In the boundless wilderness of the woods.
With the sound of branches being pushed aside and snapping, several tall figures emerged from the trees.
One of them swung his hand, severing a nearby tree that was in the way, snapping it in half.
"Keep your voice down, you damned bastard!" one of the figures, upon noticing the commotion nearby, immediately turned and hurled a hushed curse.
"Watch your tone! I'm not your subordinate. If it weren't for the general's orders, I would chop off your head and hang it from my waist," the man who had just broken the tree declared unceremoniously.
As the two men argued, they each grasped their weapons.
One wielded a massive, pitch-black machete, resembling dried lava.
The other held a massive, two-handed axe, stained with dried blood and adorned with a skull.
The two men's argument caused a faint smell of sulfur to emanate from the surroundings.
Another figure, uninvolved in the altercation, let out a sharp breath, suppressing his equally aroused anger.
Then he drew his greatsword from his back and held it across the two men.
Facing their gazes, he said bluntly, "Stop now, you two fools. If this fails because of you two, think of what will happen to you two."
"Hmph, one day I'll chop off his head," the figure holding the great axe said, slinging it behind his back.
"Then you can try." With that, the figure also slung his machete behind him, temporarily resolving the conflict.
Upon hearing this, the man carrying the great axe cursed, "I'm not talking about you. I can chop your head off right now. I'm talking about that coward."
"If you were as powerful as you say, you wouldn't have followed us here," the figure who had just stopped them taunted.
But without saying anything more, he turned and continued walking forward.
After passing through the woods again, they came to a wilderness of weeds and rocks.
The sunlight revealed the figures' true appearance.
They were three extremely tall demons.
They were undoubtedly powerful among the demons, with bright red skin and a pair of hideous, thick, and backward-extending black horns.
They were extremely sturdy and tall, with bone spurs and black, steel-like shells growing in certain places.
A pair of broad bat wings folded behind them.
Gazing at the unobstructed wilderness, the towering demon leading the group, carrying a greatsword, raised his right hand. A blood-red light flashed, and the three demons' figures vanished.
They concealed their forms and began to walk forward. Judging from their surroundings, their invisibility wasn't very effective.
As they moved, the grass in the wilderness was pressed down, leaving behind very crude footprints.
Under the sunlight, the air around them sometimes felt hazy and distorted. Though subtle, it was a flaw in their invisibility.
However, in such a vast wilderness, this level of invisibility was more than sufficient.
Unless they were sufficiently close, Bu Ran would have difficulty detecting their flaw with the naked eye.
"We've already gone deep into this area. We might run into those Knights," one of the demons said. "Then kill them all."
"What an idiot."
After just a few words, they were about to start arguing again.
"Well, don't worry about that. I've sent out some teams to cause a commotion everywhere. They'll attract the attention of those skinny humans.
We just need to find our targets and kill them quickly. Then we can take their heads or souls and claim our due reward."
As he spoke, the demon carrying the greatsword stood still, suddenly closing his eyes and sniffing the air.
It seemed he was locking onto a target.
"I sense they're not far away. Now shut up and follow carefully." With that, he turned and glared at the two demons behind him. Then he walked forward, this time with a noticeably cautious attitude.
Even though they were invisible, their caution was evident.
Three figures appeared not far away, seemingly walking up the hillside.
"The area Alka mentioned is incredibly vast! Just walking through it and mapping it would take forever," Jason grumbled, following behind Sofia.
Urulius, in human form, bounded along beside him.
He seemed oblivious to Jason's complaints.
Even Sofia, leading the way, didn't notice what he was saying, instead concentrating on scanning.
Silver ripples expanded in circles, reaching far away. After taking just two steps, Sofia froze, frowning.
"What's wrong?" Urulius bumped into Sofia's back, rubbing his head. He asked curiously.
Only then did she notice that Jason had already prepared for battle the moment Sofia suddenly stood up.
She immediately became alert and looked around.
Sofia frowned and turned slightly to look at the wilderness to the side.
Her silver ripples now extended over a wide area, detecting some strange lifeform there.
But there was nothing there. Clearly, someone had become invisible, and was far to their side.
"Who are you? Stop hiding," Sofia asked, looking into the distance.
