Chapter 1429: Surpassing the Limit
Deity of Gods. Beneath the Birth Tower.
This was the city’s core—an expanse of crystallized Red Mist forming scarlet lakes that submerged the God’s Stone mine entirely. In one sense, this was the Origin of Magic that the race had made for itself. It amplified the Birth Tower’s conversion capabilities and provided the essential conditions for nurturing powerful magic stones.
The lake fostered continuous growth and advancement among the demons, and most upgrade ceremonies were held here. Every city’s lake was slightly different, but the structure beneath was roughly the same.
Passing through the ceremony square, Silent Disaster slowed for a moment.
The familiar scene pressed against memory—the sound of countless voices chanting Charita, herself walking forward in a white gown under their eyes.
But the way the Red Mist had dispersed across the stone slabs told its own story. This place had not been used in a long time.
Since the race had begun making extensive use of the underground civilization’s Symbiosis technology, the upgrade ceremony for Primal Demons had been replaced. All Primal Demons passing an initial filter now had a higher probability of advancing, increasing the number of Junior Demons and forming the backbone of the race’s fighting force today.
The architect of that technique was Senior Lord Mask, Nassaupelle. He had asserted that so long as the research continued, the large-scale nurturing and advancement would extend beyond Junior Demons—eventually reaching even higher ascendants.
Countless voices had expressed doubt. Not only did this go against ancient tradition, they argued; it endangered the stability of the race. But the King had given his fullest support.
The results were what they were. In the past few centuries, the number of Junior Demons had multiplied tens of times over. The number of those who had advanced through ceremony to a higher realm could be counted on one hand. And not a single senior lord had emerged from the process.
If magic stones could one day produce senior lords, then the ceremony square—this space that had witnessed the race’s greatest moments—would have no purpose left.
Serakkas sighed and pushed the thought down. Memories implied hesitation, and hesitation opened cracks.
She continued forward.
Passing the square, she entered the tower at the center of the surrounding walls.
The Junior Demon guards bowed their heads as she passed. An unobstructed path—no one blocked her way. Silent Disaster located her target’s signature in the control room with no difficulty.
“You have something to see me about?” Nassaupelle appeared to be adjusting the magic power core’s structure, his back to her, not bothering to turn.
She drew her sword.
Serakkas crossed the distance in a single burst—sword leveled, driven with everything she had. Her first attack since recovery. All of her strength behind it.
Every senior lord knew Mask was not suited for open combat. But Serakkas knew that statement only held in a fair fight. Outside his own territory, she would not fear him even if ten Masks stood against her—in magic power, physical strength, and the instinct earned from tens of thousands of life-and-death battles, she had the advantage at every point.
But this was not outside.
Even the slowest beast will make its lair into a labyrinth. And this was Nassaupelle. Since the Deity of Gods had risen and moved into the Dawn Region, he had been given all the time he needed to turn the tower’s lower levels into his domain. She had not been on a fair battlefield from the moment she stepped inside.
Her instincts had told her not to underestimate him.
Ten steps collapsed in an instant. She pressed her speed to its maximum—the blade became a streak of cold light, the shockwave from her movement radiating outward. The sword struck Nassaupelle’s body.
He screamed. A startled, pained roar that seemed to awaken the entire room. Stone needles burst from every direction, sealing her retreat.
She wrenched her sword out and pulled back rapidly, generating a barrier of circling blades around herself. The needles struck the barrier in a cascade of impacts, the ringing filling the room.
“You—! What is the meaning of this!” Nassaupelle pressed his wound and roared.
Silent Disaster raised her sword and moved again. The first strike had not felt like piercing a living thing—more like driving metal into thick grease. She registered dimly that he was mid-transformation, becoming something other than what he had been. But whatever he was becoming, it would no longer integrate cleanly with the race.
Receiving no answer, Mask waved his hand. The surrounding walls rumbled and revealed Symbiotic Demons concealed within the layered flesh. Then another shape emerged—a peculiar Symbiote that opened a carapace and swelled to twice its size, before connecting with Mask and forming a deformed combined body.
Is this the latest Symbiotic Demon?
Serakkas threw her sword without hesitation. The aim was perfect—through the gap in the joining Symbiotic bodies, directly into Mask’s closing carapace.
Half his body was left exposed.
She released her power. Gold lightning cracked through the control room, filling it with fractured light. Under the arcing discharge, the stone needle symbiotes were instantly paralyzed—and so was the new combination creature. The sword became the channel; magic power poured through it, and Mask’s shriek was ear-splitting.
Serakkas leaped toward the falling Symbiote, seized the scorching hilt with both hands, and used the weight of her drop to drive the blade deeper. The shrieking stopped. The weapon carved upward—from his chest to his head—and Nassaupelle split entirely in two.
A mask, also split in two, slid from what had been his head and fell to the floor.
“Twenty-two… seconds.”
He turned what remained of his face slowly, and spoke.
”… Are those your last words?” Serakkas pulled the blade free. Blood ran down it.
