The arena trembled as if another world was about to collapse.
Ashura laughed, six arms dancing with weapons — scythes, swords, and spears — like entire armies.
In contrast, Astaroth stood still, possessing nothing but his book, cold eyes, and mirrors surrounding him from every side.
The beginning: a strike faster than thought
Ashura vanished in an instant.
His first step was like lightning, unseen by the eyes.
In a fraction of a second, his scythes appeared at Astaroth's neck, his swords cutting through the air, and his spears descending as if to split the earth in two.
But everything struck… emptiness.
Then everyone realized that what he had attacked was nothing but a reflection.
Astaroth was standing behind him, hand calmly raised:
Astaroth: "The more you try to tear me apart… the more you will tear yourself."
Indeed, deep wounds appeared across Ashura's body, as if he had received his own blows.
Ashura laughed madly, blood dripping from his chest:
Ashura: "Hahaha! This is wonderful!"
He raised his spears to the sky, the arena erupting with winds that sliced through stone, turning into blades of air that trapped Astaroth from every direction.
But suddenly…
Hundreds of mirrors appeared, each reflecting the attack multiplied.
The winds no longer cut Astaroth, but returned as endless storms upon Ashura himself!
The spectators couldn't follow what was happening…
Even Lilith bit her lip:
Lilith: "My eyes can't see… who's in control?"
Erathos smiled bitterly:
Erathos: "They're on another level."
Ashura roared, all his weapons igniting with flame, a mix of fire and wind turning the arena into hell.
But he didn't stop there… he unleashed a spell that doubled his speed.
He moved with indescribable swiftness, faster than the mirrors could track.
In a single moment, he was everywhere.
Six weapons rained down upon Astaroth from every angle, as if the whole arena had become a moving inferno.
But Astaroth smiled calmly.
He opened his palm, and Ashura's image was reflected from hundreds of angles in the mirrors.
In an instant, Ashura saw a thousand versions of himself charging toward him with the same madness and power.
Astaroth (whispering): "Show me how you'll defeat yourself."
Ashura didn't retreat but leapt straight into the hell of reflections.
Every strike he delivered at an enemy turned into a blow that came back at him.
Yet his laughter never ceased:
Ashura: "Hahaha!"
Destruction beyond the arena
The battle was no longer confined within the arena.
The mirrors shattered into crystal shards, each one turning into a small gate that reflected reality.
Fire and winds burst from them, cleaving the mountains around the arena and plunging the hall into chaos.
Morfis sat screaming, covering his head:
Morfis: "No… this is scary, scary, scary!"
Baphomet smiled wickedly:
Baphomet: "Haha… what a thrilling fight."
Even Lucifer raised his brow slightly, voice low:
Lucifer: "Interesting… I didn't think both would reveal their cards this quickly."
Sitri clapped and laughed.
Ashura gathered his six weapons in a single motion, forming a massive firestorm mixed with cutting winds.
Calmly:
Ashura: "Dodge this!"
The storm of fire and wind pierced through the mirrors, shattering them one after another, turning the arena into an infernal cyclone.
Astaroth dodged with difficulty, but amid the destruction, he raised his hand… and suddenly a gigantic mirror appeared, covering the entire sky.
That cyclone reflected back completely.
And in an instant… Ashura's storm struck himself!
An explosion that nearly erased the arena entirely.
The generals saw nothing afterward… only a white light engulfing everything.
The explosion that tore apart the arena left a dense cloud of dust; the generals couldn't see anything beyond it…
Until the smoke cleared, revealing Ashura, half his body bleeding, his six weapons still ablaze.
He smiled with madness, eyes glowing like infernal embers:
Ashura:
"Now… I'll show you my trump card."
He raised his weapons and thrust them all into the ground.
Ashura (with great confidence):
"Hey Lucifer, even you haven't reached this skill yet — watch closely."
Lucifer (smiling with joy):
"You bastard."
Suddenly… an immense mana surged around him, not just an aura, but an entire domain covering the arena amidst everyone's shock.
The earth quaked.
The air burned.
Even Astaroth's mirrors began to crack.
Erathos (astonished, whispering):
"What the hell is this?"
Lilith clutched her chest, feeling an overwhelming pressure choking her:
Lilith: "This!… it's the same skill as that human!!!!!"
Morfis began screaming as he collapsed in fear.
Ashura (in a deep voice):
"Corruption Zone…!"
The ground turned into decayed black patches,
the aura around Ashura was no longer mere mana… but demonic corruption flowing like lethal poison.
