High Alert
Darth Plagueis had returned to the Mundane an hour ago empty-handed compared to his Master Darth Tenebrous. They were both in the process of analyzing the newly acquired power container that Tenebrous stole from Governor's Hall in the cargo hold of their starship. Plagueis took the time to study the power's atomic makeup while Tenebrous flipped through the pages of Darth Bane's journal.
"This seems to be the power of Absolute Demise," Tenebrous said while reading the journal.
"I see," Plagueis replied. "I wonder if we could get any use out of it."
Tenebrous put the book down. "That power device is useless to me, and I assume it is of little use to you as well. Perhaps it could benefit the members of the Order of Bane."
"How?" Plagueis questioned. "The power in this container is nothing but a ball of unstable energy."
Tenebrous pondered for a few moments, then said, "Further testing is required. We could take the device outside and remove the power from it with the Force. That way we can see if the energy is malleable enough to be used for other things."
Plagueis liked the idea. "Brilliant thinking."
Tenebrous and Plagueis walked out of the cargo hold and approached the ship's airlock. After the sealed door opened, they walked down the ventral ramp and stepped out into the frigid Underworld climate. They turned in a random direction and walked away from the Mundane.
"Where's Herman?" Plagueis asked.
"I sent him on an intel mission," Tenebrous replied. "He should be back soon."
Plagueis frowned slightly. "Hopefully he returns with valid intel."
The Sith Lords hiked across the landscape until they were over a kilometer away from the Mundane. They believe this distance is far enough to where the starship won't receive any damage in case things go wrong.
Tenebrous gazed at the luminous power device. "The energy seems to be reactive to cold temperatures."
Plagueis put the device down at their feet. When the container made contact with the snow, the energy inside brightened even more. Taking note of this, Tenebrous and Plagueis prepared to open the container and carefully release its contents into a strong Force bubble. Just as they peered their awareness into the energy field, their senses warned them of immediate danger. They opened their eyes to quickly study their environment, but their senses couldn't detect anyone or anything that's hostile.
"Strange…" Tenebrous muttered.
A moment later, magic circles spawned all around them. Hundreds of discs were up in the air and on the ground, all of which showed the emergence of soldiers wearing white and gold dress armor. An old man appeared out of a circle that floated higher than all the others.
"We have found you at last!" Odin shouted from high above.
The chief god of Asgard was with a thousand Valkyries—an all-female army of "half-gods" from the Norse mythology. The women were armed with magic melee weapons that ranged from swords and wands to spears and battle axes, and some of them had an array of magic circles ready for use.
"How did they find us?" Plagueis asked his Master.
Tenebrous strapped the power device to his dorsal utility pack, then used his incredible brain power to think about their situation at an unfathomable rate.
"I believe it has to do with the two beings trying to read our minds from the other side of the world," Tenebrous stated. "It's highly probable that they were using their telepathic abilities for other means."
"A brilliant tactic," Plagueis acknowledged, "but their success will be short-lived."
Plagueis reached out across the planet and racked the minds of the two beings with pain and confusion to diffuse the telepathic link. Shiva and Vishnu had used their telepathic powers for an alternative and unorthodox purpose. They knew that they wouldn't be able to read the Sith Lords' minds, and they found a way to turn that disadvantage into an advantage. Since there are only two minds in the world they cannot read, they used this "block" to narrow down the location of the unreadable minds which they had predicted to be the Sith.
Unaware of their true intentions, Tenebrous and Plagueis had dismissed the telepathic attempts as a mere annoyance, not thinking they were broadcasting themselves to telepathic abilities different from the Force. Shiva and Vishnu had notified their Asgardian allies about the Sith's location, and as a result, Asgard sent its best warriors to defeat the Sith Lords.
Tenebrous and Plagueis vowed not to make the same mistake again.
Tenebrous looked up at Odin and shouted, "What makes you think that your army will defeat us?"
"I'm not sure if they will defeat you," Odin admitted, "but it's certainly worth the try. After all you've put the Underworld through, you leave us with no choice but to eliminate you at all costs."
"It seems like you are acting out of desperation," Plagueis remarked. "Such despair will only bring you doom."
"Enough!" Odin yelled in frustration.
The god rambled on about how his army will cleanse their evil presence from the face of the planet, and with disinterest, Tenebrous turned away and spoke to Plagueis.
"I have a challenge for you, apprentice," said Tenebrous.
