Chapter 755: God’s Will

“Pierce through.”

After a relentless assault focused on the abdomen, Oliver’s quarterstaff finally pierced through the gut of The Burned One.

However, just like in the past, The Burned One showed no sign of pain, confusion, or any sense of danger, even with his abdomen pierced.

Instead, through the wound, he grabbed Oliver’s arm and unleashed an intense wave of heat.

Ssssssssssssssss──────!!

The ring spinning above his head quickly rotated, and the world was engulfed in a blinding white light. Everything around him was set ablaze and evaporated.

The darkness that lay heavy around them, the lava surging beneath their feet, and even Oliver were not exceptions.

In the midst of it all, The Burned One just stared at Oliver.

“······!”

It was truly impressive.

The willpower to stand even after enduring such trials, the stomach to hold firm in the face of humanity’s heinous sins, the fact that he was able to fight so effectively against him… All of it was commendable. Especially for an incomplete prince.

Yet, that meant nothing more than that. While he had improved, he wasn’t all that different from the past—

—Splurt!

A squishy sound echoed as The Burned One turned his head.

A dagger was lodged in his side. A type he had not seen before.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

The dagger moved so quickly it seemed like there were multiples, stabbing his side repeatedly. Right after that, Oliver reinforced his quarterstaff, tearing into The Burned One’s side, ripping out a large chunk of flesh.

Underneath the surface of his charcoal-black, cracked skin, burning flesh was exposed, erupting with intense flames.

“Not that······. What did you say?!”

Facing the torrent of flames head-on, Oliver responded with a question. While doing so, he tossed aside the torn chunk of flesh and swung the quarterstaff to batter The Burned One.

Perhaps because of the wound on his side, The Burned One could no longer hold his stance, and as he was pushed back, Oliver bent down and inspected the piece of flesh from The Burned One’s side.

Squirm······! Squirm······! Squirm······!

The burnt skin, the wriggling flesh underneath, and the flowing flames of blood.

Even after being torn off, the intertwining forces of life and death in the flesh still tried to return to its master.

Tearing it off hadn’t resulted in a complete suppression.

“Shadow.”

Using his wounded palm, Oliver called upon his shadow.

The blood-soaked shadow opened multiple eyes, gazed at The Burned One’s separated flesh, and after what seemed like a moment of contemplation, opened its maw wide, devouring it whole.

“Not a bad approach.”

Murmured The Burned One, who had been sent flying far off, as he started to approach again.

“If you seal my flesh like that by eating it, it will be hard for me to recover.”

To prove his point, the wound on his side did not heal, and blood as flaming as fire flowed from it.

There was no sign of recovery.

“The issue now is how long your shadow can endure it.”

The Burned One pointed out accurately.

It may have appeared as though Oliver’s shadow ate The Burned One’s flesh, but in truth, it had only swallowed and sealed it.

Even the seal wasn’t perfect. Unable to withstand the heat from the torn flesh, the shadow continuously tried to spew it up. Additionally—

Drip. Drip.

The heat that the shadow was feeling was also felt by Oliver, causing him to break into a sweat.

The heat of the lava, the heat radiating from The Burned One, and the heat from the shadow. Oliver was surrounded by an intense heat both outside and inside his body.

“You look hot.”

“Feels warm and nice, actually. Makes me understand why the angels descended to Hell.”

“A funny joke.”

“Glad someone finally appreciates my humor. Though it’s a bit ironic it’s a devil. Is that discriminatory?”

“Humor and bravado share the quality of shining brightest in the toughest of times······. In that sense, I can offer some respect to you.”

The Burned One lowered his head in a gesture of respect towards Oliver.

Oliver returned the gesture with a similar bow. That was how decorum worked. The Burned One even honored that decorum.

“In return, let me make you a promise. As long as you don’t fall, I won’t pursue the others. So give it your all.”

He wouldn’t pursue them. The statement could have had various interpretations, but Oliver didn’t bother to question it. He was simply grateful.

“Thank you. Then I, too, will do my utmost.”

To show his resolve, Oliver reopened the wound on his palm with a dagger, spilling a large amount of blood onto the molten lava.

Lava forged from The Burned One’s flames and heat.

