The clash between the two quickly turned into a fierce stalemate.
Esdeath's ice was violent, frigid to the extreme—freezing vast landscapes and erecting monstrous icebergs.
Kiana's void powers, on the other hand, were elusive and mysterious.
She teleported freely, using the void both defensively and offensively.
All of Esdeath's attacks were consumed by the void.
Both of them were powerful enough to take on five opponents alone.
Kiana relied on unpredictable techniques to deal with Esdeath.
But Esdeath possessed something Kiana lacked—battle-hardened experience, ruthless instinct, and full mastery of her own powers.
Their fight raged on for more than ten minutes.
The battlefield was torn apart—cratered with holes or covered in towering ice.
Esdeath slashed her sword, unleashing dozens of icy sword waves across the terrain.
Kiana, repeating her earlier trick, opened space cracks to absorb some of the cold attacks and tried to hurl them back.
But then she noticed—Esdeath was using the momentum of a rising iceberg to close in fast from the air.
Just as Kiana prepared to teleport—
Esdeath crossed her arms over her chest.
"Mahāpadma!"
The ultimate ice bloom.
It wasn't just freezing—the molecular motion in the surrounding space ground to a halt.
Even Kiana, bearer of the void's power, stops for a split second.
And that was all Esdeath needed.
Her sword struck true—piercing Kiana's heart.
Kiana's form flickered and shattered into glowing photons, vanishing before the stunned gaze of Room 23.
When Esdeath landed, she frowned.
At the moment her blade pierced Kiana, she had caught a glimpse of a golden flash in her eyes—something powerful and ominous.
"The Herrscher of the Void…"
Nanashi, watching the live broadcast, also noticed that golden gleam.
His thoughts immediately turned to the presence of the Herrscher of the Void.
Kiana: "Waa! I lost again!"
Esdeath: "That was exhilarating."
Nanashi: "Kiana didn't lose because of her abilities, but due to inexperience—her lack of combat skill and control."
Shinobu: "Kiana's power is incredible. It's fast and unpredictable, hard to react to."
Bronya: "Unbelievable… To gain such strength after just one Doomsday journey…"
Nami: "So jealous! I touched the Dresden Slate and got nothing!"
Saeko: "Same here. No reaction at all."
Suho: "Many have tried, but the Slate shows no response."
Silver Wolf: "I analyzed it. There's a special energy inside—that's what awakens abilities."
Silver Wolf: "But now, that energy seems scarce."
Aqua: "Feels like all the energy went to Nanashi and Kiana."
Aqua: "One of them has an S-level time ability, the other an S-level space ability—and both are Lv5!"
Silver Wolf: "Very likely. Even Suho, who's a king, only got an A-level Lv4 at first."
Hai Xiaomei: "Um… I'm also A-level Lv4."
Momonga: "It's confirmed. The Dresden Slate has been drained by the top dogs."
Nanashi: "Hey, it's not my fault. This power came to me on its own."
Kiana: "I swear I didn't do anything!"
Nanashi: "Ahem… At the very least, it still has enough energy left to support several kings and a few non-kings in the Suho's world."
Suho: "Agreed."
"Miss Horobi, where are you going?"
Ayame, still lost in thought over how to save Aragane, noticed Horobi. She stood up and moved to leave the room.
Horobi looked back at her calmly. "I'm going to plead guilty."
…
Knock knock!
The knock on the door snapped Nanashi back to reality.
"Come in."
The one who entered held a small flame in one hand, while using the other to douse it. She bowed slightly, then closed the door behind her.
Nanashi looked up. "What is it?"
Horobi said nothing. Without a word, she raised her hand and began removing her clothes—revealing her bare chest, fair skin, and a heart glowing with golden light.
Then she knelt on the ground.
"Lord Nanashi, please forgive me for my earlier insolence."
"...?"
Nanashi blinked, utterly baffled by the scene.
So this was about her defying him when he tried to kill Biba Amatori?
He hadn't even considered it a serious matter.
And now this?
Nanashi, encountering this kind of situation for the first time, could only respond awkwardly, "...Alright, I forgive you."
Having received forgiveness she never asked for directly, Horobi rose slightly, then crawled forward on her knees until she was right in front of him.
Amid the stunned silence, she lowered her head and raised her hands in a single, fluid motion.
