— — — — — —
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosions rang out in rapid succession as countless miniature mushroom clouds bloomed across Kyoto's cityscape.
If Ajuka hadn't set up a spatial barrier beforehand to shift the battlefield into another dimension, the city would've already suffered massive casualties.
Amid the barrage, a figure appeared above a residential building.
"Creuserey Asmodeus… is it just you?"
Sirzechs Lucifer looked toward the man with a single ponytail, dressed like a warrior.
"Of course not."
A bronze-skinned woman wearing glowing red glasses appeared from another direction.
"Katerea Leviathan."
Sirzechs narrowed his eyes. "Descendants of the original Satans attacking me? Interesting, but even the Devil Council won't be able to protect you after this."
"Oh, Sirzechs. You're about to die and still talking big."
Katerea let out a mocking laugh. "You're nothing but a usurper who clawed his way to the throne by force. And you actually think you're a Satan?"
"Enough talk. Move." Creuserey cut in calmly. "He's not easy to deal with."
Sirzechs scanned the surroundings, then sneered.
"Is it really just the two of you? Where's Rizevim? Didn't he release his aura on purpose to lure me here?"
Rizevim Livan Lucifer—also known as "Lilin" in ancient records—was the son of the original Lucifer. And Sirzechs' greatest enemy.
He'd rushed over because he sensed Rizevim's presence near Ajuka.
Instead, he walked straight into an ambush by these two.
Unfortunately for them, the gap in strength was too large. Even with a sneak attack, Sirzechs handled it with ease, completely unscathed.
"We don't need Lord Rizevim to deal with you."
Katerea sneered and pulled out a black, six-sided crystal.
"That's—!"
Sirzechs' pupils shrank. "The Progenitor Power?!"
"So you recognize it."
Katerea grinned and swallowed the crystal whole.
"This is the power of the Devil Progenitor, Lilith. The force that creates pure-blood Devils."
In an instant, pitch-black Devilic energy erupted from her body.
Crimson patterns lit up beneath her skin, and her form began to melt into a mass of black sludge.
Watching her transform into something steeped in corruption, Sirzechs' expression finally turned serious.
"Every fifty years, Lady Lilith creates five crystals," he said quietly. "They're meant to preserve pure-blood Devil lineages. To keep families from dying out."
"Even though they can enhance a Devil's power, they're never supposed to be wasted like this."
"And every single crystal is accounted for in official records… all of them have already been used."
"So you figured it out, Sirzechs? Scared yet?"
Now barely recognizable, Katerea burst into manic laughter.
"That's right. Lady Lilith has abandoned you and chosen to support us in reclaiming the Satan throne. You're finished, Sirzechs."
Sirzechs' expression darkened, but only for a moment. Then he relaxed.
"So Rizevim isn't here after all."
He let out a small breath, sounding almost relieved. "I don't know how you faked his aura, but if my enemies are just the two of you… that's a relief."
"What?"
Katerea froze, then flew into a rage. "What do you mean 'just the two of you'? You bastard!"
That was pure humiliation.
"Die!"
She opened her mouth, and the moment the word left her lips, the air itself warped.
Sirzechs felt his breathing hitch as the atmosphere compressed around him like crushing stone.
At the same time, his body began to decay. His movements slowed, his strength ebbed away, and he felt himself aging.
"So this is the Progenitor Power…"
Shock flashed through his mind.
He wasn't unfamiliar with Lilith's power, but this was the first time he'd been targeted by it directly.
Faced with something so far beyond normal limits, he felt like a lone boat on a raging sea, helpless against the tide.
"No… I can't let this continue. I have to take Katerea down quickly."
He made his decision instantly— But just as he was about to move, a male voice rang out.
"Distort."
The thought he'd just formed twisted out of shape.
"Hm… what should I eat tonight?" Sirzechs froze, his mind going blank. His thoughts had been warped by the power of history itself.
Across from him, Creuserey—now also transformed into a dark, monstrous form—let out a breath.
"Good. The plan worked. Keep this up and wear him down."
"Hahaha! What an idiot. Did you really think I'd lose control that easily?"
Katerea sneered at the dazed Sirzechs.
"You didn't expect we'd have a second Progenitor Crystal, did you?"
Five crystals every fifty years—one of the Devil world's most precious treasures.
Normally, even obtaining one outside official channels would be a miracle. A second one should've been impossible.
That was the logic.
But what Sirzechs didn't know was that these crystals had been secretly given away by Grayfia as a safeguard for her brother.
While the outside world treated them as priceless treasures, someone like Euclid held five of them—an entire fifty-year supply.
They'd already used two to deal with Sirzechs.
The remaining three would be reserved for Ajuka and unexpected troubles.
Once those two Super beings were gone, the remaining Satans would be easy prey.
"You were so much stronger than us."
Katerea stepped closer, raising a clawed hand toward Sirzechs' heart. "And yet, you'll die here in humiliation. A fitting end for a traitor."
She smirked, "You rose like a comet… and now you'll fall like one. Maybe that's all your life was ever meant to be."
She thrust her hand forward—
"Do you always talk this much before killing someone?"
A man's voice suddenly cut in.
"Who?"
Katerea turned sharply.
Standing there, holding Ophis by the hand, Ryo flashed a wide grin.
.
.
.