The Archarchaeologist laughed while still hidden by an illusion.
This was the moment… The ultimate moment!
Magic circles, dozens of them, spun around him, gathering the primordial aether of magic to summon this powerful event.
Such was its power, it needed so much time to charge, and at least according to the Archarchaeologist, there was no way to shorten this time.
It was a severe penalty, for while this spell was so powerful that it would definitely bring Hell upon these mortals drawn by Her Majesty's grace, even a measly bit of damage, a stray arrow, whatever, hit it, it would be cancelled.
He wasn't entirely sure if he could use it again. He had never used this kind of magic before. He had learned it, yes, but he had never used it… It's not the same to have a shotgun for the first time and without using it than to have practiced with that same weapon… And thinking about it, maybe using one of this type before attacking that Leviathan could have turned the tide of combat in favor of the Archarchaeologist, but oh well. There was no point in crying over spilled milk.
He silently looked at the desert plain. A massive army of dumb humans, and another smaller, but still large, army of other beings. Magical creatures and Angels in fewer numbers, but greater power.
He wasn't sure if he should allow his spell to hit Her Majesty's forces, consider them 'offerings' or what. There were Golems and Constructs among that army, from what he could tell, so not everyone in that army would be affected by the spell…
No. He shook his head. Hesitating would only slow him down.
He fixed his gaze on the middle of both armies, where a white figure was clashing weapons with a burgundy figure.
A foolish mortal wouldn't be able to see it, but he, as a high-level Demon, could see it. Although it was hidden, suppressed, the Archarchaeologist could see it.
The traces of divinity. Of angelic energy. That figure in white was nothing more than an Angel. A strong one.
Again, he was on Her Majesty's side, so he didn't worry about it.
His spell would soon finish preparing. So he prepared for the final act. The one that would plunge this desert into fire, death, and chaos.
…
Minutes earlier, Titania, the Adamantite Adventurer whose name had transcended between realms as a hero, used her 'Talent', changing her entire outfit and weapons into those that made her look like a Goddess.
She didn't think this was necessary to defeat Gazef Stronoff, she was more than capable of defeating him even in ordinary clothes, but it was the meaning behind it that mattered.
Her shield didn't appear, as she only needed her halberd… So, Black Abyss, or rather, Titania, after 15 minutes of waiting, headed from her army towards the center of the field, looking towards her opponent at the other end talking to the young blond and the blue-haired boy, Climb and Brain Unglaus. Although they didn't seem very happy, they seemed to almost want to fight alongside Gazef against her.
Clearly he wouldn't accept, Titania wouldn't either, it was a duel between two honorable warriors, no intervention or interruption would be allowed between them. Even Dont wouldn't be able to interrupt the fight without much complaint from Black Abyss. And considering how the Demon Queen now obeyed with very little resistance anything from Black Abyss, the same on the other side, the Demon Queen wouldn't intervene at all.
Therefore, after a few more minutes of delay, Titania, or better known as Black Abyss by her people, could see Gazef heading towards her, her opponent was finally ready, or at least had finally finished saying goodbye.
Hearing the metallic footsteps on the sand, a few dozen seconds were enough for them to be face to face.
"I'm sorry for my delay, Titania. But I'm ready now." Stronoff said with a slight smile, to which Black Abyss smiled in the same way. "I see that you don't plan on holding back." He indicated looking at the Paladin's attire.
"It's not my style." She smiled brightly. "If I must fight you, I will do so using all of my power. Even the Sun does not hold back from sending a flare throughout its entire system~" And although she said that, she was not really going to do it, she did not want to pulverize him in one move, but she would use strength beyond what anyone on the other side would think was humanly possible.
The idea was to both have an honorable duel, one in which she, Black Abyss, the Sun, and Titania's Paladin, show their respect for the Warrior Captain, and at the same time, show the Kingdom how stupid and pointless it was to resist. How foolish it was, to not only try to reach the Sun pointlessly by reaching out a hand towards it, to seek to have its light for themselves, but to oppose Titania, G.O.D.S.
