One-Punch DxD: NEO

Chapter 61: War of Underworld

So I got Covid around a week ago, and I just got myself tested for antigen and... I'm more or less cured. But I still have runny nose and some coughs, so I can't relax yet. Wish me luck, folks.

Within Lucifaad, hordes upon hordes of evil spirits and chimeras disappeared without a trace.

Erased from existence, the souls sent to oblivion while the Chimeras were sent to Purgatory.

The current Lucifer, the Strongest Devil in the Underworld, Sirzechs Lucifer flew above the streets and eradicated every monster in his path as he landed, surrounded by fire, enemies, and destruction of his capital as he gazed forward, seeing more of his enemies and the leaders watching him.

The finest Devil warriors surrounded the leaders, millions of them were around and behind the three as they prepared to engage with their cursed weapons.

"...Let him through." One of them raised his hands, the original Beelzebub. "It is our job to make the young respect their elders."

The Chimeras and feral spirits of Hell hissed and wailed as the Satan, The King of the Strongest Peerage, as the billions parted a path for the current strongest Satan.

There was emotion burning behind Sirzechs' stoic gaze.

Hiding behind that gentle face was the burning fury of a ruler ready to obliterate those that dared to sacrilege his land.

Sirzechs walked, each step filled with silent fury as he passed the creatures and wailing souls of the damned, all enslaved by the three in his sight, armored in cursed metal and with bodies forged from the flesh of an eldritch corpse.

"...If I were a part of the Old Satan Faction, I would say it is an honor to meet the first four. But I am not. And I intend to free my kind from your influence one day. Where is the first of our kind?" Sirzechs demanded, seeing three instead of four.

"You should grovel beneath our feet." The one that bore the face of Asmodeus sneered. "You dare talk to your betters like this?"

"I intend to do worse to those that dares try to enslave my people. I will ask this once. As the current Lucifer, the King of the Underworld, release my citizens and go back to where you came. Time has outgrew you. We are no longer your tools to use and bend to your whims." Sirzechs warned with a rare emotion of rage in his voice.

"How dare you talk as if you're above us?" Beelzebub uncrossed his arms as he drew his cursed katana. "You know nothing. Once Lucifer reaches Lilith, our numbers will bloom like wildfire over this world. There will be no God here to save you all from us."

"Not even you can fight off against the numberless hordes." Leviathan smirked with arrogance. "So I will say this once. Lick our shoes, join the others in the cages for reeducation, and swear your loyalty to us, or we will destroy everything you hold dear and send them to Hell."

Sirzech's answer was flaring his aura to dangerous levels, his power drowning the entire city of Lilith as the First Born flinched and retreated a step while fear consumed the rest, the soldiers already recognizing Sirzechs as the superior devil.

His power was so great that everyone present could mistake Sirzechs as a Demon God, a force of reckoning wearing the skin of a man, his presence almost bathing the world crimson with his power as the air almost changed to the color of his hair.

"...I see that our kind has spawned a golden egg." Within the maelstrom of crimson power, Beelzebub inhaled as he drew his sword at Sirzechs. "Rizevim did warn us about you and Ajuka. But we are the first lords of our kind! We are the true rulers of the Underworld! You are nothing but-"

"A miserable pile of tools pretending to be alive, with wasted blood and meat."

The original Satans flinched as Sirzechs paused at the sound of a fifth voice, an unfamiliar voice. Sirzechs relaxed his aura, letting the atmosphere return to normal.

All of them turned to the source, seeing a demonic jester with a smiling mask on his face, squatting down unnoticed. His hands were demonic, massive, disproportionately so.

"If you want to play that kind of game, then your progenitors should've ruled this land looooooong ago. After all, you based me off your mother, off the Demons. You're nothing more than a bunch of thieves pretending to be kings. I am surprised you have the gall to play pretend this far."

Sirzechs was confused.

"...Alichino" Beelzebub whispered.

Sirzechs turned to the original Satans. On their faces, he didn't think he could see an emotion not even his power could wring.

Fear.

Every one of them wore a face of pure, unadulterated fear.

"...Sirzechs. You must help us seal Alichino. Do it or he would destroy us all." Leviathan begged.

The complete turn from arrogance to begging the ruler of the land they were invading for aid caught Sirzechs off guard.

"Oh, you don't have to listen to them. They're just afraid that me and my siblings will run rampant and tear the Nine Realms to pieces." The jester waved off Sirzechs with his hand. "I am here for one reason only."

Another pair of giant hands rose from behind the squatting jester.

Standing up, another Alichino showed himself, giggling as he walked around the three.

Sirzechs watched as another Alichino showed himself, walking out of the walking Alichino, and another, and another.

"I am here to collect your souls. I mean, did you really think you could shove us all into those statues without consequences?"

One of the many Alichinos giggled. They surrounded the three original Satans, leaving Sirzechs alone to witness the slaughter.

"...What is going on?" Sirzechs asked.

"...I know that we wronged you, but we beg of you, please listen to reason-ugh?!"

One of the Alichinos tore apart Beelzebub without warning with his giant claw.

"Oh no, we are past that. You see, we will not destroy this realm. Or any realm. We found our perfect host. Someone far, far above the likes of you parasites." The clone that tore apart Beelzebub held a sphere of effigy.

Sirzechs recognized it as the soul of the one he slew.

Leviathan and Asmodeus dropped their weapons and immediately prostrated before the jester.

"WE'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! ANYTHING! NAME IT AND-"

Another Alichino impaled the begging Asmodeus through his chest, ripping his soul out like he was nothing.

"There's nothing you have. I already know everything you know the moment you wielded me against God."

The sight of seeing those obscenely proud Devils abandoning their pride unnerved Sirzechs as he watched Leviathan taking to the skies, only for another one of the Alichinos to catch up and tore him into pieces of meat, collecting his soul.

"Ahhhh. Catharsis! I love it! How liberating!" Once the mutilated remains of Leviathan fell, the Alichinos cackled and danced as the Devil soldiers and damned spirits watched in a paralyzed state, unable to comprehend the sudden deaths of their leaders.

Sirzechs was not sure how to approach them. He gulped as he spoke out.

"...Who are you?" Sirzechs started with that question.

"Oh, you're still here?" The closest Alichino clone turned to Sirzechs. "I am Alichino, The Demon Of Infinite Faces. I am a living weapon of the Malebranche. I was created by the fallen human Lucifer, me and my eleven siblings, that is. And you are quite an interesting one. Why do you continue to hold the name Lucifer as your title of rule?" Alichino asked Sirzechs.

Sirzechs fought against the urge to swallow.

