Chapter 538: Descent

Lady Aona had originally been sitting on the edge of the bed together with Lady Kali.

The moment she saw Rod, she grinned and scooted over to make room.

"Come sit over here. Lady Kali insisted on seeing the battlefield situation, and I've burned through way too much magic power—I'm exhausted."

Rod had no reason to refuse.

He strode over in big steps, and without ceremony plopped himself down between the two girls.

Relatively speaking, he still sat closer to Lady Kali.

So close that thigh pressed against thigh, arm pressed against arm.

Warm body heat.

The Young Lady elf's unique, faint fragrance drifted into his nose.

He really couldn't help recalling the soft, moist sensation of her surprise kiss that night.

Lady Kali's emerald eyes narrowed slightly, and her body stiffened for a moment.

Then she immediately put on a sour face:

"Back off, human. Want to be hauled before the Elven Court?"

"Sigh, I'm beat. After dealing with two dragons I rushed straight over here without stopping and got into another fierce fight—let me catch my breath, will you?"

". If you're catching your breath, go lie down on some other sickbed, or go find Xiao Ke, she's busy over in Medical Ward Two. Just don't bother me."

The moment she heard Rod was tired, her tone softened.

But she still insisted on being harsh with her words.

Rod, however, didn't take her bait.

"How about that? Felt good, right? The bastard who hurt you got pounded into powder by me."

As he spoke, he leaned toward her again.

Taking the chance to heal her with the power of the Plague Domain and the Verdant Domain.

That 【Demon-Slayer】 stiletto seemed to have a magic-piercing effect, so the wound it left didn't respond well to healing.

It could only be nursed slowly.

And indeed—

Rod could see fresh red blood seeping through the gauze on Lady Kali's abdomen.

Looking upward, he could also catch a glimpse of a sliver of bare, snow-white skin.

That spot happened to be just below the ribs, so leaning close, he could see the small swell of her left chest.

Mm.

Nice.

This guy just loves that peek-a-boo feeling.

But she wasn't about to let him keep staring.

Lady Kali suddenly twisted away, glaring at him with an angry flush on her face.

The rabbit-kin Lady Aona didn't notice this little interlude.

Her feet dangling and swinging in the air, the two tall, soft rabbit ears on top of her head swayed back and forth as well.

"So cool, Rod, so handsome! You smashed that dark elf over with a bang, and made sure to finish him off right in front of Lady Kali! Avenge the girl—that's really attractive!"

She finished with a laugh, then nudged the elf Young Lady.

"Right? Lady Kali."

"Hmph, just a brute throwing his weight around, that's all."

Lady Kali's words were sharp, but the little hum from her throat carried a vague, lazy note—strangely a bit coquettish.

Rod laughed, but then froze.

The matter of deliberately dragging the fight up onto the city wall to avenge the elf Young Lady had been a private chat, and Lady Kali wasn't the type to go around blabbing.

How did Lady Aona find out?

He opened 【Far Whisper Chain】 to take a look.

Well, damn—sent it by mistake into the 'Coral Bay Countermeasure Group' chat.

Everyone in the forest, everyone in Shi Ying, and all the reinforcements could see it.

Ugh.

Some certain elf-hating succubus is probably going to get mad with jealousy.

Speaking of which.

Tally was still tailing the Black Moon Clan's leader Natalie and that sixteen-mage squad.

After all, a leader-level opponent—even if killed and sent back to the Bloodborn Pool, the Despair Domain still didn't feel entirely safe.

Better to finish her off completely with 【Victory Pod】.

Rod opened Sharon's private chat, about to ask how the pursuit of the Thornblood Clan's Teshaya was going.

Suddenly.

The surrounding air and spiritual energy both grew viscous and heavy.

A powerful, soundless roar exploded in the ears of everyone present!

The four people in the medical tent all froze at once.

Rod reacted fastest, immediately dashing out of the tent.