Additionally, they would show King Rampossa that the Deorum Regnum was not a country like Baharuth was. They were not savages as many thought, nor weak… They were honorable and deserved respect, the respect of everyone, and their worship.
Even those watching would know that, unfortunately Gazef Stronoff was not a match for her, he was a message to the world, or at least what was going to happen to him.
Black Abyss understood a little how twisted her sense of duty was. Both due to the fact that her morals transcended humanity, and she was an Angel who had her faith, not in the Biblical God or some God, but in her guild, in her beloved, in Titania.
And for Black Abyss to allow someone to exist, they had to worship the source of their faith. And eradicate everything that opposes it. And the world would worship Deorum Regnum, an indirect extension of Titania. They would have to worship her, and they would have to worship her beloved Demon Queen. And if they don't… The sunlight would burn them to nothing but ashes.
"I am honored that the Great Adventurer Titania uses all of her power against me. Therefore, I will also use everything I have." Gazef said more seriously, but with a smile nonetheless.
At this, the Paladin smiled at his determination. If he was just 40 or 50 levels stronger, she would like to have a full PvP against him. Of course, only if Gazef was especially strong level 95, or an appropriate level 100 would he be a truly worthy opponent and equal to Black Abyss… But well, it wasn't possible.
"That outfit. I've never seen it." Black Abyss mentioned looking Gazef up and down. She always saw him in his soldier gear, never in anything so flashy.
"Jaja. Yes. This is my true equipment as the Kingdom's Warrior Captain. I'm using the 5 Treasures of the Kingdom, and I'm really at the peak of my ability…" She said without much bother explaining to her technical enemy about her equipment. "However, I have to admit that even with all these priceless treasures, I still feel inferior to you, Titania."
"5 Treasures of the Kingdom…? I've never heard of it, or at least of its capabilities, it sounds dangerous to me." She said in an attempt to cheer Gazef up, but with some truth. Although Dont sometimes talked to her about it, she didn't think of it as a complete physical combat set, she thought more of necklaces or items that had some special effect…
"Really? Haha~ You don't have to be so humble, Miss Titania." Gazef chuckled, silently thanking Titania as he sensed that she just wanted to cheer him up. Of course, again, Black Abyss really had no idea about these 5 treasures actually…
"Alright~ I really am in danger because of it, I don't know the capabilities of those treasures, so I'll let you keep the element of surprise~" Titania exclaimed, taking out her halberd stuck in the ground. "So. Shall we begin?" She asked more seriously.
Gazef smiled, and unsheathed his sword. The bright aquamarine blade shone under the sunlight. Black Abyss hummed at the sight of the sword.
She took two steps back and took her halberd with both hands, pointing it at Gazef.
"… [Sense Weakness]" Gazef muttered towards Titania. The martial art activated… Gazef wanted to smile as he saw that the martial art did not detect any weakness in Titania. Not in her body, not in her equipment, not in her stance. "You are really impressive, Titania."
"Let's do our best. Gazef." She exclaimed, drawing a smile from the Warrior Captain. "I have the advantage of distance, so I'll let you have the first strike." The Paladin said seriously, tightening her grip on her weapon.
The Warrior Captain smiled again, and readied his stance… He considered using his martial art [Possibility Sense]… But he knew it was pointless.
"I'll go all out, Titania. [Greater Ability Boost] [Greater Strength] [Sharper Senses]" Gazef activated the 3 high-powered martial arts.
Once again, Gazef felt… Or well, he knew that he had no chance. Still, even if it was just a little… For the slightest chance of saving his kingdom… He wanted to close the gap.
"Come." Black Abyss said with a frown, slightly raising her shining weapon.
"[Big Step]! [Sixfold Slash of Light]!" Gazef shouted instantly.
In the moment, he had covered the distance between him and Black Abyss almost instantly, making the Paladin blink.
Wow~ Even with his level… He managed to surprise her~ How incredible~
She smiled as the second martial art activated, and Gazef's Razor's Edge sword was covered in a reddish light that began to split into 6 slashes of light as his back descended towards Titania.
