Chapter 125: Occupying the Arena
The Lord of Shadows intends to deal with him?
Soren stood in place deep in thought, the sea breeze blowing in brought a faint fishy scent, and he could see the fleet coming and going at Modo Harbor. This place was filled with business opportunities and wealth, attracting those money-seeking merchants; however, the population was simply too numerous, making it impossible for even the large number of Wanderers under Soren’s command to cover everything. There were many spies from various factions on the outskirts of Modo City, and some of them might be disciples of the Lord of Shadows.
Soren could only firmly hold onto the inner city; the area near the harbor could at most be covered with more spies for observation.
The Lord of Shadows harboring hostility toward him did not surprise Soren, as there were too many conflicting interests between them. Even if the Lord of Shadows did not want to deal with Soren, he would still need to engage him in battle in the future. This was due to the shared domain of “Shadows” and the priesthood of “Wanderers,” both being deities following the same laws and advancement paths. However, it seemed now that the Lord of Shadows had decided to take the initiative against him, planning to strike while Soren’s foundation was still unstable.
“Whether the wind blows or the water rises, let it come.”
Soren stood still thinking for a long time, unable to figure out an appropriate countermeasure.
Since the Lord of Shadows was a deity of the same category as him, Soren had no way of grasping its whereabouts, and it would also be difficult for it to determine Soren’s position. Because he presided over the “Wanderers” priesthood, Soren’s church had trained quite a few elite thieves, but as the deity of the “Shadows,” the Lord of Shadows also had numerous skilled Wanderers within its church.
Their strengths were roughly similar, and while Soren was at a disadvantage, it was not very apparent.
In such a situation, the best strategy was to be unchanging in the face of change, waiting for the Lord of Shadows to reveal itself; at least within Modo City, he was safe. If the Lord of Shadows dared to come directly against him, Soren was confident he could manage to keep it there forever.
However!
Soren had a fatal soft spot.
That was Vivian; the little girl had not yet returned to Modo City, and with her determination to face her fate, she might be unwilling to stay in the rear forever.
But at this point, there was no time to think about that!
Soren prepared to personally bring Vivian back; if she refused, he would forcibly take her, as if the Lord of Shadows wanted to use her against Soren, his situation would become extremely passive.
Vivian was his lifeline. She could no longer run free.
With determination, Soren immediately prepared to set out to bring Vivian back. However, before that, he needed to inform Gloria and the Fallen Witch to stay put for now and pay attention to any abnormalities in Modo City. Once the Saint’s Cataclysm officially began, the Lord of Shadows would likely not have the energy to deal with Soren.
The reason was simple.
He would become a hunted target. After the full outbreak of the Saint’s Cataclysm, a super boss of the Evil Faction would emerge. The Lady of the Night would also appear in the mortal realm.
This evil goddess had long coveted the “Shadows” priesthood.
The frail alliance between the Lord of Shadows and her was only effective when they were utilizing each other while both were in their divine realms, making it unlikely for more intense conflicts to arise. But now that both deities had fallen to the mortal plane, it was uncertain whether their weak alliance could hold. The Lord of Shadows was definitely fearful of facing the Lady of the Night, which was why it had been hiding and not showing itself. Targeting Soren could very well be a means of gathering strength to deal with the Lady of the Night.
………………
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
The undercurrents of the Material Plane did not greatly affect the Bottomless Abyss; after all, the gods had fallen to the mortal realm and could not descend to lower planes. However, the situation in the Bottomless Abyss was becoming increasingly chaotic, primarily because many Demon Lords holding divine authority, as well as Evil Gods who had placed their divine realms in the Bottomless Abyss, had gone missing. Soren had heard a piece of news from Rosé that the “bl**d Sea” in the Bottomless Abyss—home to the Goddess of Misfortune—had now completely sealed its entrance.
Evil merchants could not pass through the “bl**d Sea” to reach lower planes and had to travel back and forth through other levels along the River of Underworld.
The bl**d Sea was closed.
The Goddess of Misfortune was nowhere to be found!
The Bottomless Abyss was now in a state of disarray, with many weaker Demon Lords unaffected by the Saint’s Cataclysm. They remained in the lower planes, taking advantage of this opportunity to battle amongst themselves to increase their power before the return of those strong Demon Lords.
Chaos spread.
In the third layer of the Bottomless Abyss, the “Land of Forgotten,” dozens of so-called ‘Demon Lords’ suddenly emerged overnight.
Gurenba Arena.
After a long period of preparation, Soren was finally ready to attack the inner arena today and completely conquer the remaining Demon Goblins.
“Fire the cannons!”
With Soren’s roar, the battle broke out at dawn.
The long wait was entirely due to the extreme stupidity of the demons in the Bottomless Abyss.
Hardly any demons understood how to operate the heavy artillery sent by Soren’s true form; he tried to train a few gunners, but found that low-tier demons were too ignorant, and mid-tier demons were too reckless. These brainless guys would rather rush in with knives than stay back and fire the cannons. In the end, Soren had no choice but to have his Succubus serve as gunners. Succubi were very intelligent demons, and after undergoing some training, they quickly became adept at using the cannons.
The overall strength of the Material Plane was far inferior to that of the Bottomless Abyss, yet artillery still posed a significant threat here.
With the booming sound of cannon fire, the Gurenba Arena was instantly suppressed.
After three rounds of cannon fire, Soren’s Demon Legion began their charge, flanked by mercenaries from the Evil Spirits, driven by profit as they bravely advanced.
