Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 280: Archdevil Core & Corpse

Liora knew very well that she lacked the ability to activate the pillar and lead to the space where the Vessel was located.

However, knowing that it was impossible to voice her thoughts aloud, she could only pretend to try to do something.

Approaching the pillar, she looked at it for a few moments before waving her hands.

Immediately, fire elements gathered in front of her and took form, transforming into blazing flames which then poured into the pillar.

They quickly merged into it like water falling inside a well, but there was no other reaction, just like one would expect.

Seeing this, Liora showed a faint frown.

After a few moments of thought, she decided to give it another try, attempting to control the flames around the pillar.

Instantly, the flames below it shook.

It was as if an invisible hand was pulling them up, trying to uproot them from the ground and throw them in the air.

Unfortunately, just like before, there was absolutely no reaction from the pillar.

Liora’s frown became deeper on the surface, but inwardly, she remained calm and composed.

”It seems that the Slave Lord’s guess is true, and a fire-related Devil is needed to really open that space.”

”Considering the situation, I might have indeed opened it if I were one...”

”Unfortunately, I’m not.”, she shook her head and stopped pretending.

With a thought, her Elemental Affinity was deactivated, allowing the gathered fire elements to return to nature and the surroundings to calm down.

Then, she looked to the side, opened her mouth, and was about to explain to the Slave Lord that there was nothing she could do.

However, just then, a sudden jolt ran through her body.

Her originally calm blood shook violently, seemingly erupting into a tsunami, while the orange film across the pillar’s surface grew deeper, resonating with it.

Under Liora’s surprised expression, the pillar began to crumble.

A few cracks appeared at first and spread throughout its surface before a small piece fell off its top.

Like the first piece of a domino, continuous cracking sounds soon followed.

In the blink of an eye, the pillar was covered in deep fractures.

Then, a bang came.

As if someone had stuffed it with explosives and detonated them all at the same time, the pillar suddenly exploded.

The debris was scattered everywhere, leaving the place where the pillar had just stood empty.

In its place, the thing that it had been concealing all this time was unexpectedly revealed.

It was a large gate.

It was pitch-black in color and similar to the one at the entrance, with the only difference being that the gray sand revolving around it was even more violent.

Just as Liora was about to investigate the gate and estimate its danger level, she noticed a blinking blur from the corner of her vision.

Surprisingly, the Slave Lord had decided to move.

Seemingly knowing that there was no danger, she flashed beside the gate and stepped into it.

Behind her followed the five remaining slaves, who showed surprising agility, lagging only half a step behind.

Liora’s eyes flickered. The impatience shown by the Slave Lord was unexpected, but it ultimately didn’t affect her decision.

She motioned Alpha to stay still and continued investigating the gate.

It was only after she had become certain that it carried no danger that she stepped inside.

Just like the six people before her, she appeared beside the gate and took a step forward.

The next moment, the gray sand engulfed both her and Alpha’s figure, transporting them to another place, for a second time.

--

Liora had long become used to the feeling of being teleported.

Thus, it didn’t take her long to recover from this bizarre and unusual experience.

Only a moment after she stepped into the gate, she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.

She was now in a different space. Smaller than the demi-plane they had just been, but large enough to accommodate a city.

Clearly, this was a demi-plane hidden inside a bigger demi-plane, a grand display of the Hollow Ancestor’s overwhelming power.

However, Liora had no time to care about this.

She didn’t even look at the space itself, much less analyze its creator’s power.

The moment she stepped into this space, her eyes were instantly attracted by two objects lying at its very center.

One was in the shape of a circular orb and shone brightly with a flickering light, while the other was an unmoving person.

Liora instantly recognized the first item.

Although its appearance was slightly different from the ones she had obtained before, her intuition and the yearning stemming from her body let her know: this was the core of a Fire Elemental.

It was just that, unlike the cores she had obtained before, this one was far, far more powerful.

Compared to it, even the True Devil ones she had managed to extort from the six Lords were like fireflies in front of the moon.

”The core of a Greater Devil?”, Liora instinctively guessed, but she immediately shook her head and denied it.

”No! This should be an Archdevil core!”, she realized, feeling the invisible power emanating from the core and permeating throughout this space.

It oppressed everything and everyone that dared to step near it. Even Liora was included among them, slightly affected by the power it unintentionally revealed.

”If this came from an Archdevil, then this body...”, Liora couldn’t help but think, shifting her focus to the person lying beside the core.

No, rather than describing it as a person, it would be more accurate to call it a corpse.

With four horns growing from its head and covered in black scales, the one-hundred-meter-tall body of the Devil confronted the core.

Like its opponent, the corpse also exuded an oppressive aura, seemingly fighting against the Fire Elemental even after its owner’s death.

If Liora had to think to estimate the core’s strength, then there was no need to spend any effort analyzing this corpse.

The images and information engraved in her bloodline let her know: this was an Archdevil, a being standing at the apex of Heavens, and a creature powerful enough to become a Ruler of a Layer in the Demon World.

Facing such a creature, even with Liora’s ability to retain her composure, she found it difficult to remain calm.

This was the second Archdevil she had come into contact with so far.

During her escape from the Inferno Valley, an Archdevil Fire Elemental had tried to kill her. However, at that time, she had managed to escape before it was too late and thus could not take a look at them.

It was only now that she finally had the chance to take a look at such a creature for good.

It took her a few seconds to recover.

Fortunately, no one attacked her during that time; otherwise, she would have been caught off guard in her dazed state.

Waking up, Liora surveyed her surroundings. Instantly, she discovered that she was not the only one affected by these two objects.

The Slave Lord, her subordinates, and even Alpha were the same as her.

If anything, they were even more heavily affected due to their lack of strength.