“The humans’… unit of time is not bad. I will… make use of it.” Mask’s voice came in fragments. “That is the time the Symbiotic Demons managed to delay you. Heh… I thought it would be longer.”
“Battles that bring me to the edge of death let me break through them.” Silent Disaster’s voice did not change. “Compared to who I was before I was gravely wounded, I am now stronger. It is a pity that you and your creations can never learn that lesson.”
“That is why… I hate uncertainty.” Mask’s voice continued to fade. “But uncertainty means… the inability to replicate… If I had more time, I would certainly have surpassed… the limits of our race…”
“There will be no future.”
“How… are you so certain?” The surviving portion of his face produced a strange smile. “Do you remember my words? Before knowledge, even the most powerful body… is nothing…”
An overwhelming sense of danger hit Serakkas without warning.
“Let me… gift you something.” Mask’s voice fell to a whisper. “It is something I found among the humans… you should recognize it.”
The Symbiotic Demon that had merged with him opened its carapace once more, revealing layer after layer of cysts nested within.
The cysts were packed with human explosives.
He had actually brought that into the Birth Tower.
What—what is he planning—
Serakkas’s expression broke. Before she could even begin to retreat, a searing red light obliterated her vision.
The boom arrived as something physical, a blow felt in the bones. The fireball erupted from the center tower, swelling outward into a semicircle of light. Beneath the glare, a brilliant reflection blazed across the surface of the lake. When the ball broke, the city beneath shuddered; the shockwave collapsed walls and sent debris plunging into the Red Mist lake, which detonated in rolling secondary explosions.
When the noise was spent, emptiness replaced the lake—the extreme heat had driven the Red Mist away, and what remained could not be refilled. In the scorched hollows around the Birth Tower, Primal and Junior Demons choked in silence, staring upward.
But Serakkas felt no heat. No pain.
At this range, with the Red Mist amplifying the explosion, the shockwave should have torn her apart—
She lowered the arm she had raised in front of her face and opened her eyes.
Hackzord stood with one hand extended, a massive Distortion Door spanning the space before her.
Everything outside its protection had been vaporized. The ground had been razed flat.
Chapter 1429 - Surpassing the Limit
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Deity of Gods, beneath the Birth Tower.
This was the core region of the city with countless Red Mist deposits which were in the form of crystallized scarlet lakes that completely submerged the God’s Stone mine. In a sense, they were the “Origin of Magic” created by the race. Not only did this strengthen the Birth Tower’s conversion abilities, it was an indispensable location to nurture powerful magic stones.
This promoted continuous growth and upgrades amongst the demons and was where upgrade ceremonies were mostly held. Although it was possible that every city had slight differences between the lakes, the structure at the bottom of every single lake was roughly the same.
While passing through the ceremony square, Silent Disaster stopped for a moment.
Gazing at the familiar scene, it was as though she could hear countless people chanting the name ‘Charita’ as she slowly walked forward dressed in a white gown.
… But from the way the Red Mist dispersed across the stone slabs, it was apparent that this place had not been used for quite a period of time.
Ever since the race began extensively using the underground civilization’s Symbiosis technology, the upgrade ceremony for Primal Demons were replaced. All Primal Demons chosen through an initial filter had a higher probability of being upgraded, increasing the number of Junior Demons and forming the present backbone of the race’s fighting force.
The one that spearheaded the technique was Senior Lord Mask, Nassaupelle. He asserted that so long as they continued the research, the upgrade and large scale nurturing would not only be limited to Junior Demons but to higher ascendants as well.
Although countless expressed their doubts—believing that not only did this go against ancient tradition but it also endangered the stability of the race— the King actually gave his fullest support.
Even though there was an increased probability of an upgrade to strengthen the race, the flaws were apparent as well. In the past few centuries, the number of Junior Demons had multiplied tens of times, but the numbers upgraded to a higher realm and produced through a ceremony was countable with one hand. Furthermore, not a single senior lord had appeared.
If higher ascendant and senior lords could be birthed by magic stones in the future, it proved that the divine square which had witnessed endless glory would turn unnecessary…
Serakkas sighed and repressed the endless thoughts that streamed into her head.
Memories implied hesitation, and hesitation would bring about flaws.
She had to dispel such a thing.
Passing the square, she walked into the tower situated at the center of the wall.
Upon being seen, the Junior Demon guards lowered their heads in respect.
In what was a nearly unimpeded path, Silent Disaster found her targeted source of magic power in the control room.
“You have something to see me about?” Nassaupelle appeared to be focused on adjusting the structure of the magic power core, as he asked without turning his head.
She unsheathed her sword.
Serakkas stepped leaped forward at full force and thrust her sword straight at Mask—
This was her first attack ever since her recovery, an attack that encompassed all her strength!
All the senior lords knew that Mask was not adept at battle, but Serakkas knew that it was only true on a fair battlefield. Outside, she wouldn’t feel any fear even if she faced against ten Masks. Be it magic power or his physical strength, she greatly surpassed his.
There was no need to even mention the experience and instinct she gained from tens of thousands of life and death battles.
