Unidentified Location Unidentified Location Unidentified Location Unidentified Location

2000, 3, 1st Week, January

"Your highness...?"

"My dear..."

"You whore..."

Faint and muffled voices echoed in Melian's ears. She felt nothing, numbness took over her body, leaving her unable to see or feel. Her mind was calm. It was as if her mind got flushed of all thoughts and stress and was replaced by a relaxing feeling of relative peace took over her.

She did not think of anything else but felt as if she was in bliss. She felt the urge to stay at the state she was in and never return to the everlasting torture which was the reality of all living beings. A state where she had no responsibilities, where she could finally rest and accept her mistakes and move on into another plane of existence, a higher plane, she believed.

She could only remember the faint memory of her being flung away by that demon in white armor. She recalled no pain, but a slight jolt from her stomach, which pushed her at high speeds and slammed her against a mountain.

And now she floated in bliss, relaxed in a manner in which she has never handled before. Slowly her numb body began to feel once more, and she felt as if she was drifting and afloat. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a white light shined upon her, she couldn't see clearly, but the light was unlike anything she had ever laid eyes on.

The light was pure yellow, a taint of yellow which was so pure yet so dazzling to the eyes despite its simplistic nature. The golden light prevented her from seeing anything, and she was blinded for a few seconds. The light struck her eyes, but she felt no pain nor did she feel the reflex to close her eyes in response to such a bright light.

But she maintained her eyes. The light was calm and pleasing regardless of its intensity.

And then the light began to fade. Slowly, she could see what was before her. Little by little, she saw a golden maiden floating amongst the light. Her long light yellow hair curled around her legs and hips as it flowed through the air like a weed in the current. Her face was beautiful. Ample were her lips and chest while her eyes were a somewhat darker range of yellow.

She had a curved body and a stunning figure overall and little did Melian know, she was looking at the Elven Goddess' pure form.

In contrast to her previous appearance on the human carriage, this form was her purest and original form. The form which reflects her beauty and does it justice. The form which strikes fear among the denizens of this world and the form which exerts her position and power among all things, as what a deity should be.

The mystified Melian stared at her beauty, and her mouth was agape. The goddess smiled at her and slowly drifted towards the floating queen. As she drew near, her elegance became even more apparent to Melian's eyes.

"Welcome, Queen Floria Melian Shelberry."

Melian was speechless, her beauty was already unparalleled, and now her voice was as sweet as honeydew. Pleasant to one's ears and antagonizing to those against such pleasantry. Melian was further buried in awe and confusion, she now knew she was in the presence of the goddess, but she was not ready to meet her again, nor was she willing to even lay her eyes upon her pure form.

"I have come here to meet you, your Majesty."

Melian's mouth remained shut.

"You need not to speak, nor to fear me, for I have come here to bring you from death,"

Death? She thought. So I was indeed dead? I was enjoying it here, in bliss.

"I can hear your thoughts, mortal, and I heed them well, I know you long to have everlasting peace in mind and heart, but will you truly pass on without any negative conscience affecting you? No, you need not to pass on yet, you need to fight! For your people and for the world!"

"H-How...?" For the first time since she appeared here, Melian managed to utter a word, "How can we even beat them to begin with? Only a coalition of the whole world or the few Transcendents could stand against this demon army. What about the Gods? Why couldn't any of them help?"

Hearing her desperate words, the Elven Goddess sighed deeply, "Those... fools aren't bothered as the Third Civilization Zone was not their problem unless it was theirs."

Feeling a sense of rage in her, Melian asked another question, "What about the Dragon Overlord who ruled the First Civilisation Zone?"

The Elven Goddess seemed a bit hesitant before replying, "He is... strangely silent."

Feeling hopeless, Melian glanced down and felt her tears welling up, "So... we are our own?"

The Goddess smiled, "Fear not, my child. There is still hope as I bless this upon you, the power of wisdom, for magic shall be your trusted arms and legs and your mind as your sharpened blade. Your will shall be as strong as iron, and your heart shall be cleansed of regret and transform into holy armor! Clad in beauty and strength! You shall set forth in the holy light and blessings, upon our gift is bestowed upon you."

[Divine Sword Summon]

[Absolute Defense]

[Absolute Light Magic]

[Grand Combat Application]

[Grand Magic Application]

[Divine Mana Recovery]

[Divine Sense]

[Life Force Recovery]

[Indomitable Power]

[Limit Transcension]

Seeing the bestowed skills and abilities, Melian's eyes widened in shock.

"T-Those are the blessings and gifts for future heroes and champions. How did you acquire so many from the other Gods?"

"Dark days are upon us, as dark as the tragedy will repeat itself as the many Calamity events throughout the history of this world. This new threat had arise, and two civilization zones can hope to defeat it alone. No deities will send you help, and the elves with you are just liabilities. But you, along with this human nation that this foreign God sent, were the only last hope. And you have to defeat all the demons before you have to return those abilities before the other deities notice."

"And if that didn't work?"

The Elven Goddess seemed even more hesitant, "There is also a second option."

——————————————————

Austronesia Empire, Imperial Maharlika, Mindanao, Marawi City

2000, 3, 1st Week, January

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

Heavy footsteps could be heard ominously in front of Melian.

It was a demon of immense build. At least two meters in height, clad in white armor that reflected any light and gave off an aura of sheer dominance.

And right now, he tried all of his skills or healing equipement on him to heal his injuries that is surprisingly evident in his chest.

She wondered who caused that.

"It seemed you're still alive, elf."

Hearing the words of the demon, Melian stood there silent, but in her mind, she began to feel conflicted.

'This is bad...'

As she stood before the demon before her, these were the initial thoughts in her mind.

'I never expected my first encounter has to be an Archdemon.' Melian gritted her teeth as she narrowed her eyes.

However, she could not afford to hesitate or dwell on any other distracting thought. Her opponent was right in front of her, and she managed to save her allies she swore she'd protect from complete annihilation by using a high-tier mass teleportation spell she had been given by the Goddess.

'Many are already dead and only less than a hundred remain with forty I've saved, but the others, they are still stuck in the city. It's tragic, but... I can't let it weigh too heavily on my mind.'

Not right now!

What everyone needed from Melian right now was action.

And he had to deliver.

VWUUUUSSSHH!

Bright golden energies danced around her as she glared deeply at the foe she had to face.

'I have now over 400,000 magicules, and it is still increasing thanks to the blessing of the Goddess. Even though I'm as strong as most Elite Knights in the First Civilization Zone, I'm not very confident I can defeat this thing...'

Both of her magic and combat power had risen from 200,000 to 900,000 at the higher level of the Transcendent Tier 2, but Melian knew she needed to be a Transcendent Tier 3 to confidently assert her victory against a creature of such caliber. At this point, she couldn't boast of such power as it still wasn't enough.

Despite that, Melian knew she couldn't give up.

'I have to try!'

BOOOOOM!

More power rushed through her as she called upon her newly acquired Skills.

[Grand Light Magic]

[Divine Sword Summon]

[Absolute Defense]

Upon using her newly given skills, Melian was instantly coated in what seemed to be a golden armor as her new form radiated majesty, but also pure power.

In her hand was a sword whose beauty was beyond description, shining brightly as she brandished it.

An aura, a field of unparalleled energy, remained around her to protect her from the adversary, and shimmers of light kept swirling around her.

