Chapter 603: My Lord, Would You Like Some Fruit?

To Archimonde, something felt off about the whole situation. But he decided it didn't matter. He knew Lin Fan was powerful; he'd been a bit careless, but with such a formidable person by his side, what was there to fear? He had personally witnessed Lin Fan obliterate the tyrannical Kamdo with a flick of his finger, sending a wisp of flame that reduced the creature to ashes. Such power was truly domineering.

Lost in these thoughts, Archimonde felt the abyssal passage tremble. A thick, dark mist billowed out, accompanied by a series of low, sinister growls.

"They're here," Archimonde said gravely. "The Corrupt Lord and the Sin Lord from the abyss." As an abyssal lord himself, he never feared any single abyssal entity in a one-on-one fight. However, the combined force of two abyssal lords, aided by their endless legions of abyssal minions, could wreak unimaginable havoc upon his domain.

Monstrous figures emerged from the abyssal passage. The Corrupt Lord resembled a giant spider, its body encased in hard, spiked armor. It could spew corrosive liquid that even Archimonde, another abyssal lord, couldn't withstand. The Sin Lord had a humanoid form, its skin covered in scales, with octopus tentacles for hair. Its eyes burned with a fierce fire, marking it as one of the more powerful abyssal demons.

"Don't worry, it's fine," Lin Fan said, walking towards the abyssal passage.

The Corrupt Lord spoke in a deep, menacing voice, "Archimonde, you, an abyssal lord, fled through a passage opened by humans. Where can you run now? Our glorious arrival heralds destruction and despair!"

"Hmm?"

"Who are you?"

Lin Fan's presence puzzled the Corrupt Lord. They were abyssal lords, radiating a terrifying aura. They could easily imagine the reaction of any human who saw them: faces pale with terror, hearts filled with dread. Standing before them calmly would be a feat, let alone approaching them.

Yet here stood this foolish human, not only unafraid but also completely nonchalant.

No… such an expression was infuriating. The human's face, his demeanor, showed no respect for them.

Enraged, the Corrupt Lord spat a glob of corrosive liquid at Lin Fan, relishing the thought of the human dissolving into a puddle of goo.

Lin Fan clenched his fist and threw a punch. The Corrupt Lord, still caught in its self-satisfied gloating, hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. It continued to sneer, as if its presence signified the peak of power.

But soon… a terrifying aura erupted.

The Corrupt Lord finally understood the danger, but it was too late. Everything happened too fast. The Corrupt Lord's shell, normally impervious to blades and bullets, shattered under the immense force of the blow. Its face contorted in agony.

BOOM!

The Corrupt Lord exploded, its flesh and blood splattering everywhere. The force of the punch continued towards the wall behind, but just before impact, it vanished without a trace.

"Don't worry, Pope, I won't damage your walls," Lin Fan said, turning back. Without control, that punch would have caused a devastating earthquake, potentially destroying all the buildings in the Church of Light.

Archimonde's eyes widened. Although it wasn't the first time he'd witnessed such power, he was still stunned. The Pope muttered to himself, wondering just how terrifying Lin Fan truly was.

"What about him?" Lin Fan asked, gesturing towards the remaining figure.

Snapping out of his shock, Archimonde hurriedly replied, "That's the Sin Lord, a destroyer and a curser from the abyss. He's cruel and vile, his hands stained with the blood of countless innocent beings."

For one abyssal lord to speak so ill of another… it seemed Archimonde had been completely subdued by Lin Fan. However, his words rang true.

Archimonde had been summoned because someone wanted to make a pact with him to extend their lifespan. Such a request usually came with a price. After all, there was no such thing as a free lunch. To gain something, one had to sacrifice something precious.

"I see. No wonder, although you both come from the same place, his aura is even more malevolent than yours," Lin Fan said.

Archimonde exclaimed, "I'm very kind!"

The Pope gave him a strange look. Yes, indeed, a kind abyssal lord.

The Sin Lord, realizing the terrifying turn of events, cried out and tried to flee. It had come with the Corrupt Lord to kill Archimonde, but who could have predicted they would encounter such a formidable opponent? Damn it!

Lin Fan saw the Sin Lord's attempt to escape and wouldn't let it get away. A flame ignited on his fingertip. With a flick, the flame followed the Sin Lord as it fell back into the abyssal passage.

