Page 259

“Oh?”

“So, you’re saying there’s a demon nest there?”

Cassius’s interest was piqued. Using his powerful limbs to support his massive body, he slowly stood up, fire dancing in his lava-like pupils.

In his memory, the demon invasion in the Anstica Mountains had been caused by the original “Kais.” But now, the timeline had long deviated, and this part of the plot had also changed.

“Yes, Master.”

Alger knelt on one knee, his head bowed, answering in a calm tone.

He took a magic scroll from his bag, which depicted an eerie creature that appeared to be a mix between a human and a vulture.

“Master, according to Lord Langpu’s compendium, this is undoubtedly a Fro Demon. Additionally, I discovered Bagura Demons, Berserker Demons, and even a fallen giant corrupted by demonic power.”

Cassius studied the image, rubbing the bony spur on his chin with his claw, eyes narrowing slightly.

“It seems that the fallen giant is the source of the change.”

“What’s the exact location of this nest?”

Alger immediately took out a portable magic scroll and respectfully presented it.

“The southwestern corner of Anstica. Very well.”

Cassius glanced at it briefly, then looked away.

The red dragon shook his body slightly, stretching his broad wings. The seams between his scales glowed like molten lava, and the dragon crystal at his chest began to activate.

“Tell Langpu to prepare the grand dimensional gate for me.”

Flames flickered in Cassius’s pupils, and he even licked his lips—a restless fighting spirit for an unknown foe.

“I’ve slumbered for so long...”

“It’s time to get some exercise.”

“Let me see with my own eyes the strength of the Abyssal demons.”

After the ancestral bloodline transformation, Cassius had absolute confidence in his power. Even if a demon lord descended into the Material Plane, he was confident he could protect himself—let alone deal with a so-called demon nest.

“Yes, Master.”

Alger and the Tiefling guards hurried towards Northwind Fortress to prepare for the red dragon’s march.

In the dark, damp cave.

The fallen giant stared at the image formed on the surface of the murky liquid, fixating on the four-horned red dragon appearing in it, whispering softly:

“He’s grown stronger.”

A low, deep voice came from the void—the “Demon of Vengeance.”

“Koman, you’re afraid.”

“Do you not believe in the power of the Abyss? Have you... forgotten your hatred?”

There was a hint of threat in the voice.

Instantly, the scene of the Eternal Frost Tribe’s annihilation replayed in the giant’s mind.

Koman bit down on his yellowed teeth, his face twisted and menacing, and his massive body trembled. The last of the Frost Giants grew enraged once again.

“Yes, it’s just a bluff. I’m far stronger than he is!”

“I am the Abyss’s chosen one, the elect of the mighty Demon of Vengeance Jezal Slak, beyond the fear of death itself.”

“Now, rise, ascend. I will bring him utter chaos!”

The grotesque fallen giant roared skyward, his eyes ablaze with the fire of the Abyss.

“Good, Koman, keep going.”

“You will get everything you desire.”

Jezal Slak’s voice of praise echoed from the void.

Hearing the demon’s praise, the giant became excited, raising his spear, which emitted a dark mist.

“I will have my revenge! I will destroy everything he has!”

The demons in the nest grew agitated, letting out chaotic, disordered cheers and roars. They screamed their hatred for all things until the noise became unbearable even for themselves.

Shrill cries pierced the sky.

In the cloudless blue sky, a comet-like figure streaked across, leaving long trails of flame behind.

—It was Cassius.

Accompanied by howling winds, he landed directly atop the mountain, looking down at the gaping, blood-like maw of the deep cave, listening to the howls emanating from within.

“This must be the place.”

“Once the Mouth of Anstica, now a demon nest.”

As the dwelling of the Abyssal demons, the cave was undoubtedly fraught with danger.

The Cataclysmic Dragon Eye floating beside the red dragon had already seen many future scenes—corrupt blood, expanding darkness, chaotic, twisted limbs, and ritual circles drawn in viscous fluid—turning the cave into an extension of the Abyss on the Material Plane.

Though Cassius was unafraid, these things would certainly prove troublesome.

“Since there’s so much filth, let’s save some time.”

With that thought, Cassius sneered.

“I wonder if these demons know about smoking out a rat’s hole.”

The red dragon slowly opened his jaw, channeling energy through his dense network of basal veins to the dragon crystal embedded in his chest, where it gathered. Intense firelight shone from the surrounding cracks, and the translucent crystal erupted with unimaginable radiance, like a miniature sun.

The vents along his neck and tail suddenly opened, releasing streams of brilliant flames and plumes of white smoke.

Under the cover of smoke, the highly concentrated energy was delivered deep into the red dragon’s throat, finally erupting as a scorching white pillar of flame, blasting directly into the cave’s entrance.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the cave lit up like daylight.

The demons lying in ambush, ready to launch a sneak attack, were incinerated to ash by the extreme heat.

Anything that stood in the path of the breath was mercilessly destroyed.

The pillar of fire even melted and pierced the rock, reaching into the depths.

Demons let out shrill wails, flying and crawling throughout the cave, trying to escape the dreadful breath.

Yet this was not the end.

Cassius spread his wings, simultaneously channeling spells while maintaining his breath.

Under his nearly tangible supernatural charisma, the Weave shook violently, stirring a tempest of spellcasting.

【Blazing Stone Miasma】

Hundreds of tiny, searing volcanic stones fell from the sky, accompanied by billowing volcanic ash that poured into the cave.

“Taste the smoke of the Material Plane.”

Cassius said.

Common demons needed to breathe. Their lungs were strong, capable of withstanding external gases, including the deadly miasma of the Abyss, which could kill most beings of the Material Plane. Demons could breathe in any natural gas on the Material Plane.