Melian, at this point, looked every bit the part of an Angel. Of course, she lacked the wings and celestial beauty they possessed.

But something about her looked holy.

Sacred.

And powerful!



"!"

For the first time since his arrival, the face of the Archdemon frowned upon seeing this.

"This power... where did you get it from?"

It was clear what Conquest was referring to as he stared at Melian.

He appeared confused, and it genuinely was.

'No matter, I sensed her power is growing, and it's not stopping. At this rate, she might potentially pose a threat to the demon army.'

"[Triple Magic: Absolute Beast Summoning]"

As his words were sprang forth, energy began to gather around the space in front of him. It formed three Magic Circle and powerful pressure surrounded them, causing sparks of black and white light flashed all over the glowing symbols.

From the summoning Circles emerged three ten-meter-tall Polar Bears, each with a horn on its forehead and dozens of ice spikes on its back.

Those are the infamous powerful Magical Beast founded in the Northern snowy regions, and they are the kings of those lands.



However, the difference between them were their blood-red eyes, the red markings on their body, and the essence of miasma emanating from them.

Meaning these Magic Beasts were exposed to demonic energy for so long that they got corrupted into demonic beasts.

Leaving his Odachi Sword in midair while raising his axe in the elf's direction, he commanded.

"Attack her."

Following his orders, the massive Demonic Polar Bears immediately jumped up high in the sky and were about to land on the elf in order to kill the Elf Queen, but Melian wasn't about to just watch it happen.

Bam!

Slamming her feet on the ground, she broke it apart and the impact bounced a few pebbles in the air. Not wasting time, she kicked the pebbles, they flew off at bullet speed towards the airborne giant beast and slammed into them, knocking them back down on the ground.

Normally, at the speed and force those rocks were flying, they should have been able to pierce through any normal person's flesh with ease, but it seems these beasts weren't going down that easily.

Landing back on the ground next to their master, they all turned their attention to Melian and glared at her with hostility.

"It appears I must deal with you myse-"

Not giving him a chance to speak, Melian slammed her feet on the ground and unleashed a giant wind vortex that smacked into the Archdemon, sending him flying backwards as he crashed into the already destroyed buildings behind him, furthering the damage.

The Demonic beast was a bit surprised but quickly recovered as all three simultaneously rushed at the elf.

"ROAARR!"

"ROOOAAR!"

ROOAAR!"

As all three of them roared, each of them summoned a powerful blizzard, and with their combined power, it expanded the blizzard drastically as it had covered a kilometer wide area and were shot out towards Melian.

If you take a look closer at a microscopic level, the blizzard snowflakes appeared extremely durable and sharp, like tiny blades. Anyone caught within the blizzard would be shredded to pieces.

Knowing this, Melian's eyes narrowed further and didn't waste her time to raise her hand, aiming at the incoming storm.

"[Grand Magic Application]"

In the next second, the air shook and the ground cracked and trembled as a giant tornado of Melian's mana suddenly appeared where she stood. The force of the fierce energy shattered the oncoming blizzard and just kept expanding further and further, pushing and engulfing nearby rubbles, until even the Demonic Polar Bears ended up getting caught in its grasp.

Melian's power seemed to increase more along the wind as the force of the magical tornado seemed to get even more intense, to the point where the colliding rubbles in it ignited fire and in the next few moments, the wind tornado looked more like a vortex of fire.



The Demonic Polar Bears couldn't do anything as the wind from it was only fanning the fire more, and its force kept them from retaliating.

Being creatures of ice, fire was a major weakness to them, and shortly after, not even ashes remained of them as their complete existence was burned away.

The tornado started shrinking in size more and more until it eventually disappeared, leaving Melian standing alone in the middle of where it had occurred.

"Quite impressive, you defeated three higher level Transcendent Tier 2 demonic beasts with minimal effort," the Demon in white armor remarked as he calmly walked out from where he was tossed, and Melian turned her attention to him.

"It appears I will have to take you somewhat seriously."

Despite the area around Melian still having some fire due to the previous attack, it appears that effect did not reach where Conquest stood, as his area seemed rather both cold and gravity being distorted. Melian could even notice a tiny pebble next to Conquest's feet suddenly freezing in ice and, at the same time, began to levitate in the air.

In any case, both individuals stood and eyed each other, waiting for the other to make a move.

"Not going to attack?"

WHOOOSH!

As a response, Melian flowed through the air, easily traversing the distance that existed between her and the enemy she had to defeat.

It didn't matter that the power she wielded now was subpar compared to its full potential.

It didn't matter that it wasn't going to last forever, and currently knew nothing about her enemy.

It didn't even matter that she was already feeling the strain on him.

What mattered was one thing.

'Right here, right now... I MUST KILL HIM!'

BOOOOOMMM!!

The area reverberated, trembling as Melian finally swung her blade for the first time after reaching the very front of the demon.

The Divine Sword bypassed all defenses, so it could not be blocked against.

If the Archdemon attempted to raise a defense, it would all be over.

Melian made sure to move her muscles as hard as she could, aiming for the head as she swung her shiny blade.

She desperately prayed to make contact.

Unfortunately...

"You are full of openings."

WHUSH!

... Her prayers were denied.

'A-ahh!'

Melian couldn't see Conquest in front of her any longer. Instead, an overwhelming wave of bloodlust rushed to her from behind.

It was at this moment that Melian knew...

'H-he teleported behind me!'

... About how impossible her opponent would be.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A blast of destruction radiated all around the area where Melian and Conquest stood, causing everything around them, the unstable ground especially, to shatter apart.

Both opponents found themselves sliding across the debris, creating distance between themselves once again.

"Haaa..." A heavy breath proceeded from Melian's lips. She recognized how close she had come to dying a few seconds before.

'If I didn't use Light Magic to send my body into overdrive and recoil right behind him... his attack would have connected.'

A massive cloud of smoke existed between them, but Melian clenched her blade tightly and focused on sensing even the slightest change in her environment.

Her enemy was one who could teleport.

'I can't be too careless!'

"Haha..." A voice suddenly echoed in the area behind the pile of smoke.

In a powerful gust of wind, the smoke cleared, revealing the humanoid silhouette of Conquest emerged, and his twisted smile returned to his pale and handsome face beneath his white mask.

"...Not bad, elf."

Amusement danced in his eyes as he gazed at Melian's intense one with a cool, unbothered expression.

"Your skills are the real deal. But, it seems your level is the issue," As the demon said this, a bigger smile crept up on his face.

Melian could feel more tension wrapping around her.

"It seems I was worried for nothing, elf. I don't know how you acquired so much power, or how you're able to use it so well, but..."

He stretched out both hands, as if welcoming an embrace.

"... You're still very weak."

Melian bit his lip the moment these words were uttered.

Her opponent wasn't wrong.

'As expected, even though my power and strength are heightened, they still don't compare to an Archdemon.'

Even though she had new powerful skills and her old ones weren't operating at optimal potential, it makes no difference.

And what of her [Absolute Defense]?

Well, the skill of the demon felt like a hard counter to Melian's defenses.

'To conserve Mana, I concentrated my defenses in predictable areas, but with this teleportation of his, I'd have to rethink my strategy.'

Just to be on the safer side, Melian knew she'd have to bolster her defenses and ensure they circulated her entire body.

She couldn't afford to be hit at this point.

