With a sudden "buzz," as a figure appeared behind Robert, Damian's aura surged dramatically. His hellish aura instantly dissipated, but his power only grew stronger. Damian's face twisted with a menacing, mocking smile that was far from childlike. His palm gathered terrifying energy, shaking the entire mirrored space. In the next moment, Damian struck at Robert, coordinating his attack with the figure that had appeared behind him.
A thunderous explosion echoed, almost shattering the mirrored space. The shockwave was so powerful that Baron Mordo and the others were forced to retreat into a different layer of the spatial rift, unwilling to remain in the unstable mirror dimension any longer.
"Hmm?! Something's wrong!" Damian's once smug expression turned sour. During the collision, he had felt resistance, but upon closer examination, he realized the opposing force came from a powerful entity from the Hell Dimension!
On the other side, Lazarus, who had revealed himself after his strike, was equally taken aback. He had expected his ambush on Robert to succeed, but there was no sign of any effect from their coordinated attack.
"Hmm?!" As Lazarus stared into the dust cloud left by the explosion, he suddenly felt a chill. Danger loomed, and instinctively, he turned, slamming his palm toward the direction behind him.
"Boom!" Though Lazarus reacted quickly, he was still a fraction too slow. A massive fist, brimming with raw power and fury, struck him squarely. Blood splattered midair as Lazarus was sent flying, leaving a large trail of blood that dripped into the Lazarus Pit below.
"You guys really put on a good act, didn't you?" Robert chuckled as he watched Lazarus stumble, nursing a fist-sized wound in his chest. "You had me fooled, smashing your own body repeatedly like that. I almost believed you were as weak as you pretended."
"So, you were on guard the whole time?" Damian glanced at Lazarus' injury, his expression grim. He hadn't anticipated that Robert wouldn't fall for their ploy at all, especially considering their previous scuffle had been real. Lazarus' performance during the battle had been underwhelming, making Damian tempted to devour him to boost his own strength.
However, when Lazarus' true form stormed his domain in the Hell Dimension, Damian had no choice but to compromise. After negotiating and paying a price, he convinced Lazarus to join forces to ambush Robert.
Lazarus hadn't betrayed his own position lightly. After all, during their earlier battle, Robert and his allies had simply watched like spectators, not interfering at all. Lazarus figured Robert would never let him walk away, considering he was a Hell Lord—a title alone was enough to make him a target.
In reality, Lazarus hadn't come to Earth to replace Lars and play the good guy. He was here for revenge!
Though Earth's inhabitants might not know Lazarus' true identity, Damian, a Hell Lord, understood him perfectly. Lazarus, once a human from Earth and a devout follower of the Heavenly Dimension, had originally died from illness but was resurrected through Jesus' prayers, becoming a legend among people.
Because of his miraculous revival, more and more people began to take notice of Lazarus. Why was Lazarus, an ordinary man, chosen to be resurrected by Jesus? Why him and not someone else? As jealousy spread, so did the danger surrounding Lazarus.
People became obsessed with the idea that Lazarus might possess some special power post-resurrection—something that could allow others to cheat death. Strong individuals and even members of the Church coveted whatever power they thought Lazarus had. After all, if they hadn't received such a blessing, why should Lazarus?
Captured and subjected to unimaginable torture, Lazarus became the victim of endless experiments as people sought to unlock his supposed secrets. What was once a miraculous gift of life had become a curse. His faith in God and Heaven turned to hatred, especially since those who tormented him wielded Heaven's power.
As this hatred festered, Lazarus felt the pull of an overwhelming force from the Hell Dimension. That vast power seduced him, and before long, Lazarus fully embraced it.
He had no regrets about turning to Hell. Heaven had granted him a second life, but Hell offered him eternal life and immense power.
Lazarus' connection to both Heaven and Earth made him a valuable target for Hell, and they exploited his fame to discredit Heaven. His power even surpassed many of the fallen angels.
However, despite his immense power and endless life, Lazarus couldn't shake his desire for revenge against Earth.
Now, having taken years to prepare for his return, Lazarus knew that as long as Robert and his allies were around, his revenge would be impossible.
Damian used this very point to convince Lazarus to ally with him. The two didn't need Lazarus to invest much—just enough power to help Damian take down Robert. Yet despite their preparations, Robert remained unaffected by their plot.
From the moment Lazarus appeared, Robert had never trusted him at all.
In fact, Robert despised Hell Lords, considering them nothing but trouble.
"Shing!" Without responding to Damian's query, Robert seized the opportunity to attack Lazarus while he was injured, aiming to eliminate him quickly. With Lazarus gone, Robert could focus solely on Damian.
Why would Robert give up the chance to fight both Hell Lords at once? Even Clark and Diana weren't allowed to step in. Robert wanted the thrill of this battle for himself!
"Boom!" Before Lazarus could react, Robert launched him across the battlefield again. Neither he nor Damian had expected Robert to be more underhanded than the Hell Lords themselves. Lazarus, caught off guard, was at a disadvantage.
"Damn it! You're asking for death!" Lazarus roared as he crashed into the earth, his fury rising. Originally, he hadn't planned to put much effort into the fight, knowing the cost of using too much power in his mortal vessel. But Robert's relentless assault pushed Lazarus to his limit.
At that moment, Lazarus decided to activate the power Damian had provided as payment. After all, if he was going to lose his mortal vessel, he might as well go all-in.
"Boom!" In an instant, Lazarus' energy erupted, shaking the battlefield and sending debris flying.
"Damn, that's steep!" Lazarus grimaced, his wounds healing instantly. Yet his expression darkened. After exchanging power with Earth's dimensional awareness, he realized how much he had been fleeced—seventy percent of his original strength taken as a "fee"! Still, resistance was futile; no Hell Lord could challenge a dimension's awareness on its own turf.
"You think I reincarnated just to avoid middleman fees?" Damian said as he intercepted Robert, stopping him from finishing Lazarus off.
"Let's kill this guy! It looks like Superman and that Olympian demigod aren't planning to interfere! They're giving us this chance, so we need to seize it!" Lazarus telepathically communicated to Damian, his eyes glinting with determination as he glanced at Clark and Diana.
"Boom!" Damian didn't respond verbally. He was already engaged in combat with Robert, and their clash sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
Seizing the moment, Lazarus joined the fray, turning it into a two-against-one fight. Together, the two Hell Lords aimed to overwhelm Robert and end the fight decisively.
The combined might of two Hell Lords was truly formidable, especially since Damian seemed to have pushed past his limits, defying the Earth dimension's rules.
"Smack!" In one fierce exchange, Damian landed a powerful blow, sending Robert flying and causing him to cough up blood. Yet instead of weakening, Robert only grew more excited.
"Yes! That's the feeling! Come on, keep it up!" Robert's battle aura became palpable, forming an almost tangible field around him. With renewed vigor, he prepared to battle both Hell Lords to the bitter end.
The fight raged on. Hundreds of strikes were exchanged, blood splattering the battlefield. Some of the blood belonged to Robert, some to Lazarus, but none to Damian.
Despite his childlike appearance, Damian's power was immense. Lazarus, on the other hand, was struggling to keep up, his wounds growing more severe.
"Push him back! I need a moment to recover!" Lazarus telepathically urged Damian, his frustration evident.
"You think I don't want to? Haven't you noticed this guy hasn't taken a single step back since the fight began?" Damian snapped back.
"I hadn't…" Lazarus, weaker than Robert, had no idea how relentless his opponent truly was.
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