The three demons, now at least seven or eight hundred meters away, exchanged a look of bewilderment.
Clearly, they had been exposed.
"How did they detect us when we were so far away?" the demon carrying the machete asked, somewhat puzzled.
Although their stealth technology wasn't particularly good, they were so far away that they shouldn't have been spotted. We had to get closer, making it easier for them to attack.
The leading demon, carrying a greatsword, looked down at his feet. He could already sense a slight vibration. It was so subtle, it must have been something scanning him.
"Charge! Finish them!" With that, the wings behind him suddenly spread open. Raising his two-handed greatsword, he glided directly toward Sofia and the others.
The two demons behind him followed closely, weapons raised.
Aided by their wings, they moved at breakneck speed.
However, such a massive movement also rendered their invisibility nearly useless. The ripples in the sky had already fully revealed their outlines. However, their true forms were still hidden.
"It's the enemy!"
Jason spoke, and a thin lens appeared over his eye, which instantly sensed the energy reaction.
"Very strong, fifth stage... close to fifth stage perfection!"
This type of lens can only detect energy reactions, making it difficult to see if the enemy is deliberately concealing themselves. But now, the enemy clearly wasn't, so the energy reaction allowed him to detect their approximate strength level.
The moment Jason announced the enemy's strength, Urulius had already raised his hand. A flash of light flashed, but only for a moment. But that flash seemed to be powered by some kind of spell, instantly revealing the invisibility of the hilltop demon.
A spell with anti-cloaking effects.
"It's a demon!"
"Leave the middle one to me," Sofia said, transforming into a stream of blue light and charging forward.
Jason and the others followed closely behind.
The light flashed, charging directly towards the demon in the front, wielding a greatsword. Before he could fully grasp the light's state, his entire body was thrown back as if struck by a sledgehammer.
Faced with their comrades suddenly under attack, the two demons didn't even turn back and continued their charge. They showed no intention of stopping to offer support.
Due to their speed, the blow wasn't powerful enough. The moment the demon was sent flying, he plunged his greatsword into the ground, halting his flight.
The moment he regained his balance, lava clung to the greatsword. He stood firm, vigilantly watching the blue meteors flying around him.
The meteor streaked past again.
This time, he saw it, but his body didn't react quickly enough. He was already a step too slow just as he tried to dodge or block it.
He didn't even see the enemy's attack as he was slammed to the ground by the powerful force, tumbling several times before finally standing.
This force was far stronger than the previous one.
A shield, like flowing lava, had already formed around him, protecting him.
Looking at the shield, Sofia's figure emerged, stopping opposite the demon, less than 100 meters between them.
"You... are very strong. That damned fellow tricked me."
Hearing this, Sofia narrowed his eyes slightly. It was clear that these three demons had been sent specifically to ambush them.
Sofia already guessed who might have sent them: "Did the Devouring Mouth send you?"
"Perhaps..."
The moment the words fell, a rage like a blazing fire burned through the demon. He was now furious, his muscles bulging, causing him to grow even larger.
He stomped his foot hard on the ground, a tremendous force propelling his body forward. Combined with his wings, he shot straight at Sofia like a sharp arrow.
But this time, Sofia stood his ground without dodging, a red light flashing.
She took a slight step back with her right leg, a surge of power gathering in it.
She watched as the demon rushed in front of her.
She thrust her right leg forward with all her might.
"Ha!"
With a roar, the immense force rippled through her.
The four men fighting ahead clearly felt the immense force instantly creating a powerful airburst.
The sound was incredibly harsh, making everyone frown and endure it.
The demon, facing the blow, stared wide-eyed. He'd thought it was just speed, but how could it suddenly possess such overwhelming power?
Another damn treasure.
That demon, by the looks of it, was known for its physical strength.
Even though he had managed to block the blow, his lava-encrusted greatsword instantly shattered into pieces.
The lava shield he'd used to block the attack dissipated like dust, as if blown by the wind.
Its body bore the weight of this force head-on.
With a blast that pierced the air,
The demon, charging at full speed, was sent flying backwards at a speed several times faster than its approach.
Its speed was so fast that it even produced a piercing whistle.
Bang!
A resounding noise.
The demons battling Jason and the others saw only a flash of light.
