Chapter 163: Killing Vladimir

Chapter 163: Killing VladimirVladimir’s claw arched downward, golden glyphs flickering violently along his arm as he aimed to tear out Lucifer’s heart.

Then—

A shadow moved.

Fast. Silent. Like night itself breaking free from the dying dawn.

Vina emerged from the flickering dark behind Ella, her eyes burning with molten crimson. Her werewolf claws glowed black, dripping with shadow as she blurred forward. She slammed into Vladimir’s side with bone-shattering force, her claws tearing through his ribs in a spray of burning black blood.

Vladimir roared, his wing lashing out instinctively. Vina twisted away, landing on all fours beside Lucifer, her claws scraping sparks off the torn asphalt. Her breath came out in ragged snarls, her fangs bared in silent rage.

"Stay down," she growled under her breath without looking at Lucifer.

Before Vladimir could recover, darkness split behind him.

Rey appeared from the swirling shadows, twin daggers flashing in his hands. He blurred forward with impossible speed, stabbing both blades into Vladimir’s lower back. The metal screeched as it pierced corrupted flesh and shattered bone, shadows exploding outward in a silent wave.

Vladimir gasped, black blood spraying from his mouth as his eyes widened in stunned fury. Rey twisted the daggers deeper, shadows crawling along his arms like living snakes, drinking Vladimir’s corrupted aura with silent hunger.

Vina landed beside her brother, claws dripping with blood and shadow. They both turned to Lucifer and dropped to one knee in a single fluid motion, heads bowed low.



"My King," Rey rasped, his voice vibrating with shadows.

But Lucifer didn’t answer.

His gaze was fixed on Francisca’s body, lying twisted and silent on the cracked ground. Her golden hair fanned out around her pale face, tails limp and still. The runes along his arms flickered dimly as his chest heaved with silent, broken breaths. His horns burned faintly with trembling crimson light.

"Francisca..." he whispered, his voice cracking in the smoky air.

Then—

A shockwave ripped through the street.

Vladimir twisted violently, shadows bursting from his wounds as he roared. His wings flared out, creating a gale that sent Rey and Vina tumbling backward across the broken asphalt. His claws burned with golden glyphs, each flickering symbol distorting the air around them.

"ENOUGH!" Vladimir roared, his voice layered with static and echo. "YOU THINK YOU CAN STOP ME WITH TRICKS?!"

He blurred forward.

But Ella moved first.

Her aura erupted in a storm of sapphire flames, her eyes glowing brighter than the morning sun breaking through the ruined skyline. She lunged, her claws igniting with pure blood magic as she slashed upward. Vladimir raised his arm to block, but her strike carved through his corrupted flesh, severing his forearm with a spray of black blood.

Vladimir howled, his severed limb falling to the ground and dissolving into black ash. He retaliated instantly, swinging his other claw at her throat. Ella leaned back just enough for it to scrape across her chin, crimson droplets splattering the broken street.

Rey reappeared behind Vladimir, shadow daggers ignited with flickering dark light. He drove them into Vladimir’s back, shadows exploding outward like screaming banshees. Vladimir staggered forward, roaring in rage as his wings flared violently. He spun around, backhanding Rey with such force it bent the air, sending him crashing through a burnt-out SUV, flipping it end over end with the impact.

Vina charged again, claws slashing in wide arcs, black and crimson shadows trailing each strike. Vladimir blocked with his remaining arm, his wing lashing out to knock her away. She twisted mid-air, landing on all fours, panting with wild, furious eyes.

Ella blurred forward, her claws stabbing toward Vladimir’s heart. He caught her wrist mid-strike, golden glyphs igniting along his fingers. Her body convulsed as he siphoned her blood directly through her skin, veins turning black as shadow corruption burned into her aura.

"Your blood is strong, girl..." Vladimir rasped, his fangs splitting into a grin dripping with black saliva. "But it belongs to me—"

Lucifer moved.



He was silent. Faster than any scream.

His wings folded tight against his back, blood and shadow swirling around his fists as he blurred forward. He slammed his palm against Vladimir’s chest, his horns igniting with molten crimson and demon gold. For a moment, the world turned red. Pure, burning red.

"Let her go," he whispered.

He unleashed the Sovereign Pulse.

The street cratered under them, exploding outward in a shockwave of shadow and bloodlight. Vladimir roared, his grip on Ella shattering as his body was flung backward through a collapsed building. Concrete and rebar rained down in burning shards as his form disappeared into the rubble.

Ella staggered, collapsing to her knees as blood dripped from her mouth. Lucifer caught her before she hit the ground, his claws trembling against her skin. Her eyes flickered up at him, tears mixing with the blood on her cheeks.

"Thank you..." she whispered weakly.

He didn’t speak. His eyes burned as they turned back to where Vladimir’s body had vanished.

The rubble shifted.

Vladimir rose, half his face torn away to reveal blackened bone beneath. His single remaining eye glowed with golden corruption as he grinned, wings twitching violently behind him.

"You’re... strong..." he rasped, voice echoing like a broken speaker. "But I... AM STRONGER!"

He lunged forward.

Lucifer set Ella down gently and stepped forward, his aura igniting around him in a silent crimson inferno. His wings spread wide, horns glowing brighter than before. Blood and shadow coiled around his arms like chained serpents, each rune along his skin pulsing with murderous promise.

Vladimir struck.

Lucifer blocked with his forearm, shadows exploding outward from the impact. He countered with a fist to Vladimir’s chest, his knuckles cracking corrupted ribs. Vladimir roared, grabbing Lucifer by the throat and lifting him off the ground. But Lucifer’s wings snapped forward, their edges slicing across Vladimir’s torso, severing flesh and shadow in wide burning arcs.

Vina charged in from the side, her claws digging into Vladimir’s back. Rey appeared behind him, twin daggers stabbing into his spine. Vladimir screamed, twisting violently, his wings exploding outward in a blast that sent them flying.

Ella rose beside Lucifer, her aura glowing sapphire as blood magic ignited in her palms. She lunged forward with a silent scream, her claws slicing through the air toward Vladimir’s throat. He caught her wrists, golden glyphs burning across his arms as he siphoned her blood again.

"ENOUGH!" Lucifer roared.



He raised his hand, runes burning so bright they lit the street like sunrise.

"INFINITE REQUIEM."

The world went silent.

A dome of blood and shadow engulfed Vladimir, freezing him in place. His eyes widened, his mouth opening in a silent scream as his corrupted aura disintegrated, shadows and golden glyphs burning away into nothingness. For a heartbeat, time itself held its breath.

Then the dome collapsed inward.

The impact ripped through the street, flattening cars and bending rebar into molten curls. Dust and debris spiralled upward into the burning sky as the silence returned, heavy and final.

Lucifer lowered his hand, panting softly. His wings folded behind him, blood dripping from his claws onto the cracked ground. His gaze shifted to Francisca’s body, lying untouched in the centre of the ruined street.

His chest tightened, tears burning at the corners of his eyes.

Behind him, Ella fell to her knees, trembling with exhaustion, blood dripping from her chin onto her torn shirt. Vina and Rey stood at Lucifer’s sides, their eyes locked on him with silent, unwavering loyalty.

Lucifer stepped forward, his aura flickering with fading crimson light as he knelt beside Francisca. He touched her cold cheek with trembling fingers, his horns dimming with silent grief.

"Francisca..." he whispered, his voice breaking.

Above them, the clouds shifted silently as dawn bled across the ruined city, the rising sun casting faint golden light over the fallen and the living.