While everyone else was getting ready to engage the endless army of demons, Miko was walking through the ruins of the capital.

“Haven’t we been taking too much damage lately?”

He asked himself.

“We lost Exsul which included a king, a queen, and our minister of technology. Now, this? It’s like we’ve become a punching bag.”

He said.

“Everyone is probably thinking that we’re weak and we lose this war, even if they don’t want to admit it.”

He stooped down and took up a piece of rubble.

“That’s great.”

He said.

“Appearing weak isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it have its advantages. However, that was the mentality of my old self.”

He crushed the rubble in his hand.

“I believe that destroying your opponent with overwhelming power is the best. Crush your enemy’s tactics, chances, hopes, and bones.”

He stood up.

“Crush them with superior tactics, weapons, personnel, and power. That’s the right way to win a war and ensure that another one doesn’t occur for a long time. That is the way I do things.”

He looked up at the sky that was filled with monsters of hell.

“That being said, this might be one of those cases when quantity beats quality.”

He started to think.

“First of all, I need to learn more about these beasts”

Miko immediately took flight and as expected he drew the attention of countless monsters.

“A child?”

“Hahahaha! Let’s kill him!”

Countless monsters raced to eat him. Miko coldly observed them as they approached.

“I guess just three will be enough.”

He said.

Darkness covered his body before condensing into a pill. He swallowed the pill and his entire body started to darken.

“Deus Malum: 1st Stage- Dark Apostle.”

He activated his ultimate technique with no hesitation at all.

“Holding back in a fight is plain stupid so I won’t do it. Besides, for someone with no emotions the side effects are nonexistent.”

He stretched his arm out in front of him. Darkness started to gather in his palm.

“?!”

The dark oppressive feeling of Deus Malum spread across the land and alerted every living thing for countless miles. This included enemies and foes.

Everyone began focusing on Miko.

“H-Hey….What’s with that aura that guy’s giving off?”

The monsters sensed it too and began to back up.

“It’s scarier than our masters aura.”

“Run!”

They suddenly started to scatter.

“Meaningless resistance.”

The moment Miko said that the darkness in his palm took the shape of countless serpent heads.

“It’s time to eat, Dark Hydra.”

Suddenly the serpents rushed out of Miko’s palm and chased down the demons like they were prey.

“W-Wait! Ahhhhhhh?!”

The serpents grew and began devouring the monsters. Some were eaten whole, while some were eaten from the waist up or waist down. Some only had the heads untouched while others only got their head eaten.

Either way, countless body parts fell from the sky and covered the ground. The monsters’ screams of fear and agony made it seem like they were the victims and Miko was the one from hell.

“Now that’s brutal.”

Alec said while watching Miko.

“I guess that’s enough.”

Miko said and called back the snake heads. There were barely any monsters left around him, they were all devoured.

Only a few were left.

“After some thinking, three might not be enough.”

He flew over to the monsters who were cowering in fear.

“Rejoice, I’ve decided to use you survivors as sources of information.”

He said to them.

“I will like you to tell me everything about your individual hells, who are the important figures in them, and your weaknesses.”

“W-Who would ever tell you anything, human?!”

One of the monsters shouted. Hearing him others joined him.

“That’s right! Don’t underestimate our pride-?!”

Before they could finish speaking Miko lifted his arm and several serpents suddenly appeared and devoured their upper bodies.

“You seem to misunderstand the situation.”

Miko spoke as the dead monsters’ lower bodies fell towards the ground.

“I’m not asking for your assistance, I’m just granting you a few more moments to live.”

The monsters stared into his cold, lifeless eyes, and saw nothing by a deep abyss of darkness.

“I will eradicate your entire species, I’m just granting you front row seats to witness this before I kill you as well in exchange for information.”

“Y-You expect us to help you after that?!”

A monster said.

“Your will has nothing to do with this.”

Miko stretched his other hand out and sucked in the monster into his grasp.

“What are you doing?!”

Darkness moved off Miko’s body and attached itself to the monsters body. It started swirling around its body before entering its head.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh?!”

The monster screamed and frantically tried to escape but he was unable to. After awhile his head suddenly burst and he died.

“I see. You knew quite a bit about Jigoku’s infrastructure.”

