In the Realm of Spirits, Aurora clashed with the demon once more, her light attack flashing as the creature closed in.
"You are quite the bad boy, refusing to die easily. And being a demon with instant regeneration only makes you more of a pain," Aurora complained.
The demon smiled menacingly. "I am not the one who will die. You are."
It launched itself forward, vanishing and reappearing directly in front of her. Its fist, sheathed in crackling dark energy, swung toward her face. Aurora caught the blow on the flat of her blade, the impact sending shockwaves rippling through the endless spiritual expanse.
"You know, in all the stories I have read, the villain always declares they will kill the hero. Yet in the end, it is the villain who dies," Aurora remarked, her voice calm even as she strained against the demon's relentless assault.
"In this scenario, you are the one who will end up dead," the demon snarled.
It suddenly disengaged, leaping backward.
"Why retreat?" Aurora asked, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "Are you afraid?"
The demon threw back its head and laughed, a sound so immense it vibrated through every layer of the Realm of Spirits. "HAHAHAHA! Afraid? I am not the one who will be trembling, crying, and begging for mercy on their knees."
A wicked light ignited in Aurora's eyes—not fear, but exhilaration. "Then let us see who will be the one pleading."
An identical, predatory grin split the demon's face.
They stepped toward each other and vanished from their spots in the same instant.
The air above shattered as they met in a midair collision. Aurora's sword met the demon's empowered fist. The resulting blast shook the Realm of Spirits to its core, threatening to unravel the very fabric of the afterlife. With each subsequent clash, the realm trembled violently. Countless ascended souls and native spiritual beings were erased from existence, their essence dissolving into the chaos. Endless dimensions within the endless realm cracked and collapsed by the tens of thousands.
All of this transpired in less than a second.
Aurora's blade flared with pure white light. She released a searing slash that cut cleanly through the demon's torso. Appearing behind it in the same motion, she fired a point-blank burst of light at its head.
The demon, already regenerating, jerked its head aside at the last moment. Seizing the opening, it drove a fist deep into Aurora's abdomen.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she doubled over, clutching her stomach.
The demon retreated, its mocking voice echoing. "Haha! How was that? Did you enjoy it?"
Aurora, still bent, let out a low, menacing chuckle. "Indeed, I did." She straightened, her body already whole once more.
The demon's eyes widened in shock.
Before it could process her words, a blade erupted from its chest. The strike was so swift that pain was a delayed afterthought. Aurora stood behind it, her sword piercing its heart.
The demon stared in confusion at the Aurora still before it, then at the one impaling it from behind. Its understanding dawned just as the image in front flickered and disappeared.
"I know you must be wondering what that was," Aurora whispered into its ear. "A mere afterimage, nothing more."
The demon had no time to reply. In the next fraction of a moment, its body was severed into over a million subatomic pieces. Yet, it still lived. Its form instantly reconstituted, wounds sealing, its Arch Soul healing completely.
"This is why I despise fighting demons," Aurora spat, frustration bleeding into her tone. "You refuse to die. If General Dómvalka were here, she would have erased you in an instant."
"It seems you finally understand you cannot defeat me," the demon taunted.
Aurora closed her eyes, drew a long breath, and released it slowly. When her eyes opened again, all emotion had vanished from them, replaced by a chilling, absolute seriousness.
"The real fun begins now," the demon started to say, but its words died as its body disintegrated into another cloud of atomic dust. The Aurora it addressed had been another afterimage.
The true Aurora stood several meters behind it, back turned. The demon regenerated, only to be instantly shredded again. This cycle repeated—regeneration and annihilation—over a million times within less than a tenth of a millisecond. Angels, demons, and Apostles possessed inexhaustible stamina, capable of fighting for eternity without rest, but this was a contest of speed and power the demon was losing.
Finally, it reacted in time, healing and raising its arms to block the next annihilating strike.
Aurora retreated without a word.
"Close combat is her advantage," the demon analyzed quickly, its eyes locked on her lifeless gaze. "I must keep my distance."
It backed away, dark energy coalescing in its palm. The energy twisted into a spear of pure destruction—a power unique to demons, capable of erasing both physical and spiritual existence. It hurled the spear at Aurora.
She did not move. Her blade flickered, and the spear split apart harmlessly.
"I see you can fully utilize your destructive energy. Not that it matters. Every demon possesses it," she stated, her voice flat and empty.
"I do not know why, but I feel relieved to hear you speak again," the demon retorted.
Aurora remained silent. Then she vanished, reappearing directly before the demon. It crossed its arms, blocking her swing.
"I will not let you turn me into dust again! I grow tired of endless regeneration!" it roared, lashing out with a counter-punch that Aurora effortlessly evaded.
She leaped back, creating space. Then, slowly, she raised her sword, pointing the tip toward the swirling spiritual sky.
Her eyes began to glow with a faint, ethereal white light. She looked at the demon and whispered two words that carried the weight of finality.
"Authority of Destruction: Vad."
An infinite number of small, white portals materialized in the space behind her, each one humming with latent power.
The demon's confusion lasted only an instant. From the countless portals, an infinite number of blades shot forth—not in sequence, but simultaneously, in zero time.
Its body was erased before the concept of pain could register.
In all of creation, only a rare few were born with Authorities—unique, supreme powers tied to their very being. Aurora's was the Authority of Destruction. It erased targets on physical, spiritual, and even conceptual levels, unleashing infinite blades that struck at her will. It could annihilate a single foe, multiple enemies, or everything in all directions.
But Authorities were not tools to be used lightly. Aurora's authority activated only under two conditions: when her opponent could not be killed by any other means, and when she harbored genuine, unwavering intent to kill.
The demon did not even have time to realize its end. Its form dissolved into nothingness, its Arch Soul utterly unmade.
Silence reclaimed the Realm of Spirits.
Aurora stood alone amidst the drifting spiritual ether, the last echoes of destruction fading around her. The threat was gone.