Stand Proud

"It's not going to be a fight."

"Huh?"

Lucifer felt like pulling his hair in annoyance as he stood, his injuries healed and his patience wearing thin. "Now's not the time for cryptic bullshit," he said, raising his hand in a placating manner. "Look, my bad. I'll answer. What do you want?"

Adam remained silent, focusing on rolling up his sleeves and removing his shoes, a gesture that only fueled Lucifer's frustration. "Silent treatment? Real mature, Adam!" Lucifer exclaimed, his voice tinged with exasperation. "Fucks sake Adam, a bad joke is not a reason to start a fight!"

Adam's continued silence grated on Lucifer's nerves, his anger simmering beneath the surface. "Say something!" Lucifer demanded, his frustration boiling over into anger.

Adam finally stopped, his gaze locking onto Lucifer's with a disinterest that sent a shiver down Lucifer's spine. Adam's face remained neutral, but his eyes blazed crimson.

"I'm going to hurt you, Serpent."

"Wha-.!"Lucifer's retort died in his throat as Adam's form disappeared from his view, only to reappear with blinding speed. Pain exploded in his abdomen, the First Man's fist nearly turning his innards to mush. As his body was blasted away for the second time that day, a small part of Lucifer was glad he chose to skip breakfast. The impact sent him tumbling across the ground, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.

 Quickly, he righted his body and took to the sky, his six blood-red wings unfurled, revealing their glory as they pushed Lucifer several miles into the sky. He wiped the trail of warm liquid leaking from his lips with the back of his hand, then brought it up to his eyes to look at the bright golden blood staining his hand. A dark expression appeared on his face, his sclera turning from a sickly yellow color to crimson, reflecting his growing frustration.

 Lucifer glared at the Exorcist standing on the ground, seemingly more concerned with staring at his fist with an unreadable expression than paying attention to Lucifer's plight.

 Taking a deep breath, Lucifer closed his eyes to control his anger. No matter how fallen and how deep their animosity ran, a part of Lucifer had always cared for the First Man. Adam's revival was a welcomed sight. Lucifer did not wish to repeat what happened two weeks ago. However, if power was the only thing that could calm Adam...

Well, the title "King of Hell" was not for show.

If that's how you want it.

 Returning his gaze to Adam, who was throwing some jabs with a disappointed expression, Lucifer let his Authority fuel his words. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

 All he received in response was a raised eyebrow.

Adam disappeared again.

Lucifer's wings flared wide, conjuring a sphere of divine light around his body, dozens of overlapping shields of ethereal energy each enforcing it further. Each shield of ethereal energy enforced the next, creating an impenetrable barrier that only the Archangels could breach.

 Yet, all it could accomplish was diverting Adam's fist mere centimeters away from Lucifer's head as the First Man's arm ripped through the defenses.

Both men clicked their tongues in annoyance but for different reasons.

 With Adam's arm trapped inside the barrier, Lucifer willed his sphere to reform outward, reshaping itself into a prison, leaving Adam's body encased with his arm sticking out. Not wanting to miss the chance, Lucifer uttered words in the Language of the Beginning that would drive mortals to madness in a fraction of a second. He aimed two fingers at Adam's suspended form, then pointed down.

"F̴͕̪͚̘̤̽̑̂ą̶̧̡͉̠̞̱͙͇͚̯͇̂l̶̡̢͕̹͉̬̼̜̰͔͐͐̊̒̄̿̏̕ͅl̷̛̮͇͕̣̇͒̎̓͌͐̾̃̋̓͘."

 Gravity increased ten thousand folds, crushing the First Man and the barrier from within, and hurling both into the ground. The resulting shock wave sent a ripple across the landscape, causing fissures to appear in the surrounding rocks. The pressure increased, the sphere cracking and collapsing inward, the air screaming in protest.

 "I'm not done!" Lucifers declared, his Authority summoning chains of hellfire, each link as wide as a man's arm. The binds erupted from the ground and snaked toward Adam bypassing the barrier. The chains wrapped around Adam's head, limbs, and torso, burning with an intensity that could incinerate most beings.

Finally, Lucifer launched into the air, conjuring spears of light that rained down upon Adam. The spears struck with pinpoint accuracy, each explosion shaking the ground and lighting up the sky with flashes of divine brilliance.

 Lucifer looked at the destruction and might of the spells working together. he had no idea how Adam returned, but it was clear that he had become stronger. Far stronger than before, the dull pain in his abdomen made that clear enough, however, even he wouldn't leave this unscathed. It wouldn't kill Adam- that was something he wished to avoid-, but it would make sure he sat his ass down

Lucifer continued his musings as he looked at where Adam's body was being crushed and burned. He could see nothing aside from the massive sphere of hell flames and holy energy ripping apart the ground.

 Yet, whether it was his imagination or a trick of the light, he saw Adam stand.

 He saw Adam's eyes look at him.

 "Wha-"

 They flashed red, and Lucifer's spells disappeared out of existence. leaving nothing but a massive crater where Adam stood.

 As Lucifer watched in disbelief, Adam stood unscathed amid the destruction. His eyes locked onto Lucifer's, and at that moment, Lucifer knew that something was terribly wrong.

 Immediately, sensing the impending strike, Lucifer recreated his Sphere of Protection. This time, he reinforced it with hundreds of barriers. Each barrier shimmered with a different hue, indicating its unique defensive function. Some glowed with a brilliant blue, ready to absorb and neutralize incoming force. Others emitted a fiery red, primed to deflect and redirect any attacks. Together, they formed a layered shield around Lucifer, a complex web of defensive magic ready to repel even the most powerful of blows

It almost made him taunt the bastard to try his luck.

Almost.