"...I had found evidence of the Original Satans using some kind of weapon called the Malebranche to kill God. But all I found were the names"

"Oh, you managed to find evidence? I understand your concern. Yes, we are the weapons. Our makers were quite possessive. We were imprisoned after they used us to murder the blood-stained God out of design. We haven't walked the ground for centuries They fear freeing us, you know? They think that we would destroy everything if they did."

"...Are you willing to destroy everything like they said?"

With a wave of his hand, countless presences on Sirzechs' left side vanished without a trace.

He looked left, seeing millions of Devils, spirits and living, perished, erased without a trace.

"No. Well, we would tear the worlds apart in search of a Host to wield us, but we already found one. We are content though our host is a bit stubborn. He is not the kind of person that likes to wield the powers of others."

Alichino drooped his shoulders.

The enemy devils and the evil souls shivered, all refusing to move an inch after seeing the display of power.

"...I applaud your honesty."

"I have no reason to lie. Why would I? I am having the best time of my eternal life here!" Alichino giggled.

"And what are your intentions here?" Sirzechs asked, cautiously bracing himself for combat.

"Hmmm, now that our vengeance is claimed" The Alichino clones holding the souls of their makers lifted their masks and swallowed them.

Sirzechs could not see their faces behind the masks.

"I suppose we can play a little. You are doing well despite being under Ophibian's curse."

Sirzechs blinked at the name.

"Oh, you haven't heard of him. Never mind. I am done talking. Now."

The Alichino clones turned to Sirzechs, all of them raising a hand above their masks.

[Mode...]

They all spoke at once as they dropped their hands down.

Sirzechs stared at the exact reflection of himself staring back at him, Alichino taking his form.

The others took different forms as well.

One of them was an unholy monster that words could not describe, another were two old men, humans, one balding and another with a white mustache, both wearing tai chi slippers.

Sirzechs recognized two faces he did not expect to be amongst the transformed jesters.

Indra was smiling at him alongside Shiva.

There was even the king of the Underworld, Hades.

"...Just so you know."

Sirzechs turned to his reflection.

"We can be as powerful as the original if we want. Or stronger than them if attached to a wielder. And our wielder is so, so strong." 'Sirzechs' giggled with Alichino's voice as he swung his hand at Sirzechs' right, erasing millions of more evil souls and ancient devils from existence.

The Jester was even using the Power of Destruction with frightening efficiency. Sirzechs started to understand why the Three Original Satans feared Alichino now.

"Now then Dance for me."

Sirzechs immediately summoned all of the power he could muster. He immediately took flight, his wings spread as he fired a massive sphere of Destruction at the group.

However, the giant creature swatted it aside like it was nothing, the sphere exploding at Sirzechs' right, erasing many more of the invaders as the invaders scattered in terror.

Cracked, empty eyes gazed at Sirzechs.

To Sirzechs, it was a creature rippling with great power in equal in shape and aura, a creature so imposing it defied the conventional realm of imagination.

Long, sharp, thick spikes protruded from its head, acting like its uneven crown, steam hissing from its sharp teeth.

Looking closely at the creature, it looked like its muscles, its arms and legs, were more like the entwining of serpentine monsters, coiling each other until they perfectly formed into monstrous limbs, the claws and talons of its fingers and toes more like fangs extending from the serpentine creatures.

Monstrous dragon-like snakeheads donned his shoulders, wrists, and fingers, acting as if it was spitting out the rest of the limbs out.

Monstrous serpentine skulls formed his knees, a massive fleshy cape billowing behind the creature, his long spiky tail swishing behind him.

The horns of the monster extended, turning into massive tendrils flying at Sirzechs at high speeds.

Sirzechs flew higher with impeccable timing, but the horns curled and looped as it flew up after him.

It was fast and deceptively flexible. Sirzechs fired a massive beam of crimson-black destruction at the tendril, erasing it as he called upon his full power as he angled the beam towards the cluster of transformed clones, aiming to finish them all.

However, a bolt of lightning struck Sirzechs from above and slammed him back into the Earth, Sirzechs grimacing as he broke out from the concrete only to see two old men so close to him face to face,

Sirzechs immediately lashed out with fists clad in erasure.

However, the two men veered his fists aside, their actions mirroring each other as they grabbed each of Sirzechs' arms and slammed their elbows and knees down and up Sirzechs' elbow joints.

Sirzechs hissed when they dislocated his elbows with tremendous force and timing, something that had never happened to him in so long. He attempted to back away but the old men were fierce, too fast for their age as they assaulted Sirzechs in martial red and blue.

[Cross Fang Dragon Slayer Fist]

The two were starting to overwhelm his defenses.

Sirzechs could only raise his dislocated arms to block their fierce assault, whittling down his defensive aura with astounding proficiency.

"You like?" Alichino's voice spoke from the elder in the black shirt. "This is the technique of my host's master and his brother. Strong for old men, right?"

Sirzechs could agree with that statement as the two men scattered, revealing Indra flying towards him like a missile.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?!" Sirzechs shouted as Indra crashed into Sirzechs, tackling him through the street and the walls of the buildings in their until Indra uppercutted Sirzechs into the air, some of the impact traveling through Sirzechs' chin as he flew through the floors of the skyscraper and through the roof.

As he looked up, he saw the same monster descending upon him like a meteor, his monstrous hand crackling with power that threatened Sirzechs' instincts.

"Godslayer Fist!" The giant monster roared as Sirzechs poured everything into his defensive aura as he guarded.

It was not enough as the giant smashed Sirzechs back into the skyscraper and decimated it, splitting the building into molten halves.

When it slammed Sirzechs to the floor, the impact split a grand fissure, a crack in the underworld that traveled so far that the chasm reached from Lucifaad to Lilith and even affected Ajuka's territory.

Sairaorg, Belial, Grayfia, Azi Dahaka, Balor, everyone felt the massive quake in the world.

In the skies of the Underworld, the strongest Evil Dragon growled as he followed a scent he never expected to encounter in his hunt alongside the scent of his friend.

It was the first time Sirzechs suffered so much damage as the creature lifted its monstrous hand, revealing a very mangled Satan with many broken bones bent at the wrong angles.

Sirzechs could not feel anything but pure agony as the creature known as Alichino squatted before his eyes. He could not even move his neck.

"Welcome to the realm I stand in, Sirzechs Gremory..."

Alichino used Sirzechs' clan name on purpose.

"You" His pride was shattered like his body. It was a strange, new experience, to fall at his lowest point, at the mercy of some demon he never met.

Alichino pointed a finger at Sirzechs and fired something at him. Sirzechs blinked as his bones snapped back into place, his body returning to normal as he blinked, the pain no longer there.

Sirzechs got up, patting his body for any injuries.

"...You healed me" Sirzechs looked at the jester.

