IBHJ 1280

The giant tree formed by Beast VII, Manaka, Xuanzang, and Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang had been completely corrupted, creating an indescribable and terrifying world inside.

The true intention of the Beast, or rather the Lord of Salvation, was to use Demonic Bodhisattva to create the Demon King!

The Lord of Salvation initially chose Demonic Bodhisattva as his agent because he recognized her as the perfect vessel. And by creating the Demon King, the Beast could at least use it to take revenge on the Holy Spirit he had been obsessing over!

While Kiara rushed toward her other self in the inside realm, outside the tree, Altera and the others fought together against the Beast. Altera, Skadi, Apostle Pendragon, and Aife were all extraordinary beings. However, the current Beast was simply too powerful! Even with their combined strength, they couldn't defeat him immediately. Eventually though, as they persisted in their attack, he was completely destroyed by Altera's sword, without even a trace remaining.

"Now that we've dealt with the monster," Aife said, looking at Skadi with fierce eyes, "it's time to eliminate you, Scathach!"

Hearing this, Skadi sighed. "It seems my relationship with you is troubled in every world because you could never defeat me. I never imagined that in this empire, you actually devoured me. However, I have no intention of fighting you."

"What did you say?"

"I said I won't fight with you because I know I cannot win. The opponent you seek isn't me, but that other Scathach," Skadi explained.

When it came to raw power, Skadi was stronger than Scathach, but in terms of spear technique, Scathach was far superior. And this version of Aife was the same.

Skadi turned her back, completely exposing herself.

"How dare you—" Aife's eyes widened with fury, her face contorting in rage.

Altera watched Aife and Apostle Pendragon carefully, worried that these two Apostles might attack without warning.

Suddenly, the sky darkened and a rift opened in space. A black shadow, shaped like a sword, lunged toward Skadi's back from an angle.

"Skadi, look out!" Altera shouted, but her warning came too late.

Skadi quickly turned her head, catching only a glimpse of a black shadow flashing by. A figure appeared behind her and with a sickening tearing sound, was impaled through the chest. Blood sprayed everywhere.

"Aife!" Apostle Pendragon cried out.

Incredibly, the person who had protected Skadi from the sword was Aife herself—the very one who had most despised Scathach.

"Aife!" Skadi summoned Gungnir, swung the spear to slice through the mud sword, and gently lowered Aife to the ground.

The Beast emerged from the void, looking at Aife with obvious disappointment. "To think my attack was blocked, it seems getting rid of the most troublesome obstacle won't be as easy as I thought."

"You!" Altera shouted as she charged forward with her sword.

Meanwhile, Apostle Pendragon rushed to Aife's side and began casting a healing spell.

"Save your fake concern," Aife scoffed. "Why bother healing me, Morgan? I have eternity!"

"You idiot!" she snapped. "Can't you tell? Your eternity has already disappeared!"

"Eh? You're right..." Aife paused, suddenly aware. "This weakness, this light-headedness—this must be death! How curious. Is this what Ector experienced? Fascinating!"

Skadi gazed at her with mixed emotions. "Why did you protect me from that attack?"

"Because you're my prey!" Aife declared. "To battle honorably as warriors and then defeat you—that's what I live for! You're my prey. I couldn't let someone else claim you."

Skadi's expression remained troubled, but she reached out and added her divine healing to Apostle Pendragon's efforts.

"So you remember after all," Apostle Pendragon murmured. "You remember that promise."

"What promise?" Aife asked, genuinely confused.

"The promise to determine a victor."

"Nonsense," Aife muttered.

Apostle Pendragon pressed her lips together and said nothing more. She simply instructed Aife to properly wear the Imperial Armor while she continued working with Skadi to heal her wounds.

On the battlefield, Altera fought the Beast alone. Though she couldn't defeat him by herself, she managed to hold her ground.

"Your efforts are pointless!" the Beast laughed. "You'll all become sacrifices for the Demon King! Once the Demon King is born, this Eternal Empire will transform into the land of desire. The Holy Spirit and everyone else will bow before me!"

"I really don't understand why you hate the Holy Spirit so much," Altera said.

"How could I not?" he replied through clenched teeth. "He's my creator, my father and mother. I exist because of him. His will determines my destiny, his commands guide my sword. He wanted everyone to believe in him, so I became the devil, punishing those who didn't follow him. He wanted people to do good, so I became devil, showing them how terrible evil could be."

"All glory was meant for him. That was how it should be! But then he demanded I kneel before a mere mortal! He condemned me to never return to Heaven, trapping me forever on this planet. Unforgivable!"

"Wait... are you Lucifer?" Altera was stunned.

"Lucifer?" He laughed. "That's just the name of that foolish Holy Grail. I'm the one who will eventually take his place and become the true Messiah!"

At that moment, the black tree erupted with an intense dark light accompanied by a sharp cracking sound. Terrible vibrations radiated from it in waves.

That was the clearly aura of the Demon King!

He glanced at it and laughed. "You let Kiara enter the land of desire, which only caused the Demon King to awaken early! Watch closely, Umbral Star vanguard. You'll all become food for the Demon King!"

Black light shot straight up into the sky, and a massive vortex formed at the center of the black tree. Terrifying demonic energy poured out from within.

Skadi stared at the black tree with grave concern. "This demonic presence..."

She couldn't find words to describe the horrifying aura.

A black wheel slowly materialized behind the tree. Then countless shadowy figures rushed out from the vortex at the center. In seconds, demons were everywhere.

"Behold the hands of the Demon King!" he shouted triumphantly. "You will all become sacrifices!"

But at that moment, the demons seemed to find a target of their own. They rushed toward him where he floated in mid-air, quickly entangling him.

Everyone watching was shocked by this unexpected turn.

"Wait! I'm on your side!" he cried out in panic. "Master summoned you, but I'm not meant to be your food!"

The Demon King paid no attention to his pleas and dragged him directly into the land of desire within the giant tree.

A series of sharp cracks echoed through the air as the dimension suddenly collapsed like shattering glass. Space itself split open, creating an enormous rift that swallowed the tree containing the Beast. After the tree vanished into the dimensional crack, the broken surface of the world rapidly sealed itself.

"This is terrible!" Skadi realized. "Kiara and the others are still inside that tree!"

"Actually, we're right here," Kiara's voice came from behind them. Skadi and the others turned to see Kiara and her friends struggling to their feet from amid the rubble, looking badly beaten.

"How did you escape?" Skadi asked in astonishment.

"It was her," Kiara replied, her expression troubled. "She threw us out..."

...

"That energy signature..." Skadi frowned as she looked at the spot where the black tree had disappeared.

"It fell into the Fomoire Abyss," Aife said with certainty.

As masters of the Shadow Land, both of them could sense the distinct aura of the Fomoire Abyss. Without question, the Demon King who had devoured the Beast possessed an existence so powerful that reality itself couldn't contain it. The planet's surface had warped in response, creating a hole that pulled the entity down into the depths of the abyss.

Aife pressed a hand to her wounded chest as she stood up. Her eyes locked intensely on Skadi.

"Now that the monster is gone," she declared, "it's time for our duel, Scathach!"

She glared at Skadi with determination, her expression filled with both bloodlust and excitement.

Her fanatical demeanor made it seem as though losing her eternity to the Beast, having her chest impaled, and her life force draining away meant absolutely nothing to her.