The Devil Does Not Need to Be Defeated

Chapter 641: Activation

Using [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree] wasn’t without cost. Its magic consumption was terrifying, even at just double power. If Shien Buztout weren’t inhuman, he’d be drained instantly. Even someone with Lucy’s magic power could only maintain double power for about ten minutes.

Therefore, Shien only doubled his power, not wanting to push it further. As for the Holy Sword, he couldn’t reveal it publicly yet. He wasn’t planning to use all his trump cards against Mara. With Lilith as backup, he wasn’t worried. Mara, at most, was on his level, not stronger than the strongest Evil God, who was comparable to a Demon Lord.

Shien didn’t feel much pressure. Mara was a troublesome opponent, but just troublesome. She wasn’t a true threat.

However, seeing Lilith completely swallowed by the black curtain formed from her own evil aura, Shien’s blood ran cold.

He erupted.

Cost? Exposure?

Those considerations vanished from his mind.

Consumed by emotion, Shien unleashed his full power.

“Boom—!”

Dazzling flames erupted from him, soaring into the sky like a rising sun. The atmosphere and the world trembled.

The flames were ten times stronger than before.

Shien finally pushed [Samsara of Heaven’s Decree] to its limit.

“Heresu!” Shien raised his Holy Sword and chanted the unsealing spell.

“Heresu—!” He chanted a second time, before the seals on the Holy Sword could even react.

“Heresu—!” A third time.

Finally, the steel blades on the Holy Sword began to detach, turning into rings and embedding themselves in the hilt.

The “strongest Holy Sword” descended.

“Clang—!”

As a brilliant light, like the sun, erupted from the Holy Sword, all colors in the sky were replaced by gold. Divine light descended from above the Imperial Palace.

“—!” Diere held her breath.

“—!” Capeline’s eyes widened in shock.

“—!” Rockto, Saliro, Tilly, Geno, and everyone else stared at the light in disbelief.

“—!” Everyone who saw the divine light and whose souls held the memory of it was stunned, as if witnessing the most unbelievable sight.

Even Mara was captivated by the blinding light.

“Finally…” she murmured, looking at the radiant Holy Sword, a complex mix of hatred, fear, nostalgia, and uncertainty in her eyes.

At this moment, the new Holy Sword, the new Hero, appeared before the world.

The eternal light transformed into pure power, surging into Shien’s body.

“Bang—!” Shien, wreathed in flames, shot towards Mara.

“…!” Mara, snapping out of her daze, tried to react, but it was too late.

“Slash!”

The gleaming Holy Sword flashed like a divine strike from another world, cutting through space and time, severing Mara before she could react. The golden slash instantly broke through Mara’s death aura barrier and her Greater Spirit of Death’s defenses, cutting from her left shoulder to her right abdomen.

Blood splattered.

“Hmph…!” Mara groaned, the massive wound making her body tremble, almost collapsing from the sky.

The Holy Sword’s divine power invaded her body, wreaking havoc. Her [Greater Spirit of Death], a being created through unorthodox means, was like a snowflake near a raging inferno, almost melting instantly. Excruciating pain surged through her body and mind.

Shien appeared before Mara.

“What did you do to Lilith?” His voice, filled with emotion, made Mara feel a chill.

Shien, his body ablaze with flames, glared at Mara, his radiant Holy Sword slashing down without hesitation.

Time seemed to stop, at least in Mara’s eyes. Her vision was filled with the incoming sword light, too fast for her to react. It was beautiful and dazzling, the most beautiful attack she’d ever seen. It almost captivated her soul, tempting her to embrace it, even at the cost of her life.

But Mara quickly banished that thought. This was the greatest danger she’d ever faced. Her body was already ravaged by the Holy Sword’s power. The pain, enough to make an ordinary person faint, only fueled her ferocity.

“Sacrifice!”

Mara screamed, sacrificing the girl’s clone she held to this world.

“Rumble…!”

The world trembled.

An invisible force seeped from the magic circle rotating in the sky and on the earth, like invisible steam rising to the heavens, like spreading blood quickly covering the land. The world’s magic power fluctuated.

The sky suddenly darkened, not from clouds or nightfall, but an inky blackness that painted the entire sky, swallowing all light.

At the same time, the earth changed.

It turned red.

The soil turned crimson.

The rocks turned scarlet.

A blood-red color rapidly spread across the land.

Soon, the Empire’s sky was completely dark, and the earth completely red.

This was the “sky shrouded in darkness, and the earth transformed into a crimson hell” from the Supreme God’s prophecy. This was the sign of the treasure hidden beneath this land awakening.

The world’s first material form, the Branch of Rejuvenation, appeared at this moment.