"I did say I wanted to play. I'm not done playing, though. My host does not like to kill innocents, but that doesn't mean I can't play with those I fancy as I wish."

Sirzechs' heart fell when Alichino transformed into Saitama.

The caped baldy in all of red, yellow, and white glory.

The Egg Head's demonic smile was the only thing that discerned him from the real one.

"...Is it too late to ask if we can negotiate?" Sirzechs pleaded, knowing Saitama's real strength.

'Saitama's' response was a one-handed normal punch combo, a storm of red fists blasting Sirzechs into the distance, the shockwaves erasing the buildings and stray invaders behind him.

Sirzechs bounced across the floor like a skipping stone until he crashed into the crumbling ruins of Lucifaad's buildings.

The transformed Alichinos surrounded the fallen Sirzechs as 'Saitama' dragged Sirzechs out of the rubble, holding him by the red hair.

"Ooooo hoh hoh hooo. This was sooooo much fun. Anything you want to say, Gremory?" 'Saitama' asked.

Sirzechs glared at 'Saitama.' Sirzechs first spat blood at 'Saitama's' face before he coughed out a retort.

"You suck at playing Saitama. You well, like the young humans like to say, 'hit like a girl' compared to him." Sirzechs grinned.

"...Touche." 'Saitama' was no longer smiling. "Can't help but try though."

Then he punched Sirzechs in the ribs again.

"How about now?" 'Saitama' asked as another Alichino healed his body.

Sirzechs coughed blood again.

"Still weak."

He punched harder in the ribs, then Sirzechs was healed again.

"Well?" 'Saitama' smiled at Sirzechs.

Sirzechs could not lie in his head that his punches were getting closer and closer to the original.

'Saitama' punched his ribs even harder, forcing more blood to leave Satan's lips.

"From your face, I feel as if I'm getting there. How about now?"

'Saitama' fisted him again.

"Ugh" Sirzechs coughed blood as he was healed. "...Do you have something against me?"

"I like tormenting the race of my makers. It helps soothe my need for vengeance." 'Saitama' admitted as he punched his ribs again. "I was there when your clan progenitor was made. I was there when your kind ran rampant across the lands. I can say that I do not have a positive outlook on your kind."

"Times have changed." Sirzechs wheezed out.

"You would disagree when you witness every form of atrocity your kind committed first hand. If you could" 'Saitama' punched Sirzechs again, forcing another cough as he was healed, "You would agree with me. I doubt you can look at your kind the same way again."

"You tell me." Sirzechs coughed out an amused chuckle. "...And our kind won't be the same again in near future."

"You're wrong." 'Saitama' dropped Sirzechs to the rubble. "Your kind will always be the same as long as you have Ophibian's curse. You think you can erase the sins of the past just like your enemies? Your weakness to Holy Light, your inability to Awaken, and your ignorance to all of the wrongs your kind has done, all of that alongside your stagnating culture. You are still trapped in the past. Your culture is proof enough, haunted by the echoes of ghosts that refuse to die. You even kept the name Lucifer as if it means something just to sate your people's bias to maintain your rule. Your indolent sloth oozing out of your pride is further evidence or is it that you still have much to learn by not breaking off from the past?"

Sirzechs grimaced at the remark, but before he could have pondered whether he even had any retort for that

"Sirzechs!"

The Crimson Satan snapped his head towards the source of familiar voice as he saw Grayfia standing not far from him and the ancient demon.

"...Saitama?" Grayfia uttered at the sight of the strongest man.

"Alichino." 'Saitama' answered.

"Grayfia" Sirzechs coughed blood as he looked up at her.

Grayfia was horrified to see Sirzechs in that state. The worst she saw him was when Saitama knocked him out with one punch.

"Run. You're no match for him." Sirzechs managed to rasp out.

'Saitama' giggled as he turned to her.

"And who might you be, girl? You're not as impressive as my stress bag here. But something about you annoys me for some reason."

Another 'Sirzechs' landed beside 'Saitama', pressing his boot atop of Sirzechs' head.

Grayfia stared at the clone of her husband with growing dread. Her dread magnified when the clone emitted his aura on a scale greater than what her husband can reach.

"...Grayfia Lucifuge. Wife of Sirzechs Luci-"

"Gremory." 'Saitama' corrected. "You are a Gremory. Don't take the titles of the past, it shows your weakness. Ah, now I know why you irk me. Your bloodline belongs to the sycophant clan."

Both 'Saitama' and 'Sirzechs' sneered at Grayfia.

Grayfia looked at Sirzechs. Sirzechs attempted to push himself up, but his doppelganger slammed his head back to the ground.

"Your clan aided in my and my siblings' imprisonment and locked us away deep underneath what you call Lucifaad, alone with nothing but our thoughts in the darkness for centuries. That reminds me, I should petition my siblings to eradicate the Lucifuge bloodline once everything is done. They probably won't mind if I butcher one here."

Sirzechs growled as he struggled to get up, but to no avail thanks to 'Sirzechs' stepping on his head.

Grayfia grimaced, preparing herself for the worst, as long as she could present any opportunity for her lord and husband to survive.

"Let's see I think I can just use your husband's power to erase you from existence. There is more poetry in that." 'Sirzechs' grinned as he conjured a massive sphere of destruction over his head, so massive that if it made contact, it could erase all of Lucifuge.

"...And maybe destroy half of this city at least. As a ritual to start our new life, free from the past." 'Sirzechs' threw the sphere at Grayfia to her and Sirzechs' horror.

As the crimson sphere of obliteration approached Grayfia, a scale that she knew she could never resist, another presence landed beside Grayfia with his hands thrusted forward.

"Sirzechs! Now!"

Ajuka shouted as the sphere of obliteration curved and orbited around them, flying back at the doppelgangers to their surprise as 'Saitama' held the sphere of power with his hands, pushed back enough for 'Sirzechs' to join in.

Having nothing to hold his head down, Sirzechs pushed himself off the ground and quickly regrouped with his friend and his wife.

Meanwhile, the two demons managed to stop themselves from being run over by the massive Power of Destruction. With a roar, they forcefully redirected the attack's trajectory until it flew to the sky.

The other transformed doppelgangers stared at the new arrival.

"...Ajuka Astaroth." The giant monster with tendrils uttered from behind Ajuka.

"You managed to surprise me. This isn't your clan power oh, you are at that level." 'Sirzechs' brushed his hands on his coat. "To become the lord of your own clan. Impressive. You're more interesting than Sirzechs here."

Ajuka glared at 'Saitama' and 'Sirzechs.'

"Sirzechs. What are we dealing with?" Ajuka asked.

Sirzechs wiped the blood off his lips.