Plagueis raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
Tenebrous continued, "This will be a challenge of pure bladework where you and I will compete for the most kills. We are only allowed to use the Force powers of physical augmentation and saber throw, therefore we must use our speed, agility and lightsaber skills to their fullest. The winner gets to have the last piece of Jogan fruit."
Plagueis thought over the rules, then replied, "Deal. Let the best Sith win."
As soon as Odin finished his speech, the Valkyries let out a war cry in the name of Asgard. The Sith Lords activated their lightsabers and sped towards the closest of the thousand female warriors. With quick and powerful lightsaber strikes, Tenebrous and Plagueis tore through the first twenty soldiers like paper mache, each woman falling to the ground as a shattered corpse. Plagueis followed his Master along the side of the hill area that flanked most of the army, both of them leaving long, red lightsaber blurs that stretched across the whole area. Not able to properly perceive the Sith Lords themselves, the Valkyries fired long-range magic attacks at the streaks with the hopes of hitting the Sith as they ran. Easily escaping the long trail of destruction behind them, the Sith Lords separated at the tree fork, Tenebrous going left and Plagueis going right.
To all Asgardian onlookers, the Sith Lords' movements looked like red lightning flashing around the whole battlefield. Each Sith pushed their speed and agility to the max, which allowed them to weave around trees, leap across branches, and dance around in the open while killing their adversaries. They could feel the Valkyries' growing horror and disbelief; it was a wave of pain and fear that clouded the air like a thick fog. They continued to strike, deflect, dodge and run as the Asgardian numbers dwindled.
This battle bears more significance than one would suggest. As half-gods, Valkyries are the most powerful "frontline units" of any mythology. They are far stronger than the average devil or angel and they even outclass the average grim reaper. As such, Valkyries have been the bulwark of Asgard for centuries, and each mythology always took them as a serious threat. Only the strongest of female Asgardians can become Valkyries, while the strongest of male Asgardians aspired for godhood.
Odin stared with hyperactive eyes at the carnage below him. The Sith had killed half of his army by now, and the remaining half looked like they were all devastated. What made the situation that much more fearsome is that the Sith Lords decimated half the army barely within the span of minutes. Thoughts flashed through Odin's mind as he quickly pondered about his current options and whether he should intervene. Sadly, he felt that his magical powers would hardly make a difference.
But he couldn't do nothing either. Odin spawned his spear "Gungnir" and prepared to fly down and join the battle. Before he moved, the Chief-Valkyrie Brynhildr, escorted by two other Valkyries, flew up to Odin's altitude and floated in front of him.
"Lord Odin, I need you to depart immediately," said Brynhildr. "It's too dangerous for you to stay here."
"I'm joining the battle," Odin declined. "It's the right thing for me to do."
"No!" Brynhildr shouted. "We have all sworn to protect you at all costs. If you get killed down there, our training and oath were for nothing. Please let us fulfill our duty, I beg you."
Odin hesitated for a moment, then acknowledged her request.
"Okay," said Odin. "You have all made me very proud."
A large magic circle formed just beneath Odin's feet, and a second later it teleported him away from the battlefield. Brynhildr and her escorts rushed down to the forest below where the battle continued.
Plagueis rushed out into the open grass fields while Tenebrous began using saber throw to cut down Valkyries hovering in the air. After killing his next opponent, Plagueis picked up the magic sword that fell from the woman's hand and began using the dual-wield lightsaber form of Jar'Kai. The Muun swung both arms at a rapid pace to plunge his lightsaber and magic sword through magic shields and Valkyrie flesh, all while contorting his body like a pretzel to dodge magic attacks. He then used a strong burst of Force speed to speed blitz dozens of Valkyries with his blades before they could conjure magic circles designed to bombard Plagueis's location.
Plagueis then stopped to briefly observe his Master killing many airborne Valkyries with the use of saber throw. The Bith would take a moment to kill a woman or two on the ground between throws, all while using his speed and agility to dodge their attacks. Plagueis always knew that his Master is a tad faster than him, but he now realized that the Bith is actually less competent in the agility department than he originally thought. He studied Tenebrous's flips and acrobatics and noticed that the Bith can't perform several maneuvers to the extent that Plagueis can. The Muun also noticed that Tenebrous's lateral speed is also a little slower than his own, but the Bith's tremendous forward speed easily makes up for this deficiency. Plagueis couldn't decide which characteristic was better: his agility or his Master's running speed.
