Zatiel sent more and more of the golden flames into the core, burning all the negative soul force and emotions left in it by the inhabitants of the destroyed universe.
However, once he reached the deepest part of the core, he found a malignant force that was impossible to destroy with his Eternal Flame of Justice. It was encoded in the essence of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon, and erasing it would do catastrophic damage to the core.
Zatiel's eyes narrowed as he retracted the golden flame and began to send dark purple fire with the power of the Samsara Force into the core. If he could not destroy it, then the only path forward was to purge it.
Tendrils of foul darkness emerged from the Fourth Realm Phenomenon's core, generating a black cloud above Zatiel that grew in size and power by the second.
"AAhhhhAHHhahhh!"
Howls of pain, agony, and rage emerged from the cloud, transforming into a phenomenon itself and gaining sentience now that it was no longer suppressed in the deepest part of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon's core.
The Samsara Thearch glanced at the dark cloud above him, but he did not stop and kept sending purple flames into the core, using all his power to extract every form of pollution from the Fourth Realm Phenomenon.
If the Fourth Realm Phenomenon was in its purest form, then he could build with it a weapon that could allow a Sacred King to unleash a battle might that neared the peak of the Initial Stage.
After ten hours, Zatiel managed to extract all the pollution that had infected the core, and he felt how the Fourth Realm Phenomenon trembled, changing its nature to what it was supposed to be.
The Fourth Realm Phenomenon was an emotionless cosmic force. There was no rage or hatred in its actions, regardless of the destruction it created. It was a manifestation of powers that erased the mind and drove everything to a state of non-relevance.
Zatiel felt the chaotic state of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon as it healed from the malice and pollution that had invaded it for billions of years and saw his chance. The phenomenon was not able to put resistance, and he used his power to drive the universe-size domain of darkness back into its core.
Despite lacking emotions, the Fourth Realm Phenomenon would have put resistance to that sort of action, but it was in such a chaotic state that it was not able to fight back against the powers of the Samsara Thearch.
It began slow, but it became faster every millisecond, and in less than five minutes, the massive universe-size Fourth Realm Phenomenon was now in the palm of the Samsara Thearch in the form of a dark sphere.
Zatiel smiled as he generated a series of runes over the dark sphere to stabilize the Fourth Realm Phenomenon before sending it into his Inmer Universe. Yet, he was not able to be happy for long since there was still something to take care of.
"AhhhhhaAAAHhahahahHAHAa!"
The dark cloud had transformed into a massive storm-like phenomenon, covering billions of kilometers. Howling faces formed in it, unleashing a malevolent and toxic aura that eroded the chaotic energy around it.
Zatiel's eyes narrowed as he felt that the storm-like phenomenon was unstable, and could collapse on its own in a few hundred years, so there was no need for him to take care of it.
However, there was also a chance that the phenomenon could mutate, adapting to its instability and growing stronger.
The Samsara Thearch could not allow that since the sole intent of the storm-like phenomenon was to erode and destroy, bringing other universes to their doom just like the Fourth Relm Phenomenon did to the people whose rage and hatred created it.
Suddenly, the dark storm trembled, and in the next second, millions of eyes made of putrid flesh formed all over it. They had different colors and forms, and there was nothing but rage and a desire to burn everything in them.
Zatiel could see that each eye unleashed a different soul aura, all connected by a single desire. He did not have much time to analyze the phenomenon since all those millions of eyes focused on him shortly after they appeared.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."
A horrifying how emerged from the dark storm as the millions of putrid eyes glowed, unleashing a soul attack that made the Emptiness tremble!
Zatiel was not able to dodge the attack, and this one landed point-blank, making blood leak from his eyes and ears. He had consumed a lot of his energy taking care of the Fourth Realm Phenomenon, so his energy defenses were low, something the dark storm took advantage of.
Immediately the Eros Eye began to glow, unleashing a stream of life force that healed all the internal damage. The Thanatos Eye took a moment as it first had to find the foreign soul force that invaded the Samsara Thearch's Inner Universe before using End Force to eradicate it.
Zatiel stabilized his condition, and his eyes grew cold as he focused on the dark storm. He could understand the rage of the people that perished but could not allow an entity born of hatred that only could destroy to exist.
The golden flames of the Eternal Flame of Justice flooded his body and soul, and his eyes glowed with silver flames as he faced the malevolent dark storm. He was exhausted and weakened but could not allow such an entity to wander free around the Emtpiness, so he had to end it here and now.
Another soul attack emerged from the dark cloud as all the putrid eyes glowed, but this time Zatiel was prepared. His Samsara Eye burst with power, acting as a beacon for the negative soul force, absorbing it before sending it back to where it came from, enhanced by a golden flame.
Drawing upon the power of his Samsara Force, he channeled his energy into his palms, conjuring swirling spheres of dark purple flames.
"Sasmara Barrage!"
He unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, each one aimed at a different eye within the dark storm.
Explosions erupted within the storm as Zatiel's attacks struck their mark. The putrid flesh and malevolent eyes were obliterated, disintegrating into nothingness. But the storm fought back, its rage intensifying with each eye destroyed.
Undeterred, Zatiel continued his relentless assault, pouring more and more of his Samsara Force into his attacks. The dark storm writhed and convulsed, its toxic aura growing weaker. It fought desperately, unleashing waves of corrosive energy and soul attacks in a desperate attempt to defend itself.
Zatiel showed no mercy, redirected all the soul attacks he could, and enduring the others while continuing attacking with all he had.
The dark storm was no different. It refused to accept death and continued attacking, burning itself in order to obtain more energy and unleash even more powerful attacks.
Minutes turned into hours as the battle raged on, the dark storm gradually losing ground. The storm's once formidable presence dwindled, and Zatiel sensed its weakening soul force. He saw an opportunity to deliver the final blow, to put an end to the dark storm's existence once and for all.
Gathering his remaining strength, Zatiel unleashed a devastating surge of power. The dark storm convulsed, its putrid flesh writhing in agony. The storm's toxic aura dissipated.
With one final burst of energy, Zatiel unleashed an all-encompassing attack, channeling the combined might of his Thanatos Eyes and Eros Eyes. The dark storm shattered into billions of fragments that would soon disintegrate under the weight of the chaotics waves that flooded the Emptiness.
However, the Sasamra Thearch had a better use for them. His Thanatos Eye glowed, drawing every fragment of that broken storm in.
That was incredibly dangerous because if the pieces were put back together, they could remerge into the storm-like phenomenon that he took so long to defeat. Yet, Zatiel did it because he was confident in his ability to keep the phenomenon under control and due to the dangers he would be facing in the next clash.
'I have two treasures ready. The runic formation from the Ice-Fire World can generate synergy between two opposite forces and make them thrive with even more power. The Fourth Realm Phenomenon can erode more than just life and death, extending its reach into the immaterial, affecting the mind, will, and memory of everything it touches.'
The Samsara Thearch was very happy with the treasures he had managed to get so far, and there was another not very far away from here, but the problem was that unlike the other two, this one had a guardian that would rather die than lose it.
"Ahhhh."
Zatiel would have wanted not to face that individual if possible, but that treasure was perfect for his firstborn. With it, Dante's chances of surviving the upcoming war would be much greater, and if he had to kill someone to protect his son, there was no doubt in his heart that he would do it.
