Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

"mon3tr, attack the life form in front."

The compressed mon3tr trembled slightly but didn't move, circling Kal'tsit's body twice in confusion. Only then did Kal'tsit reply:

“It’s an illusion. I can see it, but mon3tr can’t. Its judgment in this situation is much more accurate than mine. The enemy is probably using mental strength as a criterion to divide our group. Princess Theresa and Princess Wayne have strong mental strength, so this basic illusion won’t affect them. Just follow them.”

After Kal'tsit finished speaking, she breathed a slight sigh of relief, looked at Theresa, and sighed with a mixture of relief and apology:

"Even Princess Theresa couldn't be fooled, this demon doesn't seem that difficult to deal with."

Kal'tsit fears nothing more than encountering demons renowned for their mental attacks, like the one she encountered in the northern border of Victoria. Its combat strength wasn't particularly high; aside from collapse fear and its domain, it didn't possess many offensive methods. With proper troop allocation and manpower, even a mortal army could put up a fight. But its problem lay in the fact that, as a type of tundra spirit, it had particularly amplified its mental attacks. It could even pull someone into its consciousness empire for mental confrontation and possession simply by making eye contact. If it weren't for facing a dimensional attack like Vayne, in this land where it was virtually impossible for any creature with stronger mental power to rival it, it would be an unstoppable force.

The suspected demon currently entrenched in the manor, however, seemed to lack mental strength, failing to deceive not only the already superior Vayne, but also Theresa and Mon3tr. This reassured Kal'tsit somewhat.

These words stung Theresa. As Terra's foremost master of Originium Arts, specializing in mental manipulation, she had never suffered such humiliation. If she hadn't known that Kal'tsit was genuinely "happy" about it and truly concerned for their safety, Theresa would have loved to give her increasingly unruly cat a good thrashing.

You're asking for trouble. You're the kind of person who wouldn't even dare hold Wayne's hand. Do you even know what it means to be an untouchable Demon King?!

Unaware of what Theresa was thinking, but amused by Kal'tsit's words, Wayne volunteered, "Then I'll lead the team from now on, everyone agrees?"

He looked at the vast manor before him, a smug smile creeping across his face. "It's just a haunted house, isn't it? Who hasn't been there before?"

You little devil, wait! Your grandpa Wayne is coming!

Chapter 101 The Hardcore Demon Elfaxen I

How much effort does it take for a demon to create an illusion?

The answer is, it's very large.

Especially for a demon that is not good at the spiritual realm, let alone at creating illusions.

It hailed from Sargon, born at the edge of the scorching, windswept lands, beyond the Great Wall, witnessing the Khan's expeditions and the Sultan's fall. Living beyond the "simple and honest" borders of Sargon, it is clearly more adept at physical force than the other demonic spirits of the Northern Plains. In terms of sheer physical prowess, even three Patriots would be no match for its kind.

But how to put it, it's an anomaly among its own kind. As a barren species from the scorching, fiery land, it finally learned one thing during its long demonic life—although demons are tough and resilient, they are always easily outmaneuvered when faced with the wickedness of their enemies. Brute force is not the way to go; one must use one's brain!

And so, it had an epiphany. From then on, among the demons roaming the scorching lands, there appeared a special case: one who was not only highly skilled in martial arts but also very clever. Not only did he dislike using force casually, but he also enjoyed imitating the spirits of the Northern Plains, manipulating magic to corrupt minds and using skill to overcome force.

You probably think, "Wow, this kind of demon is terrifying! It has both overwhelming physical strength and cunning evil intentions. It must be the ultimate demon, the final boss behind the scenes. Wayne is going to be in big trouble if he encounters it."

Yes, you have a point. To some extent, for a demon to reach its level and still experience this kind of enlightenment, it can't be described as enlightened; it could be said that its cerebellum is underdeveloped and its brain is completely maldeveloped. In fact, after achieving complete enlightenment and abandoning the pursuit of surpassing the limits of physical strength, turning its attention to the spiritual realm, its own kind drove it out of the territory of the Burning Wind Hot Land.

