Chronus the Timeless.

The tenth-seat demon lord's appearance was shifting rapidly—young, old, middle-aged, elderly, back to young—as he walked through multiple timelines simultaneously. His face was twisted with disbelief and rage.

"This... this is impossible," Chronus was saying, his voice overlapping with itself from multiple timeframes. "Richard cannot lose. He has never lost. He is my champion, my perfect weapon, my—"

He stopped next to Richard's fallen body, looking down at the grievous wounds.

"No. No, this cannot stand. I invested centuries in you, Richard. Centuries of training, of refinement, of perfecting your Decay. You cannot die now. Not to some upstart goblin who got lucky in a dungeon. Not when I need you for—"

He cut himself off, as if realizing he'd said too much.

Then Chronus's head snapped up, his multi-temporal gaze fixing on Satou. "This ends now. I will finish this myself. I will kill you personally, and then I will have centuries to rebuild Richard, to create a new champion, to—"

He took one step toward Satou.

And froze.

Because every single other demon lord had appeared on the arena floor, forming a perfect circle around Chronus. Malakor directly in front of him, Volcanus and Azshara flanking, Seraphine and Grimfang behind, all eleven of them present and very, very focused on HIm.

The temperature dropped drastically as Malakor's aura manifested. Volcanus's body blazed with heat that made the air shimmer. Azshara's water sphere expanded, tendrils of liquid reaching toward Chronus like seeking tentacles. Seraphine's corrupted wings spread wide, blades glinting. Grimfang's claws extended, each one capable of tearing through steel.

And all of them were pointing their powers directly at Chronus, daring him to do anything and see what would happen.

"What," Malakor's voice was absolutely devoid of emotion, which somehow made it more terrifying, "are you doing, Chronus?"

The temporal demon lord stopped, his shifting form stabilizing into middle-aged appearance. His eyes, which had been wild with rage moments before, suddenly became calculated. Carefully neutral.

"I am... protecting my investment," Chronus said carefully. "Richard Clay is my trusted companion. Seeing him fall to—"

"You interfered in a sanctioned duel," Azshara interrupted, her voice carrying the cold depths of the ocean. "That violates our most fundamental agreement. The Arena of Fallen Stars is neutral ground. Once a challenge begins, no outside interference is permitted under any circumstances."

"I was merely—" Said Chronus but his conservation was cut short by volcanus

"You were about to kill the young goblin why" Volcanus rumbled, smoke rising from his massive form. "That is not 'merely' anything. That is an act of war against Loki's candidate and, by extension, against the demon lord council itself."

Grimfang's yellow eyes gleamed with predatory interest. "I smell fear on you, Chronus. What are you afraid of? What happens if Richard dies? What are you hiding?"

Chronus's jaw clenched. His appearance flickered rapidly through multiple ages as his control slipped. "I am hiding nothing. I simply refuse to allow a valuable asset to be destroyed by—"

"Enough." Malakor raised one skeletal hand, and frost spread from his position, creating intricate patterns on the obsidian floor. "You violated sacred law. You interfered in a duel. You attempted to murder a provisional demon lord who had won fairly. These are capital offenses, Chronus. Even for a seated lord."

"You would execute me?" Chronus demanded, his voice rising. "Over a goblin? Over some upstart who got lucky in a dungeon?"

"We would execute you for breaking laws that have stood for millennia," Nyxara's multi-directional voice emerged from the shadows. "The goblin is irrelevant. The law is what matters."

Seraphine's corrupted features twisted into something that might have been a smile. "Though I must admit, watching you panic over Richard's defeat is fascinating. He was that important to you? More than just a champion?"

"What is Richard to you, Chronus?" Thalassian asked, his starlight form pulsing with curiosity. "What was worth throwing away your seat, your position, your very life?"

Chronus said nothing, his multi-temporal eyes darting between the eleven demon lords surrounding him. Calculating odds. Assessing escape routes. Realizing he had none.

Loki stepped forward, his pleasant smile completely absent. His face was cold, calculating, and absolutely merciless.

"You know what I think?" Loki said quietly. "I think Richard wasn't just your champion. He was something else. Something you've been hiding from the council for centuries. Something so important that you'd risk everything—your position, your life, your very existence—to prevent his death."

He walked closer to Chronus, stopping just outside the frost spreading from Malakor's position.

"What is he, Chronus? A backup body? A phylactery containing part of your soul? A temporal anchor that allows you to manipulate time more freely? What secret were you so desperate to protect that you'd break our most sacred law?"

Chronus's face twisted with rage. "You have no idea what you're talking about, Loki. As always, you play at schemes without understanding the full picture—"

"Then enlighten us," Malakor commanded. "Explain why your champion's death warranted interference. Explain why you would throw away centuries of position and power. Explain yourself, Chronus the Timeless. Before I decide that execution is the only appropriate response to your violation."

The skeletal lord's hollow eye sockets blazed with cold fire. "You have ten seconds. Use them wisely."

—---------

Chronus stood there, surrounded by eleven of the most powerful beings on the continent, all of them pointing their powers at him. The air crackled with barely restrained violence. One wrong word, one suspicious movement, and he would be obliterated.

His appearance stabilized completely, settling into a dignified middle-aged form with silver-streaked hair and sharp, calculating eyes. When he spoke, his voice was measured, almost regretful.

"You want the truth?" Chronus said, spreading his hands in a gesture of openness. "Very well. I will be honest with you all."

He turned slightly, addressing the entire circle of demon lords rather than just Malakor.

"Richard Clay is not just my champion. He is my greatest achievement. I found him three hundred years ago, a human with a unique ability that manifested naturally, without blessing or curse. Pure Decay, born from his own soul. Do you understand how rare that is? How precious?"

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