well, War. Did I allow you to talk?" asked Lucifer rhetorically, but to his utter surprise, War was dumb enough to answer... "Nope."

Pestilence and Famine both sighed and facepalmed as Lucifer burst into laughter. War glanced up at his master in confusion, but his glowing blood-red eyes only saw a slender dark blade.

Lucifer’s sword moved faster than even an experienced fighter like War could react. It stabbed into his mouth, down his throat, lungs, stomach and finally exited at his crotch.

The sadistic Fallen Angel made sure the weapon didn’t hit War’s heart or separate his neck. His subject didn’t die from the wound, but it hurt like hell. Especially because of the metal with which the weapon was made... Profane Metal straight from the Hellish Realms...

The metal while wasn’t as rare or powerful as Angelic Metal, it had a special property. Weapons made of the metal would cause immeasurable pain to anyone damaged by them.

War tried screaming in torment, but with his vocal cords cut by the sword stuck in his throat, only a light gurgling echoed in the otherwise silent room.

For a few seconds, Lucifer watched his subordinate’s suffering in delight, then snapped his fingers, dismissing the weapon. War face planted onto the ground, gasping for air, while Lucifer continued...

"Anyway, if you hadn’t noticed during the fight between Death and the Reaper, she was cheating. I’m not certain how, but the way she always knew Death’s position and evaded every attack perfectly... Then surviving her aura long enough to Evolve using her corpse..."

Suddenly, Lucifer began clapping and laughing. Famine and Pestilence stared at him with raised eyebrows, while War was still heaving on the floor.

"Marvelous! I didn’t count on such an interesting outcome! Those Angels... They were all the same, just law-abiding assholes, but this Last Angel... She’s different! Cunning and not afraid to break her own rules! I fucking love it!"

Lucifer seemed to find his good mood again, which calmed down all the higher demons, still trembling in fear. He slowly sat in his armchair, his abyss black feathered wings draping over his shoulders like a silky-smooth veil.

His eyes landed on War once again as he ordered... "I don’t care if you live through tomorrow! I have a single mission for you! Kill whoever the Last Angel sends! If you plan on dying, take them down with you or I make sure you’ll be forgotten!"

War’s glowing blood-red eyes went wide with terror. He didn’t fear death, since he loved fighting the possibility of dying was always a wrong step away.

However... being forgotten... That thought terrified War, and so he vowed if it came to death, he’ll make sure his opponent would cross the finish line with him!

The other Factions felt similar to hell...

...

The Greek Pantheon was stuck in outright panic. Upon witnessing the dreadful, humiliating defeat of Poseidon, their confidence died down quickly.

Unlike War’s powerful resolve, they felt terrified even entertaining the prospect of dying. Ares was the only one who felt excited for the upcoming fight tomorrow, while Zeus continued sitting in confidence.

He was a powerful Ethereal. Even though the contract weakened him, there was nobody in this competition who could stand up against him... At least that’s what he believed, and none of his subjects dared disagree with him...

Heaven led by Castiel still held its pride. Their cunning leader analyzed every battle, preparing himself for the eventual duel with the Last Angel.

After the first two days, he could easily guess what the Last Angel’ plan was. She wanted to Evolve his entire group, which most likely included herself... and who else was a better target than Castiel!

"It’ll be perfect! A fight to the death where the winner will Evolve and gain control over an entire Realm!... Let’s just hope her plan doesn’t falter along the way, so I can defeat her myself..."

Castiel knew all his subjects who entered the competition would need to die, but that mattered little to him. The goal, which he had worked tirelessly towards since arriving on this forsaken Realm, was only an arm’s stretch away!

He watched the holo-screen, where regular humans discussed the upcoming fights with excitement and deep curiosity. A wide, sly grin split his face as he imagined all his desires coming to fruition.

The Egyptian Pantheon just awaited the upcoming fights. They cared little about whatever happened. They felt no fear, since even dying was better than their current prideless lives.

The Hindu and Chinese Pantheons were pretty much the same. Both were overconfident, but left nothing to chance and analyzed even the tiniest details of every battle.

In reality, every Faction felt like someone had poured a bucket of cold water on their heads. Previously, they believed this tournament would be a fight between their Factions, yet not it became obvious. This wasn’t war... It was extermination!

The Last Angel planned to kill them all. They fell right into her trap and now had no easy way out.

The Contracts provided a way to survive. They had a clause, which let someone forfeit the battle while keeping their lives. However, it was only possible before the fighting actually starts, and upon forfeiting, you’re bound to follow the true winner’s will.

You would be basically a slave of the tournament’s winner, unless they release you from their service.

This was exactly what Sera had planned to do with all her friends. Eventually, the enemies would run out, and so they’ll forfeit the fights, letting Sera reach the first spot without issue.

However, while Sera’s friends felt confident that she won’t keep them as slaves, the other Factions wouldn’t trust each other. They all could’ve got together and fought against Sera as a united front, yet their wariness kept them apart.

"Divide and conquer! That’s what some famous general in the past said, and I couldn’t agree more." Said Sera to Odin as they watched Wukong do some strange dance using his staff.

After Will’s victory, they threw another small party, which will probably be a tradition after each match. Luckily, they kept the drinking minimal, while tomorrow’s fighter wasn’t allowed to have even the tiniest sip.

"What does that mean?" asked Odin after a few seconds of thinking.

Sera crossed her legs comfortably and took a sip of the regular wine...

"It means it’s much easier to conquer hundreds of smaller territories than one gigantic area. In my context though, it means it’s easier to kill all the Faction leaders one-by-one, then having them fight an enormous battle, which could jeopardize this planet’s survival!"

Odin chuckled while nodding in agreement. Sera’s plan was indeed masterful. The way she played every single Faction, like puppets she led them along right, until they had no way of escaping her clutches.

"So, what’s the plan for tomorrow? Are you planning anything special?"

A knowing smirk appeared on Sera’s face. She glanced towards Yvonne, watching the muscular woman dance with her even more massive girlfriend.

"Yeah, we could say so. It won’t be regular duels like the previous days... It’ll be a free-for-all deathmatch!"

The Allfather did say a word. He disagreed with Sera, especially since Ares and War are both supposed to fight tomorrow. A larger scale battle would help both, meaning Yvonne will have a much harder time.

However, Odin couldn’t help but wonder if he’d missed something. As long as he knew the Last Angel, she never made stupid decisions. She had an amazing strategic mind and wouldn’t have overlooked such an obvious disadvantage.

Curiosity was killing Odin. He really wanted to ask, and the knowing smile stretching across Sera’s face meant she also knew his desire.

It annoyed him how easily the Angel read him. Odin prided himself as a wise, knowledgeable individual, yet he felt inadequate when talking with Sera. As if the Angel was always multiple steps ahead.

Eventually, Odin sighed and left the room. He wouldn’t admit defeat by inquiring about tomorrow’s fight style. Instead, he went to his own room to ponder and watch the upcoming match alone.