It seemed Mephisto had already guessed the hesitation in the hearts of the shipgirls. A mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Jie jie jie... I pity you. You hold such terrifying power, yet because of a few worthless humans you dare not unleash it. Truly foolish. I will make you pay for this so-called compassion, hahaha!"
His laughter shook the battlefield. Dark flames roared skyward, his presence growing more oppressive by the second.
Although the shipgirls were not his equals, even Mephisto had to admit their strength was extraordinary, far above that of his rebellious son, Blackheart. Yet they lacked the one thing Blackheart did not: mercy. They had hesitation. That was their greatest weakness.
As long as he held onto this weakness, Mephisto was confident he could subdue them. Once captured, they would sign soul contracts just like Johnny, becoming his slaves. With their power, he would no longer fear the Ancient One, nor would he need to honor his so-called agreement with Dormammu. Breaking oaths had never been a problem for him anyway.
The battle shook all of New York, and even nearby cities felt its tremors. Millions of residents stood on rooftops and in the streets, staring in terror at the heavens.
A towering vortex of fire spiraled upward, seemingly ready to pierce the sky itself. Waves of scorching air swept in all directions, flattening everything in their path.
"My God! What is happening? Is this hellfire?"
"Could it be true, like the rumors say, that hell is descending upon earth?"
"Look, in the flames... there are figures floating. Who are they? Angels?"
"I heard online they are apostles of the Lord of Life!"
"The Lord of Life? That new faith that's been spreading lately?"
"Does that mean the Lord of Life is real?"
"If it is true, then I am willing to believe!"
The spectacle ignited a wildfire of faith. Across the city, the people's attention turned toward the Lord of Life.
Roland Phils felt the change immediately. His believer interface shifted as faith values surged beyond imagination.
In less than half a day, the numbers had soared. Over three million casual believers, more than three hundred thousand true believers, over a hundred thousand devout followers, and even fanatics had risen to tens of thousands.
This explosion of growth was not just because of the battle in the sky. Effie and Vog had personally led the Holy Light Order among the people, saving them from the undead with divine miracles. Nothing was more convincing than salvation witnessed with one's own eyes. Videos of their battles spread rapidly online. Dozens of clips showed the Holy Light Order fighting demons. The names of the Life Church and the Lord of Life spread everywhere.
Jason Kin smiled. Who would have thought Mephisto, lord of Hell, would become his best helper? Without the chaos caused by the demons, it would have taken him years to gather such numbers.
But Mephisto did not relent. With a roar, he unleashed a tide of hellfire thousands of meters tall, enough to erase New York from existence.
"You are no different from those false gods, seeking to save useless mortals. Pathetic. Since you will not destroy this city, I will! Burn, burn until this city becomes a sea of hellfire!"
The shipgirls gritted their teeth.
"Damn it, we must stop him!"
"But how? To stop such destructive force, we must release power of the same scale!"
"That will only cause more devastation. He knows we hesitate, that is why he grows bolder!"
"Let me try!" Effie suddenly stepped out from a glowing gate.
"Effie, what will you do?"
"I can open a magical time-space barrier. It will reduce the impact on the real world. I cannot block everything, but I can lessen the destruction."
"Good. Then I will unleash our ultimate weapon, Apollo."
"Let us use everything we have. This time, we must kill him!"
The five nodded. The final battle began.
Effie raised her hand. The Holy Spirit Ring on her finger burst with dazzling white light. In an instant, countless hexagonal crystals formed, merging into a massive sphere of shimmering light. A shield enclosed dozens of kilometers of battlefield. From the outside, everything vanished from sight.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s base, Nick Fury stared at the blank satellite feed in shock.
"All visuals lost! Magnetic interference across the board!"
"Is this their true power?" Nick muttered, both horrified and relieved. At least they were not enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D. Otherwise, it would have been the agency's end.
Within the sealed space, Mephisto looked around with a frown.
"You even wield magic? I underestimated you!"
"You know nothing of our true power," Bismarck said coldly.
"You wanted to see us fight at full strength? Now you will."
"Corrupting Poison!"
"Ultimate Weapon: Apollo!"
"Full Aerial Bombardment!"
The shipgirls roared as their power erupted like a storm. The combined force was dozens of times greater than before.
Mephisto's eyes flared with killing intent.
"Mere demigods dare roar before me? Today, you will see what it means to face a true master of Hell! Die!"
Behind him, a colossal Hell Gate rose like a mountain, covered in evil runes and demonic carvings. Dark energy surged out, flooding the battlefield with countless undead demons. Their shrieks tore at the air as they rushed forward, but they were instantly caught in the violent collision of powers.
The clash shook heaven and earth. The magic shield cracked like glass. The shipgirls spat blood, thrown into the distant mountains, faces pale and breath weak. Effie's barrier began to shatter.
"It's no use... our strongest attacks still cannot match him!"
"My space barrier cannot hold. The energy will spill into New York!"
"We failed..."
Cracks spread across the shield until finally, with a sharp shatter, it broke apart. The destructive energy burst outward, ready to consume the city.
"Finished!" Effie gasped in despair.
But just as the wave was about to strike, the world shook.
A colossal column of holy light descended, wide enough to cover half the earth. Demons shrieked in terror, writhing as the sacred brilliance burned them to ash. Even those who tried to flee back into the rift were annihilated, only a fraction making it through.
At the same time, another overwhelming force appeared. A new magical space formed, wrapping the energy blast and erasing it in an instant. Silence fell.
The shipgirls and believers alike trembled with awe.
Their god had descended.
With a step from the void, a young man in white robes appeared. Behind him loomed a divine realm, three great world trees rooted in eternity. His radiance was blinding, a being that mortals could not look at directly.
All at once, the faithful fell to their knees.
"We humbly welcome the Lord of Life!"
"Eternal is His light! Unyielding is His flame! Invincible is His power!"
This was none other than Jason Kin, the Lord of Life.
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