The moment Oliver’s blood fell into the lava, it came under his control, and in that brief moment, Oliver drew out his chronic hunger, his life force, and the magic stored within his test tubes, imbuing all of it into the lava.

[Hunger]

Oliver’s hunger, life force, and the magic from his test tubes combined with the lava made by The Burned One, giving birth to several creatures.

They had large, balding heads with massive mouths stretched to their ears.

Long, thin necks like branches.

Skeletal limbs and protruding stomachs—a grotesque appearance.

“Hahahahahaha━!!”

“Gihiiiiihiiihi!!!”

“Kyaaaah! Kyahaha!!!”

Though they were creatures, they drooled over the lava as if they were starving, encircling The Burned One.

The scene only possible thanks to Oliver’s hunger, life force, The Burned One’s lava, and the blood mixed within.

However, it still wasn’t enough.

Even though hunger could devour anything, the ingredients were fire and lava, and it was impossible to bring meaningful harm to The Burned One, the monarch of fire and darkness.

“Freeze.”

Aware of this, Oliver activated his ability through his blood and ordered the lava to turn cold, the opposite of its nature.

Amazingly, the lava that birthed the hunger instantly cooled and solidified, spitting out freezing air in the process. As if it had morphed into liquid ice and snow.

“Aaaahhh!!”

“Aaaaggrrhhhhhh!!”

“Uhhhhh!!!!”

The hunger creatures screamed and looked around frantically.

To them, who had been born from the lava, this freezing cold was fatal. Desperate for survival, they sought heat and soon found it—

Even though the cold lava had frozen the surroundings, The Burned One radiated intense heat.

The hunger creatures, created from Oliver’s hunger and life force, raised their emaciated arms and swung down on The Burned One.

Wham──!

The Burned One waved his hand, melting the arm of the hunger creature formed from the cooled lava.

“Kahak!! Kyahahaha!!!”

The creature whose arm had melted looked at its stump and let out a maniacal laugh while shrieking.

Crunch!

It promptly bit into the stump, chewing and swallowing the heat within.

Ssshhhhhh─────!!

That wasn’t the end.

Among the many hunger creatures, one found a gap and lunged at The Burned One’s exposed side, opening its massive jaws and sucking up the burning blood and heat emanating from the wound.

Feeling his heat and flames being absorbed, The Burned One smashed the head of the hunger creature, and as its shattered remains fell, Oliver emerged from the fragments to strike.

Oliver’s quarterstaff thrust towards the side of The Burned One, who grabbed it to block the attack.

As the shattered remains of the hunger creature were eaten by others and used for nourishment, amidst this hellish scene, Oliver drew his dagger and stabbed The Burned One’s arm quickly.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Realizing that continuing to keep his arm would only lead to it being torn off like his side, The Burned One withdrew his arm.

As soon as The Burned One pulled his arm back, Oliver stabbed his exposed side with the quarterstaff again, widening the already gaping wound.

Fwhosssh!

Though the flames escaping from inside the wound burnt Oliver in the process, he relentlessly dug in further, cutting deeper into the wound with his dagger and tearing out more of the flesh.

The torn, charred skin.

“Shadow.”

And the pieces of dead skin were consumed and sealed by Oliver’s shadow.

Ssshhhhhh─────!!

The hunger creatures sucked up more of The Burned One’s heat through the newly formed wound.

Seizing the opportunity, Oliver invoked his power to heal his burnt injuries and launched another offensive.

Again, The Burned One gripped the quarterstaff. Again, Oliver stabbed with his dagger.

This time, instead of fending it off, The Burned One swung his remaining arm, deflecting the dagger while attempting to strike Oliver—but failed.

“Ahhh······!”

The numerous hunger creatures, screaming from their skeletal frames, grabbed hold of The Burned One’s arm.

A feat impossible for ordinary creatures, but the hunger born from Oliver’s life force, hunger, and blood made it feasible.

The most noble hunger, life force, and blood.

“It’s the same technique you used on the child with the flute.”

Hungering for The Burned One’s heat, the creatures opened their gaping mouths and drank deeply.

Slowly draining the heat away.

From within his wounds and the cracks in his flesh, a deep red and orange light gleamed, and suddenly, his body erupted in a massive inferno.

Click!