The Paladin put her halberd in the middle of the attack, which hit the weapon squarely, stopping dead as six deep cuts appeared on the ground behind Black Abyss, but nothing on her.
Gazef looked at Titania with a smile, as if he had already expected it from her.
Still, he was undoubtedly surprised by the hardness of Titania's halberd, as well as the fact that it had not moved it at all, not even making it sink an inch into the sand despite the powerful attack. Even against Razor's Edge... Well, in a way, he was surprised, he expected it, and he felt somewhat disappointed, but he pushed away any unnecessary emotions as he prioritized getting back into a proper fighting stance.
He knew now that direct attacks were useless, even though he would have put hundreds of kilograms of force into each of his slashes against her, but it didn't make her even move.
Black Abyss released a hand on her weapon, moving to the side to evade the human warrior's kick.
And aiming her halberd at him, she suddenly raised it, and with a short jump, brought it down on Gazef.
The speed was not one that did not allow the warrior to react, it was a speed similar to, but still superior to his own, still…
The instant Gazef evaded the attack, the halberd blew up the sand on the ground, burying itself within it at almost 90 degrees to Titania's position…
He saw Titania withdraw her weapon intact from the smoking ground, turning it in the process to leave it in a more comfortable position.
From his perspective, he was truly thankful that she was not holding back, she was going to leave this world in the best way possible.
Black Abyss pointed her halberd again and launched a strong stab towards the chest of the latter.
"[Flow Acceleration]!" Gazef shouted, making Titania feel somewhat familiar. After all, the air seemed to become heavy, reducing her own speed, while Gazef remained just as fast.
Sure, the Angel could force herself to go faster, but as a defensive fighter as well, she waited to see what her opponent would do.
First, Gazef stepped out of the way of the halberd, only to swoop down and slash towards Titania with a war cry as the martial art ended, returning 'time' to its normal flow.
Black Abyss responded by putting out her hand, taking the sword between her fingers, stopping it dead in its tracks with a crash like a car crash. She loosened her grip on the sword before taking her halberd upside down, attempting to stab Gazef with the pommel of her weapon in a downward strike towards his neck.
"Gh! [Instant Counter]!" He used another martial art again.
His stance was not one ready to receive an attack or deliver one, as his previous attack was stopped, and he was destabilized.
However, the martial art forced his body to stabilize, and allowed him to put his sword between Titania's weapon and his neck.
The result was not what he expected, or perhaps it was, but far superior to what he thought… His shoulder was instantly dislocated, and as if it were an unstoppable force, the blow made him spin and fall to the ground, as if he had been hit by a beast of a size, weight and strength that did not correspond to Titania. It spoke highly of the strongest Adventurer.
And due to his current condition… He could not do much. But the final blow had not yet been delivered, and Gazef, although he knew that there was not much point in prolonging it, would not make it come soon.
He quickly got up with a backflip, in a position ready to block or deflect another attack.
His shoulder was dislocated, and he was already somewhat tired from using so many martial arts. However, his wounds were slowly being healed by one of the kingdom's treasures, and his fatigue was going away as well thanks to another. Thanks to the two items, he could fight for much longer, even if he used many martial arts. He just had to be careful not to put too much strain on his body by activating too many martial arts at once.
As a Warrior Captain, Gazef had trained his martial arts and physical capabilities over and over again. He reached the point where he could use up to 8 martial arts at once before being at his limit. Currently, he only had 3 constantly active. And the way things were going… He should activate more.
"[Great Body Strengthening] [Mental Enchantment] [Warrior Stance]" His body showed auras of different colors as the martial arts activated. He felt the tension in his muscles, but he could fight without much trouble anyway. He was used to it after months of training.
Black Abyss waited for all of this, when she actually had the speed and strength to finish him off in the process, which gave Gazef an even more honorable image of the Paladin, before turning his focus back to combat as she charged towards him with a horizontal slash with the axe-like edge of her weapon. A direct hit would definitely cut his waist in half…
Gazef, somewhat taking advantage of the fact that he had so many physical enhancements, and with [Mental Enchantment], which improved his concentration and thinking ability even in fast or confusing situations, activated [Probability Sense].
