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But even such a specialized vision was useless at the moment.

Light, sound, and mana—this terrible magic consumed all elements and physics. In a way, it was even more devastating than a black hole.

With his vision stripped away, his divine power was at least able to forcibly prevent him from losing his senses in an instant.

But then...

Grrr… Boom!

The transcendental magic, Ultima, of the Death Lord Rho Aias destroyed everything in its path. It created an empty space that didn’t even have a speck of dust. Daphne made a frown while staring at the void, only to shoot a look at Rho Aias.

“I told you to control yourself…”

“Well… Davey\'s talent is greater than I thought…” Rho Aias admitted that she had put more power into her attack without realizing it.

"My goodness… Most people would get wiped out if they got hit by that,” Daphne muttered.

“Still… Wouldn’t it be fine since Davey has divinity now?”

“Not everyone is like you or Hercules,” Daphne sighed, waving her hands at the now-empty space. “Still, it seems like you really did try hard to control yourself, seeing this level of dest—”

“No,” Rho Aias interjected while covering her mouth with her wide sleeve. “It was stronger than expected. So much so that it should’ve broken the barrier and wiped out the entire area.”

“Then…”

“I think his Predatory Assimilation absorbed most of its strength,” Rho Aias replied.

“His characteristic is out of this world. What a monstrous ability,” Daphne remarked.

Characteristics were proportional to the power of the soul. No matter how overpowered a power might be, there were limits to it. However, Davey\'s Predatory Assimilation seemed boundless. Had he kept his wits about him, he might’ve been able to stop her attack entirely.

But then, something even more surprising happened.

"Cough!"

Davey, breathing heavily, emerged from the void. The two had thought he was dead all along.

"Rho Aias, didn’t you use that spell with the intention to kill him?" Daphne asked.

“Y-Yes… He shouldn’t have been able to stop it with his characteristic or divinity yet…”

Illyna, who had cut the rope she’d been hanging from, opened her eyes softly. She watched the others chat casually about how Davey had made it alive from the attack that was meant to kill him.

“I… I think I’ll go finish my training…” she muttered as she thought about how insane his training regime was. It was something she just couldn’t comprehend with a sane mind.

She left the three and walked toward the forest where arrows rained down endlessly. As she disappeared, the Death Lord’s magic, Ultima, once again descended.

***

The intensity of the hero training—or as some might call it, outright torture—grew even more brutal.

The transcendental dark magic surged toward Davey. He reflexively raised his arms and unleashed an intangible force, filling the shapeless space between him and the attack. The divine power his divinity awakened came together with his Predatory Assimilation.

[Predatory Assimilation]

Crack!

Davey steadily consumed Rho Aias’s magic that she had adjusted. He calmly carried on with the tasks he was given, becoming more accustomed to the extreme training.

"Ah. Daphne, my love. You’re smiling.”

"Shut up," Daphne retorted.

“Oh, ah.”

Daphne sighed toward the elf who shrugged their shoulders.

“What do you think?”

“His body and soul have synchronized. He probably doesn’t realize it now, but his potential for growth has already surpassed my own,” Rho Aias answered.

Despite being a seasoned hero with vast experience and skills, combat power was another matter.

His greatest strength laid in his incredible versatility. On an individual basis, his archery couldn’t match Apollo, and his divine power fell short of Daphne’s. But Davey compensated for these shortcomings with something else.

And.

Grrr… Grrr!!

“So? What about the descendant of Ares you were looking after?”

“Well, I’m not the one to judge her swordsmanship talent, but…” Apollo trailed off.

After a moment of silence, he continued again. “In my judgment, her talent surpasses that of a Sword Saint.”

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a cut on his arm—clearly made by a blade.

“She’s that good?” Daphne asked, surprised.

“She’s still got a long way to go.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Then Apollo no longer talked in his usual, cheesy tone, hugging her from behind. Daphne would’ve normally headbutted him without hesitation, but this time she didn’t retaliate.

“I just trained her in line with her abilities… But she grew faster than I expected. That’s all.”

Illyna’s talent was staggering, but she lacked experience and time. Davey, on the other hand, had taken both.

“Shane disappeared just a bit ago. Daphne, my love...”

“...”

Heroes were vanishing one by one, each playing a crucial role in aiding Davey.

