The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1173: The Demon: Demon Stronghold

Bang!!

The woman’s eyes widened as a powerful force slammed into her body. Her sword hadn’t even reached Souta when a transparent barrier rebounded her slash.

She was blasted hundreds of meters away, her body riddled with holes. She had taken the chance when she saw the Blood Lightning Monster distracted—but it was a fatal mistake.

”It can’t be...” she muttered weakly as her strength drained from her body.

Souta turned his head, and the moment his gaze landed on her, she felt the presence of an apex predator preying upon her.

He swung the scythe in his hand, and the woman vanished into thin air—leaving nothing behind.

A sneak attack? It was hardly effective against someone like him, who possessed numerous counter skills. He had [Great Reflect], [Purgatory Mirror], and several others that automatically activated whenever he was attacked. At most, they could only eliminate experts below the Freedom Realm.

Even though his base stats were low, the blessings and countless skills he had accumulated made him far more powerful than the rest.

If he only relied on one or two blessings and skills, his Blood character would have struggled against high-caliber opponents. But with the blessings of all the Commanders of the Mechanic Country, his power had already reached an overwhelming level.

”Let’s end this!”

Souta vanished from his position and reappeared in the middle of the enemy army. He swung the scythe and sword in his hands, cutting through the crowd and reaping hundreds of lives in an instant.

Boom!! Boom!!

Explosions erupted around him as he pressed forward, carving a path of devastation. Within mere seconds, Souta continued advancing toward the demon he had been tracking. Although he had already slain hundreds of thousands of experts, a few still remained. He decided to leave the rest to the monster army.

At the very least, he had achieved his goal—eliminating most of the Hero-rank experts and leaving only a handful of survivors.

In truth, less than a minute had passed since he’d arrived on the battlefield.

During that brief time, he had activated even more skills, preparing himself for the confrontation ahead. Moreover, his experience bar had filled completely, pushing him to the next level.

Souta knew how difficult it was to confront demons head-on, especially within their stronghold. In a one-on-one battle, however, he was certain of victory. It wasn’t arrogance—it was simply fact. With the power of Blood coursing through him, no demon in the entire world could defeat him in a duel.

Unless, of course, it was a Demon Pillar.

He had faced demons countless times before. He knew better than anyone—raiding a demon stronghold was never easy.

”Just wait for me, Alice...”

Souta’s voice was low, carried away by the wind as he accelerated once more. The air cracked like thunder, and a booming roar echoed through the skies, sending violent shockwaves tearing across the landscape beneath him.

Then—he stopped.

Suspended in mid-air, Souta’s expression darkened. His gaze swept downward, eyes narrowing.

”The tracks disappeared here...” he muttered. ”So I was right. There’s a demon base.”

His tracking spell wouldn’t just fade away on its own. Something below was interfering—a restriction, powerful and deliberate, woven to mask what lay beneath.

But Souta had seen this kind of trick before.

And he knew exactly what it meant.

He descended silently, his shadow streaking across the ground below.

...

An unknown place.

A fortress buried in secrecy—a demon stronghold hidden from every kingdom’s eyes. Tens of thousands of demons gathered within, their presence thickening the air with malice and heat.

Ohm!!

The entire chamber trembled. A vast portal at the center of the stronghold blazed with unstable mana. The air crackled and warped as waves of power surged outward.

Alice, standing before it, flinched at the sudden flare. Her golden eyes reflected the light of the swirling vortex.

”The portal is... activating,” she whispered.

Around her, demons poured mana stones into the device one after another. Their hands shook under the raw energy pulsing through the air.

”How many of these bases do we have across the continent?” Alice asked quietly, her gaze fixed on the trembling structure.

Leimin, standing beside her, let out a soft sigh. ”You don’t want to know, Princess.” Her lips curved into a faint, almost tired smile. ”That’s classified. Only those who bear the burden of our land are allowed to know.”

Alice’s expression hardened.

The Demon Pillars.

Only they would know the true number.

The chamber rumbled again. The flicker of torches wavered. All around, demons prepared themselves, their weapons gleaming, their auras sharp. Most were below the Shackled Realm, but even the weakest could feel it—the sudden chill that crept through the air.

