Alm and Bruno watched the millions of demons in the skies. They didn’t have to look for them, which was great. However, having so many appear to hunt them, even though the Shadow God sect wasn’t sure they would enter there, was very strange. It didn’t seem like something prepared for them initially.
It only took a few seconds for everyone to be surrounded, and the demons stopped in the air around the group.
"Hahahaha!" a harsh laugh sounded, coming from a five-meter figure radiating a red aura that stood out. "You really came, finally Lord Shadow God smiled upon me. Who would have thought I could gain such a huge favor for Brother Dem Zarn."
The whale smiled slightly, confirming the suspicion that something hidden was happening. This army was probably prepared to deal with the millions of cultivators from the small sects invited to enter this place.
That demon leader looked at a winged demonic figure in the middle of the whale’s group. Maelik’s yellow eyes pulsed, and his bloodline began to circulate. But the demon just laughed even more.
"A half-Mara thinks he can dominate us? We are followers of the Shadow God, we don’t rely on our demonic power to deal with a pathetic group."
That demon leader spoke thunderously, and quickly a rune on his forehead lit up. In sync, all the millions of demons activated the power of an Empyrean. The entire rugged place radiated a golden aura, and behind each demon, a distortion of laws and a hidden power emerged.
Alm and Bruno scoffed. They were all True Empyreans with their full manifestations. They looked at the demons and saw them all holding their Saint-level immortal weapons. The information that a Mara was in the whale’s group was known. Their plan was simple: suppress the demonic bloodline and attack with the power of an Empyrean and their weapons.
Thus, Maelik couldn’t do anything. Obviously, the total power of everyone would drop by half. But there were millions of demons together, against just a group of sixteen and the whale. Victory seemed guaranteed.
Without the whale saying anything, everyone drew their weapons, their eyes cold and fully focused.
"Hahaha, choosing to fall fighting? Don’t worry, Brother Dem Zarn wants you alive. Unfortunately, he didn’t come for this opening, but he will be very happy." The demon’s grating voice sounded, and everyone around prepared for the charge.
’They are hiding something. Stay in a group and be prepared. Make them reveal their cards; if necessary, I will awaken Ruri.’ The whale’s message sounded through the array to everyone. ’This will be your first real team fight. Show me what you’ve learned in this time.’
"YES!" Everyone responded simultaneously, fervently.
At that moment, all the demons felt a bitterness rising in their throats. What was this? They all wondered, feeling something most had never felt in their lives.
BOOM! BANG! BANG!
Suddenly, the skies seemed to rain black blood. A robotic figure immediately attacked, and with each shot, a figure exploded defenselessly.
’Feral Voidbreaker...’ A cold female voice sounded through the array.
The demon leader widened his eyes, but at the same time those shots sounded, he saw space break. A small green blade pierced the air, seeming to pierce the sky and earth.
Everyone nearby exploded, while a poisonous mist spread around. Everyone who breathed it immediately fell from the sky, their lives extinguished.
"ATTACK WITH EVERYTHING!" Roared the demon leader, terrified.
Suddenly, a tall and slim figure appeared on the ground, breathing heavily. It was Kisala, who drew a bow and aimed at the skies.
Alm and Bruno nodded, watching that manifestation Kisala called the Feral Voidbreaker. For a short period, her entire bloodline granted her the literal power to break the void. This manifestation allowed her to overcome even spatial laws, and combined with her poison, it caused massive damage.
However, it only lasted for one breath, after which Kisala became weak and needed to wait a bit before using it again. To the eyes of any common cultivator, this would be considered a suicidal and flawed manifestation; once used, she could be easily killed. No one was willing to trust others to protect them; but Kisala was anything but common.
Thea continued to shoot, but there were too many targets. In a second, the swarm of demons attacked furiously. However, on the right and left of the skies, a black and red explosion emerged.
"What?" The demon leader looked surprised. They were two domain-type manifestations, swallowing and trapping people inside. This was not rare among manifestations, and not that powerful either.
But suddenly, those dozen-meter domains pulsed and two figures in the center roared.
"Devouring Blood World!"
A young Fey flapped his blood-red wings, and then a vast bloody domain spread for hundreds of meters, swallowing thousands of demons.
"Yin Earth Domain!"
A young man with a body covered in black runes roared, revealing the power of a primordial bloodline. Joined with it, a vast and powerful Yin mixed as external support.
