The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic

Chapter 556 556: 556

The battle escalated instantly, and every collision between the hammer and the abyss shook the structure of reality while creating shockwaves that spread endlessly.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Demoness moved with precision and avoided the main clash, and she slipped through the chaos without drawing attention before appearing near Kael without warning.

Her crimson energy surged toward him in sharp and concentrated strands, and each one carried enough force to pierce through divine defenses.

Kael reacted immediately, and irritation appeared clearly on his face as he snapped.

"FUCKK!" he cursed while his hand shot forward.

His slaughter intent condensed violently around his arm, and the surrounding space trembled as that power gathered into a dense and brutal force. He grabbed her by the face and stopped her movement completely while her crimson energy lashed around him in resistance.

Then he slammed her down with force.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact crushed the space beneath her, and fractures spread outward rapidly as the dimension struggled to hold itself together.

Before she could recover, Kael clenched his other hand tightly, and his power gathered again into a concentrated form before he drove a punch directly into her.

That punch carried the compressed essence of slaughter, and when it landed, it exploded outward violently.

BOOOOOOM!

The force tore through her crimson form and sent her flying back while the surrounding space shattered in layers.

Kael did not chase her, and instead he turned his focus toward the crimson star.

His eyes sharpened, and his breathing steadied slightly as he moved forward.

Ethan moved toward it, and each step felt heavier as the pressure around him increased, but he continued anyway while extending his hand slowly.

Closer.

Closer.

His fingers approached the star, and he was about to close his grip around it when suddenly his entire body froze.

The change was immediate, and his expression shifted as something erupted from within him, and it did not feel like an external attack but something internal that had awakened.

Pain spread through his entire existence, and it was not normal pain but something far deeper as if every part of him was being dismantled piece by piece.

His mind fractured, and multiple overlapping versions of his thoughts appeared at once, and his senses began to split apart.

Then an ancient voice echoed from within the starry sky itself, and it carried a deep and oppressive presence.

"You didn't forget me, right!"

Kael's eyes widened slightly, and his voice came out strained and distorted as he responded.

"No!"

At the same time, his devour ability went completely out of control, and instead of consuming outwardly, it turned inward and began devouring him.

"What's going?" his thoughts became unstable as confusion and alarm spread through him.

The sudden development shook him deeply, and he could not understand what had gone wrong until he focused inward and found the source.

A presence.

"Youu!" his voice carried anger and disbelief.

"Yes Leonard… It's me…" the voice replied calmly, and there was a faint sense of amusement in it.

Recognition hit him immediately.

It was the Demon God who had granted him devour.

"Did you really think you can devour left and right without caring about consequences…" the voice continued while maintaining that cold tone.

Before Kael could regain control or respond properly, something exploded inside him.

A massive black hole burst out from his soul, and the force of it tore through his body and spread outward violently.

BOOOOOOM!

Space warped and twisted around him as everything nearby was pulled and distorted.

Then another presence emerged.

A second self.

It burst out from within him as if it had been trapped all along, and its emergence caused another violent explosion that shook the universe itself.

Dark energy erupted endlessly from that rupture, and a black figure began to rise from within it while carrying a terrifying presence that did not belong to Kael alone.

Kael tried to steady himself and gather his thoughts while his mind struggled to understand what was happening inside him, but before he could fully grasp it, the change began.

It was not a simple loss of control.It was deassimilation.

The power that had once merged with him began to separate, and it did not do so gently but violently, as if something was forcefully tearing apart what had been fused together. His divine authority, his devour, and even his own essence began to split into layers.

The connection between him and his power loosened, and then it started to peel away piece by piece.

It felt like his existence was being stripped apart.

His body trembled, and cracks of dark energy spread across him while the crimson lines flickered uncontrollably.

Then….

BOOOOOOOM!

A terrifying roar shook the heavens and even the hearts of those watching, and a violent surge of power burst out from Kael's body.

From within that explosion, a dark demon-like figure stepped forward.

It had the form of an asura, and its presence was heavy and oppressive while its body radiated a twisted authority that did not belong to Kael anymore.

It reached out and grabbed the power.

The slaughter intent and devouring essence were pulled away from Kael and gathered into its hands, and at the same moment, Kael's body was thrown back violently.

The sudden change froze the battlefield for a moment.

Shock spread across everyone.

"LEONARDDDD!!"

Nina's voice tore across the battlefield, and flames erupted wildly around her as she rushed forward without hesitation.

Asana's expression changed completely, and her frost surged to its peak while she followed alongside Nina, both of them attacking with everything they had.

Their combined power shook the universe.

But before they could reach a force intercepted them.

The God of Storm moved.

Lightning and storms descended together, and their attacks were blocked as violent winds and thunder forced them back.

At the same time, Steampunk and Christina tried to move, but they were stopped by other gods who stepped in and held them in place, preventing them from interfering further.

Only one figure moved freely.

The God of War.

He stood amidst the chaos, his hammer resting on his shoulder as his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Just what happened?" he shouted, his voice carrying confusion rather than fear.

Meanwhile, Kael's body floated in space.

He looked broken and barely holding together.

His breathing was uneven, and his aura had weakened drastically.

Losing the power of slaughter was one thing.

What shocked him the most was the loss of very power that defined him.

Devour.

It wasn't wrong to say that he wouldn't have been able to reach here without it.

It had been quite long since he had felt this.Even when dying in the past,he didn't feel it but he was feeling it now.

The feeling of helplessness and weakness.

The very thing that disgusts him.

It was that very moment,he remembered a saying.

No matter how strong you become,it's worthless if that power isn't yours but gifted by someone.