The atmosphere in the chamber was stifling, a suffocating weight of dark energy pressing down from all sides.
Valgorth and Malthus, the two remaining apostles, stood opposite Stark, their eyes burning with malice.
Stark’s muscles tensed under the strain of his previous battles, but he remained standing, his body fueled by [Double Assault].
His strength had been doubled, but even with this temporary boost, he could feel the immense power radiating from the apostles, closing in fast.
“Gulp…” Stark swallowed hard, watching as the apostles charged at him.
Their mythical powers surged, crackling in the air around them, leaving the ground in their wake cracked and broken from their sheer intensity.
“Hellbound Shackles!”
“Death’s Embrace!”
Valgorth moved with sinister intent. He raised his hand with a sly grin, and the air around his fingertips shimmered. With a snap of his fingers, thick, black chains erupted from the ground beneath Stark, moving faster than the eye could track.
“What—?” Stark’s eyes widened in disbelief as the chains snaked around his legs and arms, binding him tightly in less than a second. The attack was so fast that he hadn’t even had the chance to react.
“HAHAHA!” Valgorth’s cruel laughter echoed in the chamber as he watched Stark struggle against the bonds, “THESE CHAINS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF!”
“…?!”
“DIE!” Valgorth roared, barreling toward Stark with his fists glowing, flames dancing across his knuckles as he prepared to unleash a devastating blow.
For a split second, Stark’s heart raced in his chest, a flash of fear crossing his mind.*
He was trapped, and Valgorth and Malthus were closing in fast. There was no way out.
Stark closed his eyes, not because he accepted his death, but because he knew what was about to happen.
And at that moment of supposed despair, the Ultimate Clone acted.
[The Ultimate Clone has commanded EGO to use “Negate Explosion.”]
Suddenly, the demon-like entity that accompanied the clone let loose a pulse of dark energy.
It rippled through the chamber, expanding in a small radius around Stark.
BOOM!
Both apostles’ abilities were instantly nullified.
Valgorth’s flaming fists fizzled out like candles snuffed by the wind, and Malthus’s black scythe aura crumbled into dust as if they had never existed.
“What?!” Valgorth’s face twisted in disbelief as his powerful attack disintegrated in midair.
“Impossible!” Malthus’s rage flared, but before either apostle could react further, the Ultimate Clone struck.
The clone, empowered by the demonic EGO, lunged at them with a ferocious growl. Its massive claws tore through the air, aimed directly at the apostles.
SLASH!
The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber, forcing the apostles to go on the defensive.
The clone’s attacks were vicious and unrelenting.
Stark, freed from the chains (as EGO nullified ALL attacks), quickly regained his balance.
And now this battle could finally be fair: he squared off against Malthus, while his clone kept Valgorth busy.
The battle had erupted into chaos once again.
Sparks flew as Stark danced around Malthus’s scythe, narrowly avoiding its deadly edge.
The ringing clash of steel echoed through the chamber, their weapons/skills meeting with every swing. Each time Malthus’s scythe whistled past Stark’s neck, it seemed to graze just a hair away from ending him.
“You can’t dodge forever, human!” Malthus sneered, swinging his scythe again, barely missing Stark’s throat.
Stark smirked, his mind sharp despite the chaos, “I don’t need forever.”
“INVINCIBLE DODGE!”
Ding!
[Perfect Dodge!]
The world around him slowed. Time seemed to freeze, allowing Stark to think clearly and deeply as he observed his surroundings.
Every movement, every breath of his enemies was laid bare in this moment of suspended reality.
“These guys aren’t invincible. If I hit Malthus with the right combination, he won’t stand a chance. As for Valgorth… we can take him down once he’s stunned,” Stark calculated in his head, his mind racing.
Time snapped back to normal after a few seconds, and Stark’s eyes blazed with a fierce vortex of crimson energy. His aura flared, a tangible force surrounding him.
“WIELDING CROSS!” Stark roared, summoning the massive holy cross above him.
The divine weapon hummed with righteous power, its surface glowing with blinding light.
He swung it with everything he had, aiming straight for Malthus.
