The conflict between the God Realm and the Human-Demon Allied Forces only grew more ferocious, with clashes erupting across a multitude of floating islands.
On one such island, near a barrier erected to protect non-combatants, the fighting was particularly intense.
"Ugh..."
Lilim, one of the Ten Demons, dropped to one knee after weathering a barrage of attacks from several low-ranking gods. For her—and a handful of others like her—this battle was an uphill struggle.
The gods had all been empowered by Shallow Vernal, each of them effectively under a simplified version of Shallow Vernal's Blessing. This meant the current divine forces were completely immune to status ailments and mental interference. Consequently, Lilim's formidable Temptation magic was useless against them. This was the sole reason she was being pushed back.
"Mother!?"
Chris, Lilim's only daughter, cried out in a panic and tried to rush toward her. Chris was a perceptive woman; she had discovered her mother’s true identity as one of the Ten Demons long ago. Any past resentment she held toward that fact had vanished. To the current Chris, Lilim was her irreplaceable, beloved mother. Driven by an agitation unlike her usual composed self, she tried to reach Lilim's side.
"Don't you dare come any closer!"
The sharp command froze Chris in her tracks. While Chris possessed some degree of combat ability, it was strictly for self-defense; she could never hope to keep pace on a battlefield of this caliber. She wouldn't be able to land so much as a scratch on even a low-ranking god.
"But... even so..."
"You would only be a hindrance! Stay back inside the barrier!"
Lilim’s words were harsh but true, and Chris knew it. She bit her lip, cursing her own helplessness. Seeing her daughter like that, Lilim stood and offered a faint, gentle smile before turning her back to the girl.
"Watch closely from within the barrier. Engrave this on your heart and understand: your mother is a powerhouse who stands miles apart from common succubi who are helpless without their Temptation!"
With those words, Lilim lunged forward. She slipped through descending blades and lunging spears with fluid grace, closing the distance to send the gods flying one after another with her bare fists.
"Don't underestimate me! You don't get to be an Executive of a Six King with just one trick. In this position, pure combat power is a requirement whether you want it or not!"
A mother protecting her child is a formidable thing. As if her previous struggle had been a mere illusion, Lilim began to slaughter the low-ranking gods in rapid succession. However, their numbers were overwhelming, and she couldn't manage to seal them all.
The fallen gods were immediately resurrected, launching themselves back into the fray. Lilim clicked her tongue and prepared to intercept them when massive spears erupted from the earth, skewering several gods at once.
"My, you can fight a surprisingly gritty battle when you want to. I suppose I'll lend you a hand."
"Tch... Moloch. Mind your own business."
The brown-skinned demon who landed beside Lilim with a smirk was Moloch, a fellow member of the Ten Demons. Despite her biting retort, Lilim coordinated seamlessly with her colleague to begin sealing the gods.
However, the reprieve was short-lived. A god clad in mana far beyond anything they had faced thus far appeared before them.
"It seems an Upper God has graced us with its presence."
"So it seems. However, can you afford to be so relaxed?"
"What are you trying to say?" The deity looked puzzled by Moloch's calm tone.
While maintaining a vigilant stance, Moloch replied, "Simply that you should probably be facing a different opponent with all your might. You gods are so rigid. If you think we're all the same, you're in for a painful surprise."
"What...?"
Before the Upper God could process the warning, a massive chain snared its neck.
"Wha—!?"
"There's your summons," Moloch said. "Prepare yourself. The title of Strongest Count-class isn't given away for free."
The Upper God was violently jerked away by the chain. At the other end stood Pandora, who was already locked in a ferocious struggle against multiple other Upper Gods.
Pandora was the pinnacle of the Phantasm King's Executives and the only subordinate permitted to serve as the Proxy of the Phantasm King. Despite her personality flaws, she was the most trusted confidante of Alice and her strongest subordinate. Pandora acted as Alice's hands, feet, eyes, and ears. Her entire existence was dedicated to her master, and right now, she had become a demon of massacre, crushing the gods without a shred of mercy to clear the obstacles in Alice's path.
On a different island, Illness—also known as Pandemonium—was fighting her own battle. Like Lilim, her disease-manipulation powers were useless here. But that didn't matter. While Illness was famous for her mastery of plagues, she never relied on that power as a crutch; she only used it when it was the most efficient tool for the job.
Beyond her magic, she was a master of martial arts, more than capable of handling gods with enhanced physical stats. Furthermore, she had one more trump card. As Upper Gods began to surround her, Illness quietly turned her gaze toward them and finally brought her eyes into focus.
Illness usually kept her eyes unfocused, staring into a void, because she had been born with sight that was simply too good. Her dynamic vision was so sharp that high-speed combat looked like slow motion to her, and the mental fatigue of processing such vivid detail was immense. Normally, she avoided focusing to save her strength, but for Kaito's sake, she unleashed her full power. Every tiny nick on a descending blade, every minute shift in an enemy's weight—it was all crystal clear. She parried every strike with fluid, effortless movements, a master at work.
Battle has a flow, like a living creature. Grasping that flow is crucial; once seized, it can allow the weak to overcome the strong. This holds true for both individual duels and large-scale warfare. The conflict between the God Realm and the Allied Forces was currently a desperate struggle for that momentum. The scales were swaying, and a significant tip to either side would change the entire course of the war.
Strength Ranking of the Heads of the Six Kings' Subordinates (Count-class)
Physical Attack Power Pandora (Strongest Count-class) > Agni > Zwei > Fafnir > Lilie
Magic Attack Power Pandora > Zwei > Lilie > Fafnir > Agni
Physical Defense Power Pandora > Lilie > Agni > Fafnir > Zwei
Magic Defense Power Pandora > Lilie > Zwei > Fafnir > Agni
Speed Pandora > Fafnir > Agni > Zwei > Lilie
HP (Stamina) Pandora > Fafnir > Lilie > Agni > Zwei
MP (Magic Power) Pandora > Lilie > Fafnir > Agni > Zwei (Zwei's magic power is limited due to her nature as a Magical Doll)