The smoke cleared, revealing a scene of utter devastation.
Joseph stared, dumbfounded, struggling to process what had just transpired.
He had just teamed up with Thor and Shadow Three to slay the level 1,000 Progenitor of Ghosts?!
Snapping out of his daze, Joseph rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a vial of potion. He rushed over to Thor.
“Quick, this is the latest version of [Saline Solution: Source of Life]. It has incredible healing properties!”
He had purchased it from Maxen at a hefty price.
“Thanks for the thought,” Mike said, accepting the potion and casually pocketing it.
He had better stuff.
Despite his level being only 499 and his apparent injuries, fully restoring his health was a trivial matter.
Shadow Three, however, was in rough shape.
It was a miracle he had survived the onslaught of lightning.
Both Shadow Three and Mike, seasoned fighters, quickly tended to their wounds.
Mike recovered swiftly, then began assessing their spoils of war.
He had spent 100,000 Lord merits just to hire Shadow Three for this fight!
And that was just the down payment!
Once this was over, he would need to scrape together enough money to buy Shadow Three that femur bone as well.
Initially, he hadn’t hesitated to spend that money.
But now that the battle was over and the Progenitor of Ghosts was dead, it was time to do some accounting.
The thought of those 100,000 Lord merits made his heart ache.
“Even in death, the Progenitor of Ghosts is going to pay me back!”
With that thought in mind, Mike began scouring the battlefield for loot.
The Eye of Truth, in this moment, became his treasure-detecting eye.
[Void fiend remains: excellent camouflage material.]
[Ghost law fragment: can be used to craft law weapons.]
[Incomplete source of the Progenitor of Ghosts: a thrice-awakened Eye of Truth would definitely know what to do with this.]
[…]
[Void fragment inhabited by the void fiend.]
“Huh?”
Mike hesitated, eyeing the last item.
Void fragments were generally valuable, especially those capable of housing void fiends. They were incredibly rare.
It wouldn’t be surprising if this one contained an entire world within it.
But the problem was… Afterskin had touched it. Talk about bad luck!
Mike turned to Joseph. “Want a void fragment?”
Joseph: ???
“Really? For free?”
Even a void fragment touched by Afterskin was tempting.
Mike nodded, pointing towards the fragment in the corner. “Take it.”
As Joseph retrieved the fragment, Mike turned to the Ninth Demon God. “Get him out of here, Ninth Demon God. And take that fragment with him!”
The moment Joseph touched the void fragment, the Ninth Demon God tossed him out of the Ninth Abyss.
That thing couldn’t leave the Ninth Abyss fast enough.
With the Progenitor of Ghosts dead and Shadow Three, despite his injuries, still capable of fighting, the situation had shifted dramatically.
Most importantly, no one knew how many more tricks Thor had up his sleeve.
That uncertainty had kept the two figures shrouded in black mist from intervening. They had chosen to observe from the sidelines.
Of course, they could also sense the hostility from the two Demon Gods present.
Under these circumstances, attacking would be suicide.
“You two done watching the show?” Mike asked, his gaze fixed on the two black mist figures. “Why don’t you fuck off?”
The black mist figures hesitated, about to retort, when they sensed powerful human auras approaching rapidly.
“Consider yourself lucky, Thor!”
A spatial rift opened behind them, swallowing them whole.
The Ninth Demon God, about to speak, suddenly paled. “An Ultimate Lord? In the Abyss?!”
The Supreme Agreement explicitly forbade human Ultimate Lords from entering the Abyss without a valid reason.
Why was an Ultimate Lord trespassing in the Ninth Abyss?
As the Ninth Demon God reeled in shock, the Fifth Demon God casually settled onto the throne, finding a comfortable position.
“Shadow Three, if you don’t leave now, you might not get another chance,” the Fifth Demon
God said with a smirk.
Shadow Three ignored him.
“Or you could switch sides, return to the Abyss,” the Fifth Demon God continued, his voice laced with mockery. “I’ll help you reclaim your former position. What do you say?”
“Don’t listen to him. It’s a trick!” Mike patted Shadow Three’s shoulder reassuringly. “I trust you completely.”
“Thank you for your trust,” Shadow Three replied, his voice earnest.
Before he could finish his sentence, a golden staff descended from the sky, piercing a hole
through the roof of the Demon Emperor’s Hall.
A familiar figure, radiating an aura of immense power, appeared in the southeast, his presence commanding respect.
Vice Corps Leader of the Nightmare Corps, an Ultimate Lord!
As the Demon Emperor’s Hall continued to tremble, a flash of red appeared in the northwest.
A slender woman, her movements languid and graceful, yawned, her expression bored.
Stunning Woman, Shadow One!
In the northeast, a young man clad in black materialized, his spear planted firmly on the ground, his killing intent soaring.
Finally, a Scholar arrived from the southwest. His aura was weaker than the others, not quite
reaching level 990.
Even so, the combined might of these newcomers was terrifying.
Why had humanity dispatched three Ultimate Lord-level fighters?
The Fifth Demon God, seated upon the throne, casually uncorked a bottle of wine, taking a
long swig.
“Such a grand entrance, yet you can’t even kill me. How disappointing.”
Ignoring the taunt, Mike’s face hardened. Something was wrong.
Shadow Four approached Mike, speaking directly to Shadow Three. “Shadow Three, Shadow
Nine has sent a message from the Supreme Abyssal.”
He was confident Shadow Three would understand.
Shadow Nine had managed to connect online five minutes ago, relaying crucial information.
Five minutes.
Vice Corps Leader, Shadow One, Shadow Four…
These were the strongest fighters humanity could muster on such short notice.
But at this close range, if Shadow Three truly intended to kill Thor…
The outcome was uncertain.
