The Broken Halo

’A few are not bad though.’

Simon shifted his gaze to the Impact Crystal after having this thought.

He had seen enough ordinary strikes to understand the pattern of the test, but he was still curious about how the crystal would react to him.

If he was fully healed, he would not need to think too much.

He could strike normally and see what result came out.

But now, his body was not in a good state. His raw strength had recovered more than his demonic pathways, but if he struck too recklessly, the shock might travel through his body and worsen things that had only just started healing.

As for the second strike with demonic energy reinforcement...

That was more troublesome.

His demonic pathways were still damaged. He could reinforce his body, but pushing too much demonic energy through those pathways would be asking for pain.

Simon did not show any of these thoughts on his face though.

He simply watched.

Another name was called.

”Ammor.”

This time, the crowd became slightly more attentive.

The tall demon with low S grade earth affinity stepped forward.

His earlier proud expression had returned, but it was not as free as before. After being crushed by Sonya’s peak S grade earth affinity, some of his arrogance had been forced back into his throat.

Still, he was a Supreme Archfiend.

And from his body alone, one could tell he was not weak.

His shoulders were broad, his arms were thick, and his steps caused faint tremors on the platform. Some demons moved their gazes from Sonya to him, wondering what result he would produce.

The tall demon stood before the Impact Crystal and stretched his neck.

Crack.

Crack.

Then he glanced at Sonya.

Sonya smiled at him, and it was definitely not a nice smile.

The tall demon’s face stiffened slightly, and he quickly looked away.

”First strike. No demonic energy,” the official said.

The tall demon clenched his fist. His muscles tightened, and his feet pressed heavily against the platform. For a moment, he looked like a boulder about to roll down a mountain.

Then he punched.

BOOM!

The sound was heavier than any strike before it.

The Impact Crystal shook, and crimson light burst from within.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

Four rings.

The fifth ring flickered violently, struggling to form, but in the end, it failed.

”Supreme Archfiend physical strength.”

The official announced the result, but his tone was more serious than before.

Ammor had nearly caused the fifth ring to appear with only his raw physical strength which meant that the chances of him forming a fifth ring with his demonic energy was high.

Even Korran and the other officials paid more attention to Ammor.

As for the crowd, they became noisy.

Four rings with raw physical strength and almost forming a fifth ring.

Even among Supreme Archfiends, this was a very good result. It meant that without demonic energy, the tall demon’s body alone had already surpassed many Supreme Archfiends.

The tall demon’s expression improved. He straightened his back and glanced around the compound.

Some of his confidence had returned.

Sonya clicked her tongue softly.

”Not bad for a tall rock.”

Akaza looked at her.

”That was almost a praise.”

Sonya scoffed.

”It wasn’t.”

The official’s voice sounded again.

”Second strike. Demonic energy reinforcement.”

The tall demon’s expression became serious.

Brown demonic energy gathered around his fist and spread over his arm like heavy stone armor. The platform beneath his feet trembled slightly, and cracks appeared around his soles.

The officials did not stop him.

It was still demonic energy reinforcement.

He was not using earth chaos.

The tall demon pulled his fist back.

This time, when he punched, the air in front of him seemed to compress.

BANG!

The Impact Crystal released a deep sound.

Four crimson rings appeared instantly and the fifth ring flickered even more violently than before.

It became bright for a moment, then it became dim in the next second. And then it became bright again.

The fifth ring was not stable at all.

During this period, many demons held their breaths including the officials.

However...

The fifth ring died down and did not light up.

The tall demon’s eyes dimmed and he clenched his fists in anger and frustration. His smile vanished and his gaze became cold.

”Supreme Archfiend physical strength.” The official said with a tinge of regret and disappointment in his tone.

The other officials and some officials disappointed. Though some demons had gloating expressions.

They didn’t want to see him succeed.

The person that had the most obvious gloating expression was Sonya. If not for Akaza who stopped her from saying the words she wanted to say out loud, she would have insulted and mocked Ammor openly.

The official recorded the result.

As for Simon, he was not surprised.

Even though a Half-Step Greater Demon was not a Greater Demon, the difference between a Half-Step Greater Demon and a Supreme Archfiend was not little in the slightest.

Many demons struggled to even become a Half-Step Greater Demon.

Another reason why Simon was not surprised was because of Ammor’s control over his demonic energy.

It was not poor, but it was average at best.

And having an average control over one’s demonic energy was not enough to bridge the gap between a Supreme Archfiend and a Half-Step Greater Demon.

However, despite Ammor not forming a fifth ring, he still gained a longer look from Korran Veyl.

At the end of the day, Ammor had nearly formed a fifth ring. He was extremely close to forming one.

He was not at Sonya’s level in affinity, but he was still someone worth paying attention to.

The tall demon stepped back with a dark expression, but when his eyes accidentally met Sonya’s, his face became a little stiff.

Sonya was still smiling.

And for some reason, that smile made his back feel cold.

The official looked down at the beast-skin list and called the next name.

”Virella.”

The nervous wood affinity demoness slowly raised her head.

A few demons looked toward her.

She was the demoness with a Low S grade wood affinity. However, her body did not look strong.

Her arms were thin, her shoulders narrow, and her expression was still nervous. Compared to the tall earth affinity demon who had just produced a near Half-Step Greater Demon physical strength, she looked almost fragile.

Virella walked toward the Impact Crystal with stiff steps.

Unlike Ammor, she was a Superior Archfiend.

Some demons whispered.

”She doesn’t look like she can produce three rings.”

”Wood affinity users are usually better at support and control, right?”

”Maybe her reinforcement will be good.”

Virella heard some of the whispers, and her hands tightened slightly.

Korran watched her without speaking.

Simon also looked at her, but he did not look down on her like other demons did.

A demon with a S grade affinity could not be judged only by appearance.