Clarice looked toward Azlol and tried to stab him with one of her thorns, but he caught it with one hand and crushed it. After that, he looked toward Nahira's world, which had begun to shrink, and said, "This girl is increasing her power because of that. I have to cut her connection before that world disappears."
Above them, Nahira's soldiers and everyone in that sacred land were fading away and turning into energy that Clarice was absorbing. Nahira was still suspended in place, watching everything. Suddenly, she heard a voice calling her from above. She looked up and saw Arios floating over her.
She said in surprise, unable to speak properly, "How are you still alive?"
He looked at her and said, "There's no time to explain. Anyway, this place is disappearing."
Arios grabbed the thorns and removed them, then grabbed Nahira and carried her to the surface. He healed Nahira, and she recovered completely.
She said, "I can't believe it. How did you do that? I recovered all my energy."
He replied, "It was simple. Now we have to act before this world disappears."
Nahira asked, "Are we going to kill her?"
Arios said, "I don't know. But we have to do this now."
He placed his hand on the ground and said, "Domain of Nothingness."
The domain began expanding until it covered the entire world. Clarice's thorns shattered, and she realized what had happened. The sacred world became completely isolated from everything happening outside.
Azlol said, "What happened? Someone must have done this."
Clarice attacked him, but he dodged and said, "Damn it. If I hadn't moved at the right moment, she would have separated me. Damn, she's fast."
Clarice tried to fly toward the sacred world from above and placed her hand on the domain. Suddenly, she remembered that Arios was the owner of this ability. Her expression changed slightly in surprise.
She blocked Azlol's attack and said coldly, "Get away, insect. I have no time to play with you."
She flicked him away, sending him flying.
Clarice tried to break through the domain, but none of her attempts affected it.
Azlol stopped and said angrily, "What is this humiliation?! I am Azlol, the great Lord of War, and some mere whore dares to do this to me! You will pay dearly. You will pay dearly!"
Huge energy dragons, each the size of planets, began forming around him. Azlol controlled them, then transformed them into two sacred swords in his hands.
He said, "I will cut your head off with these."
He flew toward her. Clarice looked at him, and suddenly he cut off her head with a single strike. Worse, the attack also cut through space-time itself, creating a dimensional rift.
Azlol said, "My, it seems I went far too far. That rift leads to a powerful cosmic hole capable of absorbing everything. I need to stop it."
But first, Azlol saw Clarice's severed head floating in the air, blood dripping from it. Suddenly, he was shocked by what he saw. Her head reattached itself to her body.
She looked at him with pure hatred and flew toward him at an insane speed. She punched him, blowing apart his right arm.
Azlol screamed, "Damn it!"
He tried to stab her with a sword, but she caught it and crushed it with one hand. She stabbed him with her thorns, making Azlol scream.
He grabbed the thorns and said in a sharp, terrifying tone, "Don't expect me to fall because of this."
He struck her in the head with his fist, sending her flying into the barrier surrounding the domain. Blood began dripping from her.
Azlol said, "I am the Lord of War who has fought ninety-nine wars and never lost a single one. This will be my hundredth. I have fought rulers and beings from other dimensions for billions of years, and I have never fallen before anyone. And now you, little girl, dare to humiliate me? I will never remain silent about this.
The energy began charging throughout Azlol's body.
One of the assistants said, "It's incredible. Despite having his ribs shattered, his bones beginning to break, his arm severed, and part of his energy stolen, he is still standing. It's truly incredible."
Assistant of World Five said, "Yes. He carries the Will of Destruction, and the rulers possess his power, which is an extension of his will. Together, they represent the true embodiment of the Lord of Destruction."
Above them, Azlol said, "What's wrong? Are you going to remain standing there, or what?"
Clarice opened her hands, and red flowers emerged from them.
Azlol looked surprised. Numerous chains emerged from the flowers, flying through the area and chasing Azlol.
He summoned his swords and cut them all apart.
Meanwhile, inside the sacred world, Arios explained to Nahira that defeating Clarice was not a problem for him, but he wanted to make a deal.
Nahira asked, "And what is your deal? And why?"
Arios said, "Nothing comes without a price."
Nahira said, "Haven't you had enough? Do you want that filthy thing again?"
"We'll do it later," Arios said.
"What do you want, then?"
Arios looked at her and said, "I want your soul."
Nahira stared at him and produced an energy blade, placing it against his neck.
"Arios, you are crossing the line. I gave you my body before because of the agreements between us. But now you are asking for something I cannot give you."
Arios looked at the blade and said, "Beautiful blade. But your sister really did kill me back then. Yet I returned. And if you kill me now, I will return again. Do you think death applies to me?"
