Beyond the Apocalypse

Chapter 1145: Convergence

The Gods fought with what could only be described as pure desperation.

They struck at everything in sight, unleashing their full power without restraint. Massive fragments of land—falling like meteors from the collapsing Eighth Layer—were shattered again and again as they descended toward the Divine Kingdoms. Blades of radiant energy, pillars of flame, and torrents of divine force erupted in every direction.

But it did not matter.

No matter how fiercely they fought, no matter how powerful their counterattacks were, they could not halt the descent of the Eighth Layer’s landmass. Nor could they claim the lives of the Lords who had orchestrated this destruction.

Golden weapons continued to rain from the sky.

Each one struck with precision, crashing into the bodies of any God who attempted to self-destruct in a final act of defiance. Their desperate gambits were cut short again and again, their last hopes extinguished before they could bear fruit.

"Pull back!"

The voice of the True Depravita of Wrath echoed across the Ninth Layer, sharp and absolute.

Immediately, the Lords obeyed.

They began to retreat in perfect coordination, using the gaps between the falling masses of land to ascend back into the fractured expanse of the Eighth Layer. Their movements were swift, disciplined, and without hesitation.

Vlad and Overlord remained behind just long enough to cover the retreat, ensuring that no God could break through and strike at their forces.

Then, in a single motion, they too withdrew.

The Ninth Layer was left behind.

Left to its fate.

Only the Gods remained—still struggling, still fighting, still attempting the impossible. But their end had already been decided.

The Devils and twisted souls that once filled the layer had been annihilated. Their Divine Kingdoms were in ruins, battered by the relentless rain of debris. Their power was nearly spent.

They could barely defend themselves.

Stopping the fall of an entire layer of Hell—something even the Archangels had failed to achieve—was far beyond them.

And then... it happened.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!"

The landmass of the Eighth Layer—the very sky of the Ninth—finally crashed down.

The impact was apocalyptic.

Blasts of energy erupted in endless waves, shaking the very fabric of the realm. Rivers of molten magma burst forth like geysers, flooding the shattered landscape. Mountains crumbled, continents split apart, and storms of fire and lightning tore through the air.

It was destruction on a scale rarely witnessed.

A cataclysm rivaling the death of a Supreme World.

High above, within the broken sky of the Eighth Layer, Vlad, the White Death, Overlord, and the Lords of the Six Sun Alliance stood in silence.

Their eyes were wide open.

None of them dared to blink.

They gazed upon the unfolding destruction with absolute focus, their senses stretched to the limit as they perceived the laws in motion.

This was not merely annihilation.

It was revelation.

The destruction of an entire layer of Hell released cosmic forces of unimaginable magnitude—forces that carried within them the deepest truths of existence. To witness such an event was to glimpse the fundamental workings of the universe itself.

Their souls absorbed everything.

Their understanding deepened.

Their power grew.

But just as it seemed that the Ninth Layer would be completely obliterated... something changed.

The overwhelming essence of destruction began to weaken.

And in its place, something new emerged.

Vlad’s eyes narrowed, a meaningful light flickering within them as he sensed the shift. The violent implosion slowed. The chaotic collapse began to stabilize.

And from within that ruin...

Something else was taking form.

"Convergence."

The word echoed behind them.

All the Paragons turned at once.

There, standing calmly amidst the chaos, was the Primordial God of Bloodshed and Battle—Odinvaldr.

His gaze lingered on the collapsing landmass, filled with a rare sense of awe. Then he turned toward Vlad and gave him a solemn nod.

"I am impressed, young man. To use the bloodline of an Archangel to engrave a runic formation across an entire landmass... that is not only a feat of power, but of remarkable ingenuity."

Vlad clasped his hands respectfully and returned the nod. Yet his eyes sharpened with curiosity.

"Convergence?" he asked the question in everybody’s mind.

Odinvaldr did not keep them waiting.

"Hell is an enclosed system," he began. "Though it is divided into nine layers, they are, in essence, different sectors of the same world. Under the right conditions, those layers can converge—merging into one."

Every Lord listened intently, not daring to miss a single word.

"You forced the landmass of the Eighth Layer to crash into the Ninth," Odinvaldr continued. "Such destruction would normally result in total collapse. The Ninth Layer would have been annihilated entirely."

He paused, then pointed toward the burning ruins below.

Across the shattered landmass, pulses of golden energy surged—residual Divine Power radiating from the remnants of the fallen Kingdoms.

"But Heaven interfered," he said. "The Ninth Layer was saturated with Divine Power. Those Divine Kingdoms, scattered across its surface, stabilized it just enough."

Understanding began to dawn.

"That power allowed the landmass to endure long enough," Odinvaldr continued, "until destruction reached a threshold where it gave birth to creation."

His voice lowered slightly.

"Triggering the convergence of layers."

Enlightenment surged through the minds of the Lords.

Without hesitation, they turned their attention back to the burning landmass below—this time with even greater focus.

Witnessing destruction alone was already a priceless opportunity.

But witnessing creation born from destruction?

That was something far beyond rare.

Even Vlad and the White Death could not look away.

The landmass burned brighter and brighter, its energy intensifying at an astonishing rate. Despite the immense distance, the heat could be felt against their faces. Lightning arcs spread across the sky, and raging storms began to form, unleashing waves of power that reached even the fractured heavens of the Eighth Layer.

The very fabric of reality trembled.

Even Odinvaldr stood still for several moments, silently observing the cosmic forces at play.

Then, slowly, his expression changed.

His eyes sharpened.

Taking a deep breath, the Primordial God clasped his hands together.

The power of the Universe Matrix began to gather around him.