Chapter 31: A Friendly Visit (Part 2)

3,000 Meters Above Ground

Lilith and Luke now hovered in the air, glaring at each other.

“Oh, right!” Luke suddenly snapped his fingers. “The wedding! That was a fun party. We fought for how long? Two days?”

“Three, you asshole!” Lilith snarled. “You made us miss our honeymoon!”

“Ahaha! Can’t blame me, I was upset!” Luke laughed as he drew a second sword.

“Watching my bro get deceived by some insolent wench!” His friendly face disappeared, now looking at Lilith with disgust.

“Boohoo.” Lilith cracked her neck. “A brat throwing a tantrum because his friend doesn’t play with him anymore.”

She unsheathed a demonic thorny whip.

“He’s mine now. Deal with it, birdbrain.”

They dashed toward each other.

BOOOOM—CLANK—WHIIIIZZ—BOOOOM—SPARK—BZZZT—BOOOOM!

Explosions tore through the sky. Blades clashed. Beams ripped through clouds as shockwaves rippled outward.

---

Meanwhile, Down Below

Belphy sat on what remained of the SUV—a surprisingly intact seat now serving as a makeshift sofa. He leaned back comfortably as Solo approached, carrying a cooler box.

“The cooler box survived,” Solo said, opening it and handing Belphy a cold beer.

“Nice.”

POP.

“Cheers.”

“Cheers.”

They clinked bottles and took long sips.

“Aaaah.”

Above them, debris and stray beams occasionally screamed downward, only to fizzle harmlessly against Belphy’s shimmering magic shield.

“How long do you think it’ll take this time?” Belphy asked casually.

“Dunno,” Solo replied. “If it takes too long, we can call the Secret Service.”

He glanced toward the horizon.

“There’s a nice hotel in a nearby town.”

---

Back Up There

Luke and Lilith hovered in midair, both of them bruised, scorched, and bleeding in more places than they cared to count.

They were also grinning like maniacs.

“You’re getting slower,” Luke said, rolling his shoulders. “Are you gaining weight? Stress eating at the Black House?”

“My therapist said I should face my problems,” Lilith replied sweetly. “And here you are.”

“Hah!” Luke laughed and spread his arms. “Did you tell your therapist that your problem is this BIG?”

Power surged through him.

Six wings burst outward. His halo twisted, glowing a violent crimson as demonic energy spiraled around his body like a raging storm.

Demon King form.

Lilith scoffed.

“Every big problem can be solved starting with the smallest one,” she said flatly. “So I’ll start by removing your dick.”

Just like in many RPG game, sometimes there’s a secret boss that somehow can be as strong or maybe stronger than the final boss. In this world, that was Lilith.

Her form shifted. Black, spiked armor grew over her body, crowned with jagged horns as her aura erupted outward in waves of raw authority.

Demon Queen form.

They collided again.

---

Back Down Again

On the ground, boredom had give birth to a second and completely unrelated war.

“No, Belphy! Star Trek is better!” Solo shouted. “The worldbuilding is richer! The philosophy is deeper! It’s not as simplistic as Star Wars!”

“WHAT!?” Belphy shouted back. “Star Wars isn’t simple! It’s eternal light versus dark—just like us!”

“IT’S CHILDISH!”

“IT’S BORING!”

“Oh, now you’ve done it!” Solo roared. “Let’s see how you like it after I give you Episode Seven!”

All this time, Solo had deliberately held back from sharing the Episode Seven script with Belphy.

Out of pity.

---

Back Up There Again

Luke and Lilith hovered once more, panting heavily.

“Not bad, bitch,” Luke said, wiping blood from his mouth. “Haven’t had a workout like this in ages.”

“You too, asshole… hehe…”

“hehe…”

“HAHAHAHAHA!”

They both burst into manic laughter, the sound echoing across the clouds.

“But,” Lilith said, suddenly pulling out a satellite phone, “I can’t play all day. I’ve got an orphanage opening tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Luke tilted his head. “And how will you stop me? Call the army? You remember no lower-class demon can withstand my aura.”

“Kukuku…”

Lilith pressed a button and grinned.

“Send them in.”

---

HUUUUUUMMM—

A low, grinding hum rippled through the sky, vibrating the air with a pressure that felt wrong.

Luke’s demon ears twitched. His brow creased.

“Huh?” He tilted his head, listening. “What’s that noise? Calling an airplane to bail you out?”

“Five of them, actually,” Lilith replied, entirely too relaxed.

Luke squinted at the distant shapes cutting through the clouds in tight formation. “And how is that supposed to help? You’re just wasting five planes!”

His aura flared—hellish pressure detonating outward as he focused on the approaching aircraft.

Then he paused.

“…What?” His eyes narrowed. “I can’t sense any pilots.”

“Kukuku…” Lilith’s lips curled upward, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “Your Majesty, allow me to introduce the newest addition to Murica’s air force.”

She spread her arms slightly, as if presenting a prized collection.

“The UAV Squadron.”

Five MQ-9 Reaper drones tore through the sky in perfect synchronization.

One of them immediately launched an AIM-9 Sidewinder.

“Oh?” Luke’s lips curved into something close to amusement. “Are these Bub’s new toys?”

He bound one of his swords in demonic magic and hurled it telekinetically forward—

BOOOOOM!

