This was the advantage of machines, a structure unlike any living being. Both legs kicked toward Belial's side, while the spinning drill tail stabbed for the back of his head. The assault came from multiple angles at once.
"I told you, you picked the wrong Godzilla!"
"What?!"
Their tails clashed, but Belial matched its agility. A crystal explosion shattered the drill tip, then blasted apart the joint of its remaining arm. The machine did not fall, forcing balance with thrusters as its legs hit the ground.
With a violent tail sweep, it released a thick cloud of metal-particle smoke, followed by dense missile fire and several back-mounted beams. The sky filled with fire and streaking light. Explosions rolled outward in all directions.
"Roar!"
Ignoring it all, Belial charged straight through, his tough hide taking the hits. Gravity Tornado tripped Mechagodzilla, and he seized the tail and swung hard. The enormous body was flung like a toy, ground anchors tearing free as he twisted and slammed it in a heavy over-the-shoulder throw.
"You like mobility? Today I am ripping it out of you!"
He lunged forward, wings clamping down like extra claws on its back ribs. The rear thrusters aimed directly at his head, preparing to fire. The moment stretched under screaming engines.
"Roar!"
With a thunderous bellow, Belial smashed both arms downward. The entire body of Mechagodzilla sank as its back caved in, energy pipelines detonating in a chain of blasts. Flames burst across its surface as Ludwig reeled from the blow.
"What is going on… this dragon was never this strong before!"
Before the words settled, Belial dragged it by the tail and smashed it left and right. Each impact shook the land, warping mechanical structures further with every hit. The sound of destruction came in heavy, repeated crashes.
"Bang!"
"Hm?"
The tail connection severed as the machine rolled away and turned, grabbing its fallen arms and reconnecting them in one smooth motion. Ludwig froze for a moment, ancient memories stirring as something familiar surfaced. He had seen something like this before, long ago.
What was it…?
"Why are you spacing out? If you do not fight back, I will not be polite!"
Two more Spiral Heat Ray blasts roared in. Ludwig raised both arms to block as a crimson barrier formed around him. The close-range exchange had already cost too much, and melee was clearly not the answer.
If close combat would not work, then overwhelming firepower would.
Metal structures shifted as new emitters formed at the front. The crimson core inside awakened further, pumping more energy as conduits along the neck glowed brighter. Metal particles in the air assembled acceleration circuits as the machine opened its jaws and fired a blazing beam, answering with Spiral Heat Ray of its own.
Both advanced while firing, beams tearing through the space between them. Mechagodzilla's core continued to recover, but Belial's energy readings climbed just as fast. Even he failed to notice orange-red lightning flicker along his dorsal spines.
Deep within, a buried sun still burned from earlier rage. The total energy had not increased, but Authority of Decay acted as a catalyst, forcing far greater output. Blue-white light in his eyes and crystal spines shifted to orange-red as heat rose sharply.
The beam itself transformed into an advancing orange-red Spiral Heat Ray. The pressure became unbearable as it pushed forward at terrifying speed. The machine began to falter under the surge.
"This is getting more familiar… this thing is definitely not ordinary."
Sweat poured as Ludwig realized his output could no longer keep up. Belial advanced step by step, crushing the distance. The surrounding Crystal Domain broke through suppression and exploded into rampant growth.
In moments, a forest of crystal filled the area. Energy flowed into Belial while backlash waves weakened Ludwig's output. The gap between them widened beyond doubt.
"You little bastard… prepare to die!"
"Corona… ray!"
The orange-red lightning drowned out the crimson beam, punching through Mechagodzilla's shoulder and melting half its neck, head, and arm. The beam swept down from right shoulder to left hip, armor shattering into Shard and flowing metal as the nanomachines inside were burned dead.
Ludwig tried to rebuild, but Belial would not allow it. A tail strike with crystal detonation knocked the machine flat. Guided ghost crystals rose from the Crystal Domain, empowered by Gravity Tornado, and nailed the body in place with more than a dozen crystal spears.
"Damn it… I cannot lose!"
"Ugh… roar!"
