Chapter 23 Desperate Fight on the Main Road
Chapter 23 Desperate Fight on the Main Road
Gywnn sighed and said, “The internal conflict within the Demon Race is extremely intense. If not for the existence of the two Four-Winged Fallen Angels—His Majesty and my father—the fighting would have erupted long ago. Their representative is the other great authority, Prince Su Er. The prince is His Majesty’s brother, and he has more than ten Fallen Angels in his camp. His is the largest force besides His Majesty’s. The prince is overwhelmingly ambitious and has long wanted to overthrow His Majesty. I don’t know who leaked the information that His Majesty passed his power to the princess. With such an opportunity, he would of course try to suppress our side as much as possible. That Su Er has already reached the sixth tier of the Heavenly Demon Art and is extremely powerful. The others are also at the fifth tier. We don’t stand a chance. You should hurry and leave. If you stay any longer, it will be too late.”
I looked at Zi Yan in my arms with a determined gaze. My expression alone told her my decision.
Zi Yan smiled. “Men should stand by what they believe in. I will support you no matter what, but don’t drive me away. I want to stay here with you. Even in death, I want to be by your side.”
She truly was intelligent. With a single sentence, she saw through my thoughts.
I laughed bitterly. “You can leave riding Black Dragon. If you stay here, I’ll be distracted—and you can’t fight anyway.”
Zi Yan shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. Just do what you need to do.”
The Gu brothers had treated me sincerely. Even though we were technically enemies, I absolutely could not abandon them at a moment like this. If I did, I would not deserve to call myself a man, nor would I ever become the peerless powerhouse I aspired to be. Even if I faced danger, I could not run.
At that moment, Griffin and Su Er’s conversation ended, and the four opponents spread out like a fan to surround us.
Su Er said sinisterly, “Do not let even one escape. Darkness condense in thy soul. To have fallen is to be freed. Awaken! Myriad magical powers that hath slumbered in mine blood.”
Almost at the same time, the four of them completed their Fallen Angel transformation.
Gwynn stepped forward and unsheathed his long sword alongside Griffin. “Darkness condense in thy soul. To have fallen is to be freed. Awaken! Myriad magical powers that hath slumbered in mine blood.”
However, I was the first on our side to transform.
After transforming, I flashed beside them with Black Sable angled toward the ground. “You don’t have to persuade me anymore. We’ll get through this together. Three against four—we might not lose.”
Even as I said that, I had no confidence in my heart.
My transformation startled Su Er. “Another Fallen Angel? A newly completed transformation? Fine. I’ll destroy you before you even mature.”
The Gwynn brothers realized they could not persuade me and instead felt gratified by my decision. They transformed into Fallen Angels and guarded both sides of me.
Seven pairs of black wings—belonging to the Demon Race’s most powerful warriors—faced each other on the main road.
Our overwhelming pressure spread outward for several hundred meters. Zi Yan had already retreated far away on Black Dragon.
The place where we stood was completely shrouded in the black mist we released. Not a trace of sunlight remained. The mist formed the battlefield for our decisive clash.
I felt an unprecedented pressure. The hand holding Black Sable was soaked with sweat.
Fourteen icy gazes collided in midair. No one yielded.
In terms of momentum, we were clearly at a disadvantage.
This can’t continue.
If we allowed the enemy to launch their strongest attack at the peak of their momentum, we might not be able to withstand it.
At that moment, I made the first move.
I gathered all of my Mad God chi and mixed it with dark magic, channeling the energy into Black Sable. Stepping forward, I slammed Black Sable heavily into the ground.
The Gu brothers, accustomed to fighting together, immediately flew to my sides and charged forward like lightning.
A tremendous explosion marked the beginning of the desperate battle.
The power of Hurricane detonated behind the four enemies, blasting shattered stones into the air. Two waves of energy surged forward, covering both land and sky.
The Gu brothers attacked simultaneously. Their blades became streaks of black light as they struck toward Su Er.
