Chapter 876

[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]

Above the sea base of the True Demon World, a massive darkness surged.

Not only Sakiel but also the demon forces of the True Demon World below had never experienced Murakan's ultimate technique before.

What kind of power it held, what events would unfold—nobody could guess, but they instinctively felt that they were exposed to tremendous danger.

'Activate the protective shield... We have to activate the protective shield!'

Sakiel urgently shouted for the protective shield of the stronghold to be deployed, but her voice only echoed emptily within her mouth.

Her voice was not actually unheard, but most of the demons who needed to act upon her command were already lost in the darkness.

They couldn't even perceive the moment they were dying. Their vision momentarily turned dark, and the split second of consciousness that reflexively attempted to react to something was cut off.

The countless defensive mechanisms and protective spells that the True Demon World prided itself on were futilely buried within the darkness. Sakiel frantically moved her body here and there, trying to evade the darkness approaching from all sides and behind.

'The moment it touches me, it's over...!'

Sakiel raised her crystal ball.

It was an attempt to use the Great Seal that had suppressed many Demon Kings, except for Zito, in the past.

"I'll make you regret not retreating gracefully!"

As Sakiel emitted her demonic energy, the darkness around her momentarily receded.

[Hooh, so you're the top-ranking demon, huh? Seems like you have a solid foundation.]

Murakan smirked and looked at Sakiel.

However, he didn't put any extra pressure on Sakiel or release any breath to further restrain her. The purpose of Jin and Murakan's visit to this place today was not to completely demolish the True Demon World's largest base.

Their aim was to determine their strength and assess how threatening their abilities were. For instance, they needed to verify the numerous hidden aces the demon forces possessed.

Kwaaaah...!

The demonic energy surrounding Sakiel rotated fiercely, pushing back the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows even more. Its speed increased steadily, and Murakan showed interest each time it did.

[Are you feeling it too, kid? A tremendous power is being generated inside that shield where the demon is hiding. They seem to be attempting some sort of magic spell using the crystal ball.]

"It's all up to your judgment, Murakan. If it seems even slightly dangerous, attack without further hesitation. Otherwise, let's keep watching."

[As long as my ultimate technique has been executed so perfectly, it's impossible to think it's not dangerous. Of course, things might change if there's a monster that can easily disperse the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows. Like Elona Zipfel, for instance. In the True Demon World, maybe Zito and Paellito Belgasyum.]

According to Murakan, Sakiel's effort to push back the darkness seemed like she was barely holding her breath against the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows.

If Sakiel possessed the power of Genesis Knight, she would have already attacked Murakan before the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows fully unfolded.

Silent slaughter continued in the base.

Murakan used his widespread senses to feel the spread of the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows across the area, and Jin confirmed that the energy of the demons was rapidly extinguishing, one by one, beyond the darkness.

And now Sakiel had secured an area about five times larger than before. On the surface of the enlarged demonic energy shield were numerous runes of a type Jin had never seen before.

"Curse, or perhaps seal-type magic. But since she confirmed my immunity to curses, it's likely a seal magic spell."

[No matter what she does, she will not succeed.]

With Murakan's confident words, Jin nodded.

At that moment, Sakiel's Great Seal spell was complete. Sakiel opened her eyes wide, concentrating all her demonic energy and mana into the crystal ball.

'The End of Hell, a magic spell that sealed seven Demon Kings until now. No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to withstand this...!'

The End of Hell—a magic spell that made Sakiel, who was relatively weaker in combat compared to the top-tier commanders, a chief strategist.

Although she never expected to unveil this magic at the same time as the war started, Sakiel felt relieved. If Murakan could repeatedly use his True Manifestation of Shadows without any cost, it was right for her to do whatever it took to end this here and now.

"Let me send you to hell!"

Sakiel shouted as she grasped the crystal ball. According to her plan, the crystal ball should have released all the souls of hell she had collected until now, which would then engulf Jin and Murakan. They would be held and plummeted into an abyss even the past Demon Kings couldn't fathom.

However, moments later, Sakiel realized that the runes engraved on the crystal ball weren't activating.

'What's this? The casting was flawless, with not a hint of error. So why isn't it working?'

[Hahaha!]

In that instant, Murakan burst into laughter that he had been holding back. The darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows rippled along with his laughter, seemingly mocking Sakiel.

[When you were preparing the magic, my shadow force had already infiltrated the crystal ball. Although you had no room to spare, so it seems you didn't know that and tried hard to complete the spell.]

"Indeed, it was a seal-type magic spell. If you hadn't blocked it beforehand, it would have been a dangerous magic for sure. Given the scale of this level of power, even you or I would have had a hard time repelling it."

