The world is a strange place. There are an infinite number of them, and they all follow precise rules, as if they were programs inside a computer. In some, magic, demons, angels and gods may exist—while in others, these beings are merely a figment of the imagination. What is written in a book in one world may come true in another.

  This one, for example, follows very similar laws to those in video games. It is divided into three main dimensions: Earth, Hell, and Heaven. There is a system of races, classes and levels, which determine the characteristics of those who inhabit them. In this reality, the races were divided into three large groups. There were the humanoids, the most prominent of which were humans, elves and dwarves; the demi-humans, such as goblins, orcs, trolls and minotaurs, characterized by racial advantages and disadvantages; and finally, there was the heteromorphs or the so called "entities", which was nothing more than an umbrella term for species that didn't fit into the previous categorizations, such as demons, angels and spirits.

  Speaking of classes, these encompassed the classic abilities—like thief, warrior or cultist—that allowed players to learn skills unique to that specific class. Of course, you weren't limited to a single class and some were advanced versions of others. Furthermore, no class required a racial prerogative to be learned. For example, you didn't have to be a dwarf to be a blacksmith, or a goblin to be a looter. Essentially, the world was balanced so that everyone could do something, from the most useless to the most prodigious.

  Finally, there was the leveling system, on which everything else was based. Unlike in an RPG game, leveling up didn't make you stronger; rather, it was because you became stronger that you leveled up. The difference seems minimal, but it isn't. In the first case, in an RPG, you would have to earn experience points to then access the next level and gain bonus stats.

  -In that world it wasn't like that.

  There were no such things as experience points, only pure experience. You only leveled up after you'd already gained certain stats. Essentially, you had to train, improve and strengthen yourself. The path was similar to that of a game, but the level was more like a diploma that certified your strength, not something that granted it.

  Normally, to level up you had to increase at least one of your base stats—physical strength, endurance, speed, stamina and intellect—by at least 10% of their starting value. How could you do this? By fighting, training, reading and so much more: the ways were endless. This made leveling up simple at first, but much more difficult once you reached certain peaks. No one knew why everything was balanced that way; it was the way it was. Just as gravity existed, so did that abstruse system. That said, leveling up still gave you something: access to new classes! Yes, some classes couldn't be obtained until after a certain level.

  Having explained this, it's worth noting that the maximum level for each race was 100. Even beings known as Gods couldn't surpass this level. Of course, the term God is misleading given the myriad definitions available but, in the specific case of this world, a deity is defined as a being stronger than average. It wasn't a race, but a title bestowed by the weak. Why was there this level cap? The world wasn't stupid—giving power to those who lived within it was unwise if it gave them the ability to destroy the universe.

  However, there were exceptions. Creatures that escaped the control of the world and managed to break the limits imposed. The exact number of such creatures was unknown, nor how their strength surpassed even that of reality itself, but one thing was certain: they were dangerous.

  The most famous of these creatures exceeding level 100 was Almodeus Fearterror, the Absolute Lord and Demon of Fear. As old as creation itself, he was considered the most powerful being in existence. He lived in hell, administering his territories as an absolute ruler. The source of his power? No one knows, but it was rumored that it was a fear so powerful it obliterated the very movement of creation itself. Why hadn't he conquered the world? Why wasn't he ravaging and devouring everything? Reasons unknown to most.

  Although Almodeus had shown no interest in ending reality, his demon nature greatly angered Heaven, a dimension opposite to Hell that sought to maintain order in the universe. Naturally, the presence of a creature like the Demon of Fear greatly angered the archangels—an evolved form of the angelic race—those who had arrogantly appointed themselves the judges of the world.

  Despite countless attempts, every mission against Almodeus culminated in a bloodbath. How the demon had not yet destroyed Heaven in retaliation remained a mystery even to the angels themselves, who grew more desperate and less solemn with each defeat; they were no different from wretched human knights that faced a dragon in fairy tales.

