Chapter 952: Metal Frenzy

"Lord of Darkness's servants, crush them!"

At Barazakun's command, the Demon army surged out of the gate like a tide, roaring wildly as they pounced on the enemies outside.

They are the elite troops under the Destruction Demon King, half of them at high rank, the other half at least Mid-stage, and there are over two hundred legendary Great Demons. The passages on both sides of the outer corridor, as well as the rear entrance, are also swarmed by countless Demons. All the Demons of the Dragon-Viewing Fortress are gathering here, a black mass of Demons that stretches beyond sight.

Such a multitude of Demon troops poured in, like a scene from a nightmare.

Yet the Dark Angel legion remained unafraid, their formation flawless; the frontmost Dark Angels formed a wall, brandishing great swords toward the Demons.

Bang bang bang…

Like two torrents colliding head‑on, in an instant the superiority became clear.

The Dark Angel's great swords easily cleaved any Demon before them, and with a fierce forward thrust they smashed more Demons into fragments.

The Demon army's first wave of charge collapsed like a landslide.

The second wave of charge launched immediately, but the frontmost Dark Angels had already surged into the hall, expanding their front.

The Demons' three successive charges were all repelled; more and more Dark Angels trampled through blood and flesh into the hall, their black silhouettes like reefs, unmoved by the Demon tide and instead crushing the Demons.

Barazakun, seated upon the Iron Throne, watched the scene, his face cold and harsh, indifferent to the losses of his Demon troops.

But his eyes began to flash uncontrollably.

Having been in the Abyss for so many years, it had never seen a force so powerful; these foes that looked like terror warriors, facing an onslaught dozens times their number, not only kept flawless formation but coordinated with uncanny unity, as if they were a single being.

Even now, they have sustained zero casualties in battle!

Barazakun could not believe it.

Even the most elite terror warrior legion lacks such terrifying combat power.

"You are not terror warriors!"

The Destruction Demon King looked at Ai Luotixiya in the enemy ranks and, from a distance, intoned gravely: "Succubus, who is the master you serve?"

No Succubus could command such a mighty army; there must be someone else behind her.

Ai Luotixiya merely glanced at Barazakun, her indifferent gaze tinged with pity, as if looking at someone destined to die.

Barazakun's fury flared instantly.

A mere lowly Succubus, whom it had casually slaughtered countless times, dares to despise it; it must give her a lesson.

"Kill you, and the master behind you will inevitably appear."

Barazakun let out a roar, his eyes turning scarlet, endless demonic energy spilling forth; his muscles bulged, and he seized a long‑handed great axe, sprinting down from the Iron Throne. His massive fifteen‑meter‑tall body ran at an incomprehensibly swift speed.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

The Destruction Demon King's footsteps made the entire great hall tremble; Demons caught between him and the gate could not dodge. Each footfall crushed Demons within a radius of over ten meters into mush, like a high‑speed steam train barreling forward.

The terrifying might made Ai Luotixiya's complexion change, yet she made no move to meet the enemy.

The Dark Angels also ignored it, focusing on eliminating the Demons before them.

Rumble!

In an instant, Barazakun surged halfway across, stamping the ground hard, his body leaping up as he raised the great axe high, slashing toward the Dark Angel legion.

That axe strike would surely shake the heavens.

Demons assaulting the Dark Angel formation looked up to see the Destruction Demon King above; instinctively they stepped back, fearing the axe's aftershock.

"Die!"

Barazakun roared loudly, channeling his entire strength into the great axe.

Suddenly.

A portal opened in mid‑air of the hall, positioned perfectly on Barazakun's jump trajectory; a massive blue‑purple bolt of lightning shot out, instantly striking the Destruction Demon King at his apex.

Boom…

The lightning strike caused Barazakun to explode, revealing his true form: not lightning but a dark‑golden spear over ten meters long.

The spear, imbued with terrifying power, drove deep into Barazakun's chest, knocking him down and crushing a swath of Demons on the ground; in an instant, the lightning erupting from the spear turned Demons within a hundred‑meter radius to ash.

Barazakun let out a wail, rolling endlessly on the iron floor until he collided with the base of his throne, finally stopping.

But it did not die, immediately flipping over and getting up.

