Idle Mage: Humanity's Strongest Backer
chapter-348

Ashton stared at the motionless form of the Demon God before him. The Netherworld was quiet, and the only sound was the slow, steady breathing of the demon. The Dream Spell had worked, and the Demon God was trapped in an endless dream.

He had spent countless hours perfecting this spell. He had studied ancient tomes, practiced his magic tirelessly, and sacrificed much to get to this point. It had been a long and difficult journey, but he had finally done it.

The whole set-up was a little anticlimactic for his liking, but you won't hear him complaining.

For a moment, Ashton felt a sense of triumph wash over him. He had conquered the Demon God, and he had done it alone. But as he stood there, watching the demon sleep, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He knew that he had taken a great risk by casting the spell. The Demon God was a powerful being, and even in his sleep, he could be dangerous.

'This is still a God after all. I might've made it look easy but in reality, even a small miscalculation on my part would've been disastrous.'

Ashton took a deep breath and stepped forward. He reached out and touched the Demon God's forehead, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his fingers. He closed his eyes and focused his energy on the spell, making sure that it was still holding strong.

"Time to finish this while I still can..." Ashton mused to himself. He held his staff and closed his eyes to prepare the spell.

Ashton began to chant, his voice low and steady. He moved his hands in intricate patterns, drawing power from the very fabric of the Netherworld. The Demon God remained trapped in the Dream, helpless and oh-so vulnerable.

There is a chance that this might wake the demon up but honestly? It was too late. Ashton had already begun to drain the god's divinity, drawing it out of him like a thief in the night. The Demon God writhed in agony, his body convulsing as his power was siphoned away.

Ashton watched with satisfaction as the god grew weaker and weaker. He knew that he had to act fast before the god could regain his strength.

With a final surge of power, Ashton completed the spell. The Demon God's divinity was gone, leaving him as vulnerable as any other demon. Ashton raised his staff, ready to strike the final blow.

But before he could do so, Ashton changed his mind.

"Killing you now would justify the crime you and your race have committed throughout the expansive universe." Ashton whispered, "But that's letting you off easily. You deserve to suffer as much as the other suffered. Plus, you'd be more useful this way so, yeah. You stay like that."

With the Demon God's divinity drained and his body still trapped in an Endless Dream, Ashton had eliminated the greatest threat to Elstar. He had spent years preparing for this moment, honing his skills as a mage to the utmost perfection. And now, he was closer than ever to achieving his ultimate goal.

The Netherworld had always been a thorn in Elstar's side. It was a dark, dangerous place, filled with demons and other monstrous creatures. For years, Ashton had worked tirelessly to push back the Netherworld's influence, to seal its portals and destroy its minions.

But there was one thing he had yet to do: completely expel the Netherworld from Elstar once and for all.

Ashton knew that this would be his greatest challenge yet. The Netherworld's hold on Elstar was already weakened but what remains of it held strong, and it would take all of his skill and knowledge to break it. But he was determined. He had come too far to give up now.

Ashton closed his eyes and focused, drawing on the power of the Netherworld itself. He felt the energy flowing through him, filling him with strength and determination. With a burst of magic, he unleashed a wave of energy that rippled through the fabric of reality itself.

The ground shook, and the air filled with a deafening roar. Ashton's eyes snapped open, and he saw that the Netherworld was being pushed back, forced to retreat from Elstar's borders.

He cornered the Netherworld far enough until it was on its last legs. Once everything was ready, Ashton infiltrated the place where the corrupted El-Tree was located with his consciousness to finish this once and for all.

Ashton stood at the opposite side of the Corrupted El-Tree, the final link between the Netherworld and Elstar. He knew that once he destroyed it, the Netherworld would disappear, and the Demons would no longer have the ability to infiltrate Elstar.

With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and began to chant the spell he had spent years perfecting. His hands glowed with otherworldly energy, and he could feel the power surging through him.

The Corrupted El-Tree trembled, and a dark aura emanated from it as Ashton's magic assaulted it. But it was a formidable opponent, and it fought back with all its strength.

Ashton gritted his teeth and redoubled his efforts. He could feel the sweat pouring down his face, his muscles straining with the effort of casting the spell. But he refused to give up. He had come too far to fail now.

The Corrupted El-Tree let out a deafening screech as Ashton's spell hit it with full force. The tree began to crack and splinter, and the dark aura around it dissipated.

Ashton let out a cry of triumph as the Corrupted El-Tree crumbled to the ground, its link to the Netherworld severed once and for all. The world around him began to shift and change, as the Netherworld disappeared, taking the demons with it.

He opened his eyes, and a sense of relief washed over him. He had done it. He had fulfilled his mission, and Elstar was now safe from the threat of the Netherworld.

Normally, Ashton would've celebrated his victory by collapsing and sleeping for maybe a week or two. After all, he's been exhausted from moving a lot.

Unfortunately, the battle wasn't over yet.

Ashton's heart raced as he felt the strong fluctuation from the Demon God's body. He had thought that his mission was finally over and that he could return home after so long. But it seemed that the battle was not yet done.

With a deep breath, Ashton readied himself for another confrontation. But what he saw next surprised him. A bright light emanated from the Demon God's body, and a spirit emerged, taking away the remaining vitality the demon had.

"What the fuck!?" Ashton exclaimed.

Ashton knew what this spirit was. It was the Holy Spirit, the third persona of the Celestial God. He had read about it in ancient tomes, but he never thought he would actually witness its manifestation.

'The Holy Trinity: The Heavenly Father, The Miraculous Son, and The Holy Spirit.' Ashton recounted inwardly, 'I've already dealt with The Miraculous Son back on the Blue Planet. Who could've imagined that the Holy Spirit would inhabit the body of a Demon of all things!?'

The Holy Spirit floated in front of Ashton, its form radiating pure light and energy. Ashton felt a sense of awe wash over him as he gazed upon it.

But then he noticed something strange. The Holy Spirit was feeding on the Demon God's body as if it were drawing power from it.

Ashton's mind raced as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Was the Holy Spirit using the Demon God's power for its own purposes? Or was it cleansing the body of the demon's taint?

He knew he needed to act quickly. He couldn't let the Holy Spirit run rampant and potentially cause harm to Elstar. He took a step forward, ready to confront the spirit.

Ashton stepped forward, his voice firm and resolute. "To think that one part of the Holy Trinity would appear out of Demon no less. Damn, could this day get any weirder?"

The Holy Spirit turned to him so he said: "I'll give credit where credit is due. That Celestial God of yours is one hell of a schemer. I'm impressed."

The Holy Spirit cocked its head, its form glowing with an otherworldly light. "The Celestial God's will cannot be denied," it said in a voice that echoed through the air. "I am here to cleanse this world of the Netherworld's taint and to restore balance to the cosmos."

Ashton felt a sense of anger rise within him. He had fought hard to rid Elstar of the Netherworld's influence, and now this entity was claiming credit for his work.

He stepped closer, his hands crackling with magical energy. "You have no right to interfere in our world," he said, his voice rising in anger. "We will not be pawns in your games."

The Holy Spirit did not flinch. "Your efforts have been noted," it said calmly. "But the Celestial God's plans must be fulfilled. You would do well to remember that."

"Ho, you dare speak like that as if you didn't know what happened when the Demon God when he faced me?"

Those words elicited quite a reaction from the Holy Spirit. Something that Ashton certainly did not miss.