“Tell me, what was your name again? I seem to have forgotten.”
Yue Wu, having thoroughly explained the situation to Scheffiel, finally turned his attention to his main objective, gazing at the hulking figure emerging from the shadows.
“My name is Adia. State your name, human.”
Adia, the guardian of the Demon Realm’s entrance, now stood revealed. He was a truly massive being, approximately four meters tall.
His arms alone were nearly as long as Yue Wu was tall, bulging with incredibly developed muscles that suggested one strike from them would surely be fatal. Yet, his face resembled an abstract painting of a monkey’s.
“Since you’ve asked so sincerely, I shall, with great benevolence, inform you. To prevent the world from being destroyed, to protect global peace, to uphold the justice of love and truth—I am the handsome and charming hero of justice, Merlin!”
Yue Wu, though he managed to suppress his laughter, had no intention of abandoning his playful demeanor here. He recited iconic lines from an old television show.
“If you refuse to leave, then I shall claim both your souls,” Adia declared, his voice rumbling. “While I commend your ability to reach this place, understand that I am not some pathetic grunt you can defeat with your combined efforts!”
Suddenly, Adia’s demonic energy surged upward without end, as if its ascent had no conceivable limit.
“No, no, no,” Yue Wu countered. “Just me is enough.”
Yue Wu had barely finished speaking when Adia unleashed a direct punch. The ground instantly erupted with distinct spiderweb cracks, and the resulting gust of wind violently surged outwards, sweeping away every loose pebble.
“Merlin!”
From behind, Scheffiel cried out, her voice laced with worry for Yue Wu. She was unable to draw closer, struggling instead to raise her arms to ward off the oncoming blast and keep from being blown away.
This was no ordinary gale; it was an aggressive wind, born from the attack of a high-ranking demon commander.
“Hmm!?”
Adia, unlike Scheffiel, understood Yue Wu’s situation with stark clarity. His attack had been blocked, and over ninety percent of his power had been nullified.
He swiftly retracted his fist, studying the human before him with grave seriousness.
[Fearless Guard, activated.]
[Damage Reduction, activated.]
Yue Wu had activated both of the Knight’s passive skills while speaking, and both were at their maximum level, making him more of a knight than any true knight. Remarkably, all of his other passive skills for different professions had also reached their maximum level.
“Holy Orbs, Holy Aura.”
“Excellent,” Yue Wu said, a grin spreading across his face. “Then let’s have a delightful brawl!”
Two Holy Orbs danced around Yue Wu’s form, one large and one small. Yue Wu stretched his entire body, then, right in front of Adia, began a series of warm-up exercises.
“Come on, why aren’t you attacking?”
“If you’re not going to make the first move, then I won’t hold back, you know~”
Yue Wu waited three seconds, and seeing no attack from Adia, decided to initiate the assault himself.
*Thud!*
Yue Wu first crouched slightly, then sprang upwards, swinging a punch at Adia. Adia chose to clash head-on, and their fists met with a resounding impact.
The final result, however, saw Yue Wu land completely unscathed, while Adia lost control of the force and stumbled back several steps.
“No way!?”
Scheffiel covered her mouth, the scene she had just witnessed leaving her in disbelief. A human had actually gained the upper hand in a direct confrontation with a demon.
“You are not human at all!”
This was Adia’s immediate thought after their exchange.
“No, no, no, I am human.”
“Humans cannot possess such power!”
“Oh, but they can. I’m right here, aren’t I? I’m incredibly strong.”
“……”
Yue Wu’s words rendered Adia speechless; he found himself with nothing further to say. After all, Adia had guarded this entrance for years, and while some had managed to trespass, none had ever proven to be a worthy opponent, leaving him profoundly disappointed.
Now, however, a challenger had appeared—one who dared to clash with him head-on and even gained the upper hand.
“I, Adia, accept your challenge,” he declared, “and for now, I shall humor you by considering you human.”
His interest piqued, Adia finally came alive. Years had passed, and at last, he had a worthy opponent. He transformed, shrinking to a height comparable to Yue Wu’s.
“Come on, let’s go, let’s go,” Yue Wu urged. “Once we’re done, we can head back.”
Yue Wu struck first, continuing his close-quarters combat with Adia. He was effectively abandoning his optimal advantages to fight Adia hand-to-hand.
Yue Wu launched a direct punch at Adia’s face, but this time, Adia didn’t meet it with his fist. Instead, he seized Yue Wu’s arm and slammed him violently into the ground.
*Boom!*
Yue Wu crashed heavily onto the ground, leaving a spiderweb-like indentation. Yet, this was not the end. Adia’s fists rained down like a sudden tempest, sweeping over the prone Yue Wu like machine-gun fire for nearly ten seconds.
