Chapter 270

Neutralizing and absorbing the Demon Heart proved to be a task beyond Mu-Gun's immediate capacity. It wasn't due to any particular reason; instead, the ongoing battle with Ouroboros' legion demanded his attention. Opting to stay back, Mu-Gun entrusted the ongoing skirmish to the four Spirit Kings, confident that their strength alone would suffice to quell Ouroboros' legion.

As expected, shortly after, the demons comprising Ouroboros' legion were systematically eradicated by the four Spirit Kings, leaving not a single demon in their wake.

Well done, everyone. Mu-Gun commended the four Spirit Kings and unsummoned them, returning them to the Spirit Realm.

Using the wind spirits, Mu-Gun received information on the ongoing events in the Kraiss Kingdom. The scenario in the Archen fief mirrored that of the Venatia fief. A Hellgate had been unleashed, summoning a legion of demons, only to face swift destruction by the advancing Dragons. Subsequently, the Dragons engaged in combat with the demons already summoned.

Despite the overwhelming numerical advantage of the demons, the Dragons' formidable power rendered their sheer numbers useless. Maintaining control from the outset, the Dragons relentlessly decimated the demons. With unwavering momentum, they systematically eradicated the summoned demons.

Despite the activation of two Hellgates, both summoned legions met their demise without managing to produce a single vengeful soul. This proved to be a maddening setback for the Great Demon God Baal. Nonetheless, at present, Baal's only recourse was to open additional Hellgates, aiming to generate vengeful souls and restore its waning power.

Using the wind spirits, Mu-Gun verified that the Dragons had successfully obliterated the Hellgate in the Archen fief and eradicated every demon within the summoned legion. Assured that there was no imminent crisis, he promptly initiated the circulation of his qi.

Mu-Gun aimed to rejuvenate his strength before absorbing the Demon Heart, ensuring readiness for any unforeseen circumstances. Removing the demonic energy from the Demon Heart would demand a significant amount of Thunder God Qi.

Having spent two hours circulating his qi and replenishing his Thunder God Qi, Mu-Gun retrieved the Demon Heart from a corner. Channeling his Thunder God Qi, he began infusing it into the Demon Heart. The resilient Demon Heart, surrounded by a pool of Thunder God Qi, fiercely resisted, unleashing a wave of dark energy.

In response, Mu-Gun summoned a surge of Blazing Thunder Qi infused with the energy of the Fire Spirit King Sarman. The dark energy, unable to withstand the might of the Blazing Thunder Qi, succumbed to combustion. This intense energy, eradicating all traces of darkness within the Demon Heart, penetrated directly into its core. Although the inherent dark energy in the Demon Heart resisted the Blazing Thunder Qi, the vast power difference proved insurmountable.

The dark energy, subjected to the fiery embrace of the Blazing Thunder Qi, combusted and seeped out of the Demon Heart, dissolving into thin air. The quantity of dark energy within the Demon Heart rivaled that of a Dragon Heart, requiring over an hour to completely incinerate.

Once the last vestiges of dark energy were eradicated, the Demon Heart transformed into a vibrant red hue. Purified by the Blazing Thunder Qi, the energy within the Demon Heart dwindled to a mere tenth of its initial potency. In essence, over ninety percent of the energy comprised demonic qi.

With the dark and harmful energy eradicated, the residual energy within the Demon Heart became benign and suitable for absorption by nature. Mu-Gun wasted no time and ingested the Demon Heart purified by the Blazing Thunder Qi. Subsequently, he initiated the absorption of the remaining energy contained within the Demon Heart.

Within the Demon Heart persisted Ouroboros demonic divinity. Despite being a mere husk devoid of demonic energy the source of its demonic divinity the remnants held the essence of Ouroboros' dark power.

Had the demonic energy within the Demon Heart not been eliminated, its demonic divinity might have attempted to seize control of Mu-Gun's consciousness. However, the purified state of Ouroboros' demonic divinity, devoid of demonic energy, resembled a martial artist depleted of internal energy. In this weakened state, Ouroboros' demonic divinity lacked the power to exert any influence over Mu-Gun's consciousness.

Mu-Gun confirmed Ouroboros memories through his now powerless demonic divinity. The recollections held within Ouroboros demonic divinity were fragmented and incomplete. Instead of a coherent whole, only disjointed pieces of Ouroboros memories remained, scattered and disjointed.