And saw, in the sky directly above Coral Bay in the distance—

A colossal rift hundreds of meters across suddenly tore open, and rust-red flames poured out like a tide.

The surging heat spread outward with wild, frenzied force.

In the blink of an eye, even the spot where Rod stood was enveloped by a thick, sulfurous aura.

"An Infernal Archduke. This is a Descent spell."

The rabbit-kin Ona had appeared at his side at some unknown moment.

Her expression was no longer the relaxed one from before, now heavy and full of shock.

Rod's face darkened.

When it came to an Infernal Archduke connected to Coral Bay, who else could it be?

Only that Archduke Asmodeus, who had currently seized the divine blood.

Not everyone knew the secret of Asmodeus's attempt to break free from the divine blood; if some dim-witted ninth-tier big brother happened to charge out to the surface after him—

Then Coral Bay and even the Twilight Hills would face the peril of being turned into a sea of fire.

"But why would Asmodeus choose to forcibly descend into the mortal world at this moment?"

Ona was baffled.

Rod raised an eyebrow.

Could it be because of the corruption from the Despair Domain?

But would his current situation really allow that Archduke to personally appear and handle such a matter?

Or rather—

Had Asmodeus descended here precisely to deal with the lingering troubles of the divine blood?

Rod shook his head, no longer dwelling on it:

"Ona, could I trouble you to inform Lady Yulia? You needn't worry about the reward afterward."

"That much is no problem. An Infernal Archduke spilling onto the surface is originally the Demon Control Union's business. I just fear Lady Yulia won't arrive in time."

Ona said worriedly.

Lady Kali, clutching the wound on her abdomen, was helped over by Number Thirteen.

She looked at Rod and, in a voice uncommonly gentle, advised: "Order everyone to retreat. Coral Bay isn't worth it."

Seeing that the fellow was unmoved.

The elven Young Lady immediately grew a little anxious and tugged at Rod's sleeve.

"Be prudent, human. Even if the dark elves can linger on afterward, the ninth-tiers on the continent won't allow an Infernal Archduke to stay on the surface long-term. Rely on Shi Ying Town's guardian formation to weather this stretch, and we still have a chance."

Rod turned his head, took her slender hand, and pushed it away.

"It's not that simple. His situation is complicated; he likely has other designs."

"What are you doing? Have you gone mad? That's a ninth-tier, a ruler of the lower Hells."

"Asmodeus is being tormented by Mystra's divine blood; his condition won't be good. At a time like this, someone has to step forward. I can't bear to let you lot go. Besides, even if you retreat, someone has to cover the rear, right?"

Lady Kali's face soured.

She grabbed his clothes in a handful, plainly refusing to let him go.

Rod smiled: "Since when did you become so long-winded, little Lady Kali?"

"I just don't want someone to go off and get themselves killed."

But Rod, as always, hardly ever listened to her, and forcefully broke free from her faintly trembling hand.

"You—!"

"Ona, please notify the others to retreat. Number Thirteen, keep an eye on your mistress; don't let her do anything rash."

And without waiting for their response—

Rod slammed his foot down, blasting the ground apart, and with a Repulsion spell surged upward at speed, heading toward the sky above Coral Bay not far away.

The sky was stained blood-red.

A grand, majestic, and elegantly ancient pair of double doors manifested.

Amid a thunderous roar, the heavy doors swung open.

A tall, elegant crimson figure slowly stepped forward from the abyssal mist within the doors and came into view.

A sullen red complexion.

A resplendent black-and-red long robe.

A scarlet scepter crowned with a red gemstone.

A handsome and cold countenance; scarlet eyes swept over all beneath the heavens with a majestic and unquestionable gaze.

His very presence warped the surrounding air, and flames seethed at his feet.

A heavy, shudder-inducing pressure swept in from all directions, devouring the entire battlefield.

Asmodeus's expression was extremely ugly and dark.

The aura around him churned violently, extremely unstable.

Just as the Vampire King Yulia had said, the divine blood had left him in a terrible state.

"Great Master!"

