Most of Hangcheng lay in ruins. The long battle had driven nearly all its people to flee.
At the city's heart stood what had once been the lord's mansion—later converted by Ekbert into a temple of the Light.
Now that temple, once radiant with divine aura, festered with darkness.
A suffocating miasma choked the air. From every crack and doorway, low-grade demons clawed their way into the streets—green-skinned, slavering, their howls echoing as they spread outward like a plague.
The temple had become a den of demons.
Asmit descended before its gate, his crimson holy robes snapping in the wind. At once, the swarm scented him.
The demons shrieked and charged, their greedy faces twisted with bloodlust.
"Filthy dark creatures."
Asmit's expression was colder than steel. Holy light flared from his body, his voice steady with prayer.
"O God—darkness shall not be tolerated."
Light burst forth. In its brilliance, demons melted like ice under the sun, collapsing to ash before they could even touch him.
Asmit strode through the gate, ascending to the temple's highest chamber.
There he saw it—The Sacred Stone, now glowing black, suspended in the air. From its corrupt radiance, a warped dimensional gate twisted open, vomiting darkness.
And before it… a figure in a flowing crimson gown, kneeling gracefully with a parasol in hand.
Asmit's gaze sharpened. "So it is you. Abyss Great Demon."
Even with a glance, he saw her bloodline clearly—an Abyss Imperial Daughter.
That the Abyss dared send such a creature into this world… reckless. Yet if he could destroy her here, it would spare the Light God Realm a future calamity.
The woman smiled sweetly.
It was Lilith.
"Moshi moshi~ Gui'an, Lord Singer of Light." Her voice was velvet, mocking, her red lips curved like petals. "You came slower than expected…"
She rose to her feet, umbrella tilting gracefully against her shoulder. Even facing an epic being of light, she radiated elegance, unshaken.
"It seems those men troubled you more than I thought. To be honest, even I didn't expect everything to go so smoothly. Quite the surprise~"
Her tone was playful, but Asmit's eyes darkened. "So. It was you orchestrating everything."
"Arara~ Don't look so frightening." Lilith patted her chest in mock fear, though her smile never faltered. "I only nudged things here and there. After all, you Light creatures are so hateful."
Her gaze gleamed slyly. "And that little gentleman, Mammon—truly terrifying. His growth, his ability… even I find him unsettling. If not for my imperial father being unable to cross the dimensional rift, I'd have begged him to transform Mammon into a Great Demon already."
She sighed, almost wistful. "Such a pity to kill him. Such a waste of talent."
Asmit's patience snapped. "Enough. Now, you die."
Holy radiance surged from his hands. "God shall purify all darkness!"
But as the flood of divine light swept forward—
A massive arm tore through the dimensional gate, wreathed in black-and-blue magic, and smashed the holy light apart.
The ground shook. A towering figure lumbered out, its body like living iron, its aura oppressive as nightfall.
Asmit's pupils shrank. "A—Hell Guard."
The epic monster of the Abyss had descended.
Meanwhile, outside, Ekbert's abyss-tainted eyes gleamed with unease as he explained:
"The Sacred Stone… also called the Boundary-Breaking Stone. A relic once seized by the Goddess from another dimension. With sufficient energy, it can open a gate stronger than any natural rift."
Mammon's eyes flickered coldly. "So that's its true use."
"Yes," Ekbert said gravely. "Even epic beings cannot pass through unstable rifts. But the Sacred Stone bypasses that limit. As long as it rests here, the Light God Realm can continually send reinforcements."
He looked toward the still-rising pillar of darkness, voice heavy. "But now, the Abyss has seized it. The Gate is open. Their demons will descend—perhaps even epics."
Ekbert's corrupted hands clenched.
"Now do you understand? Through the Sacred Stone, the Abyss has breached this world. The mighty demons are coming."