Demonized Magik, Velasco's Wrath!

A girl with long blonde hair stood before him, dressed in black leather.

Through the leather jacket, the outline of her toned physique, shaped by regular exercise, was still visible.

Surrounding her were demons, one of whom was over two meters tall, with green hair and skin, and massive wings.

"Humans? Demons?"

Aaron frowned. He could feel the demon's presence in her, yet there was something off—a strange energy mixed with the demonic aura.

She wasn't purely a demon.

It seemed she was a hybrid of both demons and humans.

Recalling the records from Kamar-Taj about the border of Hell, Aaron quickly put the pieces together.

Limbo was originally a pocket dimension, its ecosystem mostly consisting of demons of varying sizes and strengths.

Moreover, a unique energy in this dimension could spiritually and morally corrupt its residents.

Any human living on the border of Hell would gradually transform into a special kind of demon.

Clearly, this girl had once been human. But after spending so much time in this dimension, she'd begun to demonize.

"Lady Illyana, he is the white magician who broke into Hell without permission, killing hundreds of our kind. You must kill him!" one demon pointed at Aaron, accusing him.

"Pathetic! You can't even handle a single white magician? What use are you?" Illyana sneered.

With a swift motion, a longsword appeared in her hand. She slashed, severing the demon's head in one clean stroke.

The other demons fell silent, too intimidated to move.

Although Illyana was half-human, half-demon, her status was lower than the other demons in Hell. However, she was a disciple of Belasco, the lord of this dimension, and had mastered numerous dark magics, making her incredibly powerful.

In the Border of Hell, things were different. Its ruler, a hybrid like Illyana, had been transformed into a new breed of demon by dark energy's corruption.

In Velasco's eyes, pure demons were nothing more than tools—strong and loyal servants, but nothing more.

"Illyana, let me handle this human," said Nastil, the towering green demon, who seemed to hold a higher status among the group.

Illyana studied Aaron for a moment, then nodded.

"Then, it's yours to deal with, Nastil."

"Don't worry. I'll capture him. He's just a magician who uses magic. This is Hell, our domain!" Nastil boasted, his eyes glowing with seething green light.

With a flap of his wings, he ascended into the sky, rapidly closing in on Aaron with incredible speed.

He launched an emerald-green energy wave toward Aaron.

"Die, human!" he roared.

But Aaron didn't flinch. He stood still, letting the attack come at him.

In an instant, to Nastil's shock, Aaron absorbed the entire wave of energy.

"What?!" Nastil exclaimed.

Suddenly, Aaron wielded the sacred sword of Emperor Weishan, slashing at Nastil with overwhelming force.

"Damn human, you play dirty!" Nastil hissed as he barely dodged, but the sacred sword still severed one of his wings.

The powerful strike of the sword tore through the mighty demon's body, sending a massive roar of pain from him.

Nastil quickly began using dark energy to heal his injuries.

He retaliated with a massive swipe of his clawed hand, which cracked the air as it descended upon Aaron.

But Aaron saw through the attack immediately—there were too many openings.

He casually blocked the strike, then summoned a bolt of Bossat's Thunder, directing it at Nastil.

The powerful magic sent Nastil flying back, slamming him against the ground. A large hole opened up in his abdomen, dark blood gushing out, forming a small puddle on the ground.

"Ahhh!!" Nastil screamed in agony. "You bastard!!"

Despite the damage, Nastil wasn't dead. His body healed rapidly, and within moments, he rose again—now towering at over ten meters tall.

"You're just a waste, no matter how big you get!" Aaron scoffed, unphased by the transformation.

The demons of the Border of Hell had no real mastery of magic. Even Velasco, though a powerful dark necromancer, failed to teach his underlings any truly potent spells.

This dimension was a mess, the bottom of the barrel for the demons.

"Die!!" Nastil shouted, swinging his massive body down to crush Aaron.