Moments later, a heart-wrenching, agonizing scream echoed from the passage. The sheer pain the Sin Lord was experiencing was palpable even from afar.

The Pope considered Lin Fan's flames to be divine fire. Only divine fire could possess such power, burning an abyssal lord to ashes, an unquenchable flame that consumed until nothing remained.

"Alright, you're safe now," Lin Fan said, approaching Archimonde with a smile. These abyssal creatures were truly unfriendly; they should learn from Archimonde. They all came from the abyss, so why were their personalities so different? It was truly baffling.

Archimonde was ecstatic. With the Corrupt Lord and the Sin Lord dead, he had few rivals left in the abyss.

Calm down! Archimonde knew how to behave in front of Lin Fan to please him: be obedient. You are my dearest friend, and I am your… ordinary friend. This was good progress.

"Thank you for saving me," Archimonde said. He couldn't remember the last time he'd said "thank you," or rather, he'd never said it before. When had he, an abyssal lord, ever uttered such words to anyone? Never.

But now… he aspired to be a polite abyssal lord.

Lin Fan smiled. "Don't mention it. You're my friend. Of course, I'd help you, wouldn't I?"

"Exactly! We're friends. Friends help each other. Even in the abyss, it's the same," Archimonde said, completely abandoning his dignity as an abyssal lord.

Dignity? To hell with it. If he couldn't grasp the current situation, he deserved to die. He, an abyssal lord, had never admired other creatures, let alone humans. But now, he was completely convinced. All he could think was… I hope our friendship lasts forever and ever. Even if cracks appear in our friendship in the future, I, Archimonde, will be the one to beg for forgiveness.

The Pope's eyes were opened. Many ancient books recorded stories about the abyss. The abyss was an endless land of demons, devoid of emotion, filled only with constant war and slaughter. Its dark aura could corrupt anyone with a heart inclined towards the light. The abyssal lords were cruel, treacherous, and greedy…

But now, the scene before him completely overturned his understanding of the abyss. It wasn't a place of cruelty, darkness, and slaughter. It was simply that they hadn't encountered a terrifying powerhouse like Lin Fan. When faced with true power, all arrogance crumbled to nothing.

The Pope, however, hadn't abandoned all his dignity to engage in the same level of sycophancy as Archimonde. After all, he was the Pope; he hadn't encountered his nemesis yet and only needed to maintain a proper friendship.

If previously he held a sense of awe and fear towards Archimonde, the abyssal lord, now he felt… well, not much at all.

They chatted casually. To build rapport with Lin Fan, Archimonde claimed he'd been investigating the matter of the Dark God in the abyss but hadn't found any clues yet. Even so, he wouldn't give up, because it was a matter important to his dearest friend.

Unfortunately… the reality was rather harsh. He hadn't been looking at all. In the abyss, he usually patrolled his territory or slept. When trouble arose, he fought with other abyssal lords.

But after this incident, he planned to actually investigate the Dark God upon his return.

It was getting late. Archimonde returned to the abyss. He was now the most powerful lord there. The deaths of the Corrupt Lord and the Sin Lord meant no one dared to challenge him.

"Huh?" He saw a raging inferno in the distance. If he remembered correctly, those were the flames conjured by Lin Fan. Terrifying! The Sin Lord's true form was massive. In the abyss, they were all giants, only shrinking their size when summoned to the human world.

"This land will burn forever, a testament to the power from the human world, eternally present."

Nightfall.

Lin Fan stayed at the Church of Light at the Pope's earnest request. In the past, he would have rushed home to care for Ke Lan. Now that she was at school, he could reclaim his time and do things he wanted.

In his room, Lin Fan observed the luxurious decorations. It was high-end, even surpassing the luxurious room he'd arranged for Ke Lan.

Knock, knock!

A knock came at the door. He opened it to find two young women in holy attire. They appeared to be twins, looking at him shyly. They were saintesses of the Church of Light, chosen from various regions to serve the light.

The Pope had arranged for them, thinking… perhaps Lin Fan might take a liking to them.

"My Lord, would you like some fruit?" one of the saintesses asked.

Lin Fan replied, "Thank you, but please rest. It's late." He took the fruit, waved to the two saintesses, and closed the door.

Watching from the shadows, the Pope saw this and gestured to the saintesses to go to sleep.