The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 450 An even larger sacrifice!

The forest in the southern part of the Sparrowwood Territory.

As the azure butterfly flickered slightly, two figures, a man and a woman, appeared in the scene.

Looking around at the dense oak trees, Blancia's face was filled with shock, and she murmured to herself.

"This is...unbelievable! This...is really not Silverpine Forest?! It's Twilight Forest?!"

She wore a jet-black evening gown with elegant and understated patterns that flowed over her slender waist and converged at her snow-white vulva.

If it weren't for the skeletal necklace around her neck and the ominous black lip gloss, a passing hunter might have mistaken her for a noblewoman lost in the forest... rather than a demon from hell.

As for the astonishment and bewilderment on her face, it had nothing to do with getting lost; it was purely a shock at the unfathomable strength of the Demon King!

How is this done? !

In her memory, the Silverpine Forest and the Twilight Forest were hundreds or even thousands of kilometers apart.

One is at the southernmost part of the Wanren Mountains, and the other is on the western side of the central section of the Wanren Mountains!

Of course, what shocked her most was not the geographical distance between the two, but that she had not suffered any backlash from the subspace after crossing the subspace passage!

This completely overturned her understanding of the warp!

"...This is a power bestowed upon me by the Demon God, allowing me to traverse vast distances swiftly without being affected by the subspace."

Faced with Brancia's adoring gaze, Luo Yan casually made up a reason, then his gaze drifted to his right hand.

He said in a stern voice, "Brancia, can you... let go of my hand now?"

"Ah... Your Majesty, I am so surprised. Please forgive my momentary rudeness."

Brancia put on an innocent expression and reluctantly let go of someone's hand, but her slender nails deliberately scratched the palm of someone's hand.

Luo Yan: "..."

This shameless old man, how old is he...?

Aren't you ashamed to do something like this?

Perhaps because he had just been upgraded to a Diamond Soul, the city lord of Desperate City became exceptionally "outrageous," even daring to flirt with his own emperor.

But think about it.

Her former lord, Reggie Dragon, was only at the Diamond level. Now, as a country demon, she's actually on par with the former Demon Lord. Doesn't that make her ambitions swell?

Everyone who receives a favor from you always wants more.

The only exception was a mortal named Karen, who was often inexplicably satisfied by trivial matters.

Luo Yan decided not to stoop to the level of his "Thorn Demon General," since he still had things to do.

Turning his gaze toward Twilight City, Luo Yan continued in a dignified voice.

"The minions of Chaos have declared war on our vassals, and the saintess who has submitted to me is leading the Salvation Army from Sparrowwood Castle toward Griffin Cliff Territory."

"As expected, the Green Forest Army surrounding Twilight City will inevitably send another force to Sparrowwood Territory to contain the Salvation Army, which is currently attacking Griffin Cliff Territory."

"I need you to wait here, to guard the southern border for our vassals, and to defeat any invading enemies."

Long before, when the Great Tomb was sending food to Sparrowwood Territory via teleportation array, the demons of the Great Tomb already knew that their revered Demon King had captured the Holy Maiden of Twilight Province through "evil means".

Since we're on the same side, there's nothing more to say.

Moreover, Chaos is not only Saint Sith's nemesis, but also Hell's nemesis...

Brancia's lips curled into a bewitching smile, her long nails pinching the hem of her skirt as she gracefully bowed.

"As you command——"

"My dearest Majesty."

The majestic figure vanished before her eyes, transforming into a deep blue butterfly.

Brancia nodded respectfully until the beautiful butterfly flew away into the sky, then turned and left with great ambition.

The view shifted to the sky.

A kilometer away, at the foot of a hill, rows of soldiers clad in jet-black armor emerged from the deep, dark cave in neat formations.

They were disciplined, had sharp eyes, and exuded a chilling murderous aura. On their backs, they carried a huge crossbow, as big as a short cannon!
They are the Black Dragon Crossbowmen of Desperate City, numbering over five thousand! Not only do each warrior possess demonic blood, but each also has strength comparable to a Bronze-level transcendent!

Not only the Black Dragon Crossbowmen filed out, but also a line of skeletal warriors clad in armor!
They wielded steel knives or halberds, clad in steel armor forged by the North Peak City Steelworks, like a steel torrent sweeping across the land, causing even the entire forest to tremble under their gleaming blades!

