Faced with the supreme Heavenly Father, stronger than himself, Aron stuck to his favorite tactic, never a direct strike, always a sneak attack.
He seized the moment when Mephisto turned his head.
His figure vanished.
"Backstab!"
As the strongest among the Lords of Hell, Mephisto had terrifying physical resilience. But Gram in Aron's hands was no ordinary weapon.
A divine royal treasure, in his hands, it became a deadly assassin's blade.
From the shadows, straight from behind, he pierced Mephisto's heart.
Puff!
One precise strike.
Aron immediately pulled out Gram, then teleported.
Everything happened in a single flawless move.
Not even the other Lords of Hell, nor even Hela at his side, managed to react before the attack was complete.
When he reappeared beside Hela, she looked at him suspiciously.
"Why are you so skilled at stabbing from behind?"
"…"
At that moment, Mephisto slowly raised his head. He stared at the wound on his chest, and in his eyes gleamed a crimson, murderous light.
"You dared to wound me?" his voice was cold, but behind that calmness hid an unprecedented threat.
For thousands of years…
His body had never been wounded.
And now, he had been injured by a mere nineteen-year-old mortal!
"You… fine." Mephisto lifted his gaze, the bloody glow in his eyes falling upon Aron.
"Oh~ so what… do I still have time to apologize?" Aron said, feigning humility with his words, while pulling out the Space Gem with his hand.
The Cosmic Cube had long been shattered, but the gem remained. The two teleportations he had just performed were thanks to its power.
"Boy, without that Ancient One protecting you… let's see how you survive today."
Mephisto's face twisted into a cruel smile, destructive energy gathering in his hands.
"Old man, if you want to hurt my beloved, you're not qualified." Hela stepped in front of Aron. In her hands appeared two sharp Nightswords, their tips aimed straight at Mephisto.
"Traitor! Better worry about yourself!" Mephisto spat the words with disdain.
And then he suddenly fell silent.
A deadly ray pierced through space, not aimed at Aron, but at Hela.
Hades had joined the battle.
The ruler of the dark underworld, just like Hela. He too ruled hell, and his realm was also called the underworld. The only difference lay in mythology: Helheim, the world of the dead in Norse tradition, and Hades, the underworld of Greek mythology.
"Hela, your greatest mistake was rejecting me."
Hades did not hide his obsession, having pursued her countless times. But Hela had always coldly rejected him.
"Oh, Hades, as my beloved says… all of you are just another pantheon of gods."
"But in my opinion… you're simply ugly and disgusting."
Perhaps because of the time she spent with Aron, Hela had begun adopting his way of teasing. As she mocked Hades for his desire to claim what he never could, without hesitation she launched her attack.
The Nightsword slashed through space.
Its trajectory was invisible.
All that could be seen were the shattered fragments of Eternal Hell, as if the very dimension were being split apart.
Hela. Princess of Asgard. She who had once single-handedly destroyed the order of the Valkyries. Now, at full strength, she wielded the deadly sword against Hades, another being of the Heavenly Father rank.
As Mephisto had said earlier…
Even among beings of that level, there were differences in power.
In their first clash, Hades was forced back.
His figure was forced to reveal his true, primordial demonic form.
"I, Hades, am lord of the underworld!"
Hades roared.
His body began to distort, transforming into a massive, grotesque figure.
Like a mountain of flesh, his huge belly hung so low it almost touched the ground.
Rivers of lava flowed down the folds of his body, while in his hands shone a giant chain, like an anchor, on which hung souls. When he swung it, it was as if thousands of lost souls screamed.
"Oh, as I said… you're simply disgusting." Hela looked at him with revulsion.
In her gaze there was not a trace of pity, only cold determination.
One more glance at this monstrous form was torture to the eyes.
"Hades, I'll help you!"
Seeing Hades forced to reveal his primordial form, the mistress of succubi, Satana, joined the fight.
Of course, she did not do it to truly help him.
Her instinct told her that Aron was more dangerous than Hela. And her nature had always driven her to seek benefit and avoid risk. That was why she chose to stand on Hades' side.
"Then you'll both die!" Hela responded without fear.
One against two.
Boom!
In an instant, mountains shook, and the infernal vault echoed like thunder.
All of Eternal Hell trembled as if struck by a cataclysmic earthquake.
And that was only the byproduct of the clash of a few Heavenly Father–level beings.
On the battlefield, among them all, there still stood Mephisto.
"Boy, do you have any allies?" he raised his hand, and deadly energy began condensing around him.
Aron felt the threat in that power. He could not afford to underestimate it.
At once, he activated the Space Gem and teleported.
"Against you, I don't need help."
He appeared behind Mephisto, his eyes gleaming with a dark purple light.
Zuuuuum——!
From his gaze burst a beam of destruction.
At first, Mephisto was indifferent, ready to take the hit on his body. But then he felt the breath of true annihilation in that ray, and in an instant, his expression changed.
Too late.
The beam sliced through space, erasing everything before it. Not even Mephisto's monstrous body could withstand that force.
The strike nearly severed his head.
"What is this!?" Mephisto felt panic as his left arm was nearly torn from his shoulder.
"This is true Destruction, old man! Get acquainted with it!" Aron gave him no respite, immediately sending another beam of destruction.
This time, Mephisto did not take the risk. He ripped through space with his bare hands and teleported, dodging the strike at the last moment.
Aron watched him, eyes cold.
In his heart, he knew he must not underestimate this opponent.
He had to use the Space Gem to tear through space. Mephisto could do it with his own power.
That was proof of his strength.
"Boy! Stop with these tricks! Let's face each other seriously!"
After dodging the beams of destruction several times, Mephisto finally halted in the air, arms crossed.
"As you wish." Aron slowly lowered his hands, the purple glow in his eyes beginning to fade.
The two stared at each other in silence, four eyes locked in a deadly gaze. The atmosphere was so tense it suffocated all present.
And then, at the same moment, both vanished from sight.
"What just happened!?" asked Lucifer, one of the Lords present.
And then, in the next instant, he saw a sight that would forever be etched into his memory.
Beneath Eternal Hell, a brilliant white light exploded like the sun.
The entire continent quaked. Mountains collapsed, rivers dried up and cracked, and countless hellish creatures vanished in the blink of an eye.
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