Chapter 162: The Return of the Mysterious Swordsman
The power of annihilation released by the Slash of the End caused even heaven and earth to tremble before its might. Within this slash, Aldrian also infused his comprehension of death laws, aiming to see if he could affect his target with the touch of death itself. The death laws—the bane of all existence—represent the end of the road for all who reside in the universe. The end of existence, the end of beginnings, and the beginning of the end.
This is Aldrian’s understanding of the death laws, with them, the Slash of the End becomes more "complete." Sensing the power of Aldrian’s Slash, the Greed Devil’s survival instincts kick in, and he scrambles to use an escape talisman. Now that the trapping barrier has collapsed, he can attempt to teleport away from this place.
He tries to reach for the escape talisman hidden beneath his robe, but, unfortunately for him, he has yet to grasp the full extent of the Slash of the End. This sword technique traps its victim in place by condensing space, stabilizing and intensifying the entire area in front of the oncoming slash until it feels unbearably heavy. As a result the victims will have difficulties to move, and even if they manage, they cannot escape using any technique related to space laws.
This time, Aldrian poured his entire domain power into the slash, equating its force to the power of heaven and earth over a quarter of the continent. The Greed Devil feels the oppressive weight of space and finally realizes how doomed he is. The Slash of the End collides with the energy strike of the Sword Devil’s Annihilation Strike. The devil’s strike holds for only a split second before collapsing—a brief resistance of which the Greed Devil can be proud.
The slash energy continued moving at full speed even after colliding with the Sword Devil’s Annihilation Strike, still brimming with immense power. Behind it, space fractured into a violent storm, with cracks stretching over 800 meters wide. Traveling at the speed of sound, the energy left a trail of spatial cracks and storms in its wake, intensifying the destruction as it advanced.
"MOVE!!! AAGGHH!!" The Greed Devil shouted at the top of his lungs, raising his sword in a desperate attempt to block the Slash of the End. He wasn’t sure if he could withstand such an attack, but it was better than doing nothing. His instincts and his very nature as the Sin of Greed drove him to cling to his life at any cost. Having failed to rely on the escape talisman, he resolved to face the strike head-on.
He focused all his devil energy into the Heavenly Blaze Sword, attempting to block the incoming attack. The instant the slash connected with his sword, his entire body trembled violently, instantly engulfed by the golden slash energy that obliterated his consciousness. His physical form was destroyed before he even had time to scream in frustration, leaving nothing behind.
The Heavenly Blaze Sword, now released from his grip, was flung five kilometers away from the point of impact, unable to withstand the Slash of the End. However, once it drifted beyond the path of the slash, the sword steadied itself in midair, its tip pointing in reverence toward Aldrian. Meanwhile, in the place of the fallen Greed Devil, his storage ring had also been flung aside and shattered, spilling its contents—including the entire collection of swords he’d hoarded—into the air, where they now floated.
The golden slash energy continued traveling westward at full speed, slicing through the entire mountain range before it. In a few hours, it would reach the west coast and continue beyond. It was unclear where the energy would finally exhaust itself, but thanks to Aldrian’s careful adjustments when unleashing the Slash of the End, it would remain airborne, sparing the earth’s surface.