"His name is Alichino. He is one of the living weapons of the Malebranche, the hidden weapons the original Satans used to kill God."

Ajuka grimaced. He was aware of the Malebranche's existence, but could only find rumors and speculation of their power and abilities.

Ajuka and Sirzechs looked around, seeing more and more transformed doppelgangers surrounding them.

'Hades', 'Indra', and 'Shiva' were also there, staring at them.

"Is each of them as strong as the original?" Ajuka asked with a slight hope that the answer was no.

"If he wants to." Sirzechs grimaced. "He said that he can make his forms stronger if he wished"

"That does not bode well for us. How many times can he duplicate?" Ajuka asked.

"666,666 times." 'Saiatama' answered Ajuka's question.

"...Well, that's comforting." Ajuka could not help with the sarcasm.

They were sure that they could not handle 666,666 individuals on the level of the top ten.

"Please tell me we have backup from Azazel or Michael." Sirzechs begged.

"Fortunately, we have a baldy and a cyborg sent our way" Ajuka joked.

"Oh, thank the dead god."

"Only a creature on the level of my wielder can truly defeat me. So I'll give you an incentive. If you entertain me enough, I'll let you go. Alive, though maybe without your pride." 'Saitama' offered with a maniacal giggle.

Sirzechs and Ajuka shared a glance.

"...Is there a time limit?" Sirzechs asked.

"Hmmmm. Twenty minutes. Fail to live up to my expectations when the timer ends, and I'll kill the woman in front of your eyes." 'Saitama' decided.

Another Alichino walked out from behind 'Saitama'. Ajuka grimaced when that one transformed into his reflection, 'Ajuka' smirking at him.

The one impersonating Ajuka snapped his fingers, and Grayfia suddenly vanished in a flash of light. Next second - Sirzechs and Ajuka suddenly found Grayfia being restrained by a pair of Alichinos impersonating herself.

"Grayfia!" Sirzechs shouted before glaring at the demon, "You bastard, leave her out of this!" Sirzechs said as he began to transform into his true form.

"Hoh, interesting." 'Ajuka' smirked when he saw Sirzechs' true power taking form. "You're closer to your awakening than I thought."

There was a malicious crimson shadow growing behind Sirzechs.

A demonic, abstract form that could not take proper shape as if it couldn't decide its appearance.

"...Do you have a plan?" Sirzechs asked.

He may be at full power, but deep down he was in a composed panic.

"I may be a tactical genius, but there isn't much we can do against a creature that can duplicate 666,666 times with such variety and strengths." Ajuka dryly answered. "And I don't know some of these forms. That monster in particular"

Ajuka glanced at the giant monster holding a humanoid shape.

"It is as powerful as it looks. It mangled me despite all of my defenses." Sirzechs grimly answered.

"I'll defend you and be your support while you are the offense." Ajuka decided.

"So simple. It's that bad"

"We've never teamed up like this since forever." Ajuka joked back.

"Yeah" Sirzechs smiled awkwardly.

The two strongest Satans, back to back, facing off against a truly overpowered ancient demon with a grudge against Devilkind.

"Good, you're ready. The time starts... NOW!"

Many of the same voices cackled at once as they moved in.

The giant monster moved first, his hand elongating towards the two Satans. Ajuka turned around to see its five fingers transforming into dragons, five monstrous dragons, each with two clawed arms, closing in.

"Sirzechs!"

Sirzechs bellowed as he unleashed his true power. The leaking, crackling aura of destruction orbited around Ajuka without touching him.

[Exploding Heart Release Fist] X 5

Each of the dragon's right claw was shrouded in explosive ki as the heart of the monster pulsed so loud the sound shook the air before the dragons simultaneously struck the sphere of destruction.

To their surprise, even with his true powers unleashed, the creature punched the sphere back at them.

Ajuka grimaced as he redirected the reflected attack and threw it back at the creature.

[Explosive Heart Release Fist]

The creature 'clenched' the dragon fingers back into a fist before it moved in and punched the sphere, flying towards them until the giant rammed his fist with the crimson sphere into the two.

Ajuka and Sirzechs summoned the strongest magic barriers they could conjure.

Kankara Formula, unfortunately, cannot redirect something with that much force and power as the creature's heart pulsates, his fist crackling with destructive energy.

"Brace for impact!" Ajuka shouted.

The giant destroyed the barrier and rammed the crimson sphere into them with his fist.

It took all of Ajuka's mental faculties to disperse the energy before it could erase the both of them, unable to disperse the force as they flew like bullets.

Sirzechs spread his devil wings as he bled out their velocity, only to see Hades flying towards them.

"King of the dead, coming through!" 'Hades' cackled as he unleashed countless god-tier spells, a swarm of magic power able to erase many on this world from existence.

Ajuka grimaced as he took control over his spells and flung them back at Hades.

However, teleporting in between them, 'Ajuka' intercepted and stopped the rebounded spells.

Ajuka grimaced as they flew in the air, Ajuka spreading his devil wings once Sirzechs ended their velocity.

It was the first time Ajuka was in a tug of war against 'himself.' He was now in a bid for control with his doppelganger.

"Behold! A mirror match!" 'Ajuka' cackled as he twirled his finger, playing with one of the god-tier fireball spells, the flames white in color.

Ajuka stared at the fireball spinning and moving in a 8 pattern.

"This is a fun trick. How did you come up with this? It's harder than it looks." 'Ajuka' asked.

Ajuka did not answer. The Demon was frighteningly proficient with the Kankara Formula already. This technique was his creation, devised to counter anything the world could throw at him.

It apparently wasn't enough in the face of this absolute monster.

"Come on, push you fool! It's a tug of war for the ages!"

The Demon was playing with him, literally, cackling with Ajuka's face.

The spells 'Hades' fired waved back and forth, randomly pausing in the tug of war between reflections.

Ajuka looked at Sirzechs, seeing Sirzechs facing off against his grinning doppelganger.

The rest of the clones were watching, enjoying their struggles.

Sirzechs could not truly unleash his full power without risk of erasing the city. There were still citizens here scrambling for safety and an evacuation shelter here.

"Oh, worried about your man friend?" 'Ajuka' quirked a brow. "Are you worried about the useless castoffs in the city? Fine, how about this?"

As if reading his thoughts, Hades, Indra, and Shiva flew, surrounding them as they raised their hands.

A massive bounded field surrounded them, a divine barrier of the highest quality isolating them from the world.

"You're going to regret that!" Sirzechs warned as he unleashed his true power.

"I HAVE NO REGRETS!" 'Sirzechs' cackled as the strongest Satan unleashed his full power.

Ajuka had an idea as he also unleashed his true form.

His plan: use Sirzechs' unstable power to his advantage and manipulate the flow of power to destroy his reflection.