Before leaving, it gave it a message from a demon, which roughly meant: "Judging from your current state, you're probably going to die soon. Instead of seeking refuge in some spiritual realm, I suggest you immediately run to the mortal civilization and seek refuge in that psychiatric department. Maybe there's still hope."

The demon, of course, doesn't believe in superstitions, and it certainly won't go to the psychiatric ward. As a well-read, wise, and enlightened psychopathic demon, it knows all too well about mortal civilization. It doesn't know whether the psychiatric ward treats demons or not, but it certainly won't treat demons who can't afford to pay.

So it set off from the scorching, fiery lands of Sargon, first arriving there with the intention of bewitching a group of followers and establishing its own demonic cult. It was soundly defeated by the Sultan's immortal army, but survived due to its thick hide. Undeterred, it learned from its experience and went to Minos, intending to establish a local temple. It was again soundly defeated by the temple's powerful warriors, but again survived due to its thick hide. It realized it hadn't grasped the essentials; Minos already had a deeply ingrained faith, and its methods were not yet refined enough. It needed to establish its demonic cult in a country without faith. Therefore, it collected information extensively, analyzed it rationally, and finally found its ideal destination, traversing mountains and rivers to reach the Great Yan.

The rest is self-evident. It can only be said that the land shapes its people. The evil Maozi flag, born from the hot and fertile land, has indeed not disgraced its ancestors. It is still thick-skinned and has survived.

You'd think a normal demon, after being beaten all the way, would have had a second epiphany by now. What's kept it alive so many times isn't its mana bar, but its health bar.

But this demon was definitely not a normal demon. It summarized its experiences and lessons learned, concluding that it wasn't that it hadn't tried hard enough, but the enemy had Gundams. The Great Yan had wiped out fragments of gods who had been domesticated and raised, while it hadn't even seen a mortal before being nearly beaten to death. How could this be attributed to a problem with its own thinking?

Ultimately, it all comes down to not choosing the right goal.

So, after careful investigation and speculation, it finally summarized the "Three Necessary Conditions for Establishing and Spreading a Demonic Religion" and set its final destination on Rembito, a place without an official religious belief, with chaotic and weak folk organizations, weak government power, and no gods.

You could say it didn't have an epiphany, but it did choose the right place and started its own demonic religion. But you could also say it did have an epiphany, but it's also forgetful of its past mistakes, its health completely depleted while it continues to build itself up. Regardless, in the end, it succeeded—it accomplished what its own kind had failed to do for millennia. It breached the three final lines of defense established by civilization, infiltrated its interior, and, relying on demonic power, built a loyal rebel army within humanity. This is a landmark victory for the demonic side.

To commemorate this victory and to promote its own contribution, it conducted in-depth research into human habits, compiling its experiences and lessons into a book, which it secretly slipped into a publisher's mailbox. Unfortunately, because it used a demonic script, the publisher, who couldn't understand a single word, ridiculed it as child's scribbles and threw it into the shredder. The followers of the modern-day Rembitoid demonic religion probably never imagined that the final fate of their first edition of the Bible would be to end up in a shredder. But even if they did know, they would probably fabricate a legend of demonic suffering and then use the shredder as a religious symbol.

What's impossible? Jesus was resurrected, and didn't he see Christians all over the streets looking for him with crosses and nails?

This great demon now calls himself Elfakson I. In order to monopolize the power of his own church, he plays the role of pope, leading his followers to pray to the demon, while also acting as the demon to respond to the believers' prayers and bring down "miracles." He has fully realized the internal circulation of the industry, promoted the development of the demon church, and made himself a dual representative of the secular and the mystical. He enjoys extremely high authority in the dark world of Rembiton and has made sure that the power of the church is in his own hands without any deviation. Even Laterano would have to admit that he is an expert.

This situation lasted for three years until now, when a bunch of uninvited guests have broken into its "home".

