The battle raged on. The destruction spread at a terrifying speed. The floating landscape and everything left within it became casualties of the overwhelming power of the two figures locked in combat.
The soldiers stationed around the mansion stood frozen, their eyes locked onto the battle raging above.
There were about twenty of them and all of them were loyal subordinates of Graemory, yet none dared to interfere despite their task to protect Clyde.
The sky burned with streaks of fire and energy as Clyde and Asmodeus clashed again and again. Each collision sent shockwaves through the air, tearing apart the already fractured floating landscape.
Debris rained down like meteorites, some smashing into the mansion’s outer defenses, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
One soldier swallowed hard. "Is this really happening right now? Right in front of our eyes?"
Another muttered while gripping his spear tightly, "We were supposed to protect Clyde, but... what could we even do in a battle like that?"
A younger soldier, eyes wide with both fear and awe, pointed at the sky. "I-It’s insane...! Clyde is actually holding his own against Asmodeus!"
"Not just holding his own," another soldier added, his voice barely above a whisper. "Its look like that he’s fighting him as an equal."
Silence followed for a moment, save for the distant echoes of battle, the roar of flames, and the deafening clangs of swords colliding.
One veteran among them, an older Demon soldier with a scarred face, exhaled sharply.
"I’ve fought with a stronger Demons before... but this is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Asmodeus is a Demon King so his power should be overwhelming. And yet..." He narrowed his eyes at Clyde’s figure who moving through the air with uncanny speed, matching Asmodeus blow for blow.
A soldier next to him shuddered. "Then... what does that make Clyde?"
No one had an answer. They only continued to watch in awe as the battle above escalated further, shaking the sky.
"Don’t need to think about them right now. I think they already in different world than us," the veteran Demon soldiers said. "Lets just make sure the debris don’t hit the mansion."
The other soldiers nodded in agreement. Though they still wanted to watch the battle, they knew staying fixated on it would be a waste of time.
The best thing they could do now was to ensure that Clyde’s mansion— which given to him by the Demon Duchess Graemory — remained intact amidst the chaos of the destructive clash above.
"Alright, you heard him," the other older soldier said. "We hold our ground and protect this place. No matter what happens up there, we make sure nothing like stray attacks or unknown opportunistic enemies gets through."
The soldiers straightened, gripping their weapons tighter. Some cast one last glance toward the sky, where Clyde and Asmodeus continued their earth-shattering duel. The air trembled, flames crackled, and the ground beneath them quivered from the sheer force of their strikes.
And so, while the two of them clashed above, the soldiers stood firm below, guarding the mansion in the midst of a battlefield that threatened to consume everything.
Asmodeus swung his claws, unleashing streaks of energy that shot toward Clyde at incredible speed. He kept attacking relentlessly, his power showing no signs of diminishing.
The energy claws tore through several floating landmasses behind Clyde, reducing them to rubble. Debris scattered in all directions, colliding with other fragments of the shattered landscape. With no gravity to anchor them, the remnants drifted aimlessly through the air.
Clyde dodged swiftly, parrying only when he had no other choice. His expression remained unreadable, as if the attacks had no effect on him, as if they weren’t putting any strain on his body at all.
Seeing this, Asmodeus gritted his sharp teeth in frustration. "Come at me, human! What are you doing?! I know you’re capable of more than this!"
But Clyde didn’t respond. Why would he? There was no point in answering the Demon King’s taunts.
In fact, he found it amusing that he could enrage Asmodeus this much. Anyone else would be terrified—perhaps even frozen in fear—before one of the Demon Kings, the strongest beings in all of Hell.
But Clyde felt no fear. Somehow, he had a gut feeling that his full power was enough to defeat Asmodeus. It would be difficult, of course. He might suffer severe injuries, but in the end—he was certain he could win.
Suddenly, Asmodeus’ aura flared, expanding like a raging inferno. The heat radiating from his body became overwhelming—so intense that nearby debris ignited and turned to ash in an instant.
Clyde knew that the battle was about to escalate.
"So that’s how it is, huh?" Asmodeus growled. "Fine, human. If you won’t come to me, then let me come to you. I’ll make sure you won’t be able to escape anymore."
His voice rumbled through the battlefield, deep and guttural, carrying his fury across the air.
Five spheres of fire materialized around Asmodeus, rotating around him in a perfect clockwise motion. The space around them shimmered and warped from the sheer heat they emitted, distorting time itself.
Clyde furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes. "What’s he planning now? That looks dangerous."
Asmodeus’ eyes burned even brighter, as if literal flames had ignited within them. Then, without warning, the fire spheres released massive pillars of flame that shot toward Clyde at terrifying speed.
Clyde’s eyes widened. He knew he wouldn’t be able to dodge in time—so he chose to parry instead.
Raising his sword, he braced himself and swung against the incoming fire.
He deflected each attack, forcing them away from his body. For a moment, he thought he had neutralized them. But then the flames twisted mid-air, arcing back toward him.
Asmodeus’ laughter echoed through the battlefield, shaking the very air. His voice carried such power that it created visible ripples in the atmosphere.
The fire pillars crashed into Clyde from all directions. Fire spreading and burning in the air.