  With such a great imbalance of power, the fate of the world was essentially always hanging in the balance. One second it existed, the next it might no longer exist at the whim of Almodeus. It couldn't go on like that. As long as that demon existed, peace could never reign: not in hell, nor in the rest of reality. An end had to be put to that story, now and forever. But even among the bravest doubt gripped, summed up in a single question:

  Who could have stopped him?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  The pegasus's hooves lightly lumbered across the arid, desert-like earth, giving the impression that its rider was making a courtesy visit. This was unlikely, given that he was leading ten thousand angelic knights, decked out from head to toe in gleaming armor and bearing sacred banners like sails.

  "Angels! It's almost time!"

  The knight at the head of the formation shouted, noticing a building taking shape in the distance.

  It was a tower over three hundred meters tall, with a giant red A inscribed in a red circle at its center. In front of the colossal structure was nothing but a desolate wasteland, with various stakes placed here and there, some with severed heads, others with armor or weapons.

  It wasn't just a wasteland, it was a cemetery. A place of perdition so corrupt it didn't even have a sun. In its place, there was a colossal red A, pulsating like a beating heart full of life. The mere sight of that letter made all the knights sick.

  Why? That was a perfectly ordinary letter, right? It wasn't. In that realm, it was the symbol of the Absolute.

  "Captain Ragurel! Is that it?"

  One of the soldiers asked, approaching the commander of the army, Captain Ragurel, Archangel of Justice.

  "Yes, it's it..."

  He answered coldly, watching the tower grow bigger and bigger.

  "It's the Fear Tower!"

  The Fear Tower. An unoriginal name, but not to be underestimated. It was the base of operations - as well as the home - of Almodeus, the Fear Demon and Absolute Lord of those lands. Obviously, they were there uninvited, and that would not have gone down well with the host.

  "Captain!"

  "Yes? What is it, Ko'ach?"

  A shout came from the right wing and a sturdy knight approached Ragurel. It was Ko'ach, the Archangel of Strength and one of the seven leaders of the expedition, along with Ragurel himself. They had spread out across the formation to more effectively respond to any ambushes, but there had been none.

  "The scouts are back. It looks like there's no one lurking around!"

  "Well, that means we'll be reaching the Fear Tower sooner than expected."

  "If I may ask, is this a wise move? Heaven has tried to eliminate him for centuries, but no one has ever succeeded..."

  Ragurel tightened his grip on the reins of his horse and gave his comrade a look of disgust, as if he had just uttered a blasphemy.

  "We're the new Seven Archangels! If we don't stop him, who will? The Deadly Sins? Don't make me laugh! They're as afraid of him as we are!"

  "Maybe we could free the Chaos Queen, she could-"

  "Are you out of your mind?! It took the combined might of heaven and hell to trap her, and we won't free that thing so she can face another monster like herself!"

  "I know, Ragurel!"

  Ko'ach responded in kind, raising his head with courage.

  "But she could help us save many lives!"

  "Lives that she herself would then eliminate after?! No! We will not free her! Choosing the lesser evil still means choosing evil, and we do not have this luxury! We are the Seven Archangels! We are Justice, Strength, Guard, Trust, Salvation, Grace and Condemnation! We are not allowed to make mistakes!"

  The Captain's harsh words silenced Ko'ach, who nodded in defeat. Ragurel felt bad for venting his anger at his comrade and tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths, but he couldn't manage to do so. For him, that wasn't just a battle for justice; it was a personal conflict.

  "Look, I'm sorry if I yelled, it's just..."

  He fell silent abruptly at the sight of one of the stakes that dotted the wasteland they were crossing.

  "Captain? Are you well...Oh..."

  His comrade tried to shake him, but stopped when he followed his gaze to a white suit of armor impaled a little further ahead. It was stained with dried blood and had several broken spots.

  Ko'ach recognized it immediately from the large mallet lying beside it. It was the armor of Raguel, Ragurel's father and the previous Archangel of Justice. He had died years earlier in the previous expedition to eliminate Almodeus, like all the Archangels of the generation before theirs.