The cannons fired six rounds, and Soren gestured for the Succubi to cease their attack.
In the Bottomless Abyss, productivity was extremely low; ammunition had to be resupplied from the Material Plane, and the remaining ammunition had to be saved for dealing with future enemies.
Using cannon cover, some demons had already climbed onto the walls of Gurenba Arena, and Soren now drew his massive executioner’s sword, flames erupting around him. He flew directly into the center of the enemy lines, where there was a Goblin Demon Sorcerer holding a scepter, formerly the right-hand man of the Demon Lord, now the leader of the Demon Goblins.
“Master!”
“I’ve come to lend you a hand!”
A charming voice rang out; the Succubus Boss from the Molten Tavern also flew up at this moment. She was a high-ranking Succubus, knowing well how to please and cater to her master. Seeing the battlefield situation being completely suppressed, she immediately prepared to express her unwavering loyalty.
The Frenzied Combat Demons surged like a tide toward the gates of Gurenba Arena.
Flames engulfed Soren’s body, resembling a sharp blade piercing through the enemy lines. With a flick of his hand, he conjured a whip of flames. The executioner’s sword spun 360 degrees, cutting down five or six demons, and then with a flick of the flame whip, he ensnared a Goblin Demon Sorcerer, dragging it right before him. The target was then engulfed by the flames surrounding Soren’s body and was turned to char in the blink of an eye.
This was the orthodox battle style of a Flame Demon, relishing dragging enemies close and using the Eye of Flame to incinerate them.
“Burn them alive!”
“Let the flames purify everything!”
Amidst the blazing inferno, on the other side of the battlefield, another Flame Demon appeared. It possessed a pair of horns, a robust body, large demon wings, and hooves resembling those of a bull.
Soren’s ally had arrived at the battlefield.
It set fire to the surroundings and then charged through the Demon Goblin lines. Only when surrounded by numerous enemies did it use “High-level Teleportation Spell” to escape the encirclement.
The two Flame Demons formed a pincer attack, and soon a large number of enemies fell beneath their hands.
“The walls have fallen!”
Frenzied Demons jumped down one after another from the walls; all the defenders had been killed, and now the ranks of the Demon Goblins had severely contracted, almost retreating into the inner city of Gurenba Arena.
The killing was increasing Soren’s power.
When he killed a Soul Judgment Demon among the enemy forces, the accumulated Demon Power erupted once again, causing Soren’s body to undergo new mutations.
A row of data appeared before his eyes:
“Ability Upgrade!”
“Flame Demon form has advanced to Flame Demon [Elite] form!… ”
“You have mastered a new specialty [Follow-through Slash]!… You have gained immunity to lightning, toxin, and fire damage!… ”
“Your ability [Summon Demon] has been enhanced!… ”
“Your ability [Dominate Demon] has been enhanced!… ”
………………
The blazing flames surged.
Accompanied by a faint crackling sound from Soren’s bones, his body once again grew larger, now nearing four meters in height, and his weight likely exceeded 3500 pounds.
At the same time, his attribute page also underwent new changes.
“Name: Soren.
Race: Demon.
Form: Flame Demon [Elite] [Tier 5] [Large Otherworldly Creature] [Interdimensional] [Evil]
Level: Biological Level 24.
Attributes: Strength 32, Agility 21, Constitution 27, Intelligence 21, Perception 21, Charisma 24.
Faction: Lawful Evil. (Note: Other demons will have a slight hostility towards your actions.)
Life: 381/415.
Demon Power: 15/3000.
Skills: Stealth 195, Deception 155, Negotiation 155, Knowledge 170, Intimidation 300, Spell Identification 150, Use Magical Device 150, Listening 135, Reconnaissance 135, Searching 110.
Abilities: Gaze of Fear, Aura of Fear, Body of Flames, Whip of Flames, Bind, Demonic Claw (+1 Natural Magic Weapon), Demonic Skin (Damage Reduction +10), Demonic Resistance (Various Resistances +10).
Specialties: Follow-through Slash, Dual Wielding, Mastery of Initiative, Multiple Attacks, Weapon Specialization: Executioner’s Sword, Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Long Whip, Mighty Attack.
Spell-like Abilities: Soul Extraction Technique, Telekinesis, Blasphemous Words, High-level Teleportation Spell, Fear Spell (freely cast), Fireball Spell (5 times per day, instant), Dominate Demon (once per day), Burning Hands, Summon Demon, Telepathy.”
………………
The entire battlefield’s attention was drawn to Soren, who seemed to have leveled up.
At this moment, he appeared as a massive figure engulfed in flames, making the temperature of the entire Gurenba Arena feel as if it had risen significantly, akin to being close to a searing lava region.
The aura of a near-leader level demon spread.
Many Demon Goblins looked on in despair, and one by one, they began to drop their weapons, trembling as they knelt on the ground, saying, “Evil and powerful Executioner – Soren!… ”
“We are willing to submit to you!… to serve you as our master!… ”
As if in a chain reaction, after the first Goblin Demon surrendered, soon many enemies began to yield. By the end, even the Goblin Demon Sorcerer commanding the battle paled and laid down his scepter, walking towards Soren with a somewhat hesitant expression.
They had failed.
Now they could only pray that the other side would not wipe them out completely; otherwise, this group of Demon Goblins would never recover!
……………… (To be continued ~^~)
