The entity lunged into the battle with overwhelming force, shattering Abaguo's face with a devastating punch. The village of Haradi, sprawling over a vast area of at least fifty kilometers, was swept up in a whirlwind of destruction. All the homes, once proud and sturdy, were reduced to piles of rubble. The majestic forests surrounding the village were torn apart, leaving a ravaged landscape behind. The serene lakes and peaceful glades were swallowed up in the destructive chaos.
The entity's fury irrevocably obliterated Haradi, leaving behind a wasteland of ruins and desolation. No buildings stood tall, no vegetation was spared, and even the calm waters had been engulfed by the destructive forces.
Confronted with such incomprehensible power, Abaguo could not resist and was instantly obliterated, as if his very existence had been erased by the absolute devastation. In a breath, he vanished into the void, leaving behind a gaping void that bore witness to the entity's destructive might.
"Oh, you can't be serious!" she laughed mockingly.
As she laughed heartily, Abaguo resurrected, emerging from behind her. His reappearance was outlined by the dust and ash caused by the village's destruction. The cocky demeanor he had displayed until then faded to give way to shock and rage.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"You know what? Let's play a game... Try to wound me, and I'll answer."
"I've had enough of your arrogance!"
As soon as he uttered those words with fury, Abaguo leaped, soaring swiftly into the skies, surveying the ruined village of Haradi. The higher he rose, the more he horrifically realized that not only the village was destroyed, but also more than a dozen neighboring villages.
"She's ravaged the entire area..."
Abaguo closely observed the entity on the ground as he ascended, pondering a way to kill her despite her power and invulnerability to magic.
[Demonic Magic: Ultimate Sacrifice]
When she saw Abaguo cast his spell, the entity instantly realized that this tactic was meant to eliminate her by sacrificing his soul. This spell traded one's soul for the power needed to defeat the adversary. However, she knew this would have no impact on her and once again, she burst into mocking laughter.
"Oh, I see! You want to sacrifice your life to kill me? Haha, too bad for you, archdemon, it won't work. You would need the strength to obliterate an entire infinite multiverse to hope to bring me down with brute force!"
With a gust of wind, the entity dashed to the skies at such a speed that she created a vast crater on the ground. Meeting Abaguo, she saw his sacrificial attempt to gain enough strength to defeat her had failed, paralyzing him. Abaguo, now immobile, was trapped, inevitably awaiting his umpteenth death.
"There's no way you can defeat me, Abaguo."
Hearing her voice behind him, he turned and was violently thrown to the ground by the entity's overpowering punch. This time, the impact wiped out an area over a hundred kilometers. The energy released was so intense that a mushroom-shaped dust cloud rose, nearly touching space. Abaguo was hurled directly into the crust of Trillia, nearing the planet's core.
From space, Trillia quaked slightly; the entire planet was shaken by a devastating earthquake. Clouds above Haradi and the surrounding areas evaporated. The impact was so powerful that some satellites orbiting Trillia changed course, while some broke apart, leaving cosmic debris behind.
A space station with the inscription S.I.T, bearing a resemblance to the I.S.S, orbited around Trillia. Though it was far from Haradi, the tremors caused by the entity could still be felt by the astronauts aboard the station.
Returning from the remnants of Haradi, the entity hovered over the vast crater of lava and debris it had just caused.
"Whoops... if I keep this up, I might just destroy the planet..."
As she descended to solid ground, the entity spotted Abaguo resurrecting once more from his death. He emerged from the chasm created by the entity, his seething rage enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
"YOU'RE A DEAD WOMAN! DO YOU HEAR ME?! DEAD!"
"Of course, no doubt about that!"
She raised her hand to the sky with a sarcastic grin, tilting her head slightly while locking eyes with Abaguo. Around the ruins of the village, hundreds of thousands of multicolored magical circles and symbols formed, acting like a cage.
[Superior Magic: Separation No. 1: Space]
The magic circles converged to form a massive dark bubble, engulfing the entire area and blocking any external light. The only remaining light source was the lava crater on the ground. This spell, cast by the entity, effectively separated a designated space from the outside world, allowing her to unleash her full power without constraints.
"Now, let's have some fun!"
The entity lunged at him at breakneck speed, striking him millions of times, continuously obliterating the area until nothing remained, not even the lava crater. With every blow she landed, Abaguo was instantly killed. However, now immortal, he kept resurrecting, unable to defend himself.
"Well?! Do you recognize your place in this world now? Inferior creature!"
Despite her taunting, Abaguo couldn't respond, but a thought raced through his mind:
What the hell is this power?! I'm dying and resurrecting so fast I can't even perceive it!
After an extended session of repetitive punches, the entity finally paused to admire her handiwork: a transcendental archdemon, utterly defenseless.
"But... who are you?!"
"I am Ergania!"
"Wait... What? Ergania?!"
I've heard that name before! Amaria mentioned it to me!
"I am the Queen of demons, and I have returned after eight hundred years of evolution! Abaguo, here's my verdict: I condemn you to Hell for eternity! You've violated my laws and my kind! As a result, you'll never return to Trillia or any alternate world!"