“Clang…”

As if naturally, a light carrying unbelievable power slowly appeared amidst the crimson earth, floating in mid-air, then enveloped by the magic circle covering the sky and earth. When it reappeared, it instantly teleported into the dying Mara’s arms and merged with her body.

“—” Mara’s expression froze. A terrifying power erupted from within her.

…

Divine Realm.

At this moment, several beings at the apex of this world raised their heads as if awakened.

“This power…” Nadue, who was instructing an elf girl, stood up abruptly.

“This is…!?” Anima, investigating something in a remote corner of the Divine Realm, was also shocked.

“Yaaah!” Lildas, about to leave her temple, trembled from the sudden sensation, accidentally tripping over the threshold and falling to the ground, crying out in pain.

Another goddess, working on documents with a serious expression, also sensed something, her face filled with surprise.

“What is this strange and powerful force?”

The four goddesses in the Divine Realm sensed the change in the Human Realm, filled with confusion, shock, and bewilderment.

…

Demon Realm.

Like the Divine Realm, several beings at the apex of this world also sensed something.

“What is this power?” Sara emerged from her room in a castle, looking at the sky of the Demon Realm with a surprised and uncertain expression.

The other Demon Lords also sensed something.

“What’s going on?” Lid looked at the sky with a serious expression.

“Hmm?” Millu also looked puzzled in her own territory.

“A power capable of affecting even the Demon Realm…” A girl immersed in a swamp raised her head, looking at the sky and murmuring.

“It seems something interesting is happening in the Human Realm,” a charming woman, surrounded by men with adoring gazes, chuckled, her charm captivating.

Finally, a small girl holding a pillow emerged from a castle, surrounded by countless bowing dragons.

She looked towards the horizon, her eyes flickering.

“Hopefully, it’s not another mess caused by that guy,” the girl murmured softly, her words echoing amidst countless dragon roars.

Chapter 642: Myth

“—”

Silence.

A deathly silence.

As the world-shaking power erupted from Mara, all sound seemed to vanish.

Some sensed it and their faces changed drastically.

Some noticed nothing, their faces confused.

Some looked at each other, uncertain.

Some felt a palpitation, sensing something significant had occurred.

The people of the Empire were still shocked and terrified by the pitch-black sky and crimson earth.

Completely unaware that at this moment, a terrifying being was born.

“You…!”

Shien’s expression changed in mid-air.

His sure-kill strike with the Holy Sword was blocked by Mara with a single hand.

Blood trickled from Mara’s lips, her fatal wound still present, but the pressure and presence she exuded were completely different from before.

Coughing up blood, Mara grabbed Shien’s Holy Sword with her clawed hand. Astonishing death aura fluctuated on her hand, fiercely resisting the Holy Sword’s purifying light.

“Get lost!” Mara shouted at Shien as if experiencing a final burst of energy.

Terrifying death aura erupted from her, shattering the world around them.

“Bang—!” The black sky shattered, revealing the clear blue sky.

“Bang—!” The crimson earth shattered, the brown soil and green forests returning.

Even the sacrificial magic circle Mara spent ten years setting up underground vanished without a trace, its task complete.

Only the most terrifying death aura ever released from Mara told everyone that what they just witnessed wasn’t a dream.

“Bang—!”

Shien, before he could even react, was sent flying by the terrifying death aura. The Holy Sword’s light shielded him, negating ninety-nine percent of the damage, and [Inner Manifestation of Heaven’s Decree] absorbed most of the remaining one percent.

However, Shien still felt a long-forgotten pain, as if struck by a massive mountain, his mind reeling.

“Roar!”

Yulin rushed up from below, catching Shien with her body, but she was also sent flying hundreds of meters by the impact, groaning in pain.

The power Mara released was that terrifying.

“Pfft!”

But Mara, after unleashing her most terrifying power, coughed up blood, her injuries seemingly worsening.

Undoubtedly, Mara had obtained the most astonishing power in this world, becoming one of its apex beings. She had transcended the limits of life, reaching a realm beyond even the laws of logic.

But Mara knew what this meant.

Her life was coming to an end.

Not because her body was ravaged by the Holy Sword’s power.

Not because the battle wasn’t over, and even with this level of power, victory wasn’t guaranteed.

Mara’s end was something she had long anticipated.

“As expected, a ‘fake’ like me can’t handle the power of the Branch of Rejuvenation…”

Mara felt the immense power within her, a look of intoxication on her face, but she also sensed that her very being was being eroded by this power.

Soon, her borrowed Greater Spirit body, already on the verge of collapse, would completely shatter.

Mara wasn’t sad or disappointed, only completely satisfied.

