[Erebus, Lord of the Void.]
This single Ultimate Skill was enough to plunge the entire world into absolute chaos. To sever the five senses was to strip a living being of its connection to reality, trapping them in a suffocating, inescapable darkness where they could only helplessly experience the terrifying sensation of death.
Naturally, this was also the perfect assassination tool, allowing Finn to execute his targets before they even realized they were under attack.
What made Finn truly nightmarish, however, was that his physical parameters and bodily quality had improved so drastically that he was essentially unkillable—especially when combining his monstrous baseline with the absolute adaptability of his Self-Made skill.
As he reigned in his power, a stray thought crossed his mind. If my abilities can evolve into Ultimate Skills, why couldn't Suzuki over in the Tensura universe do the same?
Should Suzuki evolve into a Saint first? Back in that world, Suzuki was currently just a Sage, an evolution he had accidentally stumbled into after having some very enthusiastic 'snu-snu' with Treyni, the dryad. Logically, if he engaged in a little more 'snu-snu' with a True Demon Lord, Suzuki could easily bridge the gap to a Saint—the absolute peak of humanity, standing just one step below a Divine Human.
"....." Suzuki in the Tensura universe sneezed violently, wherever he was.
Regardless, Finn pushed the thoughts of his alternate self aside. His focus returned to the multitude of abilities he had acquired upon transcending into a True Satan. He had no intention of showcasing them all right now. There was simply no need, especially since Vali had already thrown in the towel.
"...Is that power... is that your absolutely everything?" Vali asked. His expression was weak and pale, despite a stubborn glimmer in his eyes desperately trying to justify that he still had a fighting chance. But no matter how he spun it, the gap was completely hopeless.
"It is," Finn replied smoothly, deciding to be mercifully kind and lying through his teeth.
"Liar," Vali snorted, though a faint, relieved smirk touched his lips.
Vali let out a heavy sigh, turned on his heel, and began to walk away. He knew that trying to fight Finn right now was a catastrophic waste of time. Vali was arrogant, yes, but he wasn't stupid. He severely overestimated himself if he thought his current state could even scratch the absolute void Finn commanded.
Vali...
Deep inside the White Dragon Emperor's soul, Albion could feel his host's profound helplessness. Yet, the Vanishing Dragon had to admit that Finn Balam was an entity utterly foreign to this reality. In all its ancient millennia of existence, Albion had never witnessed a Devil evolve into something so incomprehensible.
Even Lucifer, the original progenitor of all Devils, wasn't this terrifying.
Void. How do you even fight against absolute nothingness? When there is nothing there to begin with, what do you target?
Albion... is that truly all of your power? Vali asked internally, his eyes suddenly blazing with a reignited, unyielding fighting spirit.
I...
I want to tap into absolutely everything you have, Vali declared to his draconic partner. Before you perished and became the Divine Dividing, you were a Heavenly Dragon. I want to combine your true, unrestrained legacy with the absolute depths of my Lucifer bloodline.
The power of Lucifer couldn't possibly be limited to just sprouting twelve wings. There had to be hidden, conceptual authorities locked within his inherited blood. If Vali tapped into those ancient secrets and fused them flawlessly with Albion's power... what kind of monster could he become?
Finn might be an absolute wall right now, but in the future? Let's get stronger together, Albion.
[OHHHHHH!] Albion roared in agreement.
It would be a brutally long, agonizing process, but to share such an impossible ambition together... well, their long lives certainly wouldn't be boring.
While the White Dragon Emperor walked away with renewed purpose, the Red Dragon Emperor was completely drowning in despair.
Issei Hyoudou sat huddled in the corner of the courtyard, violently trembling. Beside him, Ddraig remained dead silent. They both felt like incredibly pathetic, irrelevant side characters. They knew perfectly well that no matter how hard Issei trained, or how much he screamed about his dreams, fighting Finn was a mathematical impossibility.
If Ddraig was completely honest, he possessed a hidden conceptual authority known as Penetrate, which allowed his attacks to bypass any absolute defense. But against the concept of absolute nothingness? Could Penetrate even hit a void?
More importantly, Ddraig's current host was painfully pathetic. Even if Issei miraculously tapped into that conceptual power, his mortal body would instantly shatter. In the original timeline, Issei only survived his astronomical power-ups because his fragile human body was destroyed and reconstructed using the literal flesh of Great Red and Ophis.
In this timeline, Issei was just a normal, squishy, perverted teenager. Without the overwhelming crutch of plot armor and dragon flesh, Issei was completely useless. Finn had never paid a single ounce of attention to Issei because he knew the boy was nothing but a fragile foil.
Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the lingering Will of God inside the True Longinus still recognized Issei as the "fated protagonist," outright refusing to let Cao Cao catch him in the crossfire. Finn found it utterly baffling.
What the hell is wrong with this world? Finn wondered, rubbing his chin.
But... I suppose there is a tiny chance for him, Finn mused internally. According to the deepest lore of the DxD universe, there existed an alternate dimension known as the ExE universe. There, Issei was destined to gain the blessing of the Chichigami—the Holy Mother God Chichi (formally known as Chimune Chipaoti), a literal deity of breasts. With her blessing, Issei was supposed to create twelve 'boob heroines' to fight the apocalypse.
But with how the world is now... is that even possible anymore? Finn snorted in amusement. Honestly, Issei will probably just remain a virgin forever. Let's not dwell on that tragedy.
"Let's go home."
"Yeah."
Akeno, Xenovia, Asia, Ravel, and Kuroka immediately rallied around him, their faces glowing with absolute devotion and relief. They didn't waste another second on the blood-soaked battlefield.
But before Finn activated his spatial magic, he threw a lazy glance over his shoulder at the Maous and Archangels.
"Take care of the rest of the garbage, okay?"
He didn't wait for their response. With a silent flash of shadows, Finn and his peerage teleported away.
With his oppressive presence finally gone, the overwhelming tension completely shattered. Absolute peace returned to the Kuoh Academy courtyard. The morning sun finally crested over the horizon, bathing the surviving leaders in a warm, golden light. Even though many of them were Devils, feeling the gentle sunrise after such an apocalyptic night made them feel incredibly, deeply alive.
"Seriously... what the hell is happening to the world?" Azazel murmured, running a hand through his hair.
Sirzechs and Michael immediately shot the Fallen Angel Governor a unified, withering glare.
"I know! I know!" Azazel threw his hands up in defense. "I won't cause any more trouble! Let's just sweep Indra's mess under the rug and end it like this."
They all mutually understood the terrifying reality of their situation. After feeling the absolute void Finn could casually plunge the world into, picking a fight with him was a thoroughly meaningless endeavor. You don't try to arrest an earthquake. You don't declare war on a tsunami. Finn Balam was an inevitable, breathing calamity.
Yet, what is Finn's ultimate goal? What is he actually planning to do?
The leaders shared a grim look. Ultimately, those questions were pointless. Even if they uncovered Finn's master plan, they lacked the power to stop him. In the face of absolute, overwhelming supremacy, politics and armies were utterly useless.
As they stood in the quiet ruins of the battlefield, a silent, unanimous realization passed between the leaders of the Three Factions. You couldn't fight him, and you couldn't control him. The absolute best—and only—way to secure him as a permanent ally was through the bedroom.
Yup, Azazel, Sirzechs, and Michael thought simultaneously. The only viable diplomatic strategy left is to find the most beautiful, elite women in our factions and send them into his harem.