As the silver wing drew nearer, Mony's expression shifted from initial panic to sudden composure in an instant. "Hahaha, Kaisa, you b**ch! Now it's my turn!"
With the Great Clock's computational power bolstering her, Mony deflected the silver wings with a powerful force. She used the demon claws to swat away the wings that had almost impaled her, then began to laugh maniacally.
"Structural reconfiguration!"
Empowered by the Great Clock, Mony felt an unprecedented surge of strength, almost as if she could lift her former self with a single hand. She even believed she could defeat Kaisa. Arrogantly, she soared into the sky, shouting as her demon claws reformed into a massive claw aimed at Kaisa.
"Does the sudden increase in computational power give you the illusion of victory? My foolish sister, no matter who gave you this courage, I will crush your delusions with reality!" Holy Kaisa observed Mony's sudden increase in power without surprise. She suspected Karl was behind this, though he had hidden his involvement well. Yet, seeing Mony's overconfidence, Kaisa felt the need to shatter her sister's illusions.
As the gigantic demon claw descended, Holy Kaisa merely moved her right hand, blocking it with a single silver wing. Then, with a clench of her fist, she immobilized Mony within her divine domain.
"What's going on?" Mony felt her body freeze and immediately redirected Demon One's computational power to counter the hold. Progress was slow, and she cursed silently, reluctantly pulling in the Great Clock's power for assistance.
Holy Kaisa didn't stop there. She raised her left hand, summoning a pair of silver wings that flew toward Mony. "Damn it, hurry up! Calculate, calculate, calculate!" Mony chanted frantically, trying to break free.
In the nick of time, Mony managed to escape the restraint, narrowly avoiding the silver wings. "B**ch! Even with the Great Clock's power, I still can't beat her. Damn, she's hiding her true strength well!"
Mony gritted her teeth, knowing that without the last-second escape, she would have been sliced into pieces by Kaisa's attack.
"Not bad. You've improved over the millennia, though it's still pointless," Kaisa taunted, enjoying the sight of her sister's frustration.
"You b**ch! I'm not the same as before. This time, I'll defeat you!" Mony retorted defiantly.
"Ha, after all these years, your brain hasn't changed at all."
"You, b**ch!"
---
While Holy Kaisa and Mony continued their battle, the arrival of the angels had plunged Nova into total war. The conflict between angels and demons spread across the entire planet.
Nova's military launched nuclear strikes at any opportunity against the demons. The angels deployed various tactics, including flaming bombardments, Tianblade Judgments, and Tianblade Strikes. The demons retaliated with divine retribution bombardments and wormhole sniping. Explosions were everywhere.
In the four underground bunkers 5,000 meters below Nova, the situation was dire.
"What's happening to me? Is this the demon gene virus? No, I don't want to become a demon!" A man watched in horror as his skin turned black and purple.
This scene was repeated throughout the bunkers. Everyone showed signs of demon infection, some more advanced than others. As time passed, they all slowly transformed into demons, their fate sealed.
Despair filled the bunkers, the constant alarms like death knells reminding them of their doom. They understood the self-destruct sequence had been activated, and there was no escape.
Each person clutched a notice detailing post-infection procedures. The notices were crumpled and nearly destroyed from being gripped so tightly. Faces filled with resentment, tears, cries, and wails mingled together.
Eventually, the alarms stopped. Ethan's voice resonated through the bunkers.
"I am Ethan."
"You all know me, my compatriots."
"I..."
Ethan's throat seemed to close up, preventing him from continuing. He took deep breaths, trying to control his emotions.
"I'm sorry. As the leader of Nova, I've failed you. I couldn't protect you!"
"Not only have I failed to protect you, but I'm also asking you to sacrifice yourselves. This decision is cruel, but I must give this order."
"Only this way can we preserve our fire."
"I cannot allow you to be transformed into demons and then slaughtered by the angels. You deserve a dignified death."
Across Nova, everyone paused, listening to Ethan's speech. In the four command centers, Mihail, William Eaton, Zachary Thompson, Leonard Smith, and Nicholas struggled to hold back their tears.
"Only this way can our civilization bloom like the flowers of Nova!"
"I am guilty. Our civilization is guilty, and our sin is our weakness!"
"But our fire will carry your hope, growing strong enough to ensure we never have to make this choice again."
"Death is not the end; forgetting is. They will remember you forever!"
"You are all heroes!"
Ethan was nearly in tears. "Farewell, my friends. I will join you soon..."
As Ethan finished, Aiden's projection appeared beside him. "Boss, please confirm execution."
Ethan looked toward the direction of the bunkers, his eyes filled with tears. He wanted to etch the image into his memory.
"Execute."
After a long pause, the command finally left Ethan's lips. For the first time, he found it incredibly difficult to say those two words.
"Holy Leader's highest order confirmed. Executing immediately."
"Bunker self-destruct countdown: thirty seconds."