Plagueis turned and saw a floating Valkyrie gazing at him with a magic circle to her right side. He found it strange that the magic circle wasn't being used to attack him, and unlike the other Valkyries, this woman seemed to be studying him. Without another moment's hesitation, Plagueis threw his lightsaber at the Valkyrie, the blade decapitating her before she knew what happened. Once the lightsaber flew back into his right hand, Plagueis darted off to meet up with his Master at the center of the battlefield.
The two Sith Lords briefly exchanged words while observing the last 120 soldiers at the edge of the treeline. The Valkyries seemed tired, afraid and panicked, and it looked as though they were preparing to retreat. Tenebrous and Plagueis won't be granting the mercy of retreat, so they sped forward as fast as they could before the women could spawn teleportation circles.
Their blades clashed against magic circles and flesh as they dodged and weaved around magic attacks and defenses. Plagueis stabbed a wounded Valkyrie that was on the ground lying on her back with the magic sword in his left hand, and the blade struck through her with such force that it plunged into the large boulder under her back and snapped in half. The Muun threw away the broken weapon and returned to his single-bladed lightsaber sequences. Tenebrous and Plagueis continued to dominate their way through the army remnants until only one Valkyrie remained.
Brynhildr stared at her invincible adversaries with stressed eyes. Her breathing was heavy and her heart couldn't beat any faster, and all she could do was give everything she's got. As she charged forward, the Sith Lords surprisingly turned off their lightsabers and clipped the weapon hilts to their belts. She swung her magic sword at Plagueis who disappeared a moment before being struck, then he reappeared to her left side and punched her in the side of the ribs. Hurt and winded, Brynhildr turned and unleashed two furious slashes at Tenebrous who seemingly teleported to her right side and kicked her in the side of the knee. She fell to one knee for a moment, then she pushed herself back up and walked with a limp.
The Sith Lords were toying with her both physically and mentally. At this point, Brynhildr was just swinging her sword around wildly out of rage. Tenebrous grabbed her sword and disarmed her with such force that he nearly ripped off her fingers. Plagueis stepped forward and lifted the wounded Valkyrie by the back of the neck with a grip as strong as steel.
"This is an interesting weapon," said Tenebrous. "I think I'll keep it."
Brynhildr's sword is different from all the other swords Tenebrous saw. It has a short handle and lacks a cross guard, and the whole thing looks more like an oversized machete than a traditional longsword. The blade of the weapon also glows brighter than every other Valkyrie sword, suggesting that it has a greater amount of magical power. Tenebrous gripped the handle and immediately liked the feel of it in his hand. He waved the sword around and noticed that it has good balance and speed and is fairly lightweight, perfect for dual-wielding with another blade.
"What made you think that you and your sistren could defeat us?" Tenebrous asked.
Brynhildr remained silent. Whether she was too scared to speak or simply refused to reply, Tenebrous decided not to deal with her anymore. He motioned Plagueis to end her life.
Plagueis yanked Brynhildr's head down as hard as he could towards his elevating knee, and with great Force augmented strength, he kneed the back of her neck. The force of the blow pulverized her cervical vertebrae and deformed her durable flesh, killing her instantly. Brynhildr's body dropped to the ground like a discarded marionette.
Plagueis stared at the corpse of the strongest Valkyrie. "That was my five hundredth kill. We tied."
"A draw it is," Tenebrous acknowledged. "Excellent work, apprentice."
The Sith Lords walked back to their starship and decided to experiment with the power of Absolute Demise somewhere else. Once they returned to the Mundane, they shared two halves of the last piece of Jogan fruit.
Asgardian search post, Underworld
Odin rushed towards Shiva and Vishnu in the distance. Watching him run with a serious look of urgency, the two Trimurti gods approached Odin immediately.
"What happened?" Shiva asked.
Odin replied while panting, "The Sith…they slaughtered them. My Chief-Valkyrie urged me to leave…I don't think any of them are still alive."
"Were they able to do anything to the Sith?" Shiva questioned. "Injure them, perhaps?"
"Not in the slightest chance," Odin replied bluntly. "The battle was lost before it even began."
Vishnu grew angry. "I knew we should have sent in the Asuras along with them! This wouldn't have happened if we sent in our full numbers!"
"I really don't think the Asuras would have done much to help," said Odin. "I never imagined seeing so many powerful beings die so quickly in my life. It seemed like these Sith Lords could cut through every person in existence without faltering."