"Who are you?"

Barazakun stared intently at the opposite side of the portal, his massive hand gripping the dark‑golden spear lodged in his chest; a strange force melted the spear, and he expressionlessly pulled it out.

The hole in its chest healed rapidly, showing no sign of injury.

Ai Luotixiya, witnessing this, was horrified; Barazakun's defense and vitality were beyond imagination—such a terrifying blow failed to wound it.

"This ability…"

The Succubus thought of Lei En and his Thundercast Celestial Soldiers, "Seems to be metal control?"

She surveyed the black hall, the surrounding Iron Fortress and the entire Dragon-Viewing Fortress, all forged of steel, clearly linked to Barazakun's ability.

"Hm?"

The Destruction Demon King's expression suddenly changed; he lowered his head to examine the dark‑golden spear now melted into a lump, eyes flashing with surprise, and instinctively asked, "What metal is this?"

It had never seen such metal; it tried to pull it into a dimensional space, but the metallic liquid vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.

"Barazakun, come out and face death."

A voice came from the other side of the portal; Ai Luotixiya recognized it as Lei En's, "I will show mercy, letting you die with some dignity."

"Arrogant!"

Barazakun had already seen where the portal led—onto the plaza outside the Iron Fortress. He glanced at the Demon army being slaughtered by the Dark Angels, felt no attachment, and leapt into the portal. In his eyes, that strange metal mattered more than the Demon army.

With a bang, the Destruction Demon King landed, appearing outside the Iron Fortress.

The plaza was littered with Demon corpses.

Barazakun spotted the enemy at a glance: a giant nearly his own height stood in the plaza, clad in mithril armor, wielding a black greatsword. His aura was restrained, yet the surrounding air drew in all thunder‑electric power, forming a dark cloud high above, brewing countless bolts of lightning.

"Titan Elder?" Barazakun asked, uncertain.

It considered many possibilities; the succubus and the terrifying legion's master could be some Abyssal Lord, even a deity, but it could never have imagined it being a Titan Giant—this was completely beyond its expectations.

Immediately, Barazakun felt boundless fury rise within.

"Giant!"

"You are not a member of the Abyss, I have no grievance against you; why attack my fortress?" Barazakun was like a volcano on the brink of eruption, suppressing its anger as it asked in a deep voice.

As a Demon Lord, Barazakun did not have a good temper.

Yet its keen perception told it that the giant before it was extremely dangerous; it must not act rashly, or the result would be grim.

"In the Abyss, do you need a reason to strike you?" Lei En smiled, saying with a hint of amusement, "And you're not a member of the Abyss either…"

Barazakun's complexion changed dramatically at once.

It seemed to lose its mind and chose to act immediately.

Boom!

A strange wave erupted from the lone horn on Barazakun's forehead, expanding a domain centered on itself; simultaneously it lifted its right foot and stomped, shaking half the plaza. Within a range of several hundred meters, the steel‑cast plaza floor was instantly overturned, the solid steel plates turned into towering waves that crashed down on Lei En.

Amid the steel tide, hundreds of blades, spears and arrows coalesced into form.

Each attack seemed to be guided by an invisible hand, bursting forth at astonishing speed, flying across the sky in great numbers, so fast and dense that they obscured a swath of the heavens.

All the attacks locked onto Lei En.

The sheer terrifying weight of the steel frenzy could crush ordinary Saint Rank strongmen, leaving little room to dodge.

The steel ground beneath him turned into a mire, trapping his feet; from the mire a single steel claw and chain emerged, coiling around him like a python.

"Interesting move."

Lei En gave a cool appraisal, then his body suddenly swelled to fifty meters tall; the iron chains wrapped around his feet snapped apart, and a force that seemed capable of shaking heaven and earth radiated outward. The soul‑ignited heavy sword in his hand also grew to forty meters; he raised the sword and swung it forward.

Thunder Slash!

The forty‑meter‑long great sword cut through the steel frenzy like a hot knife through bamboo, splitting it in two.

Barazakun, horrified to the point of panic, clapped its hands; tens of thousands of pounds of steel surged forward, forming metallic barriers to shield itself.

Within the domain, layer upon layer of iron curtains rose to block Lei En's slash.

