Chapter Ten: The Carnival of Slaughter

Chapter Ten: The Slaughter Festival

“Whew!” Nero’s Scarlet Empress, studded with five straw men, spun through the air toward Schuster.

“Thunder Dragon’s Roar!” A flash of lightning—five incoming straw men were shattered into pieces.

Schuster kicked away a straw man that Nero had just split, sending it crashing into the main gate and collapsing their entryway. With a swift backhand slash, he took off another one’s head. Lightning crackled, and five charging demons were torn to shreds...

Forty seconds later, not a single demon was left on the theater square.

“So, where do we go next, Nero?” Schuster sheathed his Blood Dance Crescent Moon and asked.

“Let’s circle around through the storage room first,” Nero replied, heading that way.

A hiss—the last straw man in the storage room was cleared away, and the two of them slipped along the third-floor corridor.

They pushed open a door to find themselves in a backup cathedral. Behind the altar, a sealed canister floated, containing a crystal skull.

“Damn…” said Nero, standing before it. To be safe, he chose to pick it up with his right hand.

Suddenly, the skull was absorbed by the ghostly hand, releasing a surge of magic that nearly overwhelmed him.

“You alright?” Schuster asked.

“I’m fine. It’s just a crystal sealed with the power of an ancient demon. I absorbed its strength,” Nero said gravely. “Let’s move.” With that, he strode ahead.

Clearing their way, the pair crossed the old residential district and reached the docks. The drawbridge was up; frustrated, they fought their way into the control room, only to find the wretched switch had rusted over. In a fit of anger, Nero fired two shots at it.

Bang! Bang! To their surprise, the damned switch jolted back to life after those two shots. Annoying, but effective.

They moved through the mining district, dispatching several squads of straw men, and arrived at the iron mine.

Gazing at the massive seal stone before them, Nero remarked, “Let me guess—more demons?”

Ding-dong. “B-rank main quest detected: Slay the Lord of the Infernal Abyss. Reward upon completion: 5,000 Soul Crystals.”

“System, what’s the use of Soul Crystals?”

Ding-dong. “Soul Crystals can be exchanged for items, used to unlock tools and worlds. Your current total: 1,562.”

“System, where did the extra 562 Soul Crystals come from?”

Ding-dong. “Soul Crystals are gained by slaying enemies, completing quests, and absorbing high-energy items.”

A massive fire lion leapt from the seal stone, its blazing flames setting the four buildings in the mining area alight. The giant flame sword resting on its shoulder was impossible to ignore, and its twenty-meter height only added to its imposing presence.

“Whew, it’s really scorching,” Nero said, waving his hand.

“Yeah, let me handle this overgrown lion messing with the temperature balance,” Schuster grumbled.

“Mortals… It has been so long. Two thousand years ago, I descended here. Back then, your kind didn’t even exist,” the Lord of the Infernal Abyss rumbled at them.

“Want to stick around for another two thousand?” Nero taunted.

“Silence!” Battle erupted in an instant.

The Lord of the Infernal Abyss thrust his sword at Nero, who met it head-on, their blades clashing.

Clang! They held fast, then—“Hah!”—with pure strength, Nero shoved the greatsword aside.

“Pitiful wretch! You shall taste the wrath of Berial. I am the Lord of the Infernal Abyss. Roar!” Furious flames surged out in all directions.

“You talk too much... Thunder God’s Stranglehold!” Schuster seized the opening as the demon unleashed its magic.

Sizzle—crack! The fierce flames were instantly scattered, and paralyzing currents danced along the frozen edges.

With a single blow, Schuster knocked the Lord of the Infernal Abyss into a state of collapse.

Nero seized the opportunity, unleashing a MAX-speed blitz.

A deep wound, one meter long, a foot deep, appeared on the demon’s body. Leaping up, Nero’s right hand formed a phantom grip on its head. “Hah!” He hoisted the Lord of the Infernal Abyss and slammed it down hard.

Boom! “Thunder Dragon’s Roar!” Schuster leapt in, Blood Dance Crescent Moon crackling with lightning as he struck. Slash after slash—twenty in an instant—the Lord of the Infernal Abyss gushed blood, which should have revived it, but the two law weapons instead sapped its strength and resistance.

Nero followed up, unleashing a “Frenzied Slaughter” on the demon’s head. Five savage blows, then a flying kick sent at least two tons of demonic muscle crashing into the cliff, shaking the ground three times over.

Nero strode to its feet, his right-hand phantom uppercutting the beast skyward, then stepped back, gathered strength, and—“Hah!”—punched it straight at Schuster.

“MAX Thunder God’s Stranglehold!” The roaring energy sphere shot forth, seeming capable of tearing anything apart. The Lord of the Infernal Abyss, barely recovered, was obliterated before it even realized what was happening.

Ding-dong. “Target eliminated. Gained: Soul Crystals x5,000. Gained: B-rank main storyline x1.”

But the real surprise was this: after slaying the Lord of the Infernal Abyss, our protagonist leveled up, reaching High Fifth Rank.

Feeling a surge of magic within, Schuster clenched his fists. After two years of stagnation, he had finally broken through.

He looked at the lower right corner of the seal stone. Extending his right hand, a faint magical pulse drew a point of light from the stone’s corner, which then flew to rest in his palm.

Ding-dong. “Obtained special weapon: ‘Lucifer.’”

“Tch.” Schuster didn’t bother equipping the weapon, simply storing it in his infinite inventory. For now, he had no use for it.

Crash! Nero shattered the seal stone with a single punch.

“Let’s go!” Schuster said.

----------------I am the soul of the Lord of the Infernal Abyss----------------

The two fought their way through the second mining district and arrived beneath the Castle of Fate. Here, they encountered new monsters: Cold-Cut Hunters, old adversaries from the past.

Battling their way to the castle gates, they encountered a striking woman in a revealing white outfit. Effortlessly, she performed a display of slaughter before their eyes. Descending from above, she seized a straw man, only to be surrounded. One came at her with a cleaver; she hurled her captive into the incoming blade, then backflipped repeatedly to break the encirclement. Suddenly, an ambusher dropped from above—she caught the giant blade between her feet at the last second, somersaulted onto the attacker’s back, drew her blade, and dispatched him. The straw men attacked in pairs; she kicked two away, landed, then the rest rushed in. In a flash, she rolled onto her back, spinning into a wide Thomas kick—the blades on her boots instantly dispatched all who approached. Using the momentum, she sprang up, dodged the last ambusher, pivoted on her left foot, turned, drew, and sheathed her blade in one fluid motion, proving her terrifying skill.

“Are you with the Order? I don’t recall seeing you before,” Nero asked, waiting for her to finish her demonstration.

“I’m new. Gloria. You must be Nero, right? And this pretty boy—prettier than most girls—must be Schuster. I’ve heard the rumors about you,” Gloria replied.

“Does everyone know about us?” Nero said.

“Just a bit, and none of it is flattering,” Gloria replied.

“So what brings you here?” Schuster asked. “And where did these things come from?” Nero inquired.

“This place is strange. No matter how many you kill, more keep appearing,” Gloria answered, dodging the question.

“Fine, we’ll leave the cleanup to you. We have private business to attend to,” Schuster said. They were all clever enough to know when not to press for answers.

“I’ll go rendezvous with the others. We’ll handle them,” Gloria replied. “May the Savior be with you. Heh.”

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P.S.: This chapter, I wrote mainly for Lucifer. That weapon is just too cool, and its abilities are incredible.