Demonic divinity.

Just as the mortal world possessed divine beings such as the Goddess, Amon, Yue, and Leon, the Demon Realm also held entities that had ascended beyond mortality.

They were beings who embodied the very essence of the infernal dimension itself, existences whose authority was intertwined with the concepts that dominated their domains.

Among all demons, the highest of these ascended rulers were the Demon Kings—cataclysmic sovereigns whose names alone could plunge worlds into despair.

And among the countless Demon Kings that ruled the abyssal realms, two stood above the rest.

Autarch Xig'drodan... And Autarch Zur'guth.

The latter was the father of Demon Prince Vol'giman—the same infernal prince summoned into the mortal world by the former Apostle of Lust, Isadora, during the invasion of the Solaris House.

Unlike the scheming rulers of the abyss, Autarch Zur'guth embodied pure destruction. He was the incarnation of endless war itself, a Demon King who conquered through overwhelming force rather than manipulation or deceit.

Wherever Zur'guth marched, entire realms burned. His armies swept across dimensions like apocalyptic tides, reducing kingdoms, races, and civilisations into ash beneath seas of demonic fire. The flames of conquest followed him endlessly, and countless worlds had already fallen beneath his iron rule.

At his side stood his terrifying demon generals—scions born from his bloodline, each inheriting fragments of his overwhelming might.

One such monster was Demon Prince Vol'giman.

Although Vol'giman had never truly ascended into full divinity, the blood of Zur'guth flowing through his veins granted him a lesser form of demonic divinity regardless.

Simply existing as the son of a Demon King elevated him beyond ordinary demons, allowing him to wield infernal authority that mortals could scarcely comprehend.

But compared to Autarch Xig'drodan… Even Zur'guth felt straightforward.

Xig'drodan was different.

The master of the Prophet.

The true mastermind behind the invasion of the Hyades Realm.

Unlike the war-obsessed Zur'guth, Xig'drodan ruled through calculation, manipulation, and terrifying intelligence. Among all Demon Kings, he was considered the most enigmatic and least understood. His authority over space, time, mist, and dimensional corruption surpassed anything the Demon Realm should have been capable of producing.

Nobody truly understood the limits of his power.

Entire armies had vanished after entering his territories, swallowed by endless silver mist without ever being seen again.

Time itself distorted within his domain.

Some invaders emerged centuries older within moments, while others wandered for decades only to discover a single day had passed outside.

Even Autarch Zur'guth, the blood-soaked king of conquest himself, rarely dared provoke Xig'drodan without reason.

That alone spoke volumes.

Unlike Zur'guth, Xig'drodan possessed no direct heirs. Instead, he distributed fragments of his authority among chosen followers, allowing worthy servants to ascend into demonic divinity through his blessing.

The Prophet was one such existence.

And now… Samael was stepping onto that same path.

As torrents of corrupted divinity surged through his transformed body, Leon immediately understood the truth. This was not power Samael had obtained alone. The Apostle of Chaos had clearly received the favour of Autarch Xig'drodan himself.

Within the Demon Empire, this fact had long ceased to be a secret. While the other Apostles were often viewed as expendable weapons or ambitious pawns, Samael was treated differently.

Even the arrogant Demon Nobles avoided underestimating him, knowing full well whose shadow stood behind his rise. In fact, should the war end in victory and Samael return alive to Urath, there was a strong possibility he would be elevated to the rank of Demon Duke—a position reserved only for the most terrifying and influential demonic existences.

But all of that depended on one thing.

Samael survives this battle first.

"You actually got divinity from the Demon King… There's no turning back for you now."

Leon sighed before brandishing Ascalon for the final battle. At first, Leon hoped that Samael could actually die as a human, despite his horrendous sins. But as it was… it was better for Leon to end Samael's sorry life… as a demon.

"Heh, did you think I would turn back?"

"No…"

Leon raised Ascalon and entered a stance. Pure divinity erupted from the holy sword as bluish flames descended like an endless tide. Samael chuckled as he took the fire tsunami head-on, naturally defending himself with a thick demonic aura to mitigate the damage.

But even then, the flames seared his demon-morphed skin, causing the Apostle of Chaos to sneer with faint awe.

"Heh, you managed to burn me even after all of that… How very displeasing."

Despite saying those words, Samael felt his blood boil faster than it had ever been. He'd been living a life of thrills for so long, and yet, this was the first time his heart really felt truly alive.

When his life… was on the line.

"Gods versus Demons… let's see which one's more powerful!"

❖❖❖

While Samael and Leon were settling their differences, the Prophet watched on with added vigour. His ghostly eyes, which seemed to have scanned the entire battlefield, pinpointed a single point. The Solaris House. Or more specifically, Amon's abode.

