Volume One: "The Nature of the Devil Does Not Change"
Arc: "The Devil Finally Leaves Earth"
The tyrannical aura surging from Scarlet King's body froze everyone in place, crushing them beneath suffocating pressure.
Mo Sheng halted and stared at that darkness—
—but inside Scarlet King's consciousness, the scene was different.
The White Darkness watched the rising aura with a faint smile. From the clear water beneath their feet, a black body began to emerge—shaped like the White Darkness, yet utterly black… endless, as if it had no boundary.
And then a loud, grating chant filled the air:
"Darkness returns, again and again—immortal, without end.
Higher. Eternal. Transcendent.
The origin of existence: the end… and the beginning.
O… how vast this darkness is."
Outside, Scarlet King's body moved.
At a speed beyond Mo Sheng's ability to comprehend, Scarlet King struck him and sent him crashing through six stone pillars, shattering them in a chain of ruin. The area dimmed as the glowing night insects that had lit the place were crushed beneath collapsing stone. As the darkness deepened, Scarlet King's aura climbed even higher.
Scarlet King spoke coldly, violet light burning in his eyes.
"Round two begins… now."
Mo Sheng burst from the rubble almost unharmed, aside from torn clothes. The sight drove him into a berserk state. He unleashed a thunderous roar so violent that everyone's ears began to bleed—even Scarlet King's.
Mo Sheng lunged and punched Scarlet King.
Scarlet King endured it—and answered with a punch of his own.
They traded blows with savage intensity. Each collision released shockwaves of sound and flashes of light that slaughtered more of the weaker glowing insects—
Feeding the darkness.
Feeding Scarlet King.
Scarlet King's advantage grew. His punches became heavier, more punishing, forcing Mo Sheng to cough blood. Mo Sheng managed to drive a fist into Scarlet King's stomach, making Scarlet King spit blood as well.
Scarlet King answered with a strike below the belt that made Mo Sheng stagger—then followed with a punch to the face that dropped him hard.
Around them, everyone stopped fighting, stunned by the sheer brutality of the exchange.
Lin Yuan shouted, thrilled:
"Damn! This fight is fun! I bet Scarlet wins!"
Ikalat, equally fired up, sat with him against a mountain as they watched.
"I'm betting on Scarlet too."
Scarlet King slammed down onto Mo Sheng and began hammering him with punches. He raised his fist and drove a crushing blow into Mo Sheng's face, wrecking the ground around them. The barrage only accelerated—harder, faster—so relentless it nearly killed Mo Sheng.
Then Scarlet King's own consciousness returned and seized control again.
In that single heartbeat of hesitation, Mo Sheng kicked him and sent him flying into the sky, coughing blood.
Mo Sheng rose amid the rubble, his wounds severe. He released an even more vicious scream that made Scarlet King's battered body tremble.
Mo Sheng surged forward and struck Scarlet King in the chest, shattering his ribcage.
Scarlet King slammed into the ground, suffering crushing, lethal injuries.
The golem general appeared behind Mo Sheng in a blur and threw a punch—
Mo Sheng blocked it casually and shoved the general away.
Then he moved like a disaster and destroyed the remaining forty-six golems with ease, cleaning up the battlefield in moments.
Then—
White light burst from Scarlet King, wide and blinding.
Ikalat laughed with cold, demonic amusement.
"He broke through… to the seventh level of the Qi Gathering Realm."
Scarlet King climbed out of the rubble with nothing left on him but black trousers and shoes. His body still looked like that of a fifteen-year-old: black-and-white hair, one white eye and one black eye—except now violet light flooded his gaze until his eyes looked purely purple. Blood coated most of his body and part of his face, and some of his injuries had already begun to heal.
Lin Yuan glanced at the glowing insects and fired lasers from his eyes, killing them. Then he turned to Ikalat with burning excitement.
"When the insects die, Scarlet gets stronger… so let's kill them all! Let the darkness spread and make that monster stronger—so we win the bet!"
The two of them moved, slaughtering the glowing insects.
Scarlet King and the golem general closed in on Mo Sheng together. Scarlet King blocked some blows and took others. When they finally forced Mo Sheng back, Scarlet King spoke quickly to the general:
"Hold him. I'll hit him with soundwaves until he faints."
Scarlet King intended to force out the Hell Scythe Commander's spirit so Mo Sheng could return to himself.
The general flared his wings and flashed behind Mo Sheng. Eight arms burst from his back and locked Mo Sheng down, binding him tightly. From the front, Scarlet King seized Mo Sheng and unleashed overwhelming soundwaves.
Mo Sheng screamed.
The general's arms trembled and began to crack under the pressure—
—but at last, the Hell Scythe Commander's spirit began to emerge.
Seconds later, the spirit tore free from Mo Sheng's body.
Mo Sheng lost consciousness, and the general released him.
The general turned, opening his mouth to speak—
—and Scarlet King struck him with brutal force, slamming him into the ground.
Scarlet King dropped in front of the general's face and drew the twin daggers: Ming Hao.
The general roared.
"Why are you doing this?! We're allies!!!"
Scarlet King answered coldly as the blades began to move.
"You are my enemies. Ikalat is my sworn brother. You were nothing but a pawn—used to make Mo Sheng lose consciousness. Your usefulness is over. I have no reason to keep you alive."
He leaned in, voice dead-flat.
"It's time to sacrifice you."
Scarlet King moved.
The daggers flashed once—so fast it looked like a single streak of light—and the general was carved apart: face, torso, arms, reduced to pieces.
The darkness—strengthened by the death of the glowing insects—had raised Scarlet King's power to a terrifying degree.
Then Scarlet King appeared before Lin Yuan and Ikalat, his eyes radiating violet pressure.