Sunny hung suspended in space, staring at the colossal, menacing skull of Lilith's trap. His teeth were gritted, his mind racing at maximum capacity. The raw, terrifying power of his opponent had forced him past strategy and into the realm of desperation.

​"There must be a way to stop this!" he muttered, a desperate whisper of refusal. Then, a suicidal, brilliant idea sparked.

​'Hey System, such high enhanced spirit energy attack will surely have a backlash, right?'

​{Well, yes.}

​"Good."

​In a blur of energy, Sunny's form shifted, taking on the massive, imposing appearance of Jormugandr. Without a shred of hesitation, he rocketed toward the gaping mouth of the energy skull.

​"....?!!"

Lilith, watching from her position, was stunned.

​{....?!! What are you doing, Master?! That can kill you.}

​"You don't know that," Sunny hissed, increasing his speed.

"I picked Jormungandr because he has more defense than all my Bloodlines. Not only that, I will harden my skin with Earth! With all my skills! I won't die!" His voice was strained, a desperate affirmation of his own resilience.

​"What are you doing?! Are you that eager to die?" Lilith asked, her raised eyebrow conveying mockery mixed with genuine curiosity.

​"We will see about that!" Sunny yelled back, plunging into the mouth of the skull.

​He hovered before the swirling inferno of condensed energy, a place of certain death. He closed his eyes and activated Devourer, attempting to absorb the destructive energy.

​{Warning! Master's physique is too weak to absorb all the energy.}

​"Then explode it!!"

​{Explode? That will kill Master or worse, cripple you faster.}

​"I don't care!! If I don't make this sacrifice, I will still die at her hand! Even with Elemental Prism's Powers! I still can't defeat her!! This witch is beyond powerful!!" He roared, his voice echoing with raw frustration and the cold, pragmatic acceptance of his own limits.

​{Um... Master is only with 20% of elemental Prism's powers, and there is a 50% chance this will kill the great mother.}

The System, calculating probabilities, tried to temper his zeal.

​"Just shut up!! This is a gamble! You don't have to lay down everything!" Sunny snapped, a rare moment of anger directed at the system. He unleashed all his Spirit Energy, forcing the critical mass.

​BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

​The colossal Skull shattered. The sheer shockwave and the immense backlash from the imploding energy core hit Lilith, forcing her to vomit a mouthful of deep crimson blood.

​"You?" She raised a trembling hand, staring at it as the light in her body began to fade. Her confusion then shifted into a strange form of respect.

​"He actually destroyed my fragment using the backlash..." She looked at the center of the explosion, where Sunny now floated. He was back in his normal appearance, his shirt vaporized, his body covered in countless, raw injuries. He was alive, but barely held together.

​"You are a maniac," she said, but her voice held a sweet smile. "I am pleased."

​Sunny frowned, unable to comprehend her pleasure.

​"You did good, Sunny... Excellent. For that... I have a present for you, a present I know will lead you to me one day." She pointed a finger at him.

​BAM!

​Sunny grimaced, his strength too depleted to react. He looked down at his chest and saw a horrifyingly detailed tattoo of a skull branding his skin.

​"You?!" He looked up in surprise; he hadn't even registered the attack.

​"That is my first gift. My second..." She smirked, her final act of malice and challenge. "I am destroying the restrictions set on the lower world! Get ready, Sunny, the main battle has just begun."

​Sunny watched as her body dissolved into smoky essence, dispersing across space, spreading to every planet. The fragment was gone.

{Congratulations!! Master killed the Great mother's fragment.}

{Gained: One billion Exp.}

{Gained: nine hundred Billion Personal money.}

{Gained: One Million Evolution Stones.}

{Gained: Ten Spirit Fruits.}

{Gained: One million Spirit stones.}

{Mercenary limit increase to ten billion.}

{Gained; One Unsealing Card.}

​Sunny exhaled, his body weak, his mind already churning. Lilith's final, venomous gift—the skull tattoo and the dissolution of the cosmic barrier—was the true threat. The restrictions on the lower world were gone. This meant Lester and other First Order powerhouses could invade at any moment.

​WHOOSH!

​A bright, gentle light shone behind him. He turned, his body instinctively tensing despite his injuries. The light dimmed, revealing an angel with eight magnificent wings. Her presence was calming, yet overwhelmingly powerful.

​"Who are you?" he asked, mild confusion overlaying his exhaustion.

​"Who I am doesn't matter," she said, her voice smooth and ethereal.

"What matters is that you destroyed Lilith's fragment. No one can easily do that, let alone someone from the lower world."

​"I used her attack against her," Sunny stated, his voice flat.

​"I know... But that cost you. A part of your soul got erased," Aurelia said, staring at his branded chest.

​"Now, she not only marked you, but she removed the restrictions I set on this world just to teach you a lesson. And those she teaches always end up dead," Aurelia moved toward him.

"But you're too valuable, not just to their world, but to me."

​"Restrictions you set? And how am I valuable to you?!" Sunny frowned, his guard still up.

​"Don't worry, you will know soon. I am here to help you." She stopped behind him, her presence benign.

​"Help me? How?" Sunny looked over his shoulder. He couldn't sense any killing intent, which was more bewildering than a direct threat.

​"I can help you place the restrictions again, and also help you wipe out the Wendigos from your world. But the new restrictions will only hold for half a year."

​"What's your gain in this?" Sunny fully turned to face her, his instincts demanding the price. He knew nothing came for free.

​"Easy... Promise me the most precious thing to you," Aurelia smiled sweetly, a predatory kindness.

​"The most precious thing—"

​"—Shhh... Don't think so much about it, just promise me," Aurelia cut him off, her gaze unnervingly calm.

"If you don't, everyone will die and your promise to protect those two kids will be useless."

​Sunny thought for a long, agonizing second. He looked at the vast emptiness where his enemy had dissolved, realizing the immense threat looming. His survival was meaningless if his world fell. He had no choice.

​"Ok," he said, his voice deep, the promise already a profound burden.

​"Good." Aurelia snapped her fingers, the gesture sealing the contract. "I will be waiting for you to fulfill your promise... Oh, find a way to get that mark off you, or you will always be located by her, no matter where you are." She vanished from sight.

​Sunny remained floating in the desolate vacuum, his injured body slowly knitting itself back together. He had won the battle, but at the cost of a cosmic, half-year deadline and a terrifying, undefined debt to an unknown angel. The true war was just beginning.

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