A leader from a distant land arrived in Rembiton, accompanied by a retinue that looked like a force to be reckoned with. From the Wendigo giant who had once slain his distant kin, the tundra sprite, to the clearly unassuming Felin woman, from the red-haired Sarkaz who exuded an aura of divinity, to the ever-smiling, yet utterly enigmatic Pink-haired Sarkaz. Such a luxurious and strange entourage couldn't help but make Rembiton suspicious. But if it were only that, it wouldn't be so bad. The most crucial point was that this hateful foreigner, upon arriving in Rembiton, began searching for the Cartesian settlements as if conducting a census. Who in Rembiton didn't know that the incarnation of Alfakson I was a Cartesian?

This is what they're after! The demon Elfaxen I was immediately certain of this. At the same time, it began to rack its brains.

It needed to teach this reckless mortal who dared to provoke the demon a lesson. However, it didn't intend to attack directly. The other side outnumbered it, and it wasn't sure it could defeat them. Besides, it was a demon that used its brains, unlike its simple-minded, muscle-bound counterparts. Therefore, it decided to scare him first, hoping to make him back down!

So it chose the mountain manor, infiltrated the snow ghosts' group, set up the haunted house, and waited for Wayne and the others to arrive.

Chapter 102 Sightseeing at the Ancient Castle

"Your Highness Wayne, watch out! There's a pit ahead!"

Mudrock reminded him, reaching out to build a small mound of earth in front of him. Wayne pursed his lips, carefully examining the ground before finally spotting a note that read "pit" on the ground.

Is this demon out of its mind? Who could it possibly fool with this kind of trick? Even if someone notices a pitfall due to a hallucination and chooses to take a detour, it wouldn't affect the rest of the journey, right? Besides, so what if you actually step into this kind of "pitfall"?

The spiritual world (the Empire of Consciousness) and the material world are two distinct realms. Without external aids (such as artifacts or soul-binding technologies like the Loken Water Tank), the material world cannot influence the Empire of Consciousness, nor can the Empire of Consciousness interfere with the material world—this is the rule. It's not that simply writing the word "pit" here is evil, and that the pit will actually cause someone to fall in. Indeed, those who step on it will experience a sense of falling and the illusion that they've reached the bottom, thus stopping in place, but this doesn't cause any harm.

Wayne looked at Kal'tsit with a puzzled expression. Kal'tsit was their scout, and Mon3tr possessed its own identification system, no less accurate than Theresa's. With it leading the way, the team members affected by the demons wouldn't have to worry about encountering illusions too bizarre to escape. However, this pace couldn't be guaranteed. Wayne and the others walked through the manor for about ten minutes before finally reaching the villa's main entrance.

SilverAsh would occasionally turn back to look at the entrance, his face showing some pain as he gazed at the phantoms of the snow ghosts standing in formation on both sides of the road.

Although Kal'tsit didn't elaborate on the destructive power of the demons, the fear she conveyed in her words suggested that any being called a demon was certainly not benevolent. Her own Snow Demon troops, still stationed in the manor, were likely in grave danger. However, SilverAsh couldn't act alone. It wasn't that he lacked the courage, but he wouldn't be foolish enough to commit such a futile act of suicide.

Wayne, of course, noticed SilverAsh's troubled mood. He hesitated for a moment, bent down, picked up the note with the word "pit" written on it, looked at Mudrock, and asked:

"Mudstone, in your view, what am I doing right now?"

Mudrock stared blankly at Wayne, then replied in surprise, "Your Highness Wayne, how did you manage to lift the pit...?" She suddenly realized the true nature of the so-called pit, blushed, let out a soft groan, and turned her head away: "It was an illusion, I'm sorry, I was mistaken."

“It’s alright.” Wayne patted her armor, comforting Mudrock, then turned to Theresa and asked, “Theresa, what about you?”

“A blank sheet of paper with the word ‘pit’ written on it, in Victorian language,” Theresa answered truthfully. “To be honest, I’m starting to wonder if this is the work of a demon. I’ve never heard of demons being able to write… Are they really that intelligent?”

boom!

A thunderous sound rang in everyone's ears, and Wayne and Theresa heard an angry stomp of their feet.

Wayne glanced at Theresa with a subtle expression:

"Theresia, is it getting anxious?"