In response, Oliver raised his burnt right hand and snapped his fingers, detonating the White Flame, countering The Burned One’s flames.

───────────────!!!

Though it didn’t perfectly negate the flames, it was enough.

The hunger creatures, desperate for survival, had absorbed the remaining flames.

Amidst the eerie silence, as if all the sounds of the world had been burned away, Oliver and The Burned One resumed exchanging blows.

“Truly befitting of the Prince of Hell.”

Raising his claws, The Burned One slashed at Oliver, who dodged diagonally while countering with his dagger.

“There’s an irony in a being of such high status using unjust methods to oppress those beneath them. Don’t you think so?”

Holding back Oliver’s strike with one hand, The Burned One raised his other to punch downward.

Oliver narrowly avoided it, but The Burned One used the moment to regain control over the cooled lava by imbuing it with heat.

Just then, Oliver slashed into his descending arm, severing it, and once again claimed control over the lava. He didn’t forget to feed the torn arm to his shadow.

Now with only one arm left, The Burned One continued speaking:

“The Prince of Hell stands in my way.”

Fire burst from his severed arm, and a massive limb made of flames grew out, flying toward Oliver.

In retaliation, Oliver extended his burned right hand, unleashing the White Flame to block the fiery strike, and as he did, the hunger creatures made from the cooled lava joined in, devouring the flaming arm to nourish themselves while also attacking The Burned One.

Of course, their attacks were little more than a nuisance to The Burned One, but for Oliver, that was more than enough.

Amidst the myriad hunger creatures, Oliver seized the moment of distraction, aiming his knife at The Burned One’s exposed weak points.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Right shoulder.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Thigh.

Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt! Splurt!

Chest.

Piece by piece, The Burned One’s body came apart like a jigsaw puzzle.

Yet, despite this, The Burned One remained composed. Oliver began to grow anxious.

As his shadow consumed more of The Burned One’s body, the burden on Oliver and his shadow grew ever more intense.

Oliver’s broken body was reaching its limit against the heat of The Burned One. He had to deliver a more decisive blow.

“Hunger.”

At his call, the hunger creatures that had been relying solely on their hunger to attack shifted, pounding down on The Burned One, all at once.

Not to fill their hunger, but to assist Oliver.

Oliver didn’t miss a beat, channeling his emotions through the quarterstaff and thrusting it towards The Burned One. Predictably, he blocked it with his remaining arm.

Directing his dagger at the now one-armed Burned One, Oliver slashed.

Just as Jane, controlled by Fen, had stabbed Oliver, and later, Puppet had stabbed Kent, now in the final moment, Oliver struck at The Burned One.

But just as the dagger was about to slice his throat, Oliver locked eyes with The Burned One. In the span of a lightning strike, Oliver recoiled, letting out a silent scream.

“······!!”

Just by meeting The Burned One’s searing gaze, more intense than any fire, one of Oliver’s eyes was incinerated.

Without a trace of a joke, Oliver’s left eye socket sizzled with black char, smoke rising from it.

‘I… can’t heal it.’

Oliver panicked as he tried to use his power to heal his eye.

“You can’t heal it, can you?”

The Burned One saw right through him.

Despite having one arm missing, parts of his body torn out, and being buried under the weight of the hunger creatures, The Burned One still stood with overwhelming confidence.

As if this wasn’t even a crisis.

Oliver knew that this was no bluff. Unlike himself.

“But it’s not surprising. It’s perfectly natural.”

The reason being—

“This flame carries my power. Just as you cannot heal, it’s because I am the ruler while you are merely an unfulfilled prince.”

Oliver took another step back.

Not out of pain, but from the sharp, undeniable fear growing in his chest.

Realizing that, Oliver forced his reluctant legs to stop retreating, and charged at The Burned One, who was still pinned down by the hunger creatures.

Witnessing this, The Burned One stretched out his remaining arm toward the sky and commanded:

“Come to me, my sword.”

In that moment, Oliver saw it. A gigantic flame falling from the sky, as if piercing through a hole in the blackened heavens.

That fire incinerated everything below it. Descending into The Burned One’s hand, it took on the shape of a sword.

With the sword in hand, formed of living flames, he slashed, turning the ashen lava and the hunger creatures into dust along with the entire world, which surrendered to nothingness.