The otherworldly realm—tainted by demonic magic—was now fully invaded.

Shadowy black creatures had completely surrounded everyone.

Only the space Ethan had carved out using Time Magic remained untouched.

Everywhere else was an inescapable sea of darkness.

"Damn it! At this rate, we're screwed!"

"What the hell are these things? Magic doesn't even work on them!"

Even the most seasoned fighters were starting to panic.

They had faced countless enemies before—

but nothing like this.

And when Ethan's Time Magic ran dry...

there would be nowhere left to run.

"Lumiere! Are you okay?"

Even in the midst of crisis, Licht couldn't help but worry for the First Wizard King.

Lumiere shook his head weakly.

"I... I'm fine. Just… my old wounds are starting to resurface…"

Back in the ancient battle with the demon god, his body had been shattered.

He only survived thanks to Secre's sealing magic, which preserved both his life and injuries.

But preserved didn't mean healed.

He was essentially a walking statue, animated only through the Elf Stone's magic.

And now, even that was reaching its limit.

"I'm sorry… I won't be much help now. My body… it's falling apart."

Ethan clenched his jaw, continuing to reinforce the temporal barrier.

But he didn't blame anyone.

This was how battles worked.

Even if you won once, it didn't mean you'd win again.

Just like in the original story—if you ran this battle ten times,

Asta and Yuno might only win three.

The rest was luck.

The demon hadn't lost because Asta was stronger—

he'd lost because he underestimated his enemies.

But now… the demon wasn't holding back anymore.

"Secre! Secre! How much longer?!"

Ethan couldn't hold back his frustration any longer.

He was worried about two things:

Could Secre actually undo the seal?

Would what's unleashed be strong enough to defeat the demon?

But Secre remained silent, her eyes distant, completely immersed in the Sealing World.

"Hah… the last piece."

She wiped the sweat from her brow.

Ninety-nine percent of the puzzle was finally complete.

She felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion—not just physical, but spiritual.

It was as though she'd been aged by centuries with every movement.

But what stunned her most wasn't the effort…

It was the image the puzzle had formed.

"What is this…"

The image showed the reversal of Yin and Yang, the collapse of Heaven and Earth.

Secre didn't understand these concepts consciously—

but the puzzle was transmitting the meaning directly into her mind.

In the dark skies of the image, she could feel an overwhelming terror.

Just a glimpse of it chilled her to the core.

This wasn't like the Word Devil.

This was far beyond.

"So… what happens if I place this last piece?"

She looked at the final fragment in her hand and hesitated.

Clearly, the nine bronze gates within Ethan's body were not ordinary.

They were an elaborate system of seals and locks.

Seals weren't always used to contain evil—

Sometimes, they were used to protect great power.

Ethan had said: "If this can be unsealed, the demon will be no match."

But he also admitted he had no idea what exactly was inside him.

And judging by the sheer terror she felt from this image…

there was a real chance they were unleashing something worse than the demon itself.

"Tch… but do we even have a choice anymore?"

With a dry laugh, Secre gently slid the final piece into place.

BOOM...

She instinctively stepped back, heart racing.

In an instant, the once-static image came alive.

And she finally saw what lay within the dark clouds above.

"D-De...Demons?!"

Her eyes widened in horror.

Although they didn't look exactly like the Word Devil,

she knew the type of creature she was seeing.

An endless swarm of demons, blotting out the sky like a plague of locusts.

Their numbers were uncountable.

"This… this is what was sealed inside Ethan?!"

One Word Devil had nearly cost them everything.

A thousand of them?

The world would be destroyed and remade hundreds of times over.

No one—no magic—could stop them.

Not in theory, anyway.

Because…

Amidst the swirling black clouds—

a single ember ignited.

Then dozens.

Then hundreds.

Like wildfire across the mountains—

The entire sky of demons was consumed in flames.

Within seconds, the swarm was annihilated.

Not a single demon remained.

Hovering in the center of the sky was a crimson Sovereign Sword, glowing with unmatched power.

Gulp...

Secre swallowed hard.

She didn't care if it was real or a vision.

She had just watched tens of thousands of demons

get burned to nothing by a single force.

"Was that… supposed to be a joke?"

SWISH!

As if summoned, the crimson Sovereign Sword descended from the sky.

Secre snapped out of her stupor, watching closely.

She wanted to know—

Who wielded the blade that destroyed the entire demonic horde?

But to her disappointment, the figure never turned.

They remained with their back facing her the entire time.

The vision froze, locked on that single frame.

"Guess I'd better head back… wonder how Ethan's doing."

She sighed and began to withdraw from the Sealing World.

But just as she turned to leave…

She felt something shift behind her.

Whipping her head around, her breath caught in her throat.

The figure—the one with the crimson blade—

was slowly turning to face her.

"He… he's looking at me?!"

-------------------------

Support me so I can keep bringing you more chapters! Your comments, reviews, and power stones mean a lot.

To Access 30+ Advance chapters head over to Patreon:

patreon .com / Samorash

~~Do leave a comment!