For an instant, shock and confusion flickered across Nebolex’s monstrous eyes. He had summoned countless pawns through the Sacred Realm, but this man—this stranger—he did not recognize. The power radiating from him was far beyond anything those lesser beings could have wielded, surpassing even the Lords he sent into the realm. The aura that tore through the throne room was sharp, commanding, and filled with an intent Nebolex could not mistake. But confusion did not linger long. Coldness soon replaced it. A tide of fury, sharpened into killing intent, rose in the Devil Lord’s gaze. If this intruder had appeared in his domain with such force, then the answer was simple. He wanted Nebolex dead. That meant the only response was to strike back with overwhelming, merciless power. The summoning had weakened him. Opening a portal across such vast distances, anchoring it to the seals within the Sacred Realm, and dragging the chosen survivor into his throne room—it demanded not only strength, but soul itself. His reserves were strained, his body trembling from the exertion. But even so, he remained a Sector Master, a high echelon Lord of Hell. Nebolex raised his right claw. Its shadow blotted out the light of the chamber as infernal energy coiled between his talons. He swung down with the power to sunder moons, aiming not to win the battle in one blow but to halt the intruder’s charge long enough to restore his balance. If he bought even seconds, his recovery would be enough to cripple this insolent insect. Just as the claw was making its way toward the True Depravita of Wrath, the eyes of Vlad glowed as he focused on his new space ring that glowed with the might of Heaven. From that space ring, a golden figure emerged. Wings of blazing light spread wide, flooding the throne room with divine radiance. Eyes colder than ice fixed upon Nebolex, calculating and merciless. In his hand, a small portal flared open, releasing a sword that gleamed like a shard of eternity itself. The word fell from Overlord’s lips as he seized the weapon and blocked the strike from the Devil Lord. The Archangel body of the A.I. Chip Clone trembled under the force of Nebolex’s claw. His mouth bled, his ribs cracked, yet Durendal held. The sacred blade of Heaven met the infernal talons of Hell, and for a heartbeat the chamber froze in perfect deadlock. With the claw stalled, Vlad glided forward, his wings tearing through the sulfurous air. His eyes burned with wrath, his muscles coiled with power, the Laws themselves raging within his blade. He drew every particle of energy from the surroundings, condensed it into one singularity of hatred and will, and struck straight at the Devil Lord’s chest. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!" The impact shook the sector. A cosmic storm burst outward, crashing against the obsidian walls and shattering pillars of bone. Nebolex was hurled back into the throne, his colossal body driven against the chamber’s walls. A vast gash ripped across his torso, carving from shoulder to waist. It was no ordinary wound—death flames and psychic venom clung to it, preventing his regenerative essence from closing the cut. The longer it lingered, the deeper it corroded. Worse still, the strike disrupted the delicate tether of the portal. Nebolex felt the connection snap, a backlash tearing into his soul. Pain ripped through his body, and for the first time in centuries, the Devil Lord trembled. Vlad and Overlord did not hesitate. The opportunity was fleeting, and they would waste no second. The True Depravita of Wrath’s heart thundered in his chest, beating so violently it seemed ready to explode. Power poured into his veins—an ocean of rage flooding every nerve and muscle. Beside him, Overlord released Durendal, summoning instead another weapon from the depths of memory and calculation. A blade of flame, hotter than any star, ignited in his grasp. Together they charged. Their swords fell as one, the True Depravit of Wrath’s death-flame edge and Gram’s solar fire crossing into a single torrent of devastation. The blades struck Nebolex’s chest, right where the earlier wound still bled, forming a blazing crucifix of destruction. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nebolex roared, agony splitting his voice as the attack carved into his innards. Fire and flame surged into his organs, burning what lay within. His bellow shook the throne room, a sound of hatred and disbelief. To be hurt—so deeply, so grievously—by mere intruders! If he had been at his peak, he would have torn them apart like insects. But they had chosen their moment well, striking when his soul was strained, when his power was thinned by the portal’s toll. It was not luck. It was calculation. Vlad had analyzed the state of the Devil Lord long before they emerged, knowing this was the single instant in which he could be wounded. It was a gamble, a razor’s edge, but the risk had paid off. Together, they