Epic Of Caterpillar

Chapter 2906 - 2907: A Battle Between Parallel Selves

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Ame-no-Mikaboshi was going mad.

Not only had his Labyrinth of Madness plan failed completely, but Kireina had dismantled the labyrinth itself, leaving it barely standing while annihilating every clone he had stationed there.

Rebuilding them all and regaining control would take at least an hour, and in that time, a million variables could intervene.

But that was not the worst of it. She had pursued him all the way to the depths of Yomi and attacked without mercy, forcing him into a desperate defensive siege while he prepared a teleportation formation.

He drew on his Authority over Yomi as a God of Chaos and the sealed Cosmos within it, rapidly summoning armies of quadrillions of monsters. He called upon Izanami for aid who at this point obeyed him like a loyal pet.

He watched in growing horror as Kireina carved through his forces. Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and the rest of the gods charged ferociously against Izanami, pinning her in place through sheer coordinated might.

Kireina's schoolgirl wives targeted his newly raised towers!

Brontes swung her thunderous axe, cleaving the first tower in two and blasting both halves apart.

Zehe unleashed a torrent of abyssal void, disintegrating the second tower in seconds.

Rimuru swung her radiant rainbow blade, slicing the tower into hundreds of fragments before detonating them.

Nesiphae danced through the air in her giantess form, her four axes whirling as she reduced the tower to countless pieces.

Lilith charged straight at the undead pouring from the towers. Transforming into her massive Earth Cosmic Dragon form, she roared with primal fury, tearing hundreds of thousands apart with each devastating strike.

"It looks like you're having difficulties, huh?"

"Y-You!"

Ame-no-Mikaboshi heard a voice echo behind him. A radiant silhouette of pure light emerged.

"Kireina...! That monster is far stronger than we imagined!"

"I can see that."

"Help me! If we fight her together, we can—"

"No can do. This is too disadvantageous. I have just absorbed several Heavenly Domains and I am digesting them. My last fragment is about to arrive. Buy me time."

"What?! That wasn't our deal! You said—"

"As you said, Kireina is far too strong. I cannot take risks. Just buy me a couple of minutes. That's all."

"You damned bastard! You can help me with the power you've gained! Do something now!"

Ame-no-Mikaboshi lunged at the silhouette, but it scattered into motes of light and vanished. The voice echoed one final time.

"Do your best~"

"Damn it!"

Ame-no-Mikaboshi roared in fury as he realized his teleportation array was constantly being disrupted by the tremors.

The nether towers had already fallen, so he began raising them again, dozens, then hundreds.

Quintillions of undead surged forth, feeding Izanami ever greater power.

"Come on, come on, come on! Buy me time, you damned monsters!"

The Demon King raged as he watched Kireina draw closer.

More.

And more.

And more.

In truth, his creations bought him exactly...

No time at all.

"Eh?"

BOOOMMM!!!

Before he could comprehend what was happening, his entire pagoda exploded into countless fragments. Searing pain consumed him.

"KUUAAAAAHHHH?!"

He screamed in agonized horror and confusion as Kireina appeared and vanished in blurs, millions of petals slashing across his body.

"W-Wait! WAIT A SECOND! KIREINAAAAAA!"

"Wait? And risk even more lives? Who do you think you're asking to wait, you damn bastard?! You think this is all a game?!"

Kireina's fury was unrelenting. She smashed his head downward with her sharp heels, driving them deep into his eyes and crushing him into the underworld's crust.

RUMBLE!

The ground shattered open. Lava erupted everywhere, searing Ame-no-Mikaboshi's body as he writhed in torment. Harnessing every ounce of his power, chaos and cosmic energy surged. He punched Kireina away with desperate force.

BOOOM!

Kireina was hurled back, but she kicked off the air behind her and returned in an instant. Her Infinite Heavens Sword roared with thunderous power.

She resumed her merciless assault. Her Aura exploded outward, manifesting dozens of giant Claws of Khepri fused with the Demon King of Demise, smashing Ame-no-Mikaboshi's body relentlessly.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"Nnnggh...! Aaaaaaggghhhh!"

"You came out of nowhere and started messing with us from the shadows—all for this?! You really think I have mercy now?!"

"HYEEEEEE!"

The Demon King screamed as shadows flickered. Two figures leaped out to aid him, his servants.