Especially not receiving any support anytime soon from her human allies, she heaved a sigh and took her stance once again.

'I have to do this on my own!'

"Haha! That's the spirit, elf! Come!"

WHOOOOSH!

The ground shattered as the very air around Melian trembled as she launched herself forward.

Cackles of golden energy danced around her as she used both hands to draw her blade and send an energy wave flying towards the Archdemon

WHUSH!

Conquest vanished, but Melian already predicted that.

'[Light Field]!'

Spreading her Mana around her using Light Magic, Melian detected a distortion in space very quickly and realized where her enemy was going to appear from.

She proceeded to use Light Magic on her body to boost her speed and mobility, making her much faster than normal.

With the power granted to her by the Divine Sword coursing through her veins, and her current usage of Light Magic, Melian reached a new realm of speed and strength.

Yes, this wasn't sustainable.

It was taking a toll on her body at a heavy rate.

However...

'If I don't go all out, I can't win!'

VWOOSH!

Once Conquest appeared where he was supposed to, Melian was already there and her blade swung heavily in his direction.

It was inescapably close distance, one where Melian was guaranteed to hit her target.

"DIE—!"

Before Melian's blade reached Conquest, she felt a burning sensation in her stomach, and her eyes bulged in response to the feeling.

"Puack!" Melian spat out blood as a sharp kick implanted itself on her.

Her momentum was put to a grinding halt, and an expression of both shock and confusion, mixed, of course, with pain radiated from her face.

'H-how did he... get past my defenses?!'.

Melian had chosen these particular skill-sets to go with her build because she was confident in both the offensive and defensive capabilities of her skills.

She was convinced that, even with low strength, having skills such as this would give her combined advantages in battle.

However...

"You should know that my Space Magic allows me to bypass defenses and reach for my target wherever they are."

As Conquest said this, Melian could see how his feet had come through a portal right before it hit her.

The [Absolute Defense] Skill created a safe haven around Melian that was largely impenetrable.

Melian could make the dome larger to accommodate more people, but she couldn't make it smaller.

That was the problem.

"As long as there's space existing between you and your barrier, then I'm always going to be able to attack you."

Melian groaned yet again as another blow was sent to her stomach, this time creating enough pressure to push her away.

"Keuk!"

As she fell and recoiled from the pain that assailed her, she stared hatefully at the Archdemon in white armor, who was grinning at the pathetic elf before him.

"Do you understand, elf? My Skill is a hard counter to yours. You can't properly defend against me, and I can always evade your sure-hit attacks," he said, his voice seemed to drip with disdain on her, "I can even smell the same arrogant blood like any of you knife-eared bastards I've seen in many worlds."

In response to the taunts, Melian only rose to her feet and wiped off the blood that stained her lip.

Remnants of her crimson liquid had dropped to the ground, already mixed with her sweat, but Melian ignored all of that.

She simply brandished her blade one more time, as her eyes displayed unwavering determination, and while pain circulated around her entire body, causing her to tremble, she did not have any expression of fear.

No.

She had never appeared more resolute.

Her moist lips uttered words in a whisper as she prepared herself with a battle stance.

"Haaa..."

Sighing, Melian already knew what she had to do.

She was done hesitating or even resisting. Right now, this was the only chance she had.

She didn't know how many mana she would lose, but she understood that if she could end things quickly, then it wouldn't be too much.

It felt like a fair bargain at this point.

'As long as I can defeat the enemy that lies in front of me... that's all that matters!'

With that resolve, she took her stance and brandished her blade.

And activate one of the strongest skills she was given by the Goddess.

"[Limit Transcension]!"

BOOOOOOOOM!

An instant surge of energy caused the very air to vibrate.

Everything around Melian was crumbling, as if being broken down into multiple smaller particles.

The Demonic Energy that filled the whole air corrupted by the demons began to convert back into pure Mana and surround the Elf Queen.

900,000

.

.

.

950,000

.

.

.

960,000

.

.

.

970,000

.

.

.

980,000

.

.

.

990,000

This ability, [Limit Transcension], allowed the user to get temporarily stronger by absorbing the Mana around them, which would phenomenally improve the user in every aspect of their strength, power, and increasing the effectiveness of their Skills phenomenally.

At that point, their power and strength is equivalent to a Demigod.

"Let's try this again," Melian whispered, opening her glowing golden eyes.

Her hair was currently dancing in the air as an aura of pure golden light covered her body.

Vein-like energy markings appeared on her skin as more power rushed into her.

'Let's go!'

WHOOOOOM!

Space itself distorted as the Elf Queen made her first move, rushing towards her target in a blur of light.

"Wha—?"

Before Conquest could even react, Melian was already in front of him.

Her blade was swung, carrying with it an overwhelming power that could not be explained with mere words.

Fortunately for the Archdemon, his Spatial Magic activated right on time, triggered by the Elf Queen's immense energy.

WHUSH!

He was able to vanish by a hair's breadth, reappearing a considerable distance away from Melian.

However, the moment he reappeared, he noticed a golden figure right beside him.

"Shi-"

SWOOOOSH!

The blade was swung with even more ferocity, and this time, Conquest felt it nearly reach his neck before teleporting once again.

WHUSH!

As soon as he teleported away, Melian's eyes darted all around her, and she instantly spotted the next distortion in space.

Her legs carried her to the location in no time, and she raised her blade for a powerful vertical strike.

Thus, once Conquest manifested, he was greeted with a strike he couldn't avoid.

WHUUUUMMMM!!!

He could only move back as fast as he could, but even then, the attack was bound to hit him.

And so...

SWOOSH!

...He sent his axe to intercept Melian right as she was about to deliver the blow.

That way, just like last time, he would disrupt the momentum.

However, there was one crucial detail that the demon failed to recognize...

BOOOOM!

A bright golden ray of light shattered both of his weapon and the hand that would have skewered the approaching Elf Queen, causing the demon to writhe in pain.

This gave Melian the perfect chance to deal her attack.

WHOOSH!

The blade approached, distorting the fabric of space itself as it neared its victim.

"Damn it...!"

Staring at Melian, who's face at that point was not one of victory or rage, but a lull that just seemed to state the brute fact of the situation.

Righteous judgment had come!

It was time for the beast of terror to experience it himself.

Conquest knew deep down that if the blade connected with his heart or sliced off his head, he would be gravely injured, if not good as dead.

And so, he did the only reasonable thing he could.

VWUUSH!

He activated his Spatial Magic, prepared to teleport a far distance from the Elf Queen.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't be fast enough to escape.

He knew that already.

He could use his Spatial Magic to redirect the sword that neared him, but even that was rendered impossible thanks to the warped space around the blade.

As a result...

"Tch!"

Conquest raised his arm, where his severed hand was, and reached for the Divine Sword.

He knew blocking was useless, as the blade would simply slice through all obstacles like butter.

However, by letting his arm be sliced off first, it would give him enough time to escape.

SQUELCH!

His arm was easily severed off, and the blade now neared his head.

Fortunately for him...

WHUSH!

... He finally vanished away from harm's way.

Just barely escaping with his life intact.

'Damnit! I missed him!' Melian thought as she felt her sword crack apart that it fell on.

Everything around her shook, but she ignored all of it.

She had missed the mark on her enemy. Or rather, the demon was able to escape faster than she could completely kill it.