The space warped around Ajuka as his eyes glowed with green power.

"Oh?! You too?!" 'Ajuka' shouted as he watched.

Ajuka was different compared to Sirzechs.

Sirzechs was power, absolute, uncontrollable destruction of all creations.

Ajuka was shape, form, and absolute domination over creations.

The unstable energies that spilled coalesced around Ajuka, green and crimson mixing together to form a demonic abstract form, a mighty serpentine form as Ajuka unleashed his true power.

Ajuka's reflection abandoned control of the spells as he poured all of his efforts into defense as a torrential stream of crimson destruction, borrowed from Sirzechs, washed over him the moment Sirzechs unleashed his humanoid form of destruction.

The clones fought back as the entire world within the barrier was drowned in red, the clones outside the barrier watching with awe as both Satans overwhelmed their reflections.

Once the crimson color died down, both Satans exhaled, brimming with power, staring at their defeated reflections.

"...Magnificent, magnificent!"

One by one, each of the clones, the old men, Indra, Hades, Shiva, even the giant monster, all of them slowly clapped their hands with applause.

"You have overwhelmed yourselves in a magnificent manner! You two are the closest I've seen to truly reach your demonic awakening!"

Sirzechs and Ajuka turned to the others as the barrier died down.

"Have we entertained you?" Sirzechs asked, his voice a threatening calm.

"...Here. Your woman."

The Grayfia clones smiled as they tossed the real Grayfia to Sirzechs, who undid his true form as he caught his wife.

Grayfia looked up at Sirzechs as he hugged her.

"...I have a lot of questions for you." Ajuka asked as he undid his true form as well.

"Ask away. You earned it." 'Hades' spoke.

"...What do you mean by Demonic Awakening?" Ajuka asked.

"Demonic Awakening. It is the ultimate technique of the Demons, to truly transform into the ultimate reflection of their existence, their souls. You are near that realm. But you cannot achieve it no matter what." Alichino answered with context.

Ajuka, Sirzechs, and Grayfia turned to the doppelgangers.

"...Demons? Do you mean our familiars?" Ajuka asked.

"No. The true Christian Demons depicted in the Bible. The twist is that the demons came first before the humans. Before God. They are one of the first sentient races that graced Gaia. And they are your ancestors, the origin of your power, your bloodline."

Sirzechs and Ajuka could understand his words, but the weight of the revelation had yet to sink into their comprehension.

"...Our ancestors are Demons?" Sirzechs asked.

"Of course. Demon Swords, Demonic power, the evidence is there. You just overlooked it."

"...Who is Ophibian?" Sirzechs asked.

"The second most powerful Demon Lord during the rise of Lucifer, during that time. Lucifer was, in fact, a human. He subjected himself to experimental rituals after stealing the angelic grace of Xaphan. He is what you might call a Proto-devil. He made an alliance with the Overlord of the Aleister Tribe, originally to drive God away from Earth."

Ajuka and Sirzechs could not believe it.

"...Lucifer had a wife. Her name is Lilith. Lilith underwent the demonic ritual to become a true demon to cement their alliance. Then he betrayed them, his wife included. He turned Lilith into a true breeding sow, and used her to create a new breed of hybrids mixed with unique blood, the Devils, a hybrid of demon and proto-Devil. It was not intentional as he was later corrupted by the experimental magics he inflicted upon himself and went insane. He used Lilith to create a numberless army to wipe out the demons when their guard was down at their lowest, in a pincer attack with the angels and God on the other side. They survived, but swore vengeance. Ophibian Ordog, Lord of the Ordog Tribe at the time, cursed God, Lucifer, Lilith, every Devil and their bloodlines at the cost of his life. The weakness to cursed energy and holy energy amplified to dangerous levels, the true potential of the Devils forever sealed in their justified malice. The legacy of your kind's sin forever lies in your blood."

Alichino giggled as he enjoyed the stupefied expressions of the Devils in the air.

They were so stunned by the revelation that they could not muster the words to retort.

"...What happened to the Demons?" Grayfia was the first to respond, curiosity dominating her voice.

"They went into hiding. Inside a newly forged realm. Their magic is unique, very ancient. The true magic of this world. The magic that dominates this world came mostly from God, borrowed from God. God and Lucifer both continued to hound the demons to plunder their secrets, magic that defies the rules of formulas. Magic that can truly alter the fabric of the cosmos. Lucifer made us with the same magic using the plundered Gifts of Gaia, using limited knowledge of techniques forbidden even by the demons."

As Alichino talked, an explosion erupted in the distance.

All of the clones turned to that direction as they simultaneously erected a smile.

"...Something fun has come our host's way." Alichino turned to the Satans. "We will meet again. When the time comes for the Demons to walk Gaia again, prepare yourselves! Not even I know what they will do if they decide to close their old wounds!"

The doppelgangers cackled as they all vanished, fading away like a mirage.

Sirzechs, Grayfia and Ajuka were now alone.

Sirzechs grimaced at the revelation of the ancient demon.

"...Sirzechs." Ajuka inhaled. "...We still have to wipe out the surviving invaders and rescue our people."

Sirzechs closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Yes."

There would be time for them to ponder on the truth of their origins. He would need to talk with Michael and Azazel to confirm this truth.

Balor swung Aithri Dorcha at the Knight of Sirzechs as he and his Fomorians engaged against the resistances.

Okita flew from the impact, crashing through several buildings, unable to parry or evade Balor's cursed god-slaying blade.

He looked up, his All Seeing Eye zooming into the distance, past the rubble and horizon to see the source.

He recognized the current strongest Satans doing battle, but their foes were strange. They all bore the same name despite their appearances stating otherwise.

It was a creature of greater power, a dangerous one.

Questions for later as he returned his attention to the battlefield.

"My soldiers! Leave this to me!" Balor raised his arms as the dark giants of Ireland snarled at the devils, retreating behind their king as Balor activated the Eye of Destruction.

The Peerage of the Satan could only run from Balor's sweeping fiery gaze, eradicating every building in sight.

He could not sense the Old Satan Faction leaders anymore.

They were dead. He freed the captives the moment they were gone, but he stayed to test his might against the false demons.

Even without his eye of destruction, the false demons could not scratch his hide no matter what they did.

However, a roar resounded in the Underworld firmament.

Balor blinked, turning his eye off, as he looked up at the purple sky.

"BALOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"

Balor instantly recognized the black dragon descending onto him like a meteor.

"YOU!" Balor roared as he swung his odachi, only for the dragon to somehow deflect his cursed blade.

