The Snake God with SSS Rank Evolution System

Chapter 400: Kneel

Twenty Minutes Earlier....

Greg watched Adam’s figure emerge from the flames, whole and unharmed despite the barrage of high-level magic that should have reduced any normal being to ash. His grip on his staff tightened as he saw his soldiers faltering, their earlier confidence crumbling.

"Don’t be afraid," Greg commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. "We will only attack him with lethal strikes until he can no longer regenerate."

Beside him, Siva’s eyes glowed with a faint, spectral light as he focused on Adam’s form—reading the flow of mana, the resonance of his soul. His voice came out low, sharp with discovery.

"Commander. That man’s mana is incredibly dense. And his soul... it’s bound by several chains. I can’t sense a clear anchor—something is protecting him."

Greg’s expression flickered. His eyes narrowed as he processed the information. A flicker of something cold passed through them as he spoke.

"Then it’s impossible to take his soul. The Reaper won’t be able to claim it."

Adam, still standing amidst the fading flames, tilted his head.

"Hmm. I didn’t realize there was such an effect on my soul. That’s very advantageous." He rolled his shoulders. "So, what now? Do you want to continue fighting? Or surrender so I can kill you without pain?"

Greg’s cold, humorless laughter cut through the air.

"Don’t make me laugh. The demon race has no word for surrender."

He raised his scythe high, dark energy flaring at its tip, his voice carrying the weight of absolute command.

"Mage unit! Release your magic sacrifice! Attack unit, follow me!"

The demon mages hesitated for only a moment. Then, with grim resolve, they began to chant—their voices rising in unison, their bodies beginning to glow with a pale, unstable light as they prepared to give everything they had. The attack unit surged forward behind Greg, their eyes blazing with fanatical determination.

Adam’s smile widened, his crimson eyes gleaming with cold anticipation.

"Come on, then. Surprise me."

Greg lunged forward, his crimson bone scythe sweeping in a devastating arc aimed at Adam’s throat. The attack unit followed in perfect synchronization, their blades flashing as they closed in from all sides.

Siva hung back, his eyes glowing with spectral energy as he raised both hands. The air around him warped, and debris from the battlefield—broken weapons, shattered shields, chunks of stone—rose into the air, orbiting him like a slow, deadly storm. His Telekinetic Grasp had locked onto everything within range.

"Now!" Greg roared.

The attack unit struck. Blades descended from every angle, a coordinated storm of steel meant to overwhelm. Adam’s body twisted, his form flowing like shadow as he evaded the first wave. His wings snapped open, carrying him upward just as Siva’s telekinetic barrage shot forward—a hail of debris and jagged metal that tore through the space where he had been standing.

Adam landed in a crouch, his crimson eyes gleaming.

"[Tempest Sovereign]!"

The vortex exploded from his palm—a spiral of cutting wind and crackling lightning that tore through the demon ranks. The attack unit was hurled backward, their formation shattered.

Adam didn’t give them a chance to breathe. He raised his other hand, dark energy already gathering.

"[Cataclysm Tempest]!"

The storm intensified—a second wave, denser and more devastating than the first. Wind and lightning merged with void energy, creating a churning vortex of absolute destruction that swept across the battlefield. The demon soldiers screamed as they were consumed, their bodies torn apart by the relentless assault.

Adam straightened, his chest heaving slightly as the storm began to dissipate. The clearing was littered with the fallen—demons broken and scattered, their earlier confidence shattered.

Greg pulled himself from the rubble, his crimson scythe still in hand, his armor cracked and smoking. Siva rose beside him, his telekinetic shield flickering weakly as he struggled to maintain it.

Greg’s voice came out low, carrying the weight of grim resolve.

"Regroup. We’re not done yet."

Siva’s eyes blazed with a cold, calculated light as he assessed the battlefield. His voice came out low, sharp, cutting through the chaos.

"Commander. I’ll act as the focal point—draw his attention and pin him down. The soldiers will strike while he’s focused on me."

Greg’s jaw clenched, a flicker of grim approval passing through his eyes.

"Do it."

Siva surged forward, his form becoming a blur of motion as he closed the distance on Adam. His telekinetic grasp lashed out in every direction—chunks of stone, broken weapons, fragments of armor all hurtling toward Adam in a relentless barrage.

Adam twisted, his body moving with serpentine grace as he weaved between the projectiles. His claws extended, dark energy flaring at their tips, and he met the demon soldiers head-on. His strikes were brutal, efficient—each one finding a throat, a heart, a gap in armor. Bodies fell around him like wheat before a scythe, his Abyssal Step carrying him through the chaos like a ghost of death.

Then Siva’s attack connected.

A wave of concentrated telekinetic force slammed into Adam from the side, sending him stumbling off balance. The soldiers surged forward, blades raised—

And Greg was already there.

His crimson scythe swept in a clean, precise arc, its edge aimed at Adam’s chest. The blade carried a spectral afterimage—a ripple of dark light that seemed to reach beyond the physical, seeking to sever not just flesh, but the very soul within.

"[Soul Severance]."

The blade struck.

But Adam was already moving.

The Crown of the Hollow Glutton blazed on his brow, a devouring light pushing back against the encroaching darkness. The air around them grew heavy, thick with the weight of ancient hunger.

Adam’s voice rang out, resonant and absolute, carrying the weight of a command that bypassed the ears and clawed directly at the mind.

"Kneel."

The word struck like a physical force. Every demon soldier in the clearing dropped to their knees, their bodies trembling as the psychic pressure pressed down on them. Siva’s telekinetic grasp faltered, his concentration broken. Greg’s scythe wavered, the spectral afterimage flickering as he fought to maintain his grip on the weapon.

Adam straightened, the Crown pulsing on his brow as he surveyed the kneeling demons with cold, amused satisfaction.

"That’s better."