"Fourth Destruction Technique (Forth Valkyrie) — [Astral Break]!"
With that declaration, a silver-haired woman suddenly appeared.
Her attire was nothing more than chains wrapped around her chest and lower body. As she spoke, the chains around her writhed and extended as if alive.
At the same time, chains burst forth around the figure who had slain the Demon King and transformed the Evil Goddess into a goblin.
Without warning, countless chains emerged from the surrounding air and, in the blink of an eye, had completely wrapped around the being, binding it tightly. Even the scepter in its hand was completely engulfed by the chains, leaving it entirely unseen beneath the layers.
One must understand—earlier, even the Demon King couldn't touch that skeletal creature, yet now it was completely bound. That alone showed how extraordinary this new arrival was.
This drastic turn of events made Yukino tense up once more.
Ever since she was summoned away from her original world to this current battlefield, her nerves had been stretched to the limit.
A normal person would've passed out long ago, but she remained strong, barely holding on.
In the next instant, a brilliant silver aura radiated from the woman, spreading like light in all directions.
In just a blink, the entire Demon King's castle crumbled like a sandcastle.
And it wasn't just the castle. In Yukino's field of vision, hordes of monsters—likely drawn by the chaos—began to shatter like glass, cracks forming across their bodies before blood sprayed out and their flesh fragmented like building blocks in a massacre of epic proportions.
Yukino turned her eyes to the new woman—scantily clad in chains, with bronzed skin, a cold and brutal expression, and even licking her lips with her tongue as if savoring some delicacy.
The scene was nauseating, and it gave Yukino one clear impression,
"A... devil?"
She whispered the word almost inaudibly, but the woman still heard her and turned to glare. In that moment, the very air seemed filled with lead—making it hard to breathe, and her body grew unbearably heavy.
"Huh? Calling me a devil? You've got guts."
The woman responded, sounding quite displeased.
By now, her chains had completely ensnared their target, wrapping it in so many layers it had become a giant ball of chains.
If only she had taken a closer look before sealing it, she would've noticed something unsettling—the hollow eye sockets of the undead creature glimmered with amusement, as if it were still waiting... for someone.
That was its real goal.
So, who is the true hunter here?
And who is the prey?
"Lady Valkyrie, the Goddess of Destruction?"
The weak voice came from the lips of the goddess Ariadoa, who Yukino was still holding onto.
Her words brought Yukino a sense of relief.
Though feeble, her voice carried both reverence and calm. Clearly, this newcomer was a high-ranking goddess from the unified divine realm—someone who had come to save them.
"Oh? Still alive, Ariadoa? I'd be so sad if you'd died~"
"Tha—"
"After all, if you were dead, I couldn't squeeze those lovely, soft breasts of yours."
As she said that, Valkyrie twisted her fingers unnaturally, cutting off Ariadoa's thanks and leaving her speechless.
Yukino, too, was left dumbfounded.
Could this goddess possibly have... those kinds of tendencies? What a terrible goddess.
"Now then—"
Suddenly, Valkyrie's expression darkened as she looked up at the sky, her face growing grim at the sight before her.
The sky warped, forming a mirage-like illusion. Within it, a familiar face appeared—long, flowing multicolored hair.
"Merseys!!!"
The name burst from Valkyrie's lips, filled with murderous intent.
"Merseys? The God of Violence?!"
Ariadoa's eyes widened as she forced herself to look up. Though it looked like an illusion, she could still feel that intense, evil aura—an overwhelming presence.
Merseys had been punished with divine banishment, and nearly all the gods believed that being could never return. Yet here she was, once again.
And within the mirage, it wasn't just Merseys—there were countless monstrous figures alongside her, clearly devils.
So, the God of Violence had allied with the devils?
Would the tragedy of the Divine Realm Unification War ten thousand years ago repeat itself?
Ariadoa was overwhelmed with dread and horror.
"Chronoa, hurry!!!"
Unease filled Valkyrie's heart. Merseys being here clearly wasn't a coincidence—chances were high that this whole situation had been orchestrated by her.
To be honest, Valkyrie wanted nothing more than to rush up and kill her on the spot. But because of the Twisted Staff, she had no choice but to endure. If Merseys got her hands on that staff, it would be catastrophic.
And at some point, the exit portal behind them had vanished, prompting her to call out urgently to Chronoa.
"Chronoa!!!"
But it was as if the entire world had been cut off—there was no response at all.
Damn it. If that's the case, there's only one option left: destroy the Twisted Staff at all costs—even if that means destroying this world in the process.
Was the world being destroyed simply because the destructive power needed to obliterate the staff was too great? No, that wasn't it.
Valkyrie planned to use the Valhalla Gate to consume the staff completely. But to avoid any unpredictable outcomes, she needed to destroy this world first.
Once this world is gone, its laws will cease to exist. Without them to amplify its power, the Twisted Staff's might will drop significantly—making it easier to feed to the Heavenly Prison Gate.
"Destruction Technique—"
Just as she began to chant, the entire world shook with unimaginable force—like the world itself had been struck.
And in truth, it had.
The sky shattered, and an inverted world came crashing down from above.
Valkyrie's face went deathly pale.
"Now choose, Valkyrie!"
Merseys's mocking voice echoed from above.
Just as she said, Valkyrie now faced two choices. One—unleash the final Destruction Technique and destroy the Twisted Staff immediately. But doing so would allow the falling world to collide with this one, triggering a clash of incompatible laws—like fire and water refusing to mix—culminating in an unprecedented explosion.
Considering the scale of both worlds, which were at least SS-rank, the resulting dimensional detonation wouldn't just destroy them both—it would trigger a chain reaction, causing nearby worlds to collapse as well in a cascade of annihilation.
So, if she wanted to prevent that outcome, she'd have to give up on destroying the Twisted Staff and focus all her power on stopping the impending collision of the two worlds.
But if she did that, Merseys would absolutely seize the opportunity to snatch the Twisted Staff.
Damn that monster. She wasn't giving Valkyrie even a second to hesitate!!!