And even though the apostle tried to cut it down with his scythe, which he did, it still wasn’t enough to completely suppress the holy aura.
The cross slammed into Malthus with a thunderous crack.
-82483!
The impact sent the death apostle stumbling back, a grunt of pain escaping him.
But Stark didn’t stop there. He swung again, harder this time.
“ARGH—” Malthus let out a howl of agony as the second blow struck him even harder, this time not even allowing him to suppress some of its power, sending him skidding back several feet.
-213748!
Stark could feel the power building within the cross, the energy from the holy weapon surging with every swing.
[Holy Combo] was now in full effect, and he knew the third strike would be the one to turn the tide.
[Holy Combo (just a reminder): if you swing your strike twice in a row, the third strike will light up the cross with so much crimson aura that it will deal 200% damage and without fail stun enemies for five seconds!]
The cross glowed with a searing crimson light, radiating more power than before.
Stark leaped into the air, his body twisting in a graceful spin, “I’M ABOVE YOU!” he shouted as he brought the cross crashing down for the third and final strike.
SMASH!
The impact was devastating. Malthus was crushed beneath the holy weapon, the crimson energy exploding outward as the third strike landed perfectly.
-443612!
[Malthus has been stunned!]
The death apostle crumpled to the ground, momentarily paralyzed, his body limp from the overwhelming force of Stark’s attack.
But Stark didn’t take time to gloat.
Instead, he turned sharply on his heel and sprinted toward his clone.
The clone was locked in a brutal struggle with Valgorth, and Stark could see that it wouldn’t last much longer on its own.
Together, they could finish Valgorth before Malthus recovered.
“DOUBLE ASSAULT!” the clone shouted, its stats doubling as it prepared to unleash a final, devastating attack once seeing Stark approach.
Stark grinned, his mind clear with focus.
He raised his hand, summoning three of his strongest abilities in quick succession.
In one hand, a glowing yellow/red orb—the [Crimson Purification Energy Ball]—crackled with divine energy. In the other hand, the swirling giant fist of [Aura Smash Merge] gathered, ready to unleash chaos.
And lastly, above him, the massive [Spear of Judgment] formed, its tip burning with divine fire as it hovered menacingly in the air.
Valgorth’s eyes widened in terror. He knew what was coming.
Stark and his clone moved in perfect synchronization.
The clone attacked first, its demonic claws ripping through Valgorth’s weakened defenses.
Stark followed immediately, hurling the [Crimson Purification Energy Ball] with deadly accuracy.
-94728! (this is from EGO)
Valgorth staggered, his health dropping rapidly, but he wasn’t down yet.
“Crimson Purification…” Stark whispered as the energy ball exploded.
BOOM!
-323,482!
The chamber shook violently as the energy detonated around Valgorth. His body was thrown back, but Stark didn’t stop. The [Aura Smash Merge] was next, and he hurled it toward the apostle like a crashing storm.
-156,045!
Valgorth screamed in pain, barely hanging on, and even when he tried to do anything, either Stark or the clone would punch him out of his spell.
Before he could recover, the [Spear of Judgment] descended from above, the final blow, as it was infused with [Holy Infusion].
“Now!” Stark shouted at his clone as the spear impaled Valgorth, divine energy flooding his body.
-847,372!
Then without wasting time, the clone smashed the ground with EGO dozens of times, dealing damage to Valgorth.
-33623! -37214! -41237!
Valgorth’s health dropped to zero in an instant.
He let out one last roar of agony before his body dissolved into nothingness, consumed by the overwhelming power of their combined attack.
[Valgorth has been defeated!]
Stark stood tall, his chest heaving from exertion.
His clone stood beside him, its demonic aura still faintly glowing.
Behind them, Malthus began to stir.
The stun was wearing off.
And yes, all of this happened in mere seconds.
But it didn’t matter anymore. Stark and his clone turned to face the death apostle, their focus now fully on him.
Malthus’s eyes darted between them, fear creeping into his gaze.
Stark smirked. “It’s over.”
He raised his hand, preparing to unleash another barrage of attacks.
In moments, this battle would be finished.
