"The power of Heaven and Earth—you've reached this level?!"
Dante's voice trembled with disbelief. Crushed beneath the overwhelming force, he lay pressed against the ground, his expression for the first time turning grave.
In this world, the only true threat to devil hosts came from Nether Domain mages. Any other magic—even that of the First Domain, or the rare Zero Domain—could hurt, but never fatally wound them.
They could fight. They could struggle. But they could not kill.
But the power of Heaven and Earth… that was different.
This force wasn't merely personal—it was the will of the world itself. To those like Dante, "outsiders" bound to devils, it was the purest, most absolute form of rejection.
"Still… just a single level of Heaven's Might? Devil Power—sixty percent!"
A surge of dark energy exploded from Dante's body, bursting skyward in a black pillar that tore the night. The earth shook violently for miles around the Spade Kingdom's palace.
Black wings spread wide behind him, etched with writhing demonic sigils that crawled across his face. His entire body twisted with infernal power, an image of terror incarnate.
And in that moment, the suppression of Heaven's Might buckled. Dante rose slowly from the ground, like a fiend clawing its way from the abyss.
Ethan Hayes' eyes narrowed.
He remembered well: when he faced the Witch Queen's Threefold Heaven's Might, he couldn't even lift a finger beneath its crushing force. True, what he wielded now was only the First Fold—hardly comparable to her overwhelming triple-layered suppression.
But still… the fact that Dante could withstand it was terrifying.
"So his strength really is at least on par with the Third Fold of Heaven's Might…" Ethan thought grimly.
That meant sixty percent of his devil power equaled one fold of suppression. At full release, Dante's strength would hover between three and four folds—perhaps even more. A foe even more dangerous than the Witch Queen.
"And then there's the other two… Zenon and Vanica."
Ethan's mind flickered to the remaining Dark Triad. Thank the gods he hadn't gotten arrogant and tried to take on all three at once. One against three would have left him little chance to escape, no matter how strong he was.
Even if Dante was the strongest of the three, Zenon and Vanica weren't far behind.
"No… better to wait until Asta and the others finish their training. If they can each hold one down, I can pick them off one by one."
Decision made, Ethan let the tension in his body ease. This fight was never meant to be decisive—only a probe, a test of Dante's power. He had no reason to push further, especially not in the enemy's territory.
With a mocking laugh, he called out:
"Devil host, not bad! But today I've got stew waiting back home, so let's call it here. Remember my name—Hashirama Senju!"
His taunt lingered as tree-vines surged from the ground, coiling around him and pulling him into their embrace.
Slash!
A streak of black light cut clean through the vines, shattering them into splinters—yet within, Ethan was already gone. Vanished without a trace.
"Damn it! Hashirama Senju…"
Dante stood among the wreckage, face twisted in fury. To be toyed with in his own palace, his power mocked, and his quarry slipping through his fingers—it was humiliation of the highest order.
"Guards! Where are they? Find him! Find out who this 'Hashirama Senju' really is!"
Meanwhile, Ethan had already slipped away. Cloaked once more in disguise magic, his features shifted back into the calm, noble face of Madara Uchiha. Blending seamlessly into the crowd of panicked citizens fleeing the chaos, he returned quietly to his mansion.
"Lord Madara!"
The moment he pushed open the door, Lucia and Pasha rushed forward, their eyes filled with worry and relief.
"Where did you go, my lord?" Lucia's voice trembled as she pressed a hand against her chest, finally exhaling. "I couldn't find you anywhere—I even thought about begging Lord Sasuke for help, but… thank goodness you're safe."
Her words made Ethan pause for just a moment. She had wanted to search for him, but she knew well—if something truly happened to him, she could do nothing. Better to safeguard their business, to trust, and to pray for his return.
Her calm, steady response earned a small, amused smile from him.
"Relax. I was just taking a little walk. More importantly, are you two alright?"
"We're fine," Lucia replied quickly. "The chaos was mostly centered on the palace. Some areas were shaken, but it wasn't too bad elsewhere. That said… even though I directed the shops right away, a few close to the capital suffered losses…"
Her voice faltered, tinged with guilt.
Ethan rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed—after all, this entire incident had started because of him. Still…
He smirked.
"Do you want to know what really happened just now?"
Both Lucia and Pasha blinked.
It wasn't really their business, but curiosity burned bright in their eyes. After all, who wouldn't want to know what caused the palace itself to be skewered by a forest of colossal trees?
"Lord Madara, you know?"
"Of course," Ethan said, feigning a casual tone. "Someone went after your dear King Dante."
Both women gasped, breath catching in their throats.
Everyone in the Spade Kingdom knew Dante's name. For some, it was the name of a god. For others, the name of a devil. But to all, it was absolute—unassailable.
And someone had dared to attack him?
"Who… who was it?" Lucia asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Ethan smirked. "Far away… yet closer than you think."
Her lips parted in confusion. "Eh?"
Far away? Closer than she thought?
You don't mean… yourself?
Lucia blinked, then raised a hand to touch his forehead. Her face creased with concern.
"Lord Madara… we run a shop that sells medicine. Maybe I should call Dr. Kashim right away to check if you've got a fever."
-------------------------
Support me so I can keep bringing you more chapters! Your comments, reviews, and power stones mean a lot.
To get complete access to the novel collection, head over to Patreon:
patreon .com / Samorash
~~Do leave a comment!