He threw the headless body to the side. The dark hydra then began to tear it apart and devour it.

“What I did just now is forcibly read his memories.”

He said to the remaining monsters.

“Of course his mind couldn’t take it and blew up. Do you get it now?”

Miko stretched his hand towards them.

“I can read your memories, I only gave you the chance to explain yourself because of the kindness of my heart.”

That was a lie. Miko can indeed read minds using the method he just used, but that has some negative affects on his own memories if he used it too much, hence it was dangerous. That’s why he wanted the monsters to give him the information willing so that he won’t have to put himself at risk.

He only showed them that method to strike fear into them.

“If you don’t want to end up like him….”

He pointed at the monster that was still being ripped apart.

“Then talk.”

The monsters trembled in fear and gulped.

“We’ll talk.”

Miko nodded.

“Good.”

Elsewhere.

After halting for a second because of Miko’s aura, everyone resumed battle as he interrogated the monsters from hell.

Nero and Lennox were clashing in the sky.

“Demon God’s Arrow!”

Nero summoned a bow and arrow that had a sinister look and fired it at Lennox.

*BOOOOM!*

The arrow ripped through countless hells residents and charged towards Lennox.

Lennox concentrated all of his Qi into his fist and challenged the arrow head on.

“Dark Hero’s Fist!”

*BOOOOM!*

The fist and the arrow clashed and caused massive shockwaves to spread across the and land. Mountains were flattened, forests were destroyed, and the sky shook.

Lennox emerged from the clash and charged towards Nero, who threw away his bow and charged towards him as well.

“Let’s go, Brat!”

He released his Qi and was covered with a sinister armor.

“Demon God’s Battle Armor!”

“Hahahaha! How nostalgic!”

Lennox laughed and said.

“Well, here’s my version which I created after being inspired by yours.”

Lennox’s body was covered with gold light.

“Tyrant’s Armor!”

He was clothed in a golden armor which looked similar to Nero’s.

“Ohhhhhh!”

Nero shouted in excitement. The two clashed with their fists and caused the world to shake once again.

*BOOOOM!*

Not too far away, Rouge was fighting Kirin who was using multiple regalia at once.

He waved his hand and arrows of various natures raining down on Rouge.

Rouge drew a white blade from his waist and thrust it forward.

“Demolition Arts: Detonation.”

*BOOOOM!*

Suddenly every arrow started exploding in order, going straight back to Kirin before he himself was hit with a powerful explosion.

Kirin flew back after being hit by the attack.

“Is a warrior of the Federation suppose to run from battle?”

Rouge suddenly appeared behind him. The next thing Kirin knew he was surrounded by countless magic seals. The seals formed a prison around him.

“Exploding Prison.”

*BOOOOM!*

A massive explosive devoured Kirin and formed a huge smoke cloud in the sky.

“Haaah!”

Kirin flew out of the smoke wielding a sword. He swung the sword down on Rouge who blocked it with his saber. The two then entered a battle of blades.

“Just what the hell are you?! You keeping taking my weapons of mass destruction like it’s nothing!”

Kirin locked blades with rouge and shouted.

“Hahahaha! What a brat who was born in a peaceful era know about mass destruction?!”

Rouge laughed and said.

His body started to radiate a red light.

“Let me show you true mass destruction.”

He kicked Kirin under the chin and sent him flying up into the air.

The red light covering rouge’s body then intensified to the point he looked like a red sun.

“Hm?”

Nero who was in a clash of fists with Lennox noticed it and casually slapped Lennox away and turned around.

“Is that bastard really gonna use it?”

He said.

He looked at Lennox.

“Well, Lenny Boy I'm out of here.”

After saying that he disappeared.

Lennox looked at Rouge who was like a burning ball.

“That doesn’t seem good.”

Rouge flew up to where Kirin was and floated right in front of him.

“Demolition Arts: Ultra Detonation!”

The ball which was rouge suddenly grew and exploded.

*BOOOOM!*

An explosion stretched for countless miles.

Waves of flames spread through the sky destroying countless monsters and reducing everything to ash. Even the ground directly underneath the center of the blast was reduced to a sea of lava. The sky became cloudless and it was as if even the air became scorched, because just breathing felt like your lungs were being cooked.

The scenery could only be called mass destruction.