Birth of the Corruption Zone
Any spell or magical effect within this zone began dissolving, disintegrating.
Astaroth's magic mirrors shattered like fragile glass.
Ashura:
"Inside the Corruption Zone… your spells mean nothing."
He raised his six weapons, enveloped them in a dark aura that became a magic-slayer edge, each strike tearing mana apart and nullifying it.
The Triple Division
Suddenly… Ashura's body began to crack, then split into three forms,
becoming three people standing side by side, each with a different aura.
The first: silent and deadly, moving like an unseen shadow, wielding twin scythes.
The second: wild, screaming and laughing madly, holding two spears.
The third: rational, eyes glowing with the fire of wisdom, wielding twin swords.
Erathos:
"Three…?! No… these aren't ordinary clones… each body has its own independent personality!"
The first body, representing silence:
"I will tear you apart in silence…"
The second, representing madness:
"Hahahaha!! Let's dance amidst the blood!"
The third, representing wisdom:
"Your cold logic won't save you here."
Time froze for a moment, as if the entire arena held its breath to witness destiny's moment.
Astaroth stood in the center, face still cold despite the cracking mirrors collapsing around him. His eyes carefully tracked the three figures that emerged from Ashura. They weren't mere illusions or ordinary clones, but three distinct beings, each radiating an aura: silence, madness, and wisdom.
Astaroth (whispering):
"Don't joke with me… where did you get this power?"
But he had no time to think.
The beginning of the triple assault
The first body (silence) charged soundlessly, twin scythes slicing air like wings of darkness.
The second (madness) leapt above him, laughing with demonic insanity, his twin spears crashing down like a double meteor.
The third (wisdom) stood still for a moment, then dashed with blazing black-flame swords, striking like a storm aimed straight at Astaroth's heart.
The three attacks were not sequential… they struck at the same instant, like an inescapable fate.
The last stand of the mirrors
For the first time, Astaroth screamed, raising his hands.
Suddenly, hundreds of colossal mirrors burst forth, larger and more complete than before, forming a reflective dome covering his entire body.
Every attack from Ashura rebounded upon the mirrors, colliding with their reflections.
But inside the "Corruption Zone," that protection didn't last long.
Each mirror began cracking, shattering like brittle glass beneath Ashura's assaults.
Ashura (with mad laughter):
"Break your barrier!"
The first strike
Silence… a soundless slash, twin scythes piercing the fractured dome.
Blood exploded from Astaroth's shoulder, his perfect body stained for the first time.
The second strike
Madness… lunged with twin spears, a double thrust shattering two mirrors and plunging into his stomach.
Astaroth staggered back, breathing heavily, blood flowing onto the ground.
The third strike
Wisdom… leapt with twin flaming swords, a cross slash across his chest.
The resulting explosion split the ground itself, shaking the arena to its foundations.
The collapse
The spectators couldn't believe their eyes.
Lilith gasped, hand on her mouth:
Lilith: "Impossible?!"
Erathos clenched his fist, eyes wide:
Erathos: "That lunatic… he actually did it."
Morfis screamed, stumbling:
Morfis: "Terrifying!! This… isn't a battle, it's a disaster!"
Even Lucifer, who rarely showed emotion, seemed momentarily shocked.
The fall
Astaroth collapsed to his knees, chest bleeding, his eyes still cold but his voice faint:
Astaroth: "Is this the end?"
One by one, the generals stood from their seats in shock.
That Astaroth, defeated in this way… none had imagined.
Ashura, with his three bodies, stood proudly amidst the destruction, then merged them back into his original form.
He raised his six weapons high, laughing madly, his voice shaking the hall:
Ashura:
"Hahahaha!!! What do you think, Lucifer? The only one who reached this technique was the first Demon King, Belial!!!"
Lucifer (with a crazed smile, as if desiring that power):
"Interesting, you lunatic."
But Astaroth did not die.
Despite blood and wounds, he slowly lifted his head, one last cold look at Ashura:
Astaroth: "You bastard… so this was why you boasted…"
Then he collapsed unconscious, to the astonishment of all.
The temporary ending
Lilith whispered with a trembling voice:
Lilith: "If we could all gain this power… things would become much easier."
Erathos closed his eyes, as if admitting a power he didn't want to believe:
Erathos: "Our era has begun."
And while the hall sank into heavy silence, Lucifer alone was smiling…
The smile of someone who knew this was only the beginning of a much greater story.
Lucifer raised his hand:
Lucifer: "The winner of this battle… Ashura."