Chapter 1162: The Demon: In the darkness

Boom!!

Powerful elemental energy erupted from the three Hero-rank experts. Their auras surged skyward as they unleashed their Elemental Drives, weaving spells and combat arts in seamless unison.

Seeing their combined power, a faint smile curved across Souta’s lips. He tightened his grip on the Vajra Sword, blood-colored lightning crackling violently around his body.

"Well then..." he murmured, eyes glowing crimson. "Let’s get serious."

He bent his knees—and vanished.

Boom!!

The ground exploded beneath his feet as he charged forward, shattering the air with sheer momentum.

On the other side of the battlefield, Kessa had already transformed into a colossal Nine-Headed Hydra. Her massive heads reared back, then unleashed torrents of destructive energy—[Bestrou]—that ripped through the air in all directions.

Swoosh!!

The lone Eighth Shackle Realm expert raised a barrier to block the devastating blast, the force rippling outward in waves. At the same time, eight Seventh Shackle Realm experts shot into the sky, moving as one toward Kessa.

They knew her reputation well. The Blood Lightning Monster’s second-in-command—the strongest of his forces. To bring her down, they needed an entire party of Hero-rank experts.

Meanwhile, Doranjan and Erkigal clashed with the remaining high-rank enemies. The air around them distorted from the pressure of their blows, spells detonating like falling meteors.

Compared to Souta, they faced a greater number of opponents—but none dared retreat.

The battle had entered its peak.

"Damn it! I can’t last long at this rate!" Erkigal cursed under her breath.

She darted from side to side as waves of powerful attacks rained down on her position. Explosions tore through the ground around her, forcing her to defend rather than retaliate. The number of enemies was simply overwhelming.

"Hey! Do something!" she shouted, glancing toward Doranjan between evasive maneuvers.

"Huh?! Something?!" Doranjan gritted his teeth, his hands blazing with energy. "I just evolved! I’m still not used to fighting at this level!"

He barely managed to deflect a beam of energy before continuing, "If I use my released form now, I won’t last long! My body can’t handle it yet!"

He had only just reached the fifth stage, and his control over his new strength was far from perfect. The released form would grant him immense power—but it came with a heavy cost.

He wasn’t afraid of dying. He was afraid of becoming useless after exhausting himself too early.

Erkigal clicked her tongue, parrying an incoming blade of energy. "Tch! You’d better figure it out soon, or we’ll both end up as ashes!"

...

Inside the [Five Elements Barrier Formation], the battle raged on relentlessly. The enemy forces poured in without end, crashing against the Astros like a tidal wave.

Despite Isabella’s potions keeping them on their feet, fatigue gnawed at every fighter. The endless onslaught was wearing them down.

Franklin, Eztein, and the others fought with everything they had, blades and spells cutting through the tide. But for every enemy they felled, two more took their place.

The situation was slipping out of control.

Boom!!

A violent blast sent Vashno flying. He smashed into the side of the Guardian Fortress, stone and debris collapsing around him.

"Ugh—!" He groaned, clutching his head as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

He staggered to his feet and waved his hand, scattering the thick smoke and dust that filled the air. His vision cleared—and what he saw made his face tighten.

"This is bad..."

Dozens of Sixth Shackle Realm experts were advancing toward him, their energies flaring like burning suns.

"There’s too many..."

He exhaled sharply, forcing his trembling hand steady. A ripple of space opened beside him, and a potion bottle slid out from the void. Without hesitation, he uncorked it and drank.

The burn of mana coursed through his veins, restoring his strength—but only slightly.

The entire area suddenly shook, and powerful energy fluctuations erupted across the battlefield.

Boom!!

Vashno, Alice, and the others instinctively turned their heads toward the source.

"It’s begun," Vashno muttered. His gaze drifted across the chaos until it met Alice’s from the other side of the formation.

She gave a small nod. She already knew what to do.

Souta and the others were holding back the enemy’s high-level experts. That meant the rest of them had to protect their people—no matter the cost.

Alice’s eyes swept over the battlefield. She saw the combined forces of the Astros and Dragon Council being pushed back step by step. Hundreds had already fallen.

Right now, the most important thing was to stop the bleeding—to prevent any more deaths.

"Alice! Don’t hold back! At this point, it doesn’t matter anymore!" Torkez’s voice echoed across the field.

"I know!"

Alice thrust forward, and her mana erupted like a volcano, shaking the ground beneath her.

