Alex lunged forward, his claws flashing with lethal intent, aiming for the now-stunned [Guardians of Hatred].
Their defenses were shattered, their bodies frozen in place, making them easy targets.
But just as he was about to strike, a sharp presence cut through the air: Lord X.
Standing at the far end of the room, he had been occupied with something, but now, he turned his attention toward Alex, his masked face snapping up as he realized what was about to happen.
His eyes flickered with irritation.
He didn’t care about the [Guardians of Hatred], they were expendable.
But at this moment, he needed them alive, just for a few more seconds.
And Alex knew that.
Before Lord X could reach him, Alex immediately activated one of his most destructive skills.
[Flames of Oblivion]
[A storm of annihilating fire erupts, scorching everything within a 1-kilometer radius. These flames cannot be extinguished and bypass all resistances.]
The ground beneath them cracked and burst apart as an inferno exploded outward, consuming everything in its path.
The sheer heat distorted the air, turning the entire chamber into a blazing hellscape.
The flames licked at the walls, turning stone into molten slag.
Lord X, unfazed, conjured a barrier just in time, blocking the attack.
The translucent shield rippled as the flames clashed against it, but he remained untouched.
However, that was exactly what Alex wanted.
By using [Flames of Oblivion], Alex had created a battlefield in his favor.
The flames didn’t harm him, allowing him to move freely, but Lord X couldn’t risk stepping into the blaze.
More importantly, the [Guardians of Hatred], still stunned, had no such protection.
Alex’s figure flickered as he dashed through the inferno, closing the distance in less than a second.
Fwip! Slash! Slash!
His claws tore through their necks with merciless precision.
Ding!
[Critical Weakness Hit! Damage increased by 1000%…]
6,172,482,000! 6,172,482,000! 6,172,482,000!
The notification repeated over and over, each strike carving through flesh and bone effortlessly.
Their weak points amplified the damage, and with every swipe of his claws, over six billion damage numbers flooded his vision.
It only took three or four strikes per guardian before their bodies collapsed, unable to withstand the sheer force behind Alex’s attacks.
One by one, the [Guardians of Hatred] fell.
And after mere seconds, the flames began to die down, their destructive rampage ending.
The air was left thick with the scent of charred remains and burnt stone.
Alex straightened, his golden eyes scanning the battlefield.
And when the last ember faded, he saw the truth, Lord X was the only one left.
The [Hatred Sect] was finished.
But even then, something was wrong.
As the flames receded, Alex’s gaze was drawn to the far end of the chamber, where Lord X had been standing moments ago.
Now that the smoke had cleared, Alex could finally see what had been hidden there all along.
His heart nearly stopped.
“What the hell…”
His voice came out as a whisper, his body stiffening as an overwhelming force pressed down on him.
In the deepest corner of the room, where darkness swallowed the walls, two golden-crimson eyes glowed from within the abyss.
And then, Alex saw it.
At the very center of a massive ritual circle, surrounded by the five required items from the ritual, was a figure.
The [Hatred Demon].
Not just an essence, not a fragment, its entire body.
It was bound to a massive dark crucifix, its arms stretched out, its legs shackled in place.
Deep crimson lines, pulsing like veins, stretched from each of the ritual items, funneling power into the demon’s body.
And it was horrifying.
Its entire form was a deep, bloody red, covered in black, vein-like cracks that pulsed as if something inside was still alive.
Two twisted black horns jutted from its grotesque head, and its mouth, though shut, looked like it could tear through reality itself.
But the most disturbing part?
A massive, gaping hole sat in the middle of its chest, where its heart should have been.
That was the only reason it was still restrained.
Without its heart, the [Hatred Demon] was incomplete.
Alex didn’t even need to look up to know where that missing heart was.
It was on his head.
The [Crown of Calamity], and embedded in its center, the [Heart of Calamity].
And the demon knew.
The moment Alex stepped forward, the [Hatred Demon’s] crimson eyes locked onto him.
Or rather, onto the heart he carried.
It didn’t blink, it didn’t move.
But its presence grew heavier, the weight of its sheer existence pressing down on everything in the room.
Alex clenched his fists, pushing forward despite the suffocating pressure.
“It’s time to die.”
With those words, he activated his [Universal Orbs], preparing to strike first.
Behind him, Lord X let out a groan of frustration, his masked face tilting slightly as if staring at Alex with contempt.
“You little shit…”
Alex ignored him.
“You think what you’re doing will amount to anything?” Lord X snapped.
Alex didn’t respond.
“The [Hatred Demon] cannot die!” Lord X’s voice rose, a twisted laugh escaping his lips.
“You can kill me, kill my men, burn everything to the ground, but in the end, it’s futile! Once you’re dead, both you and I will become part of something greater!”
“Shut the hell up.”
Despite his words, sweat trickled down Alex’s forehead.
Not because of Lord X, he was nothing more than background noise now, but because of the thing in front of him.
The [Hatred Demon]… was shaking.
Its body trembled violently against its restraints, its aura surging erratically.
Alex wasn’t the only one who noticed.
Lord X turned toward his so-called “lord” and suddenly, for the first time since their battle started, he looked worried.
“Wait… what the hell is happening?”
The ritual circle pulsed.
The items surrounding it began to glow brighter, their energy feeding into the demon at an accelerated rate.
Alex’s mind raced.
He needed to act now.
He summoned the [Orb of Dominion].
[Orb of Dominion Selected.]
[Spectral chains will bind the target, crushing them with divine pressure.]
The orb pulsed as it activated, and from within, countless glowing chains erupted, shooting toward the [Hatred Demon], attempting to crush it before it was too late.
But…
BOOM!
The ritual items suddenly lifted into the air, glowing so brightly they nearly blinded him.
One by one, they sank into the demon’s body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each time an item merged into the demon, its aura flared outward, growing stronger.
Alex grit his teeth, watching the chains from the [Orb of Dominion] strain against the surging power.
“Is this… supposed to happen?!” he shouted.
“NO!” Lord X yelled back, eyes wide in panic.
“We were supposed to control it! Feed it power slowly, then give it the [Heart of Calamity] so it would obey me!”
Alex barely heard him.
His eyes were locked on the demon’s face.
And there, in its pupils, he saw awareness.
It understood.
It was sentient.
And all it desired, was its heart.
Lord X’s breath hitched.
“No… No, no, no, no—”
BOOM!
The final item sank into the demon’s body.
And then, the entire world exploded (not literally).
A blast of pure hatred and destruction erupted outward, shaking the earth for miles.
The chains of the [Orb of Dominion], which could even bind gods, disintegrated instantly.
Alex’s eyes widened.
“Oh no.”
The flames, the ritual, the battle, everything else became meaningless.
Because at that moment, the system announced:
[The Hatred Demon has awakened.]