"Is that all you've got? Pathetic!" Aaron muttered, teleporting to Nastil's shoulder before striking with a lightning bolt.

Boom!

Nastil's head was severed from his body in an instant, his decapitated form falling to the ground.

The demons, witnessing this, went into a frenzy. Nastil, one of the most powerful among them, had been killed so easily?

Some demons fled to report to Lord Velasco.

Meanwhile, Illyana raised her sword, her sharp gaze fixed on Aaron, a cold warning in her voice.

"This is the domain of Velasco, the Lord of Hell. If you don't want to die, leave now!"

"I'm here to find Velasco. Can you take me to him?" Aaron asked, continuing forward, unbothered by her warning.

He had already figured out who Illyana was—the future Lord of Limbo.

Though she was far from reaching her full potential, Aaron recognized her capabilities.

Her soul blade, which could deal fatal damage to magical life, hadn't yet been fully developed, and her magic swordsmanship was still in its early stages.

However, her black magic was impressive, and her strength far surpassed the demons she commanded.

Aaron knew Velasco had been deliberately cultivating her power to make her stronger, to sacrifice her soul to increase his own.

But he hadn't expected Illyana to become the very weapon that would overthrow him and take his place.

"If you truly create the Soul Blade, Illyana, you'll become one of the most powerful beings in this realm," Aaron thought to himself.

The Soul Blade could destroy magical energy, structures, and beings alike, making it a near-perfect weapon against mages.

If Illyana succeeded in forming the Soul Blade, she would be a formidable foe—even for someone like Aaron.

But for now, Illyana was still learning.

"You're not qualified to meet the Lord of Hell!" Illyana's voice grew colder.

Aaron's smile remained unaffected. "I'm going to see Velasco. I need to kill him to weaken the resistance of this dimension."

Illyana's face darkened. "Velasco is beyond your reach. This is his territory. If you don't leave, you'll die!"

Aaron's expression remained calm. "I'm not worried."

Illyana hesitated, her human conscience pulling her in one direction. But her loyalty to Velasco and the corruption of the dark dimension led her down another path.

"You're not going anywhere, intruder," she snapped, charging at him with renewed force.

Despite her speed and strength, Aaron blocked her easily, forcing her back with a blast of magic.

"You think you can stop me with mere black magic? It's nothing compared to what I've faced before."

Illyana growled, frustrated. "You're just a magician. You don't belong here. You'll die like the rest."

"Is that so?" Aaron chuckled. "Let's see how far you can go."

Hearing this, Illyana's heart hardened.

Since words failed to persuade her opponent, she would use her strength to force him into retreat. Illyana's movements were swift and precise.

During her time at the borders of Hell, alongside her studies in black magic, she had also honed her combat skills.

She was proficient with various weapons, and her fighting abilities were formidable.

However, Aaron's fighting skills had almost reached their peak.

After a few exchanges, Illyana found herself on the backfoot.

"Hoo~"

"Unknown magician, I suggest you leave immediately."

"Your current state is deteriorating. As a being of only soul, you will not only be polluted by dimensional energy, but..."

"And when Velasco arrives, he, skilled in manipulating souls, will show you no mercy. You won't survive!"

Illyana spoke in a low voice while fending off his attacks.

Velasco's mastery of the soul was unparalleled. Without it, he would not have been so eager to collect the souls of the secret visitors.

His deep knowledge of black magic allowed him to draw power from the soul itself, making him even more powerful than many demons.

"Who says I'm only a soul?"

Aaron smiled cryptically, knocked Illyana aside with a small push, and manifested a duplicate of himself. His soul and the duplicate merged, forming a living human body!

"What kind of magic is this? Duplication? No! You only have a soul body! How can you create a physical copy?"

"Are you manipulating dimensions?"

"Impossible!"

"Velasco holds dominion over the Hell dimension. How could you possibly have the power to alter dimensions?"

Illyana was stunned.

"Is that just an energy body for combat?"

