The death energy, driven by Herman's will, surged forward, attempting to corrode the Ancient One.
This was a body stripped of its soul. Though it emitted no trace of life, if the death energy succeeded in consuming it, within moments it could drain all vitality from the Ancient One's form—just as easily as killing an ordinary person.
Even a Sky Father–level being would eventually crumble to dust.
Herman gathered the death energy, hurling it wildly toward the Ancient One.
However—
"Homelander... your power is so dark, so evil..."
The Ancient One murmured softly, and the magic circle in her hands flared to life.
At its center, thousands upon thousands of golden vines burst forth from the circle, unfurling behind her like countless serpentine wings.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
Countless magical tendrils lashed through the air, fierce enough to tear the heavens apart. Each whip carried overwhelming might, their movements echoing through the Mirror Dimension like a storm.
The death energy that had been rushing toward the Ancient One was scattered in an instant, dispersed completely by the golden vines and unable to reform for some time.
Like a sea of writhing serpents, the vines coiled around the Ancient One's back, forming a shimmering golden barrier centered upon her.
This was the first time Herman had encountered someone capable of repelling death energy—no, judging by the way the Ancient One manipulated those vines, perhaps she could even see the death energy itself.
Though death energy existed only in realms beyond mortal sight, the Ancient One's "vision" without eyes clearly wasn't normal human sight. It was impossible to tell what kind of magical energy she used to construct that "mystic vision."
"Your evil power... cannot overcome me."
The Ancient One's hollow eyes locked onto Herman as the countless vines behind her writhed and twisted ceaselessly.
For several kilometers, the golden tendrils stretched across the Mirror Dimension, blotting out the sky. Enveloped by that storm of magic, the Ancient One herself appeared almost insignificant.
The sheer number of vines was beyond counting, dense and relentless, their razor-sharp tips all aimed directly at Herman.
Each vine was like an arrow drawn taut on a bowstring—ready to strike at a single command.
"Sorcerer, before you speak of me, why not look at yourself? I'm perfectly fine... Tell me, why did you abandon your soul?"
Herman stopped channeling the black death energy. His figure flickered—and in the next instant, he was standing right before the Ancient One.
Though Kamar-Taj sorcerers were known for their close-combat prowess, before a warrior of Herman's level, such techniques were nothing but a joke.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The Ancient One gave no reply. Instead, countless golden vines erupted from her back, sweeping in from all directions to seal every path of escape.
The sound of them cutting through the air was sharp and unending. Their speed was tremendous—by the time Herman appeared in front of her, the tendrils had already locked down his front, back, left, and right. Some even coiled protectively around the Ancient One, encasing her in a living shield.
It was clear.
The Ancient One knew exactly how dangerous Herman's close-range combat could be.
"These petty tricks won't stop me."
Golden light flared in Herman's eyes as divine flames roared from within his body. The eruption pierced the night sky of the Mirror Dimension, igniting a storm of fire that surged outward in all directions.
Every vine that touched his divine fire—those that could even stir death energy—was instantly reduced to its purest particles, burned away in the blink of an eye.
Magic, too, fell within the reach of Herman's flames. The vines, products of magical creation, stood no chance against such divine heat.
In mere seconds, the vast, overwhelming network of magical vines that had once filled the Mirror Dimension was utterly consumed by Herman's fire.
In the air, countless shimmering particles slowly faded.
Herman was already before the Ancient One. His fist, blazing with divine flames and carrying terrifying force, tore through the last of the magical barriers in his path.
The strike—heavy and unstoppable—broke through every layer of defense and drove straight toward her.
Facing a blow that could annihilate all before it, the Ancient One's brows furrowed slightly. A spell she had long prepared flared to life in an instant.
"Spatial transfer?"
Herman's fist struck nothing but empty air.
However, the force of his punch still tore through the forest, flattening everything in its path and carving out a barren wasteland that stretched endlessly across the ground.
"I never fight unprepared battles. Though I can no longer see the future... I believe your fate can only end one way."
The Ancient One reappeared high in the sky, tens of kilometers behind him. Her voice was steady, carrying an unshakable, resolute tone—one filled with finality.
"Wait—there's no old grudge or new feud between us. You just show up uninvited, ready to fight to the death? Isn't that a bit overbearing?"
Herman couldn't make sense of the Sorcerer Supreme before him. The gentle, serene aura that once defined her was completely gone, and her soul—her very essence—seemed to have vanished without explanation.
This wasn't the Ancient One he remembered. Could it be some anomaly tied to his identity as the [All-Seeing Eye]?
It didn't seem likely.
"I have seen it... the righteousness of what I must do."
As she spoke, the Ancient One's magic flared violently. Waves of arcane energy spread through the sky as thousands of her duplicates appeared all around.
Each one began weaving spells of their own. Magic circles ignited one after another, lighting up the heavens until they formed a massive, interwoven canopy of runes. Before each Ancient One, a transparent, colorless sphere of immense size began to form—each one brimming with destructive power.
Within those spheres churned a dark energy capable of annihilating everything it touched.
