Boaz said, amused:
"Exactly, Erasa, you are very attentive!"
Erasa, struggling, thought of GAaron, but unlike him, Boaz was not above her in the hierarchy. She was not paralyzed by his action. She kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying several meters. Boaz slowed his fall by planting his claws in the tearing space, then said:
"Erasa, perfect, show me what you're worth!"
No sooner had he spoken than he disappeared, followed by Erasa. In the void, countless dark lines marked their movement, tracing their battle through infinite space. They crossed the entire spatial void, their trajectories defying time.
Boaz, intoxicated by the fight, savored Erasa's speed. His mad smile widened as he attacked her head-on. She parried his assault and struck him again, making him spit blood. Boaz rejoiced: he had finally found a worthy opponent, capable of hitting him and making him bleed. He exclaimed, carried away by emotion:
"I understand why my soldiers lost so quickly to you, you are superb, Erasa!"
He kicked her in the pelvis, throwing her into the spatial void, then raised his hand:
"Erasa, you are worthy to face me, you are a true demon, I love it!"
He struck the void, releasing immense black claws that shattered the space's support. Erasa narrowly dodged, but Boaz reappeared to her left and hit her full force. She propelled herself higher, spitting blood. Boaz appeared behind her and struck her cheek, sending her crashing onto the debris of a void transporter.
Barely wanting to get up, Boaz fell on her, delivering a violent kick to her ribs, triggering a shockwave that made the entire spatial void tremble. She spat even more blood, and Boaz took advantage to pummel her stomach, chest, and face. Erasa protected her face, but Boaz insisted:
"Defend yourself, you don't want to give up already... huh!?"
He stopped upon seeing the energy beam Erasa was concentrating in her left hand. Surprised, he took the violet beam, then a volley of similar attacks caused a resounding explosion in the void.
Erasa watched the mist left by her attacks and distinguished the battered silhouette of Boaz, still delighted.
"Erasa, why limit yourself to this level when you could go higher? Do you know I possess the immortality of the gods?"
Erasa, puzzled, swallowed. For her, anything related to gods is a threat. Boaz, weakened, continued:
"Admit it, you didn't expect a human to complicate your task so much. I'm going to the next level... I hope you can keep up!"
His energy swirled violently around him, enveloping his figure in full transformation. Erasa stood ready, knowing the danger would increase.
Boaz transformed: his arms lengthened, his body changed, his cloak tore. Erasa, tired, tried to take advantage of the transition: she launched a violet sphere at Boaz, who remained impassive. The sphere exploded on him, generating powerful shockwaves.
In the smoke cloud, Boaz appeared, transformed: his skin was dark blue-gray, his eyes shone like galaxies. He stopped the sphere with one hand and declared:
"Good, Erasa, second and final fight now!"
Billions of small spheres rushed at Erasa, impossible to dodge. She tried to protect herself, but the spheres passed through her spiritual energy and hit her directly, each impact multiplying the pain and reducing her life expectancy by 300,000 years, although without real effect on her.
Boaz, dominant:
"It's over, Erasa. These spheres will follow you everywhere, impossible to protect yourself. Even a guardian angel wouldn't survive. Each impact multiplies the pain... How many times have you been hit? How long will you last?"
Erasa, bloodless, began to lose consciousness. She recalled her life in the underworld, her promise made to Velda, and refused to die like this. Her aura exploded, absorbing the spheres. She transformed in turn: wings spread, red horns, scales, imposing tail. Infernal flames enveloped her body, distorting space.
Boaz, impressed:
"Oh... I've never felt flames so burning. Yes, you really are a demon from the underworld... Erasa!"
Erasa attacked, Boaz dodged but found her already behind him, ready to strike. They exchanged blows of incredible power, making the spatial void unrecognizable, lit with multiple colors. The two opponents gave their all until they found themselves entwined, staring into each other's eyes. Boaz read in Erasa's gaze misery, death, destruction.
Boaz:
"You know you will never be able to kill me, right? Even if you hit me infinitely, it is impossible to destroy the spatial void. I have the immortality of the gods, my being is this void. How do you intend to destroy that? Being conscious of something within oneself is to become that thing. My consciousness is my being, and to destroy me, you would have to destroy my very source..."
Consciousness [Point marking the state of awakening, or place of awakening in a fundamental state of existence of an individual, {It does not present any basic aspects, except in a rare case of transcendence (generally to pass from being to Chōshinkū)} ..... Development, Basic, above being, there is nothing. All that is described below the Chōshinkū are fundamental existing states (body, mind, soul, history and being). At that moment, consciousness wants to exist with them too, and allow them to be aware of their fundamental states from their level of awakening. But a different case for consciousness to reach the state of Chōshinkū, which is only the astral void and nothing. Consciousness must adapt to this and therefore by transcending being, it will become as non-existent as the Chōshinkū above being.]
Erasa, nervous, unleashed a green beam from her mouth, cutting off Boaz's arms. But he regenerated them immediately and prepared a final attack.
