The Paladin in the Abyss

Chapter 170 Flame Demon VS Demon Refinement

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Everyone was startled by the Flame Demon summoned by Lancelot, but the Flame Demon didn't pay them any mind. Clutching the Flame Whip, still bound to the Demon's body, in its left hand and a Great Sword that gleamed with electrical sparks in its right, it charged directly at the Demon Refinement. Its weapon slashed downward at the enemy's head.

With a thunderous boom, the Flame Demon's Great Sword collided with the Demon Refinement's Hardhead Hammer. Flames and electrical arcs shot out in all directions, and the shockwave sent everyone flying backwards.

But they all quickly scrambled to their feet; battles like this between top-tier Fiends were not something one saw every day.

The Demons' most proficient ability, flame, was meaningless before the Barlow Demon since the latter was one of the few Demons completely immune to fire. The potent poison in the Demon Refinement's fangs was equally useless against Tanari. This meant that to defeat the Flame Demon, it had to rely solely on brute physical damage.

But this Flame Demon displayed astonishing combat skill. After delivering a strike with its sword, it immediately used a teleportation ability similar to the Serpent Demon's to appear behind its opponent and thrust its sword into the enemy's unguarded back.

The Demon Refinement couldn't turn around in time and could only fling its tail to block the Flame Demon's attack, but the latter seemed to have predicted this move, its Great Sword swinging to sever half of the Demon's tail with ease.

"Ahh!!" The Demon Refinement cried out in agony, desperately flapping its wings to gain distance, but the Flame Demon's Whip, like a venomous snake, instantly wrapped around its ankle, yanking the Demon backward with force.

The Demon Refinement, flying and unable to gain any leverage, was pulled backward through the air. It twisted its body and swung the Nail-headed Hammer violently, trying to surprise its opponent with a sudden assault.

But the Flame Demon had already vanished from its original spot, with nothing behind the Demon.

"Uh-oh."

These were the Demon Refinement's last thoughts before death, as the Flame Demon's Great Sword then cleaved down upon its head.

The Demon had no time to scream; the Flame Demon's Great Sword split it in half from head to toe, with blood splattering everywhere. Countless little snakes emerged from the broken body, rapidly devouring the Demon's flesh and blood, and in the blink of an eye, they left nothing but bones, then they turned to devour each other.

The Flame Demon opened its mouth, exhaling a fierce fireball that turned the scattered little snakes into a pile of ashes.

The onlookers stared dumbfounded at the spectacle. The Flame Demon summoned by Lancelot had shown terrifying strength; what was expected to be a long battle ended in just three rounds, its efficiency rivaling Bruto's when he slaughters a Berserk Demon.

The Demon turned and walked toward the crowd.

Everyone tensely held their breath, looking up at the twelve-foot-tall behemoth, unsure of what would happen next. Elothysia and Alamir even gripped their weapons tighter, ready to face death in battle.

But something unexpected happened. The Flame Demon put away its weapons, and a magical glow illuminated its body. It rapidly shrank in size and transformed into a human male with disheveled black hair. His upper body was bare, muscles robust, and his exposed skin bore countless terrifying scars, some of which looked severe enough to have killed a man several times over.

The Flame Demon's new appearance eased everyone's tension. He looked at Lancelot and asked:

"Where is she?"

The man who had just been a Barlow Flame Demon asked, and Lancelot immediately understood what he meant.

"The last time I saw the Disfavored lady was in Twin Bridges Town, where she entrusted us with a mission to rescue this special lady," Lancelot pointed to Elothysia beside him and handed the amulet to the man, "When the Demon Refinement from the Stygian depths appeared, I knew it was time to use it. By the way, I have not yet asked for your name..."

"Names are dangerous things. They have the power of recognition and can be used as weapons by others, like hooks passing through realms, to track you, find you, and hunt you down," the man said with a bitter smile, "I once lost my name and it took considerable effort to find it again. But that name no longer has any relevance to me now; you may call me Nameless."

"The Disfavored lady mentioned she was traveling with someone looking for his past, that must be you, right?" Kalalin couldn't contain her curiosity and asked, "Are you a human? Was that just the effect of some powerful Transformation Magic?"

"No, this is the effect of the Transformation Magic, what I used to look like," Nameless denied the Scholar's guess, raising an arm, a whip of flame appeared in his hand, a signature weapon of the Barlow Flame Demon, "For ordinary people, becoming a demon means the complete loss of their humanity and memories, but for me, that is not difficult."

"How is that possible?" exclaimed the Succubus nearby, "Aren't you influenced by Tanari's evil nature, constantly feeling the urge to do evil?"

"You must be Elothysia, the Succubus Paladin, it was before her fall that she entrusted me to find out your whereabouts," the man nodded to Elothysia, "When you become powerful enough, you will understand that those urges are in fact the will of the Abyss. A demon's body is a mold shaped by the Abyss, to twist the soul that it pushes inside.

But with a strong will and rational thinking, you can resist Its influence. I know it sounds difficult, but you seem to be managing quite well."

"You refer to the Abyssal will as 'It'?" Kalalin grew excited, "Does the Abyss really have a personified consciousness?"

"I'm afraid only the old crone Cang Ye knows that, and it's likely not unrelated to her," said the scarred man, shrugging and turning to Lancelot, "What's this about a Bazu Demon? How did Demons get involved?"

"It had previously masqueraded as a Tiflin merchant, luring many mercenary groups here. Before we intervened, the escort seemed to have suffered several attacks already," Lancelot looked towards the Succubus, "Am I right?"

"They had planned to escort me north along the Stygian River, but halfway there, we ran into a Bartez naval force and the Serpent Demon with six arms had no choice but to take a detour," Elothysia glanced nervously at the man with scars, "Since then, mercenaries have been attacking non-stop, every few hours."

"Mercenaries?"

"Yes," Lancelot nodded, "It's said that sacrificing her can bring tremendous power, and many Demon Lords have offered large bounties for Elothysia."

"A public bounty? That's impossible; which lesser Lord would dare to openly oppose Yiltu?" Nameless shook his head, "Where did you hear this?"

"From the owner of a tavern in Instant Fortress..." Lancelot began, then paused, suddenly realizing that probably the tavern, too, was a part of the Demon's trickery, as many mercenary groups had been incited by it to attack the escort team transporting Elothysia.

"Hmph, another trick of Bazu Demon?" the man, originally a Flame Demon, shook his head, "It's fortunate that the Disfavored gave you that amulet, or else this group of schemers would have succeeded again. I can understand why she gave the amulet to you, but it should be returned to her as soon as possible. Take me to her, now."