Nether naturally corroded anything it touched.


    The more intense and it was, the more powerful the decay would be—and the quicker it would take for anything to devolve into nothing. That was what made this radical, perverse element so dangerous.


    One would expect the magnitude of Stefan''s Nether to have the same effect, considering how incredible the power was.


    But, it didn''t!


    The air around him remained the same. The ground remained the same. The city, the Beastfolk, the flowers… everything maintained its purity.


    And it was all because of one being.


    "Yourst chance to stand down is now. You can not emerge victorious."


    "SHUUUTTTT UUUUUPPPPP!!!"


    Stefan went critical, gathering all the Nether that leaked out of him so he could expel all of it at once. The moment he did so, not only would the entire area be destroyed, but the corrosive effect of Nether would return everything to nothingness.


    ''I''ll ruin everything!''


    >VWWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU—<


    Just as the climbing energy reached its threshold and was about to explode, Maria suddenly appeared right in front of Stefan.


    She stood right in front of him—at the center of the Nether storm that surrounded his exploding self.


    ''W-wha—?!'' His eyes met hers, and he could not sense any emotion this time.


    It was simply ss—reflecting the kind of face he was making.


    It felt like everything had slowed down, and Maria''s appearance in the Nether storm brought everything to a halt.


    "You''ve lost." She whispered.


    ''Shut up…''


    "That power of yours is unnatural."


    ''SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!''


    "It has to go…"


    ''SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!''


    Unable to bear her presence any longer, Stefan released all the pent-up Nether and initiated the explosion.


    >BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<


    However, all of the force he released slowly converged in a single direction. Rather than spreading to destroy everything—as was his n—the Nether explosion gathered around Maria''s outstretched palm, unable to escape.


    In no time, what was supposed to be a massive Nether explosion became a tiny orb that floated atop her palm.


    ''W-what are you—?!''


    Before he couldplete his thoughts, she crushed the orb, purifying it with light. All the Nether vanished instantly.


    ''N-no…'' Stefan''s eyes widened as Maria drew closer to him.


    ''That was… that was a huge amount. That would have wiped out everything. How could she have… just like that!''


    "Like I said…" Maria slowly raised her hand as she spoke.


    She brought it closer to Stefan, who shuddered as he watched her powerlessly.


    ''I-I can''t move!'' Stuck in ce, even in his almighty form, Stefan could only quiver as her hand neared him.


    "W-what are you doing to me?" Stefan barked in his loud, distorted voice.


    His growl, meant to inspire fear within others, had now be nothing more than a powerless whimper.


    "It''s not about what I am doing, but about what I will do. You have devastated the bnce of this world with this power of yours. I am going to correct that."


    Her words could only mean one thing, and Stefan realized it instantly.


    "N-no… please no! Don''t do it!" His voice suddenly peaked as he begged.


    Maria did not stop, even though his face depicted desperation at this point. She continued toward his head, and he dreaded every moment of it.


    "DON''T DO IT! DON''T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!"


    Nether made him special. Before cultivating this power, he was nothing more than an inferior genius—someone who was destined to stay behind Maria and Jared as they both crossed the boundaries of Magic.


    He was destined to be the side piece, never allowed to shine.


    But, once he was given power—the Nether and [The Star], he became relevant. His words mattered, and he possessed authority.


    Words could not describe how happy he felt when he was told of his immensepatibility with Nether. For the first time, he felt like he had won over everyone else.


    That he had be a true genius.


    Yet… YET…!!!


    "DON''T TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME. THAT''S THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ME SPECIAL!" He begged, his devil-like face cowering at the mercy of his enemy.


    A gentle smile formed on her face, and she gave him an expression of pity.


    "If it''s of anyfort to you… you were never special. The Nether didn''t change anything." With that, her hand touched Stefan, and the most electrifying sensation shot through his body.


    "ARRRRGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" His scream pierced the heavens as the dark, forbidden element, rose from their depths.


    All the Nether around and within him gathered on Maria''s hands, and her purification effect tookplete control.


    "[The Pope] wards away all evil, and purifies the darkness that lurks around." She whispered, closing her eyes.


    Stefan''s bloodshot eyes leaked out the dark mass of energy—the same went for his nostrils, his mouth, and his ears. Even the sweat pores in his skin brought forth all the Nether they had, leaving no room for escape.


    "GAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"


    The screams went on, as Stefan''s body slowly started to shrivel up. His face turned pale, and his skin dried up. He grew thinner as more energy was drained, and his hair soon began to fall out as well.


    "Do not fear. You will not die. Just endure this pain. You… will be reborn anew."


    "GARRRRRGGHHHHHHHhhhhh… ahhhhhh…."


    Stefan''s voice finally went stale, and the loud noises he made slowly diminished.


    "Y-yooouuu…" His vision blurred as he looked at Maria.


    ''You took everything from me. How dare you! You… how could you! I hate you! I hate you so much!''


    He had no strength to speak, but his thoughts raged with malevolence and evil. His heart cried out for power to kill this person—to destroy her—but nothing responded.


    He was drained of all of it.


    ''Y-you took it all away from me.'' Tears flowed from his eyes and his body powerlessly fell to the ground.


    Just when he had found the perfect power to rise above his past and surpass all those who trampled upon him in the past, it was stripped away from him.


    ''Why can''t I be powerful too? Why can''t I be a genius as well?''


    Even after all of this time, Stefan realized nothing had changed. Even though he tried his best to fight his fate, everything ultimately led to this moment—his defeat.


    And now, even as he descended from his heights, his blurry vision could only see one thing—one person!


    ''It seems I can never be the star…''


    The glowing figure of Maria filled his sight as she drew closer to him.


    ''You''re the true genius, after all."


    *


    *


    *


    [A/N]


    New book release announcement!!!


    Please look up Chuunibyou Challenge!! on Webnovel, or simply use the link below. I promise, you''ll love /book/chuunibyou-challenge!!_25760893305800205


    Cheers!