'I wanted to end it with that move... damn it!'

Melian could already feel the strain on her body as she breathed heavily.

Her body was tense.

Her bones rattled.

She could already feel pain slowly visiting her.

'I can't keep this up for much longer.'

In as much as her entire body had been strengthened by the [Limit Transcendence] ability, she was still using more power than she could keep up with.

"I'm suprise that you managed to severe me arm. At least be content knowing you achieved such a feat," Conquest said, as he appeared far from the Elf Queen.

As both of his recovery skills and equipment healed his wounds, he pulled out another weapon, which appears to be a halberd.

"You sure talk a lot," Melian spoke out for the first time.

"I really do, that's why my comrades dislike me for it," Conquest said honestly, raising his hand as a blue aura began to radiate from it.



Now wielding both of his strongest weapons, he took a battle stance.



"I shall now take you on without holding back."

"You should have done that from the beginning," Melian whispered.

Not wasting time, Conquest takes the initiative as he zooms off the ground and towards Melian, leaving a crater where he stood and instantly appearing in front of the Elf Queen.

"[Rakshasa]"

Upon whispering these words, both his halberd and Odachi Sword seem to gain afterimages as he moves them around and attacked Melian at an unimaginable speed. With his skill named [Rakshasa] activated, it looked like there were at least ten different weapons each of a halberd and katana that was about to slaughter the elf.

But they never reached her.

Just as Conquest had attacked her at an unbelievable speed, Melian had also dodge every last strike at an equal speed, slightly shocking the demon.

Seizing the opportunity, Melian coated her fist with a massive amount of mana and punched Conquest right in the chest. Though the demon managed to stay on his feet, he slid back from the impact.

"[Triple Maximize Magic: Gravity Suppression]!"

In an instant, Melian felt an immense weight drop upon her, far heavier than before, as if a mountain tens of kilometers high had landed on her back.

As a result, a massive crater beneath her feet was formed, and she is going to sink to the ground further as time passes.

"[Ice Pillars]!"

As Conquest said this, the ground broke apart and spiked icicles rose up from it.

Despite being suppressed by gravity thirty times stronger, Melian felt her mana drastically increased from the Goddess' Blessing again, and thanks to [Limit Transcension], she immediately jumped in the sky and was able to escape the attack, but the icicles only extended further up and began pursuit as Melian was maneuvering through them.

While dodging the pillar-like icicles, she was also throwing energy slashes at them to cut them down and didn't see Conquest quickly running up one of the icicles and effortlessly closing the distance between them.

Immediately, he swung his halberd at Melian's neck at full speed. Had it landed, the victim truly wouldn't have even known they had been beheaded, however, this time the halberd snapped at the neck of the blade, and similarly, Conquest's wrist also snapped all the way back in an unusual manner.

But as if having his arm broken didn't even faze, he immediately tried to once again attack Melian with his Odachi Sword, but the elf was faster as she roundhouse kicked him in the face, sending Conquest flying back down to earth at such a speed that the impact broke apart the ground and shook the land, the point of impact in dust that seemed to work as a smoke screen.

Melian quietly landed back on the ground and as soon as her leg touched the ground, a small vortex circled around her leg before quickly spreading out in the area like a shockwave. Just as quickly as it appeared, it also disappeared but the impact shattered all the remaining icicles that were still in the air.

The shockwave also vanquished the dust that had gathered, revealing Conquest standing there with one twisted arm and the other holding his katana-like sword.

"You sure are tough one huh?" Conquest says with a sadistic grin, not even minding his broken hand.

Crack!

Without even flinching nor a hint of hesitation, Conquest reached for his broken arm and simply twisted it back in place, before opening and closing it into a fist a few times, testing its functionality.

"You are undoubtedly strong," Conquest remarked, his expression darkening, "But as strong as you are, it's a shame you don't recognize the eminence of being aligning with an even more powerful force such as us."

"Don't talk about eminence when your ambition leads you to destroy a nation and condemn millions of death simply because you don't get your way," Melian shot back sharply.

"You might be mistaken," Conquest replied calmly, "I sense the immense suffering in this world. So... so much suffering. That's why death is a mercy which saves one from suffering and all of the citizens of this world."

By this time, Melian's composed look had already disappeared, replaced by a distasteful scowl when listening to this thing spouting bullshit.

"And now... your intervention will end in your kingdom's destruction," Conquest continued, "But this nation you were backing up, we shall extend the same kindness that befell this land towards them since its likely that they possess weapons that might pose a threat. You are no exception to that assumption."

A small glint flickered in Melian's hand as she tightened her grip on her blade.

"We will then move on to your kingdom," Conquest declared ominously.

"!!"

Before Melian could respond, he continued, "The citizens which swarm that place shall be culled each will get a painless death and we shall give that same kindness to the rest of this world."

But Melian was no longer listening...

"You, who rule that place being here, works in our favor since you've gone and gotten involved in this war. We no longer need to look for a reason to invade your kingdom and by defeating you here it will make things even more easier."

As he stepped forward, Conquest's body briefly glowed with an ethereal light before it dissipated and what lay on his body were golden armor parts as he raised his Odachi Sword towards Melian.

"To begin with, all of your fate has already been decided." Conquest proclaimed confidently.

Like a broken dam, memories Melian has been trying to cast aside all came flowing into her at once. A massive Magical Beast tide attacked her kingdom. Many of her citizens are all laying on the floors of the kingdom as far as the eye can see, all dead. Many magical beasts brutally devouring down any survivors.

The blood of all those under her, painting her kingdom red, and her father, standing before a massive ancient beast that had wiped out many of her people.

It was the last time she had seen her father alive.

As she began to remember the tragedy that happened decades ago, dark clouds gathered around the sky above where they stood and casted an eerie shadow over the battlefield, as if to warn everyone a storm was coming.

"No... not again!!!"

At that pivotal moment, the markings on her hand blazed with brilliant light, and in an instant, colossal wings as radiant as a thousand suns erupted from her back.

As if unable to hold back the overwhelming power, the wings rampaged and randomly destroyed anything and everything in the area it could come in contact with.

Melian's eyes blazed with golden fire, mirroring the intensity of her determination and bloodlust.

990,000

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???

For the first time since arriving in this world, Conquest subconsciously put up his guard entirely as he sheathed his blade and took a defensive stance.

Unlike the other times, this wasn't as a form of respect towards his opponent, but it was out of pure instinct...

The pure instinct known as "survival."

"The next attack will determine who lives and who dies."

That is what Conquest survival instinct, forged through countless battles to the death back in his home world and across countless others, was telling him.

'I shall end this with my fastest strike, otherwise it would be rude of me.'

"[Limit Breaker]." Conquest says as he sharpens his stance, the ground beneath his feet slowly starts freezing and space begins to distort around his form as his blade coated itself in a calm wind.

He held his sheathed blade in a japanese-like striking style. This was his fastest sword drawing style, he planned to decapitate the Elf Queen in one quick strike.

Tightening the grip on his blade, he dashed off the ground towards Melian at lightning speed.

Meanwhile, Melian extended her hand and outstretched her palm in the direction of the oncoming demon.

This was it!

Everything will be settled with this one strike.

In a blur of motion, Conquest drew his blade and aimed for Melian's neck... all within a trillionth of a second.

The match had been decided...

