Adam's gaze fell on Charlie herself. Her eyes, illuminated with anger. Instantly, his aura intensified, his wings beating at a blinding speed.
Before anyone could react, a wave of burning light tore through the neighborhood, cracking walls and shattering windows of buildings. Charlie stumbled, struck by Adam's sudden aura aimed at her.
Vaggie: Charlie, MOVE!
Charlie barely dodged in time as Adam's fist, glowing with energy, slammed where she had been standing just seconds before. Debris exploded in all directions. She quickly regained her footing, her heart pounding.
Charlie: I… I won't let you… kill anyone else!
Adam's wings flared, sending another pulse of energy through the neighborhood, hurling destroyed cars, corpses, debris, and dust. The ground shook violently under the sheer force of his power.
Adam: You're seriously starting to get on my nerves.
Adam wasn't just angry because of Charlie's interference; the second reason for his anger was that he was suffering the second side effect of his ability — hallucinations. Even minor ones, he was starting to see and hear things he wished he could forget, so he wanted to finish all this as quickly as possible.
Adam raised his left arm, and a strange phenomenon occurred. Adam, who mainly stood out in Hell because he radiated white light, suddenly lost the white color of his aura in his left hand — and not only that, but the red color characteristic of Hell around him seemed to become ethereal. This strange color spectrum spread in a fraction of a second across his hand as he was about to throw it at Charlie and her allies.
Adam sensed that his position in space had shifted — and he was right. He found himself in what seemed like open space, with stars as far as the eye could see, galaxies, and planets in gravitational orbit. Adam dissipated the ethereal energy in his left hand and sensed a presence… he was not alone.
Lucifer appeared before him, floating with aristocratic calm. His eyes glimmered with amusement, but there was a trace of anger in them.
Lucifer: Has Sera gone mad to show you an ability like this?
Adam: Oh, you know this power… if you already know it (smiles), then why aren't you running?
Lucifer: Ahaha. Adam, don't make me laugh. Sure, this ability is powerful, but don't think you can defeat me with it…
Adam: I know, don't worry, wimp. After copying it, Sera explained to me that it wouldn't work against individuals too powerful.
Lucifer: Oh, I'm flattered. Does the first of the cuckolds imply that I'm strong?
Adam: You bastard, know this…
Lucifer: Calm down… let's not argue. After all, talking with fists is better than words.
Lucifer: But tell me, Adam, before we start… hum hum… first, what are you doing in Hell while the extermination hasn't even happened, and second (voice distorted), you're not planning to break the deal I made with Heaven by killing my daughter, are you, bastard?
Adam: And so… she got in my way, of course I was going to kill her (laughs).
Lucifer: Then… (smiles) I'm going to dismantle you, bastard, and you'll never try to bother my daughter and her friends again.
Adam looked at the seemingly endless universe, stomach churning with visible worry. Lucifer immediately understood the reason for his concern and reassured him about his next actions.
Lucifer: Oh, don't worry, bastard. I didn't bring you here to take advantage of it. I just wanted to avoid us destroying the entire Pride Circle during our fight… and I don't need this method to screw you over.
Adam stared at Lucifer strangely for a second but regained his composure. He was genuinely happy that this bastard had decided not to take advantage of the "home-field" benefit.
What advantage, you ask? Well, when an individual creates a pocket dimension, no matter its size or composition, the creator has perfect control over it. They literally become a god within their pocket dimension. Knowing this, one might wonder why everyone in a fight doesn't just create a pocket dimension to beat their opponent faster.
Well, there are several problems: not only is the energy and concentration cost to create a pocket dimension enormous, but maintaining it is even harder. These aren't the only issues; to explain them, you need to understand what a pocket dimension is.
A pocket dimension (or closed micro-universe) is a bubble of space-time isolated from the main cosmic flow. It doesn't exist naturally: it must be detached from the universal fabric. The idea is to create a controlled fracture in the reality's fabric, a zone where physical laws can be rewritten.
To isolate a piece of the universe, one must generate dimensional compression energy. This energy can come from multiple sources. Stabilization is achieved via an anchoring matrix. In Lucifer's case (or any being), it's their own energy constantly pumped.
The matrix acts as a gravitational heart, maintaining the coherence of the new space. It defines:
Internal gravity
Time flow
Spatial boundaries (finite or infinite size)
Local physical laws (speed of light, presence of matter, etc.)
Once the space is stabilized, the creator can determine fundamental laws:
Linear or cyclical time (time may loop)
Allowed matter (some types of energy may be banned)
Spatial scale (the dimension can be as small as a room or as large as a galaxy)
Interaction with the real world (teleport someone into the "theoretical" dimension or influence it in an isolated scale)
Once configured, the creator closes the dimension on itself. This is the third problem: if the closure is imperfect, it creates instability (space-time cracks, energy leaks, reality distortion).
Creating a pocket dimension is also risky: a mistake in the matrix can trigger a self-devouring singularity (collapsing the creator). This is why it's preferable to create the dimension before the fight.
Another problem: how do you get your opponent inside? The only way is through a portal — unless your opponent charges at you while lowering their guard. Otherwise, they will never enter someone else's pocket dimension, where the creator is literally a god. These issues make the technique almost unusable in combat.
But how did Lucifer manage to get Adam into his dimension? Well, pocket dimensions allow influence over the main world, theoretically possible — but this level of mastery is reserved for beings as powerful as Seraphim. And isn't Lucifer a Seraphim? ( ＾ω＾)
After Adam's worries dissipated, reassured that Lucifer wouldn't exploit his "terrain advantage," Adam launched hostilities.
Adam concentrated his powers, projecting a wave of pure light, hoping to catch Lucifer by surprise.
But Lucifer instantly metamorphosed, his arms and legs twisting and transforming into filiform shapes, allowing him to slip between attacks with supernatural fluidity. He dodged each beam, gliding through the stars and cosmic debris.
Adam pivoted, releasing rotating seraphic shockwaves, sweeping the space around him. Planets and nebulae wavered under the force of the attack. But Lucifer, still mocking, divided into multiple translucent forms, each perfectly evading Adam's strikes.
Lucifer: I must say… it's impressive. You really copied Sera… but… she only gave you weak abilities.
The battle continued like this, Lucifer evading all of Adam's attacks by metamorphosing, restructuring his molecular/energy structure, taking the form of water vapor, animals, or even air.
Adam executed a large majority of Sera's techniques, but it frustrated him not being able to hit Lucifer, especially as the latter began suffering nosebleeds and severe headaches from using perfect copy techniques. He decided to end it quickly.
Adam concentrated the same ethereal energy from his left hand; a specter of ethereal light formed there over time.
Around Adam's hand, a sphere of antimatter took shape — black at the center, encircled by a halo of inverted light. Space trembled. Every particle around him seemed to disintegrate before recomposing, as if reality itself hesitated to exist.
Lucifer made a fluid gesture, metamorphosing into a serpentine form, preparing to dodge.
Adam launched the sphere. Silence fell. Then, several entire galaxies exploded in inverted light.
Entire constellations vanished in a white breath. Where the sphere passed, the stars died without a sound — erased as if they had never existed.
Lucifer could not avoid the attack; he had underestimated its speed. He completely dematerialized, disappearing in a golden flash. Adam's sphere continued its path through the void, erasing entire swathes of the galaxy.