Inside the shattered cathedral, the three Seraphim stood with their weapons forged of solid light, radiating a holy energy sufficient to evaporate an entire ocean. Their golden masks were locked onto Akira, the primary target of the Administration.
But before Akira could take a single step, Diablo moved.
The demon stepped lightly to intercept Akira's path and bowed before him with the grace of a noble servant, placing his right hand over his heart.
"Akira-sama..." Diablo spoke in a silky tone brimming with reverence. "These counterfeit entities do not deserve to soil your hands with their touch, nor do they warrant the consumption of your magnificent Void energy. Will you grant me the honor of clearing this trash from your path? Consider it a minor warm-up before you shatter the 'Pillar'."
Akira paused and looked at Diablo. He could see the black fire burning in the depths of the demon's eyes—the flames of absolute loyalty to Rimuru, and a bloodthirsty desire for revenge against the Administration.
Akira smiled coldly and took a step back, gesturing toward the angels. "The stage is yours, Diablo. But do not drag the performance out."
"Kufufufu... as you command."
Diablo turned slowly, and his entire demeanor shifted. The gentle smile of a servant vanished, replaced by a wide, terrifying grin that bared his fangs, while his eyes morphed into swirling vortexes of crimson and gold.
*"Vile demon,"* the Second Seraph spoke with its metallic voice. *"Do you think you stand a chance against the Swords of Genesis? Your soul will burn, and nothing will remain of—"*
The angel never finished its sentence.
In a microsecond, Diablo was standing directly in front of it, his face mere inches away from the angel's golden mask.
"You talk too much..." Diablo whispered.
The Seraph raised its sword of light to cleave Diablo in half, but the blade passed through the demon's body as if cutting through thin air. It was a flawless illusion.
The real Diablo appeared behind the second and third Seraphim, and with a graceful movement akin to a waltz, he swept his long claws through their luminous wings.
The solid light tore apart and shattered like broken glass. The two angels screamed and staggered backward, shocked by a demon's ability to pierce their absolute defense so effortlessly.
*"This is impossible!"* the First Seraph (the commander) shouted. *"Your spiritual composition is merely that of a demon... How can you resist the energy of purification?!"*
"Spiritual composition? Energy of purification?" Diablo let out a manic laugh that echoed throughout the cathedral. "What pathetic dolls you are. You possess an abundance of mana, but you completely lack 'art'."
Diablo raised both hands toward the ceiling, and his demonic aura erupted all at once. It wasn't just mana; it was a terrifying density that swallowed every particle of light in the vicinity.
**[Absolute Magic: World of Temptation!]**
In an instant, the cathedral vanished. The altar disappeared, and the moonlight was gone.
The three Seraphim found themselves falling into a bizarre dimension where colors inverted into black and white, and the laws of physics lost all meaning. They had been forcefully dragged into Diablo's mental world.
*"Where are we?! Connection to the Pillar has been severed!"* the Third Seraph panicked, trying to gather mana to escape, only to realize that the mana in this world did not respond to him.
From the midst of the darkness and negative colors, Diablo emerged, but his size was colossal, towering over them like a nightmarish god.
In that moment, the First Seraph realized the horrifying truth. He looked at the absolute black that formed the soul of this demon and remembered the ancient legends that predated even the formation of the Administration.
*"That color... that primordial darkness..."* The First Seraph trembled and backed away. *"You are not an ordinary demon! You are 'Noir' (The Black)! One of the Primordials!"*
"My name is Diablo," the demon said with a voice that crushed the angels' bones just by hearing it. "I am the first and most loyal servant to my Great Lord, Rimuru Tempest. And since you dared to attempt the destruction of his vessel... you have been condemned to despair."
**[Sub-Skill Activation: Time of Despair!]**
Time stopped completely within the World of Temptation.
For the second and third Seraphim, they lost not only the ability to move but the ability to think. All they felt was a spiritual agony slowly tearing their very existence apart.
Diablo walked leisurely between the two frozen angels. He didn't use massive spells; he used his bare hands. He grabbed the head of the Second Seraph and, with a single artistic motion... shattered it like a ball of clay. He then turned to the Third Seraph, plunged his hand into the angel's chest, ripped out its spiritual core (its glowing heart), and crushed it between his fingers with a widening grin.
It wasn't a battle; it was a one-sided execution.
Diablo deactivated his skill.
The space of the "World of Temptation" shattered like mirrors, and they all returned to the ruined cathedral in the real world.
The bodies of the second and third Seraphim fell to the ground, turning into golden ash that lost its luster forever.
As for the First Seraph, the commander of the celestial execution squad, he found himself on his knees, shivering in terror, having realized that the weapons of the Administration meant nothing against an Original Sin.
Diablo walked over calmly, grabbed the First Seraph by the neck, and threw him forcefully. The angel rolled and came to a halt right at Akira's feet.
Diablo turned toward Akira and bowed with his usual polite smile, as if nothing had happened.
"I left this last one alive for you, my Lord, to interrogate as you please, and for you to play your part... in crushing the Pillar."
Akira looked at the trembling angel beneath his boots, then raised his eyes toward the glowing golden altar connecting this world to the Weavers' Sanctuary.
"Excellent work, Diablo," Akira said, as the energy of the Void began to pool in his hand. "Now, let's see what happens when we cut the Administration's cosmic umbilical cord."