An all encompassing darkness blanketed the world. Stretching far beyond the horizon of the demon kings mind. He found himself adrift in the inky blackness, his body nowhere to be found, only leaving his head not consumed.
In the distance was a woman, her skin like snow, her hair like the abyss and her eyes of crimson. Her figure was completely masked by the darkness as she drifted towards the demon king.
Then we could see clearly; tears of blood left her eyes. Corrupting the abyss and changing its pigment to that of crimson. She reached out her hands, holding the man's head, and cherishing every moment.
"Please, don't go any further, my love."
Her voice lingering with sadness.
"They must pay, mortal kind will pay for their sins."
He spoke no more, and seeing this the lady pulled in closer to embrace him.
She whispered softly into his ear.
"Please, do not punish the innocent for the sins of few."
"There are no innocents." He said.
"You can finally rest in the abyss alongside me." She suggested.
"You can finally be at peace."
Diablo's heart ached at the thought.
"I do not deserve any sort of peace for my actions, for my failures."
He spoke in dejection.
"And neither will creation, until all feel my wrath."
Flames burst forth from him, consuming the mental apparition.
"If you destroy everything that is, then what once was will also be forgotten."
She voiced, as her body crumbled away while in his embrace.
The black fires then engulfed himself, and the rest of his mind. As he let out a violent roar.
"IT'S NOT OOOOOOOVER!!!"
Adam, Michael, and Dante felt a sudden surge of energy emanating from Diablo.
Black flames burst from his entire body, uncontrollably, pushing the three warriors back with sheer force. The hole in his chest sealed rapidly as the flesh cauterized, his pupils blanking as he lost his sense of self. His hair coiled and turned white as snow.
The flames burned indiscriminately, even consuming Diablo's own body. In response, his instincts redirected excess energy to his skin in a desperate act of defense. Diablo's body was literally adapting to survive.
This energy coalesced into a hardened protective shell that formed over every inch of his skin. The exoskeleton, made of dark brown plates, linked together by stream-like wedges, was a marvel of organic armor. Sharpening into claw-like tips at his fingers and toes.
Not only did this armor provide protection, but it also granted an unexpected boost to his combat ability. It increased his mobility with its innate flexibility, allowing him to be more agile. More impressively, the armor maximized his base strength a hundredfold by enabling his muscles to flex far harder than they could unarmored.
(A/N): I'm retconning his original transformation design.
He screamed to the heavens, striking each foe with incredible physical fortitude, sending the three flying in different directions.
Diablo then grasped unto his sword, finally unsheathing it. The Crimson Blade. The blade was long and extremely sharp, with a serrated edge designed to cause severe damage. Dark runes etched along its length pulsed with malevolent energy. The hilt was made from blackened steel, wrapped in tough leather to provide a secure grip, and the crossguard was jagged and twisted.
However, there was a feature of the weapon that only Diablo knew.
"You bloody monster!" Dante yelled, charging with Adam for an attack.
"Just stay down!" Adam shouted.
In an instant, Diablo had turned to Adam, swinging the sword. Dante, intercepted the strike, the two celestial weapons clashing in a thunderous clash.
"Dammit, don't leave yourself wide open like that." Dante yelled.
Michael rushed in from behind, drawing his blade and instantly slicing at Diablo's exposed nape.
*ARGH*
The attack barely left a cut in the armor, but the force was still great. Diablo released even more black flames in response. Their intensity higher than ever before due to the lack of control.
"Shit!"
The three were pushed back, holding onto the drifting chunks of rock as their anchor.
Diablo's body was covered in flames, as he marched towards his enemies.
The Lord, standing quite a distance away from the fight, charged his energy as a last ditch effort. But he could tell from where he was, the dangers of Diablo's uncontrolled power.
"ANGELS!" He yelled, garnering their attention.
"GET BEHIND ME NOW!!!"
The Lord ordered ferociously, and to this the angels rushed behind the protection of their creator, taking the wounded with them, in hopes of saving them.
Immediately following this, cracks spread outwards from Diablo. The further they spread the more space-time was pushed to its breaking point.
"Is this what you wanted, brother? Uncontrolled power, threatening all things I have built." The Lord said.
Bringing his hands together, connecting his fingers, then quickly separating them to form an energy ring. It expanded to massive proportions comparable to small planets, before being launched across the battlefield.
"I need to cut off that portion of space-time from the rest of creation, if not, it will all disappear"
And so he did it, severing connections between the battle and the realms. But he also trapped the warriors in there with a raging demon lord.
"I guess I have no choice." Adam stated, seeing the chaos.