Leimin’s eyes narrowed. She turned her gaze upward.

”...Something’s coming.”

At that moment, several violent energy fluctuations erupted across the stronghold—like storms colliding overhead.

Alice’s breath caught in her throat as the ground quaked beneath her feet. A suffocating pressure crashed down upon them, shaking the entire base.

It wasn’t aimed at her.

It wasn’t even aimed at anyone inside.

It was something—outside.

The weaker demons collapsed instantly, gasping for air. The stronger ones knelt, their veins bulging, unable to resist the force pressing down on them.

”This—this feeling...” Alice’s voice trembled as realization dawned.

A Freedom Realm expert.

No—multiple of them.

The Heavenly Demon Palace’s power was overwhelming. Even a single one of their elites could crush a country. But this... this was enough to erase one from the map.

Leimin lowered her eyes for a long moment, her expression grim. Then she turned to Alice.

”You have to go. Now.”

Alice blinked, confusion and fear crossing her face. ”What do you mean?”

Leimin didn’t answer. She kept her eyes on the trembling ground, her aura flaring faintly—like a lone spark before the storm.

Even though Leimin didn’t answer, Alice could feel it—something was wrong. The air itself seemed to tremble.

Then, a deafening voice shattered the silence.

”ALICE!! WAIT FOR ME!!”

The sound echoed through the entire stronghold, shaking the walls and splitting the air like thunder.

Alice’s eyes flew wide open. Her heart stopped for a beat.

That voice—she knew it better than anyone.

Souta.

He came here.

For her.

Her knees weakened as guilt twisted in her chest. He came all this way... because of me.

Countless people had turned against him, countless forces had moved just to capture or kill him. And every single time, the reason was her.

Yet, not once did he complain.

Not once did he turn away.

Even when the entire world tried to bring him down, Souta bore the weight alone just to shield her.

”This... how could I...” Alice’s lips trembled as her voice broke.

Ever since that day, since the moment the incident tore their world apart, she hadn’t stopped blaming herself. Every battle, every loss, every wound. She could feel it pressing down on her heart like chains.

The Heavenly Demon Palace was a monstrous force. Compared to its might, everyone who stood beside her was nothing...

And yet, Souta kept fighting.

Bleeding.

Defying them all... just for her.

Leimin’s expression twisted into a scowl as the echo of his voice faded.

”What the hell is wrong with that Blood Lightning Monster?!” she snapped, her voice sharp with disbelief. ”How can he have this much strength?!”

Her fists clenched, her teeth gritted in frustration as another surge of energy rippled through the ground—a storm of blood and lightning announcing his arrival.

...

In a land known as Bear Paw Valley, the heavens themselves seemed to tremble.

A colossal mass of earth—an entire floating continent, stretching thousands of kilometers in diameter—hung suspended in the sky. Its shadow engulfed the valley below, drowning the land in darkness.

The people of Bear Paw Valley could only stare in horror. Their homeland was a barren, quiet place—its strongest expert barely reaching the First Shackle Realm. Yet now, before their eyes, an impossible sight loomed above them.

A wave of energy—unnatural and suffocating—rolled across the land. The air crackled, distorting space itself. Even the ground vibrated under the pressure of that unseen force.

If that floating land were to fall, they knew there would be no survivors. Every city, every beast, every soul would be crushed to dust. Hundreds of thousands of lives—erased in an instant.

”W-What is that?!”

”The energy—it’s insane!!”

Panic spread like wildfire. People screamed, scattering in every direction, desperate to flee from a calamity they couldn’t comprehend.

No one knew what this floating land truly was. None of them could possibly understand.

Hidden beneath layers of ancient magic and runes, the massive structure was a demon stronghold—a fortress cloaked by a formation so powerful that even a God’s perception would slip past it unnoticed. Of course, God-rank beings could detect it if they thoroughly search this area.

To the mortals below, it was untouchable, intangible—something that existed beyond reality itself. Even if they flew toward it, they would simply pass through, as if it were nothing more than an illusion.

But now—

The illusion was breaking.

The formation was faltering, fractures spreading like cracks through glass.

And the cause of that destruction?

It was none other than the one they called—

The Blood Lightning Monster.