Primus rose slowly into the sky, crimson armor catching the first hints of dawn. Behind him, six cloaked figures floated upward as well. My summons radiated killing intent beneath their disguises, creating an aura that made every single demon tense.
The entire valley fell silent as Primus stopped high above the center, hovering directly across from Herald. His aura thickened, sharper and heavier than I had ever felt from him.
When he spoke, his voice boomed across the valley like a war drum.
"Father-in-law..."
Every demon froze.
"...how is my wife doing?"
Gasps rippled across every army. Even from where I hid in space, I saw Herald’s pupils shrink. His jaw tightened for a split second before he forced his expression into neutrality.
Primus didn’t stop.
"I hope she is doing well in Dragos," he said, tone almost cheerful. "And enjoying her new life."
The effect was instant.
Bloodreavers erupted in confused murmurs. Orobas turned sharply. Dorian nearly dropped the sword in his hand. Even Primus’ siblings stared at him in disbelief, eyes widening, their auras flickering with shock.
"Primus," Dorian barked, "what are you talking about?!"
Primus threw his head back and laughed, a loud, unhinged, furious sound that echoed across the valley.
"Oh, you didn’t know?" he shouted. "Let me enlighten you!"
His laughter died, replaced by a voice dripping with cold hatred.
"The mastermind behind everything, the phantom attack, the assassination attempts, the hidden schemes..." His arm rose, finger pointing straight at Herald. "...is my beloved wife, Lana Del Rey. And the entire Del Rey family."
Shock rolled across the Ronics like a tidal wave. Even their disciplined formation trembled. Platius took a full step forward, fists clenched.
Herald’s composure finally cracked.
"STOP YOUR NONSENSE!" he roared. His aura exploded outward, blue flame tearing the air apart. "You dare slander my daughter?! Your family murdered her, do not drag her name through your delusions!"
Primus leaned forward slightly, smile widening.
"Oh, Herald... Herald..." he whispered. "I have seen the truth. Felt it."
Then his voice erupted again, sharp and wild.
"Don’t pretend innocence! Lana betrayed me. She sold Armus to outsiders. She planned my death. And she used your entire family as her puppets."
Herald’s face twisted. "You filthy—"
But Primus cut him off with a shrill giggle, his eyes glowing with madness and fury.
"Of course I’ll come at you," he hissed. "At you and your entire family."
The cloaked figures behind him shifted slightly, killing intent rising like a storm.
"I will burn you all to the ground," Primus declared, voice shaking with raw emotion. "There will be no room left for the Del Reys in Armus."
His aura erupted, wild, violent, shaking the air itself. The valley trembled. Even the cracked earth beneath us seemed to recoil.
Then he moved.
A red shockwave exploded outward as Primus blurred forward, ripping through space like a living meteor.
One heartbeat later, he was in front of Herald.
"AHHHHH!" Primus’ roar thundered across the valley as he punched out with everything he had: rage, betrayal, hatred forged into pure power.
A colossal fist of blazing red flame erupted from his arm, scorching the sky as it roared toward Herald.
Herald’s eyes widened, but he bit down the shock and bellowed back, throwing his own punch. Blue flame crackled, ripping the air as a gigantic flame-fist shot forward to meet Primus’ strike.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The clash detonated like a collapsing star. A shockwave burst outward, flattening the nearby ground and blasting grit into the air.
Bloodreavers roared in approval.
Del Rey demons staggered back, stunned.
Herald himself was blasted several steps backward in midair, aura flickering violently.
Primus did not stop.
He surged forward again, flames spiraling around his arm.
"So this is the confidence you have left, Herald?!" he shouted, his voice like a blade. "Relying on your daughter’s lies until the end?!"
Herald snarled, forced to raise both arms, layers of blue barriers forming in panic.
"That bitch is dead!" he spat. "Do not use her to mask your delusions! You’re a disgrace—"
Primus’ foot twisted, space cracked, and he appeared above him.
Herald’s eyes widened. Primus drove his heel down.
"DISGRACE—THIS!"
BOOOOOM!!!
Herald smashed into the ground like a falling mountain, the impact sending dust and rock exploding in every direction. A crater formed instantly, large enough to swallow ten houses.
Bloodreaver warriors erupted into cheers.
"PRIMUS!!"
"BLOODREAVERS!!!"
"SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!!"
Their roar rolled across the battlefield, shaking even the Ronics.
Herald coughed blood, struggling to rise but Primus shot down again, flames swirling around his arm like a drill.
"You still don’t understand," Primus growled. "Today is the end of the Del Reys."
Herald forced his battered body upright, rage and humiliation twisting his face.
"This war will bury YOU!" Primus spat.
Primus’ eyes glowed crimson. The valley shook.
A thunderous roar erupted from the Bloodreaver side. The warriors, already trembling with excitement, finally snapped.
"BLOODREAVERS!!!"
"CRUSH THE TRAITORS!!!"
"FOR ARMUS!!!"
Red auras ignited across their entire army like a spreading wildfire.
High above them, Orobas rose slowly into the air, the ritual marks around his withered body glowing a deep, pulsing crimson. His presence dropped onto the battlefield like a falling mountain, pressing on every chest.
When he spoke, his voice rolled through the valley like old thunder.
"Mark the ground red," Orobas declared, eyes burning as they locked onto the Del Rey camp.
"With the blood of the Del Reys. They are traitors to our race."
The effect was instant.
A hundred Bloodreaver grandmasters burst forward in unison, leaving sonic booms in their wake. Their killing intent washed across the valley like a tidal wave, thick enough to make even seasoned warriors tremble.
Behind them, tens of thousands of Bloodreaver soldiers roared and surged forward, shaking the earth with the force of their charge.
The Del Rey army staggered as the shock of that killing intent slammed into them.
On the western side, the Ronics exchanged grim looks.
They had lost an ancestor. They had no need for further encouragement.
Platius rose into the sky and thrust his spear downward.
"RONICS—ADVANCE!"
A violet wave rippled across their army. Grandmasters shot ahead, faster than arrows, their auras crashing outward like violet lightning. The rest of the Ronic army howled and charged after them, their anger boiling over into fury.
Three armies thundered toward each other. Red and violet engulfing blue. War finally ignited.
And high above them all, I hovered unseen, watching the chaos I had shaped unfold exactly as intended.