Originally, at least six Flame Demons had been closing in on Cerydra and her group, scattered irregularly in a fan-shaped area in front of a car. The closest was about thirty meters away, while the farthest was a hundred meters distant.
When Pan Ming reappeared, he was already behind the Flame Demon farthest away—a hundred meters. He remained in the same posture, his hands pressed together in prayer, showing no change in his stance. But in that very second, six muffled thumps rang out almost simultaneously.
Alongside the sounds, a pair of five-centimeter-deep footprints materialized beside each of the six Flame Demons at nearly the same moment. Then, before the Flame Demons could even comprehend what was happening, their bodies began to swell with bewildered expressions.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Instantly, six "fireworks" erupted across the ice. In the blink of an eye, Pan Ming had literally blown these Flame Demons to smithereens!
Arthur, who had witnessed this from afar, couldn't help but freeze in astonishment. Judging by Pan Ming's 'short' stature, it was immediately clear he wasn't from Arthur's Black Bear Clan. But... what did it matter?
Arthur couldn't help but exclaim loudly, "Brother! What impressive skills!"
Pan Ming added, "This humble monk will assist you in cleansing these vile creatures!"
Arthur readily agreed with a hearty laugh, "Excellent!"
Just then, Aria, who had been in the vehicle, belatedly opened the door and rushed out, wielding the Nameless Holy Sword in one hand. "I'll help too! I'll help too!"
While she couldn't match Pan Ming's absurd speed of covering a hundred meters in an instant, Aria was still remarkably swift. Like a small steam locomotive accelerating on an icy track, she rapidly gained momentum and soon joined the battle.
Raising her weapon, golden light erupted from the blade as she declared, "Divine Smite!"
A classic move she never tired of using, Divine Smite dealt extra damage to all evil creatures, including demons. Even a glancing blow, given Aria's current strength, was enough to obliterate these Flame Demons.
Feidric, meanwhile, leisurely exited the vehicle, made a few gestures, and cast the protective magic spell "Protection from Evil" on everyone present. This specialized shield spell was developed by wizards specifically to counter demonic entities.
Douglas followed Feidric, dismounting leisurely. He cradled the Holy Radiance against his chest, knelt on one knee, and offered a devout prayer. Then, he cast a Seventh-Level Divine Art called Holy Word.
Divine power surged into Douglas's throat, preparing him to utter a sacred pronouncement that would strike all enemies within earshot.
With a thunderous roar, Douglas bellowed, "Damn demons! Crawl back to the Abyss and eat shit!"
The crude language hardly sounded like a "sacred pronouncement," but it didn't matter. Once the divine power had filled his throat, anything he uttered would trigger the spell's effect. Thus, any words he spoke became a Holy Word.
Even his vulgar insult worked perfectly.
Immediately, every Flame Demon within earshot froze, their faces contorting in excruciating pain as if their brains were being drilled. Some even detonated on the spot, erupting into balls of flame.
This Divine Magic spell, known as Holy Word, was actually a wide-area control spell. It could induce mental confusion, deafness, and blindness in enemies. However, its effects were greatly amplified against demonic or similarly evil creatures, inflicting massive mental damage. Against weaker demons, it could easily reduce them to mindless husks on the spot.
In short, it was another Divine Magic spell specifically effective against demons. It might seem odd for Douglas, a Priest of the God of War, to possess such a seemingly "holy" spell. However, the Divine Magic known to each Priest varies depending on their deity. Holy Word, however, is a "universal Divine Magic spell" accessible to all Priests.
First, Pan Ming slew demons without breaking his vows. Then came Aria's Divine Smite, Feidric's targeted Magic, and now Douglas's demon-specific Divine Magic. It seemed the demons were suffering terribly, with nearly everyone possessing some specialized countermeasure against them.