[I hate to admit it, but that's true. If the casting had been executed without a hitch, we both would've had to go all-out to barely save ourselves from that situation.]

Only belatedly did Sakiel see the crystal ball, which had turned black.

"Ah..."

A mistake so rookie-like that she couldn't believe it herself. Since she had learned magic, Sakiel had never made such a mistake before.

The reason Sakiel hadn't noticed the shadow force infiltration was no less than the words Murakan spoke.

It was because she didn't have any room to spare. To resolve this situation through 'her own strength,' there was only one option: the End of Hell. So she had tried desperately to complete the spell.

To unfold the spell and push back the advancing darkness, she couldn't afford to pay attention to anything else. Not even to confirm the current state of the crystal ball that was right in front of her.

"Kahak!"

The darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows engulfed Sakiel's right hand, which held the crystal ball. The darkness tore apart both the crystal ball and her right hand, continuing its onslaught toward Sakiel.

[If I do well, I might finish her off before the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows ends, kid.]

"Never let your guard down until the end. But I'm intrigued by the idea of finishing off the Commander of the True Demon World here. Perhaps I should draw my sword soon."

As Bradamante emerged from scabbard, Jin enveloped it with shadow force. Sakiel was barely able to fly to avoid the True Manifestation of Shadows.

Now that Jin had entered the battle, Sakiel's death was imminent.

However, there was one final option left for Sakiel.

'In the end... Do I have to use Lord Zito's true energy?'

The problem was that it was Zito's true energy, not her own.

Sakiel didn't hesitate for long. It was already permitted to draw Zito's true energy in preparation for this situation. Only a few of the highest-ranking demons, including Paellito and Sakiel, were granted this privilege.

From within her palm, Sakiel retrieved a small black mass that was only the size of a finger.

Zito's flesh. An item she had intended to use when she faced a Genesis Knight during the invasion of the human world. Even in such a moment, she had hoped not to use it if possible.

Consuming Zito's body meant weakening him permanently. Even if it was just one piece of flesh, its value was different when it was fully returned to Zito and when it was used by other demons.

'I am sorry, Lord Zito.'

Sakiel squeezed the flesh in her hand, causing it to break like a walnut. In that instant, Jin stopped swinging his sword and gathered his energy.

He realized the situation had suddenly changed, so he focused on defense.

"Murakan, she has brought out a new move. And this... it's Zito's energy."

[Right, it's the power of the guy who was beaten by Ayula.]

The shadow force enveloping Sakiel began to dissipate.

Sakiel was dealing with power that was on par with Zito, who had faced Ayula. Her torn arm had already regenerated, and instead of the vanished crystal ball, a new demonic energy sphere was forming.

In that sphere, the sealing magic Sakiel had just attempted to cast was forming again. At the same time, an offensive dark magic was raining down. It was a power even Jin and Murakan couldn't ignore.

Jin parried the beams with his sword, and Murakan amplified the darkness of the True Manifestation of Shadows, spreading his wings.

"Murakan, let's retreat now."

[Retreat? Sure, she has become incredibly powerful by drawing on Zito's strength, but her condition doesn't look good. Seems like she has gone berserk. She probably can't maintain this state for long.]

"That's why we should retreat. As you said, I don't think we can handle the Great seal magic spell combined with Zito's power, Sakiel's enhancement won't last forever. By withdrawing now, we can aim to strike again when Zito's power wanes."

[Even I went too far by releasing the True Manifestation of Shadows of my heyday. If we want to fight at the same level as now when we come back after retreating, I'll need a recovery period, okay?]

"I don't mind. Even if we retreat, we've already gained an advantage. Zito's power used by Sakiel will undoubtedly be lost. If it was a type of power that wouldn't disappear, there'd be no reason to bring it out now. As the price for this battle, it might be enough for you to recover a bit, but they won't be able to regain what they used today."

[Fine, got it. In that case, I'll scatter the remnants of the True Manifestation of Shadows toward the stronghold before we withdraw.]

Suddenly, Murakan grinned evilly and concentrated the True Manifestation of Shadows towards the stronghold. Sakiel was about to chase Jin and Murakan, but she stopped when she saw the stronghold being destroyed.

The flesh of Zito, treasured by the leaders of the True Demon World as if it were their own lives, had been used and vanished, guarding the stronghold.

[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]

[T/L: Join $29 membership on my "buymeacoffee" page and read 55 chapters ahead and daily 1 new chapter update. I have introduced new memberships, and you can read upto 75 or 85 chapters ahead.]