had scarred one of Hell’s strongest beings. The two did not falter. Their eyes glowed with relentless killing intent as they raised their blades again. This time, their target was Nebolex’s heart. If they struck true, even a Sector Master would fall. But Nebolex was not yet broken. Madness lit his gaze, fury transcending pain. With a beast’s roar, his aura erupted. Shockwaves of dark power tore from his body, shattering the throne room and hurling both Vlad and Overlord backward like ragdolls caught in a storm. They rolled across the air, barely steadying themselves before they saw it. Tendrils of black webbing surged across Nebolex’s form, knitting together with shocking speed. His flesh rippled, armored plates forming as though Hell itself had woven him a cocoon. The two warriors exchanged a glance. No words were needed. They crossed their blades, death fire and solar flame spiraling into a vortex of annihilation. With speed beyond thought, their combined strike hurled toward the cocoon. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!" The explosion lit the throne room in blinding light. For a moment it seemed they had pierced through, the cocoon cracking beneath the fury of their power. But as the flames cleared, reality set in. The shell still stood. Their combined might had left barely a dent. And worse—the aura within was swelling. Nebolex’s life force, his soul, his malice—they were growing stronger, surging like a tide breaking its dam. Vlad and Overlord exchanged a grim look. The defensive ability of the Devil Lord’s cocoon was nothing short of terrifying. If they gave Nebolex time to finish restoring himself, they both knew the outcome: a battle they could not win. At full strength, Nebolex would crush them. Escape would be their only option, and even that might not succeed against a Sector Master. There was no time to waste. The two did not linger in futile struggle. Without hesitation, they abandoned the chamber and launched themselves skyward, bursting out of the castle and into the crimson skies of Sector Four. Their wings flared wide, cutting through the heavy atmosphere as they surged upward. Once in open air, they turned as one toward the distance. There lay Sector Three, and at its heart the fortress that housed the Infernal Monolith. Without a second thought, they shot forward. Their speed was breathtaking. They moved like twin comets, streaking across the blood-colored firmament. The air itself shuddered around them, and below, countless lesser Devils trembled. The oppressive aura of the two fell upon the land like the weight of a collapsing sky. But not all reacted with fear. By the time they reached the core of Sector Three, a force was already assembled to meet them. A massive Devil Lord, his entire form wreathed in dark flames, rose into the air. His eyes were like frozen voids, radiating cold arrogance. Around him gathered two dozen Superior Legends, each one radiating power strong enough to lay waste to armies. A handful among them burned brighter, their strength pressing near the threshold of Half-Step Lords. The air thickened with their combined presence. It was a formidable host. Any ordinary invader would have despaired at the sight. But their expressions betrayed something else. Though they drew themselves tall and cloaked their faces in confidence, unease flickered in their eyes. They could feel it—the overwhelming might surging from the approaching figures. The killing intent that preceded Vlad and Overlord was a suffocating tide, one that whispered death and inevitability. Still, the Devil Lord at their head refused to waver. His voice rang out, booming across the skies with false confidence. "In the name of the Master of Sector Three—Lord Orous—you will halt your march and state your purpose. Defy this order, and you shall taste his wrath!" It was a declaration meant to intimidate, to remind the two intruders whose territory they had dared to enter. But he never finished his words. Vlad blurred forward. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the Devil Lord, his blade already in motion. The sword flashed like lightning, plunging straight through the Devil’s eye and bursting out the back of his skull. Shock froze the expression on the Devil Lord’s face. For an instant he did not even understand what had happened—then the light left his eyes, his massive frame crumpling. The Superior Legends barely had time to react. Overlord raised his hand, golden portals opening around him in perfect synchronicity. A storm of divine weapons screamed through the air. Each projectile struck with surgical precision, punching through skulls, piercing foreheads, obliterating cores. One by one, the Superior Legends collapsed, their bodies falling like broken dolls. Not a single one even had the chance to cry out. Fresh chapters posted on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱 The battlefield fell silent in less than three heartbeats.