Chapter 524: Vergil vs Neberius (Part. II)
The flash was still spreading when Vergil tore through the air, emerging from the center of the explosion as if he were the very core of the storm. His laughter echoed among the fragments of stone falling from the ceiling, amid the golden flames that burned the hall.
Naberius stood, arms raised, two suns roaring in his hands like all-devouring spheres. His flaming crown danced furiously, reflecting his expression—no longer just amused, but alert, as if facing an unexpected rival.
Vergil landed, the ground giving way beneath his feet. His katana was shrouded in a savage blue glow, as if the steel were made of solidified wind, cutting through every particle of energy around it.
“I won’t stop…” he murmured, his breath labored but charged with pleasure. “Even if I have to burn my entire body to bring you down!”
Naberius arched an eyebrow, his voice soft but filled with power.
“Then come, heir. Show me if you have more than bravado.”
With one step, she hurled the two suns at him.
The golden spheres collided like celestial hammers, engulfing Vergil in a wall of flame so hot the air sizzled and the stone dripped like lava. The women screamed in the distance, recoiling as the chains holding the prison creaked and snapped.
But from the heart of the blue and gold hell… a third color emerged.
Red.
Vergil’s blood, spilling from his forehead and arms, began to move against gravity, like liquid serpents. The crimson took shape, swirling around him, shaping itself into floating blades that curved like sharp fangs.
From within the explosion, his voice roared:
“Don’t let your guard down.”
The blood wings spread from his back—translucent, fierce, throbbing like living muscles. With a single beat, the pressure pushed the golden flames back, sundering the space between them.
Naberius’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise.
“Hm… blood of the Baal clan.”
Vergil advanced with impossible speed. His katana sliced through the void, and the blood wings shot red blades in all directions. Naberius raised a golden field around himself, blocking the attack, but the cuts were so numerous they cracked his barrier.
Sparks exploded around her, forcing her to slide backward.
“Hehehehe…” Vergil twirled the blade, wings pulsing. “That was just the beginning!”
He raised his free hand, and fire blossomed in his palm, but it wasn’t ordinary. It was blue, dense, compressed, as if the surrounding wind had fueled the combustion to its limit. A flaming sphere roared in his hand.
He threw it.
The blue fireball streaked across the hall like a comet. Naberius responded by slamming his hands together, creating a pillar of golden light that collided with the attack.
The explosion transformed the space into a storm of fire and wind. Walls disintegrated, pillars were pulverized. Roxanne and the others took cover behind a makeshift barrier erected by Zuri, but even she trembled from the impact.
In the eye of the storm, Vergil emerged again. His body burned, his muscles trembled, but he advanced with the fury of one who knew no fear.
His katana vibrated, and he unleashed a wave of cutting wind that pierced the smoke and struck Naberius head-on.
The goddess retreated a few steps, her tunic torn, exposing the golden glow of her skin beneath.
She licked her lips, almost amused, but with a hint of irritation.
“You dare hurt me… boy?”
Vergil smiled, blood trickling from his mouth.
“I’ll do more than that. I’ll force you to respect me.”
With a primal scream, he united all the elements. Blood wings pulsed, wind swirled around him, and blue fire condensed on the katana’s blade.
The result was a hybrid attack—a blade that seemed made of storm, fire, and living flesh.
“DIE, NABERIUS!”
He lunged, and the blow descended like the judgment of a god.
Naberius raised both arms. Her body exploded in golden flames, her aura expanding until it touched the ceiling of the prison. For an instant, it was as if she were the sun itself in human form.
The impact of the two powers colliding produced a shockwave so devastating that it shattered the prison. Chains snapped, the entire floor shattered, and space distorted around them.
The women were thrown back, fighting only to stay alive against the energy emanating from them.
And in the center, Naberius and Vergil remained, unyielding.
“IS THIS ALL YOU HAVE?!” Vergil roared, his body trembling with the effort, blood streaming down his living wings.
“ARROGANT!” Naberius retorted, the golden flame roaring louder. “YOU ARE JUST AN ECHO OF WHAT YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS!”
Vergil laughed, spitting blood at her feet.
“Then you surpass me.”
Katharina looked at it from afar… “Because I feel like he’s becoming more and more like my mother…”
The ground gave way beneath them, and they both fell amidst the ruins of the prison. Golden and blue flames illuminated the subterranean darkness, transforming the corridors into rivers of fire and wind.
They exchanged dozens of blows in seconds—blade against fiery fists, blood wings against golden walls, cutting wind against divine flames. Each impact echoed like thunder, each movement tore at the reality around them.
The fight seemed eternal.
Vergil, even bloodied, couldn’t stop laughing, his blue gaze burning ever more intensely. Naberius, though still imposing, began to narrow his eyes, his patience wearing thin.
At one point, she pushed him away with a golden blast and roared:
“ENOUGH!”
The wave of energy swept across the field, slamming Vergil into a shattered wall of bones. He staggered to his feet, katana still in hand, blood-red wings trembling.
Naberius walked toward him, fire still dancing on his skin.
“You’ve shown everything you have… blood, wind, fire. Yes, you are strong. Strong enough not to be crushed immediately.” His voice was now deep, sharp, almost angry. “But something is still missing.”
Vergil spat blood and smiled, his eyes shining with defiance.
“Hah… what are you talking about?”
Naberius stopped in front of him, tilting his head slightly. His crimson eyes flashed like blades.
“Where is it, boy… your mother’s icy power?”
Vergil looked at her in confusion. “Ice Power?” he questioned.
…