Drakmor's golden slitted eyes followed the cataclysmic battle while both hands were pressed firmly against the barrier, channelling his power.
With the continuous impact from the battle threatening to shatter the barrier, Drakmor and the other four Enforcers had to work together.
Even then, cracks continued to spread, most of the damage originating from the corrupted essence.
But more than that, Drakmor spotted several other chiefs joining in on the fight. They were successfully pushing back Zauren and the other corrupted Enforcers.
Per his estimates, they would be closing in on the abyss within a few seconds. But a few seconds for them might as well be years for those fighting.
A lot could change in that short amount of time.
'Zauren isn't stupid. He should have already seen through what they have planned for him.' Drakmor reasoned, and he was right.
While it looked like the corrupted demon and his newly acquired companions were being pushed back, the dragon begged to differ.
It looked more like the corrupted demon and his companions were playing along.
And that was even worse news.
'What are they planning?' the dragon pondered with narrowed eyes, channelling even more power into the barrier.
"Stay sharp, those bastards could be planning something," Drakmor advised.
"We know. That grin on their faces doesn't match their situation."
The other Enforcers were just as observant, having noticed the weirdness of Zauren's actions.
That also meant those pushing the corrupted Enforcers towards the abyss were aware.
However, to continually push the corrupted Enforcers back, they had to be confident in their numbers and might.
'Any moment now…'
Drakmor focused his senses on every move, every eruption of power, and every twist of the void.
Most of the chiefs were forming a wall before the corrupted Enforcers, their forms siphoning the surrounding void energy.
'They're going to unleash a combined attack.'
The dragon saw through their intent, silently agreeing. Although they could barely resist the abhorrent essence, their combined essence would be more than enough to push it back.
'But…' Drakmor wasn't entirely convinced. 'Zauren has been silent for a while now.'
Aside from the sinister grin on the faces of the corrupted Enforcers, Zauren and his companions showed no signs of being cautious or aware of what their opponents were doing.
The chiefs continued to channel and condense their energy, while Ignarok and the others drew closer to the abyss.
Stakes were high and cores were throbbing anxiously. The chiefs were getting closer to ridding reality of the corruption they brought upon it.
At the same time, they were cautious and calculative, taking note of every change in the corrupted Enforcers' demeanour.
"Hahaha…! Do you really think this will work?!"
Zauren finally expressed his intent, subtly and unconsciously calming the anxious cores of the chiefs.
"We created that abyss! What makes you think it will work?!"
The chiefs had managed to push Zauren and the others close enough to the abyss while ensuring they sealed all routes.
Ignarok and his colleagues had claimed the surrounding void as their domain, systematically separating it from the rest of the void and cutting off void-shift.
They limited that ability to within the bounds of the claimed void.
And by locking in the corrupted Enforcers, there was nowhere for them to go without them sensing the exit.
"We won't know until we try!"
As soon as that intent left the chiefs, Ignarok, along with those who directly engaged the corrupted Enforcers, delivered devastatingly fierce strikes and promptly melded with the void, vanishing.
RUMBLE…
Concurrently, the encircling chiefs unleashed their full, combined power attack, the covered area spanning more than four times Alexander's universe!
The attack was instantaneous, engulfing the corrupted Enforcers before they could react.
For several million light-years, the void trembled, covering everything in a thick haze of varying essences.
'Damn it!'
Drakmor cursed as he and the other chiefs gave their all to stop the barrier from shattering, yet the barrier continued to crack.
Julia, Ross, and Cassandra clenched their fists within their cloaks. They had never been so helpless.
They were right there, but they could do nothing!
BOOM…!!!
The combined beam impacted, violently crushing into the barrier that Drakmor and the others maintained.
'It's too much!!'
The dragon and his colleagues realised. Their barrier wasn't going to hold. They needed to abort.
CRACK!
With the abyss being so close to Alexander's universe, there was no other path for the attack to take.
"DRAKMOR…!"
The other Enforcers called out to Drakmor, their intent clear. They weren't going to stand in the way of the overwhelming force!
'I'm sorry, Alexander.' Drakmor turned his head to Alexander's friends, the look in his eyes solemn. 'I can only save your friends.'
