In a hidden sanctuary on the Denad continent, two figures sat side by side. They were engaged in a deep harmonization process, merging their internal core parameters—a man and a woman, bound as lovers and standing together as warlords among the 10 Annihilation Demons.

They were sworn to one another in life and death. As a power couple within the dark army, their combined parameters were lauded even by Lord Demon Shura. Individually, each was a formidable force, but when their cores synchronized, their merged output generated a chaotic, unpredictable power capable of obliterating anything in its path.

When these two warlords fought in tandem, even Shura’s own defenses struggled to breach their combined barrier. They were Jonas and Marie—devoted lovers who could not endure existence without the other, bound by a sacred vow never to let either fall alone.

Their oath was absolute: together in life, together in death.

Jonas possessed the heavy physical parameters of a warrior, wielding the terrifying power of Gigantification in his arms to unleash overwhelming kinetic blows. Marie was a high-tier spellcaster who commanded weapons with supreme telekinetic precision.

Operating as a unified entity, their tactical synergy allowed them to eradicate entire armies with horrifying efficiency.

"My love, have you eaten?" Marie asked softly, leaning closer to Jonas.

"I have, my dear... though I sense we shall soon indulge in a far grander feast," Jonas replied softly. "I can feel it—Shura will summon us shortly."

Marie looked at Jonas in surprise. His intuitive premonitions were rarely wrong. Indeed, it had been twenty long years since the Demon Lord had last transmitted a direct mobilization order to their legion.

Twenty years ago, Shura had suffered a crushing setback before the 10 Annihilation Demons could merge their standing legions with his personal guard to subjugate the realm.

Marie understood better than most that the orthodox martial alliance commanded extraordinary grandmasters. Despite the raw, volatile power of dark magic, underestimating the righteous sects was a fatal error. Cultivators who channeled purified elemental aura represented an absolute, unyielding force.

To look down on one's enemy was to walk blindly into a trap. The catastrophe of twenty years ago remained a stark reminder—when three legendary figures had launched a surprise assault, single-handedly crippling Shura's invasion timeline and shattering his grand vanguard.

It was entirely plausible that after two decades of peace, a new generation had inherited the legacy of the Three Legends, forging parameters capable of matching the dark army once again. Over the past several months, dark cultist outposts across all five continents had been systematically purged by alliance task forces. Furthermore, the emergence of the Sky Squad signaled a dangerous shift in the enemy's martial infrastructure.

Through her extensive intelligence network operating across the continents, Marie had compiled comprehensive reports. The clandestine mass-production of black-market armaments orchestrated by the Golden Crane Academy had been thoroughly dismantled by the Sky Squad, cutting off key supporters who funded the dark army's shadow network.

The war twenty years ago had provided invaluable combat experience to both sides. The righteous sects no longer dismissed the dark army as a mere collection of rogue cartels; they had restructured their defenses, preparing tirelessly for the Demon Lord's eventual return.

Most recently, intelligence confirmed that a high-intensity battle inside the Tulisma Forest had resulted in the complete destruction of several Gatekeepers. The Four Gates commanded immense parameters—standing nearly equal to, or just below, the 10 Annihilation Demons.

Yet orthodox cultivators had cut them down. Thus, if Shura commanded the 10 Annihilation Demons to take the field, they had to exercise extreme vigilance. The martial alliance was no longer the fractured, uncoordinated force it had been two decades ago.

Their newfound unity was a threat that could not be ignored, especially alongside the exponential elevation of their individual combat parameters over twenty years of preparation.

"What troubles your mind, Marie?" Jonas asked softly, noticing her sudden distraction. Her hair was styled in a unique fashion—half left long and flowing, half tied back neatly. Her gaze had turned distant after he mentioned Shura's imminent summons.

Marie let out a quiet breath. "I was simply reflecting on how heavily the dark army has suffered over the past few months. The martial alliance appears to have cultivated parameters capable of matching our force blow for blow."

Her assessment was dead accurate. This global war would prove vasty different from previous conflicts, given the combat efficiency demonstrated by the alliance's new vanguard. The purging of dark cartels, the interception of arms shipments, and the recent disaster in the Tulisma Forest all indicated that the dark army had gravely underestimated the righteous sects.

"Do not fear, my love..." Jonas began, attempting to soothe her worries, when the communication bracers on their wrists ignited with a dark, pulsing light.

They exchanged a quiet glance. Is it truly Shura's summons?

