Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1078: The new power of the Sovereigns

"—ARGHHHHH!"

Vlad released a wrathful roar as his energy and power erupted one final time as he dove toward the ground with everything he had left. He crashed directly into Sector One of the Third Layer, descending like a falling star, and buried the Quietus Sword deep into the earth.

The moment the blade pierced the ground, every ounce of power still lingering in Vlad’s body detonated.

The ground screamed.

Thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of swords erupted from the earth in an instant. They burst forth from streets, from buildings, from walls and towers, expanding outward in a violent, unstoppable wave. The blades spread across the entirety of Sector One and surged into Sector Two as well, carving their presence into every corner of the city.

This was not an attack meant to obliterate the Sectors themselves.

Instead, the manifested swords converged around the Infernal Monoliths.

Each blade struck true.

The Monoliths did not shatter, nor did they collapse. But one by one, the Infernal Monoliths went dark. Their glow flickered, then vanished entirely, as if a switch had been turned off.

Instantly, the entire city began to tremble.

All across the Third Layer, formations failed. Traps collapsed. Defensive arrays shattered as the energy sustaining them was cut off at the source. Worse still, the Devil Lords felt it at the same time—the Origin Power that had flowed endlessly through their bodies was severed.

Gone.

Their strength plummeted violently.

Concentrating all Origin Power into the Infernal Monoliths had been a wise decision in one sense. It deprived the enemy of any partial victory and made the system easier to protect. But it was also catastrophically reckless. Once someone reached those Monoliths, everything would be lost.

Pure coldness and killing intent rose in the eyes of Mephisto and the remaining Devil Lords as they stared at the figure standing amid the forest of swords.

The Xaos King.

He had crossed an entire city riddled with traps. He had overcome every Devil Lord placed in his path. He had reached the very heart of the Third Layer of Hell.

It was an unimaginable humiliation.

One that would echo through Hell for eons, turning them into the laughingstock of all Devils.

Yet there was a silver lining.

Vlad now stood at the center of their domain, surrounded on all sides. Every route of escape was sealed. Devil Lords filled the battlefield, their eyes burning with hatred and bloodlust, eager to tear him apart.

Vlad glanced at the approaching forces.

A small, yet strangely wide smile formed on his bloodied face.

He could not defeat them all—not like this. He had expended so much energy that regeneration was no longer possible. If his head were destroyed, his existence would collapse.

But his mission had never been to fight them all.

The mission of the Xaos King—the reason Ouroboros evolved—had been singular from the start.

Reach the heart of the Third Layer.

Neutralize its Origin Power.

That mission was complete.

From this point onward, someone else would handle what came next.

Just as the Devil Lords prepared to swarm him, the Quietus Eye began to glow.

Not to swallow Vlad’s existence or teleport him away. He lacked the strength for that without his Ultimate Form. But there was something else the Eye could do.

Something it had been holding.

Something Vlad had consumed long ago, sealed within a unique dimension inside the Eye itself.

Before Mephisto or the others could comprehend what was happening, six figures emerged from the glowing pupil of the Quietus Eye.

Each one radiated an overwhelming aura.

Yet none of them compared to the man who stood at the forefront, bathed in white flames.

The White Death.

Coldness and killing intent filled his eyes as he clenched his fists, compressing the white flames around them until the air itself began to distort. Then, without hesitation, he threw a single punch forward.

Mephisto’s eyes—burning with bloodlust just moments ago—exploded with horror.

And he was not alone.

Every Devil Lord felt it.

The White Death was the strongest human in creation. His destructive power could erase existence itself. When faced with someone like him, the only viable option was to flee.

But they were not fast enough.

A torrent of white flames infused with the power of Entropy erupted from his fist and expanded violently in all directions. The explosion swallowed the battlefield whole, crashing into the Devil Lords and sending them flying across the city.

Buildings shattered. Streets collapsed. Entire districts were torn apart as bodies were hurled through the ruins. The white flames clung to their forms, refusing to extinguish, consuming flesh, power, and essence alike.

The White Death clenched his fists, clearly yearning to pursue them and finish the battle.

But he stopped.

That attack was the most he could allow himself. Every remaining fragment of power had to be preserved in case a Paragon chose to appear. This was not the time to go all out.

Now, it was time for the others.

Overlord. Orkin. Brightkin. Ankil. Merlin.