“Hey~ Aren’t you tired?”
Yue Wu had inexplicably appeared behind Adia, his sudden presence causing Adia to reflexively spin around, delivering an elbow strike.
[Martial Arts, activated.]
[Fighting Arts, activated.]
[Mind’s Eye, activated.]
Yue Wu activated the passive skills of both the Martial Artist and Pugilist professions. He then initiated a series of counter-attacks targeting Adia’s movements.
Yue Wu seized Adia’s arm with his right hand, locking it firmly in place and nullifying his attack. Adia’s reflexes were swift; he immediately altered his attack strategy, attempting to throw Yue Wu directly onto the ground before him.
However, with his passive skills activated, Yue Wu would not be so easily thrown. His feet felt rooted to the spot, and no matter how much force Adia exerted, he couldn’t budge him.
Yue Wu kicked out with a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, aiming directly for Adia’s leg joints.
*Thud!*
Adia was forced to one knee, a single blow that made the entire cavern tremble slightly. But this was merely the beginning.
Yue Wu’s left hand quickly seized Adia’s left arm, holding it firmly locked, then he raised his right foot and stomped down precisely onto Adia’s back.
*Crack!*
A series of bone-shattering cracks echoed throughout the vast, deep cavern. All the ribs on one side of Adia’s body had been fractured, yet he did not utter a single groan.
“Hah!!”
Adia was completely immobilized, locked firmly in his opponent’s grip. Since Yue Wu’s strength surpassed his own, Adia channeled the demonic energy within him, unleashing it outwards.
He hoped to use this outward burst of magic to force his opponent back and break free from his grip.
Yue Wu could not directly withstand the outward burst of demonic energy, but he could do one thing: he lifted his foot once more and kicked Adia away like a football.
“Cough, cough!” Adia gasped, sweat beading on his forehead. “That guy’s aura fundamentally shifted just then. It’s completely different from when he was clashing with me head-on.”
Though his internal bones had already healed, the immense pressure he had felt during those brief two or three seconds was undeniable.
“How formidable!”
Even though it lasted only a few seconds, Scheffiel watched, utterly captivated. If she hadn’t previously witnessed Yue Wu display magic, she would surely have believed him to be a martial artist or a pugilist.
‘I am completely not on the same level as him.’
Scheffiel began to feel a burgeoning admiration for Yue Wu, and the memory of inadvertently seeing his face earlier caused her cheeks, against her will, to flush crimson.
“He’s coming!”
Suddenly, Adia sensed a subtle shift in his opponent’s movements. He instantly tensed every muscle in his body, realizing he had been relegated entirely to passive defense—a deeply uncomfortable position.
Yue Wu shot forward in a single stride, appearing before Adia and prompting a reflexive counter-attack. Adia’s strike connected with Yue Wu, but just as he felt a flicker of relief, the Yue Wu before him dissolved into an afterimage.
*Boom!*
From above, Yue Wu descended with a powerful split kick, landing directly on Adia’s head. Adia, having taken the blow completely unprepared, had his head slammed heavily into the ground, carving a deep crater.
*Boom!*
In that instant, Yue Wu executed a mid-air backflip, then planted both feet together onto Adia’s spine. The impact caused the ground beneath Adia to collapse.
“Can you still continue?”
Yue Wu hopped off Adia, crouched down, and extended a hand to poke the prone demon.
“Such attacks have no effect on me,” Adia admitted, “yet they cast a shadow upon me. You are incredibly strong! Stronger than any human I’ve ever encountered!”
This was Adia’s sincere admission. He had truly never met a human who could suppress him in close combat. He couldn’t help but commend his opponent, who was indeed worthy of his praise.
“However, you will still remain here.”
Then, his tone shifted. Adia’s demonic energy abruptly swelled, indicating he was preparing to fight in earnest.
“Is that so? Are you truly certain?” Yue Wu smiled.
“Why are you still smiling?”
Adia was perplexed, unable to understand why his opponent was still smiling at this point.
“Because I am a mage.”
A magic staff suddenly appeared in Yue Wu’s hand, and the magical aura around him surged forth ceaselessly, like a bursting pipe.
“What!?” Adia froze in terror, unable to move. “How can such a being exist!?”
He had never witnessed anyone with such terrifying magical power. He feared that even the combined might of the Ten Demon Emperors of the Demon Realm wouldn’t rival this human.
Adia dared not ponder further. In the Demon Realm, Demon Emperors were second only in the hierarchy, and there were many demons with Demon Emperor-level strength. At the pinnacle of the hierarchy resided the Demon God, the supreme deity revered by all demons, and Adia dared not compare the individual before him to the Demon Realm’s ultimate power.