Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1040: Lord Tier Demon Soul Master

The moment Vlad secured the Demon Lord in his grasp, he immediately channeled his energy into Amaterasu’s broken body. It was not meant to neutralize him—quite the opposite. Vlad was keeping him alive.

The final exchange had pushed the True Depravita of Wrath to the brink. Faced with overwhelming danger, Vlad had unleashed everything he possessed in that last strike, abandoning restraint entirely.

The result was devastating: Amaterasu’s body had been pierced, his spine severed, and his soul shattered to the very edge of collapse. If the True Depravita of Wrath delayed even a few seconds longer, that soul would crumble into nothingness.

That would be an unforgivable waste.

As Amaterasu’s body struck the ground, Vlad moved without hesitation. He reached into his spatial storage and withdrew two ancient parchments—the two halves of the Lord-Tier Demon Cage Runic Formation. Each parchment pulsed faintly, inscribed with impossibly complex runes that seemed to shift and rearrange themselves.

Vlad placed one parchment against his own chest.

The moment it made contact, it dissolved into light and fused into his flesh, sinking beneath the skin as if it had always belonged there. Vlad clenched his teeth as the runic lines fused with his being, branding themselves right around the walls of his heart.

Not letting the pain distract him, Vlad took the second parchment and pressed it against Amaterasu’s dying body.

Instantly, glowing runic lines spread across every inch of the Demon Lord—his skin, his soul, his remaining energy. They wrapped around him like chains forged from light, sinking deeper and deeper until they bound his very existence.

Amaterasu could no longer think clearly. His consciousness was fractured, his thoughts dissolving into fragments. However, even in that condition, he could still feel pain, especially of this kind.

It was beyond physical pain. The Demon Lord’s entire existence was being condensed, compressed inward as his body and remaining energy were stripped away to nourish and stabilize his soul. The sensation was so unbearable that Amaterasu wished—truly wished—that he could die.

But death would not come.

Vlad’s eyes remained cold and merciless as he watched. He felt no pity, no hesitation. His only concern was ensuring the Demon Lord survived long enough for the process to complete.

To him, the entities of Abyss and Hell were nothing more than abominations—creatures that existed solely to consume and destroy. Had the Alien Powers not forced his hand and taken all of his focus, Vlad would have begun his campaign against them long ago.

"Right now, I can’t reach the Alien Powers," Vlad muttered under his breath. "So I suppose it’s time..."

He did not finish the sentence.

A frown formed on his face as he sensed something approaching—two powerful entities crashing violently against the God Prison from the outside.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

The golden dome trembled violently. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Did he manage to send a message?" Vlad wondered for a split second, before immediately dismissing the thought. It was impossible. The God Prisons were designed by Overlord himself. There were no flaws.

"Either they noticed the golden dome by chance," Vlad murmured, "or they were planning to come here from the start."

Neither possibility was good.

The impacts grew stronger, shockwaves rippling through the prison until even Vlad could feel them. He clenched his teeth and forced what little energy he had left into the runic formation, accelerating the process.

"BOOM!"

"BOOM!"

Cracks spread across the golden barrier. Explosions from the outside began to reach Vlad, scorching the ground around him. Still, he did not stop. The ritual had begun, and he would not abandon a Demon Lord soul perfectly suited for him.

With a thunderous detonation, the God Prison finally shattered.

The golden dome collapsed into fragments of light as two figures surged through the air and landed within the battlefield.

One was cloaked in poisonous darkness, his aura thick and noxious, eyes glowing with malicious intelligence. The other was a towering titan with four massive arms, his stone-like skin etched with ancient scars.

Their names were Basku and Atlak.

They had come with the intention of killing Amaterasu and seizing control of his domain. What they found instead left them momentarily stunned.

A human knelt beside what looked like the mummified corpse of Amaterasu—while the Demon Lord’s soul visibly flowed into the man’s chest. The corpse crumbled into dust before their eyes.

Confusion flashed across their faces.

Then instinct took over.

Atlak raised one massive arm, forming a colossal meteor overhead. Basku infused it with poisonous darkness before launching it forward like a falling star toward the small humanoid.

They smiled, certain of Vlad’s death, but then the meteor froze midair.

Only to shatter into countless fragments, crushed apart by an overwhelming gravitational force emanating from Vlad’s outstretched hand.

The two Demon Lords froze.

Vlad slowly rose to his feet.

His eyes burned with soul force so immense it seemed capable of replacing the stars themselves. Moments ago, Basku and Atlak had sensed his energy on the brink of collapse. Now, it overflowed—vast, dense, terrifying.

The soul of Amaterasu had fully merged with him.

The True Depravita of Wrath turned his gaze toward the two Demon Lords. Killing intent ignited in his eyes, sharp and merciless.

He prepared to strike.

Then—he stopped.

A complicated expression crossed his face. Vlad stared at them for a long moment before releasing a slow sigh. The killing intent faded, replaced by something heavier.

The soul force surging from his heart receded. Space twisted violently around him, collapsing inward into a void that swallowed him whole.

Vlad vanished.

He reappeared far from Abyss, hidden deep within the Void Between Worlds. There, he remained silent for a long time.

This battle had allowed him to surpass some of the mental blocks that had formed since Valhalla. He had reclaimed confidence in his strength.

But the wound left by Valhalla still remained.

Had that failure truly been behind him, he would not have hesitated. He would have struck down Basku and Atlak without mercy.

Instead, he chose to leave.