Quiro and Idris’ domains expanded in a second, the demons had no time to react. It was like two small worlds of death had emerged.
Alm and Bruno nodded at the manifestations. Idris and Quiro were focused on assassin techniques concentrated on a point. These domains were developed to cover their weaknesses and allow them to fight many at the same time.
Idris, like Kisala, just maxed out his bloodline and powers of his race, breaking conventional rules and creating void blood without any raw materials.
Quiro used all his Behemoth power and his natural demonic ability. All that terrifying Yin didn’t come from him but from an external and powerful source called Mistie. She really helped him develop the manifestation and cure his problem, giving him her Yin. That came from a peak divine cultivator. Quiro mastered and mixed this power with his other bloodline.
The group’s strategy was simple. Idris and Quiro created their domains on the right and left, funneling the demons. They could only attack from the sky, north, and south.
RUMBLE!
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"Barbarian Fury!" Ambry shouted as the ground beneath her collapsed as if she had the weight of a mountain.
Immediately, that small Fey with emerald eyes radiated endless fury and insanity. The space around her distorted, then her axe swung with her attacking the skies in a frenzy.
RAAAAAHG!
A rain of black blood and the insane roars of the small Fey sounded. She attacked above as if nothing else existed, and with every move, even before hitting, the demons felt their bodies contort and their defenses break with the approaching power.
All the power of a Barbarian Fey was pushed to the limit in that manifestation. Alm and Bruno analyzed the situation; Ambry’s physique became something close to physical cultivation. But she lost her rationality and could only attack and attack, with no strategy at all.
HAAAAH!
The small Fey created a wave of bloody mist, while a dozen black spears pierced her back. But she just swung her axe and made everyone explode.
Quickly, her flesh and wounds healed as if they had never existed. Alm and Bruno’s eyes widened at the potential of that. In compensation for the lack of strategy or rationality, her natural regeneration was superior even to physical cultivation.
She could be injured endlessly, as she constantly regenerated without cost. This went against natural rules. She could only die if blown up all at once, but as a Conqueror, she would simply be reborn in seconds. She had become a terrifying close-combat warrior to deal with.
The skies were blocked by a single insane Fey. She was just one, but when the demons tried to take advantage of the opening and attack the group below, a rain of feather-like blades pierced them, destructive shots or flying swords killed them mercilessly. Maelik, Calirer, and Thea provided long-range offensive support.
To the north, Lansha attacked with her spear, and a Yangta was already manifested, turning any nearby demon to ashes. Her offensive power was tremendous, but it was very expansive and spread the power across the entire area. The demons quickly realized this and did not cluster together. Her power couldn’t be focused, but this weakness wasn’t fatal, as the Yangta could move and attack on its own, covering her openings.
Behind her, Zaimo, covered in metal armor, held a rifle and attacked with a destructive power similar to Thea’s.
A yellowish rune looked like a star on his chest armor; this was his manifestation. It was something strange and still not fully understood by Alm, Bruno, and even the creator himself. The rune seemed to be connecting him to the laws of the place, giving him attacking power.
Zaimo called it the Connector Rune, but its uses were still being studied. Initially, it just increased his power using the Qi and the laws of the environment, but there was much room for exploration.
To the south, Venjio slashed with his katana while a gigantic water dragon swallowed all the demons. The entire environment seemed damp, with a fine mist of water covering everything. His body was surrounded by water laws, which could turn into ice and easily defend him.
His manifestation was an offensive natural disaster, but his power didn’t come solely from the water laws. Venjio’s eyes pulsed violet, and his mental power was mixed with the water laws as if they were one law.
This was his true manifestation. The mental power was in the air, in the water, in the dragon; fighting him without being touched by the water and mental power was impossible. It invaded bodies and broke defenses, giving his katana and the Water Dragon unmatched offensive power. But against the most powerful, it took time to break their defenses; this was his weakness.
Near Venjio, Corin attacked furiously with his new spear. The power of that weapon was unparalleled in his hands. No matter which law he used, the weapon could amplify his power. He was like a tiger with wings, able to use everything his mind imagined at a terrifying level.
Rehvka couldn’t be seen, only occasionally a bloody explosion occurred somewhere. She identified the most problematic manifestations and killed the target before they could do anything.