Not with the intention of seeing how much chance he had of winning against Titania. It would be pointless. However, the martial art had a rather flexible functionality when it came to actually doing its thing. Not many knew about it.
Aiming the martial art at Titania's attack itself, Gazef smiled as he looked at the best course of action.
"[Big Step]!" Instantly, Gazef appeared in front of Titania, within the range of the weapon, but not of her axe or any sharp parts.
After all, a halberd was a mid-range weapon, and once an attack was made with it, it was difficult to get it ready for another action.
"[Hard Cut]!" The Warrior Captain shouted as he swung his sword from the left.
The moment he launched his attack, Titania, with her weapon in hand, released it to throw it backwards, causing the hook of the weapon to hit the handle of Gazef's sword. She lost her weapon in the process, but disarmed the warrior nonetheless.
Both weapons fell a few meters away, as the two representatives of their respective kingdoms looked at each other.
"You really are impressive. Where I come from, no human could reach your level of power, it was absurd to even think about it. So seeing a human as strong and noble as you, gives me hope for these people." Black Abyss mentioned.
Of course, it was impossible to believe that a human from Earth could even be at least level 30. Black Abyss kind of was referring to that. If it were in Yggdrasil, then easily 90% of the human race players surpassed Gazef.
If she was the player in front of the Yggdrasil screen instead of the avatar, he would have absolutely no chance against Gazef, that was in itself… A small hope that this warrior gave her about humanity, that not everything was as Dont told her, and in itself, Gazef represented that.
But… She wondered if the Warrior Captain was really as unique and rare as everyone said… If so, then Dont would have always been right, and humanity would be a collective of constant sins…
"It was a lie, Titania." Gazef caught her attention, making her raise an eyebrow. "It's clear that wasn't all your power, you didn't even use a martial art. It just makes me think more about how strong you are." He said with a somewhat wan smile.
"… If I attack you with everything, you would die in one hit." Black Abyss exclaimed, to which she then sighed. "If that's so, and you want to see my full strength, I'll grant it to you." She exclaimed, raising a hand and her halberd flew towards her, taking it and pulling out the sword hooked on it, before grabbing it by the edge and extending its handle towards Gazef.
The Warrior Captain opened his eyes, and smiled.
"You never cease to amaze me, Titania. It's truly an honor to die against you." Gazef laughed, calmly walking towards the Paladin, and carefully taking the sword.
Both Black Abyss and Gazef knew that they weren't going to attack each other by surprise. They knew this because they had honor between them as warriors. Therefore, they could be so close to each other without killing each other or being careful at all. Such was Gazef's level of confidence, that while Black Abyss might not be careful either, if Gazef attacked her by surprise, she could easily tear him apart instantly.
Therefore, he did what he always wanted, to fight with everything for her kingdom.
He took his sword and moved a few steps away from Titania, though he opened his eyes when she stuck her halberd into the ground, clenching a fist and positioning herself to attack as well.
Gazef smiled one last time, looking back at his people. At his friend and his apprentice. At his king… He looked forward again. At his opponent… And his idol.
"Titania! Before our final clash! I have one thing to ask of you!" He shouted towards the Paladin, frowning and serious.
The latter was taken aback for a moment, but nodded, without leaving her combat stance. "Say it." She exclaimed seriously.
"… Once I die… Once I lose to you… Could you please return my equipment to my kingdom…? They are national treasures. I would feel bad if my kingdom lost them… And I believe there are still people who are worthy of using them." He said with his eyes closed, without any murderous intent, malicious intent, or having any problem with any answer.
He seemed to be… Incredibly calm… As if he wasn't about to fight to the death against someone stronger than him…
Titania went from surprise to a smile.
"There was no need to ask, I was planning to do so from the beginning. But yes, I promise. Towards one of my best opponents." She said with a smile.
Gazef snorted in amusement, opening his eyes decisively.
He stood in a combat stance, grinning widely, his sword pointed at Black Abyss, gripped in two hands.
In an instant, the ground beneath the foot that propelled Titania erupted, causing her to appear in the blink of an eye in front of Gazef.