  That's what happened when you faced a creature that exceeded the limit of the world, which in their case was level 100.

  Exactly, their reality was balanced on a level and class system like in a video game. There wasn't a reason for it: it had simply always been that way. No one had ever question how the world worked; for them, it was the norm.

  He looked toward the Captain, who was examining the remains of the armor. His face was stoic, but from the way he gripped the horse's reins aggressively, it was clear he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

  This must be hard for him...I can't even imagine how much he's suffering right now.

  He admired him; it took courage to command ten thousand angels against the most dangerous being known. It was obvious Ragurel was driven by a sense of vengeance, but he wasn't blinded by it; he would have done justice, with his heart or his sword.

  "It's all too quiet..."

  "You're right, Captain."

  Ragurel turned sharply to one of his subordinates, a squire whose name he couldn't even remember.

  "Call the other Archangels! I don't think they can ambush us in an open field..."

  "Yes, Captain!"

  Quick as lightning, the squire galloped upstream, catching up with the other expedition leaders, scattered throughout the formation.

  The first to arrive was a large, sturdy man with a holy shield as large as himself. It was Michmar, Archangel of Guard.

  Shortly afterward, a woman with long golden hair and blue eyes appeared. It was Emun, the Archangel of Trust. She was closely followed by another woman, this one with silver eyes and hair, slightly shorter than the previous one. It was Yeshua, the Archangel of Salvation.

  Finally, the last two members of the Seven arrived in pairs. An elder with white hair and a goatee and a very young woman with black hair. They were Hesed, Archangel of Grace, and Hoka'a, Archangel of Doom.

  Here they are all gathered, at the head of the ten thousand angels, ready to give their lives to complete the mission that the Archangels had been entrusted with since the beginning of time: to stop Almodeus, once and for all.

  "Wow! Not a bad tower! Do you think we can keep it after we kill him?"

  Hoka'a asked, laughing lightly.

  "No! We'll bring it down and smash it to pieces!"

  Ragurel shouted angrily, making the pegasus advance.

  "Hey! Calm down, okay? I was just joking!"

  "You shouldn't be joking! We're about to go up against a demon who has killed over twenty generations of Archangels! He killed our parents, our grandparents and so on! Why are you so immature?!"

  Ragurel's outburst surprised the remaining Archangels, who gave him a reproachful look. They understood him, but it wasn't the way to speak among comrades. The Captain, seeing those looks, snorted and clicked his tongue, leaving the others behind.

  "Since his father died he's become a bastard..."

  "The words, Hoka'a! He remains our Captain!"

  "Don't bore me, Michmar! Look...I understand, okay? We've lost many loved ones to Almodeus too! But you can't tell me I'm the only one who thinks this whole thing is crazy!"

  "You're not the only one, on that you are right. I also believe we have no hope against such a demon."

  Hesed butted in, massaging his long goatee.

  "So why did you even come?"

  "It's very simple, my dear Emun! As Archangels, it is our duty to bring peace, even to a place as rotten as hell..."

  "I'm here because, if I hadn't come, I probably would have become an outcast at home! Imagine the headlines in the newspaper! Hoka'a, Archangel who doesn't go to war with others and doesn't die needlessly!"

  There was a general chuckle. Hoka'a was the best at cheering everyone up.

  "Ahahahah! You're right!"

  Yeshu'a commented, scratching the back of his neck.

  "Hey, you guys! Are you seriously joking right now?! We're almost there!"

  Ragurel scolded them, his gaze grim. The closer they got to the Fear Tower, the worse his mood became.

  "Excuse us, Captain...We..."

  Ko'ach grumbled, lowering his head.

  "Try to concentrate, or-"

  The earth began to shake without warning, causing panic among the angels.

  "What the hell is going on?!"

  "Captain! Look over there!"

  The Archangels gazed up at a huge pillar of fire rising in the distance. Two gigantic dragon wings spat out from the fire and, with a mighty beat, extinguished it completely, revealing the creature hidden within.