Similar to Corin, Maelik had a manifestation with very specific uses using his bloodline. The plan was to corner the demons and force them to use their demonic power, at which point Maelik would shine.
Meanwhile, Kaiyka, Nixis, and Rivine waited by the side of the whale that observed everything attentively; in a short time, it narrowed its eyes in confirmation. All the blood and souls of the dead were disappearing as if being taken away.
The fight turned chaotic; all directions were blocked. The whale’s group looked like gods crushing mortals. They all had abnormal manifestations, combined with abnormal offensive and defensive power from the whale-forged equipment. All of this was used perfectly and precisely by each one.
But... it was obviously millions against just a dozen. There was a limit to what they could block. After an hour of fighting, a demon finally managed to hit the target; Venjio was the first to be struck by a blade.
It pierced his chest. The demon roared with all its power in a suicide strike. Then, they both exploded together in a bloody mist.
"NOW! ADVANCE!!" The demon leader ordered, and everyone saw the opening, rushing furiously.
At that moment, a soft and enchanting voice, along with a harmonious sound, intertwined. All the demons who advanced and were close heard it; then, their minds and bodies petrified for a second.
"Spirit Splitting!"
Kaiyka spoke coldly and tightened her sheathed katana. Her manifestation was simple and direct: her soul cultivation and Dao of the Sword God merged. A single strike that was both physical and spiritual split the world in half.
Thousands of demons died at once in a macabre shower of blood. Then, only the sound of the blade returning to its sheath was heard; no one even saw when she drew and struck.
Nixis and Rivine were a terrifying duo, combined with Kaiyka’s firepower, it was a move that was impossible to defend against for the unaware.
Quickly, the demon leader felt despair. He was catatonic with the individual power of each and the group’s synchronization. But he knew it was a fight won if he chose to wait for an opening amidst the chaos.
Forcing all enemies to fight to their limits, eventually, they would be hit just like a human had been. Demons wouldn’t hesitate to trade their lives for the enemy’s, just needed to keep going...
Until, in three seconds, Venjio’s figure reappeared, perfectly fine.
"C-Conqueror..."
The demon leader’s eyes widened, and he understood the reason for the bitter feeling he had. This fight was not something he could win without incalculable damage. His soldiers were dying crazily at minimal cost of the enemies’ QI, and they wouldn’t die without overwhelming power. After dying, they were reborn with their full QI; numbers didn’t matter against absolute power.
"FUCK!" The demon leader spat and clenched his fists, thinking of something. "It shouldn’t be a problem…"
Then he gestured and pulled out something shiny. Alm and Bruno were attentive to all his movements and immediately identified it. It was a golden tablet, very similar to the one Mistie used to send them to this place. In other words, it was something that controlled this sealed world to a certain extent.
"DID YOU THINK YOU COULD HANDLE THE SHADOW GOD!" The demon leader shouted.
At the same time, all the demons stopped attacking and immediately retreated. "Fear, you bastard!" He said dryly, and the entire sealed world seemed to freeze in time.
’Ambry, wake up and come back’ The whale’s voice echoed through the array, and the small Fey, in a state of madness, immediately woke up.
It wasn’t an illusion; literally, the entire sealed world froze. All spatial distortions, destructive blades, all annihilating power around stopped. Then, those laws trembled and moved.
"DIE!"
The demonic leader said, waving the golden tablet. The whale immediately made everyone rush to its side.
’Damn, all this spatial power was really under their control. They’ll keep it intentionally.’ Alm said dryly.
Alm and Bruno had already suspected something similar. They had been in this world for less than a day; the place wasn’t big, but they hadn’t seen any plant race as Mistie mentioned. They first followed the sect map, which should have been a safe and easy route to find these life forms; but they quickly noticed that nothing existed along that path.
Then they moved through unexplored areas searching, and even after some time and using their divine soul to search around, they didn’t feel any other natural life. Something was wrong, and they might have been intentionally emptied.
In a second, the group saw all the destructive power of this sealed world being drawn toward them. The world around them darkened, and space was sealed, with no chance of escape.
A few thousand slower demons exploded into a bloody mist. But most retreated in time. At the epicenter of everything, the entire whale’s group saw their world closing in two seconds.
The demon leader smiled sinisterly. That was definitely overwhelming enough power to kill a Conqueror. Dem Zarn wanted them alive, but between killing them or letting them escape, the choice was obvious.