"Out of tricks? Then I shall take your souls." Hades stood up, his body once again radiating a terrifying Cosmos as he slowly walked toward Issei Hyoudou and Vali.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Death-Boding Blood Moon!!" Hades gripped the Hades Sword, which was enveloped in a layer of dark red energy. With a single slash, a blood-red crescent moon flew out.
The two of them were so intimidated by Hades's aura that their legs wouldn't stop trembling. "Issei Hyoudou!!" Vali used his powerful willpower to break free from the terrifying pressure and pushed Issei Hyoudou aside.
He stayed behind, using both claws to grip the blood moon slash to block it, but reality was not as ideal as he imagined.
Vali was completely unable to block the blood moon slash; the white armor on his body began to shatter continuously, starting from his hands. Seeing this, Hades closed his eyes and said:
"Vali Lucifer, you are merely a mantis trying to stop a carriage."
As Hades's words fell, the blood moon slash struck Vali's chest, and red blood sprayed out like a waterfall.
"I'll leave the rest to you," Vali said, looking at Issei Hyoudou for the last time, before collapsing with a deathly pale face.
"Vali—!!!" Issei Hyoudou reached out and shouted at his last companion. Now, emotions like sadness and despair filled his heart, and he had already lost the desire to fight.
Hades looked at Vali, who had lost all signs of life, and said:
"The Gospel once said: 'Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.' You should feel fortunate, Issei Hyoudou. You have found a very good friend. You must cherish the love that Vali Lucifer has given you."
Hearing Hades's words, Issei Hyoudou lowered his head, clenched his fists, and stood up, then walked toward Hades with heavy steps.
Hades saw what Issei Hyoudou intended to do and said to him:
"I will allow you to throw that one last punch at me, for I understand your current feelings. After you touch my body, you may die."
"I'd like nothing more!!" Issei Hyoudou stopped not far from Hades, his tone becoming exceptionally furious. Raging flames ignited beneath his feet, burning everything around him to ashes.
Behind him, the phantoms of Ddraig, Great Red, and Ophis appeared. The voices of the four echoed together as they looked toward Hades:
"Let's settle this! Hades!!"
"Then come, DXD."
"Aaaaaahhhh—!!!" Issei Hyoudou roared at the sky, pushing Ddraig's dragon power, Great Red's Dream power, and Ophis's Infinity power to their absolute limit.
One strike. Issei Hyoudou only needed one strike now. Even if he couldn't defeat Hades, he would leave a scar on him that he would never forget.
"Burning everything you have just to use this one strike against me." Hades said with interest as he watched Issei Hyoudou's desperate state.
'Lord God of the Underworld, could you perhaps spare this believer of mine?' At that moment, a female voice as sweet as honey rang in Hades's mind.
"Hmm?" Hearing the voice, Hades looked around and finally fixed his gaze on Issei Hyoudou. He could see that an extra portion of power had erupted from Issei Hyoudou, a power that did not belong to the DXD world.
'Is it the Goddess of Breasts from the EXE World? Offering a sliver of her power to protect Issei Hyoudou? But it's all in vain. No matter how much he erupts, he won't be able to leave a single scratch on my underworld armor.' Hades's eyelids twitched as he thought to himself.
"Hades—!!"
While Hades was deep in thought, Issei Hyoudou had already rushed in front of him, landing a punch that burned everything he had onto his chest.
Bang—!!!!!
A sonic boom rang out, and a wave of air swept out from Hades's chest. The terrifying impact seemed as if it would destroy the Hades Temple behind him. If Hades hadn't reinforced the temple with his Cosmos, the impact would likely have reduced the Hades Temple to ruins.
When the airwaves and impact dissipated, Hades stood in place perfectly intact. However, the ground behind him looked as if it had been ravaged by a typhoon, a wretched sight.
"How can this be..." Issei Hyoudou's eyes widened as he looked at the motionless Hades in shock. Then, having exhausted all his energy, Issei Hyoudou closed his eyes and slid toward the ground. The "Dragon Godification" armor on his body turned into countless particles of light and dissipated into the air of Elysium.
Hades quickly caught Issei Hyoudou and looked at his bloodless face. "To deliver this one blow, you really pushed yourself, even burning your life force."
Crack—!!
At that moment, a spider-web-like crack actually appeared on the chest plate of Hades's Hades underworld armor. Although he was somewhat surprised, his expression didn't change. Touching the crack on the chest plate, Hades said:
"I didn't expect something so unforeseen. To think you could actually leave a crack on my underworld armor. I will keep my promise."
Snap—!!!
With those words, Hades snapped his fingers. The Great Eclipse over the Underworld, Human World, Heaven, and the various mythological systems gradually dissipated. Sunlight began to shine on the earth bit by bit, and the blizzards slowly vanished.
"The Great Eclipse is gradually disappearing!!"
"The blizzard is also continuously dissipating!!"
"Great! DXD and the others succeeded!!"
"Ah! It's so warm!!"
The gods looked at the black eclipse in the sky and the dissipating blizzard with expressions of joy and tears. They took off their coats one after another to feel the warm temperature around them.
But Falbion showed a different expression, saying with a face full of worry: "The Great Eclipse has ended... but what about Sirzechs and the others in the Underworld..."
Elysium, Hades Temple
Hades placed Issei Hyoudou and Vali on two stone beds, took out a Ritual Bell, and shook it toward them.
Ding ding ding ding—!!!
A very crisp and pleasant ringing sounded. Two bursts of vigorous life force rose from the two of them, causing their pale complexions to gradually improve. Their lost life force, damaged internal organs, and wounds were instantly restored.
The Ritual Bell in Hades's hand, the Bell of Life, was a bell bestowed by Hades to every Specter. By simply shaking it, damaged souls could be repaired, and a physical body could be reshaped for a deceased soul, granting them a second life. At the same time, the reshaped body possessed infinite regeneration abilities. Specters used this bell in the Underworld to select outstanding souls to be resurrected as their subordinates.
However, the Bell of Life in Hades's hand was a lower-tier version, the Bell of Soothing, which lacked the ability to grant infinite regeneration to the reshaped bodies.
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