[I was able to sever that connection at the last second. But there is no longer a doubt. The one standing before you... is she.]

[Although she is in a terribly weakened state.]

[You are still strong enough, Norman. And now more than ever, you must do what needs to be done.]

[Bring an end to the Evil Goddess.]

The voice then went silent, allowing Ethan’s voice to finally reach Norman.

"You’ve trespassed onto my property, Norman. I will not take that lightly." He said.

But Norman wasn’t listening anymore. Every other reason he had come here had instantly become secondary.

His investigation, the demons and Ethan Stark; none of it mattered anymore.

The only objective was to eliminate the Princess.

And with that realization, the atmosphere began changing.

Norman’s eyes glowed a crimson light as streaks of red lightning erupted around his body, crackling through the air.

His muscles expanded even further than they already were, every fibre tightening as an overwhelming aura burst forth from him.

Slowly, his feet left the ground until he hovered several metres above it.

The presence surrounding the Hero in Black had now changed completely.

Ethan’s eyes widened in alarm. "...Shit."

And in response, purple lightning immediately surged throughout his own body, illuminating his figure as his eyes began radiating the same purple glow.

The transformation began almost instantly.

A pair of demonic horns erupted from his forehead, accompanied by a second pair belonging to his dragon side. Massive wings burst from his back, unfurling with enough force to stir the surrounding air as his physique rapidly expanded into the towering figure of a Demon-Dragon.

Standing just over seven feet tall, Ethan’s already powerful physique had become even more muscular and imposing.

Black scales covered large portions of his body, naturally interlocking to form what looked like jagged armor.

The inner membranes of his wings resembled an endless cosmic night sky where swirling purple clouds drifted amongst countless stars.

Purple lightning continued to dance across his body as Ragnarok materialised and hovered beside him.

Most Dragon Transformations resulted in a more scaly draconic appearance.

Ethan’s, however, was different.

His demonic bloodline had altered the final result, producing something that was a perfect fusion of demon and dragon.

His summons responded as well.

Each assumed a battle stance the instant Ethan transformed, preparing themselves for the confrontation that was about to unfold.

Even Titania, who had remained in one corner in her humanoid form until now, abandoned it as her body rapidly expanded into that of a gigantic black dragon.

She released a thunderous roar that shook the very air as her eyes fixed themselves upon Dark Nova.

The current four summons he had left on the field after de-summoning the others were the only ones with the appropriate summon classes for direct combat against Norman.

Coupled with Ethan’s Amplification, each of them had already surpassed the limits of an ordinary Beast-Class summon, reaching a level of power that placed them several tiers beyond what their Class would normally permit.

Without glancing back at them, Ethan issued his instructions. "Francesca, I want you to get as far away from here as possible. Ishtar... you’re staying with us."

Francesca immediately obeyed. She held onto Ishtar’s hand for a brief moment before letting go and turning back towards the manor. Without wasting another second, she rushed inside, intending to escape through the rear entrance and flee the estate from the back.

Ethan had suspected it before. But now, he was certain; Norman was a Blessed who had reached the Complete State of Resonance with the deity whose blessing he carried.

Simply put...Norman, in his current state, could be compared to an Extraordinary-ranked Grand Class.

As for Isabella... The moment Norman’s presence changed, a voice had echoed within her thoughts.

’Trade places.’

The darkness surrounding her immediately intensified, spreading across her body and condensing into armour forged from shadows as her hair rose and billowed on its own.

Dark lipstick gradually formed upon her lips, with dark veins spreading around her eyes.

Then, a devious smirk appeared across her face.

When she finally spoke, her voice was no longer the one Ethan knew. It carried an eerie amusement that felt completely out of character. "It seems we might lose the house today, husband."

Ethan let out a sigh at the familiar tone. He glanced at her a briefly before returning his attention to Norman, who continued staring at the two of them.

It wasn’t the first time his wife’s alter ego had taken control. Although, this was only the second time he had witnessed it since the last time it happened months ago.

Dark Nova was still, carefully observing everything before him as though gauging the true nature of every opponent standing in his way.

Then, his body began vibrating at an incomprehensible frequency. And almost immediately, more figures began appearing beside him.

Each was hovering beside him until there were multiple identical versions of Dark Nova now occupying the battlefield.

This was one of the skills granted by the Blessing; The Speed of Zarses.

Normally, moving beyond a certain threshold of speed would create afterimages. But this skill, however, temporarily stabilized those afterimages into reality.

Therefore, these afterimages that should have been fleeting optical remnants now attained physical existence, inheriting the user’s intent at the exact instant they were created.

It was the very reason Zarses was revered as the Messenger God.

Rather than travelling everywhere himself, he could simply create multiple manifestations to carry out different tasks simultaneously.

Norman was now employing that very same ability.

By vibrating at an incomprehensible frequency, he generated autonomous manifestations of himself, each capable of fighting independently for a brief period before their structural coherence inevitably collapsed.

Then the real Dark Nova raised his arm, and red lightning surged into his palm, condensing into a spear that continued extending further and further before finally coming to a halt.

That was the true distinction between the original and the manifestations.

The afterimages existed only at Dark Nova’s base level of strength. While they retained the speed granted by the Blessing of Zarses; the very blessing responsible for their creation—they were incapable of utilizing any of his other blessings.

Ethan sighed as he looked upon the number of Dark Novas. It seemed as though as though the intent was to have one dark nova to one target.