“Stop your bluffing!”
Controlling 100 spirits was an impossible feat—something only a demon with multiple souls could achieve. It was a power that a single entity with only one soul could never manifest; it was the inherent limit of a living being like an Elf.
Archduke Luderlock conjured Death Spears. Black spears rose in a circular formation around him. There were exactly 100 of them, just like before.
“Can you do the same this time?”
Archduke Luderlock gestured. Death Spears, each the size of a missile, were fired toward Dielka.
“Why are you shooting at me?!” Dielka screamed as she began to run. Even she didn’t believe the same miracle would happen twice.
The Death Spears streaked through the air. It was a brutal volley intended to grind Dielka into dust.
“Do something!” Dielka spun around and raised her sword. Attempting to block was better than running away only to be struck helplessly in the back.
Iselin waved her hand. The Spirits of Wind dove sharply.
Snikt, snikt, snikt, snikt.
Descending like a waterfall, the Spirits of Wind sliced through the Death Spears as they passed. The magic of the spears shattered, dispersing them into the air, and Immortal Demonic Energy spread out like a thick mist.
“Hmm?”
“What the—?”
Archduke Luderlock and Dielka were equally stunned. Dielka, in particular, couldn’t believe what had unfolded before her eyes.
‘Am I dreaming?’
Dielka rubbed her eyes vigorously and looked up again. The Immortal Demonic Energy that had been Death Spears just moments ago was indeed drifting away. Around Iselin, 100 Spirits of Wind were still spiraling.
“Snap out of it, Dielka.”
“What… how did you do that?”
“Later. First, we have to kill that thing.”
“The faster he dies, the sooner I get an explanation, I guess.”
Dielka sprinkled Death Mana onto the Spirits of Wind. As the new energy touched them, the spirits vibrated with excitement. Though they acted wildly like the free spirits they were, the moment Iselin focused her consciousness, they grew calm and assumed the shape of blades as if they had never been unruly.
Emboldened by the 100 Spirits of Wind coated in Death Mana, Dielka smirked at Archduke Luderlock.
“Do you think this changes your end?”
Archduke Luderlock swung his staff. His subordinates slammed their staves onto the ground simultaneously. The concentration of Demonic Energy spiked rapidly, and geometric patterns manifested as far as their mental strength could reach.
“Rot!”
The earth decayed, emitting a foul stench. Even the atmosphere rotted, turning into toxic gas. The flesh and muscle of the Dimension Ghouls melted away, leaving only bone. The Flesh Golems turned into a putrid liquid, exuding intense Immortal Demonic Energy.
The energy that tried to spread in all directions suddenly seeped into the ground. The blackened earth split open, and thick bundles of tentacles erupted.
It was Archduke Luderlock’s Great Magic: Rotten Tentacle. It was a vicious technique made of Immortal Demonic Energy that rotted everything it touched.
Whoosh!
A tentacle with a diameter exceeding 30 meters lunged toward Iselin. The Spirits of Wind flew like arrows and sliced into it. Though the tentacle split and flesh fell away under the Death Mana, it wasn’t enough to stop the massive mass of Demonic Energy. Even when Dielka fired arrows infused with Death Mana, they only left holes that were quickly filled by the overwhelming surge of energy.
Iselin soared upward. A massive tentacle swept through the spot where she had been standing.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The giant tentacles relentlessly pursued Iselin and struck the ground where Dielka stood. Archduke Luderlock mocked the two Elves as they scrambled to dodge.
“Did you think killing a mere Duke made you special?”
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The earth vibrated with a steady rhythm. The Battle Titan, the largest terrestrial Apocalid, was sprinting toward them. Since Iselin held a position similar to a Central Unit within the Apocalid, she could control any Apocalid within a certain range at will.
The Battle Titan slammed into the Rotten Tentacles without slowing down. The mass of Demonic Energy was pushed back by the sheer physical weight of the attack.