Yet this very fact underscored the demons' immense power. It was precisely because of their formidable strength that they were so heavily targeted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions of Flame Demons echoed ceaselessly across the battlefield. Though these creatures were being slaughtered like cannon fodder, one had to consider who was doing the fighting. Had these demons attacked an ordinary nation, it would have been a cataclysmic, nation-destroying epic disaster.
Thump... thump...
Dull, resonant thuds emanated from the bottomless Ice Cave Deep Pit. First, two massive black claws emerged from the cave mouth, followed by a colossal demon nearly ten meters tall slowly revealing itself.
The demon's overall form resembled a humanoid, but its head was that of a gigantic goat with both of its demonic horns broken off. In each hand, it wielded a pitchfork-like weapon, and its legs ended in cloven hooves. The moment it appeared, it exuded an oppressive, intangible pressure that weighed heavily on everyone present.
In truth, the preceding Flame Demons had merely served to buy time for this Archdevil, the true vanguard of this assault.
Inside the chariot, Cerydra watched the creature and murmured, "A Demigod-level Archdevil?"
Perhaps that description wasn't entirely accurate. Normal Demigods could wield divine power, while True Gods possess both Divinity and divine authority—a principle that applies to both Ancient Gods and Faith Gods.
Demons, however, possess none of these divine attributes. Even Demigod-level demons lack divine power, and True god-level demons have neither Divinity nor divine authority.
Take the Rage Lord of the Eightieth Layer of the Abyss, the predecessor to the Barbarian Divine Artifact. Though this being claimed to be the embodiment of rage and molten rock, it held no actual authority over either. Yet this didn't make the Rage Lord weak; on the contrary, it was likely more powerful than many True gods.
The Eightieth Layer of the Abyss was once a normal Plane, teeming with verdant grasslands, fertile soil, and expansive seas. But the Rage Lord's mere presence transformed the entire Plane into a living hell, twisting it into the Abyss itself.
Though the Rage Lord lacked authority over molten rock, the relentless heat radiating from its body was sufficient to incinerate all stone within a hundred-kilometer radius. With a single circuit of the Plane, it left behind a trail of molten lava in its wake.
Were the Rage Lord to enter the Material World and simply remain stationary, the constant heat emanating from its body would ignite a world-consuming inferno, ultimately burning the entire world to ash.
In essence, all demons are pure stat monsters. Hyacine is already quite stat-focused, right? But at least she still possesses Authority related to The Sky. These Demon Lords, on the other hand, have no Authority whatsoever; they've reached True god-level combat power solely through sheer stats.
Cerydra surveyed the battlefield. Hysilens was already on her way, but Cerydra also glanced at Aria, Pan Ming, and the Barbarian named Arthur. With two Divine Artifact wielders and a Legendary-grade Monk, defeating a Demigod demon should pose little challenge.
Feidric remained close to Cerydra, continuously casting support spells. Douglas, though eager to join the fight, knew his duty lay in guarding the Empress. Someone had to protect her, after all.
It would be absurd for Douglas to abandon Cerydra and rush into battle, though it seemed she hardly needed his protection.
As for Cipher, after Feidric left, she slipped into the pilot's seat, wagging her tail as she watched the battle. After all, she was their safety net; in case of any emergency, she could instantly rescue them. For now, she'd let Aria and the others handle the demon.
The moment the Goat Demon appeared on the battlefield, the surrounding temperature soared several degrees. It brandished its pitchfork, swinging it directly at Arthur, who stood closest.
Without hesitation, Arthur raised his axe and charged forward to meet the attack.
Boom!!!
A deafening explosion erupted. Had it been the Flame Demon from earlier, this axe strike would have vaporized it completely. Yet the massive shockwave and searing flames didn't even scratch the Goat Demon. Instead, a torrent of inferno burst from the pitchfork, surging toward Arthur.
While the Goat Demon was immune to fire, Arthur was just a mortal man, and he certainly wasn't immune. Forced to retreat swiftly to evade the fiery assault.
