Cocytus stood silently, watching as the Blue Demon's body twitched—an attempt at resurrection. But it was futile. Though Cocytus possessed the ability to raise the dead, he was still too weak in this world to reanimate something of that caliber. The soul had slipped beyond his reach.
Still, the battle hadn't been in vain. A soft chime echoed through his status window as his level increased to 22. Cocytus frowned. For a foe as powerful and fast as that demon, the experience gained felt insultingly low. Perhaps this world's leveling system was flawed… or more likely, it was punishing him for his overwhelming advantages.
No matter. With his strength now partially restored, his arsenal of skills and spells would function more efficiently. The strain on his mana pool would lessen, and he could begin to wield his power with far fewer limitations.
Turning his gaze to the horizon, Cocytus saw them—waves of demons rapidly approaching. Red Demons, Blue Demons, Copper Demons, and more, each with distinct auras and twisted shapes. They were converging on his location, drawn by the same anomaly that had brought him here.
But the demons weren't the only ones answering the call. From the opposite side of the battlefield, a host of radiant figures descended from the skies—winged humans, their golden light piercing through the fading clouds like lances of judgment.
Cocytus took it all in with a calm, calculating gaze, his eyes burning with silent determination. He didn't hesitate. With a flicker of magic, he vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the incoming demons. They were closer than the angels, and he chose to thin their ranks first.
"Triplet Widened Magic: Reality Slash!" Cocytus roared.
The spell surged to life, a high-tier 10th-level magic that could rend the fabric of space itself. But this wasn't a single slash—this was triple-widened magic. Three colossal arcs of slashes tore through the battlefield, each one enhanced for greater range and devastating reach.
The Copper Demon, which Cocytus had previously identified as level 43 through his glasses, found its head cleanly severed by the first slash. So what if it boasted high stats and monstrous power? Reality Slash ignored durability and defenses. Against such a spell, even the strongest demons were nothing—this one was obliterated in an instant.
The remaining two slashes roared forward, cutting cleanly through everything in their path. Flesh, bone, and magic alike were shredded as the blades of distorted space cleaved through the demonic horde.
Yet Cocytus quickly noticed something strange. Unless their heads were removed or their brains destroyed, many of the demons resisted death, clinging to life through sheer tenacity or demonic regeneration. But that didn't matter in the end. With a single cast of Triplet Widened Reality Slash, Cocytus had already taken down five demons.
Sure, Reality Slash was a 10th-tier spell and drained a considerable amount of MP—but in Cocytus' eyes, the cost was more than worth it. After all, his level had risen to 37, which was equivalent to a level 95 player in terms of power.
He had no time to savor the progress. Sensing danger, Cocytus teleported just in time, narrowly avoiding a massive energy beam that sliced through the sky like a blade of divine wrath. The beam tore across the battlefield, striking a distant mountain, and with a thunderous explosion, the entire peak was obliterated in a blinding flash of destruction.
"…" Cocytus stood frozen, staring at the carnage with wide eyes. Even at his peak, his raw destructive capability was around city level. Someone like Rex, if stripped of his myriad skills and talents, sat at the same benchmark. But with his powers in full swing, Rex easily surpassed it—his might climbed beyond mountain level, powerful enough to casually dismantle island-sized dragons as if they were mere pests.
Cocytus glanced toward the horizon, his gaze locking onto the source of the devastating attack—a Copper Demon hovering far in the distance. He quickly made a mental note: level 43 demons were roughly equivalent to mountain-level threats.
Wasting no time, Cocytus teleported directly beneath the creature, placing a single hand against its foot before vanishing again in an instant. The demon barely had time to react.
From the point of contact, a wave of frost began to spread. The heat was drawn out of the demon's body, siphoned, and converted into biting cold energy that crept steadily upward. The beast hesitated, uncertain of what was happening, just in time for a blade of pure destruction to scream through the air.
Reality Slash. It sliced cleanly through the demon's neck, severing it in one flawless motion. The beast collapsed, lifeless, as Cocytus reappeared in the distance, already preparing for the next kill.
"Penetrate Maximize magic: Frosty Hell!" Cocytus raised his palm to the sky, his voice echoing with power. In an instant, the weather shifted. Dark clouds rolled in, and a supernatural snowfall began to blanket the battlefield. As the snow fell and made contact with the demons, their bodies began to tremble violently—magic resistance rendered useless under the might of Cocytus's spell.
They shook uncontrollably, the chilling air burrowing deep into their cores. Cocytus observed their swift decline and deemed them no longer worth his time. Without hesitation, he teleported away.
He reappeared high above Nazarick, floating calmly in the air just as a group of winged humans approached. Their gazes were confused and wary, mistaking him for a demon, they prepared their spells, gathering energy in their hands to strike.
But Cocytus acted first. Once again, he extended his arm and called forth the same spell, his voice like thunder.
"Penetrate Maximize magic: Frosty Hell!"
The sudden cold instantly rattled the winged humans. Their resistance and magical defenses crumbled like paper before the snowfall, as if the elements themselves had turned against them. Panic flared in their eyes as the chill gnawed into their bones.
But their misfortune didn't end there. From the distant horizon, searing beams of energy tore through the sky. Those too slow to react were struck mid-flight, their bodies engulfed in blinding light before crashing lifelessly to the ground below.
Far across the battlefield, the demons Cocytus had previously fought were now rising once more—no longer as enemies, but as loyal undead under his command. Each one pulsed with eerie power, their eyes glowing with unnatural life. These undead wielded a terrifying ability: they could fire beams of pure destruction, and judging by the devastation left in their wake, it was their most powerful form of attack.
