Jack's scaled hand tightened around the black frost axe, his clawed fingers sinking deeper into the weapon's surface.

The axe that had nearly killed him moments ago, that had been forged from Pho's mastery over ice, symbolized decades of dominance over this section of Floor 24.

A deep crack started to split the axe.

It started from where Jack's hand gripped it all the way up to the blade.

The sound echoed through the ruined throne room like breaking bones, each crack accompanied by falling dust that had once been part of the weapon's structure.

Pho's blank white eyes widened, his three-meter black form tensing as he tried to pull the axe free.

His enhanced strength from Black Ice Soul should have been more than enough to break any grip and reclaim his weapon.

But, the axe didn't budge.

Jack's red eyes gleaming with savage satisfaction that went beyond mere victory.

This wasn't just about breaking a weapon.

This was about demonstrating dominance far beyond what he'd normally show.

It was so simple, that resistance had become meaningless.

"Those are my generals now, Pho," Jack said, his deeper voice carrying that same flat tone but somehow infused with dark amusement.

His grin widened, scales crinkling around his mouth.

He squeezed harder.

The cracks spread faster, multiplying across the axe's surface like a spiderweb.

More dust fell, fragments of black ice breaking away to clatter against the frozen floor.

Pho pulled desperately, both hands now wrapped around the axe's handle, his black form straining with everything Black Ice Soul offered.

Nothing changed.

Jack's scaled hand held firm, unaffected by the cold and unmoved by Pho's strength.

The axe shattered.

The weapon exploded into thousands of fragments, black ice erupting outward in a spray of deadly shrapnel.

Pieces flew in every direction, some embedded themselves in nearby walls, others bounced off Jack's scales harmlessly, still more scattered across the throne room floor like fallen stars.

Pho staggered backward, his hands suddenly empty, his blank white eyes staring at the space where his weapon had been.

Fragments of black ice fell from his fingers, the last remnants of the axe that had defined his combat style for longer than most demons lived.

Destroyed by a human's bare hand.

By a Soul Warden in demonic form who stood there grinning like this was the greatest entertainment he'd experienced in years.

Jack dropped the handle and let it fall to the floor with a dull thud.

His scaled hand flexed, finding them undamaged despite crushing the weapon.

"You lost the moment you thought you'd won," Jack said, his voice carrying satisfaction that bordered on joy.

His red eyes blazed brighter, reflecting the blue lightning still crackling across his form from Thunder Mantle. "Did you really believe Black Ice Soul would be enough?"

Pho's mind raced, processing the scope of what had just happened.

His blank white eyes snapped to where Rynath and Loryn stood near the throne room entrance.

Both of them were watching the exchange with carefully neutral expressions, their forms still wrapped in cloaks that should have hidden any evidence of betrayal.

But Pho could see it now.

"You..." Pho's voice came out strangled, broken. "You bound them. Both of them."

"Yes," Jack said simply, his flat tone somehow making the admission more devastating than any amount of gloating.

"Loryn through soul binding. Rynath through a blood contract. They serve me now. Forever."

The temperature around Pho fluctuated wildly as his control over Black Ice Soul wavered.

Ice formed and melted and formed again, his emotional state overwhelming the technique's stability.

He trembled, not from cold but from the sheer weight of understanding crashing down on him.

"The explosions," Pho said slowly, his mind putting pieces together that should have been obvious from the start. "You planted them when you arrived."

"Correct."

"The contracts. You've been planning this."

"Also correct."

"And the experiment. The one that was supposed to kill you. You defeated it."

Jack's grin widened further. "Very good. You're learning."

Pho's hands clenched into fists, black ice forming around them instinctively.

"You infiltrated my fortress. You played the role of Jakar perfectly. You made me believe you were just another ambitious demon looking to rise through my ranks. You stood before me in this very throne room and I never suspected…"

"That I was human?" Jack interrupted. "That I was the Soul Warden who killed your brother? That every word, every action, every moment was calculated to position me exactly where I needed to be?"

His red eyes gleamed with hunger.

"Yes. That was the point."

The Deathfrost Demon's blank white eyes blazed with fury so intense it seemed to generate its own light.

Centuries of dominance, of controlling this section through fear and power, of building an operation that generated obscene amounts of wealth.

All of it was undermined by a single human who'd walked through his front door and systematically dismantled everything.

"Since I arrived," Jack continued, his deeper voice carrying absolute certainty. "Every building I entered. Every corridor I walked through. Every conversation I had. All of it served the plan. You never had a chance, Pho. From the moment I decided you would die, your fate was sealed."

"I will kill you," Pho said, his voice dropping to something barely above a whisper but somehow more menacing than a shout. "I will freeze your soul and shatter it into pieces so small they'll never reform. I will make you suffer for what you've done to my brother, to my fortress, to everything I've built."

Jack's savage smile never wavered. "You can try."

The throne room fell into tense silence, both combatants staring at each other across the destroyed space.

Then Jack turned his head slightly, his red eyes finding the two generals who still stood near the entrance.

"Loryn. Rynath."

Both generals straightened immediately, their attention snapping to Jack with focus that transcended mere obedience.

This was absolute submission.

"Leave. Now."

"NO!"

Pho's roar shook the throne room, ice exploding from his body in all directions.

"You will STAY! You serve ME! I am your MASTER!"

Neither general moved.

They stood frozen, not from ice but from conflicting commands, one from their former master who'd controlled them for decades, another from the Soul Warden who'd bound them through magic that superseded any previous loyalty.

"You will kill him!" Pho continued, his voice rising to something between rage and desperation.

Black Ice Soul flared around him, the temperature dropping so far that the air itself became solid.

"Kill the Soul Warden! RIP HIM APART! THAT IS AN ORDER!"

Rynath and Loryn looked at each other. A moment of silence stretched between them, both processing the situation with decades of experience in choosing the winning side.

Then they looked back at Jack.

Their decision was written in that glance.

Pho could scream orders until his voice gave out. It wouldn't matter.

They belonged to Jack Kaiser now.

"I gave you an order," Jack said, his quiet voice somehow cutting through Pho's shouting with absolute authority.

His scaled form remained perfectly still, red eyes boring into both generals with expectation that brooked no debate.

The skeletal general turned away from Pho, shadow magic dissipating from his hands.

His chains clinked softly with each movement, the sound carrying across the destroyed space.

Rynath followed a moment later. Her serpentine form glided across the frozen floor, her expression completely neutral, showing no emotion at abandoning the demon she'd served for years.

"COME BACK!" Pho's voice cracked, the sound of absolute control fracturing into something far more desperate.

"I COMMAND YOU! YOU SERVE ME! I OWN YOU!"

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