Dozens of panels appeared around Follower once he stopped his chaotic run to face Stark, who was always somehow in his way no matter what.
[Do not engage! Do not fight! Only destruction! Only Chaos!]
Follower chuckled, his twisted grin widening as he read the commands.
"I already know, Master," he muttered. "But I am stronger than he is right now, meaning that our fight will create a massive amount of destruction."
"And what if I use Heaven's Spear to destroy your ugly face?" Stark gritted his teeth, so mad that it almost felt like he was about to explode.
"Then I'd thank you, Chosen. You'd do more damage to this city than I ever could." He laughed, the sound sharp and biting.
This was true, because if he was asked to cause havoc in the capital as a warning of the Godless Demon's arrival, then Stark's spear, which at minimal power could destroy a massive amount of buildings and kill hundreds of thousands of people, then it would be their victory.
Basically, Stark couldn't utilize his strongest skill right now.
Or at least...
'Until I make sure Sora, Lana and Lilith are safe,' he mumbled, 'But that's the last solution if everything fails.'
Even so, he raised his arms.
"HEAVEN'S SPEAR!"
The skies split open with an ear-splitting crack, revealing a gargantuan angelic figure, its towering form nearly blotting out the sun.
Its divine presence filled the battlefield, its calm, yet imposing demeanor, a stark contrast to the chaos below.
The angel extended one colossal hand, summoning a spear of crimson energy so massive it dwarfed mountains.
"If I die for real, and the three girls I mentioned are within a safe range, throw the spear at Follower with the minimal amount of power possible."
[Very well.]
The angel poised itself, the spear ready to launch. The sight sent shockwaves of terror through the already panicked crowd.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD!"
"CHOSEN'S HERE?!"
"SHIT! SHIT! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"
In addition to allowing him to kill Follower even if he died, the angel of the spear served as a warning, meaning that most people would probably leave the capital to save themselves.
"Very smart," Follower applauded, "But it just won't be enough."
With a smirk, Follower raised his Darkness Blade, the twisted weapon extending unnaturally until it towered above the tallest buildings.
As said before, Follower had gained five new perks in addition to all his previous ones, and he wasn't about to let himself get trampled over by a kid.
[Darkness Blade: Summons a dark blade that can extend up to a kilometer, it's one of the sharpest weapons ever, able to cut through anything.]
And of course, Stark wasn't going to let that slide.
"Crimson Spears," he summoned his ten spears, launching them at Follower.
-0! -0! -0!
But they did nothing.
"...Another one of those," he groaned, thinking about [Eternal Regret] and [Tormented One], who couldn't receive damage either.
Stark knew that his aura was weaker than Follower's though, so he wasn't going to try the [Banish Game] on him, and he could easily avoid [Heaven's Wrath], meaning that both solutions won't work.
Chosen wanted to kill Follower. But he also didn't want to die.
Follower, on the other hand, didn't care if he died as long as he could cause destruction around Fellarburg.
"Are you not scared of death?" Stark continued, eyeing the growing blade.
Follower laughed, his voice warped and menacing.
"Why should I fear it? Lord Godless has promised salvation even in death. Besides, Chosen..."
He stepped forward, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of his aura. "You can't hurt me. My body has adapted to all your attacks. You. Cannot. Win."
BOOM!
The impact of [Total Annihilation] destroyed the entire street, killing every single one of the classifiers there.
Stark felt the blade slice through him, his vision blurring as he registered the damage.
-99,999,999!
[Your "Crimson Barrier" has broken.]
[Your HP have reached 0, activating "Crimson Healing"...]
Ding!
[You have been fully healed.]
The ultimate perk of [Crimson Healing] activated, saving him, but not everyone was so lucky.
Everything in a one-kilometer radius was destroyed, every building disintegrated; every citizen and classifier dead.
All that was left was destruction and chaos, the ground now black from the explosion of aura.
And the only person that stood amidst all of it was Stark, who was looking at the ground, his pupils shaking, his aura flaring stronger than ever before.
"..."
The devastation was absolute, the ground charred and lifeless.
Follower stood at the epicenter, his figure illuminated by the glow of his dark aura.
"You idiots..." Stark whispered, his voice trembling.
He fell to his knees, his aura flaring uncontrollably as his rage consumed him.
Follower chuckled, stepping forward. "What did I tell you, Chosen? You're nothing. Weak. Useless. And now, everyone around you is dead. How does it feel?"
Stark remained silent, his head bowed.
"Oh, don't sulk," Follower sneered. "This is only the beginning. Lord Godless's plan is already in motion. You'll lose more than just these fools by the time it's over."
"..."
He extended his arms, his darkness twisting into jagged wings.
[Wings of the Devil: Summon two wings to enable flight.]
The wings erupted from his back with a burst of energy, casting an ominous shadow over the ruins.
"You're not even worth my time, Chosen," Follower spat. "I have more important things to do, like slaughtering the rest of this pathetic city."
As he turned to take flight, Stark's aura surged violently.
"You can't escape me," his tone was neutral, even though his aura was shaking so violently it could knock out people.
In an instant, crimson chains erupted from the ground, ensnaring Follower's leg.
Domi-Chains Restrain!
The chains burned with holy energy thanks to [Holy Infusion], tightening around Follower's limb and halting his ascent.
Stark's eyes glowed fiercely, his aura twisting and surrounded his entire figure until he resembled Follower himself,
"You're not going anywhere," Stark continued, unfazed.
"Are you not sad?" Follower turned around, eyeing the human boy.
"I don't care, all I want is for you to die."
"You..." Follower's eyes widened, and for the first time, he actually sweat a little bit as he saw Stark's aura.
It wasn't that he became emotionless, all of his rage and emotions simply went toward his aura, who became stronger than Follower's.
"You won't leave, you won't do anything, now just wait for your death," Stark finished, smirking.
"Forgive me, Lord Godless," Follower joined his hands together in response, "I will get rid of this fool then finish the work, but I'll try to cause the maximum amount of damage while fighting to make up for it."
While flapping his wings, Follower dashed toward Stark, ready to finally get rid of the Chosen One.