The winged humans, overwhelmed by the relentless snowstorm and the sudden assault of undead demons, stood no chance. In mere moments, they were wiped out, their bodies falling to the ground before rising again—reborn under Cocytus' command.
With the humans disregarded entirely, Cocytus now commanded an army three thousand strong. It was a terrifying mix of both demons and winged humans, with the latter making up the bulk of his forces. The battlefield had become a graveyard, and from that graveyard, a new army had risen.
To top it all off, Cocytus had reached level 41. After slaughtering so many foes, his strength had soared higher than ever before.
***
All across the New World, countless eyes began turning toward Cocytus' location. The disturbance he caused was not subtle—its ripple effect was undeniable. Even those in alternate dimensions could feel it. Something foreign, something powerful, was slowly forcing its way into their world.
Among the many who sensed the shift was a blonde-haired boy. At first glance, he appeared no older than ten, with soft features and a youthful frame. But appearances were deceiving. Despite his childlike looks, he was well over 200 years old. As a demon, his kind aged far slower than humans, and his bloodline made him extraordinary.
He wasn't just any demon. He was the son of the Demon King and easily one of the strongest beings this world had to offer.
"You feel that?" he asked, his gaze shifting toward the winged human beside him. But she wasn't a winged human. She was a member of the goddess clan—an angel, pure and radiant, with a divine presence that set her apart from mortals.
"Yes…" she replied quietly, her voice laced with unease as her eyes turned toward the horizon. "Meliodas, should we go?"
She could feel the creeping magic in the distance, a dark and foreign aura steadily growing. It was drawing nearer to Cocytus' position. They were the closest to that area. If they left now, they'd arrive long before anyone else. But the question hung heavily in the air—was it worth the risk?
It was because of them that the Holy War had even started. Meliodas, the son of the Demon King, had betrayed his own kind, striking down some of their strongest warriors. That act shattered the delicate balance between the realms. In response, the members of the goddess clan rallied the other races, uniting them with one purpose: to eradicate the demons once and for all.
"We have no choice," Meliodas said at last, his voice heavy with conviction. "I also sense that Merlin is heading there."
Merlin… she was someone he had saved not long ago. A prodigy, yes, but also a master of deception. Word had spread of how she tricked both the Demon King and the Supreme Deity into granting her their blessings, only to flee immediately afterward as the two lashed out on the kingdom she once called home.. Her escape had caused the collapse of her entire kingdom. She was the sole survivor.
Elizabeth sighed as she heard this, then rose into the sky, her wings unfolding with radiant grace. She knew Merlin all too well—her insatiable hunger for knowledge was unmatched, often driving her straight into danger. The same could be said for Meliodas. Neither of them would turn away from what was coming.
Without exchanging another word, they both took off toward Cocytus' location. Their speed was terrifying. Even without trying, they moved at near-light velocity. But when they truly pushed themselves, they shattered that limit, soaring faster than light, closing the distance in mere moments.
Cocytus's head snapped toward the distance, his instincts flaring with alarm. He immediately braced himself for the incoming threat… and a cold wave of dread swept over him as he saw their levels. Sweat beaded across his icy skin—two beings, each above level 55, were rapidly closing in on his position.
He turned to glance back at Nazarick, its massive form now almost fully anchored in this world. Just a few more hours… he needed to buy time, no matter what.
With unwavering resolve, Cocytus stepped forward. His eyes burned with focus as he activated one of his 4 overpowered abilities, granted by his new job class—[Weapon's Master of the 9 Realms]. This job class was proof that he had achieved mastery unlike any other… even Rex would have to admit that when it came to sheer weapon skill, Cocytus stood above all.
[Supreme Weapon Master Mode]—it wasn't just a skill, but a state of mind. Only those who had truly reached the pinnacle of weapon mastery could access this state. For one full hour, Cocytus would become a living god, so long as he held a weapon in hand. The drawback? He would be cut off from all other skills, restricted to only spells below the 5th tier. Even so, for someone like Cocytus, that was more than enough.
He made the first move. Without warning, he stepped forward and slashed the air. It resembled the spell Reality Slash, a spell that could cut through the fabric of space itself—but this was no mere imitation. The slash ignored the distance between him and the two approaching threats, collapsing the space between them with an attack on a vastly greater scale.
Meliodas reacted just in time, narrowly dodging a slash meant to cleave him from head to toe. Even so, his arm was severed cleanly at the shoulder. But within a heartbeat, darkness surged from the wound, and the severed limb reattached itself with eerie precision.
'He healed… no,' Cocytus realized, 'the injury is gone, but the damage remains.'
He moved swiftly, intercepting the heavy sword that came crashing down toward him. Their weapons clashed with a resonating force, sending out shockwaves, but Meliodas' eyes narrowed in surprise. A chilling aura bled from Cocytus' body, so cold that the very air froze in its presence. Just being near Cocytus was enough to cause harm—it was like standing within the breath of winter itself. He had felt a great power trying to freeze him, but he could also tell Cocytus had forced that power not to work due to its cost being too high… that being absolute zero.
Meliodas quickly stepped back, his boots crunching against the now-frozen earth. The ground beneath him had solidified into jagged ice, the lingering chill from Cocytus' aura still hanging thick in the air. The freezing wave had spread far and wide, reinforcing the very land itself and allowing Cocytus to endure the earlier clash without faltering.
"You are different," Cocytus said, stepping forward, steam rising faintly from his armored frame as the frost deepened with his presence. "The name is Cocytus—Floor Guardian, and loyal slave of the Supreme Ones."
Meliodas narrowed his eyes, his grip tightening on his blade. Cocytus' declaration stirred something troubling—those words carried a weight that couldn't be ignored.