But this was not outside.
Even the slowest of beasts would be able to turn its lair into a cave filled with secrets to induce fear into others, and the target was Nassaupelle. Since the uprising of the Deity of Gods to arriving at the Dawn Region, there was sufficient time for him to turn the entire lower region into his territory. In other words, Serakkas was never in a fair battlefield right from the beginning.
Her instincts told her that Nassaupelle could not be underestimated!
The distance of ten steps passed in a flash as she used her maximum speed to transform the blade into a cold gleam of light. Following the shockwave induced by her speed, her sword stabbed into Nassaupelle’s body.
The latter produced a startled and pained roar that instantly seem to awaken the entire room. Countless stone needles shot out from all directions and sealed Silent Disaster’s path of retreat.
She was forced to withdraw her sword and retreat rapidly while activating an impenetrable barrier of blades around her. As stone needles flew straight at her, the resounding collisions lingered on for a short while!
“You… What is the meaning of this!” Nassaupelle held his wound and roared.
Silent Disaster raised her weapon again and initiated her second attack. The first strike did not feel as though she had stabbed into a living thing, but instead into a pile of greasy metal. She vaguely realized that the other party was in the midst of transforming himself into another species, but regardless of his ultimate form, he would no longer be able to integrate well with the race.
Realizing that he wasn’t getting a reply, Mask waved his hand and caused the surrounding walls to rumble, revealing Symbiotic Demons hidden within the pile of flesh. At the same time, a peculiar shaped Symbiote scuttled out. The latter opened a carapace and expanded twice its size. The two connected together and turned into a deformed monster.
Could this be the latest Symbiotic Demon?
Serakkas threw her sword without hesitation, her perfect aim allowing the sword to pass through the cracks within the connecting Symbiotic Demons and accurately into Mask’s rapidly closing carapace.
This caused half of his body to be exposed.
Serakkas unleashed her power, producing gold lightning to appear and engulfed the entire control room! Under the flashing lights, the stone needle symbiotic demons were instantly paralyzed, along with the new symbiotic demon—The sword became the target of her power as a large amount of magic power shot into the sword, causing Mask to unleash an ear-piercing shriek!
With sparks flying in every direction, Serakkas leaped towards the falling Symbiotic Demon and grabbed onto the scorching hot sword. She used the momentum of the drop to plunge the weapon deeper in. The scream stopped abruptly as the blade sliced upwards, from Mask’s chest to his head, splitting his entire body into half.
“Plop.”
A mask that had been split into two from Nassaupelle’s head slid down and fell to the ground.
“22… seconds.”
He turned his head slowly and spoke with what remained of his face.
“… Are those your last words?” Serakkas pulled out her bloodied weapon.
“The humans’… unit of time is not bad, I will… make use of it.” Mask spoke in a staccato manner. “And this… is the time the Symbiotic Demons managed to fend you off for. Heh… I thought it would have been longer.”
“Battles that brings me closer to death allows me to break through,” Silent Disaster replied emotionlessly. “Compared to the the past me prior to being heavily injured, the current me is even stronger. It is a pity that you and your creations will never be able to gain enlightenment on this.”
“That is why… I hate uncertainty.” Mask’s voice gradually became deeper. “But, uncertainty signifies the inability to replicate… so long as I have more time, I will definitely be able to surpass… the limitations of our race…”
“There will be no future.”
“How… are you so certain?” The only complete face on Mask revealed a strange smile. “Do you still remember… my words? In the face of knowledge, even the strongest physical body… is nothing…”
Serakkas suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of danger!
“Right, let me… gift you something,” Mask whispered. “It was something I found amongst the humans… you should recognize it.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Symbiotic Demon that had linked with him opened its carapace once more, revealing the layers of cysts enveloped within.
The cysts were filled with human explosives!
He actually dares to bring such a thing into the Birth Tower?
What… what is he planning to do with that?
Serakkas’s expression changed. Even before she had the time to retreat, a dazzling red light filled her entire vision!
A huge fireball spewed out from the center tower following a sonorous boom. The flaming ball quickly swelled into a semi-circular light. Under the glaring light, a bright and resplendent reflection appeared on the lake. When the ball of fire exploded, the city beneath trembled, the intense shockwave caused walls to fall and debris plunged into the Red Mist lake, producing even more thunderous explosions!
After the exhaustion of the explosion, emptiness took the place of the Red Mist lake as high temperatures caused the remaining Red Mist to escape. The emptiness could not be filled, leaving all the Primal and Junior Demons in the region to struggle helplessly as they choked to death staring at the Birth Tower.
But Serakkas did not feel any heat or pain.
At this distance, the explosion would have been strengthened with the support of the Red Mist, and the domineering shockwave should had been able to rip her to shreds—
She gradually lowered her arm which she had held up to protect her body and opened her eyes.
Hackzord had his hand extended forward with a large Distortion Door in front of him.
Everywhere around them that was not protected by the Distortion Door had been vaporized, and the entire area had been razed to the ground.