The Price of Disruption

“It’s here.”

The moment Youlan spotted the arm, she lunged forward, thrusting her long spear deep into the Demon God’s flesh.

“––”

A guttural, incomprehensible roar erupted from the rift, a sound of fury and pain. Even a Demon God of the Abyss could not ignore the destructive power of her spear. It struggled to retaliate, yet with only one arm extended through the fissure, its movements were severely limited.

The energy accumulated by the vortex was still too meager. While this Demon God was considered ‘slender’ among its kind, the rift remained too narrow, allowing only a single arm to pass through.

Demon Gods, it was a universally accepted truth among all deities, were creatures devoid of intellect. Provoke them even slightly, and these beings would rush headlong into a beating. They were immortal, and thus, fearless of death.

“Ziyao, hit it hard!” Youlan, administering what looked like acupuncture to the Demon God, didn’t forget to urge Ziyao to join in.

Hit it hard? That sounds delightful!

Ziyao raised her hand, and blue light converged, forming a colossal magic array. Innumerable blue particles were drawn to the array, and a brilliant blue orb of light materialized at its core.

A magic cannon was, and always would be, a mage’s most straightforward and brutal method of attack. Of course, it was also a swordsman’s.

Should I shout something like ‘Azure Void Flash’?

Ziyao even found herself with enough leisure to ponder such trivialities as she forcefully swung her right hand. The pressure from this Demon God was simply too insignificant. She had initially imagined Demon Gods to be incredibly formidable, capable of world-ending destruction the moment they appeared.

But… this is it?

Ziyao wasn’t boasting, but judging by the magical fluctuations emanating from this Demon God, she felt confident she could take on ten of them simultaneously. If one could withstand their initial mental assault upon arrival, these Demon Gods might not even be able to defeat high-tier professionals.

For instance, the Empress. If she could resist this Demon God’s mental attack, it likely wouldn’t be long before she tore it limb from limb.

The deep blue beam of light collided directly with the Demon God’s arm.

“––”

The Demon God let out a pained roar as four-fifths of its arm was instantly obliterated. Though it possessed regenerative abilities, the magic, imbued with the power of order, inflicted agonizing pain upon it. The Abyss was the enemy of Order, and naturally, Order was the enemy of the Abyss. Their relationship was not one of unilateral suppression. Whoever was stronger suppressed the other.

At this moment, this particular Demon God was clearly no match for the two deities. Thus, its Abyssal properties became a distinct liability.

“Excellent work.” Youlan glanced at the damage Ziyao had inflicted, a knowing smile gracing her lips. Ziyao was always so reliably effective.

Now, it was her turn.

“Demon God, this is your deserved punishment!”

Black tendrils of energy transformed into countless chains, coiling around the still-thrashing arm. The Demon God, utterly incapable of resistance, was bound tightly. Moreover, not only its arm but also its main body, hidden behind the rift, was affected. This rift was not a one-way passage. If the Demon God could extend its arm through, then it was perfectly normal for Youlan’s chains to coil back through as well, wasn’t it?

“––”

Being entangled by chains of destruction was far from a pleasant experience. Especially with its own attributes being suppressed, the Demon God on the other side contorted in agony. Though, it was already quite grotesque to begin with. The chains, scorching like branding irons, cinched tightly around its body, causing immense torment. It struggled to tear them away, but the immense power of a deity was not something a relatively weak Abyssal Demon God could resist.

“Ziyao, one last strike! Send it back home!”

An even denser shroud of black energy than before gathered in Youlan’s palm. She truly did prefer stabbing things with her spear.

Abyssal Demon Gods were not inherently powerful, but their most infuriating trait was their incredibly potent immortality. Even if annihilated by a deity’s attack, as long as the Abyss endured, they could regenerate. It was merely a matter of time. And for an Abyssal Demon God, time was never an issue.

Upon hearing Youlan’s words, Ziyao accelerated the construction of her magic array. She had just discovered that her staff actually contained several forbidden water spells. By simply channeling magic power, the staff would automatically construct the Forbidden Spell, making it incredibly convenient.

And equally terrifying.

With sufficient magic, its wielder could bypass the chasm separating Sages and the Seven-Star rank, forcibly casting Forbidden Spells. To Ziyao, this seemed utterly impossible. Yet, this staff was precisely that miraculous. Thankfully, its current owner was her.

“Elemental Torrent!” This Forbidden Spell abandoned all utility, possessing only one function: to tear apart everything in its path. It was also the only offensive Forbidden Spell recorded within this staff.

The blue torrent of magic instantly shredded the remaining half of the arm. It even pierced directly through the spatial rift, impaling the Demon God’s main body. To the Demon God, this was merely a minor injury, but the pain of a severed arm and a pierced heart was undeniably real. Especially since the spellcaster was a deity, and deities had a special advantage against Abyssal Demon Gods.

At the very least, this Demon God wouldn’t recover its combat strength for several centuries.

“So, what do we do now?” Having repelled the weakened Demon God, Ziyao gazed at the rift and asked Youlan.

“Simple. I’ll just destroy the space around it. This is a Mirror Space constructed by Sophia. Once it collapses, this rift will cease to exist.”

“Sophia?” Ziyao heard a familiar name. The green-haired girl had left a deep impression on her.

Could it be a coincidence? Someone with the same name?

“You must have met her, the green-haired one.” Youlan confirmed her suspicion. “I heard from her that there were traces of the Abyss here, which is why I temporarily put aside looking for you.”

“She’s that powerful?” A Mirror Space? That was beyond human capabilities!

“She’s not human.” Youlan pursed her lips. “An elf, you know. That one has been alive for who knows how long; she even watched the Elven Empress grow up.”

No wonder, Ziyao realized with a sudden understanding.

Elves were the favored race of the God of Wisdom, and their mastery of magic was something humans could never hope to match. If Sophia truly was an elf who had lived for such a long time, then her ability to wield such formidable magic was entirely explainable.

“What about you then? Your strength is also incredible, isn’t it?”

“Me?” Youlan chuckled. “I’m just a five-star spear warrior, nothing more than having a few special combat techniques against Abyssal creatures.”

“Heh.” Ziyao looked at her with suspicion.

Five-star? Who was it that just flew up and made the Demon God howl in pain? How could that be five-star? Ziyao wasn’t blind.

However, if the girl didn’t want to elaborate, Ziyao wasn’t inclined to press. At least for now, it seemed this girl was very familiar with her and was on her side.

“Alright, idle chatter over.”

Observing the space gradually beginning to collapse, Youlan hurled her final spear. The already crumbling rift completely dissolved into spatial turbulence. No one, at this point, could use it for teleportation.

“Let’s go. It’s done.”