But before anything else could shape on the battlefield, the demon was suddenly pierced with a tendril that looked jagged to the atom. The demon immediately fell to the ground in just one fell swoop, turning into ashes, leaving Michael confused.

Michael looked in front of him and saw Marcus, who had summoned his Oblivion Lance. Marcus had to control the power from his Oblivion Lance, so he conjured all the external destructiveness into the demon's body, thus turning it into ashes very fast.

"You good?" Marcus said, helping Michael. "Zane will be flown back to the guild, where he will get treated, so don't worry about him."

Michael nodded, getting up, but the ache persisted, making him fall back down. Marcus summoned his shadows and conjured a giant hand made out of darkness, lifting Michael and putting him in the aircraft, alongside Elesch and Adam, transporting them back to base.

Viktor, Selene, and Rhea ran towards the other, reporting the elimination of all demons while reducing the fatalities as much as possible. Nearly a hundred percent.

"You three on me, the rest of them will go back and get treated. We have a very serious situation at hand. And we can't afford any more casualties. Not with this next demon."

The trio nodded as the aircraft took the other four away, and just as the aircraft left the squad's sight, a giant tear through the fabric of spacetime occurred in front of the squad.

Light rippled abnormally, sound fractured, the world inverted, as the last and final being came into existence.

Marcus gulped as the other three felt as if they were dying over and over again, though standing perfectly still.

From the tear came an infamous being that Marcus knew he had to kill, no matter the price. Marcus backed up slightly, unsure if he was ready or not. But he was the only hope of this world. And he wouldn't let the world burn.

The tear in spacetime shimmered, warping the air around it like a fevered dream, and from it emerged Gluttony.

Even without movement, his presence pressed down on the world, a weight that twisted reality. Shadows pooled at his feet, crawling outward like sentient ink, and the very atmosphere seemed to bend in reverence and fear.

Marcus swallowed, his hand tightening around the hilt of his blade. The air vibrated with Gluttony's sheer potency, a resonance that clawed at the soul. Even standing there, he could feel the power to annihilate worlds radiating from the demon.

It wasn't just brute strength; it was absolute dominion over destruction itself. The remnants of Michael's battlefield paled in comparison. This was a force that didn't just fight, it erased.

Selene's voice broke the tense silence. "Marcus, that's him. The one we've been bracing for."

Marcus didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on Gluttony, tracing the ridges of muscle and shadow, the faint, horrifying glow of crimson light from deep within his body.

He could feel the gravity of what was coming. Not a battle, but the potential annihilation of everything around them. Gluttony stepped forward, each movement deliberate, yet impossibly fast.

With a single stride, the shadows beneath him surged outward, curling into spires of darkness that ripped at the earth, shattering the frozen terrain left by Michael's previous battle. It was as if the planet itself feared him.

"You survived the first wave," Gluttony's voice rumbled, low and guttural, yet carrying a terrifying clarity. "Impressive. But survival is meaningless."

Viktor tightened his fists, summoning defensive sigils in the air, the lines of protection glowing faintly as he braced against the oppressive aura. Rhea stepped beside him, whispering incantations that called forth barriers of concentrated energy.

The trio knew they were still far from strong enough to challenge Gluttony directly, but inaction meant immediate obliteration. Michael, still recovering from the previous battle, clenched his jaw.

His body throbbed with pain, but his mind was already working, already assessing the impossible. He could feel the edges of Umbral Frost calling to him, the fusion of ice and shadow rippling through his veins.

He had pushed that ability to its limits, but even now, Gluttony's presence made him feel small, fragile, and human.

Gluttony's eyes swept the battlefield, crimson orbs burning with amusement and disdain. "I've already consumed worlds, torn civilizations to dust, civilizations stronger than yours." Gluttony then laughed. "Though I still need to destroy that civilization." He then returned to the matter at hand. "And yet here you are. One final morsel before I move on to the rest."

Without warning, the air erupted. Shadows surged from Gluttony like waves of black fire, slamming into the squad with the force of a meteor storm.

The ground buckled, ice splintered, and even Marcus had to dig his boots into the fractured terrain to avoid being thrown off his feet.

"Form up!" Marcus barked, commanding the team instinctively.

Marcus began weaving shadows around himself, concentrating energy for a counterattack. Gluttony didn't pause. He raised a single hand, and the world seemed to split.

A shockwave erupted outward, fracturing the air itself, warping light, and causing the shadows to writhe like living serpents. The squad was hurled backward, Marcus barely managing to maintain balance.

But Gluttony was unshaken. With a casual flick, he crushed one of the pillars mid-air, the shards evaporating into nothingness as if they had never existed. He moved faster than light.

Marcus, seeing the destruction, cursed under his breath. "He's not just strong, he's on a completely different plane."

Selene and Viktor adjusted their formations, realizing that no ordinary tactics would succeed. They could only delay, hold the line, and hope Marcus or Michael could find some way to exploit a weakness.

Gluttony's laugh cut through the air, low and resonant. "You have spirit. But spirit cannot match inevitability."

He raised both hands, the shadows around him coiling into a massive lance, each inch radiating oppressive energy. The ground trembled. Mountains of frozen debris split and scattered as he readied his next strike.

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