Azrael appeared suddenly, his figure full of wounds and his wings scorched. In a hoarse, resentful voice, he uttered words laden with contempt for Lilith. "I didn't think that dirty bitch would use her last life and divine energy to finish me off," she said between gasps of pain. "Luckily, she clipped her wings and was very weakened."
His eyes fell on Alistair and Luzbel, who were watching the scene warily. Azrael, with a mischievous grin, declared, "Let's get this over with so I can go to heaven." His tone was defiant and filled with a strange resignation.
Alistair sighed, accepting his fate serenely. "I guess this is the end of me," he said as a sad smile formed on his lips. Then, he turned his gaze to Luzbel and continued, "You could say this is my penance for ruining your life, you little monster. Don't hold too much of a grudge." His words were laden with regret and pain.
With those words, Alistair pulled out a two-inch sized, jet-colored jewel with tiny purple particles floating inside. "This is my wizard promotion gift. I hope it will be useful," he expressed as he extended the jewel towards Luzbel.
After uttering those words, Alistair broke the jewel and scattered the resulting dust over Luzbel, who instantly disappeared. Azrael mockingly scoffed at Alistair's action. "Do you think such a shoddy space jewel will be able to stop me? Surely it doesn't even have a marked location, and the farthest it's gone is 50 km?"
Alistair commented disdainfully, "Stop chattering, fried chicken. This is my last battle, I'm not going to spend it chatting with you."
Alistair, undeterred, began to chant a spell as Azrael watched him curiously, waiting to see what he could do. In an instant, the entire water element began to converge towards Alistair, forming a powerful area attack that froze the ground, the trees and enveloped Azrael in a cold embrace.
However, barely a second later, with a crunch, Azrael broke free from the ice that imprisoned him. Alistair sighed in defeat, recognizing his inevitable fate. In a whisper, he said, "It seems this is indeed the end of me. It's a pity I won't be able to witness the heights the Little Monster will reach."
***
Luzbel appeared out of nowhere, 30 miles away from where he had been before, with no magical bindings to hold him prisoner. He found himself lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless, but memories of the people who had died because of him flooded his mind, making him cry and fill with rage. It was that overflowing anger that gave him the strength to get up and continue on his way.
He began to run, remembering the lessons he had received from Roland, and followed the direction based on the position of Brannheim, the great mountain inhabited by the Dwarves, towards Arx Regni, which was 100 km from the devastated village. With every step, he felt the ominous presence of Azrael getting closer and closer.
After running for 15 minutes, what Luzbel feared happened. From a distance, Azrael's scream could be heard echoing through the air. "You little bastard, I'm coming for you! So run all you want!". Luzbel felt his heartbeat quicken as he heard the loud flapping of Azrael's wings relentlessly approaching.
At that moment, he spotted a cave and decided to hide inside, although he didn't know if that would mean any trouble for the powerful being that was chasing him. Inside the cave, with his nerves on edge, he sat down without realizing that he was on top of a bird's nest.
Suddenly, something landed on his shoulder. Luzbel looked up and cried out excitedly, "It's you!". On his shoulder rested an eagle made entirely of black flames that, despite its appearance, conveyed a cool but comforting feeling. To Luzbel's surprise, the eagle showed unexpected closeness and affection, rubbing its head on his cheek.
After a while, the eagle, who was frolicking with Luzbel, became serious and turned his gaze toward the cave entrance. Flying from Luzbel's shoulder it stood at the cave entrance and with a screech the eagle activated a force field of dark mana that hid the cave entrance. Azrael flew without detecting Luzbel's presence due to the dark mana force field that hid the entrance.
Azrael in the sky when he stopped noticing Luzbel's presence shouted angrily, "Impossible, how come I don't notice the child's presence. It makes no sense, even though I am weakened in the mortal world and this one seriously wounded I am still one of the strongest angels in the heavenly realm. This should have been like snapping my fingers Arrrrrrrrrgggg."
Azrael, in his anger, shot his strength into the ground, creating a great ravine 10 meters wide whose length and depth were unknown. At that moment, a majestic voice resounded from heaven, saying, "Azrael, return to heaven. You can no longer remain in the Mortal Realm. To continue here could alert the demons and trigger a premature war."
Azrael suddenly took on a serious expression and nodded deferentially. "Yes, my king. It shall be done." After uttering those words, Azrael disappeared in a burst of light, leaving Luzbel in the cave, surrounded by shadows and a curious eagle.
***
Inside the cave, Luzbel was accompanied by the eagle on his shoulder. He decided to stay for quite a while, making sure Azrael was really gone and it wasn't some trick to trap him. As he peeked outside, he noticed that night had fallen and considered that it would be better to stay in the cave. Apparently, this choice pleased the eagle, as he showed no signs of wanting to leave.
As he remained seated in the cave, the eagle remained on his shoulder at all times, providing him with a strange sense of companionship in the midst of darkness and pain. Suddenly, Luzbel's stomach roared, causing the eagle to fly out of the cave.
Surprised by the bird's departure, Luzbel realized anew his loneliness in the world. All those he loved and cherished had died, leaving him behind. His hands trembled as a nervous breakdown enveloped him. Desperate, he leaned over and hugged his legs, curling into a fetal position as he sobbed.
At that moment, he was no longer a powerful genius, but simply a twelve-year-old boy who had lost his whole world. However, a screech and a peck on his head interrupted his pain. Luzbel raised his head, still sniffling, and found the eagle looking down at him with its head bowed, holding a hare in its beak.
"I guess I'm not completely alone," Luzbel muttered as he grabbed the eagle and hugged it like a stuffed animal, causing the hare to fall to the ground. For a while, he clung to the bird, feeling a connection with it.
After a while, Luzbel looked at the eagle and asked, "What should I call you? Inferno, Draco, Blaze..." As he mentioned names, the eagle shook his head and emitted an angry screech. Then, Luzbel understood. "You're a girl, aren't you?" he said with a smile. The eagle looked happy and nodded. "So, how about Ember, then?" proposed Luzbel. With that name, the eagle flew off, showing his joy. "Aha, Ember! It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Luzbel," uttered the boy with a bright smile, his face still swollen from crying and tears.