"Perhaps we need additional support…" Shiva's eyes narrowed in thought. "Let the Underworld leaders know about this incident, I have another plan in mind."
Lilith, Underworld
Sirzechs and the other Satans were assembled in the Satan Legislature Building in downtown Lilith. Sitting in their respective seats within the assembly hall, the Satans had gathered with representatives of the devil clans not involved in the civil war and witnesses of the Sith infiltrations. Sirzechs stood up and addressed everyone in the chamber.
"Thank you all for coming," said Sirzechs. "This meeting was created on short notice, but as you all know, we have an emergency that has escalated significantly. We must take every precaution necessary to ensure the safety of our people, therefore Ajuka, Falbium, Serafall and I have placed every Underworld city on lockdown under Code Red. I will now let our head of military affairs explain the current situation."
Sirzechs sat down while Falbium Asmodeus stood up and walked down to the presenter's stage in the middle of the room.
"As you all may or may not know, the Sith infiltrated and attacked two key buildings in the Underworld very recently, one in Lucifaad and one in Grigori," said Asmodeus. "Unfortunately, Shemhazai was killed during the attack on Grigori, and the Underworld has lost several brave devils and fallen angels as well."
Some of the clan representatives shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the sound of this new information. Baraqiel lowered his head in shame, reminded of the brutal death of his friend.
"Azazel was also seriously injured during the encounter in Lucifaad," Asmodeus continued. "He is currently recovering at the Serafall Memorial Hospital, thus he will not be attending the meeting tonight."
"Hold your tongue, Asmodeus," a voice shouted from the back end of the assembly hall.
Everyone turned their attention to the exit doors at the far end of the room. Azazel was sitting in a wheelchair with a medical assistant standing behind him holding on to the chair's rear handles.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Azazel," Sirzechs smiled. "The hospital staff must have done an excellent job healing you up."
"He's in good condition compared to his prior state," said the assistant, "but some of his injuries still require close monitoring. Our supply of Phoenix Tears was able to heal his fractured bones and other musculoskeletal injuries, but the potion was not able to repair his damaged organs. Azazel suffered severe trauma to his liver, right lung and right kidney, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that he fully recovers. The doctors advised that he keeps his movement and talking to a minimum, and with your permission, Lord Lucifer, I will speak on Azazel's behalf."
"Permission granted," said Sirzechs. "Please take a seat wherever you like."
The medical assistant rolled Azazel's wheelchair down the right side of the chamber where there's more room to maneuver. He parked Azazel right next to Zeoticus Gremory and took a seat at the Governor General's vacant side.
"I can't believe you showed up," Lord Gremory said quietly.
"I wasn't going to let myself miss such an important meeting," Azazel replied. He then grinned and said, "Plus I'm a lot tougher than I look."
"There's no doubt about that," Zeoticus replied, admired and slightly intimidated by the fallen angel's perseverance.
Asmodeus continued explaining the situation report. "We now have witnesses and evidence to fill in some details about these Sith Lords. Baraqiel gave a description of the Sith Master, which our investigations unit used to illustrate the suspect. The Sith Lord's name is Darth Tenebrous."
A person controlling the overhead projector placed a drawn image of Tenebrous onscreen. It wasn't an exact replica of Tenebrous, but it was still an accurate depiction of the Sith Lord. People looked at the image in disgust, frightened by the Sith's alien features. What the image lacked was his dark side corruption, and if that feature was added, everyone probably would have refused to look at it.
"We also have a drawn image of the apprentice Darth Plagueis," said Asmodeus. "A magic recording was sent to us by the Asgardians featuring the battle that took place between the Valkyries and the Sith Lords; the recording stops part way through the fight, so we do not know the details of the battle afterwards. However, the recording was able to get a solid shot of Plagueis."
The left side of the projector image showed the drawing of Plagueis described by Issei and his friends a few hours before the meeting. On the right side of the screen, a video played showing the Valkyrie battle starting from the very beginning of the fight. Streaks and swirls of red light dashed across the battlefield like lightning bolts, killing everything in its path. Neither Sith Lord could be perceived until Plagueis took a moment to watch the Valkyrie recording him with a magic circle. The video then paused and showed a still image of Plagueis in his Jar'Kai stance: his lightsaber in low guard below his hip and the magic sword in high guard above his head. The Muun's fiery yellow eyes looked directly at the center of the circle, almost as though he was purposely trying to stare down the viewers on the other side of the lens.