The sheer number of people was a staggering 30,000. Apart from a few players who had taken on quests and participated in the storyline, they were all undead summoned by the acolytes of Desperate City!

Behind each "hundred-man team" is a steel-rank acolyte dressed in a black robe.

They were like the band members of Private Campbell's Regiment, guiding the army of the undead. Except, they weren't playing the drums of the living, but a deathly prelude woven with incantations!

After two years of recuperation, Desperate City is now strong and well-equipped, a far cry from what it used to be!
now--

This is the time for the supreme Demon King to examine its strength and loyalty!
……

The Demon King's army was silently deployed in the forest on the southern border of Sparrowwood Territory.

Meanwhile, the army of 100,000 led by "Alchemist" Gene has advanced into the border of the Griffin Cliff Earl's territory!

According to reports from scouts ahead, the Salvation Army, bearing the banner of the Holy Maiden, is stationed in a valley less than fifty kilometers away from him, and is constantly sending out multiple forces to encircle and annihilate the remnants of the Green Forest Army entrenched in the area.

They seemed to be using a very novel weapon, somewhat like a dwarf's rifle, but much more powerful.

Moreover, it is said that these guys also lured away the spirits of the dead who roam this land.

Although they cleverly fabricated a story, packaging those evil creatures as the "Holy Spirit".

Faced with the Salvation Army's relentless offensive, Akka's remaining forces were already on their last legs.

Although those guys are still trying to resist, it's clear that defeat is only a matter of time.

Even their continued resistance was merely out of fear of Akka's brutality.

They were unaware that their leader was dead.

Standing on the hill, Gene raised his monocular telescope and surveyed the surrounding terrain.

The view here is expansive, with a plain in front and a small river running through the middle, connecting several scattered villages.

They are located right downwind.

Feeling the clamor of the wind, Gene sneered and put down his binoculars.

"Let's set up camp here, given the terrain here."

The two commanders standing behind him exchanged a glance and whispered something.

"Boss, shouldn't we keep going?"

“Brennan has just captured Griffin Cliff Fortress, and his forces must have suffered some losses. Moreover, his men must be exhausted! Our attack now is perfect; we can take advantage of their rest and catch them off guard!”

"Don't underestimate our opponents. Even Aka died at their hands. They might still have some trump cards up their sleeves that we don't know about... That old fox Silas might not tell us." Gene smiled faintly, a sly glint in his eyes, as if he had already seen through Silas's plans.

He knew what that guy wanted to do; he simply wanted him to be his sacrifice.

He's not stupid.

As one of the twelve leaders of the Green Forest Army, he would naturally complete the task assigned to him by Silas and avenge the death of Aka, but he had his own rhythm and methods.

The officers standing behind him exchanged bewildered glances, partly because they couldn't believe that the always kind-faced Lord Silas would do such a thing, and partly because they didn't understand what their leader was trying to do.

Surely they wouldn't keep it from their own people?

What are the benefits of this?

Gene, of course, wouldn't explain it to them.

They were just a bunch of sacrificial offerings.

"...Since we're taking advantage of the situation and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, let's do it here."

After entrusting the task of setting up the defensive line to his subordinates, Gene left the camp alone and came to the small river he had seen earlier on the hill.

He glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then took out a round-bottomed glass bottle from under his robe.

The bottle was filled with a dark green liquid that emitted an ominous, chaotic aura.

That was a Chaos Elixir obtained through the sacrifice of nine hundred and ninety-eight hearts, and also a wisdom personally bestowed upon him by Urgos, enough to bring eternal blessings to hundreds of thousands of people!

Gene ripped off the bandage wrapped around his mouth, revealing his chin, disfigured by the potion, and the ferocity and madness hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"...Heh, do you think I'd be like that idiot Aka, going to have a head-on confrontation with this bunch of charlatans of unknown origin?"

Selfish hypocrites are still scheming about who will die first, while the truly devout servants have already opened their arms to embrace eternity!
Gene had no doubt that he was the first and only person on this land to truly understand the will of the "Claw of Eternal Hunger".

He popped the cork off the bottle with his thumb and poured all the blessings he had begged from Chaos into the river.

In an instant, the dark green potion disappeared silently into the river.

That water source wasn't just for the hundreds of thousands of villagers downstream, but also for the hundreds of thousands of bandits stationed in the area...

