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Chapter: Quercera

In the midst of this chaotic melee, no spell proved more effective than the Holy Prism. Thousands of beams of holy light lanced out, swiftly altering the course of battle.

"Mephisto, Midgard is one of the Nine Realms. Have you no regard for Asgard?" Thor fixed his gaze on Mephisto.

"Let old Odin tell me that himself." With that remark, Mephisto's expression turned noticeably grave upon the arrival of Forseti and Thor.

Especially Forseti, the leader of the Paladins, whose holy light was a power feared by every demon.

Mephisto couldn't help but contemplate. In truth, he had never entertained the idea of outright conquering Earth. He couldn't even set foot there, which made such aspirations utterly unrealistic.

What he aimed for was to create a perpetual rift in Hell, connecting it to Earth—a goal already ambitious enough, but now seeming to exact a far higher toll than anticipated.

Forseti unleashed a series of sacred prisms and then wielded the Sulfuron Warhammer, charging straight at Mephisto.

Hammer of Justice!

Holy light and flames surged forth from the Sulfuron Warhammer, catching Mephisto off guard as he battled ancient, immediately staggering him.

"I'll handle Mephisto." Forseti turned to the Ancient One. "See if you can seal the Hellgate, or at least delay its expansion."

"Understood." She nodded.

Forseti scrutinized Mephisto again. Through the Eye of Reckoning, he could clearly discern the power of this demon lord—level eight.

Clearly, this was merely a specialized clone of Mephisto. Forseti questioned if he could defeat it, and he possessed ample motivation, bolstered by several Divine Shield techniques.

After all, facing a demon like Mephisto, even in clone form, held a high chance of fulfilling the Holy Deed's judgment and earning him a spell.

Among these was the sixth-tier spell, Judgment, and the Guardian of the Ancient Kings—both formidable in their own right. Yet, alongside the Divine Shield, these two spells ranked among the most potent.

Of course, according to the Holy Deed, the most powerful spell wasn't the Divine Shield but the Reckoning.

While Reckoning boasted a higher upper limit of power than the Divine Shield, in most cases, that limit was unattainable—thus relegating Reckoning to the sixth-tier, falling short of the Guardian of the Ancient Kings.

Defeating Mephisto's clone might well grant him the spellbook of Reckoning.

As Mephisto rose to his feet, Forseti unfurled wings of holy light in all directions, transforming into a golden streak and launching himself once more. Wielding the Sulfuron Warhammer, he inundated the demon lord in dazzling divine flames and holy light.

Faced with this onslaught of holy light, Mephisto gritted his teeth, exerting all his might, barely able to parry, let alone counterattack.

It dawned on him that this clone stood no chance against Forseti and that only direct confrontation offered any hope of victory.

With this realization, Mephisto conjured forth a twisted dagger, its color as scarlet and radiant as his own skin, its sharp blade etched with intricate, cryptic runes.

Instead of thrusting it at Forseti, he stabbed himself in the heart with a backhanded motion.

The moment the dagger pierced his heart, scarlet flames erupted from within, spreading swiftly through his body, roaring as they burned.

Fueled by the blazing scarlet flame, Mephisto's aura surged dramatically.

Through the Eye of Reckoning, Forseti observed energy ripples flickering across Mephisto's form, escalating from the eighth level to the ninth.

Empowered by this surge, Mephisto raised his hand and unleashed a crimson beam of light.

"Boom!"

The beam's malevolent force possessed corrosive evil, capable of penetrating even armor forged from the hide of Dargon Goch, rendering defense difficult.

The corrosive force penetrated the armor immediately, causing Forseti intense pain in his chest.

Without needing to look, he knew his chest bore the marks of grievous injury, with repeated strikes in the same spot risking internal organ damage.

He healed the wound with a flash of holy light, then reached into the holy deed's dimension, retrieving a curved-blade greatsword glowing with a green radiance.

Quercera!

This greatsword, gleaming green, was Quel'Sera, the Blade of the Highborne—a renowned weapon across Azeroth, symbolizing the warrior's prowess.

Upon obtaining the blueprint for Quel'Sera, Forseti had initially overlooked it. Only after the Demon Slayer Sword's destruction did he recall it, prompting a recent request to the Dwarf King for its forging.

Quercera was renowned for its size, and he had specifically instructed Eitri to enlarge it, resulting in a sword so vast it could aptly be described as a "door panel."

Drawing Quercera, Forseti transformed the Sulfuron Warhammer into a fiery form, integrating it into his arm, then wielding the greatsword with the arm housing the flame of Sulfuron's Hand.

For the Hand of Sulfuron, such a greatsword proved perfectly suited.

Forseti swung Quercera at Mephisto, its terrifying force generating massive shockwaves through the air.

Mephisto conjured a dark red shield in an attempt to defend.

Yet, under the might of Sulfuron's Hand, Quel'Sera's power far surpassed his expectations.

"Boom!"

With a resounding crash, Quercera shattered his defenses!