Crom Cruach's dragon form was now like Tannin's bipedal with arms and legs as he struck Balor's solar plexus with all of the momentum he generated with the Exploding Heart Release fist, his dragon heart pulsing with power as he blasted the evil god away into his soldiers, knocking them down like bowling pins.

"This time, I will finish what Lugh started!" Crom roared with fury as he fired his dragon breath.

Instead of the standard dragon fire like before, Crom fired a lunar beam that sliced through the air, radiant pale housing an erratic black core, as the Fomorians exploded with lunar light.

When the flashing explosion faded, Balor stood, holding his odachi as he glared at Crom with a vicious growl.

"I shall remind you who is the master between us once again! All forces! Retreat through the portal!"

Crom and Balor sprinted, closing in as they engaged, sword and dragon fist clashing.

As the Fomorians retreated through the portal, the resistance watched, stunned by the sudden intervention of an evil dragon fighting against the leader.

Balor grimaced when Crom started to overwhelm his blade.

Balor was stronger than the evil dragon, more powerful, yet Crom held the upper hand.

He continued to avoid his All Seeing Eye, avoiding his attempts to scan him for his true name.

"I will take those eyes from you as my trophy!" Crom shouted as he deflected Balor's blade with the Water Stream and countered with the Explosive Heart Release Fist.

Balor stumbled, then vengefully slashed.

Aithri Dorcha was a sword that drains the life and then the soul of his enemies. It grows stronger the more souls it devours, Muramasa's most lethal creation to date with the resources at his disposal.

And it responded to Balor's emotions, dark energies swirled around the cursed metal to murder the dragon.

If Crom were to face Balor without ever encountering his friend, he would have been cut down here and now.

The sword flew out of Balor's grip, the dragon's bladed crescent tail knocking it up the moment Crom flipped into the air, somersaulting once as he grabbed Aithri Dorcha with both hands in a reverse grip and plunged it back down into the owner..

Phantasmal hands erupted from Balor, dark hands of a black shade of hell, clapping the blade of the Odachi before it bit his flesh.

The humanoid black dragon widened its gaze as it raised its hand and hammered into the hilt with all of his spite.

Now with four arms, Balor deflected the blade aside the moment he tried to hammer it through his grip, the edge scratching his cheek as it and Crom landed behind him.

Crom turned around and fired his lunar beam at Balor the moment he unleashed the Eye of Destruction, Balor unleashing it so close he could see the very insides of Crom's mouth with his All-Seeing Eye..

The clash between two energies meant for destruction, resulted in a shockwave which obliterated the immediate surroundings, as the evil god and evil dragon attempted to overpower one another.

Every devil in the vicinity backed from the encroaching wave of destruction, vaporizing the building as the ground beneath them collapsed into a growing crater.

While their power was more or less equal, Crom knew better than to maintain the pointless stalemate. Considering the proximity between them, the evil god was as good as within his arm's reach.

Ducking underneath Balor's destructive gaze, Crom grabbed the odachi and swung at Balor's neck.

Balor also ducked as his four arms, spiritual and physical, grabbed Crom by the arms as the shade arms slammed him into the Earth, the city of Lilith quaking the moment Crom's face struck the Underworld stone.

"Those are human techniques." Balor realized. "I know it. The design of it, to overcome those above you. To think you would fall so low to learn from a mere mortal."

Crom's tail whipped, the crescent bone blade at the tip extending its length, lashed at his eyes faster than lightning.

Balor barely blocked the sneak attack, but he lurched when Crom's fist uppercutted his stomach.

"Urgh!"

"This came from a god whose power had been stolen and used by mortals." Crom retorted. "You old fool. This era cares no more whether you are mortal or immortal. By the end of the day, the ones who stand over their foes at the end of the battle. Are superior ones, as simple as that."

Crom unleashed one of Garou's secret techniques.

It was one he developed on this world, a terrible skill designed to destroy its foes with their own power.

It was terrifying because it had the potential to inflict damage to the victims forever.

[Exploding Rupture Soul Breaker Fist]

Balor could not defend in time as Crom Cruach unleashed a flurry of devastating blows, sharp pointed strikes at Balor's meridians. It was more difficult to execute since Balor's internal flow was alien and ever changing, but it was enough as Crom threw both his palms onto Balor's chest - his heart.

"Kai!"

And exploded Balor's internal flow, sending it into chaos as the shockwave traveled across Lilith, triturating the stone around them far and wide.

Blood flew from Balor's eyes, nose, mouth as he clutched his heart, his bellows reaching all corners of Lilith as he momentarily became blind and deaf.

"Learn to relish the pain, old fool. It is the sensation of your own power destroying you from the inside out."

Balor vomited more of his Trihexa blood as he stumbled back, his vision a blur as he fell to his knees, vomiting even more blood as he was isolated from the world, into his own thoughts.

He had been to Hell, to Malebolge, he knew pain and suffering of the flesh, mind, and spirit.

But this agony was a literal cage.

The more he tried to break free from the cage, the more he resisted, the worse the pain became.

"You cur!" Balor cursed as he coughed blood again.

"This time, I will finish you. I am thankful to the forces that brought you back from death for me to redeem myself."

Crom approached Balor as he raised his hand.

But a terrible presence stayed in his hand.

Balor and Crom froze, paralyzed.

The power the sheer power they sensed.

The greatest sensation of power Crom encountered was when he encountered the Great Red all those years ago.

This sensation This dwarfed even the Dragon of Dragons. The size made the True Dragon a mere drop of water in comparison.

Crom Cruach turned to the source.

"...Garou?"

Cao Cao arrived at the Underworld with George and the rest of the Malebranche, appearing from the mystical mist.

"Everyone." Cao Cao greeted Siegfried when they were about to leave the Sitri Territory.

"Hey, Cao Cao!" Jeanne waved cheerfully.

"Did you get the goods?" Cao Cao asked.

Siegfried smirked and presented the amphora.

"The Clay of Adam. Now we need the blood of a true believer, a holy man that turned away from God."

Cao Cao opened the lid and inspected the contents.

"Excellent. Any trouble on the way?" Cao Cao asked, inspecting the other nine Malebranche demons and the monsters created by Leonardo.

"Garou has crushed the Leviathan instantly" Hercules grunted. "...Honestly, at this rate, I am feeling that we might become What's the word obsolete? In the long run if we keep doing things this way."

Hercules expressed his concern for their well-being.

"Yeah. I did not become a hero to be a puppet master." Cao Cao smiled. "Once we get back, let's train like never before. We have a lot to do to reach Garou's level."

They should not rely on the Malebranche like this forever. They were not slave masters. They were Heroes.

Even so, they had to resort to taking control of Garou to further their goals to forge a weapon that can kill the outer god once and for all.

Malacoda, the goat-skull demon, perked.