Reaching this point was her plan, her wish.

Her mission was complete.

Now…

“If I can kill this hated Hero before I die, then my life will be complete.”

Mara turned her gaze to Shien, who was shaking his head and struggling to stand on Yulin’s back.

Killing intent flashed in her eyes.

“Boom!”

In the next second, Mara, ignoring her injuries, unleashed all her power.

That power transformed into endless death aura, like a world-covering black mist, rising into the sky.

Terrifying pressure enveloped the world, and countless people looked at the sky in horror.

“This is bad…!”

Diere and Capeline, holding Harvis, both changed their expressions, unsure what to do.

Rockto, Saliro, and the others were also terrified.

If before, Mara’s power was enough to erase the entire Imperial Palace, then at this moment, the power she released could definitely erase the entire Imperial Capital, even the entire Empire.

That terrifying power, seemingly capable of sinking even a continent, filled countless people with horror and despair.

Mara was about to use her last bit of strength to annihilate Shien and the entire Empire.

This was her final revenge against the Hero and this country of Heroes.

“Die!”

Mara made her final declaration.

A world-destroying death aura storm formed in the sky, rapidly condensing into a massive sphere of black energy, like a dark sun, and under Mara’s control, it plummeted towards the earth.

It was a sign of the apocalypse.

It was the embodiment of “death” itself.

When that “dark sun” landed, everything on the ground would be erased.

Everyone in the Imperial Capital stared blankly at the dark sun, larger than the entire city, slowly descending, unable to react.

Including Diere and Capeline.

“It’s over…” Capeline’s face was pale.

“…” Diere bit her lip, a bitter look in her eyes.

Rockto, Saliro, Tilly, Geno, and the others trembled, their faces grim, some clenching their fists, some collapsing on the ground, none resisting.

That power was beyond human comprehension.

If anyone in this Human Realm could contend with that power, it would be only one person.

—The “Hero.”

“Die?”

Shien finally stood up on Yulin’s back, looking at the descending black sun, and roared.

“Die, my ass!”

The dazzling flames around Shien erupted with their greatest intensity yet.

The light of the strongest Holy Sword in his hand also burst forth, transforming into a brilliant golden light that illuminated the entire world.

Then, the Hero soared into the sky.

Just like in all the legends of old, wielding the strongest weapon capable of slaying the Demon King, he ignited hope in the hearts of those in despair.

It was a re-enactment of myth.

It was history in the making.

Even countless years later, this scene would be etched in the hearts of all who witnessed it.

This was the first and most brilliant stroke painted by the Hero summoned to this world after a thousand years.

The dark sun fell.

The brilliant flames and dazzling golden light transformed into a meteor, shooting towards the sky.

As if after countless years, or perhaps just a second, they collided above the Imperial Palace before countless witnesses.

A brilliant light and impact, like a meteor striking the earth, erupted.

“■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■—!”

An indescribably loud explosion echoed from the sky.

The atmosphere was annihilated by the circular shockwave.

Countless people on the ground were blown away by the sudden gale.

Buildings swayed, cracked, and collapsed under the shockwave and wind.

A devastating impact erupted above the Imperial Capital.

Many saw this scene that day.

And the Imperial Capital, beneath the impact, endured the terrifying aftermath, almost reduced to ruins, though not completely destroyed.

No one saw that at the center of the impact, the Holy Sword’s slash pierced through the black death aura, the terrifying shockwave, and the sun-like sphere of power, cleaving it in two.

The figure wreathed in dazzling flames, wielding the brilliant golden light, his body seemingly scorched and smoking, his clothes tattered, soared into the sky.

Finally, he arrived before the perpetrator of all this.

“…!?”

Mara, coughing up blood, stared at this scene, her eyes widening.

“Imposs…”

She couldn’t finish the word “impossible.”

“Slash!”

The Holy Sword, severing all despair, once again cut through space and time, striking Mara and effortlessly cleaving her.

Mara was split in two by this truly fatal blow, her body shattering instantly.

“Cough…!”

Amidst the dazzling flames, Shien coughed up blood, his body like a kite with its string cut, unable to support himself any longer, falling towards the ground.

And this time, Yulin wouldn’t catch him.

She had been blown away by the terrifying impact, her whereabouts unknown.

Shien fell straight towards the earth.

Until…

“Bang!”

Not far away, a sphere of black evil aura, the only thing that survived the terrifying impact, suddenly exploded.

Within, the small goddess reappeared, flapping her twelve pairs of black wings and rushing towards Shien at astonishing speed.

Soon, the small goddess caught Shien.

She looked tenderly at the Hero in her arms.

And together, they descended towards the Imperial Capital below.