After the crisp “beep—,” that time-scarred, battered-yet-still-massive door slowly opened.

Murky air rolled into the garden along with it.

In just an instant, both Muen and Ariel felt a chill that seemed to soak straight into their souls, as if they’d been dropped onto an ancient icefield that had never thawed for a thousand years.

This was a conservatory meant for cultivating rare plants. That absurdly enormous magic stone overhead had endured a millennium and still poured out a gentle radiance, making this place feel like warm spring at every moment.

So that cold wasn’t coming from a change in outside temperature.

It was...

A real, bone-deep threat of death.

"Zagu!"

After knocking aside that sudden spear-thrust, Ariel practically forced the two words out through clenched teeth. It wasn’t only wariness toward a powerful opponent—more importantly, if you were talking about hatred, in this Abyss, aside from Muen Campbell, this bastard was the next one for her.

She still hadn’t paid back the grudge from earlier—when he’d sent her from “lofty heights” straight down into the ravine!

But... hatred was hatred. Rationally speaking, running into Zagu here was not good news for the two of them.

After all, even at her peak she wasn’t this First Demon General’s match, let alone now, when her current condition was still nowhere near full strength.

Making a bad situation worse... no, this was another life-or-death crisis—on the same level as when they’d faced that bizarre static-noise man before.

"Zagu... the demon race’s First Demon General? The strongest under the Grand Dukes, in the legends."

Muen silently stuffed the antidote back away again—not because he’d given up on changing back, but because if the antidote got destroyed here, he’d probably be stuck in this goddamn state until he went and found senior again.

Of course, more importantly, after nearly being ambushed to death, he wasn’t careless enough to put on a whole “Da Lang drinks his medicine” performance in front of Zagu again. That was basically asking to die.

And he trusted Zagu wouldn’t pass up that chance.

After the first ambush failed, both sides prowled and faced off like beasts searching for an opening.

"You actually showed up here?" Muen asked.

The conditions to enter this inverted tower were so harsh, and he’d been so completely absorbed in saving Ariel earlier, that he’d almost forgotten this guy was still right on his ass.

"Why can’t I be here?"

Zagu’s tone was a little strange, like he couldn’t understand why Muen would even ask. "This is our demon race’s holy land. You two little mice are the outsiders, aren’t you?"

"Holy... land?"

Muen chewed on those two words quickly.

"Ah, calling it holy land might not be quite accurate."

Zagu paused in thought. "Calling it our homeland... yeah, that’s about right."

"Holy land? Homeland?"

Ariel suddenly spoke up beside him. "So that cramped city that looked like a slum earlier really was where you people stayed a thousand years ago—back before you became ‘the demon race,’ right?"

"A thousand years ago?" Muen frowned, confused.

"Miss An told me before that a thousand years ago, the demon race once rebelled against some kind of existence above the tower. And now it looks like that ‘existence’ wasn’t singular—it was a general term. Those existences above the tower weren’t one oppressor, but oppressors. And it’s very likely that the glorious, magnificent Gutongs Castle over our heads doesn’t belong to the demon race at all—it belongs to the beings that once oppressed the demon race. This place is what belongs to the demon race of the past!"

"I see..."

With information from Ariel’s side, Muen couldn’t help falling into thought.

The old loli had said the demon race was a mutated race because they worshiped a Demon God. Maybe the reason they chose to worship that Demon God in the first place had been to resist their former oppressors.

After gaining the power of an evil god, they slaughtered the oppressors and snatched the city that belonged to them... probably that kind of cliché story?

"Why think about so much?"

But Zagu had no interest at all in either Muen’s or Ariel’s guesses and questions.

He strolled forward, step by step, out of the doorway—leisurely, like he was out for a spring outing.

"A thousand years is too long. So long that I’m afraid even Lord Shenyi has forgotten many important things. So what’s the meaning of guessing at what happened back then?"

Zagu stopped and looked at Muen and Ariel seriously. Without even realizing it, the chill deepened. "Better to put all your attention on the present—on... this moment."

"Heh... that’s true." Muen tugged at the corner of his mouth.

The prerequisite for confirming any guess... was surviving Zagu.