But Adam didn't disappear as he expected him. Simply, Adam pointed two fingers, and he spoke.

 He spoke the Language of the Creation.

Adam pointed his fingers down.

'No..'

 Lucifer's blood ran cold.

 "

F̴͕̪͚̘̤̽̑̂ą̶̧̡͉̠̞̱͙͇͚̯͇̂l̶̡̢͕̹͉̬̼̜̰͔͐͐̊̒̄̿̏̕ͅl̷̛̮͇͕̣̇͒̎̓͌͐̾̃̋̓͘."

."

 The barriers Lucifer had erected shattered like glass, unable to withstand the sheer force of Adam's will. Lucifer was sent downwards hurtling through the air, his body twisting and contorting as if caught in a maelstrom. 

Gravity itself bent to Adam's will, pulling at Lucifer with an irresistible force. But Lucifer fought back. With a roar of defiance, he channeled his power, pushing back against the overwhelming force bearing down on him.

For a moment, it seemed as though Lucifer might succeed in resisting Adam's command. His muscles strained with the effort, and he felt a flicker of hope ignite within him.

He opened his mouth to invoke his own Authority, but then, with a suddenness that took him by surprise, Adam's leg lashed out, striking Lucifer with a force that sent shockwaves through his body. He cried out in pain as he was sent tumbling through the air, his body folding in two from the impact of Adam's kick.

As Lucifer soared through the air, his body contorted in agony from Adam's devastating kick, he crashed through the landscape, tearing through hills and sending debris flying in his wake. With a supreme effort, he managed to halt his momentum, coming to a shaky stop amidst the destruction.

Breathing heavily, Lucifer lifted his head, only to find a spear of blinding light mere inches from his face. He only had the time for his eyes to widen in realization.

The Spear detonated into a colossal explosion of holy energy that dwarfed the surrounding mountains.

The blast engulfed Lucifer in a blinding light, searing heat, and deafening noise. The shockwave ripped through the surroundings, shattering the nearby plateaus and shaking all of the Pride Ring. With a great effort and from within the blast, Lucifer let out a jet stream of Hell Flames. His flames strained against the overwhelming force, but they held, protecting him from the worst of the blast.

As the explosion subsided and the dust settled, Lucifer stood amidst the devastation, his body battered and singed, his head down.

His body was whole, but his mind was breaking apart.

Adam, who had died, had returned.

Adam, who was not a True Angel, had used the Spear of Light.

Adam, who was not an Archangel, had spoken the Language of Creation.

What the fuck?!

What the fuck?!

What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?! What the fuck?!

Lucifer's mind reeled as he struggled to understand what was happening. His thoughts raced, jumping from one explanation to another in a desperate attempt to make sense of the impossible.

Could Adam have been granted new powers in death? Had he made a pact with a higher power? Had HE returned? Was this some kind of elaborate illusion or trickery? Or perhaps Adam had been holding back his true strength all along, waiting for the perfect moment to unleash it.

FUCK!

None of the explanations seemed to fit, each one raising more questions than answers. Lucifer's head throbbed with the effort of trying to comprehend the incomprehensible.

Amid his mental turmoil, Lucifer's senses snapped to attention as he realized two critical truths:

First, Adam had vanished from his sight, which was pretty fucking bad as when that happened, Lucifer got punched or kicked. Hard.

Second, if Adam could copy the powers of Gravity and the Spear of Light, then that meant...

With a surge of panic, Lucifer's instincts urged him to take flight, but before his wings could propel him skyward, the Chains of Hell erupted from the ground, ensnaring his limbs and grounding him in place.

As if in cruel response to his first question, a tingling sensation crawled up Lucifer's neck, Trapped by the infernal chains, he could only twist his neck to glimpse Adam behind him, his arm pulled back with a sphere of Gravity enveloping his fist.

"Ah, Fuck o-!..." Lucifer's curse was cut short as Adam's fist crashed into the crown of his head with devastating force. Darkness enveloped him, his consciousness slipping away as the world faded to black.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

"A realm within a realm..?" Adam wondered as he looked down from the gigantic hole in the ground. After punching the Serpent, the beast crashed downward. "No, it's different from the barrier between Heaven and Hell."

For a moment, Adam dreaded having to unbury the beast from the ground, yet as he looked, he found something interesting. Nearly a hundred kilometers down, the dirt and rock seemed to stop. And from the hole, Adam could see that there was an entire city underneath.

It seemed that this ring's ground was the sky of the ring below it.

Which was cool.

 Luckily for him, he could see the Serpent's body lying in a crater down there.

Still, there was a problem.

Adam hummed in contemplation before raising his hand to look at it. Or rather, the many wounds on it.

Oddly, these wounds weren't from the Serpent's attack. Despite the creature's strength, it hadn't been able to break Adam's skin.

No, these wounds were a result of Adam's own power.

For some reason, his body seemed unable to contain his powers. His movements were too stiff as if it was unused to Adam's style.

The only time something like this had happened was against Zeus when his [Eyes of the Lord] started breaking apart.

And speaking of that, his Divine Reflection was also weakened. Back against Zeus, his reflection was almost precognitive. But now, it seemed to be lagging. [Eyes of the Lord] should have copied the Serpent's spells before he even finished chanting them.

He didn't know whether his condition was a result of him overexerting it or as a result of his death. 

He also bled gold now.

It didn't taste like gold.

At this rate, if he tried using Zeus's cool punch, he'd just blow his arm off.

Bummer.

'Ah well, it doesn't matter,' Adam thought as he stood up. He'd think about it later.

For now, he had stuff to do.

And would you look at that? The Serpent was up.

And its power rose a bit too.

How cute.

Adam jumped down.