Chapter 261: Clark Trapped in Darkness
"What are you two doing?" Robert, noticing Kara and Diana's intense gaze fixed on each other, sensed that something awkward was unfolding. Scratching his head and about to speak, his attention suddenly shifted towards the ground below.
Valentine's presence underground suddenly erupted. Fueled by resentment and rage towards Robert, an imbalance had formed within him as he sought to abandon the power of the angels and fully unleash his demonic strength.
It was this shift that led Raziel to abandon Valentine, as the angelic blood within Valentine departed, taking away both the angelic power and a significant amount of his life force.
Like Claire and the other shadow hunters, Valentine became extremely weak. Given the previously immense angelic power integrated into his life force, losing it alongside a substantial amount of life force pushed Valentine closer to death than the shadow hunters. Thus, Robert hadn't bothered with Valentine, focusing instead on the greater threat posed by Raziel and considering Valentine as good as dead.
Unexpectedly, not only did Valentine not die, but he also staged a comeback, inadvertently breaking the tension between Kara, Robert, and Diana...
As Valentine neared death, the demonic power within him fully erupted. The aura of death triggered a bizarre transformation of the suppressed demonic power, marking Valentine's critical transition from near-death to a pure demonic entity, a true Demon Lord.
Given that Valentine's demonic power had once balanced Raziel's angelic strength, it indicated the formidable nature of his demonic essence, for which Raziel and the other angels had paid a price in their planned countermeasures.
This became the turning point for Valentine's resurgence. Now, fully abandoning the powers of angels and humanity, he transformed into a pure demon, a genuine Demon Lord.
"So, I was controlled all along? A puppet?! Hahaha!" As Robert glanced underground and Kara and Diana's eyes remained locked without breaking away, Valentine's maniacal laughter echoed from below. Aware of his past, Valentine realized the absurdity of his so-called path to demonhood, making him yearn for revenge. He desired to drag the entire world into hell with him, to share in the eternal torment.
With a thunderous explosion, a powerful energy burst from Valentine's location deep underground, tearing open the thick layers of earth and revealing him once more. A massive crater appeared before Robert and the others, with Valentine's gaze swiftly moving from the still-engaged Kara and Diana to Robert.
Valentine, seeking revenge against the angel who controlled his life and unwilling to spare Robert, the source of his humiliation, believed his newfound strength surpassed his previous capabilities. He was determined to kill Robert before confronting the angels.
"Don't take my opponent!" Seeing Valentine's gaze and the aura erupting from him, Robert's eyes shone with excitement. To prevent Diana from claiming his battle, he loudly staked his claim before charging at Valentine.
Neither Diana nor Kara heeded Robert's intent. From their first interaction, they remained silent, their gaze locked on each other, leaving the atmosphere as tense as if they were about to clash.
Now, Robert had no choice but to confront Valentine alone. After dealing with Valentine, he would need to address the situation between Kara and Diana.
With a loud bang, Robert and Valentine collided, unleashing a formidable power from Valentine that sent Robert flying past Diana and Kara, drawing their attention.
"Robert, are you okay?!" Kara and Diana simultaneously expressed their concern, then fell silent again, their gaze returning to each other.
"I'm fine. This guy is a bit stronger than the previous Hell Lords. How did he become stronger after nearly dying? Can he also grow stronger from near-death experiences?" Robert quickly steadied himself, shouting to Kara and Diana, "Stay back a bit. If possible, help protect Claire and the others. See if there's any hope for them..."
"Who's Claire?!" Hearing Robert's words, Kara and Diana looked towards him with displeasure. Already on edge from their initial encounter, the mention of another name further strained their tolerance.
However, Robert had already re-engaged Valentine in battle, this time unleashing his Berserker Fist. The powerful fighting spirit mixed with the green aura of his Great Ape Power: Rage kept him close to Valentine, preventing him from being knocked away again.
Only through continuous combat could Robert accumulate energy, enhancing the combat boost provided by his Great Ape Power: Rage, allowing him to overpower and potentially defeat Valentine.
Seeing Robert immersed in intense combat, even shedding blood, Kara and Diana's brows furrowed. Ultimately, they refrained from intervening or causing disruption, recognizing Robert's love for battle. Now wasn't the time for confrontations.
However, Kara and Diana stopped locking gazes, instead watching Robert's ongoing battle, remaining silent without any intent to speak.