  It was a colossal dragon, standing erect. It had three horns on its head and a tail as sharp as a sword, not to mention its powerful arms, its large fiery biceps, and its claws as sharp as the finest blades.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "That's Atlas, the Red Dragon Archfiend!"

  Hesed cried out in surprise, his eyes widening in surprise and fear.

  "I've already heard of it...Yeshu'a! Give me information, immediately!"

  "I know he's a high-level monster! Probably around level 90! He's been confronted by some Archangels in the past! They managed to kill him, but...There were quite a few casualties."

  The woman's report wasn't good news. The monster seemed extremely powerful, one of the most dangerous in Hell, and it was in the service of an even more dangerous being.

  Some monsters were unique, meaning only one existed. Others, like Atlas, could be summoned in multiple copies, each with its own personality and memories.

  Of course, the mere fact that Almodeus could summon a demonic dragon like Atlas—considered powerful enough to destroy a continent—without the use of any actual ritual or preparation was yet another demonstration of his infinite power.

  If the knowledge of this had intimidated the soldiers, the same was not true for Ragurel, who was instead fuming with rage.

  "He doesn't consider us worthy..."

  "What? Who?"

  "Almodeus! He doesn't deem us worthy of facing him and sends a stupid lizard in his place! Damn him!"

  Driven by blind fury, Ragurel drew his sword and forced his horse to charge towards Atlas.

  "What is he doing?! He'll get himself killed!"

  "Let's follow him, come on!"

  Wasting no time, the entire army began to move towards the dragon, but were soon stopped by another tremor.

  "What happens now?!"

  "The welcome committee is coming!"

  As Ragurel shamelessly charged Atlas, his army was stopped by an horde of undead spawned from the ground.

  "Low-level skeletons? You're really underestimating us, Almodeus!"

  Ko'ach roared, unsheathing his maul. He reined in his horse, which began to gallop toward the enemy army, overwhelming it with unprecedented fury.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  While the rest of his troop fought the undead army, Ragurel and his pegasus had caught up with the dragon. He swung his sword and attempted to strike its leg, but the colossus swung the tail and pushed him back.

  "You won't stop me!"

  The Archangel roared, gripping his sword and taking flight with the help of the pegasus.

  "You're just an idiot!"

  The dragon thundered.

  "Even if you kill me, the ending of the story won't change...The Absolute will win this time too! As always!"

  "No! I refuse to accept it!"

  Driven by rage, Ragurel charged the dragon. His sword began to glow with holy energy.

  "Justice Slash!"

  He swung his weapon and a beam of light shot towards Atlas, who took it head on, responding with a fiery fist. The dragon's extraordinary resilience had allowed him to withstand the damage and prepare a counterattack. The Captain would not have been able to dodge it in the situation he found himself in.

  "Absolute Powerforce!"

  The blow connected squarely with Ragurel, killing his pegasus and throwing the angel dozens of meters away, sending him tumbling to the ground like a whipped dog.

  "You are nothing but scum! I will not allow you to advance further! The Absolute has spoken, and I obey!"

  The dragon thundered, shooting a blast of flame towards Ragurel.

  "Captain!"

  "Divine Shield!"

  With a heroic leap, Michmar placed himself between Ragurel and the beam of fire, blocking it with his shield.

  "The Absolute will not forgive me for being late, I must thin out your ranks first."

  Atlas pointed his claw at the angelic army.

  "Hell Fire!"

  A massive meteorite appeared in the sky, piercing the clouds. The sacred army could only watch in shock as the colossal, fiery boulder crashed into them, decimating their forces. There was a massive explosion, shaking the entire battlefield. The number of corpses was uncountable, surpassing human computation.

  That used by Atlas was a level 10 spell, the pinnacle of arcane magic. The fact that a creature capable of so much was merely a servant made the Archangels' hearts skip a beat. They realized then that, even if they had won, there would be a more difficult opponent after that.

  "No.…No! Nooooo!"

