In the Second Abyss, at the Demon Emperor’s Hall, the Second Demon God looked up as the bone-adorned figure appeared before him.
“You?”
He was surprised.
His rise to power had been legendary.
From an unknown Abyssal demon, he had climbed the ranks, becoming a Demon God and eventually securing the second position.
The Archdemon, connected to the Supreme Demon God, was the strongest in the Abyss.
In other words, the Second Demon God had reached the peak of what a Primordial Demon God could achieve.
He had met Shadow Three before, but he hadn’t realized that Shadow Three was the missing first Second Demon God!
“Yep, it’s me.”
Shadow Three nodded, the raven on his shoulder cawing mournfully.
Looking around at his former domain, he muttered, “When the Abyss decided to invade the human world, I was taking a nap.”
“Shadow Nine was chasing the Ninth Demon God, barged into my house, and woke me up…” “So, you defected to the humans?” the Second Demon God asked, his voice cold.
“Nah, I thought it was too much of a hassle. Figured it would be easier to just wipe everyone out and call it a day.” Shadow Three scratched his head sheepishly. “But… I couldn’t pull it off.”
How strong was the first Second Demon God?
Among the Abyssal Demon Gods, opinions varied.
The older generation believed that in a fight to the death, the first Second Demon God could take down the Archdemon.
They saw him as the only demon with the potential to become the Supreme Demon God.
The newer generation, however, was more skeptical.
After all, they had never faced the first Second Demon God.
“Shadow Nine… is that strong?” the Second Demon God asked, confused.
If Shadow Three was telling the truth, wouldn’t that make Shadow Nine even stronger?
“Shadow Nine, when he can use his talent, is beyond your comprehension,” Shadow Three said, his voice neutral.
“If you joined the humans, why are you back now?” the Second Demon God asked, still puzzled.
Shadow Three’s departure wasn’t a simple disappearance…
He had abandoned the source of the Second Abyss, his domain, everything he had built.
As a result, his power had plummeted, and it had taken him a long time to stabilize.
Even now, he hadn’t fully recovered his former strength.
“I’m going to dig a tunnel to the Supreme Abyssal,” Shadow Three said, pointing at the throne beneath the Second Demon God. “Starting right here.”
“Heh heh heh…” The Second Demon God laughed, as if hearing a joke. “Did you ask me?”
Before he could react, the Abyssal source, previously merged with him, went berserk! He was pinned to the ground by his own source!
Shadow Three scratched his head sheepishly. “The Abyss always has my back.”
As long as he remained in the Abyss, he was invincible.
The Second Demon God, immobilized, watched helplessly as Shadow Three pulled out a pickaxe and smashed it into the throne. The throne shattered, sending shards of stone flying. “Oh, I forgot to introduce myself,” Shadow Three said, swinging the pickaxe and chatting casually with the Second Demon God. “My name is Volibear now. I kinda like your skull. I’ll hold onto it for you.”
The Second Demon God: “…”
He regretted everything.
He shouldn’t have let Afterskin visit the Second Abyss!
Meeting Afterskin always brought misfortune!
…
Far away in the Ninth Abyss, Mike yawned as he cleaned up the battlefield.
Summer camp life was so boring.
Shadow One and Shadow Two had returned, and he had nothing else to worry about for the moment.
Looking back, their arrival in the Ninth Abyss after rescuing Professor Gregory from the Suture Abyss hadn’t been an accident. It had been planned.
With the Ninth Demon God as a mole, the Ninth Abyss was the safest place for Professor Gregory.
And Mike remembered Ares arriving to rescue them, confronting the Ninth Demon God.
It had seemed like a fight was about to break out, but then everything had calmed down.
It was all scripted!
As Mike continued cleaning, exciting news arrived from the front lines.
Blaze Morrow, a veteran peak Chief of the Magmafist Corps, had broken through to Lord tier during battle!
“Mike, Chief Blaze is a Lord now!” Ethan whispered excitedly. “My grandpa said his breakthrough was insane. Even the Ultimate Lord of the Nightmare Corps showed up!”
“Rumor has it that he jumped from level 899 to level 920. Once he stabilizes, he’ll be at least a
Three-Star Lord!”
Mike nodded, feigning enthusiasm. “Awesome, awesome!”
He thought to himself, “I wish I was level 920!”
Blaze had turned misfortune into an opportunity, crossing the threshold to Lord tier, his
future now limitless.
It was said that Joseph, the Vice Corps Leader of the Nightmare Corps, had taken a keen interest in Blaze Morrow.
Good news continued to pour in from the front lines, but Mike felt distracted.
He felt like he was forgetting something.
“What is it?”
As he pondered, a shadow appeared beside him.
Shadow Four had arrived.
Mike found a secluded corner, Shadow Four shielding them from prying eyes.
“Fourth Bro, we have a situation.” Shadow Four’s expression was grim. “Another batch of demon creatures escaped from the Supreme Abyssal. They’ve corrupted the Seventh and Eighth Abysses, boosting the demon creatures’ power. Two Demon Gods are missing…”
“The moment our forces engaged, the front line collapsed. Over a thousand casualties…” “The Seventh and Eighth Abyss defense corps have abandoned their positions and retreated.
Casualty figures are still being calculated.”
Mike’s face darkened. He remained silent.
The loss of two Abysses was a rare and devastating defeat for humanity.
And the Supreme Abyssal’s repeated actions were a dangerous sign.
“What’s the current situation in the Seventh and Eighth Abysses?” Mike asked, his brow
furrowed.
Humanity couldn’t afford to abandon those two Abysses.
Even retreating was just a temporary measure.
“Ares and his sword servants have taken over the Seventh Abyss. Maxen is leading the
Nightmare Corps and the Valor Sword Corps in an attempt to reclaim the Eighth Abyss.” “The Guardian Shadow has already deployed the necessary personnel, but…” Shadow Four hesitated, then continued, his voice strained. “The casualties are heavy. As per protocol, someone needs to go to the battlefield and use the Shadow Sigil to retrieve the fallen souls.”
In the past, Shadow Nine had handled this task.
And when Shadow Nine was absent, large-scale battles between humanity and the Abyss were
rare.
“Fourth Bro, I can go…”
Mike raised his hand, cutting Shadow Four off.
Shadow Nine had entrusted the Shadow Sigil to Thor. With that power came responsibility.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown.
“I’ll go,” Mike said softly.