Chapter 173: He Will Be No More
I fucking hate concept gods.
At this very moment, even a being as proud as Mephisto couldn't help but have such a thought arise in his mind.
It was because a being like Du Wa made this cunning and suspicious Great Demon feel a profound sense of annoyance and helplessness.
Take the current situation, for instance. Mephisto watched with his own eyes as hundreds of millions of Xenomorphs swarmed in, covering the sky and earth. If it were merely a matter of numbers, he wouldn't have cared in the slightest. It wouldn't have mattered even if every last low-level demon in this Hell Dimension was slaughtered.
But the moment Du Wa's consciousness entered the fray, everything changed.
A Xenomorph that looked decent at best—a super-soldier at most—suddenly became Du Wa's vessel. Its energy signature and the pressure it exerted on the Hell Dimension itself began to amplify at an exaggerated rate.
It was as if all the Xenomorphs scattered across countless worlds were funneling their power into this single creature.
He could come and go as he pleased, erupting anytime and anywhere, casually selecting a Xenomorph to act as a platform for integrating his concept. In an instant, Du Wa could transform it into a terrifying deity to bear the aggregation of his own being.
Mephisto had no doubt that even if he exhausted all his efforts to destroy this Xenomorph, even if he slaughtered every single Xenomorph that had invaded Hell, he still wouldn't be able to truly kill Du Wa.
Perhaps it would injure Du Wa at most? The kind of flesh wound that could be healed with a little effort. It would be like chipping an insignificant piece from the skin of Du Wa, the collective being formed from the very concept of all Xenomorphs.
"Concept… what an utterly disgusting thing."
Mephisto stared coldly at the Xenomorph slowly ascending into the sky to stand level with him. He could feel a heavy, oppressive weight from it, confirming that this thing had formed a natural connection with every Xenomorph in Hell, constructing a vast ocean of cognition.
"Of course, you can't truly understand what this means. As a demon, you've never had the opportunity to unify the entire concept of demons. You can only exist as a part of it… though soon, you won't even have that."
The Xenomorph's form began to distort, as if an acceleration button for its evolution had been pressed. It quickly underwent a metamorphosis, becoming... Du Wa, albeit one with the coloration and physical traits of a Xenomorph.
"I see. So you noticed long ago. Perhaps you've developed a keen interest in demons? The countless Hell Lords will also be interested in you…" Mephisto's expression was incredibly ugly, a mask of feigned composure barely concealing his inner fury.
At this point, Mephisto was desperately searching for a way out.
But no matter how he calculated, there was no solution. He couldn't perfectly expel Du Wa without sacrificing this Hell Dimension. The only solution seemed to be abandoning this Hell and fleeing, but that was impossible.
As mentioned before, Mephisto was no different from the likes of Dormammu. They were essentially Dimension Gods, with a large portion of their power being empowered by the worlds they ruled.
The longer their physical body was away from their dimension, the weaker their demonstrable strength became. They had to return to their own dimension to restore their combat power to its peak.
Even though Mephisto was a near top-tier Great Demon, in this respect, a Dimension God who existed as a physical substance could never match a concept god.
If a concept god like Du Wa were to encounter a similar dead end, to put it bluntly, even if he were truly at his wit's end, as long as he confirmed that retreat was the only option, Du Wa would unhesitatingly abandon the territory he had conquered and withdraw immediately.
As long as any information related to the Xenomorphs existed, Du Wa would not die. And as long as Du Wa did not die, all the fallen Xenomorphs or Xenomorph Heroes were, in essence, still part of the concept he controlled, which meant Du Wa had ways to resurrect them.
This was an extremely astonishing and terrifying closed loop. Although it was far from the level of a conceptual aggregate like the creator deities and the multiverse, Du Wa didn't think he would be unable to take down a single-universe-level demon like Mephisto.
"Even if I were to become the concept god of demons, I would be the first to purge you from their ranks. To take a step back, if I were to become the Satan of Hell, I would immediately unite all the Great Demons to kill you." Du Wa spoke terrifying words with utter calm. "Within my domain, there is no place for you."
"That's not what you said before. Attaining godhood has given you a great deal of confidence."
"No, even without godhood, I had enough confidence to take you out… I mentioned it once before, didn't I? I prepared several plans for the appearance of guys like you; I just never had to use them—there would have been a continuous stream of people standing on my side to block you."