And from how things looked, that prerequisite was a bit hard.

"So... I thought you’d keep using the same style you used before."

Muen tilted his head, looking at the empty space behind Zagu.

"Where are your hounds? Did you take losses so heavy they’re not willing to follow a brutal commander who deliberately sends them to die anymore?"

Not seeing those flayers—was that lucky... or unlucky?

"Brutal? Hahahaha..."

Like he’d heard some hilarious anecdote, Zagu actually burst into laughter.

"Muen Campbell, you humans really can’t understand us demons. To the demon race, that kind of thing doesn’t count as brutal."

"Oh? Even being used as cannon fodder, stumbling blocks, trash you can discard whenever you feel like it... you don’t call that brutal?"

Muen raised a brow, speaking oddly. "Don’t tell me all demons are masochists."

"That honestly does seem possible."

Thinking of that succubus who’d been bewitched by the Love God after falling for the Enchantress Grand Duke’s abuse, Ariel nodded too, rubbing her chin. "If that’s the case, then a lot of the demon race’s stupid behavior really can be explained seventy or eighty percent."

"Stupid? Heh heh... that’s just one-sided talk from ignorant people like you. You don’t understand us. The reason most demons don’t think that’s brutal isn’t for those ridiculous reasons you said."

Zagu gave a contemptuous snort.

"It’s because for us, death isn’t that big a deal. So we won’t care that much. If it’s not that big a deal, why would we care? That’s why we won’t be like you humans—timid and cowardly, fearing life and death."

"Death... isn’t a big deal?"

A flicker flashed through Muen’s eyes. Linking it to things he’d seen from the imperial front all the way to the demon tribe, he felt like he was about to catch something.

Unfortunately, Zagu didn’t give him the time to think deeper—and those thoughts were still missing the most important proof.

"Time doesn’t wait. Let’s go back to what you asked earlier."

Zagu looked at Muen. "You asked why I’m not using my original style? Simple. I’ve had enough of that slow, dragging bite-and-tear method. So I came in person—to end all of this."

"End it? Heh."

Muen sneered, completely unconvinced by Zagu’s line.

"So Grand Duke Shenyi is pushing you."

Muen laughed coldly. "Otherwise, with the patience you showed before, you wouldn’t care about this little time and effort at all. Since you’re under orders, don’t talk like you’re so relaxed and in control."

The air froze for an instant.

Even with the helmet on, through the slit of the faceplate you could faintly see the muscles on Zagu’s face twitch a couple times.

"...You really are smart, Muen Campbell. Not only smart—your ability to provoke is this outstanding too. Looks like Lord Shenyi is right to want you dead."

"Thanks for the compliment, but I don’t feel happy at all. Because among all the existences I’ve pissed off before, even that Shenyi old bastard you keep talking about doesn’t rank."

After all, if nothing else, pulling aggro was basically his profession.

"..."

Zagu drew a slow breath. He was starting to regret giving these two a chance to leave last words.

But at the same time, he felt a little regret.

Clever.

Sharp.

Tough.

Astonishing talent.

They were just two weak humans, yet under that brutal pursuit they’d created miracle after miracle.

You could even say them crossing “that area” to reach here was completely beyond his expectations.

In his long life, how many humans like that—opponents like that—could he meet? How many chances would there be?

So he’d enjoyed the chase. Even after being toyed with more than once, he’d enjoyed it immensely.

Because that was the meaning of hunting, wasn’t it? What hunter crudely grips a knife and goes into a bloody brawl with the prey?

"What a pity."

Zagu’s tone suddenly turned cold as ice.

"In the Abyss, among the demon race, Lord Shenyi’s will overrides any meaning. So I can only use the most ordinary method... to kill you two in the most ordinary way, right here."

Like a beautiful story passed down from a human kingdom—so good you savored it, and couldn’t help rereading it again and again...

But no matter how beautiful a story was, it could still end badly.

"But don’t worry. Even if it’s a story that ends badly, I’ll make your final... deaths the most dazzling."

Clang—

A humming ring of metal.

A huge ripping sound tore through space almost in an instant. The blinding light was so bright even the magic stone couldn’t compete.