But Cassius’s volcanic smoke wasn’t a mere natural gas; it was ash imbued with terrifying heat.

That ash turned the demons’ bodies into blazing furnaces, even melting their shells directly.

Dozens of Fro Demons flew chaotically in the smoke, colliding with each other as their vision was obscured, eventually suffocating after inhaling too much ash, plummeting to the ground.

Hundreds of cowardly demons struggled on the ground, even fighting each other, but ultimately they could not escape death.

Some demons melted into a puddle of black, tar-like pus after death.

Some had their skin peel away, leaving exposed muscles and viscera.

Others collapsed, their flesh decaying instantly, leaving behind a nauseating stench. The bones remained but shattered at the slightest touch.

Some demons turned translucent, disappearing in an electrical burst, leaving their silhouettes imprinted on nearby walls.

Demon deaths often brought about strange phenomena. As creatures born from the Abyss’s chaotic consciousness, they were more like manifestations of calamity than mere “species.”

Most demons began fleeing the cave, united in their instinct to escape despite their chaotic, frenzied nature.

The terrifying demons were now fleeing, howling in pain, their bodies covered in ash.

And this suited Cassius perfectly.

A mocking glint crossed the red dragon’s golden eyes.

“Looks like these ‘rats’ are being driven out.”

Cassius slowly closed his mouth, and due to the extreme heat, the surrounding air had already distorted, thick white smoke wafting from his jaws.

He swung his massive claw, the veins bulging beneath his scaled, muscular arm.

【Raking Claws】

A claw-shaped field of magical force appeared not far away, like a claw of the void, cutting several demons in half.

These tenacious demons writhed on the ground, wailing, black blood pouring out as twisted worms crawled from their remains.

Finally, those demons disintegrated into ash, leaving only the writhing worms.

If a demon was killed outside the Abyss, its body would eventually return there—unless forced to remain through magical means.

Regardless of what happened to the demon’s corpse, if killed outside the Abyss, its “essence” would return to the primordial chaos of the Abyss, then be reformed into a new demon.

“Roar—”

“Worms from the Abyss!”

Cassius roared, his thirty-meter-long massive body charging directly into the horde of demons.

“Awooo!”

Several burly Berserker Demons howled, charging from different directions, attempting to tear the dragon’s scales with their disproportionately large claws.

However, in the face of overwhelming power, all struggles were futile.

The red dragon was like a moving mountain, crushing the charging Berserker Demons into black-red pulp. Their giant claws were incinerated by flames before even touching the dragon’s scales.

Even fleeing demons were reduced to ash by the flames and lightning surrounding the red dragon, sent back to the blood pools of the Abyss.

A few Bagura Demons, gorilla-like, leaped onto the dragon, attempting to smash him.

But it was like charging into a wall. Cassius didn’t even feel the attack, and the arcing lightning caused the Bagura Demons to convulse.

They fell to the ground, where they were casually crushed by the red dragon.

In an instant, hundreds of demons were easily slain by Cassius, who even found it somewhat boring.

“Is that all?”

Cassius stood on the blood-soaked ground, his wings slowly spreading, casting a shadow over the cowering demons.

Suddenly, a large, blurry humanoid figure appeared at the smoke-filled entrance—a fallen giant.

His eyes blazed with Abyssal fire, his body covered in cracks that glowed with dark yellow light.

“Cassius, I will kill you!”

The giant roared, raising a black spear and breaking through the smoke, leaping high.

The leap reached nearly a hundred meters, the spear’s cold point aimed at the red dragon’s head, seemingly ready to pierce it.

The giant dove down like a falling meteor.

However, under the 【Dragon’s Grace】 effect, the red dragon’s speed and reaction reached their peak, especially with his foresight of danger.

“Hoo—”

Cassius gently flapped his wings, whipping up a powerful gust. His massive body became a blur, ascending hundreds of meters into the sky.

Midair, Koman’s expression changed drastically as his attack missed, his descent inevitable.

The ground shook, dust rising everywhere.

When the dust settled, the fallen giant knelt on the ground, his black spear deeply embedded in the cracked earth, several meters deep.

The giant slowly stood, gripping the spear, veins bulging on his arms.

With a slight noise, he yanked the spear from the ground.

The fallen giant raised the black spear, aiming it again at Cassius in the sky.

He lifted his head and let out a desperate, guttural roar. These words had brewed countless times in his mind, waiting for this moment’s release.

“Cassius, tremble, for I have returned!”

“I will never forget my hatred, for hatred is my spear of vengeance. Every night of these three years, I’ve dreamed of our reunion. I will tear every inch of your body, strip every scale, steal all your treasure, destroy your kingdom, and kill every one of your people!”

“The humiliation you brought me, I will repay a hundredfold!”

“Remember, the giant who brings you this despair is Koman, the Chaos-born child of Vengeance!”

The fallen giant roared, venting his long-suppressed emotions. His massive, corrupted body trembled, his cloudy eyes ablaze with demonic fury.

Yet the red dragon in the sky didn’t react as Koman expected.

Instead, Cassius casually flapped his wings, gazing down thoughtfully, trying to recall the giant’s identity.

No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t remember ever provoking this demon giant or why he had gained such an enemy.

So Cassius asked, puzzled:

“So... who are you again?”

Compared to insults, ignoring someone was the greatest disrespect.

Immediately, Koman felt as if corrupt blood was about to spurt from his mouth, his fury nearly becoming tangible.

The nemesis he had obsessed over day and night didn’t even know of his existence, nor cared about his revenge!

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