Charging up all his attacks from henceforth with his maximum power. He rushed at Diablo, aiming at his chest, prompting the demon to block with both arms. Switching directions, Adam gave him an uppercut, sending his head flying backward.
Dante rushed in. Slicing at his exposed throat, and managing to crack it.
Following this, Michael flickered around, slicing up the armor bit by bit with no resistance. Dante took advantage of the openings, cutting right through the slashes left behind by Michael.
This coordinated combination rendered the demon king unable to counterattack. Diablo fell to one knee once again, allowing the two swordsmen the opportunity to decapitate him.
Their blades swung in unison, reaching the edges of the broken down armor plate. Then the runes on the crimson blade began to glow, and Diablo disappeared shortly after, reappearing right behind Adam with the blade outstretched. A deep slash was evident on Adam's left side, blood gushing out like a waterfall.
"W-Wh-What?"
Adam let out, before collapsing to one knee, clenching his side to stop the pain.
"This sword is bound by two contracts. One is that within the first minute of unsheathing it, it must taste blood. The second; any damage done by it cannot be healed till the battles end."
Diablo strung together his first sentence in this form, shocking all three. Showing that he is slowly regaining his intelligence.
"You're the only opponent here that has blood Adam. Too bad." He stated.
The angels rocketed towards him. Diablo waved his hand as more flames burst forth, stopping Dante.
Michael however, didn't have to cross space to reach Diablo, skipping the flames and instantly cutting his neck. But his strike was intercepted by the crimson blade.
"You're reaching your limit aren't you angel?" He asked mockingly.
Michael grunted, trying to overpower the demon king and get a strike in.
"Yeah right, I can do this for all eter-"
Cracks stemming from his core spread to both hands in an instant, weakening his body. Allowing Diablo to easily overpower him, sending him flying backwards.
"Each time you produce energy from nothing your core suffers damage. Then travelling at irrelevant speeds takes another toll on your body."
Diablo explained.
"Dammit!" Michael spouted, rising back to his feet.
"The damage is minuscule though, when attacking in quick bursts. But constant usage has caused that damage to accumulate." Diablo continued.
"Well, aren't you as talented as they say." Michael said sarcastically.
"I'm guessing that around a hundred times is the limit, before you start fragmenting. But I'm sure you've hit me thousands of times already?"
Following this, Michael's wings shattered into pieces, planting shock onto the archangel.
"You let your guard down, you bastard." Adam said.
Gripping Diablo as tightly as possible, holding down his hands and forcing his body to its knees with a loud thud.
"I'll give you one chance to let go."
"Fxck you."
Diablo's body burst into flames, incinerating Adam's skin, and vaporizing where they stood.
"YOU THINK A LITTLE FIRE IS GONNA STOP ME???" Adam yelled as his outsides were burnt to ash, while his innards began to cook.
Dante rushed in, taking advantage of the situation. Reaching them as they drifted through space, he swung the flaming sword. It's fires overpowering those of the demon king.
"Here's a piece of home you bastard!"
His first strike cut right through the armor on his neck, exposing it completely.
"DAMMIT!!!"
Diablo struggled to get free of Adam's grip even though he had gotten tens of times stronger.
'My armor, when they cut it earlier they made sure to aim for the plates around muscle.'
The armor, which had allowed him to become stronger by forcing his muscles to contract much harder, was losing its effectiveness due to accumulated damage.
Dante poised his blade, gripping it with both arms and stabbing it right into Diablo's right eye.
*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH*
The pain was excruciating. It was a searing, blinding agony, as the intense heat melted the very tissue. The initial stab was a sharp, piercing shock, but the burning sensation quickly overwhelmed, spreading like wildfire through his skull. His eye felt like it was being incinerated from the inside, accompanied by the acrid smell of burning flesh.
Dante then used his legs to grip Diablo's neck while stabbing his eye.
"HOW DARE YOU!!!" He yells in agony.
Michael launched himself forward, drawing his blade again, and using the limitless strike.
The sword cutting right into Diablo's flesh, cutting through his neck and nearly decapitating him.
BADUMP
BADUMP
'I am going to die'
Diablo realizes this fact, knowing that in his current state he will be slain by them.
'THINK, THINK, THINK!!!'
His mind scrambled to find a solution, maybe some technique that could stop them, or an attack that they couldn't counter. And then it came to him; a moment from Adam's fight with Null flashed through his mind. He didn't know what it was, but decided to name it Temporal Dilation.
Diablo had less than a second before he died, so he rashly made a contract. In exchange for the ability to use Temporal Dilation, he'd permanently lose 70% of the strength of his hell flame. In an instant the contract was made with himself, and a magic circle emerged on his arm.
All three of them sensed something amiss that instance. Then Diablo disappeared.