Boaz:
"It's over, Erasa, I'm going to finish this with one blow!"
They threw themselves at each other, their attacks striking simultaneously. The explosion lit up the entire spatial void. When the light faded, Boaz and Erasa, frozen like statues, returned to their original forms. Erasa fell, resuming her human appearance. Boaz, exhausted, declared:
Cough... cough... haha, I won, Erasa. The legend of demons is not exaggerated, you are terrifying!
Both were in agony.
Boaz added:
"Erasa, you know, those who seem strong aren't always so. Sometimes they are just puppets of beings more powerful than themselves. You are strong, but there are beings even more terrifying than the two of us!"
Erasa, floating in the void, replied weakly:
"Shut up... If I survive, I won't spare you next time. I will eliminate you without hesitation!"
Boaz smiled faintly:
"We'll see... Erasa!"
The void vanished, taking Boaz with it, like a dream.
Erasa found herself in a forest, under a heavy rain. She lay naked on the soaked ground, bleeding heavily, her blood mixing with the rainwater. Like all demons, her blood was a calamity: it corroded vegetation, killed animals, dissolved flesh, and disturbed the laws of nature. Yet, Erasa was condemned to death.
She looked up at the rainy sky and thought to herself:
"It's over... everything is blurry around me, I'm dizzy, my life is flashing before my eyes..."
She recalled the moment she resurrected Jérôme and asked him, "What does it feel like to die?" Tears ran down her cheeks, tinged with the curse unique to demons. These tears poisoned the air, killing anyone who breathed them.
With a regretful smile, she thought of the moments spent with Jérôme, Monsieur Ben, and the humans. Those moments had been the most beautiful of her life, though too short. She felt death approaching and whispered:
"Jérôme, Monsieur Ben, I adore you... Yes, I lived my most beautiful moments with you, even though I never knew happiness before. In hell, GAaron almost killed me; I didn't even know what happiness was. But you, despite your humanity, gave me what I never had. Thank you. Take care of yourselves. I hope Boaz won't bother you anymore. I really want to get rid of him... even if it's almost impossible..."
Her speech stopped, her eyes slowly closed, her smile remained, faint but present. Her heart stopped beating. Erasa was dead.
In the tree foliage, a silhouette of a young man about seventeen to nineteen years old appeared. He was naked, his red eyes shining in the rain. He approached Erasa's body, lifted her, and went deeper into the forest. After about ten minutes of walking, he reached a mysterious portal and entered with Erasa's body.
Meanwhile, Boaz was back in his kingdom, in a pitiful state, vomiting blood. Nehemi, his nocturnal light, saw him in a high room of his hundred-thousand-floor tower. She hurried down and, seeing him, burst into tears.
Nehemi:
"Lord Boaz, what's happening to you?"
Boaz, pulling his hair, whispered in her ear:
"Don't shout, I hate that...!!"
He vomited more blood. Nehemi, worried, asked softly:
"Lord Boaz, are you going to die?"
Boaz laughed sarcastically:
"I will never die. The problem is that Erasa destroyed my conceptual regeneration and self-healing abilities, everything that could heal me. But don't worry, by drawing from my being, I can reform everything and heal in a hundred years, I just need to molt!"
Nehemi, horrified:
"A hundred years? That's so long!"
Boaz coughed:
"Yes, unfortunately. I'm doomed to suffer like this for a hundred years... cough... cough... Sometimes, you want to die at times like this, hehehe..."
He collapsed, bleeding heavily but remained thoughtful, staring at the ceiling.
Nehemi:
"My lord... did Erasa do this to you?"
Boaz:
"Yes, Nehemi. And don't even think about avenging me... Erasa is far stronger than you, hahaha..."
Nehemi:
"At least, is she dead?"
Boaz:
"Yes, unfortunately. I no longer feel her presence or existence in the Multiverse planes and temporal eras. I would have wanted her to survive... for me... you know what I mean, Nehemi."
Nehemi:
"I'm sorry I can't do more..."
Boaz:
"It's nothing... cough... cough... what pain..."
She tried to stop the bleeding, but in vain.
Boaz:
"Don't cry. I'm not going to die, just go through hell for a few years."
Nehemi, with tears in her eyes, persisted without success.
Boaz:
"Stop crying, I'm not going to die. Just live through hell for a while."
She carried him and took him to his room in an instant. She laid him in his bathtub and ran water infused with her magic, easing Boaz's pain but only when he was submerged.
Boaz, lying in the water, pain eased, smiled proudly at Nehemi:
"Wow... you've improved your magic. Can you really do that now? What other abilities have you developed? I'm curious."
Nehemi:
"I have unlimited powers now, and I've improved the skills of our latest dragons. I'll heal you faster, you'll see!"
Boaz:
"I can't wait to see that."
Nehemi:
"Stay there, I'll take care of the rest."
She disappeared immediately.
Boaz, thoughtful:
"Why do I feel like she's really going to heal me... hehe, yes, I trust her."