Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 1039: Vlad vs Amaterasu (II)

The cut was devastating—deep enough to sever his spine, robbing his legs of sensation as blood erupted from his mouth. Amaterasu screamed, horror etched across his face as death loomed closer than ever before.

Desperation ignited his power. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Gravity exploded outward once more as he unleashed a repulsive wave at the last possible moment, forcing Vlad back before the blade could strike again.

The True Depravita of Wrath was hurled through the air, his body spinning violently as gravity released its hold. Yet before he could be fully overtaken by the momentum, Vlad twisted mid-flight, driving his blade downward and forcing it into the warped ground.

His breath came out slow and controlled, though his face had grown pale. His eyes remained cold, sharp, calculating.

Most of the spatial copies had required little effort to maintain, their existence drawn from precise manipulations of space rather than brute energy. But the decoy that had endured the full barrage of Amaterasu’s gravitational hands—that one had been different. It had required vitality, not just power, to sustain.

And that cost was now undeniable.

"Had I managed to land that second strike..." Vlad muttered under his breath, his grip tightening around the hilt of his blade. "I would have severed the connection between his brain and the rest of his body. Paralysis would have been inevitable."

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head as if casting away the lingering frustration. Regret had no place here. Hesitation was death.

His aura surged.

Power roared through his body as he ignited his energy once more, space folding inward as he flashed forward.

Amaterasu rose into the air, suspended entirely by his own power. His legs hung uselessly beneath him, limp and unresponsive, yet there was not the slightest hint of surrender in his eyes. No fear. No despair.

Only resolve.

As Vlad closed the distance, Amaterasu’s energy exploded outward.

A tide of gravitational force surged from his body, wrapping around him in an instant. The air screamed as space compressed, and within a heartbeat, a colossal gray incarnation of Amaterasu manifested—an immense, humanoid construct forged entirely from condensed gravity.

Vlad’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, the construct moved.

Its massive arm swept forward with shocking speed, the sheer weight behind the strike bending space in its path. A second blow followed immediately, then a third, each charged with overwhelming strength.

Vlad barely managed to respond.

His blade met the first strike, space shattering as he redirected the force. He twisted and deflected the second, boots carving trenches into the sky as he was pushed back.

Unfortunately, the third strike landed.

The impact was catastrophic.

Vlad was sent flying, his body crashing with immense force as blood spilled through the air.

---

"BOOM!"

Vlad crashed into the ground, the impact sending a violent shock through his entire body. Pain erupted from his ribs, spine, and shoulders all at once, but he had no time to dwell on it. Even as he struggled to rise, a massive shadow swallowed his vision.

The gargantuan incarnation of Amaterasu loomed directly above him.

Before Vlad could draw breath, the construct unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, each one carrying crushing gravitational force. The air screamed as space compressed under every blow.

"Damn it," Vlad hissed, his eyes widening as he felt the invisible pressure lock him in place. "Gravity has sealed teleportation. I can’t dodge it."

With no other choice, the True Depravita of Wrath swung his blade in a wide arc, releasing a surge of spatial energy. A translucent force field snapped into existence around his body just as the first blow landed.

The impact rattled the soorddouden, shattering the ground, and leveling everything around.

The barrier held—at first.

Punch after punch slammed into it, each strike shaking the construct violently. Fine fractures began to spread across the force field like spiderwebs, glowing faintly with unstable energy.

"It won’t last long," Vlad muttered through clenched teeth. "I need a way out."

His hands trembled as the pressure intensified. The weight of gravity bore down on him from all directions, crushing not just his body, but his will. For the briefest moment, a single thought crossed his mind.

Run.

The instinct was primal, overwhelming.

"No!" Vlad snarled, shouting at himself as his eyes ignited with rising determination. "If I run from this... how will I ever face those monsters again?"

The True Depravita of Wrat’s grip tightened around the sword until blood seeped between his fingers, the pain anchoring his focus. He drew in a deep breath, forcing calm into his racing mind.

Cracks multiplied across the barrier.

The force field groaned under the strain, moments away from collapse. Yet Vlad did not panic. His gaze sharpened, narrowing until the world seemed to slow around him.

Then—

The answer revealed itself.

His Celestial Eyes flared to life.

Space folded silently as a portal formed directly above him, its edges shimmering with distorted light. Against those gargantuan fists, such a small portal would be of no use.

But Vlad had never intended to divert the blows from the incarnation. His energy burned as he poured everything he had into the next move.

"CRACK!"

The force field could no longer endure and shattered completely.

A wide, triumphant smile spread across Amaterasu’s face as he prepared to deliver the final blow, confident that the battle was over.

Then his expression twitched.

His body froze.

The massive incarnation vanished mid-motion, dissolving into nothingness before it could strike. Amaterasu himself remained suspended in the air, motionless, eyes wide with disbelief.

The Demon Lord could not see it, but there was a portal right above his head, and from it a blade had emerged.

It pierced straight through Amaterasu’s skull, driving downward with merciless precision, impaling his body all the way through his chest.

Vlad’s eyes were cold as he stared upward.

Using his bloodline ability, he had redirected his attack through space itself, transporting the strike directly into the Demon Lord’s body.

Vlad withdrew his sword.

In the same instant, he flashed forward, catching Amaterasu’s falling body before it struck the ground.