The atmosphere grew tenser than ever as Ercale and Xain stared each other down, the air crackling with anticipation. Grace, her face a mix of frustration and fear, grabbed Xain by the shoulder. "Are you an idiot?" she exclaimed. "You can't be serious about this!" She had seen fragments of Xain's thoughts but never believed he would act on them.
"Is that so, ape?" Ercale's voice dripped with menace, lightning dancing between the fingers of his right hand.
"This is foolish, Xain. You will accomplish nothing by doing this," the demon advised, though its eyes showed readiness to defend Xain if a fight broke out.
"I don't know why you're going so far for me, but you don't have to. I'm willing to... die," Verandez said, swallowing hard.
"Don't just throw away your life like that, Xain!" Zee pleaded, gripping his broken arm. "Please," she begged.
But Xain stood firm. "I won't let you do this. No matter what, you will figure out something else," he declared, making Ercale's eye twitch.
"What was that, ape? You ordering me around?" Ercale's voice was dangerously low, his rage barely contained.
"Yeah, I am, Mr. Strongest," Xain taunted. Outwardly, he stood tall, his tone aggressive and confident. Inwardly, he thought, *I know I can't win against you, Ercale. But I can play on your ego.* He wasn't foolish enough to think he could defeat Ercale in a fight, though he was willing to. He knew it would be pointless. The demon was right; fighting Ercale wouldn't accomplish anything. But he knew Ercale's ego was enormous, a fact Xain had observed time and time again while he lived inside his head, almost always deeming others trash, not even calling them by their names.
"What the fuck did you just say?" Ercale asked, leaning in close, his eyes narrowed.
"You're supposed to be the strongest Demon Lord, right? But you definitely don't act like it. You couldn't even beat Eirisse by yourself, and now you can't even close a portal. Some Demon Lord you are."
Ercale's teeth ground together audibly. "Alright, you little shit!" he yelled, lightning flaring around him. The others flinched back, expecting an attack.
"Xain, get back!" Zee shouted, thinking Ercale was about to strike. But instead, Ercale shot towards the portal at lightning speed, any demons in his way disintegrating into ash upon contact. Ercale stopped in front of the portal, where a drakorath attempted to emerge. With a swift punch, he sent the demon flying back through, then stuck his head into the literal portal to hell.
Inside, all the demons about to pass through saw his head poke in. They screeched or roared at the sight of him, only to quiet down as he yelled, "Shut it!" His voice boomed like thunder. "None of you bastards better try and get in while I do this, got it?" he snapped before pulling his head back out. The demons froze, unable to move, their bodies instinctively following his command.
Ercale extended his hands towards the portal, muttering under his breath, "Little piece of shit thinking I can't do something as simple as this." His hands gripped the sides of the portal as if holding onto the very fabric of reality. With a deliberate motion, he began to pull. The space around his hands distorted, warping as if reality itself was clay in his grasp.
The air crackled with an otherworldly energy, and everyone felt a profound tremor as the fabric of space and time started to bend under Ercale's will. The portal seemed to writhe and shrink, its edges twisting in defiance of the natural order. Ercale's body glowed with a magical aura, pulsating with raw, unbridled power that defied all logic and the laws of physics.
As Ercale continued to exert his will, the very essence of the portal began to collapse inward. The pressure of his sheer power caused the ground to tremble, and reality itself seemed to cry out in protest. His aura grew brighter, an intense violet light that forced everyone to shield their eyes. The energy he exuded was tangible, a force that made the air thick and heavy.
With a final, thunderous pull, Ercale snapped the portal shut. The sound was deafening, like the crack of a massive thunderclap, and then there was silence. The portal disappeared from sight and existence, leaving behind a stunned silence. Everyone, including Xain, Grace, and the others who had been fighting, stood completely flabbergasted.
Ercale huffed, clearly tired from the exertion, but a smug look spread across his face as he looked down at Xain. "How was that, ape? Does that fit my title? Huh?" he yelled, his voice filled with triumphant arrogance.
Xain flinched, taking a step back, not expecting Ercale to be this fired up. "Ye-yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" he said nervously, now trying to stroke Ercale's ego. This seemed to work as Ercale's smug air grew. He crossed his arms, looking every bit the powerful demon lord he claimed to be.
"That's right, don't go thinking I'm some weakling like you again, dupek," Ercale said, before he suddenly stumbled forward, almost falling over.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Xain yelled in worry as Ercale grabbed his head, seemingly in pain.
"Looks like I played around too much," Ercale muttered to himself. He then glared at Xain, who shivered under the intense gaze. *Uh oh, I'm in trouble, aren't I?* he thought to himself.
Ercale grumbled before zapping away into the sky, a bolt of lightning destroying part of the attic roof he had been standing on. "Th-that, what was that?" muttered Elanor, still reeling from what he had just witnessed.
"Power, Elanor, that was power," answered the demon. Dash landed next to them, his eyes wide with excitement.
"That was so cool! Who was that? Where did he go?" he asked, sounding like an overly excited puppy.
*That... was that Cain?* Zee thought to herself in shock, recognizing the feeling of power from when Cain had stopped Xain.
"Looks like you don't have to die," Grace said, turning to Verandez. She seemed to recover from the shock quickly.
"Why do you sound somewhat disappointed?" Verandez asked, fear evident in his voice.
Grace let out a sigh before turning to Xain. "I'm sorry," she muttered in a quiet voice, barely audible.
Xain rubbed the back of his head. "Don't, you guys were in the right. I was being naïve. And besides, shouldn't you apologize to him?" he replied, pointing at Verandez.
Grace had a sour look on her face. "I'd really rather not," she whispered.
Xain let out a chuckle and then noticed something. "The rain stopped," he remarked, looking up at the sky. The sky had returned to its normal state, moonlight creeping through the clouds. The invasion and this harrowing day had finally come to an end.