One resembled an evil version of Rimuru: a purple-and-red slime monster woman.

The other was a black-scale, blue-skinned Lamia, like a dark mirror of Nesiphae.

A third emerged once more: a giant cyclops with skin as black as charcoal.

"Who...?!"

Kireina stared at them, realizing how closely they resembled Rimuru, Nesiphae, and Brontes.

"KILL HER!"

The Demon King howled as his "wives" roared and attacked from every angle.

They were only slightly weaker than the Demon King himself. Kireina sensed they were bound to his soul, drawing power directly from him.

"So damn annoying! What the hell are you women?!"

"Don't you see?! They are like your girls, aren't they?!" the Demon King laughed maniacally. "Don't you realize how much we resemble each other?!"

"...?!"

"Kireina, you and I are the same! We are parallels!" Ame-no-Mikaboshi cackled. "Y-You and I are...! THE SAME! THE SAME!!!"

"What the hell are you even talking about?!"

Kireina swung her sword without hesitation, cutting through the evil slime, lamia, and cyclops mercilessly.

Yet she felt their souls re-emerging from the Demon King's shadows, reviving instantly!

"These are my dear girls, my beautiful wives. They sacrificed their souls for me and allowed me to devour them. Now we are together forever—one and the same! Go, girls!"

"So you can revive them endlessly? That's your damn plan?!"

Kireina was forced back as Ame-no-Mikaboshi fled, transforming into a giant crow of shadows and starlight.

Any second he could gain would help him!

However.

RUMBLE!

Rimuru, Nesiphae, Brontes, Zehe, and Lilith arrived. They smashed the ground beneath them and attacked the evil slime, lamia, and cyclops, hurling them aside.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

All three were slammed into a nearby mountain, shattering it into fragments and burying them beneath enormous boulders.

Yet three new copies emerged moments later.

"Kireina, we'll handle them!" Zehe shouted. "Go and kill that bastard!"

"Hah, alright!"

Kireina nodded and leaped skyward.

The Demon King's wives tried to intercept her, but they met Brontes' thunderous hammer, Nesiphae's four cursed axes, Zehe's void magic, Rimuru's rainbow blade and elemental spells, and Lilith's draconic wrath.

The moment Kireina passed them, they could no longer pursue, her wives kept them locked in constant battle.

Kireina realized Ame-no-Mikaboshi could summon only one copy of each wife at a time. That was why they were so overwhelmingly strong.

"D-Damn it!"

He screamed as he saw Kireina closing in.

He had hoped to stall for at least a few seconds.

But just like before...

He bought none!

"Got you."

"AAAAAAGGGH!"

Kireina's sword smashed into Ame-no-Mikaboshi's body and sent him crashing downward. He struck the ground with cataclysmic force, shattering the earth in a monstrous explosion that left a crater nearly the size of Texas.

She drew closer, drawing a second sword from her Heart. The Demon King trembled in genuine terror, his life flashing before his eyes.

The first blade pulsed with darkness and chaotic demonic power.

The second shone with radiant starlight, holy light, and the essence of the sun and life itself.

Both swords gleamed with the power to end him forever.

"You said we were parallels? Well, who's cowering for his life right now? I don't know how you're supposed to be my parallel self, but I couldn't give less of a damn."

"It's because I was born from you! Terra...! TERRA was struck by your soul fragments falling as meteors! They were infected by miasma, and I was born from your Soul Fragment! I am you and—"

"And what?! You want me to hug you and say we're good? You son of a bitch—you were trying to kill everyone!"

"GRRRR! DAMN IT!"

His attempt to manipulate Kireina into softening—only to backstab her—failed utterly as her blades descended. His body was swiftly sliced into three pieces.

And then...

"NGAAAAAHHH! I AM YOU...! BUT...! BETTER!"

His entire form writhed and pulsed with monstrous chaotic power. It swelled into an endless mass of black flesh, abyssal tentacles, red eyes, and gaping jaws.

He grew kilometers in size!

"Better? I don't think so."

Kireina took a single step forward, her swords gleaming.

"Heaven And Earth Defying Soul Heart Style."

And then.

"Second Form – Defiance of the Nine Heavens!"

The Demon King gazed upon the true, terrifying strength of the real deal.

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