Impossible!
How could this be?!
Hades felt as though his mind had been swept by a violent storm, his gaze locked fiercely onto Shendu's true physical form.
Shendu possessed far too many tricks. Hades had thought that by finally dragging the demon down into a domain of his own expertise, Shendu would be at a disadvantage; yet, with a mere flick, Shendu completely shattered his fundamental understanding of combat.
The weakest is the strongest.
The Nebula Body and the true physical form were absolute proof of this immutable truth.
Yet Shendu's true physical form had actually moved?
Not only that, but his Nebula of Burning Fire was still locked in a desperate, high-altitude clash against Hades's Netherworld Nebula.
Meanwhile, his physical form had sauntered out with such casual ease, stretching his joints as though completely unrestricted by any rules.
Vast and profound though his knowledge and experience were, Hades found himself momentarily stunned.
He simply could not spare the energy right now.
The moment he divided his focus to recall the Netherworld Nebula, the Dragon Blast unleashed by Shendu's Nebula of Burning Fire would instantly obliterate everything in its path. This technique was easily equal to, if not greater than, the Snow White Radiance of Snow Empress.
And if he chose not to recall the Netherworld Nebula to defend his physical form, Shendu's true body would launch a direct assault upon him.
Indeed, Shendu's physical form was already walking toward him, light-footed and unhurried, yet radiating overwhelming pressure.
At this very moment, Hades was facing the exact same predicament Zoran had encountered just moments before.
The only difference was that he did not possess Zoran's methods to bypass it.
"The local gang follows local rules, while the outsiders do as they please."
A voice suddenly rang out beside his ear. Glancing sideways, Hades saw Zoran smiling at him from a short distance away.
The man was offering an explanation, which was almost surprisingly gentle.
In an instant, Hades understood.
These two otherworldly visitors possessed a degree of freedom that transcended all logic; they were bound by no rules whatsoever.
Shendu's physical form took step after step toward Hades.
Rather than a battle, it looked more like a leisurely spring outing, strolling casually and carelessly right beneath the shadow of the Netherworld Nebula.
He stopped directly in front of Hades's physical vessel.
"You have lost," Shendu said slowly.
He reached out a heavily muscled arm toward Hades, pressing his index finger right against Hades's forehead, stopping just a hair's breadth away.
Hades let out a long sigh of relief.
He had not lost to raw power; he had not lost to conviction. He had lost entirely to the mechanics of existence.
Even Zoran, watching from afar, could not help but shake his head slightly, a helpless expression on his face as the corner of his mouth curved upward.
Chuckling softly as if mocking himself, he muttered, "No wonder they call them Extraterritorial Heavenly Demons, truly infuriating."
At last, he understood why worlds throughout his past experiences so instinctively repelled outsiders.
Zoran agreed with the sentiment entirely.
It's a good thing I'm the outsider here.
Going completely against all reason meant there was simply no way to counter it.
Just like Hades right now: possessing power on par with the Nebula Body, yet feeling utterly powerless.
Caught in a terrible dilemma, he could neither break free nor spare a single ounce of focus.
A blinding flash of brilliant light condensed at the very tip of Shendu's finger, hanging mere fractions of an inch from Hades's brow. A sudden gale howled through the air, sweeping past them.
With a final, casual flick of his finger, Shendu struck.
The armor encasing Hades shattered into a million pieces, and he was hurled backward like a speeding projectile.
In that exact fraction of a second, his Netherworld Nebula destabilized entirely, unable to maintain its form as it dissolved into violent waves of retreating energy.
When everything finally collapsed back into his physical body, he was already flying backward through the air.
Crashing heavily onto the ground, Hades's hetero-energy finally plummeted to rock bottom.
Yet, unlike Snow Empress, the light in his eyes remained undimmed. Feeling the total loss of his power, he simply clutched his chest and chuckled softly, "I... did not lose unjustly."
The Nebula of Burning Fire vanished in an instant as well. Seizing Hades by the collar, Shendu flashed through the air and reappeared outside the ruins of the grand hall.