The Warrior Captain reacted as quickly as he could.
"[Flow Acceleration]!" He roared, causing time to feel heavy for Titania again. "Ahhh!" Gazef shouted, as he activated the culmination of his entire life as a warrior.
…
Martial Arts were something unknown to both Dont and Black Abyss, and all of Titania.
It was a set of skills that were more similar to spells, but existed for warriors and other professions that wouldn't have spells at all.
Why did they exist? Where did they come from? How were they discovered? No one knows. Even the oldest beings couldn't give a clear answer.
Where does it all come from?
A Martial Art was, again, something similar to a spell. Why? Because it was something active that needed fuel to activate.
Only, instead of Mana like with magic, it used energy. What in game terms, one would call Stamina.
And not that bar that refills on the fly after running and using it up a bit.
But the true energy of the body. Using many Martial Arts was not only a great burden on the body, but it left it exhausted, and could lead to fainting from exhaustion.
In the human world, few could use many Martial Arts at the same time. Even among Demihumans it was a considerable burden to use them.
Therefore, using 4 Martial Arts at once was a great feat, and that was without even counting how strong they were. Because the greater the power or effect of the Martial Art, the greater its burden on the body.
And what about true martial artists? Heroes. Be it between Brain Unglaus, who was even able to create his own set of Martial Arts, and being able to use up to 6 of them at the same time, not counting his two Original Martial Arts, or a Vampire who was currently in one of the Deorum Regnum barracks, training recruits who wished to be Assassins or the like, formerly known as Clementine, she herself was able to use 5- Well, right now she could use 9 Martial Arts at the same time, and she could use them without a problem due to being an Undead, and not having fatigue.
However, among so many heroes, or rather, humans who reached the Hero Realm, there was Gazef Stronoff. The Warrior Captain.
Born as a peasant, he participated in a tournament set up by King Rampossa III to have a respective Warrior Captain. Gazef fought and won. He fought against his now friend, Brain Unglaus, and won. And so, he became the Warrior Captain.
As an individual, Gazef was a Hero. A human who reached the Adamantite level. On his own, few could defeat him one on one… Of course, ignoring entities like Titania.
And of course, even an Orichaldo-ranked group could defeat Gazef if they had good teamwork. Or even a couple of Mithril.
But then again, Gazef was a Hero. And he himself was capable of using up to 8 Martial Arts at the same time. And fully equipped, he could use up to 9 at the cost of damaging himself.
However, at this moment, Gazef only needed one Martial Art… A Martial Art that he would give his all to.
Brain knew that. Climb didn't, but Brain did.
He knew what Gazef was capable of.
The Martial Art that was nothing more than Gazef's Trump Card… If there was one blow that could reach Titania and create a slight chance of victory for the kingdom, it was that Martial Art.
During Komodo's invasion of the capital, Brain faced one of the Demon's 'generals'.
It was against none other than that Demon that Brain developed his ultimate technique. A combination of different Martial Arts.
It wasn't created out of ambition to be the strongest. It wasn't created out of a selfish desire to defeat the Demon and regain his former glory and his path to defeat Gazef.
It wasn't to survive either.
But it was created out of something stronger. Something that would sound very... Cheesy and cliché. But it was true nonetheless.
Love.
Not romantic love. Not familial love, as Brain had no direct family.
It was the love that prompted one to abandon everything to protect their friends.
At that moment, Climb almost died.
And it was the Martial Art that Brain decided to call [God That Cuts Through Demons] that was able to lead Titania to have one less of those 'generals' to fight.
Of course, it wasn't a loss, as it was precisely one of the temporary summons.
But going back to Brain himself, it was a great milestone.
That Demon should have been able to deal with Blue Rose, Gazef, and maybe Azuth alone. Sure, not defeat them, but at least eliminate 3 or 4 of them and hold them back.
Therefore, the fact that Brain was able to kill him, with no less than a single blow, or well, Martial Art, was impressive.
It was a shame that Titania wasn't in a 'free' moment to have monitored Brain.
In the middle of both armies, one made of humans in droves, and another made of magical beings, two figures were almost stuck together.