Nahira asked, "What do you mean?"
"Simply put, I see death as a line that I can alter with my own hands. I can break it, rebuild it, and change it whenever I wish. You, however, are a being capable of dying. So listen carefully. If you want me to stop your sister without killing her, then give me your soul in exchange and become completely mine. Then I will grant your wish. A wish for a wish.
I have also seen the future. I have seen countless possibilities of what will happen if you refuse to accept my help. If you refuse, you will go and fight her yourself. There are fascinating outcomes.
In one, you kill her. In another, she kills you. If you kill her, you will live with an eternal emptiness because you will have nothing left to possess. And if she kills you, she will kill herself because she will have nothing left either.
I have seen this in around a billion possibilities, and the number keeps increasing without end."
Nahira asked, "Are you really capable of this? You are weak. I killed you with one strike."
Arios replied, "You caught me by surprise. And fighting her in this form would take a long time. But in this form, it won't take long."
Arios transformed into his metaphysical form.
Nahira was shocked by what she saw.
"Why did your hair and eyes change color like that? Is this one of your transformations? And why can't I feel your energy anymore?"
"Don't worry about that. Decide now. That person will be killed anyway if we don't hurry."
Nahira said, "My soul? And what will you do with it?"
"Nothing. I only want it to prove that I have complete ownership over you. If you betray me, I need to be certain. I trust no one, not even someone I have had a relationship with."
Nahira said, "What a strange relationship. We are enemies, yet we grew closer for our own interests. How ridiculous. You were right—you truly are someone who cannot be trusted."
"Choose. There is no time."
Nahira said, "I, the great Nahira, become your slave?"
Arios looked at her and said, "Are you refusing?"
"Of course I refuse. Let the world go to hell, and let my sister go to hell too. I said it clearly and coldly: I am Nahira. I own people. No one owns me. Do you understand, you who used to lick my feet when you were young?"
Arios smiled and said, "Very well. I respect your great pride. You are free to choose. I have no right to force you into anything."
Arios snapped his fingers. A little girl appeared beside him.
"My daughter, little Nora, will come with me."
Nahira looked at him and said, "Wait! My daughter! Leave her immediately!"
"You want her? Fine. Look."
Arios opened a portal.
"She will fall into the void forever. Perhaps she will die after a few days."
Nahira looked at him and then at his smiling face.
"Who are you really? Are you truly Arios?"
Then she said, "She is your daughter. How can you do this to her?"
"She is my possession, and I am free to do whatever I want with her."
The little girl began crying desperately and tried to move away from Arios, but he walked through the air and carried her away.
Nahira flew after him and attacked, but she was thrown backward.
"What happened?" she asked.
Arios looked at her arrogantly and said, "Do you think a weak being like you can affect a transcendent being like me? I almost laugh at the attempt."
Nahira became furious and began attacking Arios, but it was useless. He did not even move from his place.
He said to her boredly, "Instead of attacking me, go and eliminate your sister. And, oh, I almost forgot. I know how to injure her and make the Domain of Nothingness disappear from this place."
"Luckier than you thought," he added.
Nahira said, "Arios, stop! Please, leave my daughter alone."
"Give me what I want, and I guarantee your daughter will remain safe."
Nahira said, "Fine. I will do what you want. Just please don't kill her."
"Then come to me."
Nahira felt helpless and defeated. How could someone who had spent her entire life subjugating everyone and ruling over them end up in such a position before the very person who had once served her?
She stopped in front of him. Arios placed his hand on her head. Her eyes began glowing, and then she started screaming from unbearable pain as her soul began being forcibly pulled out of her body.
On the other side, Azlol was severely injuring Clarice, but the problem was that she kept regenerating as though nothing had happened. In fact, she was becoming even stronger.
After some time, Azlol decided to use all of his power for ten seconds.
He thought, "I no longer have enough power. My body is completely destroyed. I will use everything I have during these ten seconds in attacks that will end this battle. But the problem is that I could be separated from the rulers if I make a mistake."
Clarice looked at him and said coldly, "You are truly pathetic. Your body is completely broken. You can barely move with one arm, all your bones are shattered, yet you still stand before me trying to display your weak pride. Just surrender to your fate and let me devour you. Then you will have the honor of becoming nothing more than food for my source of power."
Azlol laughed with difficulty and raised his head.
"Is that all you have? Do you think I'm just some amateur fighter who came here to have fun and then lose? If everyone thought the way you just spoke, no one would ever live with even a shred of dignity.
You think surrender is a solution to escape pain? We are born and live from the womb of our mothers. If you truly possess this much power, then that is proof that you obtained it through the pain that made you reach this level.