Mechagodzilla struggled and fired multiple weakened beams, all deflected by the growing radiation from Belial's body. His surface temperature kept rising, though this was not Burning Mode, only damage from excessive output and heat buildup.
"No… no!"
Using sheer mass and strength, he crushed armor plates and destroyed emitter structures, energy leaking everywhere. The ruined interior suffered yet another violent shock. The structure groaned under its own collapse.
"This is an execution scene, so shut up!"
Enduring the crimson beam, Belial smashed the remaining half of the head flat with one punch. His claws hooked into the throat and twisted until metal snapped with a warped scream of Rend. Amid Ludwig's wail, the head and part of the spine were torn free and tossed aside.
The nanometal body of Mechagodzilla could still move, launching missiles and small beams in a final, futile struggle. Systems flickered as it refused to fully shut down. The battlefield burned around it.
"Damn… the core! I have to save the core…"
Ludwig tried to buy time with sheer bulk, planning to assemble an escape pod around the core and eject it. Maybe then he could still escape. But something even worse happened.
The armor began to collapse, or rather, the metal started to disperse on its own. This was impossible. Only Ludwig himself should have been able to control it.
"…And the core?"
His lips trembled as the puppet face twisted. Without hesitation, he ran madly toward the core chamber. If the core recorded his data from when he was this weapon's enemy, then self-destruction was inevitable.
"Absolutely not… do not even think of escaping! Everything is mine!"
He tore open sealed metal doors as liquid metal tried to bind him, only to be fixed in place by his threads. At last, the core came into view. His fingers burst with countless threads, seven spider legs tearing out from his back as he rushed forward.
Just a little more time. Just a little.
Boom!
A massive black claw pierced down from the ceiling and seized the core. It flashed twice, almost mockingly, before being yanked away. Despair followed instantly.
"No… no!"
Belial held the core in his claws and examined it carefully. Energy Field and God of Destruction's soul observation scanned it repeatedly before he finally swallowed it. What the villain had taken was reclaimed.
Now it was time to kill the one who had made him angry for the first time.
"I hope you die properly this time. Beating you to death every time is annoying."
He forced open the ruined chest of Mechagodzilla and paused in surprise. A furious roar cut through the moment.
"Die!"
Ludwig howled as a seven-legged spider shadow flashed behind him. A giant spider of liquid metal lunged forward, his last chance. Failure here meant losing everything forever.
As screams rang out, the spider formed from Authority unleashed another soul-targeting attack. The remaining seven legs shattered in sacrifice. Even if he survived, even if he devoured countless souls, he would never regain his former peak.
All of it was because of this dragon.
"The core must be taken back!"
There was no resistance now. To be safe, his true body controlled things directly this time. He had to ensure this dragon's soul was completely erased. Madness drove him forward into darkness.
Endless darkness, empty and absolute.
…!
Ludwig froze in shock. Mortal souls were usually points of light, at most small domains. Even Crimson God had a Divine Kingdom and a true form, never nothing.
Was something blocking him? Impossible. This had to be the soul's location. Nothing should hide from such a high-level gaze.
So where was the soul, or did a being without a soul truly exist?
After wandering, he finally saw a light behind him. He turned in joy, though doubt crept in. The light was too bright.
He turned fully around.
A colossal sun wrapped in a blazing corona crashed down. From within it spread wings dyed to Gold Rank brilliance, followed by a magnificent solar flare explosion.
Moments later, everything returned to darkness.
"Mm…"
"Finally undone…"
The crystal wrapping around Lilith peeled away piece by piece, and her bare feet stepped onto rough black scales. Only after she felt a familiar presence, not some Evil God altar, did she relax and realize she was standing on a dragon's palm. Clouds rushed past around them, but the casing shielded her from any wind pressure.
"Oh… you're awake!"
After cleaning up the traces, Belial was flying toward Sky Island with the crystal and the core in hand when he felt movement in his palm and turned to look at Lilith. She let out a soft breath and spoke first, even if she was not sure he understood.
"Thank you for saving me… but you really won, didn't you?"