With a single sweeping motion of her hand, the Ruler of Death unleashed a surge of dark purple light from her body.
The light spread with astonishing speed, completely engulfing the section of the Netherworld that Elliot had torn open. He immediately noticed that this barrier seemed to lock away the passage of souls, sealing them inside. Countless spirits drifted toward the barrier, yet not a single one managed to escape. It was as if an invisible dome had imprisoned them within.
At that moment, the smile on Elliot's mask twisted into a half-crying, half-smiling expression.
To deal with one Unknown God, he didn't need to draw upon the power of evil spirits—his own strength would be enough.
[Unknown God... Unknown God!]
[Kill her!!!]
[Tear her apart!!!]
[They all deserve death! Slaughter them all!!!]
[Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL!!!!]
A wave of karmic debt roared through Elliot's mind. The moment the entities within him recognized the Ruler of Death, they went completely berserk—furiously invading his thoughts, desperate to seize control of his body.
He could feel their strength had grown tremendously, a clear sign of the mask's backlash.
"Not good... I can't fight like this..."
Pain throbbed through his skull as the mask's twisted expression contorted once more into a deranged grin.
He had to suppress the madness of the karmic debt within him, eliminate this obstacle as quickly as possible, and guide the souls of Ghizhong and the others to safety.
A surge of pitch-black mist burst from his body as the frenzied, bloodthirsty power of the malevolent spirits erupted. The nearby souls, drawn to the sinister aura, cheered and howled from below.
The Ruler of Death frowned deeply, realizing that this opponent was far more dangerous than she had anticipated.
In the blink of an eye, Elliot vanished from her sight.
Her eyes widened—when she saw him again, a blade was already less than three feet from her.
CRASH!!!!!!
A sharp crack split the air as the Ruler of Death was hurled backward by a single slash.
If she hadn't raised a shield in the final instant before the strike landed, she would already have been cleaved in two.
Elliot frowned slightly. He hadn't expected her reflexes to be this sharp.
He had put his full power into that attack—had it been directed at Morax, it would have ended him before he even realized he was dead.
His speed was now terrifying, to the point that even the Unknown God could barely track his movements. Yet to defeat her in a single blow was still nothing more than a dream.
However...
A few more strikes might suffice.
The display of power from Elliot's first attack sent a cold sweat down the Ruler of Death's back. She had never imagined a god could possess such overwhelming strength.
Facing him, she had no choice but to unleash her full might—anything less, and victory would be impossible.
Above that strange domain, their powers collided in a storm of destruction. The sheer aftershock alone reduced everything around them to ash.
Elliot infused his blade with the power of malevolent spirits, causing thick black smoke to coil around it.
A single slash from him carried both the corruption of malevolence and the Abyss. The Abyss's power, especially—something not born of this world—was enough to make even the Unknown God hesitate to face it head-on.
Channeling the dark power into his weapon, Elliot focused entirely on speed. His blade now struck like venom—it didn't need to kill instantly; even a scratch was enough.
The Ruler of Death could clearly sense the strange, tainted energy radiating from him, and it made her uneasy. The sheer pressure of his speed pressed down on her, her movements growing erratic and strained.
Sensing her panic, Elliot accelerated again.
His eyes glowed crimson as he pushed his speed to the very limit.
A shadow flickered wildly through the void, accompanied by shrill, piercing booms as the air itself tore apart.
The oppressive speed and power forced an opening—Elliot's blade grazed the Ruler of Death's arm, leaving a shallow wound.
"Corrosion!"
He commanded the malevolent energy to invade her body through the wound.
But he didn't stop there. Maintaining his blinding speed, he continued to strike relentlessly, forcing her further on the defensive.
The Ruler of Death could feel the Abyss's corruption spreading within her. Each time she barely managed to catch sight of him, the situation grew more dire.
BOOM!!!!!
A burst of dark purple energy erupted from her body, slamming into Elliot mid-flight and halting his advance.
She gathered two crimson energy spheres in her hands. The instant she hurled them, they ripped through the void at blinding speed toward him.
The speed stunned Elliot—he barely managed to evade them, the energy grazing past him as he twisted away.
The orbs struck a dead tree, and within seconds the wood began to rot and crumble to dust before his eyes.
Less than two seconds—and it was gone.