Even the faintest trace that leaked from them warped and eroded the surrounding space, as though countless invisible blades were slicing apart the earth and sky.
In an instant, the entire Mirror Dimension was riddled with fractures.
Herman could feel subtle tremors in the space, along with a twisted, unsettling force creeping deeper into this realm detached from reality. A chill began to spread—cold, suffocating, and drenched in darkness, as if it sought to drag everything into the abyss.
Whatever power the Ancient One now commanded, the Dimensional Demon God who had granted it was surely a being steeped in darkness and corruption.
"You're trying to restore everything to the historical path you think it should follow?"
Herman's lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. The divine fire in his eyes flickered fiercely.
"But that's nothing more than a tragedy written by someone else. Tell me, Sorcerer—beyond the cosmos, how much forbidden knowledge can you truly see?"
The light in his eyes burned brighter and brighter.
"I have seen... everything!"
The Ancient One's hoarse voice echoed through the Mirror Dimension, multiplied a thousandfold by her countless clones until the very air trembled.
As one after another unleashed their spells, massive transparent orbs shot toward Herman from every direction.
Each clone of the Ancient One existed somewhere between illusion and reality, and their magic was just as potent as her own.
As the countless orbs streaked through the air, the landscape of the Mirror Dimension shifted again. The shattered forests and torn earth parted as though making way for the incoming barrage.
A raging dust storm rose from the ground.
"You really are... arrogant."
Streams of blazing fire erupted from Herman's eyes, converging into searing beams. The divine fire's power surged to its peak.
If this battle weren't confined to the Mirror Dimension, half of Earth might already have been reduced to ash. The golden flames shone brighter than the sun, swallowing all color as they pierced through the sky and obliterated every orb in their path.
Each transparent sphere was effortlessly pierced, disintegrating into streams of energy under the overwhelming law-force that devoured gods and demons alike.
Invisible shockwaves tore through the air, space itself cracking like glass under the pressure, trembling as though on the verge of shattering.
"Sorcerer! Is this what you've seen!?"
The divine fire beams from Herman's eyes annihilated every last light sphere, their brilliance still surging upward toward the heavens. He couldn't tell which of the countless figures was the real Ancient One.
So he chose not to care.
Destroy them all—then there would be no distinction between real and false.
One by one, the Ancient Ones dissolved into dust within his divine fire, vanishing completely from the Mirror Dimension.
"Heh."
Even as her projections faded, a faint, eerie chuckle echoed from above.
"You think I came to attack you?"
The Ancient One's voice carried an inexplicable tone.
"No... I've simply been preparing this spell—preparing the final act I'll bestow upon you."
All of her remaining clones spoke in unison.
Even as Herman's divine fire erased them one after another, she made no move to resist or evade. She simply allowed her duplicates to fade, while those that remained raised their hands—each one glowing with intricate, radiant magic circles.
Then—high above, the sky began to change.
A massive spell formation appeared, spanning what seemed like the entire planet. Runes of ancient power intertwined within it, spinning and weaving at incredible speed.
"Hm?"
Herman's eyes narrowed as the number of clones dwindled. His divine fire didn't falter; he aimed it straight toward the final Ancient One.
"It's over."
The Ancient One whispered softly.
Her remaining projections disintegrated into nothingness.
Her true body stood alone, watching the divine fire hurtle toward her. Yet she didn't evade. Instead, she activated the massive spell she had long prepared.
Boom—
The magic array in the sky roared to life, resonating with a matching formation on the ground. A vast, ancient power was forcibly awakened.
A brilliant green light blossomed—spreading between heaven and earth.
Whoosh—
Herman's divine fire beam cut through the air, grazing the Ancient One and shooting straight into the sky, its lingering force aimed to destroy the spell above.
However—the enormous magic array had already been fully activated.
...
Crash—
The Mirror Dimension shattered violently beneath the overwhelming force.
In the real world, the primeval forest remained unchanged—still the same vast, silent wilderness. The battle within the Mirror Dimension had left no trace upon reality.
Under the cloak of night, the chorus of insects mingled with the distant roars of beasts.
Then—
Thud.
The body of the Ancient One, struck by the divine fire ray, fell from the sky and crashed into a muddy pit formed by the rain. Her hollow eyes had lost all color, and the magic that once flowed within them was fading away.
Crack... crack... crack—
Like glass fracturing, fissures spread across her body. The immense magical power she had accumulated over thousands of years leaked out through the cracks, dissipating into the air.
"I see it..."
In her final moment, the Ancient One whispered softly.
Struck by Herman's divine fire at full strength, even the Sorcerer Supreme's body could not withstand the devastation. Countless fractures webbed across her skin, until every inch of her form was covered in fine, glowing lines.
When the last traces of her magic faded, the Sky Father–level being fell silently, life extinguished without a sound.
At that same moment, in Kamar-Taj, the sacred emblem representing the Sorcerer Supreme shattered with a resounding crash.
The forest returned to stillness once more.
Only now, in this remote, uninhabited land, nothing remained—save for the Ancient One's lifeless body.
Herman's figure had vanished completely...