Simultaneously, the Demon Axe in Arthur's hand erupted in maniacal laughter. "Ha ha! You're done for! Gabriel Rain is one of my strongest subordinates! Once he's finished you off, I'll return to the Abyss, break the seal, and reclaim my glory!"
The Goat Demon paused, startled. "Boss," it said, "my name isn't Gabriel Rain."
Demon Axe paused, taken aback. "Ah? No, wait, I must have remembered wrong. Ha ha! Anthony Dawson, right?"
His gaze shifted back to Arthur. "This guy's one of my strongest underlings. You're finished!"
But the Goat Demon hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Boss, I'm not Anthony Dawson either."
Demon Axe: "..."
Goat Demon: "..."
The entire battlefield fell silent for several seconds after this revelation. After a beat, Demon Axe asked, "If not him, then who the hell are you?"
The Goat Demon replied, "Boss, I'm Aston Chandler Sorenson!"
Demon Axe froze. "What the hell? How could it be you? Seriously? You guys all look the same anyway, and now you've shaved your head? How the hell am I supposed to recognize you?!"
Meanwhile, Arthur, ever curious, asked, "So, how strong is this underling of yours? Will he crush me?"
The Demon Axe fell silent for a moment before saying, "Actually, Arthur, I quite like you. Bickering and trading insults with you is actually quite amusing."
The Goat Demon, hearing this, reassured, "Don't worry, Boss! I've grown much stronger since last time. I'll rescue you right away!"
With that, it raised its trident again, but at the same moment, Aria finally took her position. Golden light erupted from her blade, coalescing into a Light Beam that blasted toward the demon.
"Divine Smite!"
The Goat Demon, seeing the attack, dared not meet it head-on. It swiftly withdrew its trident and changed its stance. Despite its massive bulk, it moved with astonishing speed, darting across the ice, leaving burning hoof-shaped footprints in its wake.
Faced with this, Aria simply leveled her longsword horizontally and began sweeping it toward the Goat Demon.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Golden Light Beams carved deep, visible trenches across the ice. Meanwhile, Pan Ming arrived just in time to block the Goat Demon's path, cutting off its escape route.
The demon was constantly wreathed in superheated flames, a severe disadvantage for Pan Ming, a Monk specializing in close-quarters combat. As a mortal with flesh and blood, any attempt to engage in melee would inevitably result in severe burns.
Even if his punch struck the demon, regardless of the damage inflicted, Pan Ming himself would certainly be injured by the flames.
However, the Monk class wasn't entirely without ranged options. Pan Ming took a deep breath, focused his qi into his feet, and then stomped his right foot heavily into the ground, unleashing a sweeping kick forward.
BANG—!!!
The ice beneath his foot shattered instantly, as a raging torrent of air infused with concentrated qi erupted outward. The charging Goat Demon in the distance abruptly slowed, as if being relentlessly battered by countless invisible kicks.
This technique drained Pan Ming's Strength rapidly, and the Goat Demon's thick hide absorbed most of the impact, minimizing damage. Yet, by slowing the demon's advance, Pan Ming had already achieved his primary goal.
Aria's Divine Smite swept in next, crashing directly into the Goat Demon.
Buzz—!!!
Pan Ming swiftly retreated, and even Arthur nearby scrambled to put distance between them. Aria's Divine Smite, after striking its target, began to expand outward and upward, transforming into a dazzling, spiraling pillar of light.
Seeing this, Demon Axe rolled his eyes. "Oh, ho! After scheming for so long, I thought this attack would be more impressive. Is that all you've got?"
Yet, to everyone's surprise, just as the spiraling pillar of light was about to dissipate, the Goat Demon charged forward. In an instant, it was upon Aria, unleashing a strike before she could react.
Aria could only scramble to defend, but the indescribably immense force sent her flying backward.
In contrast, after enduring Aria's Divine Smite, the Goat Demon showed no visible injuries. Upon closer inspection, one could see that its severed goat horns were slowly regenerating, showing signs of regrowth.
An endless surge of power emanated from the demon's body.