"As expected of you Upper Demons .. never missing a chance to flaunt the power granted by your master," he said, casting a glance at the King’s Shadow.
"Just as they say... the King’s Shadow is truly a formidable power .. one capable of eclipsing even the radiance of the Lord of Light."
"Do you really have the leisure to admire your enemy’s power, Gehrman?" Vayne threatened. "You are on the brink of annihilation."
On the other side, Abraham moved instantly toward Frey .. but Nito appeared before him at once, blocking his path.
"You’re going nowhere, human."
The demons moved with terrifying speed, and the situation deteriorated rapidly.
Shadows surged upward, obscuring everything .. like a cocoon of darkness threatening to strip them of life itself.
Within that cocoon, Gehrman closed his eyes.
"Annihilation... death... it would be wonderful if that were to happen," he said quietly. "Then I could finally rest .. and would not have to do what I am about to do."
He paused, then continued with a weary smile.
"But I am not given a choice. I am compelled .. and I have no option but to keep moving forward."
"Show me how you intend to do that," Vayne replied.
She unleashed her shadows.
One strike would be enough to end Gehrman.
Everything sank into darkness, as though the end had truly drawn near.
Within Gehrman’s blue eyes, everything unfolded in slow motion .. eyes that perceived far more than anyone else ever could.
He was the first to notice it.
Immediately after him... so did Amon.
Both were the first to sense the strange anomaly forming in the sky.
And within seconds, everyone else noticed it as well.
The heavens were filled with stars adorning the night .. but for some reason...
One of those stars began to shine far brighter than the rest.
Then, in a bizarre and awe-inspiring phenomenon .. one that caused every living being on Earth to lift their heads in horror—something unbelievable occurred.
The star began to swell.
And swell.
And draw closer.
It was not a star.
It was a planet.
An entire planet hurtling forward at an unimaginable speed, until it blotted out the sky itself, terror seeping into the hearts of humans and demons alike.
That colossal world threatened to collide with Earth, heralding an apocalyptic catastrophe.
The sight drove all who witnessed it to scream in sheer madness ..
But at the final second ..
The planet cracked.
And shattered.
A tremendous explosion tore it apart, flooding the world with blinding light that swallowed the entire Earth.
Without exception, no one could see anything at that moment.
Even the shadows became utterly insignificant before that radiance.
Then, slowly...
Everyone heard it.
The sound of hooves .. shaking the heavens themselves.
Four hooves running .. not upon the ground...
But upon the void.
Upon the sky itself.
Slowly, Vayne turned her head in shock, attempting to react .. but it was already too late.
He was already there.
A beast walking on four legs.
A centaur-like monster .. its lower half that of a horse, its upper body resembling that of a giant.
Its height exceeded ten meters, its shadow completely engulfing Vayne.
From beneath his helmet, his eyes blazed with an overwhelming yellow light.
In his hand rested a massive sword forged of condensed aura.
Then ..
With a single swing ..
Amid Nito’s scream and Amon’s stunned disbelief ..
Fulgor brought his blade down upon Vayne’s body.
She wrapped herself in shadows as a defense ..
But it was useless.
The strike struck her with thunderous force, launching her skyward as the very air exploded under the pressure.
The momentum sent her flying.
And flying.
And flying ..
Until her body finally slammed into something solid.
Vayne rose with difficulty, her form drenched in blood, her shadows barely having saved her.
Only then did she realize ..
She was no longer on Earth.
Fulgor’s strike had sent her all the way into space, crashing her into the fractured moon itself.
She now stood upon its broken surface, stunned beyond belief.
Fulgor moved again.
His colossal sword instantly transformed into a massive scythe.
With a swift motion, he released two enormous arrows that struck Nito and Amon simultaneously.
The resulting explosions were catastrophic, violently forcing them back.
Then his hooves struck the void once more..
And he surged back into the sky.
"Gehrman," Fulgor spoke, his voice deep and resonant.
"I’m sorry, my old friend. Dealing with the Rank Three is all I can offer you for now."
Fulgor charged toward the moon, leaving the battlefield on Earth in Gehrman’s hands.
Gehrman’s body glowed with a sky-blue radiance as he prepared to fight.
"That is more than enough, my friend. You have my thanks."
Gehrman and Fulgor exchanged a single nod ..
And moments later, Fulgor vanished into the depths of space, heading to confront Vayne.
The situation escalated instantly.
Gehrman moved at once toward Frey, attempting to pull him away ..
But halted abruptly when a razor-sharp arc flew toward him at terrifying speed, forcing him to stop.
It was Nito.
The Rank Nine had already driven Abraham away and now stood in Gehrman’s path.
"You’re not going anywhere."
Nito stepped forward ..
Then froze.
A strange light appeared behind him, like a phantom.
"These are my words .. you bastard. I’m still here."
It was Abraham.
He struck with blinding speed, but Nito evaded the attack.
Then ..
In an instant ..
Nito’s body flared with power as he shot upward into the sky.
He flew.
And flew.
Until he broke free of the atmosphere and hovered in space.
Nito raised his massive sword, the metal beginning to glow.
"The Slytherin Sword."
It was Nito’s signature weapon—one possessing a terrifying ability.
Slytherin Sword:
The greater the distance from which the strike is launched, the greater its destructive power.
Activating its ability, Nito cleaved straight downward, releasing a roaring arc of aura.
The strike expanded ..
And expanded ..
Amplified by the sword’s power, until it resembled a colossal meteor by the time it reached Gehrman and Abraham’s position.
Then—without warning—
BOOOOOOM!!!
A deafening explosion erased the entire area under its force.
Frey, clutching Ada tightly, slowly opened his eyes ..
Only to find himself standing at the center of a massive crater of destruction, protected by that strange artifact.
Yet even so ..
A single strike from Rank Nine Nito had wrought incomprehensible devastation.
Gehrman and Abraham had managed to evade the attack ..
But even they were shaken by its destructive range.
"This is bad... That man is extremely dangerous."
And to make matters worse ..
Nito raised his sword once more.
"This time, the strike will be stronger."
He smiled ominously in the void as an overwhelming brilliance surged through him ..
Power granted directly by Agaroth, the Demon King.
The second half of the Light Soul.
Nito was on the verge of causing a catastrophe.
But at the final moment ..
A roaring wave of light slammed into his body.
Nito blocked the sudden attack and turned sharply toward its source ..
Only to see a beam of light charging straight toward him.
A man clad in golden knightly armor, wielding a blade of pure light and a massive circular shield.
"You have something that belongs to me, you traitorous demon dog."
Snow Lionheart roared as he entered the battle from nowhere, colliding with Nito and halting him in his tracks.
The battlefield descended into complete chaos ..
And the conflict was now destined to continue into the unknown.