——————————————————

"[Black Hole]"

With those ominous words, Demon Lord Andromalius sent out a small orb of spatial darkness towards a military base that stood before him.

What followed was predictable for those who witnessed it.

VWUUUUUUMMM!!

The darkness expanded voraciously, swallowing everything in its path in order to feed its endless hunger.

In no time, it grew large enough to consume the entire military installation, eating away thousands of military personnel, equipment, and even the surrounding terrain. It dug itself into the earth and consumed even the underground stations until there was nothing left.

When satisfied, Andromalius dispelled the Skill, mindful of its potential to drain his own power if left unchecked.

"The purpose of [Black Hole] is fulfilled," he mused to himself.

Everything about the military base was now gone, granted as an offering to the void.

"Stepping on ants is growing bored on me," he pondered aloud, contemplating his next move. "Perhaps it's time to accelerate our plans and face a more imposing force."

As if the Devil himself granted his wish, he sensed a powerful surge of energy not far from him. It is an energy that made him feel hungry upon sensing it.

With a malevolent grin on his face, Andromalius turned around and looked at the direction of where the source of this power was coming from.

"Hm, I guess there is someone powerful in this weak country," he chuckled darkly, "And it seems putting one of my servants on the verge of death. I should summon the others to join."

——————————————————

Among the destruction and rubble that used to be Marawi city, the air vibrated and shifted uncontrollably as the golden wings of the Elf Queen danced freely in the wind.

Before her stood Conquest, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. He was taking a Japanese-style battle stance, gripping his still-sheathed Odachi Sword by his side as his feet dug into the ground.

In just a trillionth of a second, he dashed off the ground and instantly appeared in front of Melian. In one fluid motion, he drew his blade and striked at the neck of the enraged Elf.

"Huh?"

The attack never connected...

What?

How?

Why?

Conquest once again looked at Melian, and noticed that she hadn't done anything except stand there and point her pale hand at him. Even her wings hadn't made any sort of movement towards him, and yet...

He looked down at his now bloodied side.

Melian hadn't done anything, only pointed her hand towards him...

And just like that...

BOOM!!!

Conquest was thrown back and his entire left side had been blown away, almost as if a huge animal had taken a huge bite off the side of his body.

Massive amounts of red blood spurted out of his open wound. Unable to comprehend what was happening, he coughed up blood as he desperately tried to reposition himself for a counter attack using his remaining arm.

However, Melian didn't even give him time to regain his composure as one of the wings on her back shot up and slammed down on the bleeding demon with tremendous speed, breaking apart the ground and burying him into it.

Still, the Elf wasn't done.

She wanted to destroy, shatter, annihilate everything about the existence in front of her.

"Aaaargh!!!"

With another roar that shook the air, even more wings shot out from her back and started viciously raining down on the defensive demon.

Conquest could do nothing more than use his one arm to shield himself as the countless wings continuously battered him.

Like a giant causing earthquakes with each walking step, the entire city shook with each strike of Melian's wings.

"How is this happening!" Conquest questioned himself while shielding himself from the devastating blows of the elf. "Inconceivable! I can't lose... Fuck!!"

But despite all he tried, he couldn't budge from his spot. Those wings possessed much more than just overwhelming strength. Not only are they strong and fast as War's mighty punches, but they also possessed more powerful space-bending magic that was keeping him from moving.

"Damn it, Im... blacking out..." Conquest quietly thinks as another wing slammed into his arm and he could feel something crack. "But even so... defeat is unthinkable!"

For his pride and glory, Conquest straightened his resolve as he decided he will not give up.

However, in in face of such overwhelming power...

...all it meant was that he was going to be that elf's punching bag.

"DIE!!! DIE!!! DIE!!!"

With another sickening roar, the wings swelled up bigger than ever before, and like a sperm whale jumping out of the ocean's surface before crashing back into the water, the wings violently slammed into Conquest, destroying their footing and the shockwave obliterated everything in the area, sending debris flying.

"Agh!"

Gritted his teeth in pain as the attack just now crushed his shoulder. Even with only one arm left intact, he found it completely useless as his crushed shoulder completely cut off all feelings with his remaining limb.

"Damn it..."

With his mask shattered, it revealed his pale white skin, golden eyes, and a handsome face. He looked up again to see the numerous golden wings swelling up again, preparing for the next barrage of attacks.

With both arms rendered useless, he would have no choice but to take the full blunts of the attacks head-on. Though he was confident in his defensive capabilities, that confidence didn't serve much in front of the opponent that was able to rip him apart and leave him in such a pathetic state. He considered putting an ice shield over him, but once again, if those wings were capable of ripping through his armor like butter which was already more durable than any ice he could put up, then doing so would amount to nothing.

Even if he used his space magic to control gravity to shield him, he felt it seemed pointless and didn't make any difference.

And so... he accepted his fate.

"Listen well, Agamemnon. There is nothing shameful about a warrior being defeated by a stronger foe. One should always battle with the state of mind that there is someone out there better than them. That is how to grow stronger!"

Remembering the wise words of a middle-aged man known as his father, who had spoken these lines after he had defeated an entire army besieging their kingdom, he internally questioned if this is what he meant.

Indeed, there was nothing more he could do at this point. And based on his assumptions, two more hits from those wings would be his limit.

"Welp... Pa, guess I'm seeing you again in the Eternal Darkness," Conquest, or Agamemnon, his real name, muttered.

Looking up at the wings about to crush him to pieces, he welcomed it as this meant nothing to him. He closed his eyes and was ready to meet true death.

Indeed, he was a true warrior, unfazed by the concept of death, and as such, he shall go out like a warrior.

"[Wave of Pain]"

A giant wave of black-crimson flames washed over Melian and Conquest. The sheer force of it would crush anyone under its weight, but it didn't seem to even faze the Elf Queen as the divine properties from the wings smacked into the ground, sending the giant wave scattering over the area and clearing the space where she stood.

The multiple wings on her back were gone and was back to only her original two wings, although that didn't make them any less deadly.

Conquest was also gone from where he had laid.

Turning her head to search for who interfered in her battle, Melian spots someone standing a few meters away.

It was Lord War, one of the Archdemons.

"Well, you look like shit," War said, eyeing his companion's pathetic state.

"Thank you... War." Conquest uttered.

Shifting his gaze to the bloodthirsty elf, War gripped his mighty sword with a solemn look.

"I'll be taking care of this vermin."

"RAGHHHH!"

VWUUUUUMMMM!!!

With a ferocious roar, the massive wings began to surge forward towards War, the two wings mixed in and collided with each other as they danced forward.

War stood his ground, his gaze lighting up as the rush of flames approached him.

One would expect him to try using his god-like speed to flee, but it seemed he was rooted in place.

He took a battle stance and brandished his blade by turning it once.

And then the flames arrived.

VWUUUU—!

Right as the flames were about to consume War, he swung his blade in one swift motion.

WHISH!

The result caused Melian to lower her jaw in absolute shock.

War had not only protected himself with his blade, but he parted the massive wings, the same ones that beat the shit out of an Archdemon, with his blade's swings.

In just one moment, the raging sea of golden flames was divided into two, and extinguished not long after.

However, that didn't stop Melian right there as she immediately activated another powerful skill she had given.

In a loud echo of desperation, she invoked the name of her next Skill.

"[Indomitable Power]!"

VWUUUUUMMMM!!!