“Do you think my magic will be stopped by that? Rot!”
The Rotten Tentacles coiled around the Battle Titan. The Chitin Gauntlet rotted rapidly upon contact. Despite bleeding and having its muscles melt, the Battle Titan, which felt no pain, focused entirely on snapping and crushing the tentacles.
Iselin summoned Fire Spirits. Their number reached a staggering 500, and she spread Life Mana through all of them. The polluted atmosphere around the spirits was purified instantly.
The Fire Spirits, now essentially flames of purification, enveloped the Battle Titan. The Titan’s entire body went up in flames, significantly increasing the amount of Immortal Demonic Energy required for the Rotten Tentacles to repair themselves.
“You’ve played a losing hand!”
Archduke Luderlock was a demon who had lived several times longer than Iselin. He had amassed a vast amount of Demonic Energy and could draw more from the nearby demons and magic beasts. He could maintain such large-scale magic for a long time, whereas Iselin, being an Elf, would have limited Mana. Spending all her Mana to save that giant thing was a foolish move.
Thump! Thump!
The Battle Titan, covered in purifying flames, easily burst and severed the Rotten Tentacles. Thanks to Flame Absorption, its energy was constantly replenished, and its wounds healed quickly due to the Life Mana.
Archduke Luderlock wasn’t worried, believing all the Demonic Energy would eventually be consumed and the Rotten Tentacles would vanish only after Iselin’s Mana ran out. However, even as time passed, the flames surrounding the Battle Titan remained steady.
Luderlock’s Demonic Energy plummeted until only half remained. He melted down his magic beasts to convert them into energy. Even after repeating this twice, the Battle Titan remained vigorous.
Only then did Archduke Luderlock realize: Iselin was receiving Mana through an unknown method. Just as he drew energy from demons and beasts, Iselin was receiving Mana from the Apocalid.
Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of Walkers were converting demons and magic beasts into nutrients and Evolution Points. It wasn’t just his energy—Luderlock’s entire army was thinning at a rapid pace.
“How?”
It was a constant stream of questions. It was something a mere Elf shouldn’t be able to do—perhaps a Dragon or a Demon, but not an Elf. To him, Elves were just a race with good eyes and decent archery skills.
“Not yet!”
A thunderous roar erupted from the Dimensional Sea. Iselin looked up. The flank of the Life Spirit was heavily damaged. Nearby Demon Dimension Ships were raining down fire, and assault ships were approaching the breach to pour out demons and magic beasts.
“Queen! Shouldn’t we help them?”
“No. We have to focus here.”
“There are only a few Knights and Serad over there! Arthil is there too!”
“Dielka, the operation comes first. Besides, Serad can hold out.”
Dielka looked at the Life Spirit where Serad was with concern before firing an arrow at Archduke Luderlock.
“Master Serad. Enemies, including a Demon Duke, have boarded the ship. Repulsion impossible. Proposing retreat,” said Metra, who was assisting Serad.
The two Archdukes, confident in their victory, had played a strong hand by deploying a Duke to ensure the expedition fleet didn’t escape. With most of the forces deployed to the ground, there were no powerhouses left on the Life Spirit capable of fighting a Demon Duke.
Han Junghwa was there, but she was fighting on another Dimension Ship. Before she could arrive, the personnel inside the Life Spirit would be slaughtered and the ship seized.
Serad made a gesture of refusal with his liquid crystal face.
“Today is scheduled to be a historical battle where a Demon Archduke is captured for the first time. Defeat is not an option. Retreat is not an option.”
“But the probability of victory is near 0%.”
“Denied. Inside the Life Spirit, it is 100%. Order: Connect me to the Life Spirit.”
Serad entered a capsule. The Metras brought cables and plugged them into his head, hands, feet, and chest. Serad closed his eyes and synchronized with the Life Spirit.
In place of the Life Spirit’s control AI, Serad could now move the massive Dimension Ship as if it were his own body.