His body seemed to contain boundless, radiant majesty, glowing with a brilliance so intense that the Netherworld warriors and White Tiger warriors, who had been eagerly awaiting the outcome of the battle, did not even dare to meet his gaze.
"It is over," he declared, setting Hades down to the side.
The White Tiger warriors, who had gripped their longspears so tightly moments before, now discarded them like worthless trash.
Their leader, Snow Empress, had been defeated, standing only a hair's breadth from death.
Furthermore, their tribal elder, Ghost King, had turned traitor. If the betrayal had actually succeeded, that would be one thing, but after working them up into a frenzy, he had been struck down with a single finger by Zoran.
They had lost any and all reason to fight.
Whether Shendu or Hades emerged victorious, no good outcome awaited them.
Meanwhile, the lupine warriors of the Netherworld stared with bloodshot eyes at the battered Hades on the ground. Their knuckles turned white as they gripped their heavy axes, teeth clenched in suppressed fury.
Gathering together, they looked toward Shendu, the entity that had just defeated their supreme leader, and began to slowly, uniformly advance toward the ruins of the hall.
Hades had fallen.
But the Netherworld had not.
The wolf-folk dwelt within the dark; they had never lacked the courage to embrace bloodshed.
"Put down your weapons… cough…" Hades suddenly called out, his voice carrying across the ranks of all the Netherworld warriors.
His remaining strength could no longer even support his weight. He lay flat on the ground, tilting his head back to gaze up at the pitch-black sky of the Netherworld.
"The wind is too fierce tonight; it is enough to snap the wings of any migratory bird. Our nest is no longer a safe haven. Fold your wings, my children."
His gaze was somewhat lost as he stared into the darkened firmament.
A defeated sovereign deserved the dignity of a defeated sovereign. Even if every remaining Netherworld warrior charged forward together, they would be no match for Shendu. No one understood Shendu's terrifying power better than he did.
Defeated though he was, Hades's word remained absolute.
Red-eyed, the remaining Netherworld warriors reluctantly cast their heavy battle-axes to the ground and lowered their heads.
Zoran looked around with satisfaction, his gaze finally settling on Shendu. "I'll leave the rest of this to you."
Shendu nodded in response.
There were no stronger opponents left in this world, and truth be told, he had had his fill of play.
This journey, which had brought such deep satisfaction to a demon's mind and body, was truly coming to its appropriate conclusion.
Snow Empress, Hades, Ghost King, Titusz...
Every single notable powerhouse had fallen right here on the soil of the Netherworld.
Whatever their original motives had been, they had all ultimately met their end on this very ground.
"Defeat is not terrifying. What is terrifying is the fear of accepting defeat itself." Hades finally collected his thoughts, fixing a burning, intense gaze upon Zoran.
He already knew who the true master of this situation was.
"Before I die, I have only one wish. Just one."
As he spoke, the haughty arrogance of a supreme ruler entirely vanished from Hades, leaving only weathering lines of age and exhaustion on his face.
He suddenly looked much older, resembling nothing more than a middle-aged man whose life's work had just suffered a devastating blow.
"I know what you want to say," Zoran murmured quietly, staring down at Hades. "She has arrived."
Hades froze for a fraction of a second, his gaze instantly snapping forward.
The glowing lights of an activated wormhole flickered into existence as a green spacecraft touched down.
Landing smoothly under the gravitational pull of the Netherworld.
"Ultra Beast Forces, relax yourselves! You must learn to adapt to the Netherworld's gravity, or every step you take will be an uphill battle!" Master Wyatt's voice echoed out.
The hatch of the Black Tortoise opened, and a figure clad in pink armor stepped out.
Unlike the other Ultra Beast Warriors, Phoebe was completely unaffected by the Netherworld's gravitational field.
In fact, standing on this soil, her hetero-energy was slowly beginning to rise.
Two gazes inevitably locked onto one another. Phoebe looked toward the figure lying on the ground, a trace of confusion washing over her face as she sensed a wave of familiarity stemming from the very depths of her bloodline.
And Hades swallowed the blood of a defeated warrior, hurriedly smoothing down his battle-ruffled appearance before breaking into a soft, understanding smile.
"You have returned, my child."
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