Now, there was even less need for so-called contingency plans. His rank was high enough; he could just crush everything head-on with sheer scale.
Du Wa used this form, which bore his appearance yet had clear Xenomorph features, with perfect, effortless control. How could a concept god not be familiar with wielding his own concept? Endless cognitive chains extended from his body, binding and connecting to every single Xenomorph present. The next second, he launched an invasion against this entire Hell.
The entire Hell Dimension trembled violently.
Du Wa, carrying his immense meaning, information, and cognition, launched an all-out attack on Mephisto. The great battle between two single-universe gods had erupted.
Terrifying cracks appeared on the blood-red land, and magma like fresh blood shot toward the sky, only to be instantly solidified into mountains of magma within the particle vortexes created by the clashing energy.
But they were soon struck by the dissipating shockwaves of cosmic law and vanished into thin air.
This supposedly indestructible, large dimension, like a flower ravaged by a storm, went from glorious and beautiful to suddenly precarious.
The commotion even traveled outward, causing neighboring Hell Dimensions to tremble.
"What a terrifying guy. I can't believe that not long ago, the two of us needed to protect him."
Demon Strange glanced at the Shield of the Seraphim that Black Strange was using.
Golden-red magical lines formed a beautiful polyhedron, enveloping the two of them within it and defending against the terrifying impacts from the outside.
To be able to instantly cast a defensive spell of this level, with such astonishing intensity and scale, spoke volumes of Black Strange's strength.
Even knowing that the Shield of the Seraphim was hailed as the "strongest defense" magic, providing 360-degree, flawless protection against damage from energy, soul, dimensions, and more, in a situation like this, one couldn't help but worry about how long the spell could last.
Immediately, Demon Strange planted his feet firmly, using his formidable physique to stomp into the ground and anchor his body. Facing forward, he used the Ancient Body of Hoggoth, which was equally renowned for its defensive properties but primarily focused on resisting attacks from a single direction.
If Hoggoth saw me placing his power on the outermost layer to protect the Shield of the Seraphim, I wonder if he would throw a fit… No, who knows what Hoggoth's personality is like. Maybe he'd only get angry seeing a demon like me tarnishing his power, Demon Strange thought to himself.
"Protect? You're wrong about that. You didn't witness his battle with Ultron—oh, I almost forgot, you don't know who Ultron is. That's a form of luck, meaning that you, as a Sorcerer Supreme, avoided a disaster. If you had seen the process of that battle, you wouldn't be saying this."
Black Strange, while maintaining the spell, shouted loudly, "That time we teamed up against Dormammu, it wasn't us protecting him. He gave us the opportunity to step up and protect him. Don't ever get that backward."
"That sounds exactly like the loyal speech of a follower…"
"And you think you're not one? You live in his concept. Whatever you do, the only difference is whether he wants you to do it or not! Do you really think you can resist the 'boon' he bestows upon you? From my observation, the Vishanti have shown you no favor. They aren't fond of you and have never given you any extra magic power."
"If I could have earned the favor of the Vishanti, why would I have ended up like this, half-human, half-demon… No, more demon than anything else."
Demon Strange watched as the Ancient Body of Hoggoth he had summoned showed signs of collapsing under the fierce assault. His face showed no surprise. In his current state, even calling him Skyfather-level was a stretch. "But even if the Vishanti really liked me and gave me a massive amount of magic power to boost my strength, I couldn't afford the price… I'm not the Ancient One. I can't do what she did."
Demon Strange ignored the final collapse of his magic, focusing his gaze intently on Mephisto.
What a pity. In the end, this Great Demon was not a foe that he and his parallel-universe self could take down. Du Wa still had to be the one to act.
"Then all my efforts for so long, what was it all for…" Demon Strange looked down at his own unrecognizable body. He himself no longer knew what he was.
But no one ever mentioned it. Everyone gradually stopped caring about such details. After all, all sorts of strange and bizarre species could eventually become part of the Xenomorphs, dissolving into the Xenomorph concept. This was both the most domineering and the most reliable form of identity.
"You're already hesitating. If you're truly tormented by your identity, then just go become a Xenomorph. There's no shame in it. In these neighboring worlds, choosing to join Du Wa's concept is a cosmic-level form of political correctness."
Even in such a harsh environment, Black Strange let out a series of strange laughs, like a tourist marveling at the unique scenery he was witnessing.
He glanced at his parallel-universe self from the corner of his eye.
