Mike's tricky little combo didn't actually do much damage to Lucifer, but it was extremely insulting.
As the first Fallen Angel, Lucifer had only ever suffered losses at the hands of God and Satan.
Now, he had actually been humiliated by a human.
Crucially, this happened right in front of Satan, whom he had just mocked.
Lucifer, always arrogant, could no longer tolerate it. He seemed to trigger a second transformation, with large amounts of black mist rising from his body and his eyes turning blood-red.
This dark aesthetic made him look like a true Demon King.
"No… buddy, you're already triggered?" Mike hadn't expected Lucifer to be so fragile, turning demonic at the slightest provocation.
The most important thing was that this guy's anger also increased his strength.
"Human, how do you want me to thank you?" Lucifer could be said to have benefited from misfortune. He also felt his own strength increase, and the smile on his face became even more sinister. "How about sending you to meet God?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lucifer brandished the cross, which had been corrupted by demonic energy, and charged at Mike with extreme speed.
He looked like a madman no matter how you saw it.
Can't afford to provoke… can't afford to provoke…
Mike, whose strength was already inferior to Lucifer's, now also lacked a handy weapon.
A head-on confrontation would definitely lead to a disadvantage.
So Mike cast a Holy Light Shield on himself and flew towards the sky.
"Trying to run?!"
Lucifer shouted, then leaped into the sky as well.
In their chase, two figures, one black and one white, crisscrossed in the air, with violent roars occasionally echoing.
The battle continued from the ground to the sky.
Mike was very self-aware, mostly dodging, and only chose to counterattack when he couldn't avoid it.
It was also fortunate that one of Lucifer's black wings was crippled, making his flight in the air not as agile.
It was like having immense power but being unable to use it, which also allowed him to experience the same frustration Satan had felt earlier.
"Human, will you only run away like a coward?"
After another missed attack, Lucifer stopped in mid-air and used a taunt.
"This is called the wisdom of battle, but this time, I've played enough. Let me feel your true power."
Mike's purpose in coming to hell this time was to gain Fallen Points and cause some trouble. These two tasks were now largely complete.
With his total energy reaching over 50 million, he was not far from Mythical Rank 4.
Before leaving, Mike decided to personally experience Lucifer's strength to understand the true gap between them.
As all the energy in his body gathered into his fists, Mike's two fists transformed into the purest Holy Light.
It looked incredibly oppressive…
"Finally not running anymore?"
Lucifer also mobilized all his energy, and the cross in his hand glowed with a deep black light, like obsidian.
It was clear that neither of them intended to hide their strength any longer.
With a "bang," like a bolt from the blue or a volcanic eruption.
Mike's full-force punch collided with the cross that Lucifer brought down.
Black energy and Holy Light exploded, centered on the two of them.
In the pure contest of strength, waves of energy rippled through the air.
Like a giant rock thrown into a calm lake…
However, this evenly matched situation only lasted for a very short time, and Mike was quickly smashed down by the dark cross.
He fell to the ground with a "thud," looking disheveled.
'Without a handy weapon, I'm indeed no match for Lucifer… However, the gap isn't as big as I thought…'
Mike, who got up from the ground, patted the dust off himself and summarized the battle.
"Human, I admit you have some strength, but it's far from enough. If you're willing to surrender to me, I will forgive your previous offense."
In the sky, Lucifer looked down from a victor's stance, as if everything was under his control.
He had changed his mind now. If he could bring this decent human into his faction, God's expression would surely be wonderful then.
Thinking of this possibility, Lucifer couldn't help but feel pleased.
"Is there something wrong with your brain?"
Mike, who was already preparing to leave, gave Lucifer, who was talking to himself in the sky, the middle finger. "You want me to submit? You're dreaming…"
"Wash your neck and wait. I'll come deal with you next time—!"
Lose the battle, but not the spirit—
Moreover, Mike still had a Fruit of Fortuna as a backup. If he really fought Lucifer to the death, he might not be without a chance.
But again, there was no need.
Given the speed at which Mike's strength was increasing, in a while, he was confident he could absolutely crush Lucifer with overwhelming power.
In this situation, Lucifer's arrogance seemed like a joke to him.
Because he had confidence, he wasn't afraid.
Then, Mike even had the presence of mind to wave to Satan, who was watching the show, before summoning the Gate of Hell and leaving.
"Bastard—!!"
Seeing the human disappear into the Gate of Hell, Lucifer rushed down in a fit of rage, about to chase into the Gate of Hell.
However, noticing Satan's half-smiling expression beside him, he stopped in his tracks.
Lucifer was certain that if he dared to chase into the human world now, his subordinates left behind would definitely be annihilated by Satan.
Although he didn't value the lives of those Shadow Demons much, without subordinates, he would become a lone commander in hell.
His territory, built over many years, might also be lost because of this.
Lucifer could not afford such a loss.
"A bunch of useless trash, those who aren't completely dead, get up for me!" After weighing the pros and cons, Lucifer, though displeased, still began to gather his subordinates to retreat.
As for Mike?
Just a human!!!
Lucifer, possessing both Holy Light and dark power, could go to the human world or even heaven at any time.
So, there would be plenty of time to settle the score with the human slowly.
…
On Mike's side, by the time he returned to King's Building, it was almost dawn. This meant he had spent an entire night in hell.
However, at his level of strength, not sleeping was not an issue.
"This problem, Lucifer, needs to be resolved quickly…"
Back in a familiar place, Mike began to consider his next steps.
He had thoroughly offended Lucifer this time. Although he himself was not afraid, he couldn't guarantee that the other party wouldn't harm others around him.
Given Lucifer's malicious personality, the possibility of this happening was high.
"I must find a way… Lucifer was God's subordinate before… I can't bear this alone…"
Feeling a sense of urgency, Mike immediately decided to go see God first.
If all else failed, after he returned from heaven, he would bring Paige and others back to King's Building for protection.
Marcus, William, and the X Squad members could also be called over.
Although they couldn't deal with Lucifer, they could block Lucifer's Shadow Demons.
The Twelve Guardian Angels, Crowley, the Demon Knights, etc., could also be contacted.
Counting it all, the power Mike could borrow was actually not small.
"Mike, my friend. It's been a long time since you came to heaven after our last departure."
Leveraging his relationship with God, Mike, who opened the Gate of Heaven for the second time, easily met him on the mountaintop.
Here, songs and dances still flourished, and the female angels were still beautiful.
However, Mike was not in the mood to appreciate these this time. "Lucifer is accumulating power. I've been targeted by him, so I need your help…"
Lucifer's intention to counterattack heaven was not hard to guess, so Mike, who spoke first, was not exaggerating.
Indeed, upon hearing the name Lucifer, God's expression became solemn.
He waved his hand to dismiss the female angels' song and Dance performance, then asked, "Tell me what happened, and what is the situation with Lucifer?"
Fallen Angels are also angels…
As long as they are angels, they are God's "children," including the Fallen Angel Lucifer.
How could God not guess that he would cause trouble in hell? The reason he tolerated it was in the hope that he would one day "return to the right path."
However, Lucifer, whose heart was only filled with hatred, was clearly going to disappoint God.