Zodia and Alex continued to clash with power so destructive that it threatened the very existence of the Earth itself. The sheer force of their battle gave birth to countless natural disasters—towering tsunamis, raging storms, and violent quakes that rippled across the planet.
Kazuki, pushing himself beyond his limits, used his summoned dragons to form a massive barrier around the Earth, acting as a forcefield to shield the world from the devastation spilling out from their fight. Sweat poured down his face as his body trembled from the strain.
"I can't hold this much longer..." Kazuki thought desperately. "I'm going to give out sooner or later. This fight doesn't seem like it's ending anytime soon. Hurry it up, Alex…!"
Meanwhile, Alex found himself within his inner world, sitting before his demon without facing it.
"Hey, demon," Alex said, his voice steady despite the chaos outside. "You do know I'm going completely feral, right? Why the hell would you give me something I couldn't control?"
The demon stared at him in silence for a brief moment—then burst out laughing "HAHAHAHAAHA!".
"What? You don't like it?" the demon said mockingly. "You and your friend were giving it everything you had, weren't you? It only makes sense that I give you the help you needed. Besides… you said you wanted to protect the people important to you, didn't you?"
The demon's grin widened.
"To do that, you need power. Determination can only take you so far."
Alex smiled faintly and turned toward the demon.
"You're right," he said. "Power is necessary to achieve certain things. After all… that's the reason my dad sealed you inside me in the first place."
The demon smirked in response.
"You're finally catching on. I suppose you really aren't a kid anymore," it said. "You've grown quite strong."
Alex stood up and began walking away, but stopped after a few steps.
"You know," he said, glancing over his shoulder, "you never told me your name. Or rather… I never asked."
The demon laughed once more "Hahahaha!".
"Now that you mention it, you're right," it replied. "Since we've come this far, I suppose it's time. My name is Shenragon. I am the embodiment of the power this world upholds. I also reflect the nature of my user… which is one of the reasons why you're going wild in your current state."
Alex waved his hand casually as he continued walking out of his inner world.
"Well then, Shenragon," he said. "I'll see you later."
Back in the real world, Alex burst into laughter—a twisted, menacing laugh that turned into a scream and echoed through the battlefield "HAHAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!".
"I FINALLY GRASPED IT IN THE HEAT OF BATTLE, WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TRUE DEMON!", Alex roared with excitement and madness.
A far more powerful wave of demonic energy exploded from Alex's body, shattering Kazuki's dragon-made barrier into pieces. The dragons vanished one by one as the force overwhelmed them.
Alex stretched his hand toward the sky, lightning tore through the clouds as he forcibly dragged a gigantic blade of death down from the heavens. Thunder roared violently as sparks of lightning wrapped around the massive weapon.
Standing atop a mountain, Zodia watched in awe. His eyes widened, and then he began laughing joyfully "Hahaha! Hahaha!"
"Yes! Yes!" Zodia shouted. "This is truly exciting! You've amazed me, demon boy! Tell me—what is your name?!"
"My name is Alex Starion!" Alex bellowed. "That's the last thing you'll hear before you die, you motherfucker!"
"Blade of Death: Clash Catastrophe!"
Alex hurled the blade at Zodia at a speed far beyond light itself.
Zodia's expression turned feral.
"Let's end this!" he roared.
He clasped his hands together as an overwhelming inferno erupted from his body.
"Flaming Technique: Hellfire's Furnace!"
The flames consumed the battlefield, burning an entire continent to ashes. Alex's attack collided with Zodia's flames, creating a cataclysmic explosion so powerful that it completely obliterated Kazuki's remaining forcefield. The blinding light from the impact was visible across the entire world.
As the smoke began to clear, Alex was seen falling from the sky, his body reverting back to its normal form.
A peaceful smile appeared on his face as he fell.
"Mom… that attack was inspired by you.", he thought. "Even though we only met once, and may never meet again… I'll always be grateful that you had me as your son."
"Kazuki!" Alex shouted. "Do it now!"
Zodia, still suspended in the sky, looked down in confusion and saw Kazuki charging a massive sphere of purple lightning.
"Here—have this!" Kazuki yelled, firing the attack.
The explosion sent lightning tearing through the sky, illuminating the entire planet.
Kazuki leapt upward to catch Alex midair.
"I think we did it!" he said with a relieved smile.
But before he could grab Alex properly—
Zodia appeared instantly in front of him and plunged his hand into Kazuki's abdomen.
"Not," Zodia said coldly.
And with a smirk on his face, he called out "Soul Manipulation."
A purple glow emerged from Kazuki's wound as his soul was forcibly ripped out. Zodia kicked him down toward the ground.
"KAZUKI!" Alex screamed, trying to attack—
—but Zodia stabbed Alex through the chest with his bare hand and crushed his heart.
Blood poured from Alex's mouth, Zodia proceeded to throw Alex, slamming him into the ground, vomiting blood violently.
Alex looked up weakly and saw Zodia floating above him, six radiant stones circling his body. The stones shone brightly, covering the sky in blinding light.
Zodia's form transformed.
Two long demon horns emerged from his head. Black markings spread across his body. His left eye glowed blue, his right eye red. The Sword of Calamity in his hand shifted from yellow to deep crimson.
At long last, after years of waiting, Zodia had regained his full power as a god.
He sighed in relief.
"It was about time," Zodia said calmly. "I haven't felt this nostalgic in a long time."
Alex lay on the ground, blood pouring from his chest and mouth. Nearby, Kazuki lay motionless, his eyes wide open—his pupils pitch black. Alex weakly called out to his friend while he himself was bleeding to death "Kazu-KIIIII", he vomited out more blood.
Zodia noticed Alex was still alive.
"I'm done playing with toys."
He fired a beam directly into Alex's chest, striking the same spot where his heart had been crushed.
Alex screamed "AAAAAAAHGGG!", veins wildy appearing on his fae due to the pain Alex felt his consciousness fading.
"It's no use… my heart's gone. I can't regenerate it. So this is how I die," he thought. "Can't lie… I'm disappointed. But it doesn't feel bad either.
Sorry, Kinto. Looks like I can't keep our promise.
Raquel… I love you. Please don't die anytime soon.
Baraka… everyone… don't die. At least… not yet.".
Alex closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
Raquel suddenly froze.
Tears streamed down her face.
"Raquel?" Serena asked anxiously. "What's wrong?!"
Raquel's voice trembled.
"Serena… Alex… Alex and Kazuki—"
"What happened?!" Serena shouted.
"They're dead!" Raquel cried. "Alex and Kazuki are dead!"
Serena stood frozen, completely traumatized "What?".
Zodia raised his sword to the sky and formed a colossal sphere of energy—one larger than the Earth itself, larger than the solar system.
"I, Zodia," he declared, smirking, "the God of War and Calamity… declare the end of this world."
At that moment—
Humanity realized its end had arrived.
END OF VOLUME.