But that humming and that ripping didn’t come from Zagu.

They came from Muen and Ariel.

From the moment they saw Zagu, both of them had been quietly gathering power. After going through who knew how many crises like this—so many they were practically used to it now—they both knew one thing clearly...

It was time to fight for their lives.

So Muen struck from the left. The pure-white twin # Nоvеlight # blades drew a perfect crescent, and under a hundredfold time-slow, terrifying layered force accumulated in an instant—blade-light and shockwave wrapped in an edge that could cut anything, slashing viciously toward Zagu’s flank.

Ariel struck from the right. Scarlet flames wrapped the greatsword. The surging power, suppressed to the extreme, exploded—Divine Favor, sword intent, and the skills Ariel had tempered since childhood all fused into this single strike, smashing head-on toward Zagu’s face.

A moment ago they’d looked like they were just chatting, without any chance to coordinate.

Yet front and back, main and secondary, airtight—completely sealing every path for Zagu to dodge or retreat.

Without even speaking, they both chose to strike first.

"Hoh."

Even Zagu couldn’t help voicing admiration.

"That really is perfect teamwork."

But it was only admiration.

Then Zagu tightened his grip on the spear in his hand.

He didn’t dodge.

Or rather...

He didn’t need to.

Zagu’s arm snapped taut. Muscles like coiling dragons nearly burst the armor. Specks of pitch-black, ghostly light stretched out from his palm, rapidly dyeing the entire spear in an incomparably vicious color.

In his scarlet pupils, an unimaginable glare was reflected.

Yet through that glare, he precisely caught their silhouettes.

And then—

The ground trembled.

Zagu’s body didn’t even make any big movement, but the metal floor beneath his feet was already wildly caving and deforming.

Like some vast, terrifying force began from the point where Zagu met the ground as an axis...

Swinging.

And the end of that force was the spear in Zagu’s hand.

Boom!

Like thunder detonating.

Like mountains collapsing.

In an instant, all light and sound in the entire world vanished. Muen’s vision went black. If he hadn’t known where he was, in that moment he might’ve thought he’d turned into a foolhardy bird and slammed headfirst into the black cliff wall at the edge of the Abyss.

When he came back to himself, he was already flying backward at almost the exact same speed he’d charged Zagu.

He smashed through who knew how many precious plants that might already be extinct in the outside world, even crashed through that thick crystal layer, and only after slamming a huge dent into the metal wall did he barely stabilize his body.

"Cough, cough..."

Muen coughed up blood. His hands trembled like they were about to be ruined, and even his internal organs hurt so badly it felt like they’d been twisted together by force.

Damn it.

Why is this guy so violently strong?

Back on the tower in Gutongs Castle, hadn’t Ariel been trading blows with him just fine?

Right—Ariel.

Where’s Ariel?

Could she still fight a little—

As Muen thought that, he forced his eyes open and saw Ariel smash down beside him like a punching bag, almost in the same posture.

"Cough, cough..."

She coughed up blood too—and even the miserable look was eerily similar.

"..."

Looks like this show-off wasn’t in as good a condition as she’d claimed.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Steady footsteps sounded, coming out of the faint dust that had been kicked up.

A tall figure loomed in and out of view—only those scarlet, ice-cold eyes were perfectly clear.

"Oh right. About that question just now—there’s actually another reason."

Zagu didn’t seem in any hurry to finish them off. Like he was savoring the last struggle of his prey, he started chatting again.

"Muen Campbell, where’s that weird black flame of yours that even Lord Shenyi is wary of? It’s come to this, and you still won’t use it?"

"..."

"And you, human woman—what about that move you used under the tower against the Twister? Yeah, that one where two completely opposite powers collide. That kind of might... even watching from afar made my heart jump. What’s wrong—won’t you use it again?"

"..."

"Looks like neither of you can use them for now."

Under the faceplate, Zagu seemed to be wearing a mocking smile.

"See? The logic is simple. You two are indeed formidable, and you do indeed hold trump cards so unbelievable that even I wouldn’t dare move lightly... but facing me now, when those trump cards can’t be used..."

"What are you two going to do?"