“………”

Floating in the sea of lava, Lennox was speechless as he couldn’t move or talk. Even though he was hit by a mere shockwave of the blast, he felt like he was one step away from death.

Golden light covered his body as he activated his Irregularity to heal his wounds in a short period of time.

“Kirin…..”

He looked up at the smoke cloud in the sky where Kirin once was. There he saw Rouge breathing heavily and covered in burns.

The move he used was so powerful that not even him could escape the effects.

When he looked in front of him he saw Kirin floating in the air. However, he was wearing a broken armor and was practically roasted. He had smoke coming out of his pours and his facial structures were unrecognizable.

Yet, he was alive.

“The equipment of the Hindu Pantheon really are something else.”

Rouge said.

“Hm?”

He saw Sanskrit letter appear on Kirin’s head.

“A reincarnation spell?”

Rouge smiled when he saw that.

“So you’re abandoning this life to return to the samsara cycle?”

He approached him.

“Well, that’s a wise decision. You people of the Hindu Pantheon have the Avatar System right? If you use it, you’ll be able to become a Proxy again when you’re reborn.”

He pointed his sword at him.

“A word of advice that you need to remember in your next life.”

He smiled.

“Never cross the Dragna Clan ever again.”

He swung his sword and a cut appeared on Kirin’s torso.

*BOOM!*

Kirin’s body exploded ending his life.

Seeing that his enemy dead, rouge turned his back to him.

“That was pretty boring. Come back and fight me again after you’re reborn, but only if your stronger.”

“How cool!”

At that moment, Nero appeared behind him and started clapping.

“You were so cool, Rouge. I swear!”

He laughed and said.

He then pointed to the ground.

“But I think you need to know that you've turned the country into a sea of lava.”

“………”

Nero placed his hand on his shoulder, and showed him a thumbs up.

“Good job.”

“……….”

Miko who saw his country destroyed by Rouge’s attack looked down at the sea of lava silently.

After a while he sighed.

“It’s fine. The country can be rebuilt as long as the people are safe. Besides, we killed one of the enemy’s strongest fighters. Sacrifices are necessary in war.”

He said to himself as if trying to console himself.

“Now then….”

He looked back at the monsters he was interrogating.

“Good work. Thanks for your honest answers.”

He stretched his hand out.

“Now goodbye.”

The dark hydra pounced at them and quickly ripped them apart before devouring them. Miko of course had no intention of keeping his promise with those below him, that’s why he killed them.

He looked towards the south in the direction of the gate.

“Nargal’s inheritance, huh. The monsters didn’t seem to know much about it, but whoever holds this inheritance becomes Nargal’s heir, and as his heir they gain control over all death gods and underworld residents. This is what Julio Zebul used to control the underworld residents here.”

He said.

“The biggest problem are the generals from each underworld. As I expected, there were some really strong beings in those underworlds. If what the monsters said was true, they each are around Nero's level or higher. They are somewhat Higher Beings who aren’t affected by the world’s systems after all.”

Miko began to look around, that’s when he heard a painful voice.

(M-Miko, could you released that form that you’re using? It’s really eating away at our hearts.)

It was Lahmu’s voice.

“Bear with it. Fusing Deus Malum with your powers is the most effective method I have that can allow maximum strength without severe side effects. It also doubles my power which also doubles your power since your fused with me.”

He explained.

(W-We understand. We’ll try to bear it as long as we can.)

Lahmu responded.

Miko nodded and resumed looking around.

After a while he spotted his team in the sea of lava being protected by Echo’s barrier. He also saw that the enemy was safe as well. However, that wasn’t what he was looking around for.

“Ah, there.”

He immediately flew down and dived into the lava and began swimming towards the bottom. When he reached the bottom he spotted a building that was completely untouched despite the damages the country had taken. In fact, the lava wasn’t even able to come in contact with it. It was as if it was being protected by a barrier.

This building was the Imperial Treasure Vault of the Dragna Clan.

“Now then, its time to retrieve ‘that’. I’ll leave the others to deal with the Seven Moon Alliance since it should be crumbling pretty soon. I’ll handle Julio Zebul and his hellish army.”

Miko then thought of the possibility of someone on his side dying.

“If they die, they die.”

After saying that he entered the vault in search of a method to win this war.