Chapter 162: The Death Of A Friend

Chapter 162: The Death Of A FriendCrimson and gold light split the sky in two.

Lucifer and Vladimir stood locked in the centre of the cratered street, their auras clashing in rippling waves that cracked the asphalt beneath their feet. Vladimir’s claws dug into Lucifer’s ribs, blackened blood dripping onto the torn pavement. Lucifer’s spear of blood-shadow trembled against Vladimir’s chest, its tip pressed deep into burning bone.

For a moment, silence swallowed the ruined street.

Then Lucifer’s eyes burned brighter, molten red and demon-gold swirling together in a silent storm. He snarled, twisting the spear deeper into Vladimir’s chest until it burst out the other side in a spray of sizzling black blood.

Vladimir roared. His wings flared out violently, creating a shockwave that blew shattered cars and debris away in a circle. But his roar broke into a laugh, gurgling with blood.

"Do you think... this will kill me?" he hissed, his broken fangs dripping with black saliva. His claws tightened in Lucifer’s ribs, tearing them apart inch by inch. "This is Adam’s power, boy... your blood will feed my ascension."

Lucifer coughed blood across Vladimir’s chest, but his eyes remained locked, burning with silent rage. He raised his other hand, runes igniting along his forearm. Blood and shadow coiled together around his fist like a living serpent.

"Then die with me," he whispered.

He drove his fist into Vladimir’s face. The impact cracked the air, bending the street under their feet. Vladimir’s head snapped back, his skull dented inward. Lucifer twisted the spear once more, blood exploding around them in a burning mist.

But before he could finish it—

Everything stopped.



A shadow fell over them, heavy and suffocating. The air thickened, becoming almost solid around their bodies. Lucifer froze mid-strike. Vladimir’s claws paused, inches from tearing out Lucifer’s heart.

From above, a figure descended silently, his bare feet touching the cracked street with no sound. His simple black robe fluttered faintly in the smoking wind. Golden eyes gleamed softly in the dim light.

Adam.

Lucifer’s wings twitched behind him as his gaze snapped to the newcomer. Blood dripped steadily from his torn side, his chest heaving with laboured breath.

"Adam..." he growled, voice trembling with pain and rage.

Adam’s expression remained calm, unblinking. He tilted his head slightly, watching the blood dripping from Lucifer’s wounds before his eyes shifted to Vladimir.

"You disappoint me," he said softly, voice echoing in the silent street like a funeral bell. "You should have ended him by now."

Vladimir’s wings twitched violently, his twisted face curling into a snarl. "He’s... stronger... than I expected."

Adam sighed softly. "No matter."

He raised his hand, and the world bent around it. In a single flicker, he vanished—only to reappear behind Ella and Francisca. His fingers closed around Francisca’s throat before either could react.

"NO!" Lucifer roared, his wings flaring with explosive force. The street split open beneath him as he lunged forward.

But Adam’s grip tightened. Francisca gasped, her hands falling from her fingers. Her golden fox eyes widened in pain, her tails flaring out in a useless attempt to break free.

"Stand down, Lucifer," Adam said calmly, his golden eyes locked on him. "Let Vladimir finish what he started."

Lucifer froze, chest heaving, blood dripping onto the ground in silent streams. His claws trembled at his sides.

"Let her go..." he growled, his voice low, cracking under restrained rage.

Adam tilted his head slightly. "You’re in no position to make demands."

Ella stepped forward, tears streaming down her cheeks, her fists clenched so hard her nails drew blood. "Don’t... don’t hurt her... please..."

Adam ignored her. His gaze remained locked on Lucifer, unblinking.

"Choose," he said softly. "Your life... or hers."

Lucifer’s wings twitched. The blood runes along his chest flickered, dimming under the weight of Adam’s presence. For the first time in centuries, he felt it—pure helplessness. Like a wolf staring down a god.

Francisca coughed weakly, her voice shaking. "Don’t... do it, Lucifer... don’t you dare..."

Her tails flared again, golden flames igniting along their tips. She twisted violently in Adam’s grip, her eyes burning with primal kitsune rage. She raised her hand, claws extending with flickering gold aura.

"I won’t... let you... hurt him—"

Adam’s golden eyes narrowed slightly.



And then—

He moved.

No flash. No sound. Just an ending.

His hand blurred across her chest. For a moment, nothing happened. Then Francisca gasped, blood blooming across her lips. Her tails fell limp, flames flickering out. Her eyes widened, shimmering gold dimming into empty white.

"NO!" Lucifer roared, his voice cracking the air. He lunged forward, blood and shadow exploding from his wings as he shot across the street.

Adam let Francisca’s body fall to the broken asphalt. Here areaess hair spread around her head like a dying halo. Ella screamed, falling to her knees beside her, shaking her shoulders with trembling hands.

"Francisca... no... please... wake up... wake up—"

Lucifer reached Adam in a blur of blood-red light. His fist drove forward, wrapped in swirling shadows and burning runes. Adam turned his head slightly, golden eyes flickering.

He caught Lucifer’s punch in his palm.

The impact bent the world around them, cracking the ground into a spiderweb crater. Wind roared outward, blowing cars down the street like paper. Ella shielded Francisca’s body with her own as debris rained around them.

Lucifer’s eyes burned with tears and rage, blood dripping from his lip onto Adam’s wrist.

"I will kill you..." he growled, voice trembling with grief. "I will tear your soul apart for this..."

Adam tilted his head slightly, studying him with those flat golden eyes.

"You can try," he said softly.

Then he flicked his wrist.

Lucifer’s body flew backward, crashing through two overturned trucks and skidding across the street in a trail of blood and shattered asphalt. He rolled to a stop, wings twitching weakly against his torn back.

Vladimir stepped forward from the smoke, his claws dripping with corrupted black blood. His wings flared behind him as he approached Lucifer’s broken form.

"Pathetic..." he rasped, his twisted grin widening. "The great Progenitor... brought to his knees like a child."

Lucifer coughed blood onto the broken asphalt, his horns flickering dimly in the smoke. His eyes burned up at Vladimir with silent, seething hatred.

Vladimir raised his clawed hand, golden glyphs flickering across his arm.

"Goodbye... Lucifer Origin."

He thrust his hand down.

But before it could connect—

Ella screamed.

"STOP!"



Her aura exploded outward, a dome of shimmering sapphire light erupting from her chest. The force slammed into Vladimir, blowing him backward across the street. Adam’s golden eyes flicked toward her, narrowing slightly.

Ella stood, tears streaming down her cheeks, her hair whipping around her face in the surging wind. Her hands trembled at her sides, glowing with sapphire fire.

"I won’t... let you... hurt him again..." she whispered, her voice shaking with grief and rage.

Lucifer forced himself upright, his wings flaring weakly behind him. His blood dripped steadily onto the cracked ground, runes across his chest flickering in and out.

Adam watched them both for a moment, his golden eyes calm and silent.

Then he smiled faintly.

"Interesting," he whispered. "Very... interesting."

He raised his hand, golden light flickering across his fingers. Vladimir rose behind him, wings twitching, his grin widening as he stepped forward again.

Lucifer clenched his fists, his aura burning with silent, murderous promise.

This was not over.

Not yet.

And the next strike... would decide everything.