Second World
chapter-1975

"Damn you...!!" Wrath cursed.

Giant fiery claws assailed Master. Master tried his best to fight back but had to retreat every time the claw crashed into him.

Master didn't find this surprising. The power of a veteran divine being was indeed too much for a fledgling God like him. Even so, he was ecstatic. Before this, he could do nothing against such divine power. Now, he could face them head-on.

"I will wipe that smile off your face...!" Wrath shouted in fury. Her assaults became more frenzied.

"You should watch your back," Master uttered.

Wrath suddenly found herself enveloped by a multicolor aura. This multicolor aura turned into several tentacles that wrapped around her body. She was being pulled away from Master.

"Wrath!" Greed called.

Greed, Serenity, and Love came to Wrath's rescue. But before they could do anything, they found themselves getting washed over by the multicolor wave as well. They couldn't fight the power. They were forced to the ground below.

The wave carried all four of them and slammed them into the ground. The multicolor energy remained there, acting like an anchor which kept them grounded.

"Urgghh...!" Greed tried exerting his power but couldn't free himself from the multicolor aura. His body was stiff. He couldn't move. Serenity, Love, and Wrath were having the same situation.

"Hehe. It seems that you have all used up your power to halt me these past two days," Lucifer slowly floated down to them. "And all of it has been for nothing."

"Don't sound so proud about it. If not for that vile outworlder, our plan would have worked," Wrath hissed defiantly.

Lucifer glanced at Master, who came to his side. He said, "Only a sore loser speaks of a what- if scenario. Thing happens, and that's it. There was no if. You lose, and I win. It's a battle, not a debate."

Greed sat on the ground. "You are right. The outcome is clear by now. Do your worst," he said. "Are you going to kill us?" Love asked.

Lucifer grinned at the question. "Are you afraid of dying?" He asked in return.

"Just get it over with! Is there a need to taunt us?" Serenity asked.

Lucifer caressed his chin in contemplation. He said, "To be honest, Fear has paid for the frustration you all caused. I'm no longer displeased. Not when everything is going well... for me, at least, hahaha..."

"You truly enjoy the sound of your voice, don't you?" Greed asked.

"I do," Lucifer replied.

The four defeated Gods gave Lucifer the silent treatment. The devil was just toying with them at this stage. They refused to play his game.

Lucifer taunted the Gods a few more times without receiving any retort from his opponents. He finally said, "I see that you are all eager to end this. Very well, then. I will fulfill your wish."

He aimed his palm at them. A multicolor wave radiated out from that palm. The wave hit the four Gods and lingered. Colorful energy continued to pour out of Lucifer's open palm. The multicolor aura bathing the four Gods intensified.

Although the four Gods yielded to their fate, they weren't willing to make it easy for Lucifer. They pumped their energies to resist. Unfortunately, they were already too weak. Lucifer laughed mockingly at their effort. The four Gods found their bodies became heavier and stiffer the longer this multicolor aura bathed them.

"This... You are not killing us...?" Serenity asked. She realized the oddness of their conditions. The multicolor aura didn't deteriorate their life force. It was impeding them.

"Hehe. I never said anything about killing," Lucifer answered. "I want you to watch how I transform this realm... from this eternal prison. Helpless and unable to do anything about it. Hahaha!"

"You, monster!" Serenity scolded.

"No, I'm not. I'm a devil," Lucifer returned with a devilish grin.

The colorful aura continued to build. The four Gods' bodies became so stiff they couldn't even move their fingers anymore. Their skin started to lose color, and so did their clothes. Slowly, they turned into pale statues.

Lucifer admired his handiwork. These Gods wouldn't be able to do anything. They could send their divine senses to find out what was happening in the vicinity but couldn't interact by any means. He would need to renew the energy binding them every few decades to make sure they kept being bound.

Maybe when the conquest of the upperworld was completed, he would build a throne and move these statues there. These fallen Gods would be fine monuments to remember his triumph in dominating the entire world.