The enemy showed no surprise at the attacks from both sides. Splitting into two groups, two of them spread their wings to deal with the flying debris, while Su Er and the remaining opponent faced the Gu brothers.
After unleashing Hurricane, I took a deep breath, raised Black Sable, and leapt toward them.
The sounds of clashing steel rang endlessly through the sky.
The Gu brothers’ coordinated attacks were incredibly powerful. They avoided the attacks of the remaining opponent and focused all their strength on Su Er. Their strategy was clear: defeat the leader, and the group would collapse.
Su Er was steadily forced backward under their relentless assault.
At that moment, I arrived.
Ignoring the other enemy, I charged at Su Er and shouted, “Violent Dance of the Mad Dragon!”
The Gu brothers cooperated perfectly, dispersing Su Er’s attacks while sealing off both of his escape routes. He was forced to confront the ink-black dragon formed by my attack head-on.
Meanwhile, the two opponents who had been dealing with Hurricane finished their task and rushed toward us at full speed.
The remaining enemy attacked me from the side with full force, attempting to relieve the pressure on Su Er by attacking my flank.
If I continued my attack, I would definitely be struck.
But in such a short moment, he could not unleash his full strength. That worked to our advantage.
If we could critically injure Su Er now, the enemy formation would collapse.
Gritting my teeth, I decided to commit fully. Even if I were struck, I would take Su Er down with me.
Despite the life-and-death situation, Su Er remained eerily calm. He stared at me with a dark expression, a strange excitement flickering in his eyes.
His body shifted suddenly, dodging the Gu brothers’ attacks. A dark energy sphere appeared before his chest.
With a furious roar, he hurled it toward me.
The Gu brothers were not weak either. Even though Su Er avoided their attacks, their sword chi still cut across him, leaving two deep wounds on his arms.
The ink-black dragon formed by my attack collided violently with the dark energy sphere.
The explosive shockwave blasted the four of us apart simultaneously.
Trees along the road collapsed in every direction, and the ground beneath us erupted violently.
The Gu brothers dodged the flying debris as they rushed toward me. I had temporarily lost control of my body—the collision had paralyzed me for a moment.
They turned in midair, grabbing my arms from both sides. The recoil from the explosion had fortunately carried me away from the enemy’s follow-up attack.
Even so, the backlash left me slightly injured.
To my shock, although Su Er was coughing up blood, his injury did not seem severe at all.
Even under such favorable circumstances, I had failed to deal him a critical blow.
The advantage we had gained in that brief moment had completely vanished.
Su Er stood with disheveled hair while his companions gathered around him.
His clothes were shredded by the violent winds, his body covered in blood, making him appear terrifying.
He sealed the bleeding in his veins and glared at us without blinking.
“You three deal with the Gu brothers. Leave that boy to me. If I don’t break his bones and grind him to dust, then my name isn’t Su Er Lucifer.”
He wiped the blood from his lips and licked it with a sinister grin.
“You made me bleed. Now I’ll repay you tenfold.”
I steadied my breathing and tightened my grip on Black Sable.
The next battle would be far more dangerous than the first. The enemy would not give us another opportunity.
“Brother, you should still leave,” Gwynn urged urgently. “We can buy you some time. If you stay here, you’re only throwing your life away.”
I slowly shook my head.
Only six words left my mouth.
“Fight to the death—with no regrets.”
I had thought about escaping.
But if I ran now, this humiliation would be buried in my heart forever. It would cast an unpredictable shadow over my future.
And what would Zi Yan think of me?
In her eyes, I would become a coward.
What I did not know was that Zi Yan no longer valued strength the way she once had.
Far away, she sat atop Black Dragon watching the battle anxiously.
“Lay-Lay… nothing must happen to you. If things go badly… just run away.”
Love had already made this proud yet gentle girl abandon everything else.
To her, my safety mattered more than anything.
Unfortunately, I did not know this.
If I had, who would willingly risk their life like this?
