Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

WHOO... WHOO...

A horn sounded in the distance, one short blast followed by a long one. Hak turned his head, carefully discerning the signal from afar.

A moment later, Hak spoke in the agitated Demon Realm Language.

”Heighten alert, enemy invader! Invader Power Level: D-Class.”

As captain of this patrol team, Hak was intimately familiar with the Demon Tribe’s communication methods and codes. According to their code system, one short and one long blast signified an enemy invading their occupied territory at a level so negligible—presenting almost no danger—that they could be utterly disregarded as long as basic vigilance was maintained.

The teleportation had just begun, yet someone had already been detected by the Demon Tribe. Worse still, the Demon Tribe’s response was extraordinarily swift and effective.

Despite certain restrictions imposed by the Dominator on these Demon Fiends he ”cultivated,” their inherent combat instincts and the tactical awareness honed by the Dominator’s training remained formidable.

”It might just be a few patrol teams,” a Demon Fiend behind Hak analyzed. It stood five meters tall, entirely black, with a disproportionately large head bearing a single, giant eyeball.

”Who knows? Right now, I just want to get this damned patrol mission over with!” Hak, an Ancient Demon, grumbled. In the Demon Tribe, racial differences signified not only varying statuses but also disparate levels of absolute strength. Yet, Hak’s tone held no condescension when speaking to the Cyclops Demon Fiend.

At Level 7, the importance of racial advantages had significantly diminished, replaced instead by skill levels and the synergy of skill combinations.

”Oh, right.” As if recalling something, Hak turned back to ask the Cyclops Demon Fiend, ”I heard that in three days, you’re being transferred to the vanguard battalion to serve as the main spearhead in the next large-scale offensive?”

The Cyclops Giant Demon grinned, its massive maw parting as a putrid stench instantly blanketed a ten-meter radius around it.

Nodding slowly, the Cyclops Giant Demon replied, ”The general offensive is in three days. And from what I know, the next one should be the decisive battle! The higher-ups intend to swiftly annihilate these remnants of the Universe of Immortals and Heroes!”

Hearing this, Hak mumbled indistinctly, ”I figured as much. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be transferring you back too. Old Cook, that madman... seems they’ve both been recalled to the vanguard battalion...”

Listening to Hak’s muttering, the Cyclops Giant Demon understood Hak was vexed about not being recalled to the vanguard battalion himself. Given their rapport, the Cyclops Giant Demon offered some comfort, ”Don’t be impatient. I estimate the higher-ups have their considerations. Wait until this vanguard battalion has taken substantial losses...”

A muffled THUD interrupted the Cyclops Giant Demon.

Turning in puzzlement, the Cyclops Giant Demon and Hak stared with their three eyes towards the source of the sound.

Yet, the area was empty...

”Who was that? Who let out such a loud fart?” Hak demanded.

The one who answered Hak’s question was an Early Stage Level 7 Soot Skin Demon Fiend, possessing only about 8,000 physique points.

The Soot Skin Demon Fiend shakily pointed to where the sound had come from, its large yellow teeth chattering uncontrollably as it stammered, ”J-just... just now... there was a THUD, and Baro... he just... vanished...”

”Vanished?” An incredulous tone escaped Hak. Snapping back to his senses, he instantly did a headcount of his squad.

”One, two... three... nine...”

When he counted to nine, Hak’s expression turned ugly as he glanced at the Cyclops Giant Demon beside him.

Their ten-member patrol team was short one Demon Fiend...

...

「About thirty kilometers away from Hak’s patrol team.」

A large net woven from vines tightly encased a struggling Demon Fiend, making it look like a cocoon of flora suspended mid-air, gestating something terrifying within. Wen Yu stood beside this massive plant cocoon, quietly savoring the surge of physical power fed back by the Almighty Demon Vine.

Victor, perched on Wen Yu’s shoulder, sent a Spiritual Fluctuation to him: ”The tactic was fairly successful. However, Level 7 Demon Fiends are indeed different from those weaklings on Earth. Just as I initiated the Netherworld teleportation, this Demon Fiend thrashed violently, making some noise, and was spotted by the nearby Demon Fiends.”

Wen Yu replied via his own spiritual connection, ”That’s normal. No plan is flawless. You’re only Level 5; that you managed to accomplish this much already satisfies me greatly!”

As Wen Yu proceeded along his planned route, it took him less than five minutes to find traces of the Demon Race Squad.

He directed Victor to ascertain the targets’ general strength. Under the combined effects of Traceless (S-Class, Active Ability) and Night Eyes (SS-Class, Passive Ability), coupled with Victor’s divine beast status and his formidable 15,000 physique points, Victor completed the reconnaissance mission with ease.

Demon Fiends with less than 10,000 physique points—five in total! These were cannon-fodder grade Level 7 Demon Fiends. Without any high-level skills, Wen Yu could likely dispatch them in one or two moves.

But what high-level skills could such low-tier Level 7 Demon Fiends possibly have?

Demon Fiends with 10,000 to 15,000 physique points—three in total! These would be considerably more troublesome. Level 7 beings possessed two more skills than Level 5 ones. Their overall combat strength should be a tier below his Primary Battle Soul Pets (Victor, Star, and Cyclops), but the difference wasn’t immense.

Demon Fiends with 20,000 physique points—two of them! These were an Ancient Demon and a Cyclops Giant Beast.

This level of combat power was enough for Wen Yu to classify them as strong adversaries!

After a moment’s thought, Wen Yu quickly devised a plan. He would use Victor’s Netherworld ability to instantly transport one Demon Fiend from one end of the Netherworld to the other—a simple tactic to split the enemy’s formation.

He had initially only intended it as a probe. Wen Yu was positioned far enough away that if Victor were detected, he could instantly recall him to the Soul Realm space.

He hadn’t expected the Demon Fiend patrol team’s detection abilities to be so poor—at least, they couldn’t find Victor, who was hiding more than ten kilometers away, shrunk to his miniature form beneath tree roots, doing his best to conceal his aura...

Judging from the composition of this Demon Fiend squad, these puppet Demon Fiends controlled by the Dominator perhaps didn’t fully appreciate the importance of specialized roles.

When the Demon Fiend marching at the very rear of the patrol was dizzily teleported before Wen Yu, it still hadn’t registered what had happened when dark power enveloped its body. Simultaneously, the Almighty Demon Vine shot out, plunging straight into the Demon Fiend’s body!