Chapter 245:

The air outside the chamber was cooler, faint traces of incense drifting from the torches set into the obsidian walls. Lucifer leaned against the curve of the hallway, arms crossed, watching the faint shimmer of wards that guarded the demon king’s inner rooms.Ruka walked toward him, boots tapping a steady rhythm on the stone floor. His coat was open, shirt half-unbuttoned from whatever fight—or trouble—he’d been in earlier. His eyes held that restless fire, the one Lucifer had seen more often since they’d started working together.

"You’re done with Daniel?" Ruka asked, coming to a stop a few paces away.

Lucifer gave a low hum. "For now. I’ve got other things to handle."

Ruka raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Going back to the vampire realm," Lucifer said simply. "There’s someone I need to bring back... Francisca. And after that, I’m finishing what I should’ve done a long time ago." His eyes sharpened. "Adam dies."

Ruka’s gaze didn’t waver. "Then you already know you can’t just stroll up to this Adam person and win because you feel like it. You’ll need an army."

Lucifer pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "I have an army. The Origin Clan is more than enough. And when I’m back in the realm, I’ll have the vampire legions too. That’s enough to burn down his world."

Ruka shook his head. "No, it’s not."

Lucifer’s voice stayed flat. "You think you know what Adam is capable of?"

"I don’t need to know him," Ruka replied, "I just need to know that if you underestimate him, you’ll lose. You have strength, but this isn’t just about strength. This is about reach. About numbers. About breaking someone so completely they can’t get back up."

Lucifer’s jaw tightened. "You think I can’t do that?"

"I think," Ruka said evenly, "you’re too used to fighting your own battles. But this isn’t just your fight. If Adam’s as dangerous as you make him sound, then when you go after him, you’ll drag more than yourself into the fire."

Lucifer stared at him for a long moment. "So what? You offering to hold my hand?"

"No," Ruka said, tone dry. "I’m offering to make sure you don’t walk into this with half the force you could have."

Lucifer folded his arms again. "Speak your mind."

"I’ll talk to our mother," Ruka said. "If she gives the word, the demon realm’s army will be at my disposal. And if it’s at my disposal, it’s at yours."

Lucifer’s expression didn’t change, but his silence spoke enough.

Ruka took a step closer. "I’m not doing this because I think you can’t handle yourself. I’m doing it because Adam doesn’t sound like someone you take chances with. You want him gone? Then don’t just hit him—overwhelm him."

Lucifer’s gaze drifted past Ruka, toward the faint outline of the great hall at the end of the corridor. "You think Daniel will sit quietly while you move his armies?"

"I’m not asking Daniel," Ruka said with a faint smirk. "I’m asking our mother. He can keep his throne. I just need her blessing."

Lucifer let out a low chuckle. "You’d go through all that trouble for me?"

"You’re my brother," Ruka said simply. "And Adam sounds like someone who doesn’t get to breathe the same air as us."

Lucifer tilted his head slightly, a faint glint in his eyes. "And here I thought you just wanted to see me owe you a favor."

Ruka grinned. "That’s a nice bonus."

For a moment, the silence between them wasn’t tense—it was something else. The faint hum of magic in the walls filled the air, and the shadows from the torches stretched and swayed across their faces.

Lucifer finally spoke. "I don’t like relying on anyone outside my own ranks."

"Then don’t think of it as relying," Ruka replied. "Think of it as sharpening the blade before the kill."

Lucifer’s lips curved into the faintest smile. "You’ve been around me too long."

"Not long enough," Ruka said.

Lucifer’s eyes narrowed slightly, but there was no real edge in it. "Fine. Talk to her. If she agrees, we move faster. If not, I still go after Adam, with or without the demon realm’s help."

Ruka’s smirk faded into something steadier. "If she agrees, Adam won’t see it coming. If she doesn’t... you’re on your own."

"I’ve been on my own most of my life," Lucifer said quietly. "Wouldn’t be new."

Ruka’s gaze softened just slightly. "Yeah, but this time... you don’t have to be."

Lucifer studied him for a moment longer, then finally gave a small nod. "Then we see what she says."

Ruka turned, starting down the corridor toward the throne room. "I’ll handle her."

Lucifer’s voice followed him. "You’d better. I’m not in the mood for her lectures."

Ruka didn’t look back, but his voice carried. "She’ll be too busy being happy her boys are finally working together to lecture you."

Lucifer’s eyes lingered on his brother’s back as the distance between them grew. The torchlight caught in the edges of Ruka’s hair, in the faint shimmer of his coat’s lining. He could already hear the faint hum of voices in the hall ahead, the place where their mother rested.

The sound of his own boots filled the silence as he followed at a slower pace, letting Ruka go ahead. He wasn’t sure what Lilith would say, or how she’d take the idea of dragging the demon realm into a war that was his by choice.

But one thing was certain—if she agreed, Adam’s world would burn twice as fast.

And if she didn’t... then it would burn slow.

Either way, it would burn.

When they reached the wide archway to the inner hall, the heavy blackstone doors stood half-open, light spilling out in warm waves. The sound of a soft, steady voice drifted through—Lilith speaking with one of her attendants.

Ruka stepped inside first, his posture shifting almost imperceptibly. Lucifer followed, slower, his eyes taking in the scene. Lilith sat upright now, her strength clearly returned, the dim crimson in her eyes brighter than it had been in years.

Her gaze landed on them both. A smile—real, unguarded—touched her lips. "My sons."

Lucifer didn’t speak, just moved to stand near the side of the room, letting Ruka go closer.

Lilith reached out to her younger boy first, her fingers brushing his cheek. "You look... different." Her eyes flickered with recognition, and then pride. "The Demon King of Gluttony."

Ruka’s smile was faint but genuine. "It suits me."

Her gaze shifted briefly toward Lucifer, softening before returning to Ruka. "To have you here as well... I didn’t think I would see the day my two boys would stand in the same room without blood between them."

Lucifer’s lips twitched faintly, but he said nothing.

Ruka leaned in slightly, his tone quieter now. "I need to speak to you about something important."

Lilith tilted her head. "Go on."

Ruka didn’t look away. "Lucifer is going to war. He has his forces, but they aren’t enough for the enemy he’s facing. I want your blessing to bring the demon realm’s army under my command—for him."

Lilith studied him for a long moment, then glanced toward Lucifer. "And you agree to this?"

Lucifer met her gaze evenly. "I’ll take whatever makes Adam’s fall faster."

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "Then it’s done. Ruka will have the army. And the two of you will fight together."

For the first time in years, Lucifer didn’t argue. He just gave a slow nod, the shadows in his eyes deep but steady.

Adam’s name had already become a promise.

Now, it was backed by the weight of two realms.