"This can't be… how? Who is that young girl?" a middle-aged man in a hat and robe spoke, his expression a mix of unease, fear, and disbelief.
He couldn't comprehend the scene before him.
All the powerhouses at the peak of the Human Realm, each possessing Inferno Realm strength, stared in stunned silence, their faces mirroring his solemn expression.
None of them could believe that a godly, undying being had been obliterated without even uttering his final words.
A heavy unease settled over everyone.
None of them knew the girl's identity, and their fear only grew as they realized she appeared completely unbound by the laws of the realm.
While the Dark Emperor had been suppressed by nearly every law within the Human Realm and confined to the Obsidian Grave Continent, she moved freely, able to unleash her full strength without restriction.
They exchanged tense glances, already calculating how they would respond to such a mysterious and unpredictable force.
As their fear swelled, a cold, feminine voice suddenly echoed through the air.
"No. The Dark Emperor is still alive."
After that voice echoed, all gazes locked onto the woman with flowing white hair and a dress like mist, standing calmly with a small child beside her.
Seeing her appear, the gathered powerhouses weren't particularly shocked, and one of them spoke up.
"So it's you, Witch of Calamity. You're here too. But what do you mean, claiming that the deity is still alive?""
The Witch of Calamity's expression turned serious.
Her granddaughter looked up at her, just as curious, lacking the strength to sense what was happening on her own.
Moments later, the woman responded, her voice cold and sharp.
"What are you all so afraid of? You, the thirteen guardians of the Human Realm, chosen by the laws themselves and supposed to be protectors of this world—have you no courage to defend the living?"
Her blunt words struck them with guilt. She wasn't wrong. They were chosen by the laws to become divine caretakers, yet here they stood, trembling like frightened mortals.
"It's not about that. Just answer the question. Did the Dark Emperor truly die?" the middle-aged man interjected, clearly not wanting to waste time.
The witch of calamity narrowed her eyes and answered firmly, her granddaughter standing quietly by her side.
"What a shameless lot. I was once an apprentice of the Dark Emperor himself, and I can guarantee he is still alive."
Though reluctant to believe her, none of them could refute her claim. All they could do for now was watch.
The devastation below them was undeniable. Everything had turned pitch black, and half the continent had been erased.
They swallowed hard, silently praying they would never be struck by a blow like that.
Mary, watching their nervous and sweating faces, looked up at her grandmother and asked curiously,
"Grandma, who is fighting the Dark Emperor? They said it was a little girl. What does she look like?"
Unlike the others, Mary showed no fear. She was filled only with fascination, eager to know who could possibly stand against an invincible figure feared for three thousand years.
Her grandmother hummed in thought before answering, her voice holding a trace of awe.
"It's hard to describe clearly. But she is an incredibly beautiful child, radiating destructive intent from every inch of her body."
Even the Witch of Calamity, who had seen many monster and miracles throughout her life, couldn't help but feel stunned by Ella's terrifying strength.
No one in the Human Realm came to mind who could compare, which only deepened her suspicion about the girl's true origin.
"What? Really, Grandma? Is she the same age as me?" Mary suddenly asked, her voice filled with wonder.
The Witch of Calamity gave no reply, silently ignoring the question. Mary pouted in response, clearly dissatisfied.
Her grandmother glanced at her briefly, noting the fascination in the girl's eyes, but said nothing, allowing her imagination to wander freely.
Then, with a quiet breath, she turned her gaze back to the devastated battlefield, as if patiently waiting for someone to emerge.
Meanwhile, back with Ella, her body sparked with flickers of dark lightning, surging violently across her cracked form.
She looked down at her hands, veined with glowing fractures, as if her entire body stood on the verge of shattering.
"Haaah… hahh… that technique really erased everything in its path, yet this clone realm couldn't even execute it properly," she murmured, her voice rough and faint.
Her gaze drifted over the ocean, now submerged in pitch-black silence. The continent, once so immense it rivaled a planet in size, had been torn apart by her blow.
Yet the Human Realm remained untouched, its vastness seemingly beyond the reach of even her most destructive force.
"This realm… it's unreal. There's an earthquake, but not much tremor to cause everything to tremble. If I'd landed that punch on Earth, it would've been reduced to dust. But here? Nothing. Just how immeasurable is this Human Realm?"
A quiet unease crept into her heart. If her power couldn't even make the realm tremble, what kind of entities might be slumbering in its depths?
Then, without warning, laughter rang out, low and rough, like stone grinding on bone, echoing through the devastation.
Startled, Ella looked in every direction but couldn't sense a thing; only the laughter echoed from every angle.
"Hahahaha…"
It started as a growl, coarse and menacing, then rose into a twisted, gleeful cackle.
The sound spilled over the ruined land, dancing between obliterated mountains and scorched skies.
Every being felt it.
The Witch of Calamity. The thirteen guardian gods. Even distant mortals who had only heard whispers of the destruction paused in fear.
That laugh swept across the realm, cutting through space like a blade of intent.
"Hahahaha… astonishing. Who would've imagined a transcendent technique would be unleashed here of all places? Magnificent. Truly magnificent. You have my gratitude, little girl."
Suddenly, a darkness enveloped nearly every corner of the Obsidian Grave Continent.
Ella stared in disbelief, not expecting her strongest skill to fail in killing the Dark Emperor.
Her eyes burned with unwillingness, anger, and regret; she had hoped to eliminate him to prevent future problems, but it seemed impossible now—for her opponent was a monster among monsters.
"How... how did you survive?" Ella asked aloud, unable to comprehend the Dark Emperor's power.
Hearing her words, the Dark Emperor chuckled.
"Hehehe, brat, you couldn't kill me. I can endlessly revert as long as there's even a remnant of me. And thanks to you, I've also removed the third layer of restriction on my realm."
The Dark Emperor materialized his true form, stepping from the shadows. His black armor, sharp plates etched with glowing runes, covered his entire body.
The helmet was featureless, with crimson slits where eyes should have been. An aura of cold dread spread through the air, draining warmth from the very environment.
His presence was like death itself, inevitable and near. His emotionless gaze sent chills down Ella's spine.
"Shit, I can't move. Why?" Ella couldn't even speak as fear gripped her. She stared at the armored figure, her body frozen, unable to comprehend what was happening.
"You're dying, little girl. That's unfortunate," the Dark Emperor said, his voice as cold as the grave.
He looked back at the devastation below before adding, "Allow me to demonstrate to you what true power is."
With those words, he extended his hand as if grasping the space itself. Ella stared in disbelief as everything around her froze.
It wasn't just her; even the other powerhouses felt it. The Dark Emperor stood unfazed as lightning strikes rained down upon him, doing nothing to affect him.
Meanwhile, the continent began to slowly revive. Cracks in the earth healed, mountains rose, rivers flowed once more, forests blossomed with vibrant life, and the air seemed to breathe with renewed death energy.
Ella was in shock. She had never witnessed anything like this. Though stunned, her anger flared, and despite the fear coursing through her, she was unwilling to let him go.
Just as the Dark Emperor was about to speak, Ella's voice cut through the silence, forcefully demanding,
"Fucking kneel, you undying bastard!"