Following the noise, a huge crack appeared in the ground ahead of them, and something crashed to the ground.
As the dust cleared, the two demons took a closer look.
A depression appeared in the wilderness soil, and within it lay a pool of demons.
If it weren't for the blood-red skin, the distinctive carapace, and the horns of a furious demon, it would have been unrecognizable.
Although the two demons refused to admit it verbally, they were willing to listen to the demon's advice and let him lead because he was truly the strongest among them.
But it had only been a few rounds? This demon had already been reduced to a puddle of mud.
They had only just exchanged blows with Jason and the other two, and their leading companion was already dead.
A fear they had never known before surged into their hearts.
"Too violent," Jason couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the scene, then turned his head.
The crystal-like blade was grasped in his hand and immediately thrown away.
The demon he was fighting picked up his axe and casually pushed it aside. His mind was clearly no longer on this matter.
He was instead contemplating whether to flee. However, fear and other emotions caused a blood-red rage to emanate from him.
He grew even more furious.
"This is a rare opportunity, let's give it a try."
The two demons seemed to have activated some kind of synergistic effect, like a trump card. With angry roars, their bodies expanded, their strength growing.
Jason quickly dodged his attack.
He turned and spoke to Ululius.
At this moment, Sofia didn't immediately join the fight. Instead, she stood in a position where she could provide support, observing the surroundings, checking for any other hidden enemies.
She had to avoid further sneak attacks, mainly because Jason hadn't yet unleashed his true power.
"Alright!"
Ululius said, his body instantly transforming into a massive dragon form, causing the demon fighting him to cool his rage.
After the transformation, his dragon tail whipped the demon away, sending it tumbling several times on the ground.
Urulius didn't pursue, instead transforming into a point of light and flying towards Jason. Jason, in an instant, also transformed into a point of light, and the two merged.
The fusion process was infinitely faster than the first time.
The moment the demon with the giant axe charged, a hand, five fingers spread wide, larger than the demon's body, reached out from the ball of light. It grasped the demon and then slammed it into the ground.
A gigantic dragon-man, resembling an ancient monster, emerged from the ball of light.
Looking at the enormous monster and the giant axe slammed into the ground, the demon roared in anger.
He was filled with a rage of deception and betrayal.
The rage intensified, and the wound inflicted by the blow to the ground healed instantly.
His strength surged again, and he even tried to rely on brute force to stand up from the ground and resist the force from his arm.
He raised his axe and struck down at the two fused forms.
The ground cracked instantly, and lava from deep within gushed out from the fissures.
The other demon, wielding a large sword, had also rushed over. Leaping into the air and spreading its wings, it aimed its massive machete at the dragonman's wings, ready to strike.
The enormous dragonman displayed agility that was completely disproportionate to his size. He folded his wings and spun in a circle. His long, thick tail, now covered in a crystal-tipped hammer, instantly brought the mid-air demon down again.
This time, he was slammed directly into the ground. Suddenly, a powerful force coalesced within him.
A massive crystal spike pierced him, pinning him to the ground.
Turning, the dragon's head exhaled a rainbow-colored breath, directed at the gaping crack. It instantly sealed the sealed rift, preventing any further lava from escaping.
A strange dragon voice emanated from Jason, but it was clearly not his voice. It was Urulius's.
Following the dragon language spell, several crystals appeared beside the axe-wielding demon. In an instant, they stretched out and bound its limbs. Without waiting for the demon to struggle, they froze it, pinning it firmly in place.
"Roar!"
The demon roared in anger, struggling frantically, even ripping its entire left arm off in the process.
Seeing this, the dragon language chanting sped up, and several crystals shot out, freezing it.
The demon was instantly frozen in place, only its head still able to move slightly. Beyond roaring, it was useless.
Turning to look at the other demon pinned to the ground, the crystal had already inflicted a massive wound on its chest and abdomen.
Blood, like lava, had already stained the surrounding ground.
With such a massive wound, the demon was clearly dead, its soul returning to the abyss.
It fluttered its wings twice and descended, its massive, slender arms reaching out. Its fingers spread, then clenched.
The cracked ground slowly closed, the earth repaired, and only fragments of its face emerged.
After all this was done, the fused form dissolved.