On the ice field, an unprecedented battle unfolded between the Specters of the Underworld and the top powerhouses from various mythological systems.
Giant Surtur No. 2, his entire body wreathed in flames, swung a fiery fist at the Heavenly Crystal Dragon. Unexpectedly, despite the intense heat of the flames, they couldn't even crack the Heavenly Crystal Dragon's ice armor.
"Roar!!" The Heavenly Crystal Dragon let out a long howl and exhaled a breath of ice and snow, extinguishing all the flames on Surtur No. 2, leaving him like a doused flame man.
Bahamut and Murangrace, two massive creatures resembling giant fish, swam through the air and clashed. Bahamut fired beam cannons from its mouth, while Murangrace opened its maw to release attacks infused with ice and snow energy.
The two different attacks collided, sending glowing snowflakes falling through the air.
The Fire Qilin Yanju trod on fire through the air, breathing fire at the Gungnir Dragon, only to be frozen into a Qilin ice sculpture by the Gungnir Dragon.
Meanwhile, the others faced off against the Heavenly Spirit Specters. Sirzechs's "Knight," Okita Souji, faced Syllphid; Sona and her peerage dealt with Chris; Elmenhilde and Valerie faced Erhardt again; Shinra Byakko faced Ayeris; and Domen Genbu faced Gregor.
Kuisha and her group also faced Fedor again; Monkey King mounted his Somersault Cloud to deal with Tigra; Hyakki Goshu Ouryu alone took on Rook; and Benniah teamed up with the Current Incarnation of Sha Wujing to face Veronica.
Others tried to step in to help but were shouted down by those in combat. Vidar, currently fighting, shouted to his sworn brother, "Vali!! You guys head to the next hell!! The Great Eclipse is almost complete!! Hurry to the next location!!"
"That's right!! Next are the Four Circles!! It's the territory of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Underworld!! You'll need to be careful from here on!!" Benniah added from the side.
Vali and Issei Hyoudou made up their minds, nodding and saying loudly, "Got it!! We're counting on you guys for the rest!!"
Having said that, Issei Hyoudou and Vali led Azazel, Michael, and Sirzechs toward the next hell.
"Damn it!! Don't think you're getting past us to Lord Rhadamanthys!! Survival..." Balendane watched Issei and the others trying to escape and attempted to release his ultimate move to intercept them, but he was immediately interrupted by a kick from Vidar.
"Don't even think about it," Vidar said, looking at Balendane with a punchable expression.
"Vidar!!" Balendane roared with a distorted face and began a fierce assault on Vidar.
Thus, under everyone's cover, Issei Hyoudou and the others left Cocytus and ran at full speed to the First Circle - Cocytus Ring.
It was a massive white castle, a cube-like structure with a dome on each corner and in the center. Statues of white Wyverns stood on the corner domes, while a majestic black demon dragon statue stood on the central dome.
'Dragon statues... Could this place be...!!' Sirzechs thought, his eyes widening as he looked at the statues on the castle.
"Alright! Everyone, let's go!!" Issei Hyoudou shouted, immediately heading toward the gate of the Cocytus Ring.
"Wait!! Issei!!" Sirzechs reached out to stop his brother-in-law, but it was too late.
"Wyvern Roar!!"
"Roar!!!"
A dragon's roar full of pressure erupted from the Cocytus Ring, releasing shockwaves in an unbelievable wave form. The defensive magic circles everyone had deployed were shattered; they could only deploy new ones as the old ones broke. Issei Hyoudou, who was at the very front, took the brunt of it. Even in his Juggernaut Drive armor, he was shaken violently, and his whole body was sent flying back into the team.
A figure wearing dragon-shaped underworld armor stepped out from the Cocytus Ring. Seeing the figure appear, Sirzechs stepped forward with a serious expression and said:
"The Specter responsible for guarding this place... as I thought, it's you, Rhadamanthys."
Rhadamanthys stood before Sirzechs, meeting his eyes. "You've finally made it here. I always believed that one day we would have a life-and-Death duel, Sirzechs."
"Indeed," Sirzechs nodded, then said to Rias and the others beside him, "Leave this to me. You go to the next circle."
"Brother..." Rias said, her eyes shimmering with tears and her face full of worry.
Sirzechs cast his red cloak aside with one hand, and a suit of red full-body armor appeared on him. He pushed the Power of Destruction within him to its limit, and the destructive magic manifested as a massive red demon roaring at Rhadamanthys.
Not to be outdone, Rhadamanthys erupted with the Cosmos of darkness and Death unique to the Underworld, his aura transforming into a demonic dragon baring its fangs at Sirzechs.
The two terrifying entities, like their masters, were filled with fighting spirit toward each other, and the entire battlefield was saturated with it.
"Ha!!"
There were no redundant goals, only a showdown between warriors. Sirzechs and Rhadamanthys let out high-spirited battle cries. Fists met flesh as pitch-black Cosmos collided with dark red Power of Destruction, exploding in the air like a meteor shower.
To those watching below, it was as if they were witnessing the Big Bang of the universe's birth and the collision of countless stars.
During the battle, Sirzechs unleashed power he didn't normally possess, even nearing the limit of a Super Devil and reaching the threshold of a new realm.
Much like a Thousand-Day War between Gold Saints, it would be difficult to determine a winner without fighting for a thousand days.
The battle grew intense as they moved into the air. Their fists clashed, and expressions of excitement appeared on both their faces. They fought for nothing else but to decide the victor.
"You've grown much stronger, Sirzechs," Rhadamanthys said with an excited look, sparks flying where their fists met.
"I will definitely defeat you this time! Rhadamanthys!!" Sirzechs said with a determined, unyielding expression.
The group below watched the battle, which resembled the explosion of a universe, stunned for a long time. Only then did they snap out of it and intend to pass through the Cocytus Ring.
At that moment, Rhadamanthys, mid-battle, noticed the situation below and spoke up: "Don't even think about passing through the Cocytus Ring! Come forth, Guardian of the First Circle!!"
A powerful sandstorm began to swirl around the Cocytus Ring, blocking the path forward. Within the sandstorm, a pair of terrifying red eyes stared down at the group.
Rhadamanthys closed his eyes and chanted: "When he arrives, a scorching wind shall sweep across the land, and the living shall become corpses! Appear, Obelisk the Tormentor!!"
"Awoooo!!" A wild battle cry erupted from the sandstorm, which immediately dispersed. A giant blue humanoid creature with distinct muscle lines appeared, with a pair of triangular wings on its back as tall as itself. Its shoulders were formed by two massive spiked pauldrons. Its head was covered in spikes, with a three-pronged crown on top and blood-red eyes.
[Obelisk the Tormentor] (Attribute: Divine / Race: Divine-Beast / ATK: 4000 / DEF: 4000)
"Roar!!" Obelisk the Tormentor let out a low growl and threw a punch at the group below. Surtur, the King of Fire Giants, blocked the punch with his black flame sword, lævateinn.
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