Chapter 623

Chapter 623

The Anti-Demonic Barrier had unfolded its presence in the four directions of the Heavenly Central Plains-east, west, south, and north. Apart from the Jewel of Eight Deities, this was one of the things that Davey had demanded in the deal with the ruler of the Spirit Realm. And among the barriers put in place one had been disrupted with suspicions of annihilation.

There were a total of three barrier masters and two guardians stationed there. Only one of the guardians had survived. Terrified, this sole survivor had used the Spirit Realm's pigeon to send an urgent message before all contact was lost. It was said that there was a lone individual who had approached the barrier wall, so they went up to the individual to interrogate, and the consequence to that was their death.

Since then, the Spirit Realm had been trying to get in touch with the barrier masters and guardians by sending pigeons, betting on their survival. But contact had been completely cut off.

The Anti-Demonic Barrier, which was sending out the protective influence of the Spirit Realm across the entire continent, was currently deployed in four areas across the Heavenly Central Plains, weakening and neutralizing the corrupted energy from the Abyss.

Although the power of the Abyss and the Spirit Realm were not directly opposing in nature, it was clear the Spirit Realm was not friendly with the inherently alien power of the Abyss.

The reason why Davey had demanded the installation of the barrier was not initially to suppress the Abyss outright. It was for the surveillance of their existence. But one of those Anti-Demonic Barriers was now filled with a blood-red mist, and the three barrier masters were unreachable, so communication with them was impossible. On top of that, any attempt to enter was firmly blocked by an intangible barrier.

The Spirit Realm's princess, Minhua, trembled as clear tears continuously streamed down her face.

"We tried to monitor the mouse, and now we've become trapped in the mouse trap," Davey murmured softly, hand placed on the barrier wall. "How is it?" he asked Perserque.

"It's not the Abyss. It's similar, but... I don't know how to explain this."

Davey's expression soured at her answer.

"The structure of the power is bizarre from its density. It's something I've never seen before."

Regardless of what happened inside, one thing seemed certain. The three barrier masters and the two guardians who were all keeping the Anti-Demonic Barrier in place were unlikely to be alive. And on the off chance that they haven't met their end yet, there was still no guarantee that they were unharmed.

"Ah... No... Brother..." Tears streamed down ceaselessly as Minhua wept.

"How long has it been like this?" Davey asked.

"It hasn't been long... About two days," she weakly answered from where she was sitting on the ground.

"Long enough that it would not be strange if only bones were left."

Minhua's face filled with despair at Davey's harsh words, and Perserque narrowed her eyes at her sobbing figure.

"Master Davey, Rinne has decided that it can be broken with formidable power." Rinne, who had been quietly observing the situation, offered her opinion.

"Can I trust that?"

"Rinne, I highly value intuition."

"Alright. Let's try."

Whatever the creature was that had crossed over to this place, it was trapped within the Anti-Demonic Barrier, trying to erode it from within, and this creature should be killed or investigated. Either way, one thing remained unchanged; the barrier wall had to be destroyed.

"Move aside. Let's knock on the door."

Davey made a spitting gesture on his hand and took a deep breath as Perserque quietly stepped back.

"If it breaks and something we can't handle jumps out from inside..."

"If it's that dangerous, it would not just be blocked by the Anti-Demonic Barrier."

Directing all his focus on his task at hand, Davey decided right there and then that he would avoid using the jewel and assess the situation first. So he slowly clenched his hand toward the firmly solidified barrier wall, gathering energy in his fist.

"Hmph..."

[Devil Ylgr's Ultimate Exploding Fist]

[Compress]

[Asura's Ultimate Godly Fist]

Boom! Crash!

A colossal energy encapsulating a fist struck the wall, tearing through the barrier wall in an instant. The devilish figure that punched the wall created massive cracks and eventually shattered the barrier wall slowly but surely.

Crash!

As the red mist began pouring out, Davey swiftly reached out his hand to Minhua's back without hesitation.

"Eek!?" She screamed loudly, startled by the sudden contact. But Davey paid no mind to her surprise and simply engraved a magic circle on her back without a moment of hesitation.

Slap!!

He then lightly struck her back without a second thought.

"Eek!"

"Get a grip. If you lose your mind and start rampaging in this obscured vision, I will abandon you without mercy."

Minhua immediately quietened after hearing the threat.