  Ragurel fell to the ground in tears, watching his allies die because of him. If they had all charged together, perhaps things would have turned out differently. He had been foolish. He had attacked Atlas not out of justice, but out of vengeance. It was like spitting on the memory of his father. He was being a disappointment for everyone.

  "Captain, we must retreat!"

  "No! We will not retreat! We will kill that dragon and then Almodeus too! Gather the others! I will tolerate no more losses!"

  Michmar reluctantly obeyed and managed to gather all the other Archangels, who were busy tending their comrades wounds.

  "What do we do, Ragurel?"

  "We'll kill him!"

  "And how?!"

  "Follow what I do!"

  With that, Ragurel grabbed his sword and picked it up from the ground. His red eyes fixed on Atlas and would not leave him until he was dead.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Atlas watched the enemies regroup and smiled. They stood no chance against him. He began to advance slowly toward them, crushing all the undead in his path. They were merely expendable pawns in his eyes, as he was in the eyes of the Absolute.

  "Surrender and I will give you a painless death!"

  "This is our answer: never!"

  Ragurel drew his sword and led the charge toward the dragon, which responded with a blast of flame from its jaws.

  "Divine Shield!"

  Once again, the blow was blocked by Michmar, allowing the others to reach Atlas' legs.

  "Root of Evil!"

  With his scales broken in half, Hoka'a summoned dark roots from the ground, which pinned the dragon's left leg.

  "Root of Good!"

  With his part of the scales, Hesed did the same thing, but summoned sacred roots, preventing the dragon from using his right leg.

  "You little ones...!"

  "Hey! I'm here, you idiot!"

  Ko'ach drew his maul and charged Atlas, leaping toward him.

  "You're just a bug! Absolute Powerforce!"

  He fired his fist again, preparing to strike his opponent.

  "Strength Above All!"

  Using his primary skill, Ko'ach clashed his maul with the dragon's fist, creating a stalemate.

  "You won't last long!"

  Atlas was right. If things hadn't changed, Ko'ach would surely have been eliminated. His mission was to eliminate the intruders before the Absolute lost patience.

  The Absolute Will tear me to pieces if I make too much noise. I must hurry with this scum!

  Atlas knew his life was hanging by a thread. He'd been told not to make too much noise, yet he hadn't been able to restrain himself. Victory wasn't necessarily enough to appease his master's wrath.

  He felt his opponent's strength weaken. Even as an archangel, he was helpless against a demonic dragon empowered by the magic of the Absolute. Atlas expected cries of pain or exertion, but instead he heard mocking laughter.

  "Unlike you, I'm not alone!"

  "Huh?"

  -It was then that he realized he was surrounded

  While the two were engaged in a contest of strength, Yeshu'a and Emun threw themselves at the dragon's wings with their respective weapons.

  "Grace Kiss!"

  "Holly Trust!"

  The dragon's cries reverberated throughout the land. Its majestic wings had been pierced by those magic attacs, rendering them completely useless for flight.

  Normally, he would not have suffered such severe damage, but the Archangels' enchanted weapons managed to overcome his passive defenses.

  Atlas could have healed himself after the battle, but it was not certain that the Absolute would grant him such a luxury.

  Regardless, that was a blow to his pride - he was truly furious now.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Ragurel sneered as he saw Atlas's face twist in pain. The double attack had worked, and his morale had risen. Future blows would be more decisive.

  "I will kill you all!"

  Atlas roared, furious.

  "Not today, monster!!!!"

  Ragurel lunged at the Red Dragon Archfiend, aiming for his head. With one arm blocked by Ko'ach and the other too far away, Atlas would not be able to parry the Archangel's attack, or so Ragurel believed.

  "Absolute Fire!"

  The fragon's neck ignited and a devastating flame burst from its mouth, engulfing him. His companions watched in horror as their Captain was engulfed in a fire capable of destroying entire landscapes.

  Ragurel's armor melted against his skin, making him cry out in pain, but he didn't let go of his sword and continued to advance towards the dragon.

  "Impossible!"

  "Divine...Justice!"