The mana within was hidden, but he could tell that the man within was accumulating his strength. The original surge of demonic mana in the dimension had begun to wane as it slowly wrested control back.

Ever since the Goddess had descended, the Will of Heaven had been empowering Amon, Yue and Leon, slowly giving them power while weakening the Goddess and the invaders. It was only a matter of time before the world was handed to the newly ascended gods on a silver platter.

Hence, the Prophet took a drastic step… he decided to strike prematurely.

"Kieran… I will engage the primary targets. You take care of the army."

"My liege! Must you move now?! If we could drag this war out a little longer, more people on their side will perish, and the divines might move out from their hiding grounds to engage us! We might not be able to defeat them, but we can definitely weaken them!"

Hearing that the Prophet couldn't wait any longer, Kieran promptly urged him to reconsider.

"No, your plan and understanding are correct. Immaculate even. But we're not just fighting a regular war. The more time passes, the more powerful the two new gods will become. If we want to strike… it must be before they gain more power."

"... Then, what about the Goddess?! You shouldn't face the two monsters alone!"

"I know," the Prophet nodded grimly. "The Goddess will appear… but she will look for the most opportune time. Remember, we may be allied to her, but she isn't exactly on our side. From her perspective, it would be best if the Demon Empire and the Solaris House wiped each other out."

"... so, you'll clear the path for the Goddess to strike?"

Kieran didn't like the notion that the one he swore loyalty to would become a mere stepping stone for another, but ultimately, it was the end result that mattered most.

If they could end Amon and Yue, allowing the Goddess to retake the mandate of heaven… at the very least, they would have a chance of coexisting with the Goddess because of her deal with their Demon King.

But, if Amon and Yue won the war… everything the Prophet did, all of their preparations, thousands of years of scheming… would be washed down the drain.

"Speaking of which…"

The Prophet glanced toward the heavens… and watched the sky split apart.

The clouds ruptured as though the world itself had been torn open by divine hands. Blinding pillars of holy light descended from beyond the firmament, illuminating the battlefield so brilliantly that even demons instinctively recoiled. The oppressive aura of the Demon Empire faltered beneath the descending radiance as the heavens unveiled a sight that seemed to be drawn directly from ancient scripture.

A transcendent palace emerged from the fracture in the sky. It floated upon an endless bed of white clouds, vast and majestic beyond mortal comprehension, its golden spires shining with sacred brilliance.

Divine hymns echoed across the heavens while countless runes revolved around the celestial structure like stars orbiting a sun. Around the palace flew rows of magnificent chariots drawn by flaming pegasi, their wings blazing with holy fire as they galloped through the air itself.

Trails of radiant embers rained down from their hooves, scattering across the battlefield like fragments of fallen stars.

And then… angels descended.

Divine radiance poured endlessly from their bodies as they graced the mortal realm with their presence. Each carried sacred weapons forged from heavenly light while halos shimmered above their heads like miniature suns.

To the armies below, they appeared no different from the messengers of salvation spoken of in legends. But upon closer inspection, there was something deeply unsettling about them.

Many among the angels possessed familiar faces.

Former clergymen of the Holy Church.

Paladins once worshipped as saints.

Bishops, inquisitors, holy knights… mortals who had long since abandoned their humanity to become extensions of a higher will.

Their expressions were empty yet serene, stripped of mortal desire as they moved with absolute obedience beneath the command of the being they now served.

At the centre of the heavenly procession sat the Pope herself.

Bathed in holy glory, she stood upon the grandest chariot like a divine sovereign overseeing the descent of heaven. Golden robes flowed behind her, while sacred scripture circled her endlessly. Her mere presence amplified the radiance of every angel around her, acting both as their commander and as the beacon guiding their will.

Yet even the Pope's magnificence paled before the final presence descending from above.

A divine aura swallowed the battlefield whole.

Space trembled.

Mana screamed.

Even the heavens seemed to bow in reverence.

Then she appeared.

A Goddess… No, the Goddess.

Hyades.

No longer concealing her existence behind mortal limitations, Hyades revealed her accumulated divinity in its full, overwhelming glory while inhabiting Ellahan's body. Emerald hair cascaded endlessly behind her like flowing rivers of light while divine radiance engulfed every inch of her form, making it impossible to gaze upon her directly for long.

She no longer resembled a living being.

She resembled a cosmic truth given form.

Roots emerged from her transcendental staff, spreading across the sky itself like the branches of a world tree.

Endless torrents of mana surged through those roots before pouring into the angels by the millions, empowering the heavenly army with inexhaustible divine energy. The battlefield fell silent upon her arrival.

Because everyone present understood instinctively… she was the peak. The origin. The reckoning.

And she had descended to erase every challenger daring to stand before her throne.