Time was of the essence.

With the Cult Leader’s mind thrown into utter chaos and his body held in place by the Heavenly Demon, Adam knew the moment had come to make a move.

It was time to finish this.

The Dark King gathered an enormous amount of mana around his fist as he shot toward the lich. His reserves were already dangerously low to begin with.

Pouring so much mana into a single attack could only mean one thing...

He intended to end this battle!

The years of grief, loneliness, betrayal, and pain he had carried within him were channeled into that one strike. Tyrannical mana roared around his clenched fist as his figure rapidly closed the distance to the burning lich.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon crouched upon the shoulders of the screaming lich, his hands tightly gripped around the hilts of the Blades of Fulgrim.

The corner of his lips curled into a menacing grin as he poured mana into the blades. "Die, you fucking traitor—"

But suddenly...

The flames raging across the lich’s body vanished in an instant, replaced by a dreadful cold.

The Heavenly Demon’s smile froze as he sensed the abrupt change.

A barely audible voice echoed.

"So you know..."

The first time Adam had used illusion magic, the appearance of the things related to the Beyond could have been dismissed as a coincidence. But inside the [House of Mirrors], Adam had woven those same tendrils and tentacles into the illusion once again.

That could not be a coincidence.

"SO YOU KNOW!!!"

The lich roared at the top of his lungs.

In the next instant, he viciously grabbed the Heavenly Demon and hurled him at the incoming figure of the Dark King.

With a thunderous crash, the Heavenly Demon slammed into Adam, completely breaking the latter’s momentum and disrupting his attack. The two were blasted into the distance and rolled miserably across the battlefield, kicking up clouds of dust and debris.

Adam quickly got back to his feet and turned his gaze toward the lich. "This is not good," he muttered grimly.

Perhaps his greatest advantage in this battle was his knowledge.

He knew the truth about the lich’s identity. He knew about his history. And most importantly, he knew of the existence of the Beyond. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

But if all those cards had been revealed and he still failed to gain the upper hand, the consequences would be disastrous.

Adam was now certain that the Cult Leader knew he was aware of the Beyond.

That advantage was gone.

However, there was still one thing the lich likely didn’t know...

And Adam had to capitalize on it fast!!

He quickly looked inward and checked the state of his mana core. The moment he did, he couldn’t help but grimace. He realized he only had enough mana left for two spells. Maybe three.

His mind went into overdrive as he rapidly formulated a battle plan.

"Listen up," he said, helping the Heavenly Demon to his feet.

"Here’s what we’re going to do..."

On the other side of the battlefield, the lich had completely lost it.

Not only was he made to glimpse the abomination that had ruined his life, but he was also made to confront everything he had long since buried. His obsession. His goal. And the very reason he embarked on the path of undeath in the first place.

A vast amount of mana flooded from his ethereal mana core as his bony hands rapidly weaved into seals.

"You must die, Constantine!" he screamed in rage and madness. "All of you, die!!"

His shadow deepened. Then it deepened further. It grew dark and ominous, spreading across the battlefield like a cursed stain.

In the next moment, a dreadful presence descended upon the battlefield. The instant it appeared, the surroundings turned dark and dreary.

First, the jaws of the otherworldly beast emerged from the shadow.

They were enormous, rotting, and steeped in the aura of death. Jagged fangs protruded from decaying flesh as wisps of necrotic energy drifted between them.

The creature moved slowly. Not because it wished to. But because it seemed far too large to pass freely between the Underworld and the material world.

The colossal jaws forced their way through the shadow inch by inch, as though something vast and ancient was trying to squeeze itself through a gap never meant to contain it.

And at the center of it all, the lich stood, radiating fury and madness, and continued to pour mana into the summoning spell. With every moment that passed, the aura of death on the battlefield grew heavier.

Witnessing this mind-boggling scene, the Dark King and the Heavenly Demon froze. Their faces paled as their earlier battle plan crumbled before their very eyes.