As for who Claire was, they each kept their observations to themselves, noticing the group of weakened shadow hunters and the conspicuously distinct Claire among them. Recognizing Claire's identity, neither spoke, as if conceding first meant losing...
"Die! Die! I'll drag you into hell, show you its cruelty, and make you suffer eternally!" Valentine roared maniacally in battle against Robert.
Though free from angelic control, Valentine's sanity was clearly affected upon realizing he had been manipulated for so long. Now fully engulfed in madness, especially after injuring Robert for the first time in their encounters, his excitement was palpable.
This was the first time Valentine had managed to harm Robert in their three battles, thrilling him with the prospect of victory and eager to make Robert taste the approach of death.
Meanwhile, in space, Clark had driven Raziel here, finally pausing. Raziel's appearance was utterly disheveled, far from his previous angelic form, even appearing somewhat lost.
Raziel couldn't comprehend who Clark was or what Earth had undergone, puzzled by the emergence of such a strong being despite the absence of deities, leaving him defenseless.
"Who are you?" Seeing Clark pause, Raziel breathed a sigh of relief, preparing his methods while squinting at Clark, who transmitted his voice.
"I thought Gabriel would come, but it seems the angels have more tricks up their sleeves!" Clark observed Raziel closely, not continuing the attack but seeking more information about Heaven, mimicking Raziel's divine voice.
Whether it was Gabriel, previously beaten by Odin and Zeus, or Raziel now, Clark wasn't concerned. His focus was on Yahweh, the god with the most followers, wary of him despite learning that Yahweh wasn't the omniscient deity he was portrayed to be but merely one of the more powerful beings among Earth's pantheons.
Thus, Clark sought to learn more about Yahweh, especially his plans to harvest Earth's faith, scoffing at the notion of a benevolent father while remaining cautious of Heaven's continuous schemes against Earth.
"Hm? Gabriel's plan was exposed?" Raziel's pupils dilated at Clark's words, more shaken than by Clark's previous assault, as the event was indeed propelled by Gabriel.
Discovering issues with the Loom of Fate and facing obstruction from Asgard among others, Gabriel returned to Heaven. Contacting Raziel, he initiated a backup plan, instructing Raziel to return to Earth to investigate the faith disturbances, the destruction of the Loom of Fate, and most importantly, to reclaim the faith for Heaven.
"Want to know more? Then come in and talk!" Seeing Raziel's reaction, Clark guessed he was on the right track. Before he could inquire further, Raziel suddenly laughed, and the Holy Grail, previously merged with Raziel, appeared in the cosmic space, enveloping Clark within.
"What is this?" In a daze, Clark entered a new world, a tiny space as small as a cup. Crucially, he found himself shrunk down to an even smaller size, practically insignificant in this world.
"I've figured out who you are, Kryptonian. It's quite surprising to find Kryptonians on Earth again, such an annoying race!" As Clark was observing his surroundings, he heard Raziel's voice. Turning towards the source, he saw half a face shining with holy light against the dark sky.
With a swish, Clark flew towards Raziel's half-visible face, but despite reaching peak speed, he couldn't close the distance between them. More importantly, he noticed Raziel's mocking smile and a light barrier obscuring the sky.
Cold! Clark immediately felt a chill, crucially realizing he could no longer sense the sun's presence. He had lost his power source, the solar empowerment crucial to Kryptonians.
Yes, Clark was trapped inside the Holy Grail, now covered by a lid held in Raziel's hand, losing his connection to the sun. This was Raziel's method of dealing with Clark after identifying him as a Kryptonian.
The Kryptonian race, envied by many deities for their traits, is also well-known to some powerful beings, especially their connection to the sun.
Kryptonians have a closer bond with the sun than any solar deity from various pantheons, which is also their Achilles' heel. Moreover, possessing great personal strength doesn't necessarily mean understanding or resisting all forms of supernatural powers.
Clark's absolute power was indeed superior to Raziel's, even enough to suppress him completely, but he was still caught off guard by Raziel's cunning tactic.
"Hehe, Kryptonian, a race that weakens without sunlight. Did you think Heaven only possessed holy light? When all light disappears, what remains is endless darkness!" Raziel's voice dripped with disdain as he looked at the Holy Grail in his hand, speaking softly.
As Raziel's words fell, the Holy Grail became even colder, and not a speck of light was visible. Even with Clark's vision, all was pitch black, as if he was trapped in an expanse of darkness...
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