This was their moment.

Overlord’s plan had been simple—and incredibly dangerous. But it had worked.

Every trap. Every ambush. Every scheme the Devil Lords had devised to drag them into a prolonged guerrilla war and drain their strength piece by piece had been rendered meaningless.

They were forced into open battle.

Of course, the fight would not be easy. The Devil Lords were powerful, and they still held a numerical advantage. But this was exactly what Ouroboros had prepared them for.

This battle would be a test.

A test of how far they had grown.

A test of their new powers and rising abilities.

A prelude to the confrontation against the Dream of Madness.

Mephisto and Olaftir crashed into the ground near one another. They were the strongest among the Devil Lords—and also the ones closest to the White Death’s strike. Their wounds were severe, white flames clinging stubbornly to their bodies and devouring their strength.

But they had no time to recover.

A golden light illuminated the sky above them.

Overlord descended.

A radiant crown of light manifested above his head as his presence crushed the battlefield. His power erupted outward, and the heavens themselves seemed to respond.

In the next instant, Heaven’s Gate manifested.

Its aura was so overwhelming that the sky trembled.

"Heaven’s Gate: Golden Rain!"

The True Depravita of Pride roared as he activated the same terrifying power Vlad had once used to destroy multiple Divine Kingdoms—an attack that had nearly killed an Archangel.

The Masters of Sector One and Two widened their eyes in terror as thousands upon thousands of divine weapons descended from the sky simultaneously, falling toward them like judgment itself.

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

Countless explosions echoed across the Third Layer as divine weapons rained down without mercy. The bombardment engulfed Mephisto and Olaftir completely, turning the battlefield into a sea of fire, light, and shattered ruins.

The two Devil Lords poured every ounce of power from their bodies and souls into defense. Yet even so, the assault felt as if a rain of corrosive acid had fallen upon their flesh. With every passing second, the divine light burned deeper, eating away at their strength and stability.

Of course, not everything was perfect for Overlord.

Golden Rain was a Paragon-tier ability—one that even he could not wield lightly. Though he had not summoned its perfect form, the strain was immense. Energy and vitality drained from him at an alarming rate.

Yet the True Depravita of Pride did not stop. His eyes burned with absolute focus as he continued to pour more and more power into the attack, determined to crush the two strongest Devil Lords of the Second Layer and prove the overwhelming might of his authority.

And Overlord was not alone in pushing his limits.

The Sovereigns had unleashed everything.

Merlin’s body underwent a horrifying transformation. His form expanded violently as darkness and plasma fused together, reshaping him into a massive dragon cloaked in burning shadows.

A dark red core pulsed within his chest like a dying star. This was his strongest state, achieved by combining his own power with his Lord-tier Devil bloodline. The transformation burned him from the inside, but in exchange, it granted him monstrous strength.

With a thunderous roar, Merlin slammed two Devil Lords into the ground, shattering the terrain beneath them. In the next instant, he seized one of them in his claws and repeatedly smashed the enemy into the remains of a collapsed building, reducing stone and steel to dust.

The second Devil Lord attempted to strike from behind, but Merlin’s tail moved faster than light, emerging from the shadows with terrifying precision. The blow struck with overwhelming force, sending the Devil Lord flying across the battlefield.

Not far from the dragon of plasma and darkness stood another giant.

The Dvergar King had grown to an enormous size, nearly twice as tall as some of the largest Devil Lords. This was no illusion—every inch of his massive body was real flesh and blood, reinforced by stone and ancient power. Each of his blows carried cataclysmic force, sending Devil Lords hurtling through the air as if they weighed nothing at all.

The Amazon Queen did not grow larger like the others, but her transformation was no less terrifying. Her entire body glowed red as steam and smoke rose from her skin. Her heart beat like thunder, each pulse driving her speed and strength to shocking levels.

Her shield and sword shone with Devil Blood, enhancing their endurance and sharpness. With them, she blocked a devastating blow before counterattacking in a blur of motion, her blade severing a Devil Lord’s hand and leaving him screaming in agony.

Finally, there was Brightkin.

He did not manifest new forms or monstrous size. Instead, he pushed his light beyond its limits. His body dissolved into a storm of radiant particles, moving between Devil Lords faster than their eyes could follow. Wherever he passed, bodies were cleaved apart, light slicing through flesh and armor with effortless precision.