"He’s... he’s summoning another Mana Core-level creature!" The Heavenly Demon blurted out. "He’s truly gone mad!"

"It cannot be without consequences," Adam muttered with a dark look on his face.

"Change of plans?" The Heavenly Demon turned to him.

Adam shifted his gaze to the skies above. His avatar followed suit. They both noticed the rain clouds still floating in the skies. They hadn’t completely dissipated yet. Slowly, a plan formed in their minds at the same time as they tried to work out the feasibility.

A split-second later, they turned to one another and could already see the intention in each other’s eyes.

"You really want to do that?" The Heavenly Demon asked solemnly.

"Yes." Adam nodded. "That’s the only thing that’s going to rival this newly summoned beast, and hopefully... take care of the bastard as well."

The Heavenly Demon inhaled deeply, then said in a grave voice. "We both might be injured in the process, or worst-case scenario—"

Adam interrupted him. "I know."

"Very well then." The Heavenly Demon resolved himself. "I’ll add blood magic to it."

"And I’ll add the Hand of Doom on top," Adam concluded.

"Let’s do this!"

Adam clasped his hands together and created a foothold.

The Heavenly Demon stepped onto it. Adam’s arms bulged with strength, and he viciously hurled him into the sky. Following that, he immediately teleported.

Clasp!

Adam reappeared in midair and caught the Heavenly Demon’s hand. He then twisted his body and used the momentum to hurl his avatar upward once again.

Then he teleported again.

Clasp!

Once more, he caught him. Once more, he threw him higher. Then again. And again.

Throughout it all, the lich made no attempt to stop them. Standing at the center of the gaping maw, he was fully focused on summoning the creature from the Underworld. He couldn’t stop them even if he wanted to.

Meanwhile, the two repeated the maneuver over and over, rapidly ascending toward the sky.

Before long, they pierced through the sea of clouds and emerged high above the battlefield.

As the two momentarily floated in midair, they turned to one another and nodded once again. As soon as they began their descent, their hands blurred into a series of complex hand seals.

At last, the Dark King’s right hand shot sideways, while the Heavenly Demon’s left hand firmly clasped onto it. The two formed the final hand seal together.

The moment their hands met, mana surged between them and manifested into a grand combined spell.

[Blood Dragon’s Descent]

For a brief moment, everything fell silent.

It was as though the world itself held its breath to witness Adam’s magic.

In the blink of an eye, the rain clouds covering the battlefield vanished, allowing sunlight to cascade upon the earth. Small droplets of water remained suspended in the air. They trembled in anticipation of what was to come.

Then, slowly, they gathered around the falling figures of the Dark King and the Heavenly Demon.

First, a giant wing formed from the water. Then another. Next came a colossal spine. A humongous body rapidly took shape around it. Then came the four limbs. And finally, a massive draconic head formed, within which the two humans floated.

Then a crimson tide spread across the blue dragon.

In the next moment, a giant blood dragon graced the skies.

ROOAARRR!!!

The blood dragon flapped its massive wings, its eyes locking onto the target below. Then, it plunged downward, opening its gaping maw.

Deep within the dragon’s mouth, Adam hovered with a fierce look in his temebrous eyes. He was going to put everything he had left into this attack.

Tyrannical mana swirled around his fist, distorting the air around it. From a distance, it looked as though the blood dragon was preparing to unleash a devastating [Dragon Breath].

Meanwhile, a grotesque creature summoned by the Cult Leader had already emerged halfway from the vast shadow. It was an abomination composed of the rotting corpses of countless giant beasts fused together into a single monstrous form.

The creature raised its head toward the skies and released a deafening roar.

At the same time, the blood dragon opened its jaws even wider.

And deep within those jaws, Adam finally unleashed his attack.

[Hand of Doom: Heavenly Meteor]

A moment later, the two sides collided.

BOOOOOOMMMM!!!!