Chapter 25 – I Really Do Have a Holy Soul
While Daniel Drumm was on the verge of complete defeat under Belath's assaults, the Avengers finally reacted.
"Should we help?"
"You're asking that now!?" Tony shouted.
Switched into the Mark 17 – Heartbreaker armor, he was the first to take off.
The high-caliber particle cannon on his chest lit up, firing a plasma beam that directly hit Belath.
The damage wasn't significant.
But the attack did interrupt one of Belath's strikes, the first real effect Tony had since the beginning of the battle.
The other Avengers didn't waste time.
With the support of the Light Body Spell that Daniel had previously cast, they gained exceptional physical strength, similar to Hulk's, and the ability to leap dozens of meters.
They couldn't fly, but they could jump straight into hell.
The problem?
The damage was still negligible.
They struck, they tried, they fought, but Belath remained unmoved.
Like a mountain.
No matter how many blows they delivered, he didn't even flinch.
---
"Enough already!"
"You noisy, stinking insects!"
Belath's composure snapped.
Even though the attacks couldn't stop him, the constant nuisance drove him mad.
All those Avengers like a swarm of mosquitoes, annoying and ineffective.
He raised a finger and pointed it straight at Tony Stark.
"You first."
In the next moment, a combat blade ten meters long swung directly at Iron Man.
"Oh, no..."
Tony barely had time to flinch.
His HUD beeped red.
But before the strike landed, everything went black.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
---
The shadows of all nearby objects, buildings, vehicles, destroyed battlefield debris, began to merge, spread, twist, and finally completely engulf the area around Belath.
A sphere of absolute darkness was formed.
Belath found himself trapped at its center.
---
"Rik!"
"Hulk's shadow! Don't go!!" Hulk shouted, watching his own shadow flee from him, pulling its legs like it had a will of its own.
He started to follow it, completely unaware of what was really happening.
The Avengers stood stunned.
Tony stared into the expanding darkness.
"What the hell am I looking at...?"
He watched his shadow disappear beneath him.
Scientific explanation? Optical phenomenon?
Obstruction by an object? Light absorption?
None of that was enough.
After all, he had already seen magic.
If he could accept portals, charms, and flying sorcerers, he could survive shadows running off on their own.
Meanwhile, Daniel, bloody and wounded, finally sighed in relief and withdrew from the front line.
He began assessing his injuries, hoping for just one thing:
That someone else would take his place.
And it seemed that someone just did.
---
Inside the dark realm.
Belath, who had originally raised his blade to strike, saw the darkness around him.
He slowly lowered the combat blade in his hand.
"Looks like you have more than one power."
"Have you deceived anyone else?"
Belath looked in one direction.
Soon, a figure emerged from the darkness.
Aron.
Or rather… is he called Mordo?
Belath didn't care about human names.
He was only curious what exactly this person was trying to do.
"What do you mean deceived?"
"The cooperation was going just fine, but there was a little mishap."
Aron still had traces of demon on him, but he had already abandoned the active form.
Now he seemed calm, even though he knew he was facing a Lord of Hell.
"Looks like you're not here to fight."
"What are you planning? To surrender?"
Seeing that Aron had dropped his demonic form, Belath mocked him.
Aron's power was strong for ordinary demons.
But in Belath's eyes?
Still nothing.
Aron knew where he stood. His current power, though impressive for common demons, wasn't nearly enough to bring down Belath.
He only had partial power of the Shadow Demon, with a fragmented demonic force he had collected.
But Aron didn't panic!
Because in his pocket, he had a card with a drawn exorcism ritual, which could be activated at any moment!
"System, can you make my holy soul a bit more visible?"
Aron's voice had just fallen.
And immediately, behind Aron, a radiant, misty light appeared.
Pure. Bright.
It enveloped his body, giving him the appearance of a saint.
"Beautifully done."
In his heart, Aron praised the system's work.
Then he looked at Belath.
The effect was immediate.
The Lord of Hell was… stunned.
For a moment, he stared, silent.
That light.
That glow.
Something he hadn't seen in millennia.
"You... You really have a holy soul?"
Before that.
Belath always thought the so-called "holy soul" was fake.
After all, most demons who were deceived were minor characters who had never seen the world.
What holy souls could they possibly recognize?
But now…
Belath's eyes gradually turned greedy.
The last time such a soul appeared on Earth, over two thousand years ago... his name was Jesus.
And then, the heavens trembled, and Hell fell silent.
He saw the greedy look in Belath's eyes.
Aron smiled.
He knew that look.
It was the same one he had seen many times when lying, cheating, pretending…
It was the look: "I want to have you."
"Actually, you're the true object of my devotion."
"I've performed so many summoning ceremonies just to meet you, Great…"
The smile on Aron's face froze.
Crap, I forgot, what's this guy's name again?
Luckily, Belath didn't care.
It was enough for him to hear that someone with a true holy soul wanted HIM.
For demons, souls aren't trophies.
They are power, currency, ascension.
If he took that soul…
He would become a true powerhouse on the level of the Heavenly Father!
"You want... to make a deal with me?"
Belath stared straight at Aron, the greed in his eyes not even hidden.
As Aron felt a slight unease in his stomach, he knew he had to keep going.
"Exactly!"
"Those ordinary demons didn't deserve my soul at all!"
"That's why I deceived them!"
"Because only a mighty Lord of Hell like you deserves to have the purest soul in the world!"
Putting aside those messy thoughts, Aron began speaking nonsense.
He spoke convincingly.
A perfectly told lie.
A perfectly manipulated truth.