At this moment, they will travel together to the world beyond the void, and reach eternity in the endlessly prosperous hive!
Praise be to the great true god Urgos!

"Please bestow boundless blessings and abundance upon the ever-flowing river beneath my feet!"

He opened his arms and, like a martyr, stepped into the ever-flowing, dark green river.

He scooped up a ladleful from the river at his feet and drank the clear, sweet spring water down his throat as if it were fine wine.

"I will drink the first sip of the sweet spring—"

"I will be the first to become eternal!"

Downstream, a gaunt child is carrying a bucket to fetch water from the riverbank.

Hunger made him see stars and his mind went blank; even taking a single step felt like it took all his strength.

If it weren't for his younger siblings to take care of, and if his mother hadn't encouraged him to persevere, he might have given up long ago, let alone persisted this far.

In a daze, he smelled the aroma wafting from the river; it was the smell of his favorite pumpkin soup.

Why is there pumpkin soup here?
He swallowed hard and subconsciously looked ahead. He saw that the clear, transparent stream had somehow turned into a golden, viscous ocean, like an endless flow of honey!
"By Saint Sith..."

Looking at the incredible scene before him, he could hardly believe his eyes.

Hunger eventually overwhelmed reason, and the wooden bucket fell to the ground.

With a sliver of pious hope in his heart, the boy trembled as he crawled along the riverbank and cautiously brought his mouth close to the water.

He took a small sip, and in an instant, his eyes were filled with surprise.

So sweet!

The boy's face lit up with ecstatic joy as he lay down by the river and drank heartily, as if he wanted to gulp down the entire river...

Not far away, a villager who had also come to fetch water looked at the riverbank in horror, and the wooden bucket in his hand crashed to the ground.

His legs trembled uncontrollably with fear, and all he could make were incoherent sounds.

“…Monster!”

It was a monster about two meters tall, with slender limbs that accentuated its bloated body, like a giant toad filled with air, its body covered in pustules that exuded an ominous aura.

The monster slowly turned its head, its two thick yellow eyes staring at the villager, and blinked innocently for a moment.

The villager was so frightened he almost lost his mind. He turned around and ran screaming towards the village.

"Chaos! It's a monster of chaos!"

He didn't know what kind of monster it was, but demons from hell didn't look like that, and the monsters in the forest weren't this ugly either. It could only be something from chaos. In fact, he was right.

The monster let out a "caw," like a harbinger of doom, and with a sudden burst of power, it leaped towards the fleeing villager, knocking him to the ground.

The greedy mouth, dripping with saliva, didn't bite down. Instead, it spat out a thin straw and stabbed it into the villager's stomach.

“Ahhhh——!!!”

The villager struggled in terror, screaming desperately as he tried to break free from the monster's grip, but he quickly ran out of strength.

His whole body swelled up like an inflated balloon, and the swelling kept getting bigger and bigger, held up by the blessing of the "Claws of Eternal Hunger" until he breathed his last.

And so a vibrant “chaotic egg” was born, with life bubbling beneath the swollen human skin.

Unlike the chaotic egg of the "Strange Mist," the chaotic egg of the "Eternal Hunger Claw" does not give birth to a mind-devouring demon from another world, but rather to everything that originates from this world and has been distorted.

For example, cockroaches that are half a person tall, flies as big as washbasins, and frogs as big as oxen, etc.

In short, those are things that are rare in fantasy worlds but very common in the "wasteland".

"Gah——!"

The dark green "giant toad" let out a hearty croak, as if venting its joy after sowing its seed.

Then, following the direction it remembered, it hopped and skipped towards home.

It finally found a way to escape hunger!
It couldn't wait to take this twisted joy to its beloved ones...

……

The billowing smoke of war still raged across the land of Twilight Province, and to the west of that Twilight City, the corruption of chaos seemed to be brewing something even more extraordinary than the Chosen Ones of Chaos.

When the Salvation Army, carrying the banner of the Holy Maiden, finally wiped out the rebels roaming the Griffin Cliff Territory and pushed the front line west of Twilight City, what greeted everyone's eyes was a scene that left them all speechless.

A bloated toad puffed out its cheeks on the decaying plain, its large, bell-like eyes darting around, searching for its prey.