“All Knights, assemble at the engine room access corridor. As long as that area isn’t destroyed, the Life Spirit won’t sink.”
Arthil spoke as she cut down a lunging Dimension Ghoul with her sword. Her armor was stained in places with the foul fluids of the ghouls.
Elf Knights gathered around Arthil one by one. They stood in the 20-meter-wide corridor, facing the approaching Undead with swords, arrows, and spirits. While the pile of magic beast corpses grew, not a single Elf Knight had died. Unlike the beasts that only knew how to charge, the Elf Knights quickly rotated to the back for treatment if they were injured.
Clack, clack, clack, clack.
Footsteps echoed through the ear-splitting noise of battle. Arthil felt a sudden chill down her spine and looked straight ahead.
A demon stood at the end of the engine room access corridor. It was a bizarre creature with the body of a spider and the upper torso of a human. It was a Demon Duke—an enemy the Elf Knights here could never hope to stop.
“We hold our ground here,” Arthil said.
The Elf Knights tightened their grips on their swords. For those who served Iselin most closely, there was no retreat.
—’Arthil.’
“Master Serad?”
—’Can you lure the Demon Duke to the designated location in 100 seconds?’
The lights 30 meters behind Arthil grew brighter.
“Do you have a way to kill the Demon Duke?”
—’I plan to open the hull of the Life Spirit and fire Mana Missiles.’
“Mana Missiles cannot kill a Demon Duke.”
—’The Mana Missiles are just to pin him down. The primary means of attack is the Life Spirit’s main cannon.’
“Can that even be fired internally?”
—’It was designed to allow internal fire in preparation for boarding actions.’
“Then, let’s do it.”
Clack, clack, clack, clack.
The Demon Duke walked forward on its eight legs. It grinned with a mouth torn open to its ears, revealing needle-like teeth.
Arthil summoned a Fire Spirit. The 100 seconds Serad mentioned—a time that felt both long and short. It was also the time they had to endure to protect the Life Spirit.
The Demon Duke lunged with lightning speed, slamming its front leg down. It was a strike powerful enough to punch holes into the metal floor. As the Elves threw themselves out of the way, the demon spread a Death Aura and fired pitch-black cobwebs.
Elves who grew heavy or were caught in the webs were struck by the front legs and collapsed.
Boom! Boom!
Fireballs fired by a Demon of Chaos exploded near the Elves. Several Elves were blown away by the blast, losing limbs and becoming covered in blood. With magic beasts rushing through the Demon Duke’s legs, it wasn’t easy to tend to the wounded.
Still, the Elf Knights swung their swords and used magic until their teeth felt like they would shatter. Even in this desperate situation—facing an endless horde and a Demon Duke—none of them turned their backs.
Crunch!
The Demon Duke, having snapped Arthil’s sword, struck her with a leg. Arthil slammed into the wall and collapsed, and the Demon Duke fired webs over her to bind her.
The Demon Duke looked down at her and spoke. “A fine soul. If you become my subordinate, I shall let you live.”
“Even in death, I will never become a demon.”
“You will eventually beg to become a demon in my territory. Take her.”
Immortal Demons approached Arthil. Having melted the webs with her Fire Spirit, Arthil cut off a demon’s arm and positioned herself with the demon between her and the Duke.
“What are you doing?”
Just as the Demon Duke voiced his confusion, the corridor shook violently, and something burst through the ceiling. It was the Mana Missiles fired by Serad.
K-boom! K-boom! K-boom!
A massive explosion swept through the corridor. Arthil used the Immortal Demon as a shield to block the direct flames, but she couldn’t stop her body from being blown back.
Floating in the air like a scrap of paper, Arthil did not take her eyes off the Demon Duke. She didn’t want to miss his end.
And before the explosions could even settle, a brilliant white flash originating from within the ship enveloped the Demon Duke.