The once-straight highway had been destroyed by the apocalyptic collision, leaving behind a massive crater.
We now stood inside that crater.
Except for Su Er, the other three enemies raised their swords high.
With shrill cries, they transformed into three streaks of black light and charged toward us.
The Gu brothers met the attack with their twin blades. Thunderous clashes echoed across the sky.
Thanks to their perfect coordination, the enemy could not overwhelm them immediately.
I focused entirely on Su Er.
He stared at me with a cruel smile and began chanting.
“Oh great God of Darkness, as your servant I offer my precious soul in exchange for momentary power. Accept my request and grant me the purest darkness—the most evil and explosive power. Darkness Distillation.”
I recognized the spell.
Only someone who had reached the sixth tier of the Heavenly Demon Art could use this sixth-level dark magic.
It caused no direct damage, but it instantly restored the user’s condition. By absorbing dark elements from the air, it could increase their power to one and a half times their original strength.
However, the side effects were severe. After using it, the caster would need a full month of cultivation to recover, suffering immense pain during that time.
Since he had used this spell, he clearly intended to leave no survivors.
There was no way to stop him—the spell activated almost instantly.
All I could do was recover my strength as quickly as possible.
A black hexagram appeared beneath Su Er’s feet. Purple light enveloped his entire body and was absorbed into him.
His eyes changed from the black of a Fallen Angel to a terrifying purple-black.
“Kid… die.”
His sword slashed horizontally.
A dark purple energy wave shot toward me.
Even before it reached me, I could feel its aura locking onto my body.
The only way to survive was to shatter the attack head-on. Otherwise, the follow-up strikes would leave me with no path but death.
I raised Black Sable and infused it with dark magic, slashing along the same trajectory as his attack.
The moment the two forces collided, the difference in power was obvious.
My sword chi was instantly shattered.
The attack struck my chest directly.
I screamed as my body was blasted sideways and slammed into the wall of the crater.
A long tear opened across my chest clothing, revealing the armor beneath.
If not for my tough physique, that blow would have killed me.
Su Er dragged his sword along the ground as he slowly walked toward me.
With every step he took, the pressure intensified.
Even if the Gu brothers wanted to help me, they could not.
Two against three—they were already at a disadvantage.
They were completely entangled with their opponents.
If not for the injuries the enemy had already suffered, they would not have been able to hold out this long.
Su Er sneered.
“Kid, you’re tough. But that was only the appetizer. The real feast is still coming. I won’t let you die easily. I’ll carve you apart inch by inch.”
He burst into cruel laughter.
“Hahaha…”
“Why the hell are you laughing? Take this!”
Black Sable spun into a powerful whirlwind aimed directly at his stomach.
Before finishing the technique, I leapt into the air.
A storm of sword shadows filled the sky and rained down toward Su Er.
Since I could not match his strength, I had to rely on speed.
Perhaps a miracle might occur.
Su Er lazily waved his massive sword, counting each of my attacks one by one.
I attacked from every difficult angle I could find, gathering Dark Magic and Mad God chi at the tip of Black Sable. Each clash produced a clear metallic ringing.
Su Er’s weapon was massive—over fifty kilograms, nearly the size of half a door.
In close combat at such short distance, its size became a weakness.
I circled around him rapidly, exploiting that weakness.
Although the third stage of the Mad God Arts was stronger, it consumed far too much energy.
Right now, I relied entirely on speed.
Mad God chi boosted my movement as I spun around him relentlessly.
For a moment, even Su Er struggled to shake me off.
Then something unexpected happened.
From the moment I had been struck earlier, a warm current began flowing from the lower right side of my abdomen.
It did not heal my injuries directly.
But it filled the surrounding tissue with vitality, stimulating my cells to repair themselves.
The faint fragrance coming from the right side of my chest continuously stimulated my nerves, keeping me in a hyper-alert state the entire time. Because of this, I was able to fight Su Er Lucifer with relentless energy.