"Don't let your guard down." Dante yelled.
They all spread out, watching all sides for a surprise attack.
Unbeknownst to them however, Diablo wasn't moving through space, but through time. Reemerging right where he was held down, Diablo charged at three of them at once. Abusing the intervals of his leaps in time, he could consecutively appear at multiple moments in the future.
He slashed Dante across the chest, thrusting the crimson blade right through the angel before he could react.
Adam got struck right in his abdomen, breaking his ribcage in the process. While being sent flying into the distance as he coughed up blood.
Michael was barely holding his body together, but still tried to draw his blade.
"Not this time!" Diablo shouted, thrusting his sword into Michael's core. The force shattered the archangel's defenses, and Michael's body began to fragment further.
"Damn... it..." Michael gasped, his form disintegrating by the second.
Doing all these things simultaneously, the apparitions then dissipated, combining into a single time frame again.
"Yes, this is true power." He exclaimed.
Basking in his own might, Diablo let more of his power loose. Causing the secluded dimension to fall apart.
"Hey, who told you it's over?" Said a voice from afar.
Adam walked on the air using his own Qi. Marching forward, his skin was incinerated, barely hanging onto his flesh. His bones were shattered, and his cuts were deep. He was a walking corpse to say the least.
"Oh, so you're back for more? You should've stayed down like the rest."
They lunged towards each other, fists ready to strike. But just as they were about to clash both disappeared. Diablo then reappeared a few seconds later, though all he hit was the air.
Adam was nowhere to be seen. That's when it dawned upon the demon king. Adam had simply leaped further in time than he had.
Then he reappeared as his fist sparked with energy. The remnants of skin on his body steamed as he stressed his muscles beyond their natural limit. The punch hitting Diablo square in the jaw, sending him stumbling back. Then Adam struck again, with Diablo trying to counter. Both leaping into the future to get the advantage. This time Diablo had gone farther, surprising Adam with a knee to the stomach, sending him upwards.
Leaping again into the future, Diablo bashed his fists into Adam's spine, propelling him, downwards. Adam stopped himself just in time, avoiding another attack.
Diablo drew his blade, speeding forward . Adam rushed forward as well, both jumping forward in time again. They did his hundreds, no thousands of times without rest. Each time the outcome changing, with neither being completely proficient in the technique.
Once again they faced off. Adam had lost his left arm, with multiple slashes all over his body. His flesh had nearly peeled away, his bones scattered, and his muscles torn to shreds.
While Diablo's armor was nearly destroyed entirely, crumbling in the face of Adam's relentless assault.
"It's over." Diablo spoke.
Adam collapsed, losing consciousness. His body becoming adrift in the void of space.
Diablo finally let out a sigh.
His arms dropped, completely exhausted. He let go of the crimson blade, allowing it to drift away.
SHK
The flaming sword penetrated Diablo's chest, slicing through flesh and bone. Sizzling as the intense heat erased the tissue.
Dante, damaged heavily, struggled to keep on his feet.
"We're not done yet..." he muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.
"Adam's sacrifice will not be in vain!"
Dante yelled, using all his strength to weaken Diablo for a final assault.
Diablo's eye locked onto Dante, his body pulsing with the residual energy from Temporal Dilation.
"I'll enjoy crushing your hope."
As Diablo prepared to strike, Michael rushed in, using all his strength to hold down Diablo
"Dante; leave." Michael said softly.
The warriors eyes suddenly dulled, as he understood the message.
"YOU DAMN COWARDS!" Shouted Azriel as he rushed in from the distance.
Seeing this, Dante immediately stepped up. Parrying the shadow knight in a clash of blades, preventing his interference.
"Cowards? You should say that to your nobles, after they slaughtered my people out of fear!!!"
Dante pushed back Azriel with a powerful thrusts, sending him miles away. He lunged towards Azriel ferociously, making sure to keep him occupied for as long as possible.
The Lord then decided it was time to end this madness. He created a mental domain between the two in an instant, allowing them to talk.
Apparitions of both deities appeared within the space, where time itself is irrelevant to the outside world.
"I've had enough!" His voice boomed, shaking the very fabric of the realm.
"You have caused enough destruction, brother," the Lord said, his tone both stern and sorrowful.
"This ends now."
Diablo, his rage momentarily tempered by the voice of his brother, calmed himself.
"You think you can stop me?" he spat, his voice filled with defiance.
"I can," the Lord replied, his eyes glowing with divine energy.
"But I still care for you, so, I'm offering you a chance at redemption."
Diablo laughed bitterly.
"Redemption? After all this? That is no longer an option for me."
The Lord shook his head.
"There is always a chance. But you must be willing to take it."