Don't tell me that a few words about love and longing brought you this power, girl.
You may have won this battle, but you have already lost the war you started within yourself.
Inside me now is the hatred of ten rulers for what you did to their worlds. I can feel the screams of every creature that died, with or without reason, simply so you could live through a false love story."
Azlol clasped his hands together. His body began glowing with a dark purplish light, and space started cracking violently.
In World Zero, Dazai learned that the ten worlds had been erased.
Rain said, "Dazai, do you think this danger is coming toward us?"
Dazai replied, "It's possible. I can feel several energies in that place. They seem to be colliding. But since nothing is happening to our world, there is no need to panic. Still, let's take precautions. Tell Celis to be careful."
On the other side of the world, Rain said, "I'll tell our agents."
The blue-eyed Arthur entered Dazai's room.
"Boss, do you think Arios is there?"
Dazai said, "I don't know. I can't feel his energy. But I hope that bastard protects my sister."
Then he remembered what he had said to her back then and thought, "I didn't say that."
He struck the fireplace with his hand and said to Arthur, "Can I rely on you for something?"
Arthur asked, "What is it?"
"Can you deliver a message?"
"I'll certainly try."
"Good. I truly rely on you, my friend."
In the empty space, after Azlol finished charging his power, his body was glowing intensely because he had compressed all his energy inside himself so that none of it could escape.
He flew toward Clarice and punched her in the face, sending her flying away.
He then unleashed countless energy attacks at her. Explosions erupted everywhere. Due to the intensity of his attacks, the color of space began changing from black to dark purple.
Azlol flew through the explosions and kicked her before she could regenerate. Existence itself shook as she was torn apart and sent flying.
He followed her and released a spiral attack that expanded. He charged it with both hands and fired it toward her like a sharp laser, vaporizing everything in its path.
The glow produced by the attack destroyed the previous black hole and transformed it into a distorted white rift that began pulling space itself into it.
Azlol flew toward it at incredible speed, grabbed the rift with his bare hands, and quickly closed it.
All of this happened while the ten seconds had not yet ended.
He then flew toward the point where Clarice was regenerating and vaporized her.
But she successfully regenerated again.
He flew above her and punched her in the face.
Suddenly, the fusion broke apart, and all nine rulers separated in shock.
Clarice stabbed them all with her thorns, electrocuting and paralyzing them so they could not move.
She then drove her thorns into the sacred world and resumed absorbing it. She began absorbing the rulers themselves as well.
Raimus looked at her helplessly and said, "What is this terrifying being?"
The assistants tried to intervene, but Clarice unfortunately transported them to another dimension.
When they realized where they had been sent, cosmic worm-like monsters appeared and began attacking them. They flew away, desperately trying to escape.
Some of the rulers began melting and transforming into energy that Clarice absorbed.
Before losing consciousness, Raimus said, "Lina… my daughter Yukari… I have failed you both."
Tears fell from his eyes.
Suddenly, the thorn piercing Raimus shattered.
He opened his eyes and found Mythos flying away with him.
Raimus said, "Mythos? Is that you?"
"Yes. Don't worry. I'll take you somewhere safe."
Mythos then gave him a blue pill.
"Take this."
Raimus swallowed it, and suddenly his wound healed.
He flew back to his position.
"What is this?" he asked.
Mythos said, "They are pills Lord Arios gave me a long time ago for when I suffered severe injuries. Don't worry. You'll be fine."
Raimus asked, "What are we going to do now? This demon destroyed everything. There is nothing left to do."
"Don't worry. Everything will be resolved. We just need to escape from here for now. Trust me."
"Escape? Are you joking? This thing killed my wife and daughter and destroyed my world. How can I run away?"
"I told you, just trust me. Come on, let's leave."
The two flew away, although Raimus was still not convinced.
Back in the sacred world, the world continued shrinking more and more.
After Arios finished his ritual, Nahira's soul became bound to his name.
Arios said, "Good. Now I can guarantee that I will never be betrayed by you in the future."
He held her face and said, "How I love this weak face."
Nahira said, "Now, fulfill your promise."
"Fine. Just don't forget who I am now."
He then handed her the little girl, who had stopped crying, and placed her in her mother's arms.
Arios flew away and disappeared.
He appeared in the middle of space and said, "My, her appearance really changed. She is even more beautiful like this."
Clarice looked at Arios, her eyes widening.
"Arios…"
She flew toward him.
They met, and she said, "Arios, is that really you? You didn't die, did you?"
He looked at her and said sarcastically, "What did you do to me, Clarice? You killed me, and now I'm nothing but a vengeful ghost."