"Wait! It can't be! The body exudes the scent of life… it's real!"

"There's much you don't understand, don't be so surprised."

A familiar voice suddenly rang in Illyana's ears.

Her pupils shrank, and she swung her sword in a desperate attempt to strike.

It was Aaron's hand that blocked it, unmistakably.

And then...

Bang!

The long sword, made of a special metal, was effortlessly twisted by Aaron with two fingers!

"This sword doesn't suit you. If you join me, I'll give you a better one—a sword that will make you a demon slayer!"

"You could even become the new Lord of Limbo."

"What do you think?"

Aaron withdrew his hand and spoke calmly.

"You think I'll believe your lies? This is Velasco's domain!"

Illyana's face remained stoic, though she was shaken by Aaron's ease in bending the sword. Still, she didn't believe he could defeat Velasco's power.

In the presence of the dimensional lord, physical strength meant nothing.

She steeled herself, deciding that if conventional methods wouldn't work, she would resort to black magic.

"Illyana, I'm terribly disappointed in you. You've still failed to get rid of the intruders!"

Just as Illyana prepared to act,

Suddenly,

A powerful voice rumbled from the sky.

Along with it came a thick black fog.

Illyana's complexion shifted, and she cried out, "We need to leave! Velasco is here!"

She trembled in fear, for Velasco was known to have absolute dominion over the dimension. He was immortal, nearly omniscient, and omnipotent.

Even the very laws of the dimension could be bent to his will.

None could oppose him!

Before her words had finished, black energy surged into Illyana's body.

Her form exploded into black mist, and in an instant, she transformed.

Devil horns sprouted from her head, her body grew in size, and her skin darkened to a sickly green hue.

Her human form was gone, replaced by that of a demon, and her consciousness was lost in the transformation.

"Go, fall before the intruder!"

Velasco's laugh echoed through the air as he waved an energy blast towards the fallen Nastil's corpse.

To everyone's astonishment, Nastil, who should have remained dead, was resurrected by Velasco's power!

This was the true terror of the Lord of Hell—able to shape and manipulate matter, even reviving the dead at will!

"Thank you, King of Hell!"

Nastil expressed his gratitude as if reborn.

He hadn't expected the intruder to be so powerful, having been killed in mere moments. If not for Velasco, he would never have returned.

Velasco, however, ignored Nastil's words of thanks. He didn't care for him; his resurrection was merely because Nastil was useful.

For the time being.

In Velasco's eyes, Nastil was just a disposable servant.

But now, he watched with growing jealousy as Illyana, fully transformed, gripped a massive axe. Her eyes were filled with bloodlust and thirst for battle.

Aaron, meanwhile, glanced up at Velasco hovering above.

In Velasco's eyes, Aaron was merely a wandering white magician who had mistakenly entered Hell's border.

The demon lord had no interest in fighting him.

Instead, Velasco watched Illyana's transformation with great intrigue, plotting the right moment to steal her soul for his twisted purposes.

As a loyal servant to the Old Gods, Velasco had been instructed to collect five bloodstones made from innocent souls.

Once completed, the ancient gods would be able to invade the material world through the parallel dimension, and Velasco would be rewarded with greater power.

To that end, he had captured the powerful intruder, hoping to use his magic for his own ends.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Velasco turned his gaze back to Aaron, his brow furrowing slightly.

This aura... it doesn't seem like one of Kamar-Taj's magicians?

For the first time, Velasco began to study Aaron with interest, sensing there was more to him than met the eye.

And then, Aaron made his move.

He didn't directly confront the demonized Illyana.

Instead, he created another duplicate to hold her at bay, while he advanced toward Velasco high above.

"Intruder, who gave you the audacity to challenge the great Lord of Hell?!"

Velasco had expected to simply watch the confrontation unfold. But now, he found Aaron heading straight for him, leaving only a duplicate to deal with Illyana.

The audacity! This was pure suicide!!