The blade collided with the missile, detonating it midair in a violent fireball. With a sharp flick of his fingers, Luke recalled the sword back to his hand as if nothing had happened.

He raised his palm, demonic energy compressing into a roaring sphere.

A beam erupted from his hand—

—but the UAVs split apart instantly, scattering in opposite directions. His attack tore through empty sky.

Luke snarled, drawing breath.

“DO YOU THINK THOSE TOYS ALONE CAN DEFEAT M—”

BZZZZT—BOOM!

A beam ripped into him from behind, blasting him forward through the air.

“Ugh—!” Luke staggered, teeth grinding as he fought to stabilize himself mid-air.

Behind him, Lilith’s third eye crackled with energy. She smirked.

“I never said they’d fight you alone,” she purred.

She fired again.

Luke twisted sharply, weaving through spiraling beams as he retaliated,. The reapers darted in and out, machine-gun fire strafing him in controlled bursts.

Then—

WHIIIZZ—BOOOOM!

A missile slammed squarely into his spine.

“Rrrrgh—YOU BITCH!” Luke roared. “YOU’RE PLAYING DIRTY!”

“Aww,” Lilith replied sweetly. “Thank you.”

---

Screech Air Force Base

Thousands of kilometers away from Hellicon Valley, deep inside a humming air base, dozens of demon airmen sat in station pods lined with glowing screens. Each of them guided a UAV with absolute concentration, fingers moving in practiced, precise motions.

At the center of the command hall, massive monitors streamed the battle in real time.

Luke.

Blasts.

Luke cursing.

Explosions.

Near-misses.

Bub stood near the back, jotting notes rapidly, his pen barely keeping up with his excitement.

Beside him stood General Fujin—a towering, one-horned Oni whose broad chest was decorated with a dense constellation of stars.

“Remarkable,” Fujin muttered. “Cheaper than the F-16, and the flight endurance is vastly superior.”

“Fufufu, right?” Bub said smugly. “Plus, Luke can’t sense them. No pilots, no demon presence. Stealth by existential absence!”

Fujin gave a slow nod, eyes never leaving the screen.

“I’ll admit,” he said, “I doubted them because they’re slower than jets. But the agility… and the endurance…” Two drones split apart, dodging Luke’s counter-beam, while a third raked him with gunfire. “Outstanding.”

“And,” Bub added cheerfully, “no pilot deaths! They can rotate shifts. Think of the salary savings!”

Fujin placed a massive hand on Bub’s shoulder.

“Minister… you truly understand the military soul.”

He lifted his headset.

“Attention, UAV pilots,” Fujin announced. “This is General Fujin.”

Every demon pilot—eyes locked to their screens, hands steady in their virtual cockpits—listened.

“Most of you were born as lower-class demons. But today—today you will make history.” His voice thundered through the base. “You are about to be the first lower-class demons to kick His Majesty’s ass.”

A beat.

“Stay focused. Assist Lady Lilith. Give him a taste of royal pain!”

Grins spread across the pilots’ faces.

Luke wasn’t Demon King because he commanded armies—Luke would never do something that organized. He was Demon King because he was too strong to argue with.

While Lilith spent millennia minding her own business, Luke spent his beating up tribes, humiliating leaders, and generally being an omnidirectional nuisance. Lilith stayed home. Luke terrorized everyone.

The demons hated him.

So when the request came to help Lilith—

The air force couldn’t have been happier.

---

Hellicon Valley

On the ground, Solo watched the sky like a man enjoying a particularly elaborate fireworks display.

“Whoa,” he said, eyes following Luke as another explosion knocked him sideways. “Our new drones are performing great for their first mission. Hope the air force buys more.”

“Hey! Focus!” Belphy snapped. “We’re not done here!”

“Relax, dude.” Solo scrolled lazily through a floating window. “Where were we… ah, yes.” He cleared his throat slightly. “In what was supposed to be a dramatic father-and-son reunion… Kylo Ren activates his lightsaber, impaling Han Solo—who can only stare in shock and betrayal as he dies.”

Belphy froze.

“WHAT!?” he screamed. “WHY!? FOR WHAT REASON!? JUST BECAUSE KYLO IS A CRINGE EMO?? WHAT WAS THE WRITER THINKING!?”

Solo shrugged.

“Not much, apparently.”

---

Above

The battle raged on.

Current score: the away team was leading.

“AAARGH! THIS IS CHEATING!” Luke roared, smoke curling off his body as another blast knocked him sideways.

“Awww, thank you again, Luke.” Lilith’s grin turned feral, her third eye blazing brighter. “You’ve been so sweet these past few minutes.”

RATATATATATATATATA—

One drone got a little too confident, closing the distance while unloading its machine gun at point-blank range.

Luke’s eyes sharpened.

He saw his opening.

With a snarl, he hurled his telekinetic sword—

WHOOOOSH—CLANK!

The blade punched straight through the drone’s nose. Sparks erupted violently as the UAV spun out of control, spiraling downward in a trail of smoke.

“HAHAHA! GOT ONE OF YOUR ANNOYING PAWNS!”

For half a second, victory tasted glorious.

Then—

Lilith blinked.

She was suddenly behind him.

Eyes blazing. Smile calm.

“Pawn sacrificed,” she said softly, “to open the queen’s path.”

Her palm began to glow.

“Checkmate, bitch.”

SMACK