A piercing shriek erupted from Lilith's presence.
Just as Captain Marvel prepared to retaliate, she suddenly felt a violent tremor ripple through her soul.
Her movements froze for a moment.
At the same time, the blood mist filling the air rapidly contracted.
Within seconds it condensed into a massive cavalry lance nearly five meters long.
Adrian caught the weapon by the shaft.
He stared at it.
"…Uh."
"This isn't the weapon I wanted."
He looked slightly speechless.
What he had hoped for was a revolver.
Instead, Lilith had manifested a medieval cavalry spear.
But after thinking about it for a moment, Adrian realized the problem might be his own expectations.
The world of Diablo II—where Lilith originated—was a world of swords, spears, and magic.
Firearms simply didn't exist there.
So Lilith had naturally produced the closest equivalent: a weapon of war.
Click!
Carol's fist smashed into the crimson spear.
The weapon shattered instantly.
Starting from the tip, cracks raced along its surface before the entire lance dissolved into drifting blood mist.
Adrian watched the weapon disappear and shook his head.
"If the density and hardness aren't sufficient…"
"…then it's not suitable for forming physical weapons."
He leapt into the air and grabbed the blood-red membrane Lilith had left behind in the sky.
The material stretched like a thin veil of crimson silk.
If it weren't blood red, Adrian might have jokingly called it the "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Cloak."
Or maybe even a monk's kasaya.
But its actual nature was far more sinister.
"Actually…"
"There's no need to attack at all."
"We just need to trap her."
His objective had never been to defeat Carol.
He only needed to survive three hours.
When the contracted demon had been Aatrox, aggressive offense had been the best defense.
But Lilith was different.
Her powers involved blood, creation, and primordial law, not brute strength.
With Adrian's limited compatibility, he could barely use her abilities for direct combat.
Swoosh—
The blood-red membrane descended rapidly.
In an instant, it enveloped Carol completely.
A giant crimson sphere formed around her.
From inside the sphere came a constant sizzling sound.
Adrian stood outside the floating blood prison.
He wasn't worried about Carol's survival.
Instead, another question popped into his mind.
"Wait…"
"Will her clothes dissolve?"
He scratched his chin thoughtfully.
Then he quickly dismissed the concern.
Carol had flown through space countless times wearing the same uniform.
Her energy field essentially turned her entire body into a unified energy construct.
If an attack couldn't penetrate her defenses—
It wouldn't damage her clothing either.
Adrian nodded to himself.
"Still…"
"Nothing beats the mystery of Hulk's pants."
"That thing has survived every transformation."
"Even cosmic-level physics can't explain it."
Inside the blood sphere, explosions of golden energy flashed repeatedly.
Carol was fighting nonstop.
Yet Adrian simply sat down on the ground outside the sphere, resting his chin on his hand.
Behind him, Lilith's towering demonic phantom appeared.
Her true form constantly repaired the blood membrane whenever Carol's attacks damaged it.
"This mortal's power exceeds my expectations," Lilith said calmly.
"At most, this construct can endure twenty more of her full-power attacks."
"Twenty?" Adrian replied.
"That's more than enough."
He checked the time.
Even ten more attacks would carry him past the final hour.
Inside the crimson prison, creatures made of condensed blood began to emerge.
They lunged at Carol endlessly.
Each one was obliterated instantly by her punches.
But Carol didn't rush to break the barrier.
Instead—
She treated the situation as training.
Every movement.
Every dodge.
Every strike.
She was refining her combat technique.
Eventually—
Three hours passed.
Because Carol had intentionally stayed inside the sphere to practice, the battle had actually lasted longer than necessary.
But that didn't mean she had held back.
Every strike she threw had been at full power.
Finally—
BANG!!!
The entire crimson world shattered.
Carol tore open the blood sphere with both hands.
Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her breathing had grown heavier.
But her eyes were brighter than ever.
"Looks like my time is almost up," Lilith said softly.
Her phantom watched the two of them with a complicated gaze.
"Yes."
"You've got ten seconds left."
"You can prepare to leave."
Adrian didn't even bother turning around.
To ordinary people, demons like Lilith were terrifying beings.
To him—
They were tools.
Lilith remained silent for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
"I truly hope…"
"…that one day you will descend upon Sanctuary."
"And bring an end to the eternal war."
With those final words, her presence dissolved into a storm of blood mist.
Then she vanished completely.
Carol dusted off her uniform and walked over.
"That demon…"
"…didn't seem very demonic."
Lilith's appearance had been both terrifying and beautiful.
Her methods were bloody and brutal.
Yet strangely—
There had been a trace of humanity in her demeanor.
Especially compared to Aatrox, whose madness bordered on theatrical insanity.
Lilith had seemed far calmer.
More composed.
"In her world," Adrian explained, "she grew tired of the endless war between angels and demons."
"So she created humanity."
Carol raised an eyebrow.
"That almost sounds noble."
Adrian laughed.
"Don't romanticize it."
"If you think she's kind…"
"…you're being naïve."
He paused, then added with a self-deprecating smile.
"And if you think I'm a good person, you're even more naïve."
Being a good person was exhausting.
Adrian had no interest in that.
He only wanted to live freely.
Carol chuckled.
"I never said you were."
She sat down beside him.
"My hands are stained with the blood of plenty of innocent people."
"So I don't exactly qualify as a saint either."
She leaned back slightly.
"Besides… I don't need my friends to be good people."
After a moment of silence, Adrian raised his left fist.
"Thanks for coming all the way here to fight before leaving Earth."
"Looks like the mission's complete."
"Time to say goodbye?"
Carol smiled.
"Yes."
"And thanks for the training."
She bumped his fist with hers.
Then she took a deep breath and launched into the sky.
A golden streak shot toward the stars.
At the same time, Adrian heard the familiar system notification.
[Mission Complete.]
[Captain Marvel mission chain completed.]
[Reward obtained: Avatar — Galakrond, Father of Dragons.]