"The limit for slowing down time in here isn't twenty times," said the King, taking a sip of the liquor. “And you haven't used this technique yet just because you fear damaging your disciple's future. More obvious stuff?” He laughed, grabbing the cup in mid-air.

Two of the greatest beings ever existed in the universe were sitting on emptiness, facing each other, enjoying a few sips of liquor. But what was even more extraordinary was that an eccentric figure like Iblis had met the most mysterious being that ever existed: Alexander's history and personality were unknown to most. The number of people, in the whole universe, who knew a legend like Alexander, did not exceed a hundred.

Only the really big shots of Life and Destruction knew the Age of Chaos and the characters that had populated it.

"He'll think I'm a dickhead now, won’t he?" Laughed the boy, his face slightly red with alcohol and nodding towards Helial, who was snoring slightly.

"Mh-hm," replied Alexander as a sign of approval, while sipping alcohol carefully.

It was a spiritual liquor grown and distilled in Iblis' hands. Despite not knowing its origin, anyone would have understood from a single taste that it was not just a common beverage.

Although both Iblis and Alexander were no more than residues of Soul, the liquor had the same effect on them that a very strong alcohol would have had on a real body.

An alcohol of this kind, judging by Iblis' reaction, if ingested with little caution could have killed any Soul without problems.

"Do you know what my fears are?" Asked Iblis, who was on the verge of breaking the threshold of his inhibition.

The two were speaking as if they were old friends. Meeting each other was almost a liberation: when you are at the summit of the mountain, you don't have many people to talk to on equal terms, and in the long run, loneliness turns into suffering.

The tragedy of the powerful. Once ascended to the throne, close friends are intimidated and the others become sycophants. Only a select few had managed to reach the summit, and only they shared a deep and special bond with those who were at their level, without boundaries of time and space.

Those two had never met before and probably only a few people in the universe remembered their names. However, whoever remembered them would remember them as the greatest of their time, titanic and unsurpassed.

"People of your time always worried too much about fate and too little about their loved ones," replied Alexander laconically, putting all his effort in not letting that liquor get the best of him.

Iblis suddenly became serious. "I didn't think there was anyone who could speak to me in that way, at least not anymore," he noted. His tone of voice became icy and Mana of Destruction began to gather around his body.

Bucephalus sensed the threat before his master and looked at the boy with flaming eyes, ready to attack him as soon as necessary.

When Alexander noticed Iblis' devastating and threatening Aura, he looked up at the Devil and continued to sip the liquor remaining in his glass. "Do you really think you can be a tyrant even with me, Iblis?" He smiled.

“You may have been more powerful in life than I am, but that doesn't mean you still are. If you think I haven't continued to cultivate my Mana Path just because I'm dead, you're wrong.” The Devil's devastating Aura collided with the sea of calmness and energy before him.

The two waves of invisible energy were like two tsunamis about to collide. Their slightest contact would have caused an unparalleled destructive explosion.

After remaining on the highest peak for such a long time, even a death match was a way to fight against loneliness.

Their powers were the same and, although both tried to demonstrate their supremacy over the other, their situation was of absolute parity. There was no clear advantage to either one of them.

Bucephalus neighed, threatening. Iblis gave the horse a contemptuous look, but was unable to intimidate him. The horse neighed again, with even more anger. Alexander motioned for him to calm down, got up and stroked his mane.

Although apparently calm, Alexander was starting to get nervous.

“It would have been fun to challenge you if we had both been alive. I might have liked to find out the outcome of this battle,” said Iblis, smiling crookedly

At the sight of that defiant smile, the King of the Madonis could not hold back the anger that was mounting in his stomach. "I don't think so," replied Alexander. But he was smiling too.

At a gesture of the King's fingers, the space around them began to collapse.

"Do you want to intimidate me?" Iblis shouted sardonically, casting a fiery glance towards Alexander. With a flash of black light, Curse of the Demon appeared out of nowhere in the Devil's hands. "As you well know, souls can always be scattered." Iblis' smile widened.

Alexander's eyes filled with anger. The King jumped nervously on the saddle of his horse, who squirmed in amazement. However, with a touch of Alexander's hand on his back, Bucephalus calmed down and heaved a heavy sigh. Even his eyes became two placid expanses of lava.

"What do you think will happen if we were to fight?" The King pointed to Helial, who showed no sign of waking up. Iblis had induced him such a deep sleep that not even the threat of the pressure of two so powerful Auras could make him regain consciousness.

Iblis turned to gaze at Helial, but then shrugged and looked away. "What do I think will happen? You will die!” The longer that debate continued, the more diabolical Iblis' smile became.

Alexander was amazed. How much evil was hidden in that fragment of an innocent-looking Soul? Or maybe it was just absence of common sense? "Aren't you worried that your pupil might be involved in our fight?"

Bucephalus took a few steps forward, while Alexander drew his sword.

"No," said Iblis briefly. “He has nothing to do with what I decide. I am not responsible for his choices and he is not responsible for mine. If it's necessary, he will die. I won't let an old shit like you challenge my authority. "

Alexander laughed heartily, more and more annoyed.

Bucephalus was getting closer and closer to the boy.

The King looked at Iblis with his eyes of two different colours, no longer calm and disarming like those that Helial had seen, but blinded by a madness that could not be controlled.

It was then that Bucephalus raised his head, as if he wanted to point out something to the man on his back, and the flame in the King's eyes went out. Alexander lowered his eyelids and sighed, sheathing his sword.

Bucephalus hadn't stopped walking. He passed Iblis and arrived in front of Helial. Alexander dismounted.

Iblis turned slowly to look at the backs of Bucephalus and Alexander. The Devil could not say how, but the horse and the King were somewhat similar.

Iblis' Aura disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The atmosphere was now peaceful.

“The passions that governed me led to my death. If was the same for you, Iblis. After all, we are not so different. We both died because of our greed..." After a moment of silence, the King spoke again: “Iblis, for this time, let me take care of the boy. Let me help you. "

Iblis nodded and snapped his fingers.

Around him, Alexander, Bucephalus and Helial, still deeply asleep, a meadow appeared, and a sky filled by countless bright stars. In the centre of the meadow, there was a table set for two.