One white, and one brown.
Brain opened his eyes as he could see Gazef activating his Martial Art.
Titania remained silent for a moment.
…
"Ahhh!" The war cry reached Black Abyss's ears, and she blinked as Gazef seemed to move three times faster, taking her by surprise.
The Paladin, of course, was still infinitely stronger than Gazef. She was a Level 100 Tank. Thus, she was able to react appropriately to dodge.
However…
Gazef's sword flashed in a reddish-white hue, and a slash was made as Black Abyss retreated a couple of steps as a sound like a hammer hitting an iron wall was heard along with the sharp sound of metal cutting through the air.
"G-Gah…!" Gazef spat out a bunch of blood as a lot of pressure seemed to settle on his body.
Blood began to flow out in small amounts from somewhere else, staining the edge of a weapon before falling to the ground.
The Angel… None other than the Sun, so bright and pure, so divine and heavenly, flickered…
She noticed it… The weapon collided with her neck, but it did nothing, not even applying pressure to her skin, even though the sand around her rose and expelled from the pressure of the cut, as if it were an artillery impact.
But that was not what really took Black Abyss by surprise… In fact, her halberd had pierced Stronoff's stomach… It released a large amount of energy, effectively overloading Gazef's body, causing an effect similar to Instant Death… But… But…
She had no time to think about it, because this… This was not planned… No one had told her about this plan… Eyesight did not warn her of any Players or visible enemies nearby…
So why… Why was she seeing such a powerful spell activate right above the entire battlefield!?
…
"HAHAHAHA! FINALLY! COME! HELL! COME IN THE NAME OF HER MAJESTY! CONSUME THE FOOLS OF MORTALS! BRING YOUR BURNING FIRE!" The Archarchaeologist laughed insanely as the 'spell' finally charged.
He only spread his hands as the illusion around him fell apart as he commanded his summon to undo it.
"FUHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEAR THE NAME OF KOMODO, MORTALS! HAVE HER HELL UPON YOU!" He shouted in pure adoration, in doom.
And with that, he spoke again, using the spell.
"[Super-Tier Magic: Yaldabaoth Cycle]!"
The magic circles aplenty around him glowed brighter than ever, turning a murky red before a wave of reddish energy spread out from the Demiurge.
…
Mordred was a common name among Titania's Fairies. After all, being Fairies, they were mostly based on Celtic and English mythology. And well, the Yggdrasil Developers weren't particularly keen on giving such complicated names to the 600 Fairies ranging from level 70 to 90 who were the 'civilians' of the unconquered Palace of the Pact of Titania.
Whatever the case, Mordred was the name of one of the Fairies who was in the Deorum Regnum army.
After all, not only could he gain military experience in the field, but he could also be useful to her Ladies. The Supreme Ladies. The Goddesses and absolute rulers of Titania.
Of course, the war ended up developing into just a 1-on-1 fight between Re-Estize's strongest warrior, Gazef Stronoff, and Titania's unrivaled light, its Sun, Lady Black Abyss•White Flower.
It was an insult to even compare them. But he would respect any decision the Supremes made.
Even if they said white was black, all the Fairies of Titania, all the servants of Titania would undoubtedly accept that white was black.
That was how it was. If one of their Gods decreed it, then it was so.
Now, how could a lower being compare even in the slightest to a God?
That question was normal in the Deorum Regnum army.
After all, it was a human, not just any human, a human from outside Titania, against a Supreme Mistress. An insect against a star.
There were rumors that Supreme Black Abyss had been seriously injured by an enemy from outside. Well, it wouldn't be the first time that the Supremes 'died'.
They claimed to do so many times according to the records.
And of course, they were immortal, so, evidently, they came again and again.
Thus, to this day, they still awaited the return of the other Supremes of Titania, for they knew that they would eventually return, to reign over them and conquer the world and beyond.
However, what was capable of killing a God, even once out of the infinite number of times they could technically die?
Monsters.
It was known how the Supreme Lords went out to face monsters so powerful that they were able to kill them several times. From incredibly powerful Gods, giant Dragons, Representations of primary Concepts, and so on.