“Mr. Bruce, don’t make me laugh! How could a demon get so worked up over something so trivial… Pfft, hahaha.”

Wayne couldn't help but chuckle. This fiend was quite interesting. First, he set up some fancy traps in the manor that couldn't cause any damage at all, and then he got so frustrated by Theresa's words that he stomped his feet. Why was he even a little bit endearing?

"Cough cough cough." Wayne shook his head, clearing his mind of all the strange thoughts. How could he possibly feel pity for demons just because of a little foolishness? They were enemies of humanity, and Wayne was definitely not the kind of person whose values ​​were swayed by appearances!

Of course, if the demons aren't just feigning stupidity, but genuinely are, then Wayne wouldn't mind examining Terra's popular creatures to see what kind of structure the demons actually have.

However, that was a matter for later. Seeing that Theresa was almost unaffected by the demon's illusions, Wayne suggested:

“Theresia, you and Kal'tsit will continue with the Babel Tower people. Surtr, Mudrock, SilverAsh, and Nosis will go to the Snow Goblin camp to check on the warriors’ condition.”

As Wayne spoke, he glanced at SilverAsh, who looked somewhat surprised. Wayne nodded at him and continued,

“They were dragged into this trouble because of us, and encountering evil spirits is clearly beyond the scope of protection stipulated in the contract. Besides, there are hundreds of lives at stake there, and I want to go and see if I can do something about it.”

Wayne knew Theresa's character well; she absolutely couldn't bear the tragedy of "hundreds of innocent lives lost." Wayne's words struck a nerve with her, and Theresa's face showed obvious hesitation. However, she didn't agree immediately as Wayne had expected; instead, she hesitated. She didn't want to risk splitting forces with Wayne, yet she knew that besides herself, only Wayne had the ability to save those hundreds of soldiers from the demons. While she hesitated, Kal'tsit stepped forward and made the decision:

"Don't worry, Your Highness Wayne, I will protect Princess Theresa with my life."

"Why are you making it sound like a life-or-death situation?" Wayne rolled his eyes. Perhaps because of his presence, the atmosphere of what should have been a serious and solemn adventure remained rather relaxed. "Then it's decided. We'll split into two groups. I'll take Mudrock and Surtr and go with SilverAsh and the others to check on the warriors' situation. Theresa, you and Kal'tsit will lead the Babel Tower people to explore the center of the manor. We'll meet at the main gate of the main castle villa. How does that sound?"

"That's acceptable." "Okay then."

Kal'tsit and Theresa nodded simultaneously, saying in unison:

"be careful!"

Surtr patted his chest, raised his head confidently, and said:

"With me here, His Highness Wayne will be perfectly safe! Don't worry!"

Theresa became even more worried upon hearing this, and earnestly instructed Niyan, "Thank you for your trouble."

Mudstone nodded solemnly. Now it was Surtr's turn to get angry. Although she didn't dare to make a move, she pretended not to have heard anything, acting as if she, a proud lady, had been looked down upon and was unforgivable.

"To be honest, are we really on an adventure to fight evil spirits?"

"He has lived a long life and knows more than most of those present," Warfarin remarked.

The demon that could stop a child from crying at night in her eyes seemed to be nothing more than a trivial fellow to Wayne. He could joke around as he pleased, without any tension or panic, and even had the leisure to split up and act separately.

This is unbelievable!

"You don't understand warfarin."

The usually taciturn Ascalon surprisingly took the initiative to pick up where Warfarin left off, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Those who can remain calm in a crisis and laugh in adversity are either reckless arrogance or exceptionally powerful and proud individuals. Which do you think Prince Wayne is?"

Warfarin paused, already having the answer in her mind, but still somewhat hesitant: "To have absolute confidence in demons, that's impossible, isn't it?"

"Warfarin, watch your step. Have you forgotten what Kal'tsit said? Stay courageous and trust your comrades."

Chapter 103 The Mountain Snow Ghost Wall

Some of the demons got anxious, but Wayne wouldn't say which one it was.