“Talk about an overreaction,” Mike said, rolling his eyes. “I thought the Supreme Demon God
had shown up.”
Shadow Four was confused.
Thor wasn’t just calm, he was nonchalant.
Even stranger, neither Shadow Three nor Thor seemed to acknowledge the presence of the
three Ultimate Lord-level fighters.
They were still chatting casually.
“I’ve given you an online alias. Now, I need to give you a real name.” Mike turned to Shadow
Three. “Do you read web novels?”
Shadow Three shook his head. “No.”
“Then let me explain something…”
“Protagonists usually can’t have common names. So, names like Trump or Biden are out. But
they can’t be too obscure either, or the readers won’t understand. So, names like Thor or Ares are usually reserved for protagonists!”
Shadow Three pondered this for a moment, scratching his head. “What does that have to do
with me?”
“I don’t want to be a protagonist,” he added.
“Why not?” Mike asked, curious.
“Because protagonists always face danger. I’m afraid of dying.”
“Don’t worry, the name I’ve chosen for you is perfect!”
“It exudes a sense of security and fits your ‘Boom2gether’ persona.”
“So, what is it?”
Mike clapped Shadow Three on the shoulder.
“Your name is Volibear.”
Shadow Three looked up at the sky, as if waiting for something.
A voice, ethereal and distant, echoed through the Ninth Abyss.
“An excellent choice.”
Apollo’s voice, resonating through the battlefield, dispelled the tension.
The golden glow in Ace’s eyes faded, and he returned to his normal state.
Stunning Woman, however, still looked half asleep.
Her life motto was to slack off whenever possible.
Besides, Shadow One had no intention of fighting.
On other battlefields, she might be evenly matched with Shadow Three.
Beneath the Tower of Truth, she would undoubtedly win.
But this was the Abyss. Unless a Supreme Being intervened, no one could defeat Shadow Three
on his home turf.
At their level, home-field advantage was crucial.
Shadow Four was confused. “What’s going on?” Shadow Nine’s message had been clear.
He hadn’t assigned Shadow Three to protect Thor!
Of course, Shadow Nine had added a postscript.
“…I don’t think it’s a big deal. Thor is very cautious. He’ll be fine.”
Shadow Four was baffled.
What was going on?
“We can talk on the way,” Mike said, pointing towards the distance. “After we’re done here,
there’s another show to catch in the Fifth Abyss.”
He had been a direct participant in the battle here.
But in the Fifth Abyss, he would be a mere spectator.
Since Thor had spoken, Shadow Four could only agree.
“Alright.” Mike, accompanied by Shadow One, Shadow Three (Volibear), and Shadow Four, set off for
the Fifth Abyss.
A masterpiece worthy of a museum: Mike and his three bodyguards.
The once bustling Demon Emperor’s Hall was now eerily quiet.
The Ninth Demon God looked up, watching as the Fifth Demon God sat cross-legged on his
throne, his robes draped around him like a shroud.
“Fifth brother, aren’t you going to check on your son?”
The Fifth Demon God snorted.
“I’m seeking death, not stupidity.” “I’ve had enough of being worse than dead. Why bother?”
Apollo was playing a game in the Fifth Abyss. He had a plan.
Those idiots from the Supreme Abyssal had stumbled into his game.
The Fifth Demon God could guess what Apollo was truly after.
And that’s why he was staying far, far away.
“If he succeeds…”
A flicker of unease crossing Fifth Demon God’s face.
“Is Nathan truly returning…”
…
As they traveled, Mike took the time to explain the situation to Shadow Four.
“I never trusted Shadow Three from the very beginning,” he said, his voice serious.
Shadow Four: ???
Shadow One and Shadow Three, however, weren’t surprised.
“A strange Nine-Star Lord suddenly appears, offering to be my personal bodyguard, knowing
my true identity…” Mike spread his hands. “Do you think that would make anyone feel safe?”
Shadow Four frowned. “So, even if Shadow Nine had actually assigned Shadow Three to
protect you, you wouldn’t have trusted him?”
“Of course not!”
“Why would I trust that old geezer’s judgment? If he made a mistake, I’d be dead!”
Shadow Four: ???
“Wait… I’m confused…”
He tried to make sense of this.
“So, you didn’t trust Shadow Nine’s judgment, and you didn’t trust Shadow Three… I can sort
of understand that.”
He was struggling to comprehend Thor’s thought process.
But he still had one more question. “Fourth Bro, how did you know Shadow Three wouldn’t
betray you?”
“Oh, I didn’t,” Mike explained the situation.
After Shadow Nine’s departure, the top three Guardian Shadows had been placed under Thor’s
command. Each had their own tasks.
Shadow Three had volunteered to be Thor’s personal bodyguard, claiming it was Shadow
Nine’s arrangement.
From the Guardian Shadow’s perspective, this decision made sense.
Shadow Three was powerful and loyal to Shadow Nine.
No one had questioned his motives.
Except for Mike, of course.
Due to his suspicions, his lack of trust, he hadn’t allowed Shadow Three to become his
bodyguard immediately. He had observed him for a while using the Eye of Truth.
He might not trust Shadow Nine’s judgment, but he trusted his SSS-rank talent.
…
“Let’s go. It’s time to head to the Fifth Abyss.”
According to the agreement between Apollo and the Supreme Demon God, after Mike’s
encounter with the Progenitor of Ghosts, Shadow Nine would receive guidance on locating Nathan’s remains, regardless of the outcome.
Shadow Nine had always desired the Supreme Mark. He believed it was the key to resurrecting
Nathan.
Mike didn’t know much about Maxen’s father, but he had a good impression of him. If he could help, he would.