GRROOOAGHHHH!!!


    Monstrous roars reverberated through the air, shaking the very ground beneath their feet as demons and angels shed in a frenzied frenzy of violence.


    With each thunderous roar came monstrous screams, the cacophony of battle filling the empty air with a symphony of chaos. Golden and dark bloods mingled in the air, staining the battlefield in hues of crimson and shadow as they danced amidst the carnage.


    Light and darkness collided with a ferocity that was both breathtaking and terrifying, resulting in multiple explosions that lit up the dark skies like fireworks on a twisted canvas.


    "Hahaha…."


    As the Duke watched the scene unfold before him, his consciousness slipping away with each passing moment, he couldn''t help butugh bitterly at his own folly.


    He had thought himself strong enough to challenge the gods, to defy the very forces of creation and destruction. But now, faced with the overwhelming might of celestial and infernal powers locked in a battle for supremacy, he realized just how ignorant he had been.


    This... this spectacle unfolding before him was beyond the capabilities of mere mortals to evenprehend, let alone replicate. The sheer magnitude of the energy, the speed, the strength... it was as if thews of nature themselves had been bent and twisted to amodate the whims of these divine and demonic beings.


    For the Duke, the realization was a bitter pill to swallow. He had harbored hopes that humanity could ovee the demonic invasion through sheer will and effort alone. But as he watched the angels struggle against the relentless onught of their infernal foes, those hopes crumbled like dust in the wind.


    It was a pitiable dream, he realized, born of desperation and naivety.


    Mere humans were not meant to participate in battles of such magnitude; they were merely spectators, bystanders in a cosmic conflict that stretched far beyond their understanding.


    Is this the reason why the hero was needed? In order for them to survive a demonic invasion? Is this the reason why they needed a symbol of hope? Is this the reason why they needed to pray to the goddess?


    The Duke''s mind swirled with questions, each one more perplexing than thest. As he grappled with the implications of Adrian''s revtion, the monstrous figure before him spoke, his voice carrying a chilling edge of amusement.


    "I''m sure you''re confused right now, Duke, but don''t worry. You''ll understand soon enough," Adrian said, his voice echoing with a sinister undertone. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light, the sharp, ring razor-sharp fangs threatening to harvest the Duke''s very soul.


    The Duke''s heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to find the words to express the tumult of emotions raging within him.


    "What are you really nning with all of this?" he finally managed to ask, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and defiance. "You''re clearly not Adrian, and yet you are... You''re clearly a monster, yet you are human... You''re clearly not the hero right now, yet you have the presence of one... You''re clearly not a demon, and yet you... Why are you darker than them? Tell me, what do you really want from all of this?"


    Although the Duke himself was unsure of what he truly wanted to ask from the monster before him, the core root of his inquiry remained the same – what did this creature want from him? What dark machinationsy behind its facade of twisted semnce to his son?


    "You sure are asking the obvious, Duke... Hahaha, I only want one thing right now and only one... ''Death.'' Death to those who have harmed my loved ones, death to the goddess, death to all the gods in her pantheon, and death towards all my enemies... So I can have the peaceful and loving life I wanted... a safe haven, a safe world my lovers and I can enjoy. That is the one thing that I want... And you''re very lucky, Duke... as I changed my mind on you... At first, I thought devouring you would be fun... but seeing that fire in your eyes, I changed my mind."


    Adrian''s tendrils snaked closer to the Duke, a brimming red stone held delicately within their grasp. With a deliberate motion, the stone was forcefully pressed against the Duke''s lips, coercing him to swallow it down despite his instinctual resistance.


    The Duke gagged, his throat burning with a searing pain as the demonic stone made its descent. Try as he might, he could not resist thepulsion to swallow, the sinister influence of the stone overpowering his will.


    "What did you do?" the Duke managed to choke out, his voice ragged with pain as he coughed up blood. The sensation coursing through him was indescribable, a tumultuous storm of heat and agony that threatened to consume him from within.