Yet before absolute power, those defenses appeared pale and feeble.

A thunderous crack.

Lei En's figure surged forward, and in half a breath he sliced through more than a dozen iron curtains; the soul‑ignited heavy sword cut them as easily as paper, and even the final few walls, several meters thick, only slightly slowed the sword's speed.

Barazakun's domain was cleaved in two by that single slash.

The black blade tip pierced the metal barrier and drove into Barazakun's shoulder; the terrifying force nearly split it in two, and the blade halted only at its waist.

Even with its strong regeneration, such a grievous wound sent it instantly into a near‑death state.

"Ah…"

Barazakun cried out in pain.

Its domain immediately collapsed, and the sky‑filled steel tide fell back, turning into a heap of scrap metal; the entire plaza lay in ruins.

Swish!

As the domain dissipated, Barazakun's figure vanished.

Lei En looked at the empty ruined plaza, a faint smile appearing on his face; everything had been within his prediction. His body shrank to normal human height, his eyes flashing with a strange light as he saw through the still rippling void, tracking a distant coordinate.

"Greater Teleport, hehe…"

As the words fell, his figure slipped through the void and disappeared from the plaza.

The scene before him shifted rapidly, the surrounding space warping; each instant spanned vast distances, changing to places long lost, yet in Lei En's eyes it was as clear as a palm‑size pattern. His gaze locked onto a target—Barazakun.

It triggered Greater Teleport to flee the Watch Dragon Fortress, then away from the Gamma Lan Plain, teleporting several times into the Misty Mountains.

During this process, Barazakun's injuries healed swiftly.

A moment later.

Barazakun appeared in a valley of the Misty Mountains; now it had changed form, becoming Bagula, a ferocious demon—a four‑meter‑plus towering savage ape. It cautiously observed its surroundings; the perpetual mist contained only some Demon voices, no danger, allowing it to relax.

After waiting patiently for a few minutes, Barazakun again produced a magical item, activating Positioning Teleport.

In the next second, it teleported to a great hall.

The layout here resembled the hall of the steel fortress, entirely cast of steel, with a throne at the center, though slightly smaller; beneath the throne there were no Demons.

In its place lay piles of treasure!

Gold, mithril, refined gold, multicolored crystal gems, various magical metals and countless valuables were stacked around the throne, covering tens of thousands of square meters, bathing the entire hall in a golden brilliance.

Barazakun transformed into a humanoid and sat upon the throne, admiring the treasure surrounding it, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Its expression suddenly darkened.

"Damned Giant!"

Barazakun snarled, "Giants truly are the most shameless race in the world; I fled to the Abyss, yet I still encounter a Titan elder who seized the Watch Dragon Fortress."

Thinking of the fortress he had built for centuries, the million‑strong Demon army and his domain, his heart twisted like a knife, and he shouted an oath, "In the name of Dragon Mother Tiaxis, sooner or later I will reclaim everything I've lost!"

"Regrettably, you have no chance." A voice sounded from nowhere.

Barazakun's complexion changed dramatically.

He leapt from the throne, frantically spinning to locate the enemy, but in an instant the whole world fell silent; Time Stop took effect.

"Ti…me… stop…!"

Barazakun, in a comical pose, hovered in mid‑air; he was nearing his eighth Soul Transformation, and his soul had some resistance to Time Stop, so his thoughts did not completely freeze, though they slowed severalfold, and the spell's name struggled out of his mind.

Then, he saw Lei En emerge from the void.

Beside Lei En stood a Wizard clad in a black magical robe, holding a straight staff whose tip emitted a magical glow, halting the hall's time.

"Who… is… he?"

Barazakun, utterly desperate, watched helplessly as Lei En stepped onto the throne before him, raising a black heavy sword to slash at his own throat.

Six seconds later, time resumed its flow.

Bang!

Balazakun's head hit the ground, and its corpse immediately revealed its true form, turning into a massive dragon over eighty meters long, its scales dark gray, a row of huge bone spikes running along its back, its dragon head ferocious, its four claws sharp, like a dragon sculpture cast from steel.

It was not the Destroyer Demon King, but a rare ancient black iron dragon!

(End of chapter)