Igni, the Demon Sovereign, did have a thing or two up his sleeve. An anti-magic Sun… I’d never thought that was even possible. Just that alone was enough to alter my fighting tactics, and yet, the mad Demon had absorbed it all into his body, directly corroding himself from the inside out.

Left to time, Igni will perish under the decay of his own power, and the Demon Sovereign that reigned over the Demon race for thousands of years will be no more. However, Igni didn’t care. In this short time window, he would fully use his newfound power.

[Die, Hegemon!!!]

Black, inextinguishable flames tore through the fabric of Spacetime and ‘burnt’ down everything in their path. Every little magic power I’d used to twist and warp Spacetime disintegrated until nothing was left. I gasped in horror as the black fire continued to burn, even though it had already accomplished its goal. Not only that, it spread like wildfire, eventually burning the void of space itself.

I was appalled. Destroying me was one thing, but what the Demon Sovereign had created was an insatiable beast that would devour everything in its path. Matter, Spacetime, and even the dimension itself. If it continued to spread, our lives and the entire solar system would be in danger.

[You’re really crazy!!! Do you want to break the dimension?!]

[If it means killing you, everything is worth it!!!]

[Fucking…]

There’s no stopping this madman now. He was hellbent on killing me, even if it meant destroying the solar system where the Demon race lived. There’s no choice now… I had to end this battle.

I raised my right hand and allowed my Vampire Aspect to shine in all its glory. Since I’d shattered my Soul Armament and awakened my true Vampire Aspect, I’d never used its full power. I’d reached a point where I had become too strong, and everything seemed so brittle. I could destroy planets and end entire solar systems with one gentle touch. I could bring forth enough energy to power mankind for the rest of history and collapse galaxies with a thought.

Therefore, I’d never once used my full potential…

Until now.

Even if they could counter my magic… They couldn’t counter my miracles.

I had ascended from a regular plebeian and was on another plane of existence. Magic, anti-magic… It didn’t matter to me. From now on, I was going to change phenomena directly. Alter Spacetime and Destiny with my own two fingers. Isolate reality and create miracles that no one could even fathom.

And with one final move of my fingers, I created a miracle:

[Black Hole.]

The most extreme star. An extremity of pure darkness where nothing could pass through its event horizon. A gravity field so strong that light itself couldn’t escape. Spacetime, matter, light, magic… No matter what it was, it couldn’t escape the gravity of a Black Hole.

Not even the Black Sun.

Igni was consumed by the pulsating gravitational waves, and all his flames were devoured. Nothing escapes the gravity of a Black Hole, and once the Black Sun entered the event horizon, there was no turning back.

Once the Demon Sovereign’s power was consumed, I hurriedly closed the Black Hole and dissipated it away. Creating a Black Hole was hard enough, but stopping it was another level of difficulty. But against all odds, my Vampire Aspect was enough to control the Black Hole from devouring the Demon Sovereign and, likely, the entire solar system.

Bit by bit, the Demon Sovereign was losing all of his power. Consumed from the inside and out, there was no chance for Igni to escape death. But the Demon Sovereign didn’t whine or complain… He didn’t shout any stereotypical villainous line at the end of a boss battle. Igni, he… accepted his defeat.

With a face that seemed to have made one with peace, the Demon Sovereign smiled.

[Unfathomable… Creating a Black Hole and completely isolating it… You really are on a whole other level.]

[… Have you accepted your defeat?]

[Hegemon, from the moment Uriel told me Destiny couldn’t be changed… I have accepted my defeat.]

The Demon Sovereign was now bare of his black flames, and his magic reserves had reached zero. With his body corroding from his inner organs, Igni wouldn’t last half a minute. But, the Demon Sovereign held onto his dignity as he conversed with me as equals.

[If I couldn’t kill you in this battle, I just hoped you would see the value in the Demon race. Given enough resources, they could all become a second Demon Sovereign. I hope you won’t enslave my people and, instead, help nurture and develop them. That’s my purpose for this battle.]

[… You just wanted to show me the Demon race’s worth?]

[Precisely.]

The Demon Sovereign smiled radiantly as if a large burden had been lifted from his chest. No, given that he was the leader of an entire race worth billions, if not trillions of lives, it was natural for him to feel this way. He wanted the best for Demonkind, even if it meant killing himself in a show of force and potential.