    As he writhed in agony, the Duke felt something stirring deep within him, a primal force awakening with a ferocity that defiedprehension. It was as if something had been unleashed within him, something dark and malevolent that sought to tear free from the confines of his being.


    But it was not a physical sensation that gripped him; it was something spiritual, something ancient and primal that transcended the boundaries of the physical realm. It was a transformation unlike any he had ever experienced, a metamorphosis that threatened to reshape his very essence in ways he could scarcely imagine.


    "Adrian… YoUUUU….!!!! The Duke''s voice didn''t even sound human now, warped by a mixture of anguish and rage.


    "Don''t worry, Duke. I''m sure you will have your fun once you wake up..." Adrian replied casually, his tone devoid of remorse as he gazed down at the fallen Duke sprawled on the ground. Dark lightning crackled around his body, casting ominous shadows across the battlefield.


    With a rumbling sound and a streak of dark lightning, Adrian disappeared and reappeared next to the nearest angel. The celestial being attempted to react, but it was already toote. Adrian''s jaws closed around the angel''s head, effectively severing it from its body and ending its divine existence in an instant.


    As the lifeless body of the angel crumpled to the ground, Adrian wasted no time in devouring its soul, preventing it from ascending to its heavenly realm. In this twisted domain, where thews of mortality and divinity were twisted beyond recognition, the recycling of souls was swift, almost instantaneous.


    As Adrian savored the taste of the angel''s essence, he couldn''t help but feel a surge of power coursing through his veins. With each swallow, he felt himself growing stronger, his dark form pulsating with newfound energy.


    Unable to resist the primal urge to indulge in his newfound strength, Adrian licked his lips in satisfaction. It was a sensation unlike any other, the taste of divinity mingling with the darkness within him, fueling his insatiable hunger for power.


    "Now, with this, I can confirm that the quality lies within the recency and strength of the soul. The fresher they are, the tastier they get... And the more powerful they are, the more filling I get..."


    As Adrian reflected on his recent consumption of the angel''s soul, he felt a surge of satisfaction at the confirmation of his theories.


    The fresher the soul, the more potent its essence, and the more satisfying its taste. But now, having consumed an angel far stronger than those injured ones they had captured earlier, Adrian could confirm his second theory: the more powerful the soul, the more satiating it was.


    As the filtration process within his body worked tirelessly to purge the toxic light mana and divinity from the consumed souls, Adrian felt a sense of exhration coursing through his veins. His power surged to new heights, fueled by the darkness that now permeated every fiber of his being.


    With his theories confirmed and his power amplified, Adrian wasted no time in unleashing his newfound strength upon the battlefield.


    With a twisted smile, des formed upon his hands made of pure darkness, crackling with malevolent energy. With lightning speed, he darted through the ranks of the angels, cutting through them like butter with his razor-sharp des.


    Streaks of ck lightning erupted from his fingertips, engulfing the entire battlefield in a chaotic maelstrom of darkness. With each strike, he savored the taste of divine essence, reveling in the power that surged through him with each soul consumed.


    With every kill, Adrian absorbed the soul of his fallen foes, each one adding to the dark reservoir of power that surged within him.


    With every soul consumed, a portion of his strength increased, fueling his insatiable hunger for power. As the battle raged on, so did his aura, ever expanding, ever darkening as he cut through the celestial ranks with relentless precision.


    "HAHAHAHA~~!!!!"


    Hisughter, tinged with madness and triumph, echoed throughout the battlefield, a haunting symphony that struck fear into the hearts of all who heard it. It was theughter of a conqueror, reveling in the chaos and destruction he wrought upon his enemies.


    As his dark presence loomed over the battlefield like a specter of death, the demonic entities below looked up in awe and reverence.


    For the first time in their wretched existence, they felt a semnce of hope, a flicker of faith in something greater than themselves.


    In Adrian, they saw a god incarnate, a being of unmatched power and ferocity. His dark aura radiated with an intensity thatmanded their respect, and they bowed their heads in submission to his will.