The burst of golden energy around her caused winds to gather around her, like a massive whirlwind forming.

The ground itself trembled in response to this power.

"Haaaa..." She let out a misty breath.

The smoke that emanated from her lips and nostrils swiftly dispersed as the golden energy that swarmed her burned brightly.

In this moment, she felt no fear... no pain.

All she had was an endless stream of determination and an immense rush of power to back it up.

[Indomitable Power] served only one purpose.

It increased the overall power of a warrior, unlocking their potential for a brief period.

The Mana Level and overall combat ability would skyrocket to an unbelievable degree, and the warrior's blade would know only destruction.

This aura was hotter than the surface of the sun, and tougher than even the strongest material.

It was condensed energy that represented the raging flames within a warrior's soul.

And now, the aura was swelling around Melian.

"Impressive battle aura for your level."

BOOM!

The ground broke apart beneath Melian's legs as she lunged at War.

The winds parted around her, none of them disturbing her coordination thanks to the red energy that fueled her.

WHOOOSH!

Melian's raised blade began to descend the moment he neared War.

WHIIIIISSSSSHHHH!!!

The winds parted, and the air around seemed to be igniting in flames as the powerful sword was about to land on its target.

However...

CLANG!

... The blazing blade was met with War's greatsword.

FSHIIIIII!

More steam emanated from their point of contact, and despite Melian crashing all of her power into the straight vertical slash, the blade of her opponent did not budge.

War was only using one hand to hold up his blade, and yet it did not move an inch under the powerful pressure Melian emitted.

FSHIIIIIII

"I suppose I should use a Skill too..."

The elf's eyes widened in shock. However, before she could properly wrap her head around it, War opened his lips to speak.

"[Greater Rejection]."

VWUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!!

The amount of pressure that instantly shrouded the entire city the moment those words were uttered was beyond description.

Every demon present shuddered as a wave of red energy began to rise from him.

What started off as flickering energy soon expanded beyond the feeble display that Melian was displaying.

"There's something you should know, little elf," War's words reached Melian, who was also shivering at this point.

Her tight grip on her blade was loosening, and her feet were shaking violently.

Without being grounded properly, the force behind her strike weakened exponentially, causing her blade to tremble.

"When two warriors fight a battle of aura, the weaker one is consumed."

WHOOOOSSSHHH!!!

Melian's golden flames instantly died out, like a candlelight snuffed by a violent wind.

All of her rage and determination sizzled out at that single point.

"A-ahhh..."

All the energy and power she had displayed drained from her the moment War's aura emerged.

As a warrior, Melian instantly knew... the vast difference in their levels.

This demon was not an opponent she could defeat.

"And I ain't weak like that fool, Conquest," War added, gripping Melian by the neck, "You defeat him, how wonderful. Congrats. But compared him to me... he is more like a toddler," he declared as his wings, enveloped in black-crimson hell flames, erupted from his back.

Before Melian could react, War threw her into a nearby building at an even greater strength, causing the building to crumble down upon her.

Spreading his massive flaming wings, the Archdemon of War leaped onto the rubble when he saw Melian stirring, reaching his hand into the moving rubble and pulling the elf out by her throat before ramming through countless buildings across the city, using her as a battering ram.

Soldiers of the 19th Black Armored Division, who had survived the demon onslaught, spotted War and immediately fire their guns at him. Their bullets were futile, however, as War incinerated them to ashes with his mere presence as he passes by, unbothered by the rounds impacting his body from all sides.

After being rammed through dozens of buildings, Melian could only grunt in pain as the hellfire burned her neck where the archdemon held her. She kicked at his stomach and slashed at his arm to no avail.

She was completely overpowered.

"WEAK!"

With a roar, he slammed Melian's face into the devastated earth, forcing her to eat dirt. The impact caused even more layers of devastation, and Melian found her body helplessly bouncing off the surface of the earth once she landed.

War didn't wait for her to recover before grabbing her hair after it landed on the ground in a ferocious manner.

"GRRRRRIIIAAAA!"

He raced across the city, scraping Melian's bloody face on the ground. This continued for a long period, with her body only spasming once it reached a particularly bumpy path.

Once War was finished, he thrust Melian forward, sending her crashing into the City Hall.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Melian lay in a bloody mess, and felt many gazes on her as she was surrounded by a few dozen Black Armor soldiers and the remaining Commanding Officers of the 19th Black Armored Division all huddled together in the Mayor Office as the last line of defense, that is until they saw her barely breathing body.

"Is that...?"

"What the hell happened to her!?"

"Where is the Major General?!"

"Did the Archangels unit were already wiped out already!?"

"Oh Lord have mercy! Please give us hope! Nuke the city, I don't care!"

"All of you, shut the fuck up! The Alien Witch is down, and there is an enemy coming!"

Faint and muffled voices echoed in Melian's ears as she felt her life slowly fading.

'Am I... going to die... again?'

The next moment, she noticed the human soldiers still standing there, watching her dying. With what little remained of her mana, she weakly raised her hand and snapped her finger, forming a golden barrier before the humans.

'I know it's no use, but... at least let me save a life. Just... for... onc-'

"[Vermillion Nova]"

Before Melian could continue her thoughts, the brilliant blast of flames from War washed upon her like an uncontrollable wave.

It destroyed her body in an instant.

Nothing but yellow vestiges of ash was left once the destructive echoes of the Archdemon were sent forth. All of Melian's body was disintegrated, reduced beyond even dust.

The eyes of the soldiers went wide the moment they witnessed the demise of their strongest ally.

The Elf Queen, or the Alien Witch ae they called her, fell that very day under the moonlight.

Not even bones or ashes were left of her.

All of the soldiers, still aiming their rifles, watched as their last hope perished before their very eyes.

Her death was brutal, and the aftermath was equally as horrific.

Once War was done with her, he cast his gaze ahead and stared at the clustered humans behind the golden barrier. Despite wielding deadly weapons, they were still powerless and weak to do anything against him.

And they were next.

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What does death feel like?

Those who know the answer to this question are not present with us, so it remains a mystery.

How fast is it? How painful is it? No one alive can say.

However, the fear of death is enough to give people incredibly accurate descriptions on how dying feels, or would feel like.

Perhaps a light at the end of the tunnel, or some sort of eternal void.

Whether the answer is from a religious person or an atheist, everyone was unsure.

And that wasn't what Melian felt as she supposedly sank into the world of the abyss-entering the grasp of death.

Instead, it felt familiar.

"Haaa..."

A sigh can be heard, and Melian turned her non-existent eyes to see the Elven Goddess standing before her soul.

"I guess giving you most of the skills and gifts of heroes isn't enough."

"Goddess... how can we even win?" Melian asked, as her eyes began to tear up.

For a moment in deep thought, the Elven Goddess answered, "Well, the only chance is for me to enter the Physical Plane, but those fools wouldn't allow me as it would violate the sacred laws. But the good reason is that a deity's presence alone could crumble the physical realm itself."

"Then..."

"But there is another way, though is too risky."

" And what is it?"

"...Which is to borrow your body."

Melian widened her eyes. From what she studied, there is an ancient ritual where anyone could request a deity to possess their body.

However, it has a huge risk, as it would cause the mortal's body who are weak enough will be disintegrated into dust.

The worse part is that the mortal's soul will also shattered from existence, no matter they are very strong.

