Darkness, in turn, was forced to acknowledge his equal.
Whenever Germain's relentless attacks became impossible to dodge, and a lethal strike loomed, Darkness immediately resorted to the "Spatial Pocket Watch."
Though it drained him greatly, the artifact's power could bind even a demi-god for an instant—enough to shatter Germain's momentum and blunt his offensive.
With the Spatial Pocket Watch in hand, paired with the Demon King's Greatsword, Darkness fought Germain blow for blow, strike for strike.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Slowly, Darkness began to understand what "Flesh" must have felt when battling Germain before.
Germain fought with his "Burial Blade," hurling himself into reckless assaults.
Every strike was a gamble, every breath a dance along the razor's edge between life and death.
He fought as though each wound was fuel, feeding his own fury, drawing strength from the brink of ruin itself.
And yet…
Darkness still hadn't managed to kill him.
But that was fine.
For Darkness already had a plan.
"These humans…" Darkness whispered. "Those from the New Continent and the Six Continents… They are both the source of your growing strength, and at the same time, your weakness…"
Germain did not reply.
The Burial Blade in his hand swung without pause, slicing through the air in relentless arcs.
By now, he had already understood the true purpose behind Darkness dragging him across countless lands and forcing the battlefield to constantly shift.
All of these battlefields shared one common feature — each had at least a single Transmission Lantern burning nearby.
Darkness clearly intended for their divine war to wreak havoc upon the surroundings, destroying the living beings and the lanterns themselves.
Every lantern destroyed meant fewer supplies to sustain Germain.
Eventually, the moment would come when Germain's strength would be completely drained…
"You—"
Darkness never managed to finish its words.
For in that instant, Germain shifted the Burial Blade into his left hand.
With his right hand, he conjured a new weapon — the Thunder Warhammer.
Zzzzzzz—!
Electric sparks burst forth, crackling through the air.
With a deafening roar, a dragon woven entirely of lightning spiraled into existence, twisting and surging forward with unstoppable force!
Thunder Dragon's long whiskers trembled, its serpentine body stretching midair.
With a single shake, it lashed down like a coiling noose, wrapping around "Darkness."
"Darkness" struggled, but could not break free.
Instead, the electric storm coursing through its body stirred every nerve, the arcs of lightning crawling like bloodsucking parasites trying to burrow into its flesh.
With a twist of its towering two-meter body, it slipped through the Thunder Dragon's coils like a fish darting through water.
In an instant, its shadow flickered and reappeared far away.
But Germain had not acted while the Thunder Dragon restrained "Darkness."
He had chosen this precise moment.
He predicted with perfect accuracy where "Darkness" would reappear.
Almost as soon as "Darkness" moved, he launched himself forward, wielding the Burial Blade and the Thunder Warhammer.
Seeing Germain already before him, "Darkness" furrowed its brow.
It had no choice but to use the Spatial Pocket Watch, intending to interrupt Germain's assault once again.
However, the watch did not sway as "Darkness" expected.
Instead, it froze in midair.
Surprised, it looked down.
The Spatial Pocket Watch had twisted into a strange, soft hook-like shape.
Unnoticed by "Darkness," it had been corrupted by the Flesh Badge, covered with writhing flesh that had even altered its nature.
After the first forced teleport, Germain had sensed the Pocket Watch's anomaly.
Since then, every clash with the Demon King Greatsword had been deliberate, designed to force a hard confrontation.
Bit by bit, he diverted "Darkness"'s attention, while gradually corrupting the Pocket Watch with the Flesh Badge.
Until now.
When the corruption reached a critical point, it detonated like a bomb within the Pocket Watch.
Boom—
The Spatial Pocket Watch shattered.
From it slithered a faceless, alien-like serpent, snapping at "Darkness"'s fingers.
From the strange snake, "Darkness" could sense the same corrupting force of the Flesh Badge.
It immediately flicked its hand, hurling the broken Pocket Watch and the monstrous snake away.
In a flash of lightning, Germain was already upon it.
"Darkness" had nowhere to evade.
Swish—
The "Burial Blade" slashed diagonally!
This weapon was strong enough to severely injure a demigod.
Darkness couldn't ignore it and had no choice but to block with the "Demon King Greatsword."
Clang!
The "Demon King Greatsword" caught the scythe blade of the "Burial Blade," holding it suspended in midair.
However, in that moment, the "Thunder Warhammer" struck directly at Darkness's face!
Boom—
Darkness's entire demigod body was blasted away. The crown rolled across the ground, and the "Demon King Greatsword" was left behind by Germain.
Flying backward, Darkness became a black dot, smashing through stone pillars and punching through the walls of the ancient labyrinth, eventually landing outside the labyrinth entirely.
Germain didn't rush to follow.
He stayed in place, first using the "Flesh Badge" to corrupt the crown and the "Demon King Greatsword" that had fallen, rendering them broken and useless.
Only then did he push off with his feet, silver wings spreading behind him, and gave chase.
Inside the ancient labyrinth castle, those who had witnessed just a glimpse of this divine battle were all terrified.
Though many were eager to see what would happen next, no one dared to follow. Pursuing would only make them cannon fodder.
Even those like Ging, Bisky, Morel, and Knov hesitated, and for Kurapika, Kite, Knuckle, Shoot, and Palm, stepping forward was out of the question.
The battle continued.
Germain flew outside the ancient labyrinth and looked down at the dense forest below. There, a massive black fog was swelling.
Puff, puff, puff—
It moved like pus-filled boils, growing and shrinking, writhing as it expanded and contracted, until it gradually solidified into the size of a large creature.
At this moment, Darkness resembled a hellish three-headed hound. Its three heads snarled, all four limbs on the ground, fangs and claws flowing in the same black as its body.
Its form bore some resemblance to Germain's "Chaos Roar Form", though Germain had never had so many heads.
*******
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
https://www.patreon.com/c/Unique_Writer