"What Ophelia did was the needful. She could have left things to be and lose all in the process. Everyone would have died, every being, every person, all of them," the figure argued.
"Do you really feel like I am still the kid that you once knew, that would bend over and let Ophelia walk over me?
She is doing this for herself, not for us, and not for anyone else. She doesn't care, she doesn't even want to care; she does what she wants and sugarcoats it to look good.
In reality, she is manipulative and evil. In time, he will come to see that as well," the man said, and then a powerful energy emitted from his body and seeped into the magical circle.
"No, you can't!" the figure yelled.
"You can choose to stop me, but if you do, order will rid your existence in a second. You will be nothing more than a memory.
Are you willing to risk your existence for her world? Of course, you aren't. After all, you let almost all of it fall to ruin.
I wonder what will happen when he sees the real world outside," the man said. The magical circle started lighting up; the blood boiled.
"I have built this for years now, ever since he was born, slowly damaging the veil in a way that you could never sense.
Now it all comes to be. This world, this reality, this cage that you set them in will collapse," the man said.
"I might not be able to stop you here or now, but I assure you that he will be a better version, and he will stop you. He will destroy you," the figure said.
"How has that ever worked for you? Multiple times, same story, and this time he is stronger, more potential, and smarter than the past," the man said. He channeled the power from the circle through his body. A beam shot out of the room, bright red like fresh blood. It blasted its way through everything above it—the ground and the castle far above.
It shot into the sky, and then the same magical circle was projected into the sky. It grew bigger and bigger until it covered the entire capital, but it didn't stop there. It grew farther and farther, covering over forty percent of the empire.
Julius could not stomach what he had done. He knew that he had to do something. He got up from the ground, pulled out a sword, and was ready to attack.
He felt that this man would be the most vulnerable at this time. He charged at the man with his sword in front. The black figure simply watched him run toward the man, knowing very well that Julius would die here.
And just as he thought, as soon as Julius got close, the energy emitted from the man ripped him into a million bits, killing him instantly.
The magical circle released red strings of light that latched onto everyone inside the radius of the circle. Many people tried to run, many tried to fight it, but the strings of light could not be dodged. It latched onto their foreheads.
Everyone whom the strings of light latched onto floated above the ground, just a few feet off the ground, their heads tilted upwards, facing the sky, their eyes rolled back.
Their hands and legs swung like loose limbs without control. This scene was seen almost everywhere in the entire capital and beyond—children and adults alike. Everyone that was touched by the strings was put in this state.
Slowly, the strings of light started pulling the life out of all the people. Their bodies slowly shriveled up; their life flowed through the strings of light into the magical circle and through the beam down to the main magical circle.
As this process started, the space in the capital began to shift and distort. Rivers began to rage, and the ground began to crack and tremble.
The people shriveled up faster and faster, and soon bodies started dropping dead on the ground like flies, covering the entire capital.
All that was left were lifeless husks all over the ground. Soon the circle under the man began cracking as well. The veil was finally shattering, and the demons would be let loose.
The man flew off the ground, and so did the black figure. The figure shook its head, seeing the hole forming on the ground, and then he vanished.
The hole on the ground spread wider. It was as dark as the night; there was no light inside the hole. Then suddenly, a hand came out of the ground. It was blood red and covered with scales. A mighty roar followed, and the demon pulled himself out—a massive true demon standing at ten feet tall. He had two sets of bat-like wings.
Its face had six red eyes and two massive horns on its head. It let out a resounding roar as it stepped out, shaking the entire area around it.
The man who was flying above smiled when he saw the true demon. He had successfully completed a part of his plan. He had broken the seal, and now he had allowed the true demons back into this continent.
He teleported away from the scene. His job was done for now. The true demon looked around. He had noticed someone here when he came out, but now there was no one again. Regardless, it flapped its wings, and with only that one flap, the shockwave caused an explosion.
It flew into the air and looked around, seeing numerous human bodies lying on the ground.
"So, for millennials that we have been locked away, humans have found a footing in this world. I will not allow this to continue anymore," the demon said. He looked down at the hole in the ground and waited. A few seconds later, other demons started trooping out. Different looks, different sizes—the only thing they had in common was the horns and their wings.
Their presence caused the skies to darken. Just their arrival caused everyone to be uneasy, and they had yet to even know that the seal was broken.