However, the Supremes always won. Such is their greatness, that the creator of the Palace of the Pact of Titania, King Erlkönig, who was the ruler of Titania until the Supremes overthrew him, blessed them before dying.
And even Titania herself, the Fairy Queen, put her blessing on the Supremes.
Again, only monsters were capable of killing a God. Of harming him.
But… What else was capable of doing it? Other Gods.
From foreign Gods, who came to try to invade Titania, who faced their Gods… To the Supremes themselves.
Therefore, to see nothing more or less than a mere human barely stronger than a normal Titanian soldier, or not even, just slightly stronger than a rookie, try to even harm Titania's Sun in the slightest… It was many things. A bad joke. A heresy. An insult to their Gods… Laughter, grunts, silence, all sorts of different reactions came from different Fairies, and even summons from the army, focused on the easily predictable scene of the Supreme ignoring a blow like that, and simply ending the fight with ease.
Such a thing made someone like Mordred not even notice the wave of pure red that came towards them.
Well, most of the army didn't. Not in time at least.
From disguised Devils, to Angels summoned by Lady Black Abyss, Titania's POPs, or Titania's trained Fairy Soldiers… And even Titania's two Commanders, Lord Alucard and Lady Miia, including Miia, were hit by this red energy.
The 80,000 strong army of Deorum Regnum was reduced to 10,000 in a matter of just over 1 second.
…
A Shadow Devil was a mid-level summon.
Not strong really, but, like a Shadow Devil, its specialty came in stealth.
It alone could easily take on 10 Shadow Devils due to the difference in strength.
And again, its role did not come with direct combat.
At most, it was a creature with very decent assassin capabilities.
However, right now, it had a mission. As did its two companions of the same kind not far away.
It was tasked with watching over and 'taking care' of a human. A weak, pathetic one. With shining platinum-like armor, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
Weak, completely insignificant. The Shadow Devil was convinced that it could defeat him in direct combat without even resorting to stealth.
But, again, as ordered, its duty was to watch over and 'take care' of the boy. That is to say, if there was a chance that the boy might die, its duty was to use its abilities and take him to a designated safe place.
The same was true for its pair of Shadow Devil companions and their respective 'targets'.
Therefore, seeing the wave of pure red energy approaching not only at an alarming speed, like wind brought by a strong breeze, but with a feeling so terrifying, so primordial and deep that it stirred the deepest part of its being, not as a summons or as an existence, but as a Demon itself… It did the most obvious thing.
Coming out of its hiding place, which was nothing more or less than the shadow of the human, it reached out behind him and grabbed him by the shoulders.
It could see how its companion, right next to it, did the same with its designated human. A blue-haired man.
And activating their abilities, the pair of Shadow Devils sank into the shadows with the pair of humans in their hands, disappearing from the scene.
The other companion also did the same, from within that tent surrounded by guards.
And the trio of Shadow Devils moved away at incredible speeds from the Katze Plains as the wave of red energy covered Re-Estize's army.
Re-Estize's 300,000 human soldiers were reduced to 50,000, with only their farthest edge surviving the wave of red.
…
The wave of red energy approached her, and Echidna stood in front of Miia, acting as her shield.
Alucard quickly extended his sword as he braced himself for the impact.
The red energy passed through them without doing anything to them. Not even tickling. Just an unsettling feeling that something was about to happen.
Miia frowned as she saw that indeed, where she had felt something before, someone used that Super-Tier spell…
However, that wouldn't be able to go unnoticed by Eyesight. Even with an illusion…
"Echidna, contact Eyesight." She ordered monotonously.
The mecha armor nodded. And not long after, from between its neck, a small device lit up with a red light.
"H-Hello?" And Eyesight's voice was heard.
"Eyesight." Alucard waved.
"What was that? You didn't report it." Miia asked, looking towards Echidna, who was literally acting as a speaker.
"E-Eh? I-Isn't that part of the plan…? T-That Devil is a summon of Lady Dont…" And the Gorgon looked very… Confused…
Miia blinked, and looked at Alucard.
