"You're really hard to find! If not for Chris sensing an extremely evil demonic aura here, we might have actually let you, this fat pig, slip away..."
Ethan had just cleaved the basement door in two, his cold gaze peering inside as if looking at a corpse.
"Two Archdemons?!" Eris spotted Vanir and Maxwell, momentarily stunned before shifting into high alert.
Demons.
They were creatures that dwelled in hell, feeding on human negative emotions, deceiving and cheating humans, extracting their worth through transactions and contracts—beings deemed evil by the gods.
Previously, Ethan and Eris had worked together to exterminate a high-ranking demon named Host. Though Eris had nearly killed him in an instant, Host's power as a high-ranking demon was immense—even in the Devil King's army, he was a ferocious entity second only to the Devil King's generals.
In hell, demons had their own hierarchy.
For instance, succubi, who lacked combat abilities and survived by pleasing the strong and relying on them, were low-ranking demons.
Then there were high-ranking demons like Host, mentioned earlier...
And even beyond them, in the depths of hell, there existed seven Archdemons, beings with the power to command all demons in hell.
These seven Archdemons were entities that had once competed with the gods for dominion over the world in ancient times. In terms of strength, they might even surpass the Devil King himself. Even Eris at her peak wasn't confident she could defeat one of them.
And now, two Archdemons stood before them—how could Eris not be on guard?
"Ethan, be careful!" Yunyun, who also sensed the strange atmosphere in the room, anxiously tugged at Ethan's arm.
"Alderp! I never expected you to actually collude with demons! Surrender now! This might lessen your punishment, otherwise..."
Iris no longer looked like the spoiled little sister she usually was around Ethan. Instead, she was firm, exuding the commanding aura of a noble.
"Oh-ho! Everyone's gathered..."
The first to react wasn't Alderp, their main target, but the masked demon Vanir, who smirked wickedly as his gaze shifted from Alderp to Ethan and the others.
First, he seemed surprised to see Iris, clearly not expecting her to be here.
"Princess, I'm delighted you took advice from a demon like me, but it seems you've also gotten what you wanted. Though you radiate positive emotions that are extremely unpleasant for us, well, no matter—since I've also gotten what I wanted, this can be considered an exchange of interests..."
Then, his eyes landed on Yunyun, who was nervously holding onto Ethan's arm.
"Is this the only normal girl from that bizarre Crimson Demon race? Hahaha! Truly shocking! That weird race actually has a normal girl! Should we say human genetic mutation is... no! Should we say even demons are surprised?"
Finally, his gaze settled on Ethan, who stared back coldly and emotionlessly, as if ready to grip Gram and slice him into firewood. Vanir's face finally broke into a satisfied smile.
"You radiate such delightfully negative emotions! If not for that nauseating holy power within you, I'd even consider making you a meal..."
"Make me a meal? If you can, go ahead and try!"
Mana surged like a storm, flooding the entire basement, and the corner of Ethan's lips curled into a cold smirk.
Faced with Ethan's murderous intent, Vanir only laughed more gleefully before shifting his all-seeing gaze to Eris.
Shock! Then disgust!
"So that's it! I was wondering why there were two auras of holy power making us nauseous in this beginner town. Turns out one of them is because you descended to the mortal world? Though I'd love to fight you right away, after all these years, my battle spirit has dulled. Rather than fighting like children, I'd rather do something more meaningful!"
"Maxwell, hand over Alderp—this useless human—to you. Take him to hell and enjoy him first. I'll hold them off!"
*SWOOSH!*
Ethan's foot slammed against the basement floor as he shot forward like lightning, gripping Gram and unleashing a terrifying slash capable of splitting even the air and earth!
Such a swift and powerful attack—even if the enemy were a high-ranking demon, they wouldn't escape unscathed, right?
But Vanir was no ordinary high-ranking demon. He was an Archdemon, a being even the gods wouldn't dare underestimate!
So even against such a fierce assault, Vanir faced it with a relaxed, wicked smirk.
*BOOM!*
The sword swung down, instantly cleaving the basement floor and leaving a deep, chilling trench!
But Ethan didn't let up. Gram in his hands became countless afterimages, relentlessly assaulting the figure before him!
Meanwhile, Vanir, standing just a centimeter away from the trench, remained unfazed, even evading Ethan's storm of attacks with unpredictable movements—as if he could foresee everything.
"Onii-sama! I'll help too!"
Gripping her Holy Sword, Iris lunged at Vanir with speed and strength no less than Ethan's!
"Tsk tsk tsk! Dealing with one is already troublesome, and now two at once? Is this what they call 'two swords merged, invincible' in those human hero novels? Truly difficult!"
Seeing Iris join the fight, even Vanir seemed slightly overwhelmed, clicking his tongue in complaint.
"Disgusting demon! Die!"
A beam of white holy purification shot toward Vanir—this divine purifying power, infused with godly aura, would surely trouble even an Archdemon like him if it hit, right?
"Hmph! Behold—Vanir's Shell Escape!"
Trapped between Ethan and Iris and forced to endure Eris' purification, Vanir performed a move that left everyone stunned!
He tore off his mask and hurled it into the air!
Vanir's body turned to ash under Eris' purification spell, but the mask in the air seemed to reconstruct his form, shocking everyone!
"Light of Saber!"
A gleaming golden blade sliced through the air, mercilessly cutting Vanir's newly reformed body—and the ceiling behind him—in half!
"So this is the power of teamwork? Truly overwhelming for us!"