The cultivators of Caxton Continent fought desperately amidst the toxic mist. One by one, their protective artifacts exploded, and screams echoed throughout the battlefield.
Emre’s foil sword was snapped in half by a bone sword, and a deep gash opened across his chest, exposing bone.
Aisha’s spear had been almost completely corroded. She stumbled and fell to the ground, barely dodging the massive foot of a skeleton giant that nearly crushed her.
Nilou’s Grand Lotus Array had shattered. Coughing up blood, was swept away by the black mist, but not before hurled a charm toward Jared with the last of strength.
As soon as Jared caught the charm, a torrent of information surged into his mind.
It was an ancient sword technique passed down through Nilou‘s sect.
To use it, one had to burn their blood essence, compressing all their spiritual energy into a three-inch blade of pure light, capable of cutting through any demonic force in existence.
But the cost was steep. Any cultivator who used it would have their life force drained to the brink, surviving only as an ordinary person.
“Let’s do this!” Jared bit down hard on his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the Dragonslayer Sword.
The sword let out a humming roar like a dragon’s cry. Unbelievably, its original three-foot longsword began to extend, growing until it became a brilliant beam a thousand feet long. Wherever its energy passed, it tore the dimension apart, leaving deep black gashes.
Just as the Bone Devourer Array was about to complete, Jared launched himself forward. The enormous sword in his hands slashed down with a momentum powerful enough to shake the heavens.
Malgor’s laughter cut off abruptly. He scrambled to gather his demonic aura for defense, but the moment his aura met the light, his body began disintegrating, piece by piece.
All twelve skeleton giants exploded into clouds of bone dust. But Malgor, anchored at the core of the formation and a Half-Step Transcender demon lord in his own right, still had enough strength left to strike back. His remaining arm suddenly swelled, morphing into a massive black claw aimed directly at Jared’s heart.
At that critical moment, a rainbow flash burst from the Dragonslayer Sword.
“How dare you run wild, you mere demon lord!” Jared’s voice boomed like thunder.
A golden dragon shadow roared out from the sword, colliding head-on with the claw. The resulting blast flattened everything within a fifty-kilometer radius, carving a vast crater into the earth.
When the dust settled, Malgor had vanished without a trace. Only a black token marked with strange runes remained.
“W-We did it!”
The surviving cultivators erupted into cheers, but the celebration was short-lived.
The real power of Hollow City had finally arrived. A massive wave of demon troops surged forth like a living wall of darkness, blotting out the sky. Even worse, the skeletal soldiers that had been reduced to ash by the fire unicorn were regenerating inside the black mist. Not only were they back, but their numbers had multiplied!
“How is this even possible?” Jemima gasped. Her face had gone ghost-white, and spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
Jared could barely stand, leaning on the Dragonslayer Sword for support. Using that ancient sword technique had almost destroyed his meridians. Every breath came with pain.
The little fire unicorn, having burned through much of its energy, now glowed dimly, its flames reduced to a flicker. The strain was wearing everyone down.
Just as despair threatened to overtake them, the sky darkened again, this time unnaturally so. A black mist covered the sky. The battlefield fell into a dead silence, and even the winds stopped howling.
“That’s…” Flaxseed’s eyes widened as pointed toward the sky.
From above the cloud layer, a massive silhouette began to emerge.
“The Celestial Devourer!” Jared exclaimed, his face lighting up.
He hadn’t realized that the Celestial Devourer, who usually spent its days napping, had snuck out. With the Celestial Devourer now in play, Jared felt a wave of reassurance. This creature could consume almost anything.
“Devour them! Devour all the demons!” Jared ordered.
But the Celestial Devourer merely glanced at him, unmoved.
“Kid,” scoffed a voice in Jared’s head. “That’s my mount. What makes you think it’s going to take orders from you? You need to show it some respect. It’s not your pet dog!”
It was the Vermilion Demon Lord’s voice, unmistakably disapproving.