  With a precise strike, Ragurel swung his sword and split the creature's neck, driving the blade into its windpipe.The dragon's defenses had been weakened by the various magical attacks launched previously, and it was now over for him.

  Atlas slowly began to disappear, now defeated.

  "This...It doesn't change...Nothing!"

  The dragon thundered, placing a hand on his neck. It was no use, blood was now gushing from the wound like a raging river.

  "My Absolute Lord! Forgive…Me…"

  With that final cry, Atlas stopped moving, then disappeared altogether, causing Ragurel's sword to fall to the ground.

  "We did it!"

  Emun rejoiced.

  "Yeah..."

  Ragurel smiled, falling to the ground exhausted.

  "Wait, Captain!"

  Yeshu'a cast an eighth-level healing spell, regenerating most of the soldier's wounds. Ragurel remained in critical condition, but would not die for now.

  "It's not over..."

  The Captain muttered, surveying the undead army before them. The angelic army had been reduced to fewer than two-thousand soldiers and would not survive against such a large number of undead. They had to retreat and regroup…But it was too late.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  From the top of the Fear Tower, a small red light shot up into the sky and then fell like a meteor onto the battlefield, generating a shockwave so powerful that it eliminated most of the undead and angelic knights within its radius.

  "Here it is...It's arrived!"

  Ragurel stood, surveying the being who had just descended onto the battlefield. He immediately grabbed his sword, still stained with Atlas's blood. He glanced back and forth between his weapon and the newcomer, mentally preparing himself for the impending battle.

  He was over twelve feet tall, dressed in a black suit, and a top hat with a mouth and an eye perched on his head. His skin was gray, except for his right hand, which glowed with a demonic red energy. His eyes were two-toned, the right one crimson with a black retina, while the other was jet black. What most caught the eye of that creature was the symbol in the center of his chest: a red A inscribed within a circle of the same color. It was the same A engraved on the tower above, but with one difference: the demon's A pulsated like a beating heart.

  "C- Captain...He is... "

  "Yes, Yeshu'a. It's him! Almodeus! Demon of Fear and…Our target!"

  Ever since Almodeus had entered the battlefield, everything had stopped. No one dared take even a step, neither the Angels nor the undead. The one who broke the stalemate was Ragurel, who shouted at the top of his lungs:

  "You finally decided to face us, you bastard! What is this? Were you scared?!"

  "..."

  Almodeus remained silent, simply observing his opponents. He had the same look on his face as someone watching monkeys at the zoo.

  "You're not going to tell me you don't consider us worthy enough to not even talk to us!"

  "You look familiar to me..."

  The demon's tone was detached, as if he were talking to himself. It was clear Almodeus didn't see Ragurel and the others as enemies- they weren't dangerous enough to be considered as such. He was treating them as if they were mere inconveniences.

  "Of course I do! My name is Ragurel! Archangel of Justice! I am here to put an end to your reign of terror! Your tyranny and your-"

  "You remind me so much of your father."

  "Don't you dare talk about my father! You killed him, and I'm here to avenge him!"

  At that accusation, Almodeus simply sneered.

  "Avenge him? Oh, how naive you are, little boy. You came here to die, nothing else. You are different from the other Archangels I've faced. You are less... Mature."

  The Absolute Lord scoffed, then continued with a smile.

  "Even though I have deprived you of your father's guidance, you're as boring as he was."

  "What? What did you say?!"

  That comment sparked something in the Archangel. He took a few steps forward, clutching his sacred blade. But Almodeus remained calm and composed, and continued his rant.

  "Even though you've evolved to the Archangel class, you're still just a low-ranking angelic soldier. You're nothing but a false copycat. All of you! I'm surprised..."

  Almodeus laughed lightly, opening his arms in an overly theatrical pose.

  "I didn't expected that killing your parents would have such a ripple effect! I robbed you of your destiny...How does that make you feel?"

  Ragurel let out a furious cry. With tears in his eyes, he rushed at Almodeus with his sword drawn.

