The Sect Leader's eyes narrowed.
"Stop cracking jokes," he growled at Will Diablo. "And land a single blow… if you can."
With a battle cry, he lunged forward, his black blade Kusanagi gleaming under the blood-stained sky. But the moment he struck, a deadly glow lit the ground beneath him.
An SS-Rank Slaying Formation.
The trap activated.
A crimson blast engulfed him, and in the blink of an eye, half of his stomach and his left arm were gone—blasted clean off. Yet the Sect Leader didn't fall. Clenching his teeth, fueled by pure fury, he escaped the kill zone, standing with blood pouring down his robes.
"You ugly… piece of trash," he snarled. "This is your end."
He began chanting the Death Mantra—his voice thick with ancient power—and summoned the Hell God Replica. A colossal, nightmarish shadow appeared in the sky. It roared once, then devoured Will Diablo whole, erasing him from existence.
Silence returned—briefly.
A scream echoed across the battlefield.
It was Parth.
The Sect Leader's eyes widened. He turned and rushed toward the sound, stumbling through broken earth and fading flames. When he arrived, he saw something unforgettable:
Parth, wounded, yet standing tall. Behind him stood the survivors—women, children, and injured warriors—all shielded by his fading aura.
"…Parth means loyalty," Parth said softly. "Parth means loyalty."
Dev stood nearby, helping survivors into a glowing portal—his inner world, opened through the Hell Gate. He was crying, silently. Blood and ash smeared his face.
The Sect Leader approached them, breathing heavily. He handed Dev four Soul Storage Rings, along with two Ancestor Badges and two Sect Leader Badges.
"Choose two for yourself," he said. "And… give the others to someone worthy."
Then, with shaking hands, he passed Dev his Black Kusanagi.
"Give this to Parth… He deserves it more than anyone."
And with those final words, the Sect Leader collapsed. Lifeless. Gone.
Dev's knees buckled. His vision blurred.
He cried—not just for the man, but for the weight of everything left behind.
That night, the entire Dark Abyss Lotus region mourned.
The blood-red leaves of the Deadtea Trees began to rise into the sky, swirling like fireflies. A hauntingly beautiful sight… and a tragic one. Because in the Dark Abyss, death never earned admiration.
But this night—for only the second time in history—nature revealed its beautiful side. A tribute not to power…
…but to loyalty.
END OF CHAPTER 6