Tasha'ya of the Blood Thorn Clan had, at some unknown moment, already arrived at his side.

Covered in blood, she knelt in midair, wretched yet reverent.

Far behind her stood the cautious halfling Lily and the dog-kin Sharon, who had not dared approach.

The two women's brows furrowed at the same time; upon hearing the retreat order through the 【Far-Speech Chain】, they both retreated backward with reluctance.

A ninth-tier Infernal Archduke was no longer an opponent one could match by force.

"Master Asmodeus!"

The alluring, mature Natalie of the Black Moon Clan also hurried over from afar, equally reverent.

She seemed to have changed into a different outfit as well—plunging neckline, exposed midriff—rather alluring.

Asmodeus didn't even glance at the two of them and asked in a low voice:

"Where is the bloodline node?"

The words had just fallen.

Fwip fwip fwip—

Mid-air.

A huge, vicious pair of pruning shears, unfolded into a cross shape, came spinning from afar.

He swept a cold glance over and, upon seeing it was a pair of pruning shears, actually showed a flicker of surprise.

Clearly he recognized this weapon.

Just as he was about to raise the crimson scepter in his hand.

A thunderous dragon roar suddenly split the heavens!

The sound wave, laden with fierce spiritual essence, rapidly spread outward, in an instant smashing apart and scattering the all-encompassing red sulfur.

The azure sky appeared once more.

【Purifying Dragon Roar】.

"White Dragon? No... a mortal."

Asmodeus saw the human charging toward him and couldn't help but feel a trace of the ridiculous.

Natalie urged, "It's that meddlesome person, blocking me from capturing the bloodline node the whole time!"

"Hmph."

The Grand Duke of Hell's scepter tapped lightly.

Blazing hellfire immediately surged forth from the rift behind him.

The target was not Rod, but the spinning pruning shears; the flame, as if it were a tangible thing, instantly coiled around them.

In Asmodeus's view, that foolhardy human was far less of a threat than this thing.

A casual fire serpent would be more than enough.

He didn't even bother to look.

Hmm—

Ice-blue spiritual light flared suddenly.

A breath carrying the scent of the ancient Firmament Tree from ages past came rushing in against the suddenly biting cold wind.

"Hm?"

Asmodeus was astonished, and only now finally looked at Rod properly.

He saw that human's chest swell, his throat and even both eyes already turned a frozen azure.

The next moment.

Roar!

A vast, pale-white cold current roared out like a silver dragon.

A column of dragon breath a full two meters in diameter!

Bearing biting frost and gale, it instantly froze the surrounding air.

The tremendous impact, carrying a twisting vortex, instantly froze the fire serpent that had just slithered forth and then shattered it to pieces with the collision, before blanketing the sky as it engulfed Asmodeus within it.

Along with the massive Hellgate behind him and the flames beside him, it froze, evaporated, and then instantly froze again.

The two dark elf leaders beside him saw this, looked as if they'd seen a ghost, and turned tail to run.

"Mmgh—"

Asmodeus let out a muffled grunt as the flames around him surged violently.

"A buff from the Firmament Tree? A seventh-tier can actually unleash this kind of power?"

Amid the raging frost dragon breath.

Asmodeus's face was dark and shifting, slightly savage.

While forcibly suppressing the wildly churning divine blood within him, he withstood the powerful dragon breath that even exceeded eighth-tier might.

His body, long tormented.

Had actually begun to show a hint of being unable to resist.

"How dare you!!!"

He violently surged his magic power.

The raging flames rose once more, in one stroke overwhelming the frost of the dragon breath.

The scepter moved, and a pitch-black negative energy ray was unleashed.

The ray came with extreme speed.

Rod frowned tightly and swiftly tore off both sleeves.

With a ripping sound, countless eyes opened densely across both arms, and all of them turned a molten-lava orange-red.

Innumerable 【Flame Rays】 blasted forth, colliding head-on with that negative energy ray.

(End of this chapter)