The only way to survive without their soul being shattered while possessed by a deity is if they were at the Transcendent Tier 3 and above.

This happened several times throughout history, often in religious nations, where individuals sacrifice their souls to gain help from their deities, despite knowing the dire consequences.

"Fortunately, I can put a tenth of my soul into your body and your soul will remain intact, but I will have to leave for several minutes, or you soul will be shattered from existence."

"So... that's the second option you're talking about?"

The Goddess nodded, "Yes."

"...Then let's do it."

——————————————————

War, one of the four servants of the Demon Lord, stood in front of the brilliant golden barrier that protected the humans, particularly his prey, from his grasp.

His massive stature cast a dark shadow over the group, and his mouth twisted into a terrifyingly toothy grin. He had just eliminated their strongest ally had to offer, so it didn't particularly consider any of these ones to be threats.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The humans huddled together in a group, staying as far away from the creature as the barrier would allow while firing their MK Mark III rifles and machine guns rapidly at the demon, even though they knew their weapons were useless against this monster.

"Do you think that barrier will hold?" asked one of the soldiers anxiously at the Commanding Officer beside him.

"I... I-"

ZTTZZ

Before the other soldier could respond, the demon of war took a step forward, entering the golden haven that was supposed to have warded off all evil.

The barrier melted, like butter would when confronted with heat.

It seemed so easy for War. His skin merely glittered as the barrier crumbled before his might. Before long, his huge body was within the barrier, along with all the humans.

As soon as this happened, the golden haven vanished from sight, dissipating into nothingness.

Nothing could withstand War... nothing at all.

"I love the feeling of hopelessness upon you humans..." War said, staring at the soldiers with his wide grin stretching even more like the demon that he was.

Now that it had completely gotten rid of his obstacle, it was finally time to kill his prey.

But-

BOOOOOM!

A sudden explosion of light erupted from right behind the Archdemon, causing him to stop dead in his tracks.

The light was pure white, and it shot right above into the skies overhead.

Everything around trembled, and the grounds shook in response to the birth of this mighty power, or rather, the being that was emerging from within it.

"What now?!" War shouted as he looked back, his grin vanishing completely as it became struck with a mix of confusion and frustration.

He was sure that the enemy had been eliminated. He was certain that there was not a single remnant of his adversary. So why?

How was this possible?

"What won't you even die!?" he roared and lunged at incredible speed, aiming to eliminate Melian before her body reformed into existence.

But before the demon could strike, Melian unleashed a burst of energy. A torrent of golden light erupted from her, creating a crater where she stood and sending powerful winds that knocked her enemy down.

Even the human soldiers were taken by surprise, nearly losing their balance from the forceful winds. But they don't care, what they were seeing is something they ever hope to see in their religious life.

The sight of a miracle.

Dirt, dust and smoke obscured the view of Melian. As the debris began to clear, golden light seeped through, giving the scene an angelic glow.

What emerged from the haze was entirely unexpected.

And this... this power no longer belonged to a mortal.

The power gushing out of her had far transcended anything the mortal mind conceive nor the body contains.

This woman... had become the very personification of power.

The power of a Transcendent Tier 3



With a single swing of her sword, Melian dispelled the lingering smoke and hell flames. She stood taller, clad in angelic, luxurious, and shining armor.

Her previous broken armor disintegrated into dust, replaced by the highest-quality magical armor forged from the strongest metals in the world: The Angelic Arcanite. Instead of a helmet, she wore a wing-shaped mask, allowing her white hair to flow freely in the air.

Melian's new holy armor rendered her barely invulnerable, with immense resistance to potent magical and physical attacks. Every spell at Transcendent Tier 2 or martial art technique was worthless against her. She was unkillable and, even more terrifying, capable of obliterating the entire city of Marawi with little effort.

Her great sword, a legendary armament and heirloom of one of the strongest heroes of the past, was of the Blade of Her Holiness. A God's jewel.

Floria Melian Shelberry was no more.

Now, Rasera, the Elven Goddess of the Holy Light, had arisen. Despite having only half of her power, Rasera embodied the pinnacle of Melian's strength in all combat categories, whether magical and physical destruction.

Her power was so immense that she could destroy entire kingdoms, just as she had done many years ago.

War was shocking, almost trembling. He had never imagined he would be fighting a deity this early.

The Elf Queen, now the Goddess Rasera, walked towards the Archdemon. Her sword extended outward, she brandished it, showcasing the opponent he had underestimated.

Each of Rasera's steps left golden patterns that emitted sparkling light into the air. Despite the awe-inspiring sight, War did not falter. Facing this god-like being was terrifying and virtually guaranteed death.

But this Archdemon was far from ordinary. He wasn't the servant of the Demon Lord without reason. Being a ruler of a thousand worlds across the Celestial Sea (Space), his strength and power was nearly equal to this opponent, as he had faced similar beings capable of wiping out civilizations.

"Are you ready, Emperor Wil'liam?" Rasara whispered, mist leaving her lips.

The opponent she faced, a haughty, confident, and invincible demon of war, widened his eyes at hearing his real name. But after a moment, he sneered at her words and gave his response.

"It seem you know who I am, but no matter, show me what you-"

BOOOOOM!

In a blur, even for the sight of the Archdemon, the Goddess left her position, causing everything around her to shatter apart into chunks of debris.

This debris was then raised around her like an overflowing torrent that kept rising while she dashed at the enemy through all this as her body was practically a streak of yellow.

Then... she dealt the first strike.

SWISH!

Like a hot knife searing through butter, her Divine Blade easily dissected both wings of the Archdemon.

"W-WHAT!?"

WHOOOSH!

Before War, or Wil'liam, could even react, Rasera propelled herself upward, creating a rising vertical slash that instantly shattered apart the entire right arm of the demon.

The hellfire aura of the demon did nothing to stop the damage.

In a single attack, represented by a flash of energy, the entire arm broke into multiple chunks.

"W-Why you—!"

WHUUUM!

Right as Wil'liam raised his regenerated right arm to strike his opponent, a barrage of condensed debris bullets overwhelmed his entire form.

Each of these particles had been compressed by the Goddess' Magic, changing them from their massive sizes to the form of pellets. All of them were also shrouded by her Mana, which did well in combating the protective layer of Demonic Energy that protected his body.

Bottom line, Wil'liam's second arm was completely blown off by the powerful barrage they sent towards him.

But so what?

"[ORBS OF DESTRUCTION]!" Wil'liam roared, sending his voice across the entire space that he dominated.

Several large black spheres appeared all around him, among them was the one that annihilated the Archangel Unit, and he sent them flying all at once.

Some were directed at the Goddess, traveling at hypersonic speed.

But... a majority of them were sent in the directions of the groups of unprotected soldiers of the Black Armor army.

"Now what will you do? Fight me or save them? You can't do bo—!"

"You talk too much."

With a swift and precise series of attacks, Rasera slashed at War, to the point where chunks of bone and flesh burst out into the air like a gruesome rain, almost like chopped-up flesh and spraying blood.

"GUH!"

"Why not both?" The Goddess' voice, though soft, had a commanding presence that caused the injured Wil'liam to feel a slight hint of intimidation.

"...Who decided that?"

In an instant, she bounced off the air and swirled her body midair, becoming a great twister within a single second's interval.

VWUUUUUM!

