Chapter 27 – Demon Hunt: Rise of the Chaos Shadow
Zero stood silently on the rooftop of the east city wall, watching the blood moon rise in the skies above the virtual world of Heavenly Pearl Realm. The red light cast a ghastly glow across the abandoned forest just beyond the city's protective barrier.
A new quest had just been issued.
[System Notification]
⚠️ Demon Incursion Detected!
Location: Darkroot Woods Threat Level: S-Class Estimated Enemy Count: Unknown Time Remaining: 5 hours before total corruption
❗ Regional Prestige + Real-World Currency Rewards Enabled
❗ Defeating a Demon will grant unique loot, demonic cores, and influence across factions.
"Perfect," Zero murmured, his Chaos Ring glowing faintly as Yulin, the Chaos Dragon, stirred within his beast space. "Time to let the name of Chaos spread."
Without hesitation, he activated his [Shadow Step] and vanished.
Darkroot Woods – Demon Zone
The trees were blackened, twisted into monstrous shapes as miasma oozed from the soil. Normal monsters had either fled or turned feral. Demonic howls echoed through the dark canopy, causing low-tier players to log out in fear.
But Zero walked forward alone, eyes glowing faintly.
[Skill Activated: Chaos Shadow Movement Lv.3]
– Movement Speed +300%
– Concealment: Perfect (Cannot be detected by enemies below Mythic Ascension)
– Duration: 5 minutes
With lightning speed, he moved through the forest, avoiding traps, ambushes, and cursed illusions. He was no longer hunting to survive. He was dominating.
"Yulin," he called mentally. "Scout the air."
The Chaos Dragon burst out from his space like a wraith cloaked in black and violet flames. It soared silently overhead, its wings sending gusts strong enough to snap trees in half.
Within minutes, the pair located the center of the corruption.
A massive altar of bones had been erected around a deep sinkhole. Dozens of low-level demons, twisted and malformed, guarded it. But at the core of the altar stood something terrifying — a Demonic General, easily a peak Foundation Stage monster with a half-corporeal body and glowing red runes across its chest.
Solo vs. General: Chaos Unleashed
Zero didn't hesitate. With one flick of his Chaos Ring, a black sword appeared in his hand — the [Abyss Fang], a mid-tier Primordial weapon that grew stronger the more blood it absorbed.
He leaped into the clearing, aura erupting.
[Skill Unlocked: Chaos Blade Technique – First Form: Severing Void]
– Slash cuts through matter, energy, and spiritual constructs.
– Damage: 350% of ATK
– Cost: 5,000 Qi
– Cooldown: 30 seconds
The General roared and charged, sending shockwaves through the earth. Dozens of lesser demons pounced toward Zero from all directions.
But they never reached him.
Yulin struck first, exhaling a cone of [Chaos Breath] that incinerated ten demons instantly. Zero followed, disappearing and reappearing mid-air, his sword carving a purple-black arc.
SLASH!
The General screamed as one of its arms was cleaved clean off.
[Critical Hit – 41,202 Damage]
[Weak Point Strike]
[Achievement Unlocked: Demonbane I – Slay a Demon General Solo]
[Loot Drop: Demonic Core (S), Blood Crystal, Chaos Token Fragment (1/5)]
But it wasn't over. The altar began to collapse into the sinkhole, and a voice echoed out:
"The Herald of Ruin has sensed your presence, Child of Chaos…"
Zero's expression changed. "Herald of Ruin?"
From the sinkhole emerged a monstrous figure — ten meters tall, cloaked in shadows, with six crimson eyes and a scythe taller than a man. It wasn't fully materialized, but the aura it gave off was suffocating.
"Projection…?" he muttered.
[World Threat: Projection of the Herald of Ruin]
– Status: Incomplete
– Realm: Unknown
– Estimated Power: Mythic Ascension Level
– System Evaluation: Flee or Die
System Task: Face or Flee
The screen flashed.
[Hidden System Task Triggered]
– Title: "Will of the Chaos Heir"
– Objective: Survive the Herald's Projection for 3 Minutes
– Reward: Chaos Technique Scroll, Reputation in 3 Realms, Title: [One Who Defied Ruin]
"Three minutes, huh?" Zero smiled coldly. "Let's try it."
He activated all his buffs:
[Chaos Body: Level 1] – All damage taken reduced by 50%, healing amplified by 200% [Temporal Shift] – Slows time around user by 40% [Primordial Guard: 1-use Divine Shield] [Beast-Link: Yulin Combat Mode]
Yulin merged with him in a blazing spiral of light and flame.
The projection raised its scythe, and the sky dimmed.
A Battle of Realms
The world shuddered.
Zero dashed forward, using the second form of his Chaos Blade: [Heaven Breaker Fang]. It met the projection's scythe in a collision that sent shockwaves miles away. Trees exploded. Mountains cracked.
He bled instantly from the impact, but he gritted his teeth and endured. Every second felt like an hour.
The projection slashed downward again — he dodged, rolling through the chaos, throwing his final [Chaos Spear] into the eye of the Herald.
[Direct Hit – Projection Damage Stabilized]
Two minutes passed.
Then three.
[Task Complete: You have Defied the Herald of Ruin]
Reward Granted:
Chaos Technique Scroll: [Demonic Severance – Level 1] Title: [One Who Defied Ruin] Fame increased in: Abyssal Realm, Human World, Shadow Plane +500,000 Reputation Points 3 Platinum Coins 10 Spirit Stones New Chaos Bloodline Trait Awakened
Return to City
As the forest returned to silence, Zero's body collapsed from exhaustion. His HP was down to 3%.
Yulin pulled him back through the sky and carried him to the nearest teleport formation.
East City – Chaos Shadow's Rise
When he returned to the city, players were already whispering.
"Did you hear?"
"Someone soloed a Demon General!"
"No way. He survived a Mythic Ascension projection?!"
A new title appeared on the world leaderboard:
#1 Chaos Shadow – "One Who Defied Ruin"
Player ID: ZERO
Region: East City
Class: Unknown
Affiliation: None
Inside the Chaos Ring, the AI whispered to him.
"My Lord, the Herald was watching… We must prepare. This is only the beginning."
Zero closed his eyes and smiled.
"Let them come."