If he wasn't mistaken, Du Wa had probably already figured this guy out completely… and it was a conclusion reached as a mere afterthought.
He feared that in the end, this version of himself from a parallel universe would have to be grateful to Du Wa, because Du Wa had given him the opportunity.
That was just how Du Wa was. Completely opposite to Mephisto, who loved to use deception to the point of being infamous throughout the Omniverse, Du Wa always preferred to use open and direct methods to achieve his goals.
He was especially skilled at using relative power to guide the direction of major events.
Mephisto knew all too well how terrible this feeling was.
Facing Du Wa's massive offensive, he was unable to establish any effective advantage in his own territory.
To put it nicely, he was fighting on his home turf, with the empowerment of his dimensional power. To put it bluntly, with so many Xenomorphs charging into his Hell, the greater their numbers, the more it seemed like Du Wa was the one with the home-field advantage.
No one could comprehend the sheer, utter disbelief raging in Mephisto's mind.
A curse, containing the most extreme and vicious malice in the demonic language, was spat out by Mephisto.
Countless demonic powers resonated with the Hell Dimension itself, coalescing into one menacing, blood-red pillar of light after another, completely surrounding Du Wa.
Mephisto also used a large variety of magic; any attack he could muster, he used.
He even borrowed power from Cyttorak, whom he greatly disliked. He flung out "Cyttorak's Crimson Chains," which instantly replicated into countless copies, entangling Du Wa completely.
"A demon borrowing power from another, unpopular demon. The other Great Demons will laugh you to death, Mephisto. So much for your reputation."
Du Wa simply took out the Crimson Gem and pressed one hand against the endless sea of blood-red chains before him, shattering them all.
The part belonging to the Xenomorph concept, using every single Xenomorph as a nail, continuously hammered itself into this Hell Dimension. Du Wa was very familiar with this series of operations because it was what he did to his own universe when he advanced to become a concept god.
Now, acting with a higher rank, practice made perfect.
"Damn you, concept, concept!! You despicable human, you thieving Xenomorph…"
"Stow your impotent rage. Did you really think you could win against me? Otherwise, the moment I attained godhood, why didn't you attack with all your might? Instead, you chose to flee back to Hell empty-handed, praying that I wouldn't personally march into your Hell to settle the score with you. Then again, from a narrow-minded perspective, the body I first used is still on Earth, drinking water."
Du Wa's figure became incomparably immense, his voice echoing throughout Hell: "Now, you can use the power of a dimension world. I can use the conceptual power of all Xenomorphs and everything related to them! I have numerous Skyfathers and gods under my command, and they are all my power. With just one dimension, what will you use to fight me?"
This was different from the simple and crude absorption and plunder of power by a superior being from a lesser one. That would be underestimating Du Wa.
As long as a lesser being was among the Xenomorphs, active as a Xenomorph, then all the fruits of their labor were, in essence, strengthening the concept that Du Wa controlled. They were increasing Du Wa's overall strength, and this power could be perfectly wielded by Du Wa.
This was a natural, objective phenomenon, an absolute truth of the entire multiverse, the essential expression of a concept.
It wasn't that Mephisto didn't understand this, but he was unwilling to accept that his end had come so simply.
Boom!
Du Wa grabbed Mephisto's arm and tore it off on the spot. With a raise of his hand, a conceptual blade descended from above, pinning Mephisto to his own world.
All of his divine power was ground away. The magic borrowed from various gods, under the relentless scouring, eventually shattered like bubbles.
Mephisto was simultaneously squeezing out every last drop of power from his body and paying the price to those sources of power. Coupled with Du Wa's erosion of this Hell Dimension, the world's depletion was accelerating, and his body gradually began to show signs of decay.
After tens of thousands more confrontations, the many demons watched with complex expressions. They watched with their own eyes as Mephisto went from glorious and resplendent to battered and disgraced.
For Mephisto, who paid extreme attention to his personal image, this transformation alone was proof that he could no longer hold on.
The world trembled, the dimension cracked—all of it showed just how dire Mephisto's situation was.
But not a single Great Demon extended a helping hand. They were shocked by Du Wa's power and terrified by the strangeness of the Xenomorph concept, but they were also eagerly hoping for Mephisto to die quickly, hoping they could get a larger share from the corpse.
Such are demons. Such is Hell. But among the countless Dimensions of Hell, there will never be a Mephisto again.
(end of chapter)