Diablo's expression wavered, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.
"No, I am a God, and anything I decide is just, is just! Even if it isn't by your standards."
The Lord stepped forward, his hand outstretched.
"Let me help you, brother. Let go of your hatred."
Diablo's eyes met the Lord's, and for a brief moment, the fury and madness seemed to fade.
"That's no different than asking me to forget what they did."
The energy within him surged uncontrollably, and with a final, agonized scream, his form disintegrated into black flames. The realms then began to collapse.
The Lord lowered his hand, a look of deep sorrow on his face.
"Rest in the abyss, my brother," he whispered.
The Lord gripped the Morning Star tightly. Eyes locked on Diablo, he drew the spear back, feeling the tension in his muscles. With a swift step forward, he thrust his arm forward, releasing the spear in a powerful motion. It accelerated at an unparalleled rate, soaring through space with unbound power. A trail of energy crackled through the air, leaving a shimmering path of electric blue. As it expanded, the trail pulsed with growing intensity, emitting a low, ominous hum. Suddenly, it erupted into a blinding explosion, the force sending shockwaves across all three realms.
It broke through the spatial barrier put in place, heading right for the demon king.
"LET GO OF ME!!!" Diablo roared.
"Don't worry, we're dying together." Michael responded.
He had used his ultimate move too many times, his body would crumble away the instant it got the chance.
"Goodbye, father." He said finally.
"Michael, thank you for everything."
The spear bore right through both of them, speeding off into the distance as it tore right through the fabric of space-time. It was lost outside the edges of creation where even the Gods cannot reach.
Michael smiled one last time, the memories of his long life flashed through his mind. Cracks spread all through, his body broke apart into celestial dust. Fragmenting.
Diablo fell limp, his body losing all it's strength after such a battle. The large gaping hole in his chest bled out. He found a chunk of rock to rest on, falling to his knees.
His eyes were blood shot, as he coughed up blood.
"I'm dying."
Diablo couldn't fathom the thought.
"Yes, you are brother."
The Lord had arrived, though his presence was dulled. He raised his hand, and a golden barrier enveloped Adam, and the fragments of Michael.
"This is the result of your actions. All this carnage and chaos. You chose this."
"I see."
His body began to crack, with a reddish hue emerging from the openings.
Your warriors were incredible." Diablo stated.
"They're far more than that."
The angels took this opportunity, wiping away any stray demons, and assisting those who went head on with Diablo.
Dante arrived, bowing before the Lord with the last of his strength.
"Is it over?" he asked weakly.
"Yes, but at a great cost."
Azriel also arrived by Diablo's side.
"My liege, I'm sorry." He said dejected.
"Don't worry." Diablo told him.
"I have one more trick up my sleeve."
Diablo said, raising his left hand. A blood-red pentagon enshrined itself on the back of his hand.
"I'd like to make a contract." Diablo stated.
Garnering the attention of everyone around.
The terms of the contract were simple, a deal between himself and creation. In exchange for never being able to use temporal dilation again, he'd get a second chance at life if he ever died. Reincarnating into a new body in Chaos.
So it was done. Diablo's body was then engulfed by a crimson glow, slowly dissipating into infinitesimal fragments that scattered about.
"No… this can't be." Dante murmured.
The celestial army were shaken to the core. After all they had to sacrifice. Their siblings, their teachers, their friends. Yet, it was all still in vain.
Diablo's eyes slowly opened, to the lights of his bedroom. His mind was clouded, trying to make sense of his surroundings. As his mind becomes less hazy he realizes that he's on his bed. With a sudden jolt, memories come flooding back; memories of pain, fear, and anger, at the moment of death.
As he swings his legs over the side of the bed, his eyes fall on a mirror hanging on the wall. Seeing that his body has been returned to the state it was before battle. The only difference being that he was drained of energy.
"I'll need to strike back, but first of all, I need them back."
He said, snapping his fingers, and using the last of his bodies strength.
Surrounding the remaining Generals of Chaos were large spheres of demonic Qi. Each one with strange cryptic symbols carved unto them.
"It seems like we'll meet again." Azriel told.
(A/N): If it seems weird that none of them tried beating the remaining generals, just remember everyone is tired as fuck. I also forgot about the Lord beating The Undead King. Let's just say he was so weak in comparison that he lost off-screen.
Null, Azriel, and Diol, were the only one's transported back to Chaos. Grim had been made painfully aware of this, when he was exiled for his cowardice, and weakness.
So he left the scene quickly, so as not to be caught. Travelling between worlds as an eternal exile.
Soon after, the Lord regained enough strength to open the portal back to the heavens. Where they mourned those lost, and celebrated their accomplishments.