Boom!!

From Torkez’s position, he watched as shadows spilled out from Alice’s body, spreading like a living storm. His eyes narrowed. He knew what this meant—she was unveiling her true form.

There would be consequences later... but none of that mattered now.

In her true form, Alice could restrain far more enemies. If she unleashed everything, they could hold on until reinforcements arrived.

"This should buy us some time..." Torkez muttered under his breath, watching her charge headlong into the enemy ranks. "Just a little longer..."

Then came the shockwave of whispers—

The experts on the battlefield froze as their eyes fell on Alice’s transformed figure.

"A... a demon?!"

"The rumors were true!"

"The Blood Lightning Monster is harboring a demon among his ranks!"

Those words spread like wildfire, igniting old fear and fury.

For those who had suffered in the Demon Invasion, the memories came rushing back—the screams, the fire, the slaughter that claimed ninety percent of their people.

Their rage exploded like a volcano.

Torkez gritted his teeth as the battlefield’s atmosphere shifted violently.

The moment Alice’s demonic form emerged, the tide of killing intent doubled. Every enemy soldier who saw her now fought like a mad beast driven by hatred and fear.

"Damn it..." he muttered, clenching his fists. "Their morale just exploded."

From the fortress walls, he could see it clearly — the army’s formation had changed. They weren’t retreating anymore. They were rushing forward in a blind frenzy, every man and woman screaming vengeance.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Powerful energies clashed across the field as Alice tore through their ranks. Her black wings cut the air apart, and every swing of her hand brought waves of darkness that devoured light and life alike.

But even so, the enemies kept coming.

She was a beacon — and a target.

Torkez’s face darkened. He quickly pulled several potions from his belt and poured them into a large flask, mixing them with practiced precision. His hands moved automatically, his mind focused on survival.

"She’s drawing all their attention..." he whispered. "That’s good. But if this keeps up—"

Alice charged at her enemies at high speed. Her black wings flapped, stirring violent gusts as the temperature around her plummeted.

Swoosh!!

[Heavenly Demon’s Aura]!

[Freezing Darkness]!

Darkness seeped from her body and spread like ink across the air, swallowing all traces of light. The anger and hatred directed at her only made her stronger — she absorbed those emotions through her dream power, turning their rage into her weapon.

With a swift motion, Alice swung her spear toward the enemies. The darkness burst forth, twisting violently as it tore through the air.

Swoosh!!

Eleven Sixth Shackle Realm experts immediately reacted. They raised their hands, conjuring several layers of barrier while five of them broke formation and scattered to the sides. Even from a distance, the oppressive energy she radiated made their skin crawl.

Such power...

Boom!!!

Powerful explosions erupted as her attack collided with their defenses. The shockwave shredded the ground, tearing through stone and soil.

At this moment, there were already more than eighty thousand enemies on the field. Twenty thousand of them stood back, still observing from the sidelines — while the rest surged forward like a flood, charging straight toward the Guardian Fortress.

The number of deaths was rising every second.

Among those who were merely observing the battle stood Spatial Whisperer.

He had been present from the very beginning, yet until now, he hadn’t made a single move.

Spatial Whisperer looked up at the raging battlefield and muttered, "It’s strange... They’re charging forward as if their lives mean nothing."

Thousands had already perished — some so completely obliterated that not even their corpses remained.

His gaze shifted to Alice, who was currently holding her ground against several Sixth Shackle Realm experts at once. Despite being surrounded, she fought with relentless ferocity, her demonic aura devouring the battlefield.

"She’s a demon..." he said softly, his tone unreadable. "I didn’t expect that. Perhaps only Thousand Earth could rival her — though that one has already stepped into the realm of Hero-ranks."

Then, he turned his attention to Vashno. One by one, his gaze swept across the battlefield within the [Five Elements Barrier Formation]. Both sides clashed endlessly, fighting as though they were sworn enemies bound by vengeance.

"It feels like something... or someone is influencing this," Spatial Whisperer muttered. "Even if they hate the Blood Lightning Monster, no sane army would charge so willingly to their deaths."

A chill passed through him as he pieced the situation together. The unnatural frenzy of the enemy forces—their blind aggression and disregard for survival—was too deliberate.

Spatial Whisperer was silently relieved he hadn’t acted yet. Deep down, he suspected the truth.

"The demons..." he whispered. "They must be behind this. They haven’t shown themselves, but their presence is everywhere."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.