He was still feeling exultant in his victory when he realized something. The rookie God, he no longer sensed that outworlder's presence!

He was about to look around when he felt a prickling pain in his side. He turned and saw Master. The rookie God's hand was on the side where he felt the pain. He looked down and barely saw a small orb drilling into his body.

"What did you..."

A blast of chaotic energy poured out of the wound, where the small orb had drilled in. The prickling pain transformed into a debilitating, intense agony that caused even him to involuntarily utter a pained cry.

On reflex, he lashed out with an energy blow that could flatten mountains. Master was blasted by this energy and flew away from the impact.

Lucifer endured the burning pain and looked at his wound. A stream of colorful energy flowed out uncontrollably from the wound. He could feel his life force flowing out with that leaking

energy.

"Argh...!" He covered the wound using his hand. He focused his power to seal the wound. Yet, he could only slow the leak. He couldn't stop it. To make things worse, he could feel that tiny orb was still wreaking havoc inside him.

"Ahhh...!! What did you do to me...?!" Lucifer yelled. The ground shook from his voice.

Master, who had been blown away, stayed far away. His divine essence was hurt by the blow just now. He knew if he faced Lucifer directly, he would be defeated in a short time. Thankfully, Lucifer had also exhausted a great deal of power from his battle against the six Gods. The devil was not at full power.

"What is this thing inside me...?!" Lucifer shouted.

"It is your end," Master answered. He then shot up into the sky.

"Where the hell do you think you are going?!" Lucifer shot up as well.

The sky up there had been cleared by the battle between Lucifer and the six Gods earlier. However, when Lucifer was dealing with Greed and the others, Master secretly used his Godly power to remake the clouds. He now disappeared inside them.

Lucifer shoved his hand forward. The clouds in the sky were blasted away. As they did, Master came into view again. Or rather, his illusions. Hundreds of Master's copies were floating in the

sky.

"Do not think this cheap trick can save you!" Lucifer exclaimed. His body spun, releasing a radial torrent of multicolor energy.

This torrent turned into a massive hurricane that swept all the copies. However, the copies floated there unaffected. All of them displayed condescending expressions.

"Struggle all you like. You will simply accelerate your end," All the copies said at the same time.

Master was telling the truth. Lucifer could feel it as well. His essence was leaking faster when he discharged his power. The thing inside him also got fiercer, and he couldn't stop it! "Aarrhhh... I will kill you...!!" Lucifer didn't stop. He spread his arms and shot energy blasts in all directions. These blasts traveled for miles and obliterated everything they hit.

"I must say, Hope meets his end in a much more graceful manner than you," Master's copies continued to taunt.

"Damn you...!!!" Lucifer cursed. "Why can't I find you?!"

All the copies contained Master's presence. Lucifer had hit every single copy, but all of them

were illusions.

While divine beings had mana concealment, it was their natural state. They never truly trained for it like Jack and Master did. The mastery attained by Jack and Master was at a completely different level. Hence, when Master attained Godhood, he could push this ability further. Not only could he turn invisible, but he could also erase all his presence. That's how he could ambush Lucifer using the Godkiller when the devil's attention was elsewhere. He could also imbue all his copies with his presence, fooling even a divine being like Lucifer.

Unlike Hope, who controlled his passing, Lucifer never stopped rampaging. He continued to build up energy until it reached critical mass. This chaotic energy reacted with the Godkiller inside him. His body burst apart in a spectacular explosion.

The explosion again covered the entire region. Most of everything within the area of effect was destroyed. The terrain changed shape. Those far enough to safely witness the explosion thought the sun had fallen to the surface.

After the explosion receded, Master came into view. He was within the blast zone. He had erected a protective barrier when the explosion happened, but he was still hurt. He sensed his divine essence greatly weakened. He was not in danger, though. He would recover in time.

"Hahaha... HAHAHA...!!"

His laugh echoed throughout the sky. "From now on, I will be the only divine in this world...!"