  "Shut up! Shut up! You will die! Today!"

  "You're pathetic..."

  The demon simply waved his hand, as if slapping a brat. Ragurel was hurled back to his starting point, and the Archangel's holy sword was snapped in two as if it were made of paper mache. The weapon, forged from one of the strongest metals in the world, enchanted with the highest level of holy magic...Had it been destroyed so easily? Everyone doubted their own eyesight at that moment.

  "Captain!'

  Yeshu'a immediately rushed to his companion's aid, raining down healing spells.

  "You can't escape now, Almodeus! You're surrounded!"

  The Archangel roared, struggling to his feet. He had lost his sword, but not his will to fight.

  "Pfff..."

  "Huh?"

  "Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

  The demon's uncontained, sadistic laughter reverberated across the battlefield, startling everyone onlookers. Normally, laughter was contagious, but now- Almodeus was the only one laughing. He seemed unrestrained, almost mad. At a certain point, then…

  "Ah-"

  ...The laughter stopped abruptly, Almodeus remained frozen with his mouth open and his head tilted upwards.

  "Escape? Who? From what? Where?"

  A dark energy began to build around the demon, as his face contorted, going from a smile to a distorted, terrifying expression. It looked like rage.

  "But above all…WHY?!!!!"

  The battlefield was filled with unparalleled energy. The angelic soldiers' heads began to pop like balloons, one by one.

  "You dared to come here and disturb her! You made her cry! How dare you? How dare you?! Death is not enough for scum like you! I will give you insolent scum my worst treatment!"

  Darkness settled in. The seven Archangels, now alone, were paralyzed with terror. They felt their souls leaving their bodies. They had angered someone who should never have been angered.

  "You will cease to exist here and now! But your souls will suffer forever!"

  Saints, criminals, monsters, angels: it didn't matter. Now one of the world's great truths was clear for everyone...Fear had no mercy for anything or anyone.

  "Soldiers! Attac-"

  Ragurel's words caught in his throat. He was the only one left alive. Only half an hour later was he allowed to die.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Almodeus placed Ragurel's bloodstained helmet on a stake, next to that of his late father. He took the Archangel's sword and repaired it with a spell, then gave it to a nearby undead.

  "Take it to the memorabilia room, find a place for it."

  The skeleton nodded and walked away, leaving Almodeus alone.

  The demon reentered the tower at a brisk pace, walking through the silent corridors until he stopped abruptly in the center of one. A child's cries could be heard from the room to his right.

  Inside, on a double bed, sat a woman with long red hair and deep pink skin, just under six feet tall. In front of her was a small cradle, which was being gently rocked, as if to stop the baby inside from crying.

  The woman sighed, visibly tired. She brought her hands to her eyes and rubbed them, breathing another exhausted sigh. Despite her human appearance, she was a demon, or rather, a sinner. A mortal soul transformed into a demon after her death.

  The infant in the cradle was also a demon. Her skin was dark pink, verging on gray, and her right hand was red. Her right eye, closed with tears, was as red as the hair of the woman rocking her cradle.

  At that moment, the door to the room opened and Almodeus entered, wiping some bloodstains from his robe. Instead of being frightened by the sight of the dark presence, the woman smiled and beckoned him closer with a tired wave of her hand.

  "You're finally back, darling. Almodea won't stop crying..."

  "I am sorry."

  Almodeus sat down next to her on the bed, placing a hand on her back, gently massaging it. The anger or disinterest he'd felt before had completely vanished. His expression now showed only sympathy and understanding.

  "Those angels made a real mess! They woke her up! After all the hours I spent trying to calm her down, now she is crying again!"

  "Don't worry, darling. I took care of it, as usual."

  "Thank you. What would I do without you?"

  Anyone would have thought the woman was a slave or a servant, but she was none other than Almodeus's wife, called C. The crying baby in the cradle was their only child, Almodea. Few knew this secret: that the most feared being in the universe lived secluded in his tower with a "normal" family.

  C let out a huge yawn and stretched, leaning on the demon next to her for physical support.

