Focus! Demon General!

The sudden appearance of the massive wooden pillar startled everyone in Marina, whether human or demon.

Azazel, too, appeared taken aback. The pillar's descent coincided with the disappearance of the oppressive death aura that had been emanating from the sky.

Although Azazel didn't understand why, he was convinced that the large wooden pillar was somehow connected to the death aura.

Without hesitation, he flew towards the top of the pillar, wanting to see if there was anyone there who emitted the death aura. If there was, Azazel intended to kill them.

Why? It was simple.

He felt that the death aura was comparable to the aura of the Demon God he worshiped. He couldn't allow anyone else to possess a power equivalent to that of the Lords of the Abyss.

Believing that the disappearance of the aura indicated a weakening, Azazel saw this as his opportunity to eliminate whatever was above.

Seeing Azazel taking flight, Kirana couldn't allow the Demon General to approach her father's location.

She chased after Azazel, riding on her water dragon. She aimed the water cannon at him, intending to disrupt his trajectory.

"Insignificant insect! Your turn will come!"

Azazel turned around, conjuring five black orbs around him that then fired laser beams towards Kirana.

"! [Water Sphere]!"

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Kirana managed to hold her ground, and the protective water shield around her transformed into thousands of water needles attacking Azazel.

However, despite being severely injured, Azazel was able to invoke Dark Magic spells that both defended and retaliated against his opponent.

Simultaneously, on the wooden pillar where Woodbelisk stood, two people were slumped weakly, oozing a disgusting liquid from their stomachs that had been agitated to come out.

""Bleeeehhhhh~""

The repulsive liquid fell freely, splattering onto Azazel's body, unbeknownst to Cien.

Azazel had assumed that the droplets of liquid were coming from Kirana's Water Magic, as she relentlessly bombarded him with various spell attacks.

Azazel felt that his female opponent was determined to prevent him from reaching the top of the pillar.

Her persistence only solidified his belief that whoever was up there was an incredibly dangerous individual that needed to be eliminated.

For the two individuals atop the pillar, who had just vomited, they lay gazing at the overcast sky. Both of them were breathing heavily due to exhaustion and shock from the recent events.

"Uncle…"

"Hm?"

"Lily… hate flying."

"Hm. Same."

Both of them released a long breath.

After regaining their composure, Cien shifted to a sitting position. He glanced to the south.

While not as fast as Hela's pull, he could sense the presence of the Demon God drawing closer.

"...half an hour? No. Fifteen or twenty minutes might be more accurate."

"Sigh…"

Cien then stood up, patting the sand and dust off his cloak. As he was about to lift his coffin again, Lilinette placed her hand on the coffin, shaking her head slightly.

"Bothering you. Let Lily. Carry."

The girl stood up and attempted to lift the coffin. Cien could see her legs trembling. While the coffin wasn't loaded with too many items, its weight was still not to be underestimated.

For Lilinette, who was now more like an ordinary human, being able to carry the coffin on her back was quite an accomplishment.

Cien, however, worried that she might stumble at any moment.

"Are you sure you're okay? I can still carry it…"

Lilinette shook her head again. "Mm, it's okay."

She then turned her gaze to the south, towards Marina.

"Is he coming?"

Lilinette asked, concerned that the menacing figure from Lumiere might still be pursuing them.

Her instincts or sensitivity to mana in the atmosphere were not as sharp as Cien's, whether it was before or after she lost his Mana Nucleus.

Lilinette couldn't sense that the menacing figure was rapidly approaching Marina.

"Yeah," Cien answered shortly.

"Uncle, what are we going to do? He's chasing us. All the way home."

'Home…'

Hearing that word, Cien was taken aback. He felt a warmth in his heart. Home – he hadn't expected Lilinette to consider Death Valley as her home.

'Home, huh… Maybe I no longer see it as a prison either.'

Cien thought, then gently patted Lilinette's head, ruffling her hair.

"Yeah, you're right. If we let it be, that damn demon will chase us all the way to our home. Your Uncle won't allow that."

Cien had managed to escape the terrifying black hole attack earlier. But now, the arrival of the Demon God was threatening the lives of those in Marina.

Why was the Demon God still pursuing them? Cien had thought that by fleeing, the Demon God would give up and return to the Abyss. Apparently, Cien's assumption was wrong.

Cien was convinced that thousands of people in Lumiere were likely no more.

He felt somewhat frustrated, thinking that his actions to destroy the portal artifact had not helped them and instead brought them closer to their deaths.

Cien was lost, not knowing anymore what was right and what was wrong. But for now, he had one goal – to halt the advance of that vile incarnation.