A thick, murky fog enveloped the entire plain and the nearby forest, and behind the fog, swarms of mosquitoes and flies, as majestic as griffins, could be vaguely seen.

They make a buzzing noise, and there are tens of thousands of them, like inverted halberds, making a creepy sound!
There were also water fleas and cockroaches scurrying through the lush grass, and rats swollen like cows.

There is no trace of living people left on this vast land.

Not to mention human tracks, even the deer in the forest and the fish in the river were corrupted into other things by the evil spirit in the void...

In order to stop the Salvation Army, the Green Forest Army sacrificed their own souls and flesh, killing themselves first!

Looking at the hellish scene before her, Karen felt a slight throbbing pain in her heart and lower abdomen. She couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hands, almost unable to believe her eyes.

God Child Above...

Suppressing the urge to vomit, she managed to squeeze out a trembling prayer.

“This is… such blasphemy.”

Seeing the hellish scene before them, the Salvation Army soldiers were filled with rage, gripping their weapons tightly.

However, behind that anger, there was also a deep sense of apprehension and fear...

Their previous opponents could at least be considered human, but now they have become complete monsters.

They were, after all, just peasants united under the banner of the saintess. The most outrageous monsters they had ever seen before were nothing more than frost wolves or giant bears, or occasionally griffins that landed on the lord's castle.

Nobody knows how to deal with these things...

The only ones who can remain optimistic at this moment are probably the ancestors of Wheat Field Village.

"Fuck..."

"These monsters have some rather unique designs."

"Ugh... Luckily I've already had dinner."

"Awooo! My greatsword is itching for a fight!"

The Holy Spirits made creaking and cracking sounds, as if expressing their shock.

A flicker of surprise crossed Gaunt's eyes as he carried the greatsword, but that surprise quickly turned into anger and an barely concealed killing intent.

Seemingly sensing his killing intent, the demons wandering in the mist all looked at him and made rustling sounds.

That was the wicked laughter of demons and monsters, seemingly excited about the arrival of this vibrant soul.

They can't wait any longer—

I can't wait to start feasting right now!
The moment they looked over, Gaunt, who was standing next to the saintess, moved.

He was so fast that players couldn't even see when he made his move.

The two-meter-long giant sword, like lightning piercing through the thick fog, swept across the decaying plains like a hurricane, leaving corpses strewn everywhere it went, a scene of blood and carnage!
The chaotic villains were no match for him. With each swing of his greatsword, dozens of twisted creatures were reduced to dust!

kill--!
His eyes were filled with such rage that he could only see this one word. He wished he could use the sword in his hand to dig this rotten and ugly scar off the entire map of the continent of Os!

The monsters conceived from the Chaos Egg kept rushing towards him, wave after wave, one after another!

Brennan stared in astonishment at Gaunt's figure, his understanding of the terrifying strength of this demigod-level expert being refreshed once again.

He had thought that even if he gave it his all, he could at least exchange three blows with this legendary swordsman, but now it was clear that he had been overestimating himself.

He was only able to reveal his weapon because the other party was showing him leniency out of consideration for their shared human race...

Faced with the chaotic monsters, Gaunt did not give them a chance to draw their swords, and they clearly did not have them either.

Brennan glanced at Karen beside him, his eyes asking if she should send the army forward.

Karen pondered for a long time, then gently shook her head.

"Wait a minute..."

The thick fog always gave her an ominous feeling; her intuition told her that now was definitely not the time for a full-scale attack.

Perhaps it was precisely because of these concerns that Gunter decided to go forward alone to test the waters.

Rushing in at this moment would only make things worse.

Leiden clearly thought the same way. Following Her Highness's orders, he instructed the grenade cavalry to stand by on the flanks, the vanguard to remain stationary, and the central and rearguard to retreat two kilometers and wait for orders.

On the distant hills, a verdant figure stood among the trees, like a vine hanging from a branch and blending seamlessly into the surrounding shadows.

He was none other than Gene, one of the twelve leaders of the Green Forest Army—"The Alchemist".

Even in his current state, not only his brothers, but even his own mother might not recognize him.

However, that doesn't matter.

After all, they were already dead, having gone ahead to Urgos's lair.

Since completing this grand sacrifice and drinking the river water blessed by Chaos, his strength has successfully broken through the bottleneck of the Platinum level and officially reached the Diamond level!

certainly--

A superficial level of extraordinary power is simply insufficient to calculate his actual combat strength.