  "How tired..."

  "Do you want to sleep? I'll take care of Almodea."

  "Thanks. She's been screaming all day! Normally it's not a problem, but I slept terribly last night. I'm exhausted!"

  "Go ahead and rest..."

  He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and laid her down on the bed.

  "I'll take care of it here."

  "Mhm...Okay."

  As if under a spell, C fell asleep as soon as she reached her side of the marital bed. She was exhausted; the birth had been difficult, and caring for a newborn like Almodea was no easy task. Almodeus sighed and looked at the crying little girl.

  And now what do I do?

  He was a powerful demon, fear personified, the end of all things, a being who had killed more people than he could remember, but he had never been a father. He had just gotten used to being a loving husband, had just learned how to satisfy his wife, both in bed and out. It was all new to him. He had spent centuries alone with his robotic or undead subordinates, he had never filled bottles, changed diapers, and he certainly didn't know how to stop a baby from crying.

  "Um...Come on, little one, calm down. What's wrong? Hungry? No... Mommy already fed you a little while ago."

  He tried scratching her cheek with one of his clawed fingers. Unexpectedly, the little girl seemed to suddenly calm down. When she was with her father, she seemed calmer. Ironic, when you think about it...

  "Good girl. Don't cry, let mommy rest and-"

  The little girl bit his finger.

  "Um...Is that normal or what?"

  The little girl started laughing, biting her father's big finger even harder with her toothless gums, as if it were a carrot.

  "I'm not sure, but as long as you don't cry, I'm fine with it..."

  Strap!

  "Mh?"

  With one swift movement, the little girl snatched the demon's finger away, continuing to play with it as if nothing had happened.

  "Um..."

  He didn't know what to say. Was this normal? Almodeus had no idea, but his intuition told him otherwise. He looked at his severed finger and began to laugh along with his daughter. The little girl had already inherited some of his strength; she could probably tear off his entire arm if he'd let her. It was ironic to think that, just a few years ago, he would never have considered having children- and now Almodeus couldn't help but feel love for this little creature born from his ink. He couldn't explain why, but the mere thought of losing her infuriated him. He calmed down, watching the little girl bite her amputated finger again.

  "Better tell Mom when she wakes up, what do you say?"

  The severed finger began to regenerate. Almodeus could heal any wound, but his wife could not. She was quite weak compared to the average infernal being. He found it amusing that their child was a theoretical threat to existence at only a few months old; she was certainly his daughter. He was happy, but at the same time slightly worried. He would have to keep an eye on his wife whenever she was with the infant, lest she cast a spell capable of destroying half the tower.

  He looked back at the little girl, who was still playing with his severed finger. He couldn't help but smile. Almodeus had always been an Absolute ruler, thinking only for himself, but now he could no longer do so. He had to care for his beloved wife and their little daughter. Fear was selfish, it came when it wanted and did what it pleased, without being accountable to anyone. It had always sought its own happiness, at the expense of others, culminating in the end of all things.

  -Now he had a different purpose, though. To bring happiness to his family.

  "You really like my finger, huh?"

  "Da-Da!"

  His eyes widened. Even though she hadn't yet developed his first teeth, she was already trying to speak.

  "You're obviously a demon, you're already ahead of the game! Heh heh!"

  The demon laughed, rubbing the little girl's head very affectionately.

  "My little inkblot. I will protect your smile, Almodea. Dad will always be there for you."

  Many had opposed him to protect their young. Almodeus had always assumed it was for some reason or another, but now he could understand better- he finally understood what it meant to love a child. He hugged the little girl close to him, as if she were the most important treasure in the world.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Eighteen years later, in a completely different world, three figures found themselves in a cemetery, ready to begin some sort of ritual. Once this failed, they were all dead, unable to understand what they had unleashed.

  They had evoked fear in their world and not just it.

  A new evil had arrived.

  A new good had arrived.

  A new villain had arrived.

  A new hero had arrived.

  He had arrived...the Absolute Lord.