I knew the scent came from the Bloodstone. Ji Yan once told me that the Bloodstone could refresh the mind and keep one’s thoughts clear. But the vitality that occasionally surged through my body had to come from one of the other gems. At the moment, however, I could not remember where Zi Yan had placed each of the gems back then.
Too bad I did not have the purple crystal that could store magic power. If I did, there might have been a slight chance of victory.
Su Er Lucifer was in no hurry to kill me. He casually used his martial sword to block my attacks, an evil grin fixed on his face the whole time.
I knew he was waiting for his partner to deal with the Gu brothers. He also did not want to get hurt himself, which was why he had not used his full strength yet. But my current ability could only maintain this stalemate. Once the distance between us widened, that would probably be the moment I lost my life. My defense might be strong, but if that massive martial sword struck me directly, the result would not be pleasant.
The pit where we fought kept expanding. From above, the entire crater would have looked like it was covered in a thick layer of dust and soil fog, with only the shadows of people flickering inside.
Ji Yan had already tied Black Dragon at a distance and rushed over alone. She crouched at the edge of the pit, nervously watching the battle between me and Su Er Lucifer.
I pushed my power to the limit. The desperate battle filled me with a strange sense of exhilaration. The two energies inside my body constantly merged and released again. Su Er Lucifer soon realized that the longer we fought, the stronger I seemed to become. I did not show the slightest sign of fatigue.
His power was far greater than mine, and he was supported by dark magic. Under normal circumstances, killing me should have been easy. But the key point was that he did not want to get hurt. He wanted a perfect victory, so he dragged the fight out, waiting for the moment when I would lose heart before delivering the fatal strike.
But the increase in my power sent a brief chill through his heart.
If another twenty years pass, he thought, the Demon Race might end up ruled by this kid.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, Su Er Lucifer no longer cared about the risk of injury. Even while being struck by Black Sable, he released the full force of his chi. The surge of energy blasted me backward. While I was still flying through the air, he raised his martial sword above his head and shouted,
“Darkness Air Slash!”
The surrounding black mist was drawn into the attack, forming a band of black energy that slashed toward me.
The Gu brothers shouted at the same time.
“Don’t take that attack head-on! Dodge!”
But they were too late.
I had already swung Black Sable and collided with the so-called Darkness Air Slash. My blade struck his martial sword directly, but the energy wave tore across my shoulder. Blood sprayed everywhere.
My shoulder went numb first. Then a wave of intense pain erupted from the wound.
I knew my collarbone was probably broken. A huge amount of dark magic rushed into my body, violently tearing through my meridian channels.
Su Er Lucifer roared and thrust his martial sword forward. The shockwave sent me flying again, blood spraying wildly through the air. Black Sable flew from my hand, and the web between my thumb and index finger shattered from the impact.
To anyone watching, it would have seemed impossible for me to survive such a severe wound.
Only Zi Yan understood that with my Behemoth body, even such damage would not take my life. Unable to worry about anything else, she rushed forward and stood in front of me.
At the same moment I was wounded, the Gu brothers were not faring any better. Because they had tried to warn me, their attention faltered. Their opponents seized the opening and launched several fierce attacks. After all, it was two against three. They were already at a disadvantage.
Both brothers spat blood and were blasted aside by the force of the blows.
Su Er Lucifer laughed loudly.
“You two take care of those brothers. I’ll deal with this kid myself. I’m sure he’s still breathing. And this girl…”
His gaze slid over Zi Yan, and he grinned wickedly.
“She’s really beautiful. I might be a little old, but I can still make you experience heaven and hell at the same time. Move aside. Let me finish this brat first. Then I’ll find a quiet place and take good care of you.”
Zi Yan was so furious that her face flushed red. The hand holding her magic staff trembled slightly.
I lay behind her on the ground. There was not a single place on my body that did not ache. Yet my lower right abdomen continued to release a stream of vitality, slowly restoring my body.
I also saw the state of the Gu brothers.
