"I only released a trace of my aura, yet you detected me. Impressive." The old man's face showed both surprise and admiration.
"No matter how much, anyone who dares to spy on our Lord's sanctuary will face judgment!" Bismarck's cannons floated around her, all aimed at the old man.
"Old man, report your name!" Icarus spread her angelic wings. Her usually innocent face carried an uncharacteristic coldness.
Beside them, Laffey and Enterprise activated their armaments, locking their weapons on the intruder. A powerful aura radiated from all four, shaking the air like thunder. Birds and beasts around them trembled in submission, collapsing to the ground.
This was suppression from the soul itself. Only the old man remained unaffected.
"Heh, so it's just a group of young girls. Your master is fortunate indeed. I almost envy him, but alas, I'm too old!" The old man chuckled, unfazed by their hostility.
Though he spoke casually, his thoughts were anything but light. He was the Lord of Hell, a being who had clawed his way to power over countless ages, through unending hardship and blood. Yet before him now stood girls who looked no older than their twenties or even teens, wielding strength rivaling his own.
It stirred both envy and greed within him. If he could make them his servants, it would be a great prize.
From his probing, three of them were close to Heavenly Father–level strength, with the smaller one just slightly weaker. Even so, on this planet they were top-tier combatants. With such strength, even he had to be cautious. What's more, behind them stood someone whose power rivaled his own.
For a moment, he regretted letting Dormammu handle Gu Yi while he came here. Perhaps it should have been the other way around. But now, it was too late.
Seeing his calmness, the shipgirls only grew more tense. Only someone with absolute confidence could remain so composed in such a situation.
Yet another strange detail unsettled them. The sinister aura that had leaked earlier was vast and pure, yet the man before them radiated nothing at all. He seemed like an ordinary elder. Had they been mistaken?
The shipgirls exchanged wary glances. Icarus, already in her Queen of the Skies state, whispered, "Don't be fooled. This man is no mortal. His power runs deeper than you can imagine."
"Oh? Then you must be the strongest of the four," the old man said with a faint smile, turning to her. "Such a shame, one so young dying by my hand. Why not persuade your companions to serve me instead? Become my loyal slaves, and none of you will need to die.
"Think about it. You are beings beyond humanity. You should rule them, not foolishly protect a race of weaklings long overdue for extinction. Why waste yourselves?"
At his words, the shipgirls' eyes burned with fury.
"You think you can tempt us? The only one who rules us is our master!"
"And you're wrong. We are not protecting humans, we are guarding our Lord's faith!"
"Our very lives were given by him. He is everything to us. You, a blasphemer of our Lord's light, deserve only judgment. Die!"
Bismarck's cold voice echoed, and the four released their full power. The heavens trembled as their energy stirred thunder and lightning, dragons of storm roaring through the clouds. The world within miles felt like doomsday itself.
"Hmph. Refuse a toast, and you'll drink punishment instead. You really believe your meager strength can rival mine? How laughable. Fireflies challenging the moon. You court death!"
The old man's kindly face twisted with malice as his true self emerged. A tidal wave of darkness erupted, consuming every tree, every animal, until all around was lifeless ruin.
At last, the Lord of Hell revealed his terror. His dark aura pressed down, overpowering the shipgirls' own.
"He's too strong!" They were shocked, yet resolute.
"Now, one last chance," he said coldly. "Submit as my slaves, or die."
The shipgirls' faces hardened.
"Dream on!"
"Sisters, fight!"
"All who defy our Lord's glory will be destroyed!"
Cannons and weapons roared. Endless beams of energy, poisonous mist, and bombardments converged on Mephisto. The ground shook with annihilation. His body was torn apart, reduced to dust.
"Is it over?" the four whispered.
A chilling laugh answered them.
"Impressive, destroying my vessel. But did you forget who I am? I am the Lord of Hell. A body means nothing. I can have as many as I please. Kekekeke…"
Darkness surged, and in the blink of an eye, Mephisto's body reformed, whole and unscathed.
"Now it's my turn."
His voice was cruel. He twisted his neck, bones cracking unnaturally, then erupted in fire. His pale skin burned away, replaced by crimson flesh. Flames burst from his eyes, infernal and eternal.
The world around them ignited, mountains and forests consumed. Screams of the damned filled the air as hell itself seemed to rise.
The four shipgirls unleashed their ultimate weapons, but Mephisto laughed, summoning a vortex of hellfire. Their attacks vanished within, swallowed whole.
"This is impossible!"
"He's untouched!"
"No wonder he is the Lord of Hell!"
Before they could regroup, he struck. A wave of hellfire smashed into them, sending their bodies flying like broken arrows. Blood spilled from their lips as they crashed into the mountains.
"You can't even withstand one strike, yet you spoke of judging me? Who gave you that courage?" Mephisto mocked, standing tall in the flames, the heavens themselves trembling before his might.
The shipgirls glared, ashamed and furious. Their attacks had failed, and even their strongest skills couldn't harm him.
"Maybe I have one last technique," Icarus said grimly, "but it would annihilate this whole city."
"No. Our duty is to guard our Lord's faith. Destroying the city would be betrayal," Bismarck shook her head.
"Then what now? Must we admit defeat?"
"Don't panic. There must be another way."
Their faces were grave. Against the Lord of Hell himself, the battle was only beginning.
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