Love is Madness.

Stoneess

It appears that I have made this chapter overly dramatic, sorry in advance.

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A tremor shook the battlefield, jolting everyone back to the immediate threat. The once-proud monument dedicated to restraining the depths of Reinhard's power now resembled a spider web of cracks, groaning under an unseen pressure. Feldway's mutter morphed into a panicked shout, "Everyone back! It's collapsing!"

Panic ripped through the remaining angels. They scrambled back, wings beating a frantic rhythm against the dust-choked air.

Reinhard, however, remained unfazed. His smile, however, seemed to hold a hint of amusement as he watched the monument crumble. "Destruction begets destruction," he mused, a touch of philosophical detachment in his voice. "The irony is not lost on me."

Ashura, who just experienced the tip of Reinhard's might, landed with a heavy thud amongst the debris of the monument. His entire body throbbed with pain, the cracks from Reinhard's attack spreading like a malevolent disease. Yet, a flicker of defiance still burned in his remaining eye.

"You… bastard…" he rasped, the words laced with fury and a newfound terror. "What have you done?"

Reinhard tilted his head, a gesture that felt unsettlingly patronizing. "Merely a side effect of my power. The monument, imbued with this world's magic, cannot withstand the sheer force of my divinity. Consider it a… purification ritual."

"Purification? You call this… this destruction… purification?!" Ashura roared, his voice raw with pain and rage.

"Ikanimo" Reinhard replied serenely. "This world has been tainted by your filthy ways. It needs a cleansing fire to pave the way for something new, something beautiful."

Ashura's rage boiled over. He lunged at Reinhard, his remaining hand a blur of motion. But before he could even connect, a blinding light engulfed them both. The angels cried out, shielding their eyes with their wings.

When the light faded, the battlefield had undergone another transformation. The once-familiar landscape was now a swirling vortex of colors, chaotic and mesmerizing. Ashura stood suspended within the vortex, his broken body seemingly held together by an unseen force. Reinhard, unharmed, floated opposite him, his golden aura pulsing faintly.

"Welcome," Reinhard spoke, his voice echoing within the vortex, "to Gladsheimr, my personal dimension."

Ashura's lone eye widened in a mixture of fear and confusion. "What… what is this place?" he stammered.

"This," Reinhard declared, spreading his arms wide, "is where you will witness the true extent of my power. Here, you are completely at my mercy."

A cruel smile played on Reinhard's lips. The fight was far from over. It had only just begun, and the stage was set for a display of power that would leave even the most seasoned warriors trembling in fear.

Just as Ashura opened his mouth to speak, a new sensation washed over him. Something immense, powerful, materialized behind Reinhard. A brilliant spear, radiating an otherworldly glow, slowly took shape. Runes danced across its surface, pulsing with a crimson light. This was Longinuslanze Testament, the very embodiment of Reinhard's power.

The remaining angels gasped. This was the spear they'd only heard whispers about, the weapon that held the power to reshape destinies.

Ashura stared, his eye widening in a mix of fear and awe. "What… what is that?" he stammered.

Reinhard chuckled, a chilling sound that echoed through the vortex. "This," he declared, raising the spear high, "is the instrument of your demise. Longinuslanze Testament, the spear that severs fate"

An eerie silence descended upon the battlefield, broken only by the rasping breaths of the remaining giants. Everyone held their breath, waiting for what would happen next.

A tense silence reigned over the battlefield after Reinhard revealed Longinuslanze Testament. The remaining giants huddled together, trembling with fear. The celestial beings, Feldway and his angels, watched with wide eyes, their awe tinged with a chilling dread.

Reinhard, however, held a different emotion in his eyes - amusement. He lowered the spear slightly, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "You are a disappointment, Ashura," he declared, his voice echoing in the swirling vortex of Gladsheimr. "So much rage, so much destruction, yet so easily broken."

Intending to see where a giant's desperation can reach, Reinhard willingly handed 10,000 souls towards Ashura who was stunned by the action.

«Conditions have been met. Elevating individual 'Ashura' to a new level»

The voice of the world rang as Ashura began experiencing demonlordification. The 10,000 souls were consumed by his body igniting one of the most notable transformations within this world. He will now drop the shell of a mortal and slowly transcend towards the top. This madness of a choice that Reinhard chose was equivalent to insanity. He literally birthed one of the most terrifying beings the universe could ever face.

