Novel Full Chapter 696: Invader [2]
Chapter 696: Invader [2]
“It’s me. Agares.”
Rank 3 Grim Reaper, Agares.
While Rank 1 Grim Reaper, Bael, was missing—though Layla knew where he was, he had asked to keep his whereabouts a secret—and Rank 2 Grim Reaper, Barbatos, was responsible for defending the Underworld itself, Agares was the one in command.
His word was law for the rest of the Reapers.
Layla’s expression darkened.
“What do you mean by that?”
Her voice was sharp, and cold. The friction between her and Agares wasn’t new.
They had clashed often, but never like this.
Agares answered without hesitation. “It means exactly what you heard, princess. You’ve been misusing the powers of the Underworld for your personal benefit, again and again. That ends now.”
Her jaw clenched.
“Agares! This isn’t the time for your games—”
“We are not your servants,” Agares cut in. “We are the commanders of the Prime Death. Do not forget that, princess. Instead of barking orders, you should look at your past actions and ask yourself why this is happening.”
The badge glowed faintly, then dimmed. The connection ended.
Layla stared at the dead emblem in her hand, the silence stretching. For once, she looked genuinely thrown off.
Felix exhaled slowly and rubbed his forehead. “Great. Just what we needed.”
She didn’t answer. He took a step back and shook his head. “Alright, we’ll talk about this later. Right now, we still need to deal with that invading God.”
Her eyes lifted again. She nodded stiffly. “You’re right.”
She stood up from the table, straightening her robes. Her hands trembled only slightly before she curled them into fists.
“I’ll go. I’ll help older sister Amelia.”
“Layla?! You’re only Stage 3. What are you planning to do?”
“I have a Hell. It will help in the fight.”
“Layla, wait—”
But she was gone before he could finish, teleporting out of the chamber.
The room was quiet again, far too quiet.
Felix stared at the empty seat where she had been, then leaned heavily on the table with both hands.
His pulse was still racing, the Dragon mark on his arm still pounding like a second heart.
“Everything’s falling apart at once,” he muttered.
He stayed like that for a long moment, then finally sat down in one of the chairs.
…
Neo’s POV
“Is that all you can do?” Neo asked.
Amelia’s chest heaved as she struggled to stay upright.
Her body was battered. Blood dripped from open wounds that refused to close.
The great goddess that had once towered behind her—her World’s manifestation—was already shattered.
The corpses rising from the ocean below groaned as they tried to crawl toward Neo.
Their hands reached out to drag him into the depths.
Yet none of them dared touch him.
His aura alone pressed down so heavily that their rotting forms trembled and froze.
Neo lifted his hand slowly.
His movements were calm, and unhurried, as if this was inevitable.
“If this is all you have, then I will finish it now.”
He prepared to strike.
The air twisted around his palm.
But before his hand could fall, another presence entered the World.
It was fast and came to a stop directly in front of Amelia, shielding her body.
“Big sis, are you alright?” Layla’s voice was laced with worry.
“I… huff… huff… I’m managing.” She swallowed hard and forced the words out. “Can you call the Grim Reapers? The situation here is dire.”
“…I can’t.”
“….What do you mean you can’t?”
“They refused.” Layla bit her lips. “I’ll buy you time. Please, recover and prepare your strongest attack.”
Amelia wanted to argue, but she could see Layla’s expression.
Layla wasn’t speaking lightly.
Amelia shut her mouth and gave a small nod.
Neo lowered his hand.
His eyes lingered on Layla.
Even though he had never met her before, he recognized her.
Conflicting emotions surged within him.
Disgust. Affection.
“The World.”
Layla spread her hand, and her World unfolded.
It merged with Amelia’s broken one, reinforcing it.
The sky above shifted, black stars twinkling where once there had been only blood-colored sky.
Across the ocean of gore, roses began to bloom.
Their petals were a deep crimson-black with traces of blood.
Their vines spread outward, bristling with cruel thorns.
“Nullhour!” Layla commanded.
The Firmament slipped from her sleeve like a streak of light, lunging toward Neo.
Its purpose was absolute. To erase what it touched.
But just as it moved, it froze in place.
“It’s you, Fa—”
Before the Firmament could complete its words, Neo clenched his hand in the air.
Space distorted as though the distance between them no longer existed.
His fingers closed, and the Firmament was suddenly in his grasp, despite having been far from reach a moment before.
Layla’s eyes widened.
Neo glanced at the Nullhour Firmament.
Then, with casual ease, he forced it down his shadow.
Nullhour disappeared, swallowed into the Shadow Space at his feet as though it belonged to him all along.
“That didn’t look like it belonged to you,” Neo remarked.
“Shut up!” Layla snapped.
Worry and anger rose within her, seeing the Nullhour Firmament subdued so effortlessly.
Neo studied her reaction, then looked down as new energy surged.
Layla was not done.
Her voice cut sharply through the air. “[Chains of Hell]!”
From the blood-soaked ocean, enormous black chains erupted.
They wrapped around Neo in great coils, biting into his aura, pressing against him with oppressive weight.
Their purpose was to bind, suppress, and restrain him.
Neo looked down at the chains that tried to immobilize him.
He tugged slightly, feeling their resistance.
Then he shifted his gaze back to the Layla and Amelia.
“Is this all you can do?” he asked.
Neither Amelia nor Layla responded.
Both were gathering what strength they had left, refusing to back down.
“If so, then I’m done playing.”
He raised his right hand slightly, bent his middle finger back and pressed it with his thumb.
A small spark of light gathered at the tip.
Layla and Amelia stared, confused.
They could not understand what he was trying to do.
The spark condensed further, becoming a tiny orb of energy, no bigger than a marble.
Yet the weight of it made the air around them tremble.
Then, Neo flicked his finger.
The orb shot forward.
It turned into a streak of light so fast it seemed to skip distance itself.
It tore through Layla and Amelia’s combined World as though it was paper, unraveling stars and roses alike in an instant.
Neither woman could react.
The streak of light did not stop.
It continued outward, accelerating.
In the space of a blink, it had left their battlefield and crossed the void to where Earth hung suspended.
And then it struck.
Silence appeared for a moment.
The Earth suddenly shuddered.
A blinding flash tore across its surface, and the sphere of light expanded into a cataclysm.
Fire and dust erupted. Oceans boiled. Continents cracked.
The soundless roar of a planet shattering spread into the void.
Earth was destroyed.
Amelia and Layla froze, their eyes wide.
The backlash of their bond with the planet hammered through them, making Amelia cough blood and Layla stumble as if her legs had lost strength.
Neo lowered his hand again.