A Carnival of Demons

The sudden onslaught of a large group of wandering hunters sent the defenders of Wuhai Town into utter chaos.

Some retreated in panic, others desperately surged forward, while some collapsed, their legs trembling and their minds blank... unable to organize a strong counterattack. The elite Paladin Knights fought valiantly to hold their ground, but without the coordination of their commander, they were scattered in the confusion. Their formations crumbled as the experienced wandering hunters easily broke through. Behind them, the helpless nuns, merchants, and civilians screamed in terror, fleeing in all directions, further disintegrating the remaining defense. Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and the rapidly spreading flames left every defender frozen in fear.

The situation was lost.

Faced with such an unprecedented disaster, some brave souls threw themselves forward, using their bodies to shield others from the hunters' massacre; while others revealed the darker side of humanity, taking advantage of the chaos to display their monstrous cruelty.

Some demon hunters emerged from the shadows, indiscriminately slaughtering the defenseless merchant caravans, seizing treasures in droves; others, vile and twisted, attacked the defenseless civilians, simply to seize a few ordinary crystals; some went even further, dragging young and beautiful women into the darkness to exploit them...

A true carnival of demons.

What more can be said but chaos?

"Vile, fallen souls, doomed to eternal damnation! From the endless abyss of depravity, I gaze upon the heavens above!"

Allen muttered the words from the sacred text of redemption, his head crowned with a dark, wide demon king's cloak, leaving only his cold, piercing eyes visible as he silently moved through the darkened streets. With a swift slash of his razor-sharp black magic pen, a ruthless thug lost all vitality! The dull thud of a body hitting the ground and a woman's scream rang out, but Allen was already gone, his presence swallowed by the darkness.

"Dresa, let's go!"

Looking up at the crumbling defenses of the settlement and the many helpless civilians, Allen shook his head. He joined Dresa, the nun who had been waiting in the shadows, and together they headed straight for the Crystal Tower of the Abbey. In the face of such a sudden and overwhelming catastrophe, even a savior could not save everyone!

As a trusted confidante of Elder Akashi, Dresa had unrestricted access to many places. Combined with Allen's identity as a priest, the two encountered no resistance on their way. Most of the guards at the checkpoints had been hastily redeployed to the front lines, and those who remained were distracted by the fierce battle between the settlement and the wandering hunters.

"Stop right there, my lords!" Upon reaching the sixth floor of the Crystal Tower, they were finally halted.

On either side of the grand door, engraved with angelic reliefs, stood two towering guards. Their eyes were fixed straight ahead, ignoring the chaos outside the Crystal Tower, their heavy armor clinking with every movement. Without a glance, their massive swords clanged together, coldly blocking their path.

The towering Crystal Tower was the symbol of the Abbey, a structure with nine levels, each more heavily guarded than the last. Under normal circumstances, one would stop at the third floor, the Lady's Hall, but even Allen, upon reaching the rank of a first-tier priest, could only go as far as the sixth floor, where the Angelic Altar stood. Here, even Dresa could not proceed further.

"By the command of the Grand Elder, you are ordered to assist in strengthening the defenses of the Crystal Tower. Those who defy this order shall be executed!"

Dresa's face grew icy. Following their previous plan, she unfurled a white cloth, upon which were written a few lines in Elder Akashi's unmistakable handwriting. The two heavily armored guards, taken by surprise, glanced over at the cloth. But before they could examine it further, a sharp pain suddenly pierced their chests, and they lost all sensation.

With a swift and decisive move, Allen took advantage of their vulnerability, casting a spell to seal the space within a ten-step radius. Having absorbed the life force and souls of the two guards, he gently pushed open the heavy stone door and casually wiped the blood off his black magic pen.

His body, now greatly enhanced, allowed him to move with speed and power far beyond that of an average demon hunter. Wearing the demon king's cloak, which concealed his presence and energy fluctuations, his actions were completely silent. The heavy armor of the guards, despite being forged through countless trials, was no match for the sharp tip of his black magic pen.

As the heavy stone door creaked open, the two of them were greeted by a brilliant sight.

A vast space was divided into over a hundred sections, each filled with various resources—heavy mercury, rare sandalwood, sparkling crystals... the quantity exceeded even that stored in the vampire crypt's treasure vault.

"The divine court truly lives up to its name. Even this humble abbey holds so many treasures—it's practically swimming in wealth!" Allen exclaimed in awe, stirring the magic crystals within him. He transferred all the precious resources into the Dark Ring, emptying the space. After thoroughly searching every corner, he remained calm and made his way toward the eighth floor. As expected, two more guards stood in his way.

Unlike the previous two, these were elderly men. One had a beard as white as snow and held an ancient magic staff, radiating an unfathomable magical aura. The other had long fingers and carried a thin sword, sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes half-closed as if lost in thought or meditation.

A peak-level Ninth Tier Mage and a Ninth Tier Swordsman?

Allen's face remained composed, but inwardly, he was shaken. After absorbing the vampire king's power, dealing with a lower-level mage or swordsman posed no problem. But a peak Ninth Tier mage and swordsman were a different matter entirely, especially when faced with both at once!

Reaching the peak of the Ninth Tier meant an explosive leap in combat ability with every boundary crossed.

For a mere magic apprentice to challenge even a low-tier mage or swordsman was a monumental task, let alone a peak Ninth Tier. Such feats were almost unheard of, even for prodigies in places like the Holy Summit or the Inferno City.

Though the pressure from the two formidable opponents was intense, Allen remained composed. Beside him, Dresa trembled involuntarily, cold sweat beading on her forehead as she grew more anxious. Even before getting close, their presence had alerted the guards. The swordsman, sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes, only to meet a flash of cold, piercing light!

There was no sound of breaking air, no aura of impending death, no fluctuations of energy—this flash of cold light seemed to materialize from the very void, suddenly appearing right before his eyes!

Realizing the danger, Allen acted without hesitation.

Ten steps—one kill!

Unleashing the wings of darkness in an instant, cloaked in the Demon King's mantle, he lunged toward the seated swordsman. The sharp tip of his pen pierced directly at the swordsman's forehead. The alert swordsman was the greatest threat and had to be eliminated first. Only after removing him could Allen focus on the mage, who was watching with hawk-like eyes!