Chapter 42: Ascend
Lucifer, now fully transformed, rose to his feet, his eyes fixed on Kane with unwavering devotion. "Your Majesty," he whispered, "I am ready to serve."
Kane's smile grew wider. "Then let us begin, my General. We have a world to conquer."
With a wave of his hand, Kane summoned a legion of twisted, humanoid creatures, their bodies a mass of bloody, pulpy flesh. They bowed to Lucifer, acknowledging him as their new commander.
Lucifer's eyes gleamed with excitement as he gazed upon the army. "We will conquer all," he whispered, his voice filled with reverence for Kane.
Kane's eyes gleamed with triumph. "Together, we will remake the world in our image."
And with that, the new order began. Lucifer, once the King of Hell, now served Kane, the being of immense power and wisdom. Together, they would bring about a new era of darkness and terror.
The underworld trembled at the thought of their power, and the world above trembled at the thought of their wrath.
For in this new order, Kane was the supreme ruler, and Lucifer was his loyal General, bound to serve him for eternity.
After completing the 20 levels of Hell, a staircase came into view. It was made of crystal and seemed to stretch up to the heavens. I stepped onto it, and walked up. Every time I stepped up, I felt the feeling of hatred, fear, and envy towards Hero vanish. My mind became calm.
As I walked up, I saw countless stars and galaxies being born and dying. I felt a sense of awe and wonder at the vastness of the universe.
"The end is just a new beginning, and the beginning is just an end." A whispered quote echoed in my mind as I ascended.
I stepped onto the crystal staircase, feeling an eerie sense of calm wash over me. With each step, the hatred, fear, and envy towards Hero vanished, replaced by an unsettling serenity. The stars and galaxies born and died before my eyes, a celestial ballet of creation and destruction.
The staircase seemed endless, but I pressed on, driven by an insatiable curiosity. Suddenly, my nose started to bleed as I gazed upon a fragment of the world. A single god fought against thousands, their powers locked in a struggle that shook the fabric of reality. The fragment shattered, revealing a chaotic landscape of gods clashing against each other. Twelve gods watched, their faces impassive, but one turned towards me. My eyes bled as our gazes met.
I continued my ascent, leaving the carnage behind. Another fragment appeared - the Wall of Depths, created by the God of Earth. My pupils shrank as I recognized the ancient structure, but the fragment shattered, and I moved on.
A figure in a black cloak stood before me, his face a canvas of galaxies, his eyes were like black holes that drew me in. My demon king's blood boiled as I approached, but suddenly I knelt before him. He stood, his gaze piercing, and he pierced his chest and took out his own heart. I was shocked as he offered it to me.
The system glitched, and the heart was absorbed. A searing pain enveloped me, and my current heart exploded, leaving a gaping hole in my chest. A new, black-colored heart emerged, pulsating with an otherworldly energy.
I rose, my vision blurry, as the mysterious entity vanished into the cosmos. The staircase continued above me, but I knew that nothing would ever be the same again.