Clatter clatter.
The sound of teeth clashing against each other was the only thing left in the world that existed for the devils.
It was fear like no other, a fear that rose and overwhelmed even the sadistically and brutalist maniacs of hell from their very core.
But they couldn't gather any courage to fight. And why was that?
Well least to say, their reaper was knocking on their front doors, a reaper with several swords in his hand while he grinned and harvested their souls like a farmer going through his field during crop season.
Many tried to fight him. Their magic not even reaching the reaper's skin before it faded into nothingness and became his strength.
Even in terms of physical strength, The devils were utterly underdeveloped in both hand to hand combat and fighting skills and got completely manhandled the moment they tried to swing their fists.
So they did the only thing they could.
"I beg of you. Kill me painlessly."
A devil spoke to the reaper, but the reaper didn't budge, his smile only brightening as he happily desolves the begging devil with a wave of unnoticeable magic before his own heart absorbed it's soul.
________
-3 hours later-
"Phew! " Asta wipes his forehead before collapsing on his butt with a dehydrated face. "That makes it ten thousand and fourty. Huff. Hfff~"
Looking around the place, one could see thousands of cut apart rocks, hundreds of giant compressed boulders and even many collapsed and uprooted withered trees.
The traces of damage Asta had done to the hellscape was evident. But even more so was lack of life that now filled it.
Just about 10 hours ago, this was the eighth floor of qliphoth, a place where several high rank devils ruled over and enjoyed torturing lower rank ones with permission from the supreme ones.
But now it had become a wasteland, with not a single trace of a devil in sight except Asta whose Devil features had grown quite a bit over the several past days of constantly slaughtering Devils.
He noticed those changes as well, but it was not like they changed anything, If anything Asta treated them as purely cosmetic.
"Another horn? It's the fifth one now!" Asta exclaims as another horn formed onto his head. "I wanted something better like a bone armor or something."
[... You don't feel any different, right? No sadistic or cruel urge to kill living things or anything?]
"Not yet. It's not like it can win against the nullification of Anti-magic until I willingly let it."
{Note:- Anti-magic can suppress racial traits of being made of mana.}
Though... Whatever may happen, Asta had already taken every precaution and even forcefully covered himself in a coating of Anti-magic inside and outside his body.
As for the war on the Spade kingdom's side. it's a down right unfair battle for the dark triad and their forces and the momentum hasn't lowered one bit and with a astonishing zero casualty in the attacking force.
And Asta trusted that information, it was one he received directly from Lemiel by using Esldocia as a communicator after all.
Though the side news of his harem going ham on the spade forces out of rage was stunning to listen to.
{The increase in devil rank coming clutch with intelligence. Dude finally accepted he has a harem. }
"I can imagine Princia beating the shit out of people in rage... But Noelle and Nero too? " Asta mutters while failing to maintain a focus. "I hope they don't take it out on me when I return."
But then the system spoke.
[To imagine a king is afraid of people who like him. Shouldn't you be over this useless stuff already and accept their feelings]
Asta gives Astra the disapproving side-eye, "Like you are any better. We are the mostly the same person and I don't remember you dating anyone."
Or so Asta thought before Astra pauses momentarily before the panel visibly blinked for a second.
[Speak for yourself. I already got myself a sprouse over here in spirit realm.]
...
...
With just a dozen of words, Asta had lost completely to even a dead version of himself. He couldn't even decide whether he should be happy for Astra and be ashamed he couldn't talk to girls.
Nevertheless he needed a distraction, so he shifted his attention to final spot in his slaughtering journey- the ninth layer.
Up until now, while he caused Havoc throughout the upper layers of underworld,yet he had not come across a single supreme one.
It was like they all had retreated the moment he arrived. Or maybe they were waiting for him, together.
But Asta didn't give a crap what their plans were. He won't bother with all the strategic tactics and stuff, because he knew what their strengths were, as well as his chances of victory.
So Asta sprouts his wings and flies to trunk of Qliphoth again, this time ready and well rested as he begans his final attack on the supreme devils and destroy the underworld for good.
It took 10 minutes to fly there with his speed, Turns out layers get smaller and calmer as you go deeper into the underworld.
But that's when Asta raised an eye, noticing a single figure looking at him from trunk without a shred of hostility like the other devils.
"Astra... Which Devil is that?"
Ding
[Based on information from the contractor, That would be Adramelech, the supreme Devil of second layer.]
Liebe also pops up on Asta's head, well rested and all, "I can confirm that. That guy was quite famous as the lazy spectator of underworld before I left. He is a guy who hates putting effort in anything. "
"I see. " Replies Asta as he casually approaches Ardamelech with his swords still in his hands.
The lack of hostility was raising his curiosity, and above all it was wierd to see a Devil smiling at him.