Injecting their respective dark aura into the receivers, they decoded the signal. Nesia's authoritative voice resonated within their minds, confirming Jonas's prediction. The final war was at hand. Lord Demon Shura had completed his synthesis with the Blood Supreme, and all warlords were ordered to mobilize their standing legions immediately.

Shura intended to crush the world's defenses in a single, absolute sweep, ascending as the undisputed sovereign of the realm.

For the 10 Annihilation Demons, obedience to Shura was an absolute, unshakeable law. Every single warlord had once been an orthodox cultivator who had suffered severe injustice, betrayal, or tragedy at the hands of the righteous sects. In their darkest hour, Shura had intervened, rescuing them from death and granting them salvation.

The Demon Lord had bestowed upon them a second life, granting them boundless dark parameters and absolute authority over vast legions.

Consequently, the 10 Annihilation Demons had surrendered their lives entirely to their master. Whatever Shura decreed, they would execute without hesitation, regardless of the risks involved.

As this apocalyptic war loomed, they would follow Shura onto the battlefield, fully aware that death might await them at the end of the road.

"Tell me, Jonas... what do you feel regarding this coming war?" Marie asked softly, searching his eyes. "Do you harbor a premonition?" She knew her lover possessed a uncanny foresight, though he often kept troubling visions to himself to spare her anxiety.

Jonas offered her a warm, reassuring smile. "Rest easy, my love. War is inevitable, but we shall remain together for all eternity. Shura has perfected his parameters—no entity in this world can challenge his supreme authority. The realm will fall under his command."

Marie felt a wave of relief wash over her, sensing the genuine sincerity in his voice.

"I never want to be parted from you," Marie whispered, leaning against his chest. "We shall live together, or die together. Whatever comes—whether in this world or the next—I am yours forever."

Her devotion brought a soft, genuine smile to Jonas's lips. To find true love while walking the dark path of a demon was an anomaly unheard of among the dark army. Yet Jonas cherished it above all else. His world was complete so long as he stood by Marie's side.

In truth, neither Jonas nor Marie cared for political dominion or the pursuit of absolute power like their fellow warlords. Their sole ambition was to withdraw to a secluded corner of the world, living peacefully in isolation together. They had sworn a sacred pact: should one fall in battle, the survivor would follow immediately into the void.

It was an absolute vow. Though the world reviled them as monsters, their love forged an unbreakable bond that even Shura could not sever. They would fight to preserve their togetherness.

They served Shura out of a deep debt of gratitude for saving their lives. Jonas had once stood on the precipice of execution for crimes born of desperation, only for Shura to step in, granting him salvation and subjecting him to hellish dark conditioning that elevated him into an Annihilation Demon.

In the dark stronghold, he had met Marie, who had similarly ascended as a warlord. Love had blossomed between them, and through joint dual-cultivation—harmonizing their yin and yang parameters through dark methods—they had elevated their combined output to unfathomable heights.

They were two souls operating as one entity. When their cores synchronized on the battlefield, their merged parameters knew no bounds.

Knowing Jonas's premonitions were never wrong, Marie harbored one final question before the world dissolved into war.

"My love..." Marie hesitated slightly, seeking absolute peace of mind. "When the dust settles after this war... shall we remain happy together?"

Jonas paused, touched by the vulnerability in her voice. Marie instinctively felt that this confrontation would serve as the final clash between the righteous sects and the dark army. Whoever emerged victorious would rule the five continents, while the defeated would be erased from history.

Jonas smiled warmly, cupping her cheek. "I cannot predict who will claim ultimate victory in this war, my love. But I know with absolute certainty that we shall remain together when it ends. Win or lose, we will find our happiness side by side."

Satisfied with his answer, Marie offered a gentle smile and rested her head against his shoulder. Win or lose, the dark army's fate mattered little to her—only Jonas mattered.

They would march into battle for Shura to settle their life debt. The Demon Lord summoned them only when absolute force was required; at all other times, he granted them complete freedom.

That freedom was Shura's gift to them. In return, they were prepared to lay down their lives for his grand vision. In their eyes, Shura's ambition was not born of mere evil or mindless greed.

Shura sought to unite the realm beneath a single, absolute authority to end all war forever. Under his rule, all mortals would bow to one mandate, eliminating conflict entirely. Though his methods relied on absolute subjugation, the end result promised a quiet, ordered peace.

Yet Jonas and Marie cared little for grand philosophies. They cared only for each other—in life, or in death.