The Evolution of a Goblin to the Peak -
Chapter 1177: The Demon: Late
The single wave of energy from the authority’s release annihilated most of the demons. This burst carried the might of the Blood Card, fused with authority so overwhelming that it tore nearly everything apart. All the demons without sufficient strength were evaporated in an instant.
Souta could feel a huge strain in his body. He knew that the power of authority was so strong that it could kill him on the spot. If the system didn’t contain it in the past, he would’ve died at that moment. That’s why the minimum level required was 80 and at this level, he wouldn’t die instantly. If he wanted to use this power just like the others use theirs then he would need to reach God-rank.
There was no time to think about the consequences.
Souta hurled himself into the chaos, every ounce of his might surging forward. His killing intent flared like a storm, fusing with his power until the air itself trembled under the weight of his fury.
He collided with the demons head-on.
Boom!
The impact sent them flying hundreds of meters away, bodies twisting and bursting under the sheer force of his assault.
But Souta didn’t stop.
He moved like a crimson tempest, ripping through the stronghold with terrifying speed, every step drawing him closer to Alice’s location.
Behind him, the survivors coughed blood, eyes wide with disbelief.
"H–How... can this be?!"
"He’s stronger... again?!"
Despair crawled across their faces. Each time they faced this monster, he transcended the last. Not even their formations or sacred runes could cage him anymore.
They shot to their feet the moment Souta passed, fury and desperation burning in their eyes.
Swoosh!! Swoosh!!
They tore through the air in pursuit but Souta was already far ahead.
"ALICE!!"
His voice thundered through the stronghold. His heart pounded like a war drum, every beat pushing him faster. Blood-colored lightning surged across his body, crackling violently as it shredded the runes and barriers blocking his path.
The air trembled wherever he passed.
He killed numerous demons that were attacking him but Alice was unharmed. If it was other time, he would’ve notice it.
...
Far ahead, Alice froze. Her eyes widened as she heard Souta’s voice echo through the ruins.
That voice, raw, fierce, desperate, cut straight through her heart.
She turned her head, sensing the torrent of energy approaching like a roaring storm. The sheer power closing in made her breath hitch. She didn’t understand how Souta could wield such might, but none of it mattered.
He came for her. That was all she needed to know.
"Princess Alice, you must go now!" Leimin urged, his voice tense. He could feel the crushing danger rushing toward them.
Alice tried to resist, to stay, but the pull of the portal seized her. Her body drifted backward as if the world itself was dragging her away.
"No..." Her lips trembled. Fear and longing collided in her chest.
Her vision blurred. The moment stretched
and time seemed to slow.
A voice echoed in her mind, deep and resonant, filled with dreadful authority.
"Give up... or the entire Heavenly Demon Palace will hunt down the Blood Lightning Monster to the ends of creation."
She had never heard that voice before, yet its presence sent chills down her spine. The weight of it. The power, the authority... was unmistakable. If felt like it came from the Demon Pillar.
"No..." Alice whispered, her voice trembling as she reached against the pull. Every fiber of her being screamed to resist but the force dragging her toward the portal was relentless.
"You can break free..."
The voice echoed again, deep and cold, reverberating through her mind like the whisper of a god.
Then.
CRACK!!
The ground beneath her shattered. A blinding surge of energy burst upward, tearing the entire floor apart.
And through that storm Souta appeared.
He hovered in the air amidst chaos and fire, blood-colored lightning raging around him like a living storm. His eyes locked onto hers.
He kicked against the air, tearing through space itself to reach her.
"ALICE!!"
Alice turned toward him, her breath catching as their eyes met through the maelstrom. The world fell away in that single instant.
"Souta..." she breathed, her lips trembling. "I was really happy when you said you’d fight the whole world for me."
Her trembling hand reached out toward him.
He reached back, straining with every ounce of strength, every drop of power burning in his veins.
Their fingertips almost touched.
Almost.
Then the light swallowed her.
"ALICE!!!"
The portal collapsed and the portal detonated.
BOOOOOOM!!
The explosion consumed everything. Floors disintegrated by the hundreds, pillars crumbled to ash, and the stronghold fell apart in a storm of chaotic energy.