"Perserque." Davey called out before resizing Perserque and placing her on his shoulder. He then began walking after making sure she was settled well.

The red mist spread out, corrupting the entire surrounding area. Although it didn't seem to have a great deal of spreading capacity, the density was still strong enough that when the barrier wall shattered, it diffused all over the entire vicinity.

"Oh... Brother..."

As Minhua sobbed looking around, Davey gestured for her to be quiet.

"Shh."

"..."

"The scent of blood is thick," Davey whispered softly, causing Minhua to go pallid. "So stay alert and follow me."

Danger was lurking in the thickness of the mist. So if anything perilous happened, most of the jewel's remaining durability had to be prepared for usage.

After walking for a while following the scent of blood toward what was presumed to be the center of the barrier, Davey saw the Anti-Demonic Barrier that had become blood-red and distorted. He then stretched out his foot and ruined the magic circle.

Tssssst!

The magic circle, after having been interrupted, began to react as if in a rampage, and Davey swiftly sent mana toward it in response.

Woong...

Eventually, the circle settled into silence, but the red mist did not disappear.

At that moment, Minhua sensed something, and she immediately dashed off desperately, screaming, "Brother!!!"

"Don't! Don't act alone!" Perserque shouted in panic, but Davey restrained her.

It only took a moment of silence before Minhua stumbled upon a collapsed man, making her scream in horror.

"Aaahh!!! No... No!!!"

As agony blended in her cry of horror, Davey's expression shifted. The collapsed barrier master embraced by Minhua was utterly unresponsive.

"Aaah... Aaaaaaaahhh!!"

Perserque tried to say something to Minhua, but then she abruptly stiffened in the middle of her uncontrollable weeping. Meanwhile, Davey felt an unfamiliar and bitter chill for the first time.

"..." Reflexively, he shielded and concealed his presence, including Perserque's.

Because within the red mist, a pair of sharp and dark eyes flickered menacingly. And from that alone, Davey estimated the creature to be roughly ten meters in size if it was a beast form.

Perserque sent an inquiring gaze toward Davey, but he was still calmly observing the creature.

Shh...

Then, not long after, the giant being that had found Minhua, who was still crying with a man in her embrace, began to move within the mist, thrusting out a huge black and red limb through the swirling mist. Its skeletal-thin arm, from the back of the hand to the shoulder, seemed to be clad in armor that overlapped tightly like a tough carapace.

Caught by surprise by the sharp pain brought by the tight grip the creature had on her, Minhua cried out pitifully, "Ugh!!"

'Davey, that is...' Perserque whispered telepathically.

'Do you see what it is?'

'A devil race...'

Devils and demons were different, as were vampires. The new monster before them was unmistakable. Davey already knew the word "devil." The images were stolen by Skuld, the younger sibling of Urd and Verdandi, who had sneaked into his territory. It was the Reaper, a psychotic serial killer who used a gun, tore people apart and crafted works of art out of them. It was also the being he harbored.

'Davey, did you really leave that girl...'

He did not intend to let Minhua be killed when he lured the devil, but she was in imminent danger. She was choking on her own drool, tormented by immense pain, as the giant hand compressed her entire body.

The Reaper silently emerged completely from the mist, resembling a crouching human. Its entire skin was carapace-like, and its skeletal, emaciated body was sparsely covered with spikes or horns of uncertain nature. But the creature's face was even more grotesque than its body.

The Reaper, with its massive horns jutting from either side and a jaw similar to monsters from a fictional story, quietly lifted its head and brought its face near to Minhua, as if to scent her. It spun her around as though discerning her smell before it slowly opened its mouth, revealing countless razor-sharp teeth that shone.

It was clear that if MInhua was left alone, her body would soon be completely ripped apart, starting from her feeble head.

'Davey!'

At Perserque's cry, Davey realized there was no reason to hesitate any longer and thus unleashed his magic.

Snap!

Simultaneously, a magical circle appeared beneath Minhua's feet, and with a magnetic attraction, Davey swiftly darted toward her.

Rip!

The massive devil, the Reaper, remained unsuspecting of Davey's presence and continued to open its mouth. Then Davey, who had snatched Minhua's shoulder and inserted himself between her and the Reaper, unleashed a spin-kick straight at the creature's neck. It was a traditional martial arts move worth using. It was also worth making the creature have a taste of such a kick.