Mu-Gun meticulously examined the fragments of memories within Ouroboros' demonic divinity, hoping to find any clues about the Demon God's whereabouts. Regrettably, no such memory surfaced. Consequently, Mu-Gun deemed Ouroboros' demonic divinity unnecessary. Summoning the strength of his own divinity, he quelled and extinguished Ouroboros' powerless demonic essence.

Powerless and devoid of the ability to resist, Ouroboros' demonic divinity succumbed to extinction without a fighting chance. Despite the risk Mu-Gun undertook in absorbing the Demon Heart, the quest for the Demon God's location proved fruitless. A wry smile played on Mu-Gun's lips in acknowledgment of the irony.

Presently, the sole method to discern the Demon God's whereabouts entailed absorbing the Demon Hearts of Legion Commander-level demons and scrutinizing the fragments of their memories. To acquire these Demon Hearts necessitated opening Hellgates and summoning the Demon God's legion into existence.

Mu-Gun found himself in a waiting game, anticipating the opening of another Hellgate to unveil the location of the Demon God. Fortunately, absorbing Demon Hearts purified by the Blazing Thunder Qi did not present an immediate threat. However, he acknowledged the potential dangers of a consistent and continuous absorption of Demon Hearts.

Mu-Gun hoped to be able to figure out the location of the Demon God from the next Demon Heart he would absorb. Yet, he realized there was no necessity to delay this pursuit.

Mu-Gun could obtain the Demon Hearts of Legion Commanders from the legion eradicated by the Dragons. Utilizing the wind spirits, he conveyed a request to the Dragons, asking them to secure and deliver the Legion Commanders' Demon Hearts. Complying with Mu-Gun's request, the Dragons ensured the delivery of the sought-after Legion Commanders' Demon Hearts.

In the presence of the Dragons, Mu-Gun attempted to purify and absorb the Demon Heart with the Blazing Thunder Qi. Regrettably, the endeavor failed once more. Nevertheless, from this setback, he discovered a crucial revelation: the recovery of strength for the Demon God Baal required many vengeful souls from humans.

Mu-Gun, at last, understood the reason behind the Demon God's strategy of sequentially opening Hellgates instead of simultaneously. Additionally, he devised a relatively straightforward method to vanquish the Demon God. This involved either preemptively thwarting the formation of Hellgates or swiftly eliminating the demons, preventing the creation of vengeful souls even if a Hellgate were to manifest.

Understanding that vengeful souls served as the wellspring of the Demon God's power, Mu-Gun realized that hindering their creation would impede the Demon God's proper recovery of strength. If he could pinpoint the Demon God's location and strike before its complete resurgence, eradicating the Demon God might prove more achievable than initially presumed. While acknowledging the complexity of the task, Mu-Gun recognized the necessity of doing everything in his power to restrict the Demon God's strength.

Mu-Gun informed the Dragons of the fact.

-If so, we will have to do everything we can to prevent the Hellgates from being created,

said Blaze of the Gold clan with determination.

Antalion of the Silver clan responded with a doubtful reaction,

-But no matter how much effort we put in, we cant keep an eye on the entire Avalon Continent.

Thermeon of the Blue clan said hopefully,

-Still, we have to do as much as we can. Moreover, if we are lucky enough to locate the Demon Gods location through the Legion Commanders Demon Heart, we will be able to eradicate the Demon God with much ease.

The important thing to note is that as things stand, it is the best option we have now. So, even if, as Antalion said, it is impossible to monitor the entire Avalon Continent, we should not give up.

-Well said.

-I said it was difficult, but I never said I was giving up.

While Thermeon nodded, Antalion corrected Mu-Guns words.

I know that. I am just asking you to do your best to watch for signs of the Hellgates, as you have done so far.

-How impertinent,

Antalion grumbled.

-Then, lets not linger here. Lets go to the places we are taking charge of and look for signs of the Hellgates.

Mu-Gun and the Dragons nodded at Blazes words. Then, they dispersed to the respective nations they were in charge of monitoring.

Meanwhile, the Avalon Order, the paladins of the Yupir Church, and the elves, who had belatedly crossed over to the Pantheon Kingdom through the portal, verified that the battle had concluded. Dejectedly, they returned to the Pamar Empires Imperial City. Mu-Gun directed them to return to where they came from and remain vigilant for any indications of Hellgate activity.