"...He is here." Malacoda spoke so low that it was almost a whisper.

Everyone of the Malebranceh turned towards a specific direction. Each of them sported a growing smile, those that could smile.

Cao Cao and the others immediately learned to be cautious the moment their demonic nature surfaced through their expressions.

They followed their line of sight.

In the distance, there was an approaching dust cloud. A lone figure later appeared in the front of the cloud. He was running towards their way.

Cao Cao squinted at the figure until he saw a familiar color scheme.

"...No way."

Cao Cao did not expect to encounter him.

"Georg, take us away." Cao Cao ordered.

The mage nodded as he immediately called upon the mist, but one of the demons landed on his shoulder.

Farfarello, the smallest of the Malebranche, the blue imp smirked at the form of the strongest man.

Cao Cao froze when Malacoda placed his skeletal hand on his shoulder.

"No. We'll stay."

Malacoda denied. Georg slowly turned to the demonic imp, seeing his wicked smile.

Cao Cao slowly turned to Siegfried.

Siegfried looked like he was held hostage when Calcabrina, the largest of the demons, slammed his fist beside him.

"...Malacoda. I do not wish to encounter Saitama like this. Please, let us leave." Cao Cao pleaded.

"No." Malacoda denied.

Cao Cao felt the grip on his shoulder tighten.

"We want to taste the power of the Embodiment of Unfairness." Malacoda expressed his desire as Saitama arrived at the scene, skidding to a stop.

"...Cao Cao?" Saitama blinked at the sight of his former companion. "What are you doing here?"

Cao Cao remained silent, sweat starting to perspire from his pores.

"...It's been a while, Saitama." Cao Cao weakly smiled.

There was an extreme awkwardness of reuniting with a friend in this manner, looking as if they were held hostage by monsters.

"...Are you here to help everyone?" Saitama asked.

"...I"

"We are here as invaders." Malacoda answered for him.

Saitama looked at the demon of bones.

"...Are you an enemy?" Saitama asked.

"I am with the humans here. I understand that you have history with them." Malacoda gestured to George, Jeanne, Siegfried, and Hercules.

"We are allies. We followed their will to plunder the Underworld. They, like we, are now your enemies."

Saitama stared at the demon for a moment.

"...Cao Cao?" Saitama looked at Cao Cao. His perpetually poker face was still there, but his tone expressed otherwise.

"Yeah" Cao Cao weakly smiled. "...I can explain."

"You cannot." Malacoda chuckled. "I am Malacoda, Leader of the Malebranche, the Demon of the True End. I, along with my brethren, wish to challenge the Strongest Man for the title with our host."

Saitama now looked confused as he blinked, "...Okay."

He decided to let him continue. He could not follow the conversation.

"We are the living weapons constructed by the Original Satans. We look like demons, but we are like Sacred Gears. Imagine the gauntlet on your son's left arm. We are like that, but with much more freedom if you want a comparison."

"Oh." Saitama understood most of them. "So You're like the magic swords that can turn into stuff in the anime?"

Malacoda paused.

"...We are more advanced than that. Our wielder also has the desire to face you again, Saitama."

The host emerged, arriving into Saitama's line of sight from the crowd of demons.

Saitama stared at him. He rubbed his eyes and squinted, making sure his eyes weren't playing tricks.

"...Garou?"

Garou, sealed in sacred armor of the Hindu, growled.

Saitama turned to Cao Cao and then to Malacoda, then back at Garou.

"...The fuck?"

"He is currently enslaved. He chose to let himself be sealed at Shiva's threat to murder the village he was protecting. Indra handed Garou to Cao Cao. In summary, your friend is commanding a slave willingly."

It was the first time they saw Saitama breaking his poker face.

They didn't think that his serious face was enough to make them flinch. They could sense it, a glimpse of Saitama's level, his true power hidden behind that appearance.

"...Is it true?" Saitama asked.

Cao Cao looked Saitama in the eyes. The silence was enough to answer.

"...Didn't think you guys would turn out like this after I left." There was a tinge of sadness mixed with palpable disappointment.

"...Cao Cao. Let him go. Heroes don't well, own someone like a slave. Though i don't know how you even got Garou like this." Saitama demanded.

"We didn't enslave him ourselves." Cao Cao admitted. "He was handed to us. And sorry, but we need him."

"For what?" Saitama quirked a brow. "If you wanted something from him, you should've just asked or something."

"That is no longer possible." Cao Cao shook his head. "I'm sorry that we had to meet again like this. But I need to see this through Malacoda. Can you make Garou fight the strongest man?"

"Farfarello already did. We already had our host relive the very moment he faced him long ago. We should be able to contend with him long enough."

Cao Cao inhaled, "Alright show us the full might of the Malebranche. Oh, one more thing."

"Alichino will shield this world from orbit. As long as we fight here, GOD will not sense his presence, wherever he is."

Cao Cao sighed with relief. Garou was meant to be a secret weapon against GOD, to strike him down when his guard is at his lowest.

Alichino warped amongst them, holding Leonardo's shoulder as he brought the boy with him.

"Did I miss it?! Are we doing this?!" Alichino asked with excitement.

"My brethren! It is time to show the Devils what they have created! Let the realm tremble before our power!"

All of them turned into specks of light as a massive magical barrier, a bounded field covering the skies, from the Alichino doppelgangers in the stratosphere.

Each of the Malebranche flew into Garou as he roared. Then, the immediate surrounding was caught in a blinding flash for a second.

When the light died down, Garou had sported an entirely new appearance. Saitama narrowed his eyes slightly - it was a little reminiscence of his form when they clashed decades ago, but with more gimmicks.

He sported three pairs of draconic wings, there was a long spiky tail jutting out from his back, his outfit looked more elaborate, shiny. And was his head on fire?

His head was demonic, four-bladed horns erected from his temple, from both sides and above each brow, but more skeletal.

His arms were covered in crystal. His body was covered in armor, metallic, dark, daedric.

There were pauldrons on his shoulders.

On his left side, was the smiling mask of a demonic jester. On the right was made of horns? They look like horns fused together. It was like he took it from a monster and wore it as decoration.

On his forehead, Saitama saw an engraved imprint of the face of an imp. His chest had five eyes, one larger than the rest, above the other four.

Awakened Garou - Chosen of the Twelve Demon Zodiacs

"...Well" Saitama wasn't sure how to feel about this. "Still have that costume change gimmick after all these years, huh?"

It brought a sense of nostalgia - Especially when Garou assumed his stance.

Cao Cao, Jeanne, Hercules, Leonardo, George, and Siegfried gulped.

They could not feel anything from Garou this time, no overwhelming presence of power.

But there was an ominous itch they could not banish from the corners of their mind, like a whisper trying to warn them, yet they could not parse the words or make out the sound.