Before some of the [Orbs Of Destruction] could hit any of the soldiers, they suddenly drawn back and spread all around before beginning to converge in her direction.

"HAHAHA! WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO NOW? TAKE ALL THE HITS YOURSELF?" Seemingly recovered from most of the damage from earlier, Wil'liam laughed in twisted delight.

Rasera didn't respond. As the black spheres charged at her, ready to explode, a loud declaration from her echoed out.

"Final Seal... BREAK!"

A bright light ascended high into the air, piercing even the clouds above. In that instant, a shimmering golden barrier surrounded her from the imminent blast, protecting her from all their destructive wrath.

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Destruction was an understatement compared to the horrific sight that filled the air above.

It was like a bomb of unspeakable proportions had been set off, consuming the very air itself in an overwhelming layer of golden flames.

As for the Black Armor Soldiers, thanks to the holy barrier set up by Rasera, all of them were left unscathed.

As the light and smoke cleared...

"Huu..."

A woman in knightly armor stood at the epicenter of all that destruction, her silver hair now floating in the air as bright radiance swelled from within her body.

"... Let's end this now," She muttered, her pure golden eyes looking straight at the Archdemon

"Pffft! End this? You humor me!" Wil'liam's laughter echoed in the air as he clutched his stomach with his newly regenerated limbs.

From the way he looked, it was like he hadn't taken any damage at all.

Despite hearing such haughty words from her opponent, Rasera said no more to the demon. Instead, her body was now all-white, the personification of purity.

WHOOOOOSH!

In a flash, several chains of light rushed from her and charged at the Archdemon who could barely react to any of it.

"N-Ngh!"

The Demon's entire body was bound by the luminous chains, and the golden layers of energy were all tightly wrapped by her constraints.

Then, right as Wil'liam made to break out of his restraints, he felt a sudden overpowering feeling that brought him to nearly fall to his knees.

A word poured through the air... and it made everything go blank.

"[Corruption of Stars]."

The first thing that Wil'liam thought when he felt the overwhelming feeling was...

'I NEED TO STOP HER!'

At that point, he knew there was only a single second between life and death, a tiny fraction of time that would determine his fate.

And so, he decided to use the most logical strategy ever.

"[Time Stop]!"

By his words, the entire world suddenly came to a halt. Rasara ceased her movement, every noise from nature to the demon's roar in the distance became silent, the wind stopped blowing, and the grass no longer swayed. The sky and the Earth turned an eerie matte gray. Only Wil'liam was free from the gray filter as everything else was frozen in place.

He had simply halted time itself to stop the Goddess' actions, granting him enough time to counter.

"Alright, now all I had to do is-"

ZZTZ!

Like glass, everything literally shattered and returned to its natural color.

"H-HUH...?!"

Much to Wil'liam's shock, his almighty power, his trump card, the ability that could bend time itself and what made him as the second strongest servant of the Demon Lord... had shattered like fragile glass!

'W-WHY....?'

Wil'liam did not have the luxury to indulge in such confusing thoughts, though. If he couldn't stop time itself, perhaps due to the interference of the power that the woman was about to unleash, then he would simply resort to another solution.

"[Astra Smite]! [Fireball]! [Greater Rejection]! [Meteor Fall]! [Slow Weakness]! [Blasphemy]! [Distort Moral]! [Field of Unclean!] [Greater Word of Curse]! [Hellflame]! [Greater Insanity]! [Napalm!] [Vermillion Nova]! [Wall of Hell]! [Orbs of Destruction]!"

He would simply spammed all of his skills, spells, and powerful attacks at the same time.

Using all of them at full power, all activating instantly, they would surely be enough to prevent her from using such power... right?

WRONG!

The moment those powers were sent towards her, a golden barrier materialized around her, and all attacks were nullified.

None of them worked.

Then, with Rasera's Divine Blade pointed towards him, and something white glowing right at the tip, Wil'liam had yet another thought.

'I... I HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM HERE!'

If stopping time didn't work on his opponent, then Wil'liam figured he could just teleport away.

"[GREATER TELEPORTATION]!"

However...

ZZTZ!

... Even that did not work!

"WHY... WHY IS NOTHING WORKING?!" Wil'liam screamed as he desperately tried to sharply descend, unable to fully think given the time constraint that weighed heavily on him.

However, thanks to the other constraint that held him down, he could not move.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO NOWWWW!!!"

Wili'am, now stuck in midair and out of any other options, wriggled and squirmed within the chains that bound him.

There was only one more alternative, but judging from the bright light that was already condensed at the tip of the Divine blade, Wil'liam knew he didn't have enough time to know if it would work.

In desperation, his thoughts called out for the only Skill that could possibly save him in this predicament.

'[Ethereal Form]! [Ethereal Form]!! [ETHEREAL FORM]!!!'

[Ethereal Form] allowed him to transform his body into a ghost-like form, hence becoming a phantom-like entity. It was almost like turning into a Specter, since it allowed its targets to pass through things.

Unlike regular other similar Skills, like [Phase], which had many limitations, such as the disruption of all senses when in use, [Ethereal Form] did not have any of those weaknesses.

Also, unlike [Phase], which made the user still vulnerable to energy-based attacks even if they were intangible, especially against [Astral Smite] which is a skill that counters those types of abilities, [Ethereal Form] made the user immune to either energy-based attacks or purely physical attacks.

Never both at the same time, though.

Seeing as the power that was rushing from Rasera was made of pure energy, Wil'liam obviously went with the Energy Immunity option.

Then, without any further announcement, the one second was over.

And so, the bright burst of light was sent forth.

It looked like white light, one so bright and intense that it was impossible to truly decipher its true color.

To all who witnessed it, their sense of color and discernment were suspended. The overwhelming clash of spectrums and the sheer multiplicity of complex powers that raged and flowed inside it was too much for any mind to process.

And so, due to being indescribable, the mind could only register a blank color.

White.

White light rained down on the Archdemon Lord in a swift motion, much faster than the sound that was bound to follow much later.

It fell before the former Space Tyrant could properly register another thought.

No... that wasn't entirely true.

There was a trailing thought that flowed within the mind of Wil'liam as he felt his mind, body, and even his soul fade into obscurity.

Its existence and nonexistence seemed to clash and converge at a single point, and while he had that sole thought, it felt as if that was the only thought he had ever conceived throughout his long lifespan.

"Ah... I'm dead."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!

The white light easily destroyed everything surrounding the Archdemon with unstoppable force, like a flood of water that gushed down without end. It burst through the ground and the walls, easily breaking through everything beneath even him.

Miles after miles, the beam traveled down and devastated everything in its path.

Nothing was spared.

No... nothing could be spared.

Wil'liam did not know this, but [Corruption of Stars] was not an energy or physical attack. It couldn't even be qualified as just an attack.

It was all of those things at once.

All of destruction clashing upon creation in a spectrum of light so intense that no one could even comprehend.

Anyone bathed under such a radiation irrespective of the resistance they offered, was bound to meet an inescapable fate.

Complete obliteration!

Wil'liam was a witness to this, as was the crowd that watched this epic display with gaping mouths.

It felt like the dance of celestial lights, but converged within a single blast.

Nothing remained after that.

It was just as Rasera had declared it to be...

...The end.

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A/n: So, what are your thoughts about this battle and this chapter? Be honest with me!