The Light Born in the Darkness (CH 45)

A/N: This story is rated M for mature content not suitable for children.

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Chapter 45: Pillar Lords vs Satanchia Clan

Underworld

Extra Demon Faction

Lord Sitri would like to claim that things were going smoothly, but that wouldn't be the truth. At this moment, he, along with Lord Phenex and their forces, was facing assaults from every direction by the Extra Demon Faction.

His adversary, whom he discovered was named Holika, was toying with him, creating a dynamic akin to a game of cat and mouse, with him in the role of the mouse. Holika proved to be quite a formidable challenge; her physical strength was extraordinary, capable of delivering punches that could crack the ground.

She appeared to excel at fire magic, effectively neutralizing his water magic to such an extent that he couldn't draw moisture from the air to generate water. As a result, he was forced to switch to a different element, which required more of his energy and put him at a disadvantage.

"Curse it, I had a feeling something was wrong," Lord Sitri reflected while watching Lord Phenex being brutally defeated. "I should have pulled back when I had the opportunity."

Holika scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she took a break from her attack. "Looks like you're not doing so well, pillar devil. I expected you to be tougher, but you’re just as feeble as a mid-tier devil in our Faction."

Lord Sitri's initial impulse was to yell at his adversary for the audacity to insult him. However, he paused to reflect on Holika's words, feeling a chill run down his spine. What if her remarks weren't meant to mock him but were instead genuine? What if the Extra Demon Faction possessed devils that were so much stronger than those in the Anti-Satan Faction that a high-ranking devil like himself would be seen as merely average within the Extra Demon hierarchy?

"Here I go," Holika shouted, tired of waiting for Lord Sitri to strike. She decided to take the initiative and said, "Catch this!"

A fire dragon emerged from a magical circle conjured by Holika, prompting Lord Sitri to curse as he swiftly erected a barrier around himself in an attempt to shield against the powerful initial strike.

BOOM

The fire dragon collided with the barrier established by Lord Sitri, leading to a rapid engulfing of flames that resulted in a powerful explosion, sending a large cloud of smoke into the air.

"You little rascal, I can't believe you made it through that," Holika remarked with a grin as the smoke dissipated. Lord Sitri was still standing, his barrier having absorbed most of the impact; while some of his armor was scorched, he appeared mostly unscathed. "You're tougher than I expected."

Lord Sitri muttered a curse quietly to himself, his body slick with sweat from the harrowing experience of nearly losing his life. He had to expend nearly all of his magical energy just to withstand that assault.

The pillar devil expressed his sorrow, reminiscing about the last time he had a similar experience, which was during the training of his daughter Serafall, who eventually became a Satan.

The realization that he was instinctively measuring his opponent against his daughter, who is among the most powerful of their kind, left Lord Sitri feeling despondent.

Out of the corner of Lord Sitri's eye, he noticed that Lord Phenex was struggling more against his adversary than he was, which brought him a sense of satisfaction. If they had withdrawn as he had suggested, they wouldn't be facing this predicament.

Lord Phenex vs Asura

"Why won't you just perish?" Lord Phenex yelled in exasperation, launching a furious stream of fire at his adversary, who withstood the attack and kept advancing toward him. "Keep your distance, you beast!"

Asura struck Lord Phenex with such force that his head was completely severed from his body. However, due to his clan's regenerative abilities, it quickly grew back. This revival was only temporary, as the massive devil unleashed a relentless assault, forcing Lord Phenex to continuously regenerate his body to withstand the onslaught.

"That's enough!" Lord Phenex bellowed, unleashing his destructive energy and sending Asura flying backward. "I refuse to be humiliated by a mere lesser demon."

Lord Phenex uttered those words, but internally he felt a sense of concern. His foe was unlike any he had encountered in the past; he were powerful, swift, and seemed utterly unbeatable. None of his strikes seemed to inflict any harm.

The battle was between an immortal being and a juggernaut, with one able to recover from any injury while the other was incapable of sustaining any harm.

