The Black Necromancer

"I am sorry, I must leave you to yourself now." Mammon suddenly spoke again and Leon was taken aback. "I can feel my will eroding at a faster pace. I might lose control and attack you at any moment now. Goodbye, Leon."

Without waiting for a response, Mammon turned around and sped off into the distance, becoming a speck in the distance in a few seconds.

Leon did not say anything or try to stop him because he knew that there was nothing he could do for the Giant. His strength and abilities were insufficient to assist him. Perhaps, if he managed to survive this and defeat Izeal, there might be a way to save those consumed by him.

Turning his attention back to the black hole, Leon began to ponder how to escape this place. As he thought, he suddenly sensed the return of Mammon. Turning to look at the approaching Giant, Leon's senses stirred, warning him of danger.

In an instant, Leon realized what had happened. The time it took for Izeal to erode Mammon's remaining will and take over his body was much shorter than either of them expected!

As Leon prepared himself, a blazing beam of gold and purple light lanced through the Void and shot right at Leon. He hastily raised up a barrier to deflect the beam while Mammon drew closer, revealing himself.

Unlike before, Mammon's skin bore many black cracks that ran across his body, making him resemble a stone statue that was starting to feel the touch of time.

"Feeling at home?" Mammon opened his mouth, but what came out was the voice of Izeal. A bizarre grin spread over his face as he held back from launching another attack.

"..." Leon remained silent and prepared himself for a face off.

"If you are preparing yourself for a fight, then it is best you do not. You cannot fight me. In fact, even if you tried, you would not be able to. Take another look at your body." Izeal said, his tone mocking.

Leon had a sinking feeling as he turned a portion of his attention into his own body. His body froze in the next second.

'How?!' Leon could not believe that he had been corrupted so easily. Along his Divine Spark, there were faint, black lines running over and through the glowing crystal. The marks radiated an aura that reeked of Izeal.

"Shocked? Don't be. You are in my body. The very Void itself will corrupt you even if you put up an active resistance. This is the end, Leon Cromwell. You were an interesting specimen."

With those words said, Izeal turned around and blinked away from Leon's vision, leaving the Obsidian Skeleton God by himself.

.

.

In the Void of the material universe, Vesper was still acting confused and perplexed at the possible truth of their opponents strength when a new force of power descended.

Bright red light bloomed in the midst of the battlefield where the two sides were still under a tense standoff. The Nexus Being manifested, the red light that always followed his presence condensing into a shimmering red armor that covered his true form from everyone present.

The red armor gleamed under the starlight of the Void, emanating a shocking pressure. Spike shoulder plates, chest plates that radiated an aura of immense sturdiness, and a will that could not be shaken, filled the eyes and senses of everyone present.

"Nexus Being!" Vesper's tone was grave. If the Nexus Being chose to manifest in a form that was more battle ready than what any of them had ever seen it as, then that meant that the severity of the matter has considerably risen, surpassing any of their expectations.

"You have done your best, friends. But there is nothing you can do again. I will take it from here." The Nexus Being's voice rang through the Void. His figure turned to the opposing True Gods, two red lights flaring underneath the visor of his helmet.

In the next moment, violent burning red flames ignited from within the bodies of the True Gods, setting their Divine Sparks ablaze.

"AHH!!!" The screams of agony that erupted from the mouths of the True Gods sent chills down Vesper and company's spines. Within seconds, the bodies of the enemy True Gods shriveled and burnt up as their Divine Sparks were burnt to crisps that lacked any Divine Power.

"This is the power of a God King!" Vesper gasped, his eyes wide and in awe. He had never seen such a blatant display of power on the level of a True God. There was no way to so easily and quickly take care of a being at the True God level. Every True God had a host of methods to escape life threatening situations, and many of them even had a way to achieve a second life if they incurred a fatal blow.

In a few more moments, there was nothing left of the enemy True Gods and the Nexus Being turned back to the True Gods that had supported Datar.

"Izeal has won over Leon. He has become a threat to this entire Universe, so it is finally my time to step in. You have done what you can. Now, leave." He told them resolutely.

While this situation had crossed the minds of all the True Gods, they had tried to deny it, refusing to believe that Leon had fallen in the end, even after everything that had happened. Leon had struggled and prevailed over adversary after adversary. They had hoped that he would be able to be the one to put down Izeal once and for all.

"I see... We understand, Nexus Being." Vesper nodded, knowing that their time to leave the stage had come. With a flap of his wings, he put some distance between himself and the Nexus Being, approaching the other True Gods. With them in two, he beat a retreat, leaving the Nexus Being alone.

In the darkness of the void, the red light that surrounded the Nexus Being intensified for a moment, before dying out as the Nexus Being vanished from sight.