"Eek!"

Thud!!!!!!!

An immense shockwave erupted, scattering the red mist to reveal a formidable blow, which caught the unguarded creature by surprise at its vulnerable spot and sent it tumbling back into the mist.

-Aaaarrrghhh!!!

Davey remained tense.

"Davey? Your expression doesn't look good."

"It's not good. Not at all."

Instead of using the jewel, Davey opted to rely on the Power of Taboo, since he believed it could be more effective than simply amplifying strength, given that the enemy was shrouded in an unidentified force. However, the creature merely screamed and evaded a fatal injury.

If an attack that even the princess of the Abyss struggled to withstand did not kill the creature, it only meant one thing. Its power was not that of an ordinary monster.

The unsettled creature then rose again. But this time, it was menacingly glaring from within the crimson mist and scouring the surroundings, just as its body began to scatter and disperse into the air.

The creature clearly considered Davey a threat, and yet it fled from him. Thus, the creature was keen to recognize dangerous adversaries.

"This son of a... Are you trying to run?"

One fact was certain: the creature was linked with the one that targeted the Heins. It was the last trap arranged by Oedon. Intuition sometimes provided a terrifying answer. There was only one thing to do. Davey disengaged the Power of Taboo, realigning body and soul, and launched himself toward the creature.

Boom!!!

Davey's strike hit the creature which attempted to defend with a barrier. But it seemed hardly sufficient.

Crash!

The firm barrier shattered, ending its very existence in an instant. Davey then made a move to deliver a final blow to the creature's head using his fist, but then a familiar and dismaying power halted him.

Bang!!!

Davey reacted instinctively. He retracted his fist and used his feet to kick the Reaper away. Although combat was not out of the question, he could not simply ignore the power blocking him if it was indeed the same as the one 'she' had.

"It's you," Davey uttered as the creature's body began to dissipate into dust.

"The one who could send a number of Princesses of the Abyss here."

Davey knew of the powerful being that was capable of sending over entities from the Abyss and essence-like constructs like the Princesses of the Abyss from a location other than Tionis—the supreme Princess of the Abyss he had slain, Sleesia, the one who wielded the power of dimensions.

And the creature before Davey had used her power to open a dimension and catch his punch, closing it to try and sever his arm.

What exactly was this devil, and how on earth could it possess some power of Sleesia, who Davey had eradicated without leaving a single speck of ash?

"..."

Davey fell silent while watching the Reaper disperse completely into dust.

"Ah... No! It's heading to the Spirit Realm! It's entered the pathway leading there!"

Minhua had seen the existence of the passage when descending to the Lower Realm, which was why she had realized it quicker than Davey, who had never crossed it.

The sudden emergence of the demon with a fraction of the Abyssal power was shocking and perilous. But even if it was not an absolute threat due to its incomplete power, the creature held some part of the tricky power Sleesia once wielded, making the situation complicated.

As the creature fully disintegrated into dust, dissipating in the area it once occupied, Davey realized that the permeating red mist began to scatter and ebb away.

The creature had utilized a part of Sleesia's power to flee from him, who it had perceived to be a danger.

Davey slowly brought out the only link to Kain and spoke, "Kain, come out. Do you know anything about devils?"

The question was extremely straightforward.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Heavenly Central Plains, Ja-Seong, along with Yun Hee-Ryeong and Cheon Ji-hee, had returned to the island near the Village of the Beginning where the Heavenrend Sect was located. Everything seemed fine, but he was getting an odd sensation from his sister, who was silently watching the pond. Her aura was certainly that of his sister, but there was a strangely foreign feeling.

Then the sister, Yun Hee-Ryeong, slowly turned her head toward him.

"Sister?" Perplexed, Ja-Seong called her as he set down the construction materials.

He began to approach her, but his steps faltered until they stopped entirely. And it was for a good reason. Because the color of her irises, which he knew well, was now stained with a blood-red hue.

Yun Hee-Ryeong had no power to change. No, she must not change. But now, a continuous and strange change was happening to her.

The devil's power merely granted access to a fraction of Sleesia's capabilities, making it only somewhat more elite among the common mobs. However, Isildi was different. As described by Kain, she was one of the strongest princesses of the Abyss comparable to Sleesia and was virtually a max danger level kind of enemy.