And the moment Asta landed beside Ardamelech, he was greeted.
"I hope it didn't take long to cut down the weaklings above." Ardamelech spoke with chilly calmness, "It took me quite a lot of my time to convince the morons below to gather."
Asta was quite speechless, almost as if everything he had done within the last few days was aligned with the goals of being in front of him.
"Don't tell me—"
"That's right. I was the one who opened the gates from inside. After all, it's better to be done with this shitty place, the faster the better."
Silently, Ardamelech locked eyes with Asta and Liebe, a almost unnoticeable grin plastered across his mouth.
They look at each other, weighting down their options and analysing the other in their own way.
Before long, Ardamelech's expression became amused, his mouth opening as he says, "Don't look at me like that. I am just showing my stance to the future king. "
"Future king?" Asta asks confusedly, "What do you mean by that?"
"You will understand soon enough. But how about we talk after the guys below are dead? I reckon you have a lot of work to deal with, don't you?"
Flap~Fwoosh!
Ardamelech flies away as soon as he was done talking, leaving a puzzled Asta behind but the trusting emotions he was sensing at least made him believe Ardamelech wasn't lying.
Nevertheless, it was about time he stopped being sidetracked into the conversations and looked at Liebe, receiving a silent nod of approval.
The next moment he bashed into the trunk, shattering open a hole in it with a shoulder tackle, entering and begins falling immediately as the tree's internal mana veins carried him downwards deeper into the underworld.
Simultaneously, Liebe grew from his chibi form to his real size, leaving behind licht's original grimoire which he was sealed in.
The two quickly exchange weapons, with Liebe quickly taking possession of Devil-slayer, Dweller, destroyer.
Meanwhile Asta grabbed the grimoire, quickly binding it to himself just like he was told by Licht in one of their conversations. He also stored Elsdocia and preparing himself for a massive greeting the moment he landed.
The exchange took mere 10 seconds, and soon after, the two flew downwards together as they watched the approaching entrance to the roots–meaning they had reached the Ninth layer.
And just as expected, the supreme devils spared no moment.
"Maelstrom."
"Cyclonedrill. "
"Gravitation, Twenty-fold. "
"Chro—
The trunk walls shattered as magic attacks pinned down Liebe and Asta from all sides, leaving no escape.
However, in the end, it was just magic, and it became Asta's food the moment it came near them.
The world seemed to slow down as duo notice hundreds of eyes looking at them from splittered walls with smiles. Each a different shade of colour but still holding a unwavering amount of bloodlust towards them.
"You Ready!?" Asta asked.
"FOR SURE! " Liebe replied
The two slammed their legs, kicking each other away towards devils waiting in ambush with their weapons thirsting for their blood.
(Splat!) X 2
Two devils die instantly, their heads and upper torso split down the middle alongside their hearts as Asta and Liebe use their opponents as a platforms to leap further up.
That's when Asta noticed the astounding amount of devils laying in wait for them, finally releasing why the upper floors were so easy yet time consuming.
There were atleast thousands of high ranks like zagrid, and maybe tens of thousands of middle rank ones.
However between them all, Asta noticed 6 Devils just looking at him from backlines with each the most visi le humanoid shapes- the supreme devils.
" I don't see Lucifero... Maybe he is on Liebe's side. "
Asta's thoughts were spot on, as on the other side, Liebe recognised Lucifero's energy in the distance, locking onto it like a predator as drool and rage flowed down his face.
It was just for a moment but Liebe found the face and eyes he had hated all his life, a moment when every memory Lichita flooded back into his head, fueling him forward as the Devils in his path were splattered from extensive Anti-magic that flooded out like a Tsunami.
" LUCIFEROOO!! "
WHROOM! ~Clang.
"Hmph. We meet again... Manaless trash." Lucifero sneers, his hand holding onto three Devil swords that couldn't penetrate his metal like skin. "You should have kept hiding and cherished the life I spared you."
Enlarge– Baam!
The devil slayer grows threefold in size, collapsing the ground beneath Lucifero and sending him flying.
Simultaneously, Liebe reached him once more, striking him in the face with his fist and says, "Spared!? I HOPE YOU CAN SAY THE SAME WHEN OFFER YOUR HEAD... *pulls back hand* TO LICHITA'S GRAVE!! "
The second fist hit Lucifero in the face again, tossing him backwards into a small hill while Liebe chased him crazily in anger.
But despite being hit, Lucifero was still glaring into Liebe's eyes with a expression of pride that shattered alongside the horn on his head, turing into one of pure disgust and fury.
-Meanwhile, Outside the Underworld-
A platoon of Soldiers could be seen sprawled across the floor as Magic knights finally reach the capital of spade with the Flying bastion proudly casting a giant shadow above them.