“Volk! What in the world are you doing?!”
Diana demanded sharply…
On the execution platform, the student’s body began to twist, and black scythe-like legs, like a spider’s, broke through his stomach and stood up.
“Hiss… Roar—!”
It was then that Diana realized she had fallen into a trap.
“Volk! You bastard!”
With a furious shout, she leaped onto the execution platform, raised her Holy Sword, and slashed down fiercely…
Unexpectedly, even the Holy Sword’s light was blocked and dissipated.
Responding to her was Volk’s maniacal laughter.
Under the old mage’s black robe, maggot-like runes crawled, and the dark red gem at the tip of his staff greedily sucked in shadows:
“Look at these ants!”
He lifted his foot and crushed a pearl hair clip dropped by a fleeing woman. “While you were learning court etiquette in the palace, I was helping the queen find stillborn babies from difficult births to make youth-preserving elixirs—this is the truth of this world!”
The surrounding people scattered in terror, but the black shadows beneath the demon’s feet spread out in a circle; anyone caught by them foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
The bishop from earlier, enveloped in White Magic, managed to survive for a moment…
He quickly scrambled to his feet, reciting the “Exorcism Incantation,” and three golden halos with prayers, hexagonally bound the demon before him;
Instantly, the spread of the shadows was temporarily restrained…
But after only a few seconds, the bishop spat out a mouthful of black blood, his eyeballs instantly turned black, he twitched once, and then collapsed to the ground.
Diana forcefully plunged her Holy Sword into the ground, and golden light spread out, pushing against the black shadow.
And at this moment, Volk appeared from the crowd, the black and red light gradually gathering in the staff in his hand:
“This body is a vessel to receive the mire of humanity,
This soul is an offering to the Abyss Throne.
The thorns of the triple purgatory pierce your heart,
With pain as the key, knock on the door of the ‘Feast of the End’!”
Subsequently, two streams of black mist, like snakes, attacked Diana from behind…
“Ahhhhh—!”
Diana screamed miserably and painfully, as if struck by lightning all over her body…
The golden barrier formed by the Holy Sword instantly disintegrated, and the black shadows suddenly expanded, engulfing the entire town.
“Diana, Ibon has decided to trigger the demon tide early, so… this is the center of the demon tide’s outbreak.”
Volk’s voice sounded from behind her;
Diana’s pupils constricted sharply, and she struggled to her feet, leaning on her Holy Sword, her eyes filled with rage.
The sky was instantly covered by thick dark clouds, the ground began to tremble, and the chaotic power within the earth’s ley lines had already been triggered;
Desperate screams rose and fell…
What made Diana even more distraught was that the residents she had persuaded to evacuate were also rushing towards this direction.
“Hahaha! Diana… if you hadn’t chosen to save your brother first, but instead tried to stop our plan, perhaps this demon tide wouldn’t have arrived as scheduled.”
It was then that Diana remembered Mil, even on his deathbed, kept reminding her, ‘If you dare, go find Ibon, then we’ll fight to the death!’
But unfortunately…
If she hadn’t gone with the students to save her brother, Otto, they would have also encountered Volk and been killed by him.
It was just that, in comparison, the consequences of triggering the demon tide were far more tragic.
“Volk! You should have died outside the city gates then!”
Facing Diana’s curses, Volk, however, laughed heartily:
“Hahaha! If Mil’s plan hadn’t gone awry, I would have indeed been killed by him then… Unfortunately, his purpose in having Lilith test me was seen through by me, after all, the things he bought in the black market were too targeted, and I played along, deliberately tearing off his disguise at that time.”
Watching Diana’s pained expression, Volk felt an unprecedented sense of pleasure and continued to provoke her:
“Oh, right, you still don’t know, do you? The one who advised the Emperor to let you escape from prison was also Mil; he had already paved the way for you! Then he entrusted this matter to me, wanting to use this opportunity to get rid of me, but unfortunately… he was one move short.”
Diana felt as if her heart was suddenly clutched by something, and her mind was on the verge of collapse…
She raised her Holy Sword again and slashed at Volk, but he easily dodged it:
“Save your strength! What comes next will be a painful struggle for you! A level five demon tide, Diana, you can’t save everyone… Hahaha—!”
Once the demon tide erupts, chaotic power will run rampant, and all demons will go berserk, but it will not subside with the end of the demon tide…
Until they are all completely annihilated.
This place is too close to the Royal Capital; demons will spread irregularly in all directions, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake.
Even Diana, wielding the Holy Sword and possessing the power to face the abyss directly, cannot eliminate them all in a short time…
Diana stood up like a zombie, unable to delay for a moment.
Fighting within the demon tide’s range would greatly restrict her power…
However, this time, Volk did not leave, but instead blocked Diana’s path:
“Come… let’s see how long it takes for my most proud disciple to get rid of me?”
…
On the other side…
Several hours earlier, Mil arrived at Ice Lake Prison.
This place was itself a town, and Mil estimated it to be about the size of an airport.
The city walls, a full hundred meters high, were covered with icicles in the wind and snow, majestic and solemn.
On three sides, there were steep snow-covered cliffs, with only one valley leading to it.
The strongest heavy infantry, the Night Candle Legion, was stationed here.
Mil entered this prison with some effort, but it was relatively smooth.
After one layer of mechanism after another was opened, the suspended platform slowly descended to the very bottom of the vertical shaft…
Upon landing, Mil turned to the accompanying guards and said:
“You wait for me on the floor above; I need to interrogate him alone.”
His voice echoed repeatedly in the vertical shaft. The others exchanged glances and shook their heads:
“Sorry, it’s against the rules…”
Mil clicked his tongue and sighed wearily:
“This interrogation is very important; it’s a plan instructed by the Holy City. If you don’t agree, I’ll have to run back again and have the Pope write an official document, so please don’t trouble me!”
As he spoke, he pulled out his money pouch and gave each person a gold coin, and they exchanged smiles:
“The one who set the rules isn’t here, just call us when you’re done.”
With that, the few of them pulled the mechanism and went to the floor above.
Mil cast a disguise spell on himself, put on a mask, donned a black robe, and pulled up his hood…
Holding a torch, he turned and walked into the darkness.
On this floor, three people were imprisoned:
Blood Clan Princess, Isabella.
Skeleton Knight, Siegfried.
Werewolf Commander, Prince Volkan.
These three were all heavyweights, and with each step Mil took forward, he could feel the power of the abyss resonating, his blood surging in his chest…
Even the torch in his hand grew weaker and weaker, as if it was about to be swallowed by the darkness.
The first to speak was the werewolf’s low growl:
“Who goes there?”
The muffled voice reverberated through the underground space, as if a little more force could shatter a person’s lungs.
Mil exhaled and said:
“Your master.”
Then, he raised his hand, awakening the faint, undeniable, primordial power of the abyss within him.
The demon god’s cursed seal unfolded in his palm…
Silence fell for a moment in the darkness, then came the rattling of chains, and the three of them, in different voices but the same tone, spoke in unison:
“Greetings, My Lord.”