Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1077: Reaching the heart of the Third Layer (II)

The eyes of the True Depravita of Wrath sharpened as he gazed at this group.

They were much more powerful than those before, even stronger than Nebolex, their power nearing the limit of the Lord Tier, and they made their first move as soon as they appeared.

The Devil Lord, who resembled a mass of eyes and mouths, was named Iostor. Every single eye glowed as they focused on the True Depravita of Wrath, and instantly, Vlad felt a connection reach into his mind.

The next second, all the mouths suddenly chant a single word of infernal language, and a powerful strike landed in Vlad’s soul with overwhelming strength.

While the spirit defenses of a True Depravita were impressive, he had already taken a lot of damage and used a lot of energy, so the attack of Iostor did a lot of damage.

His speed dropped. Not drastically—but enough.

Enough for the knight to strike.

A bastard sword forged from compressed time force crashed down, smashing Vlad through multiple layers of street and bedrock. Pain flared through his body as his momentum was forcibly bled away.

The True Depravita of Wraht left a bloody trail on his path, but he twisted in the middle of the ground and rose before the Devil Lords could press their advantage.

The Quantum Eye flickered—but he did not activate it.

Instead, he exhaled.

Space screamed.

Vlad forced a localized collapse, tearing the spiritual link apart. Agony appeared in Iostor’s eyes as he suffered a horrible backlash after his soul connection was broken.

Yet, before Vlad could chant victory, the Devil Lord that resembled a headless reaper that went by the name of Godfrey attacked.

Vlad managed to dodge one of the scythes, but the other was about to reach his head. Yet at the last second, the Celestial Eyes glowed, generating a portal that consumed the scythe, only to make it appear right before Godfrey’s chest, making the Devil Lord impale himself with his own attack.

A wide smile appeared on the face of the True Depravita of Wrath as he managed to leave Godfrey behind, but before he could build his speed and momentum again, the Devil Lord, resembling a knight, attacked.

The Devil Lord attacked with everything he had. He had already wounded Vlad before, and now he wants to break him. Yet all that excitement and bloodlust froze as he saw his bastard sword phasing through the body of the True Depravita, failing to touch him, much less wound him.

And that was just the start, as the Devil Lord was left full of openings that the True Depravita of Wrath made sure to use.

The Quietus Sword pierced the Devil Lord’s helm, gray flames devouring the chronal runes as time itself unraveled around the blade. Vlad wrenched the sword free, not caring about the Devil Lord’s fate, and launched himself forward once more as the entire sector caved in behind him.

A meaningful light appeared in the eyes of the True Depravita of Wrath as he could already see the heart of the Third Layer, Sector 1 and 2. Nearly every iota of Origin Power that should have flown through the entire layer was gathered there.

That was his goal, yet there was one final challenge.

The final clash came near the sector’s inner boundary.

Two Devil Lords awaited him, standing openly in the street.

No traps.

No distortions.

One was a thin, skeletal figure wreathed in black lightning, every movement precise and lethal, red eyes that seemed to hold an ocean of blood. His strength was so immense that it surpassed that of every other Devil Lord that Vlad had seen, other than Beelzebub.

And the other was even stronger. The last enemy in his path was humanoid, a being with three heads and dozens of arms, each of them bursting with power.

They were Olaftir, the Master of Sector 2 of the Third Layer—and Mephisto, Master of Sector 1!

They attacked together.

Lightning split the sky as Olaftir flashed forward, matching Vlad’s speed, and entering a melee battle with the True Depravita of Wrath, forcing him into direct combat, making it much harder for him to advance.

Each clash sent shockwaves through the city, and no matter how much Vlad wanted to move forward, it was nearly impossible with the Master of Sector 2 upon him.

--

Mephisto remained focused on the battle, hovering at the edge of the clash without moving a single step. Yet his stillness did not mean his presence was inconsequential.

On the contrary, it weighed heavily upon the battlefield. Vlad was forced to divide his attention between Olaftir and the Master of Sector One, never once able to forget that Mephisto was watching—waiting.

If that were not enough, the remaining Devil Lords whom Vlad had managed to overcome but not neutralize were advancing. They flashed forward at full speed, eager to strike the True Depravita with all they had the moment he faltered.

Each second that passed without Vlad reaching the core of the city made his situation increasingly dire. He knew this better than anyone.

Grinding his teeth, Vlad sharpened his focus.

He allowed Olaftir’s strike to land.

The blow slammed into his chest with brutal force, shattering bone and tearing flesh. Pain surged through his body as blood sprayed from his mouth, but Vlad did not retreat. Instead, he used the opening created by the exchange. With a violent twist of his torso, he swung the Quietus Sword in a devastating arc, carving a deep, bloody wound across Olaftir’s body.

More importantly, the blade injected a concentrated burst of Quietus Force directly into the Master of Sector Two’s bloodstream.

The effect was immediate and horrifying. Olaftir staggered, his movements slowing as the corruptive energy ravaged him from the inside. His limbs trembled, strength draining rapidly until he could barely remain standing.

A cold, merciless light filled Vlad’s eyes.

He raised the Quietus Sword, preparing to sever Olaftir’s head and end the battle once and for all.

That was when Mephisto finally moved.

All restraint vanished in an instant. Mephisto’s power detonated outward, his form expanding and transforming into a gargantuan entity that dwarfed the surrounding ruins. Dozens of massive palms unfurled from his body, each one dragging the sky downward as they moved. The world groaned under the pressure.

This was not the Law of Space.

It was the Law of Gravity.

Vlad felt the difference immediately. Though he had gained significant mastery over gravity through his Demon Soul, this was on an entirely different level. Space-time itself began to compress around him, growing denser and heavier with every passing moment as Mephisto’s hands closed in.

The pressure was suffocating.

Even the Quantum Eye would have struggled to pull him free—and worse, it was still on cooldown.

Vlad clenched his teeth as blood began to seep from every orifice on his face. His muscles tore, bones cracked, and organs screamed under the crushing force. Gravity warped his body mercilessly, threatening to reduce him to nothing before he could act.

He had no time left.

With a feral snarl, Vlad forced every remaining ounce of energy and strength into the Quietus Sword. The blade screamed as it absorbed the power, its gray flames intensifying until the air around it fractured. Vlad pushed further, drawing upon reserves that threatened to tear his soul apart.

Then he drove the sword forward.

The Quietus Sword pierced the very fabric of space.

All the energy he had gathered detonated at once.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!"

A cataclysmic explosion erupted, radiating outward in every direction. The blast was so overwhelmingly powerful that it tore apart buildings, shattered the streets, and even forced Mephisto’s gargantuan hands to recoil. The gravitational field faltered, collapsing under the sheer violence of the detonation.

The eyes of the Master of Sector One widened in disbelief.

He had not anticipated such an attack.

From the heart of the explosion, the True Depravita of Wrath emerged.

Vlad’s condition was horrific. His left arm was completely gone, and half of his body had been obliterated by the blast, flesh and bone reduced to ruin. Blood streamed freely from his wounds, and yet—he was still standing.

A wide, ferocious smile spread across his face.

He had succeeded.

Despite the devastation, despite the impossible odds, Vlad now stood within the very heart of the Third Layer. The core loomed before him, pulsing with infernal power.