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Chapter: Grom Hellscream

"Boom!" The shockwave from Quercera was visible, tearing through the night sky, almost cleaving Mephisto in half.

Mephisto evaded narrowly and retaliated swiftly. His severed arm, enveloped in scarlet flames, hurtled towards Forseti like a meteor, dripping blood.

Forseti's heart froze, a sense of imminent danger gripping him. Without hesitation, he summoned the Holy Deed( by the way he can summon holy deed in mind .. he doesn't hold it), activating the Holy Shield technique instantly.

"Boom—"

A deafening blast followed as Mephisto's severed arm exploded violently. Accompanied by a tremendous shockwave, a blood-red sun blossomed in the sky, engulfing Forseti.

"It's the Holy Shield technique again..." Mephisto gazed at the blood sun formed by his severed arm, his eyes dark with foreboding.

He had encountered the Holy Shield technique before—the sudden golden light enveloping Forseti just before the explosion reminded him of its awe-inspiring power.

While he hadn't resorted to such extreme measures as self-destruction in his initial encounter with Forseti, even conventional attacks had proven less effective than the recent self-destructive strike.

Thus, Mephisto pondered. Perhaps this blow hadn't inflicted any harm on Forseti after all.

And he was correct.

Before the echoes of the explosion had faded, Forseti emerged unscathed, his form wreathed in blood, the emerald glow of Quercera shining brightly amidst the crimson.

Observing Quercera slashing at lightning speed, Mephisto's mind raced.

He understood the direness of the situation—it was futile to challenge Forseti now. Even if his entire clone self-destructed, the Holy Shield technique made it improbable that Forseti could be killed.

Mephisto couldn't help but seethe at the seemingly flawless nature of the Divine Shield spell.

Why?

Why was the Holy Shield technique impervious to breach?

It couldn't be. Every spell had its vulnerabilities; this spell couldn't be invincible. There had to be a way to circumvent it.

With this resolve, Mephisto swiftly decided to crack the Holy Shield technique at any cost and eliminate Forseti.

Thus, when Quercera descended, Mephisto chose not to evade but met Forseti's gaze directly, silently chanting a spell.

After muttering a series of brief yet cryptic incantations, he locked eyes with Forseti, engulfed instantly by darkness—a void devoid of light.

Then, he allowed Quercera to sever his head.

"Boom!" The emerald-green greatsword once again rent the night sky with monstrous shockwaves.

Empowered by the Holy Light coursing through its blade, Quercera cleaved Mephisto from head to toe, the Light of Judgment swiftly consuming the devil's flesh and blood.

Simultaneously, a trace of darkness vanished at a speed that rivalled light itself, entering Forseti's mind.

"You've slain my clone, but you'll perish under Satan's curse!" Mephisto's dark, malevolent voice echoed within Forseti's consciousness.

"Satan's curse?" Forseti frowned, noticing dark veins, like spiderwebs, creeping across his body.

Mephisto: "Farewell, Sun God!"

"Petty tricks of insects. How dare you wield such a curse." Forseti activated his Holy Shield technique, runes of holy light enveloping him.

The spreading dark veins vanished instantly without a trace.

"Ah!" In the depths of Hell, Mephisto screamed, clutching his head, his blood-red eyes wide with disbelief.

The curse had failed!

He had believed that sacrificing his entire avatar to unleash Satan's curse would circumvent all of Forseti's defenses and doom him.

But in the end, it had been thwarted so effortlessly... Could Forseti's Sun God Holy Shield truly be an infallible and impenetrable spell?

Furious, Mephisto roared. Though brimming with frustration, he knew he had failed.

Having dispatched Mephisto's clone, the Sulfuron Warhammer reverted to its original form. Forseti wielded it as he continued to combat other demons.

Meanwhile, Ancient One led several dozen mages in constructing a magical circle. Golden-red magical brilliance traced intricate lines and symbols on the ground, forming a vast net that ensnared the darkness engulfing the earth.

The magical circle gleamed brightly, resembling a tightened net that immediately arrested the spread of darkness, slowing its expansion until it stagnated.

"Can you bridge this gap?" A dark sorcerer turned to the Ancient One.

"Not yet, Mordo." Ancient One shook her head. "Currently, the world's power is in decline. We must wait until tomorrow to harness excess power to seal the Hellgate, lest we face even graver threats."

Mordo pondered for a moment. "A greater threat... Dormammu?"

Ancient One nodded solemnly. "Indeed. Dormammu defies some universal laws. Compared to him, the havoc Mephisto could wreak is negligible."

After a pause, she added, "Mordo, handle the remaining demons. I'll maintain the magical circle."

"Understood."

With the combined efforts of the heroes, demons great and small from Hell were finally vanquished, and no more demons emerged.

Forseti then sat down to rest, examining the Holy Deed in his palm.

As he had anticipated, slaying Mephisto's clone had satisfied the Holy Deed's judgment, earning him the spellbook of Reckoning.

Reckoning, a living legend.

The ancient tale of slaying the Lord of Doomsday with a single sword—a dream for any Paladin.

Though different from its depiction in games, the Holy Deed had already asserted that Reckoning's theoretical upper limit surpassed that of Divine Shield. Forseti eagerly awaited the day when... Perhaps Reckoning could indeed achieve legendary feats, dealing with everything in mere seconds.

In addition to the spellbook of Reckoning, demon slaying had bestowed another notable boon.

[Experience Tome: Grom Hellscream]

Hellscream!

The ferocious tribal war god, renowned for slaying Mannoroth, the general of the Burning Legion—a monumental achievement.

At that moment, Brunnok approached. "My Lord, I've found an exceptional human warrior. Proficient in shield skills, with an impeccable heroic demeanor. He should join the Silver Hand."

"Who?" Forseti's gaze remained fixed on Hellscream's Experience Tome.

"Steve." Brunnok turned and called out, beckoning Captain America, who was engaged in conversation with other Avengers not far away.

Forseti raised his head and beheld Steve Rogers approaching.

Brunnok continued, "Steve, allow me to introduce you. This is the Holy Lord of the Silver Hand and the Sun God of Asgard. Should you choose to join us, we will impart to you the power of Holy Light—I assure you, none will be more adept at wielding the Light's power than you."

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