Clarice said, "Don't say that. I never wanted to hurt you. I only wanted to kill Nahira, but you got in my way and what happened, happened. I only wanted us to be together. Just you and me.
Seeing you accept Nahira filled my heart with jealousy. I know that you belong only to me and no one else."
Arios said, "Now I understand why this whore loves me. I understand the whole story. So, this is why you became so attached to me without understanding the reason. But it doesn't matter. We'll discuss that later. Right now, I have to destroy this threat to protect my piece of Nahira."
Clarice looked at him and said, "Arios, you keep mentioning her name, and it makes me angry. Stop mentioning her. Don't mention anyone except me."
Arios said, "Interesting. Despite changing her personality, she still behaves the same way around me. It seems she was written using the strange yandere character system. Strange. I never designed her personality in the first place. Nora must have done it. She always loved this kind of character.
Very well, strange Clarice. I am the great Eldi Prime. Today, I will write your ending with my own hands."
Clarice said, "Arios… you… you're making me angry."
Clarice launched her thorns at Arios, but they had no effect on him. They did not even reach him.
Arios said, "Is that all?"
Clarice said, "I will punish you and imprison you in my dimension forever. Then you will belong only to me."
Clarice attempted to trap Arios inside a dimension she created specifically to imprison him, but with a single breath, he shattered the dimension as though it were literally nothing.
She attacked him with energy in every possible form, but all of it vanished as though it had never existed.
Arios said, "Do you really think these games will affect me? You are merely a dreamer. Fine. I'm tired of you anyway. I will simply erase you from the entire story."
Suddenly, Nahira arrived and screamed, "Please, stop! Don't kill her! You promised me!"
Arios said, "What did you say?"
Nahira replied, "You told me, as one of the conditions of our agreement, that you would not kill her or tamper with her, no matter what you meant by that."
Arios said, "That's true. You're right. You know, I think you understand me. That is what I like about you, my dear."
Arios looked at Clarice and said, "Fall."
Suddenly, Clarice's power disappeared. She returned to her normal form and lost consciousness.
Nahira went to her and caught her.
She looked toward Arios, who was staring at her with unfamiliar arrogance and superiority.
Nahira said, "The entire existence has been destroyed. I don't know what I'm going to do now."
Suddenly, the three elders appeared before Nahira and Arios.
Arios looked at them with extreme caution.
The elders looked at Nahira angrily and said, "Is this what we were trying to prevent, Nahira? Look at what your sister has done to existence. Tell us the reason immediately."
Nahira said, "Shut up. This has nothing to do with you. I will deal with it."
Darl said, "What is this? It's Arios, one of the five strongest and the most famous criminal in our encyclopedia. Kill him immediately."
Nahira looked toward Arios.
Arios said, "Actually, why don't I kill you instead? I'm already here, right now. You're useless to the story except for the fact that you possess some money."
Darl said, "What are you talking about?"
With a single snap of his fingers, Arios erased him from existence.
Pablo looked at his friend who had been erased.
"Wait! We are the elders. You cannot do this. We are the highest beings in existence!"
Arios replied, "No. In reality, you are merely tiny dots in an ocean of pathetic ideas. The weakest beings in true existence. I personally see such beings as if they were nothing at all. So what do you think? Should I erase you now, annoying one?"
Pablo said, "Please forgive me. We will never stand in your way again. We will do whatever you want."
Arios said, "Actually, if I were merely the lowly Arios, I would tell you to erase my bounty, because I've been annoyed by people chasing me for years because of it."
Pablo said, "We will. We'll remove it completely. It is an enormous bounty worth half our fortune, and we cannot give it to anyone. I only created it for entertainment and to mock those who chase such bounties, because no one can defeat the strongest beings in existence."
Arios said, "You're right. But you're annoying, so disappear."
Pablo disappeared instantly, leaving no trace—not merely from existence, but from the entire story itself.
Arios looked at the third member and said, "Run. At least you'll disappear while trying."
Nando immediately fled the place.
As she ran, she faded away like words disappearing into space, as though she had never existed in the first place.
Nahira looked at Arios in shock at his new power.
"Arios, tell me. What did you mean earlier?"
He replied, "Don't ask too many questions right now. Because I am bound by the story's path, I have to restore the worlds my sister absorbed."
Arios closed his fist and then opened it.
Entirely new worlds began emerging from his hand. Space began repairing itself, and the worlds moved back toward their proper locations.
The ten worlds returned exactly as they had been. The cracks disappeared, and all the creatures returned.
Arios erased everyone's memories of what had happened.
He said to Nahira, "Don't worry. I erased her memories of seeing us and of us accepting each other. She won't remember anything. But don't you dare tell her what happened."
