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"That energy…"
Ophis' eyes sharpened slightly.
She recognized it.
It was hers.
A fragment of power she had created an artifact known as a "Serpent," capable of dramatically amplifying strength.
If absorbed by a peak Upper-Class Devil, it could push them to near-Maou levels, at least temporarily.
Someone like Katerea had once used one to contend with the Governor-General of the Fallen Angels.
Different individuals tolerated different limits.
Diadora, at his level, could easily force out Upper-Class Devil strength with it.
"So that's your trump card?"
Anos shook his head lightly.
[One Blade Shura.]
[Seventh Secret Sword — Thunderflash.]
He entered the Shura state instantly.
The next moment—
Diadora realized something was wrong.
A sharp hiss cut the air.
His arm—
Had been severed.
He hadn't even seen it happen.
Pain exploded through him.
"Ahh—! It hurts! Damn priest—it hurts!"
Sacred power burned through his flesh, purifying and eroding at once.
Asia hadn't even seen the strike.
She only saw Diadora's ruined state and instinctively turned her eyes away.
To her, this was natural.
It was divine judgment.
Ophis, however, saw everything.
She saw the speed.
Speed beyond Diadora's perception.
His arm had been erased before his mind could register motion.
The Seventh Secret Sword: Thunderflash—
A technique that elevated swing speed far beyond the enemy's dynamic vision.
So fast the blade itself became invisible.
Of course, using the Seven Secret Swords placed strain on the body.
Under normal conditions, manageable.
Stacked with Sacred Overdrive and One Blade Shura?
The burden was immense.
But Anos showed none of it.
If he wanted fear—
He needed overwhelming superiority.
"Damn priest?"
Anos chuckled.
So Diadora thought he was Church-affiliated.
"Diadora, I told you this is judgment And it's far from over."
A blade of pure holy light lifted in his hand.
[Sixth Secret Sword — Venom Moth Edge.]
He moved again.
When Diadora erected a defensive magic circle, Anos switched techniques.
Venom Moth Edge was originally designed to deal with heavily armored opponents.
At the moment of contact, high-frequency vibrations traveled through the blade, bypassing armor to destroy internal organs.
Against a barrier?
The principle was the same.
"Ha! Your holy tricks can't break my—"
He never finished the sentence.
A wet sound interrupted him.
Blood burst from his mouth.
Not just blood.
Fragments of organs.
"W-what…?!"
Every time he tried to speak, more crimson fluid spilled out.
The Serpent enhanced external output.
It did nothing for internal durability.
Sirzechs had once erased Serpents outright with his Power of Destruction.
Anos' method was simpler.
Bypass the surface.
Destroy the inside.
"Disappear."
Two more formations ignited.
[Eightfold Sealing Formation.]
[Triple-Life Soul Suppression Array.]
Diadora's shattered body was locked in place.
Then—
A sphere of condensed sacred energy drifted toward him.
In terms of quality alone, even a transcendent Maou would be injured by a direct hit.
Diadora stood no chance.
As the golden light approached, true fear finally surfaced.
His body began dissolving.
"No—! Get this thing off me—!"
He vomited again, screaming.
He didn't want to die.
There were still saints to claim.
Pleasures to savor.
He had barely begun.
[Ding.]
[Purple Treasure Chest opened.]
[Reward obtained — Sacred Spirit Summoning Circle.]
[Sacred Spirit Summoning Circle: A ritual capable of summoning heroic spirits with powerful holy attributes, able to cross worlds and influence the fundamental order of reality.]
As the system notification echoed—
Diadora Astaroth ceased to exist.
No ashes.
No trace.
Gone.
It had been the simplest way to produce fear.
Asia watched silently.
A final tear slid down her cheek.
The last one.
Everything was over.
From now on, she would devote herself to the one she believed had saved her.
Anos exhaled slowly as Sacred Overdrive deactivated.
Cleanup came next.
Erasing evidence was part of the process.
Diadora was gone.
Now any trace of Anos' presence here had to disappear as well.
Only then was it complete.
He turned to Ophis.
"Ophis, I want to form a contract with you."
"…Ophis?"
Asia blinked.
She didn't understand what that name meant.
If she had—
She might not have called her "Ophis-chan" so casually earlier.
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