He could handle an army of a million men that only a demigod could single-handedly, and he could do the same on his own!
And it's effortless!

So, rounding it off, he's equivalent to a demigod, or even above a demigod!

At least, that's what he thought.

The only thing that surprised Gene was that he didn't expect his opponent to also have a demigod, and the legendary Rock Sword Saint at that!
The guy who terrified the ogre tribe at Huangtong Pass has secretly appeared here.

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is, hahaha! No wonder Malachi died so mysteriously, and Akka was no match for him! In that case, Brennan's defection is understandable! That cowardly bastard..."

As Gene watched the swordsman wielding his greatsword across the plains with unparalleled ease, a twisted smile spread across his face as he suppressed his mocking laughter in the shadows of the jungle.

Silas was definitely up to no good. He kept such important information to himself, tricking his brothers into going up to their deaths one by one.

Luckily, I was careful, otherwise I probably would have ended up like that fool Aka, returning to the embrace of the Claws of Eternal Hunger long ago.

How can that work?

He hasn't even started enjoying it yet!

However, we can settle the score with Sylas later; right now, we need to deal with this Sword Saint first.

A sinister glint flashed in his eyes as he muttered to himself in a dreamlike voice.

"Hehe, that's really amazing..."

"I just don't know if your field can surpass mine."

……

The fierce battle in the Twilight Province continues.

At the same time that Karen's Salvation Army made contact with the "Alchemist," Sloan's army of 100,000 was also advancing towards Sparrowwood Territory.

Before long, they will run into the Black Dragon Crossbowmen of Desperate City lying in ambush there.

Including the ongoing siege of Twilight City and the stalemate in the Battle of Stillwater Beach, the fires ignited by these four battles are almost burning the entire Twilight Province to ashes...

While the upper reaches of the Benliu River were rife with bloodshed, the lower reaches of the Principality of Campbell were a scene of peace and prosperity.

Although the corruption of chaos is insidious and vicious, it cannot corrode here yet.

Just as things were getting turbulent, an ocean liner suddenly appeared at the mouth of the Benliu River.

There stood a thriving harbor, the most prosperous port on the northeastern coast of the Whirlpool Sea, where crates and bundles of goods passed in and out every day.

Textiles from the new industrial zone are the best-selling goods here, followed by red wine from Silverpine Town.

However, the most profitable goods have to be the diamonds mined by the Collins Group from the New World!

Those sparkling stones not only exude a captivating charm, but are also natural magical materials.

Not only do the magicians of the Academy regard it as a treasure, but kings and nobles from various countries also flock to it, spending huge sums of money to collect it, just so that its most dazzling light can appear on their crowns.

To this day, the legend of the "Eye of Eileen" remains a popular story among the citizens of Thunder City, and is sung by bards along with the myth of wealth brought by Prince Colin.

But no one knows when that prince will return here again...

On an ordinary morning, the first rays of dawn pierced through the thin mist, illuminating the shimmering waters of the harbor.

A port official standing on the dock yawned as he entered his office, only to see a purple moon flag rising over the distant sea.

Purple Moon Flag...

Purple Moon?!
The port staff member froze on the spot, his coffee cup slamming against the wooden table with a thud, spilling stains all over the table.

Ignoring the soiled ledger, he raised his arm and rubbed his eyes vigorously until he was sure he wasn't seeing things. His sleepy face turned into one of pure surprise.

"Oh! Saint Sith above! It's Colin—!"

Prince Colin is back!
He only screamed halfway before covering his mouth and rushing out the door. He first ran towards the teahouse with red maple trees in front of it on Queen Street, then remembered that he had forgotten to bring money, so he turned around and ran towards the Andean family's bank.

Clearly, he was not the only one who held Prince Colin in high esteem.

Although the port of Thunder City is busy every day, it has never been as rushed as it is today. So much so that before the first cargo ship even docked, the people on the shore were running around like they were on fire, with unfinished bread and sausages scattered all over the ground.

With a loud whistle, the steamship flying the purple crescent flag slowly approached the dock, startling a flock of seagulls that were feasting on their food.

At the same time, a beautifully colored butterfly also fell.

It seemed to come from a distant, exotic land; its captivating wings fluttered gently, like the eyes of a god…

(End of this chapter)