"…"
Another one, Nanashi thought, stunned. Why do they all keep coming to me?
…
"M-Miss Horobi?!"
Ayame stood frozen, mouth agape.
This… this was her idea of an apology?
Ayame had heard of many ways to atone—but this? This was the first time she'd ever seen anything like it!
"This kind of thing…"
As the eldest daughter of the Yomogawa family, and its future head, Ayame was no stranger to the ways of the world.
But what Horobi had done went beyond anything she could have imagined.
She had overheard things before, but never like this!
Not to mention the sounds—loud enough to pierce walls, so vivid and clear it left no room for doubt!
After Miss Seitenshi, next was that mysterious woman, Echidna…then Miss Horobi…
Lord Nanashi… is truly not human.
…
When Mikasa and the other two returned, the "battle" still hadn't ended.
Mumei tilted her head. "What are Sister Horobi and Lord Nanashi doing?"
Biba Amatori was no longer around.
Now, Horobi and Mumei acted like sisters.
"..."
Vivi's cheeks flushed as she scratched her head, clearly flustered. "Nanashi is, um… giving Miss Horobi a massage. Let's just go shower."
Without another word, she dragged Mumei and Mikasa toward the bathroom.
Their bond had deepened through shared battles—and now, a shared desire to avoid whatever was happening behind closed doors.
Seitenshi simply shook her head and walked straight into Nanashi's room.
…
Unnoticed, another seven or eight hours had passed.
Nanashi summoned Echidna to begin the tea party.
This time, the witches were not invited.
Instead, he called for Seitenshi, Horobi, Pandora, and Kayo.
Kayo, having contributed greatly to the transformation of the world of faith, was to be rewarded.
[Ding! Ten minutes remaining in the Doomsday Journey. The journey is about to end!]
The Doomsday Chat Group finally received the notification.
Nanashi let out a soft sigh and rubbed his temples, a wry smile on his lips. He had let himself indulge too much.
He raised his hands to rejuvenate his weary body.
A golden glow surrounded him as he donned fresh garments.
"It's time to bring this to an end."
He reached for Seitenshi and Horobi.
The house around them slowly dissolved in golden light.
Moments later—
"I'm back."
Saiki appeared instantly.
Nanashi glanced over. He looked perfectly put together—neat, refreshed, and not at all like someone who had faced a calamity.
Everyone else had gathered.
Ayame and Vivi avoided his eyes. Mikasa's expression remained unreadable. Mumei, on the other hand, was simply curious.
"It's time to put all of this to rest."
The results were clear.
The passage of time in the Doomsday Journey could not be slowed by manipulating this world's time.
"Leave it to me now."
Time resumed its natural flow.
Nanashi would make the most of the final moments.
Golden, holy wings burst forth from his back.
He soared into the sky.
Breaking through the atmosphere—
He entered outer space.
All across the world, people looked up.
A blazing light—like a second sun—shone in the sky.
Golden wings stretched tens of thousands of meters wide, casting divine light over the earth.
Redemption.
"Kabane... they're disappearing!"
The moment the Kabane touched the divine light, they turned to dust.
Someone cried out.
"God is saving us!"
"It really is God!"
Few doubted it.
The wings of a divine being shone above.
The Kabane turned to ash in the light.
Even the infected returned to normal in the glow.
It had to be a divine gift.
It had to be salvation.
At the very moment the light bathed the world—
Faith surged from every corner of the globe, drawn toward the wings of salvation.
The Doomsday Chat Group received another notification.
[Ding! All Kabane in this world have been eradicated. The reincarnated Evil Cultivator has been eliminated by Nanashi. The apocalypse has ended!]
[Nanashi has obtained 2 million Doomsday Points. Saiki Kusuo: 300,000 points. Seitenshi: 60,000 points. Vivi: 30,000 points. Mikasa: 20,000 points. Mumei: 15,000 points.]
[The journey has ended. Do you wish to return?]
Nanashi, quite satisfied, withdrew his Wings of Redemption and returned to the ground.
Except for Saiki and Seitenshi, the others were visibly awestruck—the brilliance of his divine power still fresh in their minds.
Especially Horobi.
She had been completely conquered.
Physically and mentally, an unseen mark had branded her—deep and irreversible. She could even sense a strange stirring… low in her stomach.