The first to abandon the hopeless situation were the four Enforcers. Following their exit, Drakmor flashed and appeared before Alexander's friends.
They seemed to have been frozen in place, as the speed at which the dragon moved far exceeded their reactions.
Drakmor covered the trio with his power, gave one last glance at the universe below, and then vanished.
CRACK!!
The barrier gave way, crumbling under the overwhelming force of the cataclysmic beam. It hurtled towards the universe with unstoppable momentum!
BOOM…!!!
The explosive might of the beam did not last long, as it swallowed everything in its path, erasing the universe like it had never been there.
"NOO…!"
When Julia, Ross and Cassandra caught on, it was already too late. Their point of view shifted so fast that they barely had time to register their universe exploding.
"Ah…"
Julia fell to her knees, all colour and life drained from her face. Devastated and broken could not describe how she felt.
For several seconds, the poor girl could not react, frozen in place and staring blankly at the dimming attack.
Ross, on the other hand, stood in place while his consciousness abandoned him. The redhead died on the inside, his body the only thing left behind.
The catwoman was the only one who managed to hold it in, having experienced loss at such a level once.
Even so, it did not make the sight any easier. The universe she now called her home was gone, along with everyone she knew.
'...'
Cassandra glanced at Ross and gritted her teeth. She sensed it. Ross's life signature was dissipating.
She looked at Julia next, feeling a pang in her chest. The catwoman did not have it in her to offer any words of comfort.
Loss like this was not something words could help with.
'Alexander, oh, Alexander. If you're somehow alive, I can't imagine what you'll go through once you learn of your universe's destruction.'
The images of Alexander's loved ones flashed before her eyes. She recalled how fond the boy was of his family, the way he had spoken of them, of his nephew.
A single tear fell from Cassandra's eye as she reminisced about Alexander and his loved ones. The boy would be ruined.
Behind the trio, Drakmor stood in silence.
He couldn't pretend to know what the trio were going through, but he had sensed the death of the boy and the shattered psyche of the girl.
'Hah… Saving them might not have been the smartest move.' Drakmor thought to himself, sighing.
With the way they ended up, it would have been best if they died with their universe.
Glancing at the devastating void left behind, the dragon hoped that they were successful.
The universe was gone, leaving only the abyss of absolute nothingness in its place.
'The very thing that protected his universe from external threats became the thing that led to its loss.' Drakmor closed his eyes for a moment of silence.
'Wait.'
Abruptly, Drakmor opened his eyes and stared at Alexander's companions. 'Why was I able to sense their state of being when I couldn't before?'
The cloaks the trio wore shielded them from any peering abilities. He should not have been able to deduce their states.
'Alexander…' Drakmor didn't want to finish that thought, but the reality before his eyes begged to differ. 'Hah… In the end…'
'Looks like it worked.'
Drakmor's thoughts were broken when he heard the voice of his colleagues.
'Yeah, if only we had been able to save the boy's universe.'
'Despite his actions, he was a great help in bringing an end to the plague that was Zauren.'
'His sacrifice will not be forgotten.'
'Indeed.'
Drakmor remained silent. Listening to the words of his companions, he knew most of them did not mean what they said.
Alexander was an enigma they couldn't bring to heel. With the universe and the boy gone, they could finally rest easy.
Worrying about what the boy could do to them had shaken them more than they liked to admit. But of course, it no longer mattered.
"Well, that was something."
"!!"
The eyes of every Chief Enforcer widened in abject horror as they heard the nasty, skin-crawling and soul-stirring intent of Zauren!
Snapping their heads in the direction the intent came from, the chiefs looked on as multiple areas before the abyss quivered and swirled with the unmistakable essence of corruption!
Zauren and his companions were reforming!
"STOP THEM!!"
The roar came out of nowhere, but it snapped everyone out of their shock. Their reactions were instantaneous. But then…
Kzzt…
"!!"
Something out of their realm of understanding froze everyone in motion, the chiefs and reforming Enforcers alike.
Their reality, which encompassed everything that was, glitched! It sent a jolt of static through existence, momentarily deforming everything that existed.
EVERYTHING!