The whole assembly hall remained silent while everyone studied the crystal-clear shot of Plagueis. While not as alien-looking as Tenebrous, the Muun still baffled everyone with his elongated head, overly gaunt frame and long limbs. Whoever thought that Hades was the worst-looking humanoid immediately changed their minds when setting eyes on the live shot of Plagueis.
"Ugly bastard," mumbled Lord Belial.
Lady Phenex couldn't take her eyes off Plagueis; it almost as though the alien's awful appearance kept her stuck in a mesmerized state.
"Where is this 'Darth Plagueis' now, exactly?" asked Lord Agares.
"We don't know," Asmodeus replied. "Our search teams are working together with the Asgardians to track down Plagueis and his Master's current location, but no reports have returned yet."
A long moment of silence passed before anyone spoke.
"I believe it's time for us to reform the mythological coalition," said Ajuka. "We can't let these Sith Lords continue to destroy everything without heavy resistance holding them back."
Most people in the room wished he wouldn't have said that. It means there will be another global war.
"I agree," said Lady Sitri while standing up quickly. "I can't bear to see the world plunge further into darkness. I don't want my little Sona to suffer any further, especially after the trauma she just went through."
Lady Sitri looked up at her eldest daughter Serafall with a sad look on her face. Serafall almost started to cry.
Everyone else was still hesitant. After a few moments of thought, Azazel grew angry and slammed his fists on the table.
"I'm sick of this shit!" Azazel shouted. "Why are we sitting around not wanting to do anything?"
"Sir, please sit down!" exclaimed the medical assistant. "You need to take it easy."
"No!" Azazel yelled back. "I want to say this with my own voice and passion, even if it kills me."
The assistant backed off and sat down.
Azazel looked around at his surprised colleagues and said, "The world is on the brink of total destruction. We all swore an oath to protect our people and push back our enemies no matter the cost. I remember saying that on the day our Three Factions joined forces under the Kuoh Treaty, and I don't plan on breaking that promise now. Look at me, I got my ass annihilated and my best friend died, and I still have more fire and passion than all of you! Why are we letting fear hold us back?"
Azazel then looked up at Sirzechs and shouted, "Sirzechs Lucifer, the most powerful man in the Underworld and perhaps the most powerful Satan in history, why are you beating around the bush? You were eager to end the Sith threat when Bane and Zannah were here, why are you so hesitant now? Your sister and her friends could be dead right now if things turned out differently. Rias, Issei and the others will be dead if we don't go after the Sith with everything we have! So what's it going to be, Lord Lucifer?"
Sirzechs looked around at everyone then at his father and Ajuka, both of whom stared back at him in such a way as to test him. He returned his gaze back to Azazel and took a moment to think. Almost spontaneously, Sirzechs's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed.
"Falbium, gather the mythologies. We're taking the fight to the Sith," said Sirzechs.
Phenex Castle, Underworld
Plagueis snuck through the main floor of the Phenex Castle searching for the clan's stash of Phoenix Tears. He could sense several magical items around the castle through the Force, but Plagueis didn't know which ones were the healing potions. As such, the Muun planned on searching each floor starting with the first one.
Plagueis infiltrated the Phenex Castle while Tenebrous did his own activities elsewhere. It was common for them to go off on their own tasks in the hopes of fulfilling their desires, so neither Sith Lord was overly suspicious of the other. However, Plagueis wondered if his Master has his own goals around the intricacies of mythological magic, and if he did, Plagueis wondered what. The chances of Tenebrous seeking out things like Phoenix Tears are low due to his evident disinterest in mythological texts, but there is still a small possibility. To prevent his Master from getting an edge over him, Plagueis intended on hiding the Phoenix Tears to the best of his ability, even if he must actively manipulate Tenebrous so the Bith won't find the potions.
Searching the rooms of the first floor, Plagueis scanned shelves, desks and drawers while avoiding and disabling security cameras. Failing to find anything, he reached the stairs and climbed up to the next floor. There were some devil guards on the second floor, so Plagueis conducted his search more carefully. Finding nothing on the second floor, Plagueis ascended the stairs while avoiding detection from security patrols.
Once he reached the third floor, Plagueis could immediately tell that there was something about the doors at the back end of the castle. Unlike the other room doors, these ones were twice the size and made from a denser material. Plagueis quietly approached the doors and hid behind a stone pillar when two people walked out. Once the two men were gone, Plagueis snuck up to the door that remained slightly open and heard someone shuffling some things around. The Sith Lord did not recognize this person through the Force, but from the looks of the man's clothing through the door crack, he seems to be a high-ranking official.