Arios moved away.
Nahira asked, "Why didn't you erase my memories?"
Arios said, "Remember, you are part of my possessions now. There is no point in erasing your memories."
Then he disappeared.
Nahira remained stunned before flying back toward the sacred world and entering the palace.
Smith was holding the little girl Nora while sitting with her in her room.
Nahira placed her sister on a bed in the palace and said, "What happened today must have been nothing more than a dream."
Then she stopped in front of the mirror and looked at her body.
"My soul belongs to that person… What does that even mean? I don't see any difference."
She smiled and said, "At least he helped me kill the elders. He erased them without even doing anything. Arios… how far will your surprises go? Tell me."
In an empty dimension surrounded by a wooden cabin and several trees, Raimus was sitting with Mythos.
Arios arrived there.
As soon as Raimus saw him, he stood up.
"Where were you?"
Arios said, "Relax."
Arios returned to his normal form and said, "I was playing around nearby."
Raimus said, "I don't understand your personality. Sometimes you're as cold as ice, and sometimes you're stupid like a teenager."
Arios replied, "Don't worry. It's good to change sometimes. Anyway, are you feeling alright?"
Raimus said, "Yes. Why?"
Arios replied, "Good. Because I felt that Lina wanted to see you."
Raimus said, "Why? We were together only hours ago, and I came here to train with Mythos."
Arios said, "Then everything is going according to plan."
Raimus did not understand, but he decided to return anyway.
Arios opened a portal for him, and Raimus went through it.
Mythos, who seemed to have become more serious and composed, said in a serious voice, "You erased his memories too."
Arios replied, "Yes. There was no way I could leave them intact."
Mythos asked, "Tell me, why didn't you bring back that person?"
Arios said, "He deserves what happened to him."
Arios opened his hand, and scenes appeared.
Arios sat beside Mythos and said, "If I had brought him back or ignored him, this would have happened."
An image appeared showing Ramen reaching Arios's family and killing them all before barely escaping. However, he would eventually be killed by Arios's soldiers.
In the second possibility, in that timeline, Ramen would succeed in killing Izola, kidnapping Isaac, raising him, and eventually killing him. He would then raise him with the purpose of revenge against Arios, but eventually Isaac would kill him.
Arios said, "There are endless possibilities, with countless scenarios. I don't like going into them because they are merely side events."
Arios said, "Do you know why I made Raimus leave now?"
Mythos asked, "Why?"
Arios said, "Watch this."
Raimus reached his planet, but he felt a strange energy nearby.
He decided to hide.
"Whose energy is that? It's not Wang's energy. It's weaker. But whose could it be?"
Raimus saw his wife Lina coming out of the palace with their daughter to go outside for a walk.
Suddenly, Gilius appeared before her.
Lina stopped, confused by the stranger standing in front of her with murderous eyes.
He said, "Finally. After all these years, I will carry out the plan I promised Lady Nahira. I will take revenge on that bastard's family."
Lina asked, "Who are you?"
Gilius replied, "Me? I'm someone who wants to tear out your eyes and send them to Arios so he remembers me."
Lina said, "What business do you have with my brother?"
Gilius said, "Let's just say I enjoy watching him suffer."
Gilius flew toward Lina.
Lina screamed loudly.
Suddenly, Raimus appeared at incredible speed and kicked Gilius in the face, sending him flying away.
Gilius flew backward, crashed into a mountain, and fell there.
Raimus asked, "Are you alright?"
Lina said, "Yes."
"Hide inside."
Lina took Yukari and returned inside.
Gilius emerged from the rubble.
"Who are you?"
Raimus looked at him with hateful eyes and said sharply, "Who are you to dare attempt to hurt my wife? I will make you forget the day your mother gave birth to you."
Gilius laughed.
"I remember you. You're the same person who once lost in the tournament held between World One and World Six. If I remember correctly, you lost to a weak soldier."
Raimus felt anger burning inside him.
He vanished and appeared directly in front of Gilius.
Gilius thought, "What speed is this? I didn't even sense him."
Suddenly, Raimus punched Gilius in the stomach, making him spit blood.
He grabbed him by the hair and struck his neck with his knee, causing Gilius to spit blood again.
Gilius tried to punch Raimus, but he could not even scratch him.
Raimus said, "You did something I can never forgive. Do you really think I will forgive you after you tried to hurt my wife and daughter?"
Gilius asked, "How did you become this powerful?"
Raimus replied coldly, "Ask your mother in hell."
He then destroyed Gilius with the Power of Destruction, killing him and erasing him from existence without leaving a trace.