It’s over.
With Zi Yan’s strength, what could she possibly do?
My only regret was that I had not forced her to leave when the fight first began.
Hearing Su Er Lucifer’s humiliating words, anger surged through my chest. The pain in my damaged meridians intensified, and I spat out another mouthful of blood.
Just as Zi Yan prepared to cast light magic against him, a black shadow flashed past. Her magic staff instantly appeared in the enemy’s hand.
Su Er Lucifer laughed.
“So eager, are you? Since you want pleasure right here, I’ll grant it. Brothers, after I’m done, you’ll each get your turn. I’ll let this kid watch how his own woman is treated by us.”
The remaining demons burst into wild laughter.
Gwynn struggled to sit up and roared,
“You beasts! You can’t do this! Brother… your older brothers have failed you. Even in hell, we won’t forgive these animals!”
One of the Fallen Angels snorted coldly and threw two dark energy orbs toward the brothers.
Boom. Boom.
The blasts hurled the Gu brothers backward, slamming them into the earthen wall of the pit. Their bodies embedded in the soil, blood staining the dirt like a scene from purgatory.
The attack did not kill them, but they could no longer remain conscious. As they lost consciousness, their Fallen Angel forms disappeared. The wings behind their backs vanished, and their hair returned to normal.
Zi Yan’s face turned deathly pale as she stared at Su Er Lucifer, who slowly walked toward her.
Step by step.
Suddenly, he stopped.
His expression changed as he stared past Zi Yan.
She froze for a moment before turning around.
A pair of crimson eyes stared back at her.
A tremendous force erupted. She was thrown out of the pit.
While Su Er Lucifer had been humiliating Zi Yan, my consciousness had finally snapped. The fury inside me triggered my Berserk Transformation.
My black wings burned crimson with rage. My hair and eyes changed as well.
The wounds on my body rapidly closed. Even my broken collarbone reconnected itself.
I rose slowly into the air and floated behind Zi Yan. The last fragment of clarity in my mind told me only one thing:
I could not let this girl be harmed.
With a single wave of my hand, I sent Zi Yan flying out of the pit.
A dangerous aura poured from my entire body.
My voice carried no anger at all.
“All of you… die.”
I spread my red wings. The dark energy orbs they fired were blasted away. A violent power gathered around me, lifting my hair as if blown by a storm.
Black Sable flew back into my hand. Under the surge of energy, the blade turned the same eerie crimson as my wings.
Su Er Lucifer cried out in shock.
“You… what kind of monster are you?”
I lifted Black Sable and spoke slowly, each word cold and clear.
“You will be the first to die.”
A flash of red light.
I appeared behind him.
The other three demons stared in horror.
Su Er Lucifer let out a scream. A blood hole the size of a wrist opened in his chest. Blood sprayed everywhere as he collapsed to the ground.
In truth, he was not weak. Even in my Crimson Angel state, the gap between us was not so great that I should have been able to kill him in one strike.
But for a moment he had been shaken by my terrifying transformation. His movements slowed, and he failed to use dark magic.
That brief hesitation cost him his life.
Because his power was extraordinary, his body did not explode into a rain of blood like Count Bai Sikai had earlier. The sixth level of the Heavenly Demon Art was indeed formidable.
I raised Black Sable, licking the blood from its blade.
“Who’s next?”
The remaining three Fallen Angels retreated.
One of them screamed, and the three fled in different directions.
Did they really think they could escape?
Their morale had already collapsed. They were no longer a threat.
All I wanted now was blood.
Blood.
Blood.
Red flashes streaked through the air.
Two demons were cut in half at the waist mid-flight. The last was nailed to a massive tree by the Black Sable I hurled.
Perhaps my current state was too terrifying. If they had simply endured until my berserk transformation ended, they might have been able to kill me.
But now…
I recalled Black Sable to my hand and stood in the center of the pit, laughing wildly. The entire area was filled with a sinister aura. The black mist that once filled the battlefield had been completely absorbed into my body.