Asura mocked with a serious look on his face, "Is every one of you pillar devils this feeble, or is it only you? If you want to run away, I won’t pursue you; it's beneath me to torment the weak."

"How dare you!" Lord Phenex shouted, unable to let such an affront go unchallenged. "I will ensure your demise and the destruction of everyone dear to you for this---mark my words."

The pillar devil erupted in a blaze of blue, red, and gold. Lord Phenex resolved that, regardless of his own fate, he would drag the devil standing before him into the void along with him.

Asura grinned at the conceited devil before him. While Lord Phenex possessed considerable strength, he had picked the wrong adversary---Asura, the unstoppable berserker.

"Come, little bird, show your power," Asura said, getting into a battle stance, his right hand outstretched in front of him in a come gesture so the Phenex would attack.

The two charged at each other, brimming with lethal intent, and their collision created a shockwave that sent their subordinates flying across the battlefield.

"Supernova!" Lord Phenex bellowed, conjuring a sphere of blue flames in his palms and shrinking it down to the size of a golf ball. "Perish, you wretched being!"

"Aura Fist," Asura declared, as a crimson aura enveloped his fists. "You die first."

The two locked eyes with intensity before launching their assaults at breakneck speeds. Lord Phenex sent his strike toward Asura, who retracted his fists. As the son of Naruto's punches became a blur, his aura-infused fists hurtled toward Lord Phenex. The two engaged in a fierce struggle for supremacy, neither willing to give an inch to the other.

Lord Phenex had his hand outstretched firing magic bullets to make his attack to add to the power of his supernova while Asura increased the intensity of his aura making it cover his entire body in a red flow.

Asura unleashed a powerful roar, causing his energy to surge until it became a blinding red stream. His fist moved in a blur, breaking through Lord Phenex's attack. The force of the impact created a shockwave, sending the immortal devil hurtling through the air before he slammed into the ground.

BOOM

"Damn it, Satan!" Lord Phenex swore as he rose to his feet. However, before he could fully regain his composure, Asura appeared before him, one hand gripping the pillar devil by the throat while the other delivered a punch with such speed that even high-class devils couldn't keep up.

Asura unleashed a vicious flurry of punches and kicks on Lord Phenex that nearly rendered him unconscious; it was only his sheer willpower that kept him from succumbing.

The pillar devil realized he needed to take action; his flames of rebirth were nearly exhausted, and a single blow from one of his foes could end him. In a last-ditch effort, he decided to unleash his hidden weapon.

BOOM

"What?" Asura gasped in disbelief as a sudden explosion erupted between him and the Phenex, causing him to be thrown back. He noticed what appeared to be tiny sparks flying all around the pillar devil.

"You've reached the end, you wretched fool. My true strength has been unleashed, and death is your only fate," declared Lord Phenex, exuding confidence as if victory were already his. "This is the power I harnessed to defeat my father and seize control of my clan."

"You seem quite confident about winning, especially considering I had the upper hand not too long ago," Asura remarked nonchalantly. He was aware that Lord Phenex's recent power boost could pose a serious threat, as he had felt the force of the last explosion, which shouldn't have been possible unless his opponent was at least at the level of a Satan-class devil.

Asura's invulnerability primarily stemmed from his maternal lineage; he did not receive the power of darkness from his father. Instead, he possessed a robust physique and harnessed gravity magic, which he utilized to amplify his already formidable strength, rendering him nearly indomitable.

Until now, only his family had successfully breached his defenses, either by employing special techniques or through raw power. This implies that Lord Phenex's attack might be of a comparable kind, prompting Asura to exercise caution regarding the pillar devil.

"Haha," Asura cackled wildly, "I never expected this battle with you to be enjoyable, but I'm glad to say I was mistaken!"

Asura appeared joyful for the first time since the battle started, sporting a broad, ferocious grin.

"As you've become more committed, I believe it's only right that I step up my seriousness as well," Asura declared, prompting Lord Phenex to scoff and dismiss his comment.