[The Demon race can be helpful to you… They can help you conquer planets and destroy galaxies… But I beg you… Please do not enslave or annihilate them.]

[Is that all you have to say?]

[As the loser, I have no right to demand anything… I can only beg and pray you will make the right choice.]

[The high and mighty Demon Sovereign is actually begging on his deathbed… How unsightly.]

[As unsightly as it may be, this is my only hope.]

[No, it isn’t.]

I raised my hand again and allowed magic to flow out of my hand. No, my power wasn’t magic anymore… It was miracles. Azure and emerald light escaped from my Vampire Aspect and brightened the entire void. A clock wrapped around my wrist, and the minute hand gradually twisted backwards in an anti-clockwise direction.

And with that, yet another miracle was performed.

All of the events that transpired thus far passed us by. The Black Hole I’d created and sent away. The Black Sun consumed all magic. The galactic wind and the neutron star. The multiple punches contained the power of an entire star to the planet that was destroyed by Igni when we’d first begun our battle. Everything was being reverted back in time, and eventually, the two of us were transported back to the Demon Realm.

Igni’s jaw dropped as he carefully examined his pristine hands and feet. None of his internal organs was destroyed, and his near-infinite magic pool was restored.

It was as if… our battle had never happened in the first place.

“You reversed time… You… Are you God?”

The Demon Sovereign doubted his own senses. He was clearly on the verge of death just moments before, yet he was standing completely fine. Clenching his fists, he let out a confused moan and consciously tapped his body in fear.

“God… Perhaps I am,” I joked in good fun. “Igni, I told you, I don’t need to fight you. I control everything, the planets, the skies, the stars… The Universe. Everything is under my control. We didn’t even need to fight as…”

I pointed my finger, and instantaneously, the Demon Sovereign clenched as if he was wrapped in tight bindings. Moving against his will, Igni was completely helpless against my tight control, and he was just like a pinata waiting to be hit.

“I could control your body and alter your Destiny. With your powers, it’s impossible to defeat me, Igni.”

“This…”

The Demon Sovereign was enveloped by a mixture of feelings. Distraught that everything he’d done was being orchestrated in the palms of my hands. Fear of my power and how it could destroy Demonkind if I so chose. And finally… relief. Relief that he was still alive.

“I know that nothing I say will convince you, and it’ll take time for you to trust me fully. But I will make you this promise. I will not enslave the Demon race.” I reaffirmed my will determinedly. “I will not become the tyrant in your nightmares and will not exterminate your kind.”

“W-Why?”

“Why? I simply don’t have the interest to do so.”

What fun would it be to exterminate an entire race of living creatures? As long as I had my four wives, I was content. Ruling the Universe or conquering planets was secondary to me. As long as my family was safe and happy, I had no interest in enslaving others.

“Why…”

Uriel, who had been out cold, finally awakened and limped her way towards Igni and me. She was pale and gaunt, unlike her status as the Demon race’s Goddess. But she still stood tall as she asked:

“Why are you going so far for us? With your power, you could have enslaved us all.”

“Why, huh? Call it my last bit of humanity.”

I chuckled and shook my head inwardly. Looking back, it has only been two years since that fateful night in the hospital. I’d come so far since abandoning my humanity, but at the same time, it felt like it was just yesterday.

I knew what it was like to be a broken cripple, to be a victim of the cruel Universe and to count the days to my death. And I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, not even my enemies.

“Besides, the two of you have a part to play in my story.”

“W-What?”

“I believe that our meeting was planned by future me as well. Especially you, Uriel. You will become a lieutenant or an advisor of mine. That’s why future me gave you a portion of my Spacetime abilities.”

“You mean… We will come to serve you willingly?”

“That’s right,” I smiled gleefully. “The Demon race will become my loyal subjects even without me enslaving anyone. I know it.”

“How ludicrous…”

The pair were hesitant to believe their ears. But as with everything, it will take time for them to accept their reality.

“Just think about it,” I chuckled. Looking up at the Demon realm’s beautiful blue sky reminded me of my ultimate goal. It would take millions, no, billions of years to accomplish it, and bringing the Demon race into my fold was the first step.

“We have all the time in the Universe, after all.”