A red flash carried me out of the pit.
Zi Yan stood nearby.
She looked at my ferocious face, her own pale with fear. She instinctively stepped back. Even Black Dragon, tied in the distance, pawed nervously at the ground.
I stared at her blankly.
Suddenly, my body staggered. I dropped to one knee.
The crimson glow faded, returning to black. My wings folded back into my body, and my hair and eyes returned to normal.
A streak of black blood slid from the corner of my mouth.
My voice came out broken and weak.
“Sa… save… both of… them… make… up… a story… tell… them… when… they’re… a bit… better… let… them… quickly… take… me… somewhere… safe… to… recover… did I… scare… you…? Sor… sorry…”
After the final word, I collapsed.
Two streams of icy chi circulated through my body, repairing my injuries. My consciousness gradually cleared.
I guided the remaining dark magic in my body to circulate together with those two external energies. The vitality from my lower abdomen continued replenishing my strength.
Compared to the last time I transformed into the Crimson Angel, the strain on my body this time was far greater. After all, I had killed four powerful enemies.
Without the continuous support from those energies and the vitality inside me, I might not have died—but I would certainly have been crippled.
The dark magic circulated through my body seven more times.
Gradually, the external energies faded.
I slowly opened my eyes.
“Ah… Ah Lei, you’re awake. That’s wonderful.”
A few drops of water fell onto my face.
I focused my vision and saw Zi Yan nearby. Her tear-streaked face looked like pear blossoms drenched in rain.
I spoke hoarsely.
“Are we safe now?”
Another voice answered.
It was Gwynn.
“Brother, it’s safe now. Even if Su Er Lucifer wanted to chase us, he has no men left. How are you feeling? Are your injuries better?”
I turned my head. The Gu brothers sat cross-legged nearby, looking at me with gratitude.
“A lot better,” I said. “Where are we?”
Daylight filtered through tall trees. It looked like we were in a forest not far from the site of the battle.
Gu Feng Lucifer replied,
“We’re in the forest beside the official road, about three kilometers from where they ambushed us. Thank you, brother. If it weren’t for you, we’d already be reincarnated.”
I forced a smile.
“Second Brother Gu, you shouldn’t say that. If I hadn’t killed them, I would have died as well. Zi Yan, can you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness?”
I asked this deliberately.
Who knew what kind of story Zi Yan had invented? If they questioned me later and my answers didn’t match, our cover would be blown.
After I woke up, Zi Yan had been visibly excited. When she heard my question, she immediately understood.
She held my hand and said gently,
“Close your eyes. I’ll tell you everything.”
I obediently closed my eyes.
Zi Yan began explaining what happened after I fainted.
After I collapsed, she panicked and had no way to heal me immediately. She could only bandage my wounds and drag the Gu brothers from the pit. Unable to carry all three of us, she pulled us into the forest instead.
Half a day later, in the middle of the night, the Gu brothers regained consciousness first.
They did not ask about the situation. They immediately began healing themselves and continued until the next morning.
After their injuries improved, they carried us to our current location.
When they asked Zi Yan what had happened, she told them that the Demon Emperor once created a forbidden technique called the Demonic Dismantling Law, which could unleash a person’s life potential instantly—though at a terrible cost.
Her explanation was almost unbelievable.
She told them that I had burned twenty years of my life to gain immense power and kill all four enemies.
Naturally, the Gu brothers were deeply grateful. Without even waiting for their own injuries to fully heal, they took turns using Dark Healing Magic on me to stabilize my condition.
I had remained unconscious for seven days.
Two days ago, the Gu brothers had almost completely recovered. Together they began treating my injuries. The two external energies I had felt earlier were their power.
Thanks to their efforts, I had finally awakened.
Zi Yan’s talent for storytelling was truly impressive.
After hearing everything, I opened my eyes again and said, “Thank you, brothers, for treating my wounds. Are your injuries fully healed now?”