They weren't informed of that… They both understood it from the way they looked at each other.
But… If Eyesight said it was a summon of Lady Dont… Then she must be right…
Now…
Alucard looked at Titania's army.
… What part of the plan did they miss that they didn't hear that most of the army would be sacrificed…?
…
Rhyldo broke into a cold sweat as he saw a wave of red energy sweep across the battlefield from a being in the distance surrounded by magic circles in abundance. Something he had never seen before.
Between him and the Black Scripture Captain himself, they watched with wide eyes, breaths caught in their mouths as they watched both armies being swept away, leaving only a fraction of what they were…
…
The sandy ground was completely covered by a static red mist, almost no one could see their feet, not even their knees, but it didn't seem to be a toxic cloud or have any harmful effects, as far as they know…
The red energy had passed in such a strong breeze, that it lifted the sand of the Plains at this height… Tinted red…
But still, the entire Titania army was searching for one of their Goddesses, worried, looking everywhere…
Suddenly a loud rumble lifted the mist and darkened sand from a point a few hundred meters away.
The temperature suddenly rose, and in the distance it rapidly fell, as the sand under the mist began to liquefy due to the heat.
Alucard and Miia were about to jump towards their Goddess to make sure of her well-being, but…
"GYAAAHHH!" She screamed with an incredibly loud power, as if an instrument was mixing melodic tones so high, but low at the same time, that it sounded like a harmonic roar of anger, which could have deafened many humans at a great distance...
Suddenly Black Abyss was covered in a blanket of fire that rose several meters and expanded in the same way.
She came out of the hole she created herself once the sand stopped making bumps and was a flat and liquid surface, in a matter of seconds.
But... Alucard and Miia saw how a droplet fell from the Goddess's cheek, they... They had failed...
"AAAAAAHH!" The roar made the liquid glass explode beneath her, while the fire that covered her reacted with her own anger and her destabilized mana, causing a brutal explosion of solar energy that sent balls of liquefied sand on fire like missiles hundreds of meters in all directions.
With some… Worry… And… Fear… The entire remaining army of Titania and Re-Estize looked at Black Abyss in the center of what was once a battlefield… And was now a sea of fire, with electric discharges produced by the extreme temperatures charging the air and turning it into plasma.
Plasma at a thousand degrees of temperature swirled around the Supreme, causing an area of extreme temperature around her, shining and making her look like a second Sun…
No… That thing that was forming around her was a solar corona, therefore… She was the Sun.
On her back, something that was normally invisible and intangible, began to absorb the plasma around it, taking a form of its own.
A powerful heat wave caused the blue sky to turn whiter, as plasma began to take shape, splitting into 8 separate sections on Black Abyss's back, spreading out to his sides as the plasma burst out due to its natural instability into wide appendages that seemed to mimic winged shapes, with tendrils of fiery energy lapping out at such speed and ferocity, that they gave the illusion of feathers.
Between the plasma wings, vortex-like rings of white fire surrounded sun-like spheres so hot they looked red, giving the illusion that each wing was filled with unnatural red eyes.
Above her head, a circle of heat formed, as if it were a crown, filled with holy and divine-looking symbols within a second crown behind Black Abyss, with three pure white crystals floating symmetrically along the crown, while everything below it liquefied, turning into gas and then charcoal, or simply a black substance unrecognizable from what was once sand.
{Black Abyss's Solar/Angelic Assets PNG}
Black Abyss•White Flower, standing on a ring of fire so hot it was white, in her uncontrollable anger, had returned all the love, trust, respect, and adoration to her army by showing her true form as a Seraph, but…
Alucard and Miia gulped… Eyesight did too… Who should have called Dont-Say-My-Name immediately…
They never saw… Nor did they think they would see… The ever so friendly, kind, gentle, and calm Supreme Black Abyss•White Flower, so… Angry… It was the total manifestation of an unstoppable and immovable force on earth, right before their eyes…
And whatever she was going to do was… Both terrifying, and beautiful… They had never seen anything so wonderful and incredibly dark before.
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Name: Camello-Soberbio
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