Because behind him now were the people he cherished and the place he had come to acknowledge as his new home.

Cien wouldn't let it all disappear!

Cien then looked below, precisely at the base of the Woodbelisk pillar. He had sensed two distinct presences engaged in aerial combat, roughly halfway up the staff.

Cien could also faintly hear Kirana's voice from below.

A voice reciting magical incantations. From that, Cien deduced that his daughter might be fighting the Demon General that Reiss had reported earlier.

Cien pondered for a moment. It would be exceedingly dangerous to face both the Demon God and the Demon General simultaneously.

"Before he arrives. We need to deal with the bothersome demon down there," Cien spoke aloud to himself, prompting a puzzled look from Lilinette.

She had always found it strange how her Uncle often talked to himself.

"Lily, I need your help," Cien explained his plan, receiving a nod of agreement from his niece.

Only a few moments later, Kirana and Azazel, who were still busy battling, were startled as a bright light appeared in the sky, specifically at the top of the pillar.

"What's going on now?" Azazel was truly puzzled, not comprehending the situation.

Aura of death, wooden pillar, and now a bright light. What was actually happening? He was genuinely curious to find out.

Meanwhile, Kirana was frozen in surprise.

She also didn't understand. However, as the light began to fade, Kirana saw an arrow launched into the sky. And from that arrow, a bright beam of light once again dazzled her and Azazel.

'Father? What is Father doing?!'

Kirana tried to think about what her father might be planning. She was certain that those two beams of light had their own significance.

As the second beam of light began to dim, Azazel, annoyed, was about to fly upward to attack whoever was above.

However, in the next moment, yet another arrow emitting a bright light was released.

Azazel closed his eyes, assuming a defensive posture, prepared in case Kirana decided to attack him.

He positioned himself with his back against the surface of the pillar, eliminating the possibility of Kirana attacking from behind.

At this point, Azazel believed that the light above was intended to divert his attention and make him vulnerable, allowing the woman on the water dragon to kill him. However, he was slightly mistaken.

Stab!

"!"

Suddenly, an arrow pierced through the back of the Demon General's neck.

"Cough!"

Azazel coughed up blood, he tried to turn his head, then suddenly...

Stab! Stab! Stab!

Three more arrows pierced his back, piercing his heart, stomach, and lungs.

"Cough!!!"

When Azazel managed to turn his head to look behind him, he saw a man in a cloak, half of his body emerging from the shadow surface of the pillar. The shadow was formed due to the presence of the bright light in the sky.

"Wh-Who are Y-You?!"

"Your Angel of Death."

Shoot! Tang!

This time, Azazel successfully parried the arrow that Cien shot. The sound of the arrow being deflected by Azazel's trident echoed as he charged towards Cien, but the bright light reappeared. The shadow in the staff surface grew denser and longer.

Cien entered his own shadow, then leaped out from the surface of the pillar above Azazel.

As he leaped, Cien fired another arrow, aiming for Azazel's head, but it only grazed his shoulder.

"Tch!"

Whoosh!

Cien instantly expanded the wings of his cloak. The first shot missed due to the fading shadow on the pillar, causing his aim to be slightly lower. Now he missed the head due to Azazel's movement.

Cien felt frustrated that his accuracy and shot prediction needed further refinement.

Azazel, impaled by yet another arrow, grew even more furious.

He yanked the arrow from his shoulder, about to fly towards Cien. However, the next moment, his body suddenly froze.

Azazel coughed up a significant amount of blood. On his dark skin, prominent veins appeared, glowing a bright blue.

"Hoo, turns out you're not immune to poison. Asmodeus seems to be more of a nuisance than you."

Cien commented, observing how the poison-coated arrow he had crafted was taking effect within the body of the Demon General, whose name he was yet to know.

"What did you say?!"

"Focus, Demon General! It's not just me you're fighting against."

"!"

Azazel recalled the woman he had been battling with all this time.

"Bastar—"

Slasssshhh!

Before Azazel could finish his sentence, a swift sword strike severed his neck. Azazel stood frozen, his head about to tumble to the ground.

Although his head had been severed, Azazel was not immediately defeated. He needed time to regenerate his body. At least if Cien hadn't shot an arrow that pierced straight into his brain.

The unfortunate truth for Azazel was that Cien had infused the arrow with [Netherworld Flame], causing his soul to be injured.

The Demon General finally realized that he had been defeated. His life wouldn't last much longer. His head began to fall towards the ground, observing Cien and Kirana still hovering above him.

'Ah~ so you're the one who defeated Asmodeus. Damn, it seems like Asmodeus will have a good laugh about this.'

With that final thought, Azazel's consciousness vanished into the depths of the hell.