Belzebub's attack moved like a forbidden entity — even space rotted before its presence.

The air around it thrummed with death and decay, the corruption and decay force so dense that even Belzebub's avatar began to rot, unable to withstand the vile presence.

And so the speck of darkness roiled forward, corroding everything in its path.

On Roy's end, at the center of the spinning halo, the incinerating glare already held an unthinkable amount of heat.

Roy's armor smoked with intense steam. The heat sank into his system, burning his bones and organs. The searing pain cut deep, but he clenched his teeth and held on.

Gahhhhh!

A pained grunt escaped his clenched teeth as he let go.

An incinerating beam buzzed forth from the halo — purgatory flames condensed into a thick beam of plasma, carrying a level of heat that transcended imagination.

Space bent beneath its passage, reality distorting in its wake.

Bzzzzzt!

The incinerating beam moved at the speed of light, matching the pace of the vile blistering attack Belzebub had unleashed.

And in no time, they collided.

There was no sound, no wind, no shockwaves.

All because the collision of the cataclysmic forces deleted the forces of nature at the moment of impact.

Air was incinerated, creating a vacuum. Space shattered — burning and decaying at the same time.

Light was banished, colors following suit, leaving everything white and black.

The vile force and the searing light interwove, the reaction between the two forces taking a dark turn.

Energies repelled and contracted, both intangible forces reacting almost chemically.

And everything went white.

Spectators from both outside and inside took subconscious steps back, breath held, eyes peeled open and stinging from the blinding light.

But they dared not blink. They had to see the result.

From the borders, Vera gazed at the scene, eyes red, hands clenched hard into fists.

"You better don't die!"

Not far from her, Lux also stared, his eyes holding worry.

"If this guy survives, he will be a problem," he said with a frown.

They could sense the number of people watching this battle. It was safe to say a minimum of fifteen Lords were present. And for Hunters?

They were uncountable. After witnessing all this, Lux could foresee Hunters lining up in Roy's territory, volunteering for subordination. Lords showing goodwill, offering alliances.

By his side, Lana also shared the worry, but she concluded slowly:

"Only if he survives."

Back in his territory under the protection of Aegis, all of Roy's subordinates — soldiers and civilians — peered through openings, eyes tearing, stinging, and red from the brilliance.

Boss will win!

Boss must win!

They all chanted in their hearts, unified, holding strong with fervent belief in their Lord.

Back on the scene…

By this point, both Roy and his opponent didn't need anyone to tell them that surviving what came next was impossible.

Even if they killed their opponent, they too might die from the following eruption.

But neither cared.

Roy's lungs had long become sore, his throat burnt from the flares of both attacks.

His vision was dizzying, his body losing all strength. Roy was still a mundane man — so the lack of oxygen took its brutal toll.

But his eyes still blazed fervently, recklessly continuing to pour his all into the attack. His arms outstretched toward the spinning and pulsing halo, belching out the calamitous beam.

Sweat exited his pores, evaporating in seconds. His lungs already began to spasm from lack of air and oxygen. His body shriveled as he dug deep, extracting Ether from even his blood to feed the attack.

Slowly, Trion's frame was expelled from Roy — the poor hero lying limp, his visor's shadowy slits dim, the brilliant orbs of light it once held long gone. The summon was spent dry.

Seconds later, Velra appeared next. Her regal robes were in tatters, her pale tender skin beneath in full reveal — finally proving that the Tactrium summoned heroes were actually living, breathing creatures.

Her mage staff was still absent, obviously still in Roy's hold.

And finally…

Chit! The slime plopped out of Roy's frame, writhing and squeaking weakly.

The Assimilation skill had been undone.

Leaving Roy's frame bare of clothing, his now gaunt body in full reveal.

But he didn't waver. Though his skin slowly smoked, blistering and frying under the intense heat, his eyes betrayed no pain.

"For myself! For my territory! For my people — I will end this scourge!"

His will blazed into almost tangible flames, his resolve steady.

On Belzebub's end, things were more dire for the Hand.

The ethereal chains of void slowly constricted its frame, numerous suppressive chains wrapping it tight like a mummy.

The poor thing had long lost its hold on the world, its soul retreating in pain. But its eerie crimson orbs blazed brilliantly.

Even as the world slowly tore through its existence, it still poured its all into the blighting seed, pushing it forward.

It was a given that once their attacks reached peak reaction, the following effect would be calamitous.

But… if it could just push the disastrous seed closer to its foe…

If close enough, there was no way — no way in hell — the bastard would survive.

"Because of a mere fledgling I have lost and suffered so much…" it spat resentfully and weakly.

Its crimson orbs glowed more ominously as it seethed with rage and vengeance.

"Your death won't satisfy me. I will make sure to treat all you love with delicate attention. All associated with you will curse the day they were born!"

Crackle!

Its frame slowly crumpled under the unrelenting pressure of reality, the chains tightening further.

Just a little bit further… a little bit more… not enough further!

Its lenses bloomed with demented determination.

At the collision of the attacks, a writhing seed of darkness, corruption, and decay pushed into the incinerating beam. Its outer frame slowly mixed and blended with the flaming beam as it pushed forward.

The seed forced its way down the raging current of the brutal beam, eating all its intense energy.

And the two forces slowly reacted, resisting each other's motion.

Finally, the raging contest came to a halt.

Roy's beam dimmed. The seed's momentum halted.

An orb far beyond what Belzebub had sent out was what remained.

Long absorbing the properties of Roy's attack, the force left behind was far beyond the control of both parties.

Like a mini star ready to erupt and give birth to a black hole, the deadly orb flickered sinisterly.

Roy gazed upwards at the star, his expression shifting erratically. This should be enough to kill the undying bastard, right?

Space was now volatile, so he couldn't teleport. There was no way he was retreating out of range of what came next.

He slumped backwards weakly, his sight slowly blurring as adrenaline was exhausted. His lack of oxygen had caught up.

And his gaze darkened.

Belzebub witnessed this, feeling a vile sense of satisfaction.

"Your death will swing open the gates for my King to step into this plane!"

Just as it was filled with glee, the constricting chains reached its face. As though receiving an unnatural boost, the chains moved forcefully and quick.

Well, they didn't receive a boost — their prey had simply stopped resisting.

And slowly, its frame was swallowed by the crushing force of the world's suppressing chains.

The last thing it saw was the volatile star finally erupting, terrifying waves of corruption, decay, and purgatory flames spilling…

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