Plagueis carefully opened the door, walked in, and quietly closed the door behind him. He observed the room without hiding; all around he could see the many things required to make Phoenix Tears, and at the right end of the room was a meditation spot where the tears are extracted from members of the Phenex family. The man that Plagueis was approaching is Lord Phenex, and behind the clan leader Plagueis could see the several stacks of Phoenix Tears lined up on the lab table, some stored in sealed boxes and others exposed in the open.
Plagueis had an armored storage case with him that he carried in his left hand, one designed to house a variety of precious items. He put the case on a nearby table, making just enough noise for Lord Phenex to realize that someone is behind him. The devil turned around and expected to see a guard or a family member, but to his complete disbelief, he saw the face and body of an alien. Lord Phenex jolted and dropped the test tubes containing his newest batch of Phoenix Tears. After the glass and liquid shattered across the floor, Plagueis approached a few feet and spoke.
"Marvelous work you have here," Plagueis commended. "You and your clan have created something that not even the Sith have been able to invent."
Lord Phenex blinked rapidly. "Y-You're Darth Plagueis, a-aren't you?"
"I am," Plagueis confirmed. "Word seems to spread quickly in the Underworld."
"W-What do you want?" asked Lord Phenex.
"Take a look around you," said Plagueis. "What I desire is quite obvious."
Lord Phenex replied with hardly a moment's hesitation, "Take it. Take everything in here if you want."
Plagueis laughed. "You give up your prized possessions too easily."
"We can make more," said Lord Phenex. "Phoenix Tears are fairly common commodities, we sell them to buyers all the time. Some of our enemies have even gotten their hands on them somehow."
"I would be keeping the existence of these potions a secret, but I can understand why you would want to sell them," Plagueis stated.
Just as Plagueis was about to start filling up his case with Phoenix Tears, Lord Phenex interrupted by saying, "I have a request for you, Dark Lord. This is very important to me, and I'm willing to do anything for it."
Plagueis cocked an eyebrow. "You're willing to do anything?"
"Yes!" Lord Phenex nodded enthusiastically. "My daughter, she's deeply troubled. Ever since the weather changed, she's been depressed and heartbroken. Even when she's with Issei and the others, she's overwhelmed with misery and hopelessness. I…I found her diary…and it contains suicidal thoughts. All I ask is for you to clear the skies so she can see the sunshine again."
Plagueis simply stared with a blank expression on his face.
Lord Phenex became desperate. "I-I can give you all the fame and fortune you want! My clan is very resourceful, and we have great relations with powerful people; we can give you everything! I can even modify the Phoenix Tears so that it will make you unstoppable! It may take me years to be able to make such changes to them, but I will spend every waking hour of the day to fulfill that goal. Please, Lord Plagueis, I don't want to lose my little girl!"
Plagueis extended his arm. "Take my hand and pledge your loyalty to me."
Lord Phenex rushed towards the Muun and grasped his hand in a prayer-like pose.
"What can I do for you, milord?" Lord Phenex asked.
Plagueis gave a menacing smile. "Die."
Clenching his hand tight around those of Lord Phenex, Plagueis shot a stream of Force lightning into the devil's body. Lord Phenex went stiff and his eyes rolled back while his blood was brought to a boil. The devil's superb healing abilities would have saved him from all damage to his limbs, but the lightning cooked his blood and organs; something that his regeneration abilities cannot account for. Also, Plagueis's lightning damaged Lord Phenex faster than he can heal.
The devil's corpse fell to the ground in a heap, having been fried inside and out. Plagueis decided to kill Lord Phenex because he had the most amount of knowledge around the creation and operation of Phoenix Tears, and with his death, further fabrication of Phoenix Tears will be lessened. Plagueis doesn't know if the tears will help him significantly in his quest for corporal immortality, but if they do, he doesn't want anyone else to have them. The mere fact that the other Phenex clan family members likely know how to create the potion made Plagueis jealous, but the Muun didn't want to go on a witch hunt.
Plagueis stuffed his armored case full of Phoenix Tear bottles, and once there were dozens inside, he locked the case and held it in his hand. The Muun briefly studied the dead body on the ground with a mocking gaze. The devil was deluded to think that his knowledge and effort could help Plagueis in any sort of way, especially when magical power cannot do anything in relation to the Force.
"Fool," Plagueis thought as he walked out the door.