Void Evolution System

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The longer their fight continued, the more disadvantaged Malefice seemed to be.

He was hardly able to attack at this point, and was mostly dodging as the dog, the horse, and the rat continuously pushed him further and further.

The sea of darkness he created was hardly useful at first glance. However, that was only at first glance.

Every attack Malefice performed was powered by that sea, and as it continued to exist without being inhibited, Malefice's power only grew stronger.

The explosions that rung out were mainly caused by him.

The Law of the Dark Star swarmed the air, turning it into something of Malefice's domain.

He was fighting against multiple enemies, all of whom had great power. It was difficult for him, but Malefice was someone who benefitted from prolonged battles.

As his darkness flooded the atmosphere more and more, it splashed into all of Claire's summons, and their states started to look a lot like the serpent's.

Their movements were slowed, which made it far easier for Malefice to attack Claire herself.

XIU! XIU! XIU!

Three needles of darkness flew toward her at untold speed.

Malefice took some notes from the snake's techniques, filling his darkness with a power of corrosion to combine two separate strikes into one.

The needles hit the rat wall with extreme force, piercing through with ease.

The rats were incredibly dexterous and had a relatively high defense, however, they were far more equipped to dam with blunt impacts than piercing strikes.

Tens of rats died as the needles shot through their defense, but the main person who needed to be careful was still Claire.

She raised her hand, creating several walls of hard obsidian-like rock in front of her.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Their momentum was slowed with every wall they broke through, but they continued to push as if they didn't have enough momentum to lose.

Claire put her focus on those attacks, and using that opportunity, Malefice got behind her and struck again.

BANG!

It was the first time he'd come close enough to give her no time to react.

A punch, filled with the energy of the Dark Star, slammed into her back.

"Khhh…!"

Claire held her groan of pain back as she turned around and swept her arm through the air.

Malefice didn't retreat. Instead, he dodged and twisted his body, giving himself the chance to counter.

BOOM!

Malefice's fists weren't weak by any means. It was actually the opposite.

The Law of the Dark Star allowed him to control weight to an extent. When he struck with his fists, he made sure they weighed as much as a dying star.

Claire's back was hit directly with that kind of force.

She was a God as well, so the damage she took wasn't fatal, but it wasn't small either.

That kind of force hit her soul directly. It hurt more than anything, and while it crippled her fighting potential to an extent, she didn't allow Malefice to realize that.

Claire was a summoner. She rarely fought in close combat.

But that didn't mean she couldn't.

She swept her arms to the side. Two swords spawned in her hands as she pushed off the air and charged at Malefice.

Shing! Shing! Shing! Shing!

Her swords cut through the air with such precision that one could see the atmosphere itself get sliced.

Pushing Malefice and giving him no room to back out of the confrontation, Claire's swords were like two individual beings of their own.

'Strong.'

She may have taken a backseat when Dante Void and his son were messing the world up, but that didn't mean she didn't have the ability to do the same.

Merely, she chose not to.

Now that she was showing her power, it became clear why she was regarded so highly in this world.

Malefice dodged and dodged. His body went right and left and spun in impossible ways, but he couldn't avoid all of Claire's attacks.

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue as the two swords slashed into his shoulders. The pain didn't affect him, but his arms were effectively ruined for at least a few seconds.

BANG!

He charged mana into his body and released it forward.

The move didn't have much attack power, but it created a great deal of momentum that pushed him back and outside of Claire's range.

However, Claire didn't bother to chase him. She'd already achieved her purpose.

Malefice wouldn't be able to throw any more of those heavy punches. Not for a while, at least.

Which meant that, during this period, Claire would be safe from any close combat attacks.

'Good.'

She wasn't losing.

The uncomfortable feeling in her heart didn't go away, but she didn't think it was coming from Malefice anymore.

'Then…'

If Malefice wasn't the enemy who made her feel danger, then someone else was in the Heavenly God Plane watching them, waiting for the time to strike.

The Heavenly God Plane was called as such because it really was a massive plane of existence. All battlefields within were connected, and while it was rare, it wasn't impossible for people who entered from different places to encounter each other.

If someone had been waiting in the Heavenly God Plane for them to arrive, if they had been watching this fight the entire time…

'...they are far more dangerous than Malefice.'

Because Claire hadn't even begun to sense them.

BOOOOOOOOM!

The battle continued to rage on.

She and Malefice were relatively equal in standing. Malefice had been injured several times by Claire and her summons, and Claire…

Well, her summons were slowly beginning to refuse her orders.

Rather, they were unable to do anything.

The horse followed the serpent, then the dog followed the horse. The blackness that Malefice spread through every corner of the battlefield stuck to them and slowed them, encasing them in stone.

The rats were able to live on due to their numbers, however, Claire's attack power had been turned into nothing as her other summons were frozen into statues.

"It may be necessary to bring 'him' out," the Pig said from beside her.

Its body had the ability to turn ethereal, so it was the only summon completely unaffected by the so-called Medusa effect.

Malefice hadn't even realized its presence on the battlefield. Claire was the only one who could perceive it.

"If I release him…"

"...then you will never be able to go back to peace. Yes."

"Is it truly necessary?"

Claire liked her life. She liked being a mother, she was proud of her son, and her husband was getting better every single day.

The stable and joyful family life that she'd yearned for was almost possible. It was just barely out of reach.

Right now…

Did she want to give up peace right now, at the very last moment?

"I really don't want to."

However…

Malefice retreated several hundred kilometers back.

It seemed like he was separating himself from the battle, but really…

'There's someone else.'

The person Claire had only just realized the existence of had revealed their existence.

'...I have no choice.'

As that person's visage became clearer, Claire had to accept reality.

If she wanted to win this battle, then she had to sacrifice herself.

There simply wasn't another option.