“Sigh… It’d be better if we just went out and killed that half-assed god ourselves,” Daphne said, her tone calm. She extended her hand toward Davey, who lay barely breathing, struggling to survive in the space that had been turned to dust.

Even with the stars falling from the night sky, the training didn’t stop. Davey had no intention of stopping, and neither did the heroes, including Rho Aias. The rests in between were extremely short as well.

Davey pushed himself to his limits to be able to defeat Thanatos, while Rho Aias continued with her extreme training to match his resilience.

"This reminds me of when Davey tried to hit on Rho Aias and got slapped hard. Haha, it was hilarious how he tried to hold back his tears and said he was fine."

“Do you think he still has feelings for Rho Aias?”

"Daphne. My only love is you, Daphne… Gaaa!!"

Daphne grunted as she stomped on Apollo who was on the ground.

“Regardless, I won’t let anything happen. Davey is still a living person, and we’re ghosts, destined to disappear at any moment.”

‘Davey will never know this truth, which is the way things should be,’ Daphne thought.

Boom!

Daphne felt a huge explosion rock the area and saw the intangible wave consume Rho Aias’s 9th Circle dark magic, Death Rain. She then got up from her seat.

“I think I’m going to try to stop Thanatos from moving.”

“Daphne, you shouldn’t do that.”

“Don’t worry. Davey will handle it.”

“Hmm... I think it may be too soon…”

Daphne shook her head, resolute in her decision. “That boy over there is tougher than you think.”

***

A week passed.

Davey remained silent after completing his unprecedentedly difficult training.

“Davey, thank you for making it through. You worked really hard… sob,

more than anyone could know,” Rho Aias said, her voice thick with emotion as she looked at Davey catching his breath at the center of the crater with his head sagged down.

“Ha... ha...” Davey exhaled heavily. He emitted battle energy like smoke, and his red eyes gleamed with intensity.

“Thanatos... where is she?” Davey growled, his sharp eyes glowing with murderousness. If Thanatos saw his eyes at the moment, there was no doubt she would see him as a monster that was ready to kill her.

“What... have you done to him?” Daphne asked.

“Well... The intensity of training increased...” Rho Aias smiled slightly, though Daphne shook her head.

“So? Has he gotten stronger?”

“He’s still very weak,” Rho Aias replied flatly.

“Weak for your standards is still incredibly strong, right?” Daphne remarked dryly.

“Ah... Well, I suppose that’s the case…” she stammered.

“It doesn’t matter. I just got a message from Woochi. It seems Thanatos has sensed this space with her divine power. We need to strike before it’s too late.”

“Then...”

“Send him. Put him on the battlefield. And if possible...” Daphne trailed off, her voice low.

‘It’d be best if you could kill her.’

Daphne wanted Davey to build up confidence. She was well aware that training was merely a process.

Davey was growing stronger at an unimaginable rate, and there was no way for Thanatos to know this.

***

A vast, terrifying swamp.

Anyone who fell into it, whether they were a common expert or a master, met the same fate—a fate worse than death. The enormous slime devoured them all, leaving them to suffer in agony.

“Kill me... Kill me...”

“Please... the pain...”

The horrible scene was so unbearable that it hurt to even look at. In the midst of all the slime monsters, a small girl walked calmly across the swamp, unaffected as if she was strolling on solid ground amid others who were being dragged into the endless abyss.

“Run... Just run... We can’t win...”

In only a few days, the southeastern part of the Tionis Continent was erased from existence, and at the center of it was her—Thanatos, God of the Abyss, with the ancient dragon Eclipse that she had fully consumed. As Eclipse was drowned in madness, there was none of the child-like innocence left in her. Her walking with a straight face was like staring at fear itself.

The city-kingdom of Artna was the last city-kingdom standing. Tens of thousands of the kingdom’s people had already been sacrificed. The little girl and the monsters with her showed no mercy, no intentions to negotiate.

“Royal Father! You have to escape!” The prince of Artna urged his king.

“It’ll be too late if we wait for reinforcements to arrive! We must abandon the kingdom and flee!”

“You fool!” the aged king roared, slapping his son across the cheek.

The castle walls shook as the loud rumbles intensified.

“Son.”

“...”

“Our people are dying—you expect me to run away?”

“Royal Father... you are the pillar of this kingdom. As long as you live, there’s still hope!”