The collapse of space ripped through the area, shredding runes, formations, everything.
Ohm!!
Leimin was thrown against the wall, the turbulence carving through her defenses.
Cough!
She forced herself up, her body trembling. Dust, fire, and debris filled the air.
And then she saw him.
Souta stood at the epicenter of it all, motionless.
Blood-colored lightning swirled violently around him, painting the ruins in red and white. His eyes were wide, unfocused, filled with pain deeper than any wound.
His hand was still outstretched. The one that had failed to reach her.
A single drop of blood slid down his face, lost among the sparks of lightning.
Leimin froze, her breath caught in her throat as she felt the shift in the air.
Souta lifted his gaze.
The lightning around him flickered and dimmed. His breath trembled, heavy and ragged, as if the air itself weighed on his chest.
He was too late.
Again.
Even after unlocking the Cosmic Sign without caring about the consequences.
Yet, he had still failed to reach her.
He could have torn this entire stronghold apart with his own power, with blood and rage alone. It would’ve taken time about half an hour at most. He knew he could defeat them with given time.
He couldn’t bear another second wasted while she was taken away. That’s why he had taken a risk to unlock the Cosmic Power.
Yet, he failed.
His fingers trembled as he clenched his fist. The taste of iron filled his mouth.
Alice was gone.
Dragged back to the Demon’s Land.
The realization sank into him like a blade twisting inside his chest.
They had been planning this from the start.
The demons lurking in the shadows, pulling strings, infecting minds.
They’d manipulated the anger of those scarred by the invasion, feeding their hatred, steering them straight at him.
And while the world’s eyes were on the Blood Lightning Monster...
They took her.
A low hum filled the ruins as crimson arcs of lightning crawled across the ground. The air quivered with barely contained fury.
Souta slowly closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed beside him.
Leimin appeared, her body wreathed in demonic energy, eyes burning with hatred.
"Die, monster!!"
With a roar, she swung her saber. The blade howled through the air, splitting the space between them. Her power as a Freedom Realm expert erupted, tearing apart the remnants of the shattered hall. The strike was fast, faster than thought, aimed straight for Souta’s throat.
But...
Souta merely turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Ohm!!
The sound reverberated through the stronghold.
Leimin froze midair. Her body locked in place, trembling violently as a crushing weight descended upon her. She could feel it. Something vast, ancient, and merciless gripping every inch of her being.
Her saber stopped a breath away from his neck.
"What—" Her voice cracked, fear drowning the rest.
Souta’s gaze burned crimson, his expression devoid of rage or emotion. Only cold, weary fury remained.
"In my name..."
His voice rolled through the air like a divine decree.
Swoosh!!
A cold wind swept across the ruined stronghold. The fires dimmed. The air thinned.
Every demon, those who still clung to life, stopped moving. Their eyes instinctively turned upward, their instincts screaming.
They could feel it.
That presence.
That impossible pressure.
It pressed down on their souls, crushing their pride, their will, their very existence.
The air trembled again and then came his voice, reverberating through the fabric of space itself.
"I, the Serpent-Bearer..."
The declaration rippled outward, shaking the heavens and the underworld alike.
Leimin’s saber shattered in her hands. Blood dripped from her lips as she was forced to her knees, unable to comprehend the force that smothered her.
And above them, crimson lightning coiled through the air like the scales of a sleeping god beginning to stir.
Far beyond the Bear Paw Valley, countless eyes turned to the sky.
Hovering high above the horizon, floated an enormous, circular mass of land.
It hung in the heavens like a newborn planet, radiating energy so dense that even the clouds twisted around it. Waves of power rolled outward in every direction, distorting the very air and bending light.
Spatial rifts scarred its surface, visible even from thousands of kilometers away.
Within, storms of raw energy raged without end, tearing across mountains and shattered ruins. The sight alone was enough to steal the breath of all who gazed upon it.
And though distance separated them by vast stretches of land, the people below could still feel it.
A crushing weight pressing on their bodies.
An invisible hand.
An unseen dominion.
Oppression unlike anything they had ever known.
The world itself seemed to bow beneath that power.
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