"You're just deceiving yourself, you wretched creature. You don't possess any greater strength than what you've already displayed; it's all just a facade," Lord Phenex remarked, doubting that his adversary could be more powerful than what he had demonstrated thus far. This led him to view his opponent as a potential Satan-level threat. If he truly had more power, he would be on par with a Satan-class devil, or perhaps even a deity.

What many people fail to realize is that each race has its own hierarchy and classifications, and when comparing them to other races, such as devils and gods, their power levels are not equivalent.

An average god would be comparable to a Satan-class devil, whereas a high-tier god would possess strength that surpasses a Satan but falls short of that of super devils, who rank among the top ten most powerful entities globally, alongside deities from both the biblical god and some of the Hindu ones.

"Hahaha, well it does not matter if you believe me or not because here I come," Asura roared. His aura exploded out of him, and a key appeared, showing that he also inherited his mother's key magic. With a sadistic smile, the key touched Asura's body, and his power skyrocketed as he transformed.

Asura the behemoth of a devil shrunk down to the size of a regular human teen, Lord Phenex looked at this in wonder he no longer felt the overwhelming intimidation as before but he didn't know if that was good or bad thing.

"Tsk I knew you were bluffing but to think that you would weaken yourself like this to keep up the act," Lord Phenex stated shaking his head he couldn't sense any increase in the man's body if anything he looked weaker "enough talk it's time for me to end you."

The small sparkling explosions around the Phenex erupted propelling him forth as speeds that only a powerful Satan class devil could match, he was now in front of Asura with his his fist aimed at his face glowing with his power.

BOOM

"What?" Lord Phenex shouted, as Asura managed to catch his fist, leaving him with injuries. His hand, where the fist connected, was scorched. "How is this possible?"

Lord Phenex was taken aback, as he recognized that there were only a handful of individuals capable of countering his abilities. This particular power, his explosion magic, is a result of him momentarily giving up his flames of rebirth and channeling all of his energy into a single offensive attack.

"Haha, that's pretty good!" Asura shouted with enthusiasm, and Lord Phenex recognized his obsession with fighting. "Now it's my shot."

Asura retracted his fist to unleash a powerful punch, mirroring Lord Phenex's movements as they faced off, trading blows that caused significant destruction around them. Neither fighter was willing to concede defeat, even as their bodies endured severe damage. Asura's burns intensified, while Lord Phenex, having used up his flames of rebirth, began to bleed profusely as he shifted his focus to offense. The clash had now turned into a test of stamina and willpower to see who could withstand the pain the longest.

Fast Forward

"I've emerged victorious, you wretched creature," Lord Phenex declared, breathing heavily as he loomed over the defeated Asura, who had reverted to his adult form.

The pillar devil had to concede that his victory was largely due to the fact that the opposing devil was more interested in relishing the fight rather than striving for victory, which resulted in a lack of defense and allowed more hits to connect.

Lord Phenex's triumph was fleeting as he sensed a menacing presence looming behind him, causing his hair to stand on end. Before he could react, an arm pierced through his chest and was violently pulled out.

"Curse it all," Lord Phenex exclaimed in frustration, blood spilling from his lips as he collapsed to the ground, battered and on the brink of death, unable to heal himself any longer.

"You truly are a difficult brother, Asura," Holika remarked with a sigh, dragging the unconscious Lord Sitri by his hair behind her. "I suppose I should tend to your wounds; after this war, you will be our valuable captives."

Holika set Lord Sitri down beside Lord Phenex and began tending to the wounds of Phenex first, followed by her brother, who was only slightly injured. As she worked, she observed her soldiers successfully defeating the pillar devils' forces, who had lost their resolve after witnessing the defeat of their leaders.

Chapter End

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A/N: The confrontation between Lord Sitri and Phenex against Naruto's children ends in their defeat and subsequent capture. In the upcoming chapter, the clash with the main pillar devil army begins. Given that Sirzechs and the other Satans have realized that their assault on the Extra Demon Faction was not a covert strike but a premeditated trap, the question arises: will they choose to withdraw or engage in battle?