“A kingdom without its people is no kingdom at all!” the king declared, standing tall. “What are you waiting for?! Bring me my armor and sword!”

“Your Majesty...” the soldiers choked out, tears streaming down their faces.

The calamity had struck in an instant, taking away almost everything they held dear. Most of the neighboring city-kingdoms had already been destroyed, and Artna was next, already teetering on the brink of collapse.

Although they had sent pleas for help to the three empires, it still took time for the reinforcements to arrive. By the time they came, they would find only death.

“Listen. I was born in this kingdom, and I have lived to protect and serve this kingdom all my life. The people have always been with me, and I have never given up on them.”

Shing!!

The aged king unsheathed his sword and addressed his people.

“Take up your arms! Even if we die here today, we must stop those who wantonly killed our people! Defeat those who will kill countless more in the future!”

Moved by his resolve, the prince sobbed for a while and then knelt before banging his head against the granite floor.[1]

"Your Majesty. May endless glory be upon you."

He drew his sword, blood dripping down his forehead.

“I will follow your orders, Your Majesty.”

The king, royal family, knights, and soldiers all steeled themselves, ready for their final stand. As they marched out of the palace, the citizens solemnly scattered flowers before them. Even though they all knew death awaited them, they didn’t try to stop the march.

At that moment…

Boom!!

Following a massive explosion, part of the castle wall suddenly collapsed as if it were instantly erased. The sudden blast caused a thick dust storm to sweep through the area. As everyone stayed silent, beyond the ruined wall a purple-black swamp oozed its way in, giving off a foul stench. The swamp was like magma, continuously expanding its reach.

Monstrous creatures then emerged from the swamp and began crawling closer.

“Kill… me…”

“Please… Majesty…”

The slime monsters approached to attack as they expressed their wills.

“Our brothers and sisters are suffering. Everyone, draw your swords! Even if we die here today, we must stop that monster!”

Their efforts were to take down the cause of all this suffering—the small girl in the black gothic lace dress.

“Everyone... attack!” the king commanded.

“ARRR!!!”

The soldiers and knights charged toward the monsters, already prepared to die. They rained down arrows and hurled rocks at them.

But unfortunately, there was no lucky miracle; the attacks did nothing.

The slime monsters swallowed the humans, turning them into more monsters. The arrows were stopped mid-air before they could reach the girl.

“Ah... Goddess Freyja...” the king prayed as monsters closed in on him, tears streaming down his face.

“Goddess, have mercy on my people... show compassion for your creatures...”

As the king prayed, a monster, barely able to speak, approached him.

“I’m… So… rry… Yo...ur... Hi...ness...”

As it was about to devour him, a huge flash of light suddenly shined from the sky, causing a dust storm. It sent the soldiers flying, saving them from the danger.

The suddenness of the event put a pause on the battle. In the eerie silence that followed, a figure rose from the crater where the light had landed.

“Ha… Ha…”

The figure panted with glowing red eyes.

“Isn’t he…?” The king looked at the figure with one eye while on the ground.

“Thanatos... Where is she?” he growled, his voice filled with a chilling mirth.

[Welcome. I’ve been looking for you.]

A cold, emotionless voice welcomed him.

[I will give you the true end of the Abyss…]

Boom!!

The young man, hardly an adult, cut her off mid-sentence. Eyes gleaming with fury, he charged straight at her.

He was closing in on the girl, who was invincible to both arrows and magic, with only his body. To make matters worse, the slime surrounding her turned anyone who touched it into a monster. In other words, what he was doing was pure suicide.

But right before everyone was going to shout to stop him…

Boom!!

The black-haired young man entered her proximity and slammed a hammer down on her without hesitation. Everyone assumed an intangible force was going to stop his attack. However, the result defied their expectations.

Strange power gathered at the head of his hammer and then shattered the barrier she had up as if it hadn’t existed in the first place, sending her flying. He pursued her as she tumbled through the air. With each step he took, the black swamp beneath his feet disappeared.

“Finally!! He… Hehehe… I\'ve missed you, Thanatos.”

[You pitiful creature... how dare you wield divinity?]

With an eerie laugh, the young man, Davey O’Rowane, approached her with a maniacal smile.

The king, the prince, and the survivors all felt that something… earth-shattering was about to go down.

1. As a kowtow showing respect for his father, not just willfully giving himself brain damage ☜