Ashura, his body reformed and pulsating with newfound power, roared in defiance. The 10,000 souls he had absorbed fueled a surge of energy that coursed through his veins. He felt stronger, faster, more potent than ever before. His body was reformed. But even with this power boost, he could sense the vast gulf between himself and the Divine One.

"You call this broken?" Ashura bellowed, his voice resonating with the ferocity of a demon lord awakened. "I will tear you apart, piece by agonizing piece!"

Reinhard tilted his head, a gesture that seemed to mock Ashura's bravado. "Perhaps," he conceded, "but will it be satisfying? Will it offer me the spectacle I desire?"

He raised Longinuslanze Testament again, the spear humming with power. "You see, Ashura, your path is one of destruction, but destruction alone is empty. It lacks… love."

Ashura scoffed. "Love? What do you know of love? You speak of purification, yet you destroy everything in your path!"

"Ah, but therein lies the beauty of my love," Reinhard said, his voice taking on a philosophical tone. "It is a love that encompasses all. Creation and destruction, beauty and ugliness, life and death. I love it all, for it is through this all-encompassing love that I can rebuild anew."

"That's not love! That's… that's madness!" Ashura roared, his newly awakened power manifesting in demonic armor that adorned his body. He lunged at Reinhard, his fists crackling with chaotic energy.

The Divine One did not move. The attack connected with a deafening boom, but Reinhard remained unfazed. He simply smiled, a chilling expression of detached curiosity. "Is this all you can offer? Where is the fury that once burned so brightly? Where is the despair that threatened to consume you?"

Ashura, frustrated and enraged, unleashed a flurry of attacks. He smashed his fist into the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through Gladsheimr. He unleashed a torrent of dark energy that scorched the swirling vortex. Yet, none of it seemed to faze Reinhard, who continued to observe the display with an unsettling calmness.

"You are a child throwing tantrums," Reinhard declared. "Your rage is but a pale imitation of true power. True power comes not from destruction alone, but from the understanding that destruction is a necessary part of creation."

Ashura roared again, a primal scream of defiance. He knew he was outmatched, but the thought of surrendering to this all-powerful being was unbearable. He pushed his newfound demonic power to its limit, unleashing an attack that ripped through the very fabric of Gladsheimr.

The vortex trembled violently, threatening to collapse. Even the celestial beings watching from afar felt a surge of fear as they witnessed the raw power unleashed.

The battlefield fell silent once more. The remaining giants watched with bated breath, unsure of what awaited them. The giants exchanged worried glances, a sense of unease gnawing at them. The fate of Ashura hung in the balance, and with it, the fate of their race.

Ashura, who just awakened as a demon lord, roared with renewed fury. Gone was the broken shell, replaced by a hulking, demonic figure radiating an aura of raw, chaotic energy. Yet, even in his empowered state, a tremor of fear ran through him as he gazed upon Reinhard.

The Divine One, perched atop of his throne, held aloft Longinuslanze Testament. The spear, radiating an otherworldly glow, pulsed with a terrifying power. Ashura knew, with a horrifying certainty, that a single touch from that weapon meant oblivion.

"Is this all you can offer?" Reinhard's voice echoed within the swirling vortex of Gladsheimr. "Where is the fury that once burned so brightly, Ashura? Where is the despair that threatened to consume you?"

Ashura didn't respond with words. He lunged. Not with brute force, but with a speed that defied even the warped physics of Gladsheimr. He contorted his body, ignoring its limitations, becoming a blur of motion aimed at disarming Reinhard.

But the Divine One seemed to anticipate the attack. He didn't move, yet the spear tip blurred, deflecting Ashura's fist with a deafening clang. The shockwave rippled outwards, distorting the vortex itself.

Ashura, fueled by rage and desperation, unleashed a barrage of attacks. He punched with fists wreathed in dark energy, kicked with legs that could shatter mountains, even summoned meteors of pure malice from the swirling chaos. Each attack was faster, stronger, more destructive than the last.

Yet, each attack met the same fate. Longinuslanze Testament, a weapon designed to pierce the very fabric of reality, effortlessly deflected everything Ashura threw at it. The frustration gnawed at the newly awakened Demon Lord. His primal rage, the very fuel of his power, began to falter under the weight of his impotence.

Reinhard, however, remained impassive. His voice, devoid of emotion, cut through the chaos like a knife. "Is this your love, Ashura? A love that seeks only to destroy? A love that consumes all in its path?"