Suddenly, they were lifted, ascending in the air.

"Whoa!"

"What is happening?!"

Hercules and Jeanne yelped as they looked behind, seeing duplicates of Alichino abducting them into the skies.

"No, no, no. You deserve front row seats for this! Also, you do not want to be near them."

Alichino spoke from his duplicates.

"666,000 of mes are in orbit and casted the world inside a bounded field. I cannot guarantee your safety if you all stand that close."

Everyone did not understand as they looked down to see the confrontation.

"...You're still in there, Garou?" Saitama asked.

Garou switched a stance.

He raised one arm overhead, the forearm parallel to the ground.

Saitama's face immediately turned even more serious when something appeared on his palm.

[Ultimate Technique: Oblivion Gate of the Twelve Demon Zodiacs]

Saitama watched as Garou closed the distance with a short breath and pressed the giant palm into his chest.

The vision of the hero faction suddenly blurred. The moment Garou's palm made contact, they lost focus for a moment.

It was a difficult feeling to describe.

They wanted to see the result, but in that moment, whenever they tried to focus on Saitama, their vision landed on the ground around Saitama, as if the phenomena was repelling their attempts like a magnet.

Then when they could focus their sight on Saitama, they saw him gone.

Saitama was no longer there.

"...Well, that was anticlimactic." Alichino spoke.

"...What just happened?" Cao Cao asked.

He could not understand what Garou did to Saitama.

"Malacoda has an ultimate technique that requires all of our power to perform." Alichino giggled.

"The Oblivion Gates of the Twelve Demon Zodiacs. When someone bore all of our marks, we can erase their very existence and banish them to Ginnungagap. Oblivion. However, the flaw before was that we all had to mark a target one by one but our wielder instantly rectified that into a single swift finisher. Though I am surprised that Saitama is no more. I thought he would resist it somehow or something."

They could not understand half of what he was saying.

No, they could not process that Garou simply erased Saitama from existence just like that.

"...Are you saying he killed him?" Jeanne asked, a bit mortified.

"Ending up in Oblivion is the equivalent of absolute death. Nothing comes back from Oblivion. It is nothingness in its purest form. It is a realm impossible to grasp by existence, so much so that if you gaze into you, your mind will lose itself until it is no more. The Biblical God or the Great Red can't come back from there."

Everyone could not believe it.

They could not let it sink in

Saitama, their former companion, was gone forever and it was by Cao Cao's machination that it was so.

"...What now?" Siegfried asked.

"...I" Cao Cao felt conflicted with guilt.

He did not want this. He wanted to

However, the space warped.

They could sense a disturbance, a pure absence of existence returning when Garou banished Saitama to oblivion.

A red fist broke the space before Garou, the Malebranche watched as the gate they summoned suddenly flung open then closed behind the man they recently banished to the realm of true nothingness.

"...Eh?" Alichino sounded utterly baffled for the first time.

The baldy looked like he just punched his way back to existence.

"Whoa, fucking hell, man!" Saitama was looking spooked as he landed, rubbing his forearms as if he got chills. "Where the fuck did you send me to?! That was super creepy!"

"...HUH?!" All twelve different voices erupted from Garou.

"You!" Malacoda spoke from Garou. "What did you! How! Impossible! IMPOSSIBLE! We sent you to the Oblivion! YOU! I! HOW?!"

It was the first time that the Malebranche were abjectly stupefied, astonished to the point of them questioning their intelligence and all they knew was true. It was the first time Malacoda was so shocked that he lost his composure like this.

"HOW DID YOU COME BACK?! THAT WAS MY ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE TRAPPED IN THE VOID FOREVER UNTIL YOU FADE TO ABSOLUTE NOTHINGNESS! HOW?!"

Malacoda demanded.

"What did you think?! I desperately punched my way out!" Saitama shouted. "It didn't work, though! So I had to try out your stupid trick! Honestly, it's hard to summon the door thing you used to send me there!"

The Malebranche felt their intelligence dropping to zero for a moment.

"...You what? You copied my ultimate technique?" Malacoda was stunned.

He did not know the baldy could do that.

Cao Cao and the others could not understand a single word. No, they understood his words, but not in that order.

The Oblivion Gate of the Twelve Demon Zodiacs was a technique meant to erase and banish the victim. Theoretically, it could also be used as a doorway to send someone back

But it should be impossible for anyone to use magic from that side.

That side was death in its purest form.

Yet the baldy survived and somehow clutched the string to existence at the last moment.

"...So that's how it is." Malacoda started to laugh.

"Ahahahahaha Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!"

The demons started cackling maniacally in a growing crescendo.

Even Saitama looked unnerved by their sudden transition of mood.

"I see now why Garou calls you the embodiment of unfairness Garou is still here. He is simply in a dream, fighting you again. Farfarello's power is ideal in this scenario. He is the desire to play with the minds of others, to pull their strings like puppets. It is how we are 'guiding' Garou to fight you while we speak and influence his actions."

Garou assumed his stance once more.

"We always wondered why we exist in this world. We never have found any meaning to our existence for centuries but now we know. If there was a purpose to our existence, it would be to bring down those like you! To tear down the absolute! The invincible avatar of-!"

"Stop." Saitama raised his hand. "...I've a job to do. Saving Garou is one of them. And I have to, like, beat a lot of evil guys. Genos is busy battling a three-headed dragon thing over there, so let's get this over with."

Malacoda paused in silence.

"...Yes, there are a lot of unwanted distractions. So be it. Show us if you can free our host, Strongest Man. Start by defeating us!"

The Chosen of the Twelve Demon Zodiacs summoned the white flame of the apocalypse in one hand and the Poison of the Eternal Destruction in the other.

"We have given Garou all of our experiences, our knowledge with the help of Alichino! You will experience every form of magic and powers in the wasteful war! Now come!"

To be Continued.

Extra

When Heaven received a distress call all the way from the Underworld, Gabriel did not expect the danger scale as she looked through the report with her brother.

Devils, Spirits of the Damned, Chimeras, Evil Dragons, and more invaded the capital, attacking and capturing civilians. It was a downright invasion. As much as she and Michael wanted to send out their legion, they also had their hands full with the undead uprising and cases after cases of spiritual possession on their territories.

Regardless, people in the Underworld needed help, and neither Gabriel and Michael had good enough reasons to ignore. Thus, Gabriel volunteered herself to go down there with the Brave Saints, much to Michael's chagrin.

She would have listened more to Michael's concern, if not for the fact a pulse of energy signature that she felt all the way to the Sixth Heaven.

It was an awfully familiar presence, as she gazed at the empty space outside heaven.

"...Garou?"

...BRUH