The Avalon Order and the paladins of the Yupir Church, lacking in swift mobility, required a considerable amount of time to reach a battlefield where a Hellgate was opened in a specific area. Evaluating the scenario after the creation of the Hellgates, it appeared more practical for these forces to remain on standby in the Pamar Empires Imperial City, ready to deploy promptly to the battlefield when a Hellgate manifested.

Nevertheless, leaving them idle was not an option, especially when there was a shortage of personnel to monitor Hellgate activity. Furthermore, the delayed arrival of the Avalon Order and the Yupir Churchs paladins would likely have minimal impact on the overall course of the battle.

Mu-Gun and the Dragons were an important key to annihilating the Demon Gods legions.

* * *

As Mu-Gun, the Spirit Kings, and the Dragons dispersed to monitor the Avalon Continent, the priests of the Demon Church geared up to open additional Hellgates. Aware of the continent-wide surveillance, the Demon Churchs priests sought secret methods to initiate Hellgate openings without detection.

Initially contemplating the option of opening Hellgates across multiple nations, the Demon Churchs priests ultimately determined that concentrating their efforts on a single nation would heighten their chances of success. Mu-Gun, as Gods representative, and the Dragons were assigned to monitor individual nations.

While the elves and knights contributed to the monitoring efforts, the primary focus was on Mu-Gun and the Dragons' surveillance. Rather than devising a plan against the collective surveillance of Mu-Gun, the Spirit Kings, and the six Dragons, the Demon Church's priests believed their chances of success were greater by targeting only one of them.

After careful consideration, the Demon Churchs priests settled on opening five Hellgates within the Albion Kingdom. Taking immediate action, they selected five fiefdoms within the Albion Kingdom for this purpose. The pivotal task at hand was the relocation of the Demon God Stones. These stones housed the demonic divinity of the Demon God and emitted a potent surge of demonic energy.

The demonic energy emitted was so potent that it could even be discerned by the keen senses of an Expert Knight. Excluding the Dragons from the equation, there remained a substantial risk of detection by the Avalon Order if they were to relocate the Demon God Stones outright. Hence, finding a method to contain and prevent the leakage of the demonic energy from the Demon God Stones became imperative.

The Demon Churchs priests opted to utilize spacestones, a commonplace choice for storing Chevalier Armors. These spacestones were created by magically compressing a specific-sized space and engraving it into a special stone. Items housed within the spacestones were entirely isolated from the external environment, rendering them practically non-existent in the real world.

Upon placement of the Demon God Stone within the spacestone, the former ceased to exist in the tangible realm. Consequently, the demonic energy emanating from the Demon God Stone would no longer register in reality. A spacestone proved to be the most flawless choice for concealing the Demon God Stone.

By securing the Demon God Stone within the spacestone, the Demon Churchs priests managed to relocate without detection, as the demonic energy from the Demon God Stone remained contained. Additionally, each priest held a valid identity, allowing them to move discreetly throughout the Albion Kingdoms territory without arousing suspicion.

Consequently, they initiated the installation of the Hellgates magic circle in the five territories they had earlier designated.

* * *

Antalion was the one in charge of monitoring the Albion Kingdom and put more effort than anyone else into monitoring its territory.

However, this diligence did not stem from a sense of responsibility to protect Avalon. Rather, as a Dragon, Antalion harbored a desire to triumph over Mu-Gun, a human, and was determined not to be defeated by him.

This sentiment might seem juvenile considering Antalion's extensive lifespan, yet, given its unwavering commitment to duties, no blame could be attributed. Soaring through the sky to inspect for any peculiar energy, Antalion perceived an unusual force while surveying the Serville fief situated on the periphery of the Albion Kingdoms eastern region.

Without a doubt, it was demonic energy. Antalion focused its senses to pinpoint the origin of this energy and swiftly made its way toward it. The source was a village square on the fringes of the Serville fief, and Antalion verified that the Demon Churchs priests were utilizing the Demon God Stone to activate the Hellgate magic circle.

Promptly, Antalion unleashed a Breath at the Hellgate magic circle. A silver lightning Breath surged from Antalion's mouth, homing in on the Demon God Stone lodged at the heart of the Hellgate magic circle. Striking the Demon God Stone without affording the Demon Churchs priests any opportunity to respond, the silver Breath shattered the stone accompanied by a resounding explosion.

The explosion of the shattered Demon God Stone rippled dozens of feet in every direction, engulfing the Demon Churchs priests in its destructive force. They were obliterated, leaving no trace behind, erased from the world in an instant.