After Wayne and Theresa went their separate ways, Alfakson I was overjoyed. In its meticulous observation, among the humans who had entered the manor castle, only Theresa and Wayne were special. Their mental strength was exceptional, and they possessed resistance to its illusions. Alfakson I didn't know if this resistance stemmed from something they carried or from an innate talent, so it refrained from rash action and alerting them.

Even when he heard Theresa's slander against him, Alfakson I merely stomped his foot and unleashed a "miraculous thunderbolt" to intimidate the two disrespectful villains.

Wayne and Theresa were incredibly audacious. Not only did they ignore its warnings, but they even deliberately split up, as if they were afraid that it wouldn't be able to defeat them one by one! How ridiculous! Wasn't this a bit too much of an underestimation of this powerful demon?

Without much hesitation, Alfakson I quickly set his sights on Vayne as his first target. The reasons were simple: he was the one who suggested splitting up, he was the one who showed the least respect to the demons, he was the one with fewer people, and the destination best suited his preferences. With all these factors combined, Alfakson I naturally chose Vayne as his target. He was prepared to torture Vayne to the point of mental breakdown, then control her body to deal with the Sarkaz woman's squad, delivering a swift and decisive blow! He wanted to show them that even though Vayne was a maverick and a weakling among the demons, she was not someone they could easily underestimate.

While pondering, Elfakson I manipulated his twisted body and burrowed into a nearby shell. This was the shell of an ordinary person, and also the real "Elfakson" himself. After joining the demonic cult, he was "fortunate" enough to receive divine "revelation" as the most devout follower, and was officially deified to become the pope of this vast cult. Of course, this was how it was presented to the believers. The truth was that Elfakson was not devout, and wasn't even a follower of the demonic cult. He was merely a mine sheriff who had discovered a strange cult rapidly spreading within Rembiton and secretly investigated it. After figuring out the evil nature of the demonic cult, he attempted to report to his superiors, but unknowingly wrote the words "demons entrenched in Rembiton" in his report. As mentioned earlier, demons sense those who recognize them. After clearly pointing to demons, Sheriff Elfakson's human life vanished from the world that very night, along with the report he submitted to his superiors.

Then, the demons molded him into a paragon of "witnessing the truth and choosing conversion," manipulating his body and using his identity to allow their cult to grow unchecked within the Rabbit Mine area under the jurisdiction of the Elfakson Sheriff. Now, the entire Rabbit Mine Sheriff's Office has become a den of iniquity for the demonic cult, and their infiltration of the Rabbit Mine has reached the point of "infiltrating the lower classes" to completely consolidate their power.

As the demon [Elfaxen I] staggered and mechanically rose from the ground, it headed straight for the Snow Demon's camp. Those powerful warriors were now completely trapped in the nightmare it had woven, unable to extricate themselves. If it were to pluck the strings of their dreams, to give them a slight hint, would those who were frozen in terror by the demon in their dreams transform into heroes, wielding the sword bestowed upon them by this righteous pope, to slay the demons that had invaded this sacred land? Even if those demons were actually their former leaders and their leaders' leaders.

Human beings killing each other is the best and most endlessly entertaining drama in the world. Only in this activity can weak mortals fully utilize their minds and invent countless means that exceed the limits of imagination and cognition to achieve their most despicable goals.

Thinking of this, a twisted smile spread across Alfakson I's face, but the deathly stillness revealed in his lifeless pupils was all the more terrifying.

.........

Meanwhile, Wayne and the others were also rapidly approaching the Snow Demon's camp.

With Wayne leading the way, the group moved much faster than before. Although SilverAsh and Nosis initially had reservations about the "abnormal phenomena" Wayne pointed out along the way, after Wayne repeatedly proved his correctness, they, like Surtr and Mudrock, chose to stop talking and obediently follow behind Wayne, ignoring whatever they saw and simply going along with it.

Seemingly finding the silent journey in such an environment rather unsettling, Nosis took the initiative to explain: "The Snow Demons' camp is located on the west side of the manor, where the manor's golf course is situated. The terrain is flat, with a wide view, which is conducive to training and preparing for attacks. We set up our tents there, and we usually rest there."