His words, laced with a twisted philosophy, were like a mental whip. They lashed at the foundations of Ashura's being, the very beliefs that had driven him all this time. Love as destruction? Was this all his rage, his suffering, had amounted to? A twisted reflection of the supposed "love" that Reinhard espoused?

Doubt, a cold serpent, coiled around Ashura's heart. His attacks faltered, his movements became sluggish. The once-ferocious roar in his throat turned into a choked gasp.

Reinhard, sensing the shift, took a step forward. The vortex shimmered as he moved, the very fabric of this dimension bending to his will. "Perhaps," he continued, his voice low and dangerous, "it is time for you to understand what true love means."

He raised Longinuslanze Testament, its tip aimed directly at Ashura's heart. The white light at its tip pulsed faster, growing in intensity with each passing moment. Fear, raw and primal, surged through Ashura. This was it. This was the end.

But even in the face of annihilation, a flicker of defiance remained in Ashura's single, burning eye. He wouldn't go down without a fight. He wouldn't let this twisted being win.

With a desperate roar that echoed through the vortex, Ashura did the unthinkable. He reached deep within himself, drawing upon the very essence of his being. A blinding light erupted from his body, pushing back against the oppressive aura of Gladsheimr. The vortex itself began to tremble violently as Ashura unleashed a power he never knew he possessed.

A blinding light emanated from Ashura's core, pushing back against the oppressive aura of Gladsheimr. The vortex writhed in protest, distorted by the sheer power radiating from the newly awakened Demon Lord. This wasn't just rage or despair anymore. It was a primal scream, a desperate plea for existence itself.

"You… will not… define… destruction!" Ashura roared, his voice a distorted echo within the churning vortex. His demonic form pulsed with an unholy light, the very fabric of his being straining under the exertion. He channeled everything he had – the fury that fueled within his whole being, the urge to conquer the world, the pain and suffering that birthed his monstrous rage. It all coalesced into a single, desperate attack.

With a movement that defied time itself, Ashura blurred into a storm of fists and claws. He rained down a barrage of blows so fast, so violent, that they seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality. The air crackled with chaotic energy, the ground beneath Reinhard's throne crumbling to dust.

But the Divine One remained unfazed. His golden aura pulsed in response, deflecting each blow effortlessly. Longinuslanze Testament, a shimmering beacon of death, hummed with a terrifying power.

"A valiant effort," Reinhard conceded, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "But ultimately futile. Your love, Ashura, is a twisted reflection, a mockery of the true power that flows through me."

As the last of Ashura's attack dissipated, Reinhard raised the spear high. The white light at its tip flared, blindingly bright. This was it. This was the end. Ashura knew it, felt it in his very core. He had poured everything he had into that last attack, and it wasn't enough.

A desperate scream ripped from his throat. "No… I won't… let you win!" He slammed his fists together, the energy radiating from his body reaching a fever pitch. In a final act of defiance, Ashura unleashed a wave of pure, chaotic energy, a self-destructive explosion aimed at engulfing both him and Reinhard.

The vortex screamed in agony as the energy surged through it. For a split second, a blinding light filled the void. Then, a deafening silence descended. The existence called Ashura was no more.

When the light faded, the vortex shimmered precariously. In place of the raging Ashura, three figures stood suspended. One, tall and imposing with flowing blue hair, radiated an aura of raw power. The second, cloaked in an emerald green mist, sported an evil grin. The third, shrouded in an ominous purple light, exuded an air of quiet despair.

Reinhard, unharmed, lowered Longinuslanze Testament. A faint smile played on his lips. "As expected," he murmured, his voice echoing in the stunned silence. "The spear of destiny has fulfilled its purpose. The fractured soul of Ashura… separated."

The three figures, bound by an invisible tether, looked at each other with confusion and dawning horror.

"Who… are you?" the blue-haired figure boomed, his voice filled with confusion.

"What… have you done?" the green-haired one hissed, his eyes flickering with the urge to destroy.

The purple-haired figure simply stared, his expression a mask of silent despair.

Reinhard chuckled, a chilling sound that reverberated through the fractured vortex. "You are the fragments of Ashura," he declared. "You are his power, his evil, and his pride. And I… I am the one who has brought you to light."

The three figures, bewildered and enraged, roared in unison before falling down unconscious from exhaustion.

Reinhard has won the battle so it is for him to write the history thus he declared. "The being named Ashura will now be forgotten till the end of time. No one shall ever spoke of his name again" he said before taking a seat back into his throne.