"Roar—!!"
Satan let out an agonized howl as his massive body toppled backward. The golden pillar of light that had struck him now engulfed his right foot and leg in radiant flames.
No matter how much Satan struggled, flailing and thrashing, he could not extinguish the searing fire that clung to him like a divine judgment.
The source of the golden light was none other than Jalan, who should have been crushed beneath Satan's foot.
Jalan stood tall on the icy surface, his expression stern and cold. Most striking of all were his eyes, now glowing with a golden radiance. The lightning arcing across his power claws had also shifted from blue to an intense gold, crackling with raw, pure energy.
Selene, watching from a distance, froze in place.
Her simulated face displayed a rare expression of confusion as her AI mind processed the scene. The purple glow in her artificial eyes pulsed as she scanned through her vast database, trying to find an explanation for Jalan's transformation.
Moments later, her eyes returned to their usual hue, but the expression of confusion remained.
Nothing in her stored data could explain what she was witnessing. Jalan appeared to be undergoing a completely unprecedented metamorphosis.
Despite her concern for Jalan and the other Dark Angels, Selene quickly suppressed any emotional impulses and rationally retreated further from the battle zone. Her priority was clear: locate an escape route from the ninth layer of Betrayal to ensure that the critical data she had collected would not be lost.
Selene herself had no fear of "death." As an AI, her existence was tied to her physical core, and as long as it remained intact, or unless an advanced virus erased her presence across the network, she would persist.
Thanks to advanced synthetic body technology derived from the Forerunners and other civilizations, Selene's body was far superior to most creations. Unlike early human AI prone to breakdowns or madness from excessive data and unceasing thought, Selene's design allowed her to remain stable indefinitely.
But here, cut off from the Empire's network, she had no means to upload her findings to a secure cloud. For now, preserving her physical body was paramount.
Even though Selene's synthetic strength surpassed that of the Dark Angels, she knew she lacked the spiritual essence needed to harm Satan directly. Her only viable method to counter him would involve detonating the power core of her body—a metallic hydrogen battery equivalent to 100,000 tons of TNT.
That, however, would obliterate all her collected data and observations. It was an option of last resort.
Strangely, though, the sudden transformation of Jalan hinted that such an extreme measure might not be necessary.
The golden flames consuming Satan's leg were unmistakable—they bore the mark of the Emperor himself.
Boom! Boom!
With his injuries miraculously healed, Jalan sprinted across the frozen lake's surface toward the fallen Satan. With a mighty leap, he landed on the charred knee of Satan's right leg and began scaling toward his head.
"No! No!!"
Satan's voice, now trembling with genuine fear, echoed throughout the entire hellscape.
For the first time in his existence, Satan felt true terror—not just pain, but a profound sense of annihilation. The golden light coursing through Jalan did not merely wound him; it drained his very essence, threatening to erase him entirely.
Satan had always believed himself invincible as long as the realm of hell stood intact. Worshippers and dark energies constantly replenished his strength. Even if decapitated or dismembered, he could always regenerate.
But now, he realized another force—far beyond his comprehension—was using Jalan as a vessel to intrude upon this realm.
"Get off! Get away!"
Satan thrashed wildly, swinging his enormous arms in an attempt to dislodge Jalan.
Yet despite his massive strength and speed, Jalan moved with preternatural precision, evading Satan's every strike.
As Satan tried to rise, Jalan stomped down hard with golden-imbued strength, forcing the demon lord back onto the frozen lake with a deafening crash.
Now perched on Satan's chest, Jalan raised his glowing power claws, aiming them at Satan's throat.
"No! Please! Spare me!"
Satan, reduced to pleading, abandoned all dignity. His pitiful cries reverberated through the layers of hell.
But Jalan, or rather the force controlling him, showed no mercy.
Shlunk—Rip!
The golden lightning extended the reach of Jalan's claws to several meters, effortlessly slicing through Satan's neck.
In mere moments, Satan's massive head fell from his shoulders, crashing onto the icy surface below with a thunderous impact.
The golden flames consuming his body quickly reduced it to ash and bleached bones.
The once-mighty Lord of Hell, who had tormented Universe 13 for centuries, was no more.
As Jalan stepped down from the flaming remains of Satan's corpse, his gaze shifted to his fallen comrades.
His golden eyes narrowed in frustration. Several of the Dark Angels were critically injured, their internal organs failing, even in their suspended "death-like" states. Without immediate intervention, they would not survive long enough to reach the Empire's apothecaries.
Raising a hand, Jalan sent a wave of golden energy toward his squad.
The light enveloped Aldemo and the others, mending their shattered bodies. Severed limbs regenerated, and internal wounds closed as though they had never existed.
The Dark Angels, now healed, slowly rose, their expressions a mix of confusion and awe.
"Is this... possible?" Aldemo murmured, inspecting his regrown arm.
"Was I dead? I could have sworn—" another soldier muttered, flexing his renewed muscles.
Their amazement only deepened as they noticed the smoldering skeleton of Satan nearby.
Did their commander, Jalan, somehow defeat the Lord of Hell alone? And how had they recovered from injuries that should have been fatal?
"It was the Emperor," Selene said, stepping forward to explain.
Her voice was calm but firm as she continued, "The golden energy you witnessed—it originated from the Emperor. He intervened through Jalan to destroy Satan and restore you all."
Selene shared a video feed of the battle with the squad, confirming her claim. The footage clearly showed Jalan acting as the Emperor's conduit, channeling divine power.
While such direct intervention was rare, the Dark Angels now understood they had witnessed a miracle of the highest order.
Back in the Imperial Palace of the main universe, within his private office:
Samuel Young, dressed in his customary black uniform, continued typing on a physical keyboard and reviewing holographic screens. For a fleeting moment, his golden eyes shimmered, a subtle indication of the psychic energy he had just expended.
He had sensed the peril facing Jalan and the Dark Angels and chosen to intervene directly. Using Jalan as a vessel, Samuel had effortlessly eradicated Satan and absorbed his essence, further strengthening his own psychic reserves.
This intervention, though minor by his standards, served as a reminder of his unwavering duty to his creations. Even across universes and realms, the Emperor would not abandon his loyal warriors.
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