Following her proclamation, Ergania dispelled her magic, preparing to deliver the final blow to end the battle for good. But Abaguo had one last card to play: the Demonic Rebellion.
If I'm going to die, I might as well take the world with me!
Abaguo activated a magical spell that sent his body soaring into the air. Surrounded by a red and black trail, he shouted across the entire world:
"Demons and archdemons! Hear me! Transcend your existence by consuming thousands of souls, ravage cities and slaughter humans so that you can become a transcendental archdemon and conquer the world under a new era of domination and anarchy!"
[City of Delforde, capital of Edra]
In the capital city of Edra, bathed in sunlight that reflected off the towering skyscrapers, the cars on the roads came to an abrupt halt. Human and elf drivers alighted, craning their necks skyward to locate the source of the voice.
"Did you hear that?" "The voice is coming from the sky!" "It's the end of the world!"
Panic ensued along the stretch of road that spanned the entire city.
[City of Arktoskaya, capital of Argha]
The metropolis's sky bore a hue characteristic of twilight, as stars sparkled in the melancholic atmosphere hanging over the capital. The city was crisscrossed by snow-covered roads busy with cars, resembling those in Edra.
Elevated iron tracks ran through Arktoskaya, bearing military tanks along their path. Milityasha Karpeva, the president of Argha, was wrapped in a white military garment shielding her from the cold. Surrounding her, a contingent of about twenty soldiers dressed in white and armed with Kalashnikovs served as her personal guard.
"Whose voice was that?"
"I'm sorry ma'am, we don't know where it's coming from," a soldier replied.
Milityasha gazed skyward, her expression a blend of shock and composure. Another woman with long brown hair approached her. She was dressed in a green military uniform, decorated with badges of honor. Her enticing lips softened the glow of her violet eyes. A green military cap adorned her head, bearing the country's insignia: a ten-sided star on a red background.
"Could that be the voice of Abaguo?" the lady inquired.
"Would that mean he had the ability to speak to the entire world all this while?"
"Perhaps…"
Milityasha continued observing the purple and orange clouds of her capital when a slight smirk graced her face.
"General Katioucha Wagnerström, initiate the procedure…"
Katioucha crisply and promptly executed a military salute in response to Milityasha's directive.
"As you command, Madame President!"
"We'll soon find out who the true rulers of this world are, demons…"
Her grin broadened, evoking a playful, mocking demeanor, as if she hardly regarded the demonic race as a threat. Her gleaming green eyes admired the nostalgic forms of clouds in her capital's sky. There was no doubt, from that look, that this woman harbored a scheme both astonishing and cunning.
Oh yes... and you will be in for quite the surprise...
[Back to Haradi]
Ergania watched as Abaguo's glow intensified. Her eyes, always filled with arrogance, held a smirk upon sighting Abaguo.
"Ahh, I see... Trying to warn your little friends? Is that it? Sadly for you, it's already too late, Abaguo. I'm going to send you back where you belong."
As her words, hinting at Abaguo's impending doom, hung in the air, she raised her hand towards him, revealing just one of her countless hidden abilities. Intense red magical circles rose and spun above her palm, lighting up the surroundings with their bewitching brilliance.
[Hell]
Suddenly, the extraordinary power she possessed was unleashed with devastating force. A massive, apocalyptic chasm formed, rising from the ground like a gigantic breach. Its vastness was beyond imagination, creating an enormous void that seemed to swallow everything in its path. Amidst a swirling dance of hellish flames, Abaguo was consumed, pulled in by this overwhelming force.
"Goodbye! Enjoy your trip back to Hell!"
"Curse you, Ergania!"
"That will never happen."
"Know this, I will find a way to escape Hell! And I'll return to Trillia, picking up where I left off!"
"Sure... keep dreaming, Abalina, it won't happen!"
"Abalina? What kind of name is that?!"
"You'll find out soon enough!"
Without even acknowledging Abaguo's last words, Ergania allowed Hell to close upon him, condemning him to an eternal fate.
"Alright. Time to restore this village to its rightful state."
[Superior Magic: Absolute Restoration]
Once the spell was activated, the entire area was restored to its original state. The houses, forests, roads, lakes, clouds, the village of Haradi, the clearings, and even the vegetation returned to their state before Abaguo's attack. However, the inhabitants had yet to return, leaving the streets empty and devoid of life, with Ergania standing alone in the restored environment.
Without waiting any longer, she summoned Yanis, Rogue, and Jacob before her, who appeared entirely shocked and amazed. They looked around, realizing the village had been restored to its original state. Yet, they were unaware of Ergania's true identity, as they hadn't witnessed the final battle, being too far away from the intense and brutal confrontation.
"Gwendoline, how did you come back to life?" Rogue sobbed.
"I'm not Gwendoline. But don't worry, I'll return her body once everything is in order."
"What happened, where's Abaguo?!" Yanis inquired.
"He won't be returning anytime soon, I can assure you. For now, let me handle this. We can talk later."
She turned around, her hand pointing to the ground, preparing to cast another spell.
[Superior Magic: Resurrection of Others]
Multicolored magical runes and symbols began to appear throughout the village. Through these runes, all the deceased villagers were resurrected to the state they were in before their deaths. This included Garnal, who appeared behind the remaining survivors.