Chapter 1054: A Proper Interrogation
Before the Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord could so much as lash out at the leader of Dunespire Tower, Dida La hefted his enormous metal staff and unleashed a relentless barrage—over a hundred orange Detonation spells in rapid succession. The explosions piled up in front of the Overlord, each blast rocking the air with such force that even the demon’s hulking body trembled, while the abyssal magic cloaking its form billowed away as curling black smoke, vanishing into nothingness...
The Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord roared, its fury palpable. When it slashed its claws, the very air seemed on the verge of tearing apart. It shredded the orange flames before it with brutal efficiency, only to discover that darkness had fallen—an impenetrable shadow dome stretched overhead, swallowing every trace of light and snuffing out the last flickers of magical energy...
Beyond the shadow dome, Diras steadily poured magic into the Shadow Cloak, keeping the darkness intact.
Within the dome, shifting sands surged and churned, turning the ground beneath the Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord into a treacherous sinkhole, slowly dragging the demon down.
On the opposite flank, Dida La raised his metal staff high. At its tip, golden-red Hellfire flickered—its infernal aura unmistakable as it spread, promising nothing but misery.
As Dida La intoned his spell, the Hellfire soared to the dome’s peak, swelling until it became a golden-red vortex dozens of meters wide. The air grew heavy with a sinister, hellish aura, and from the heart of the flames came the distant, savage howls of infernal creatures, all clawing to break free.
Just then, the shadow dome abruptly dissolved. The Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord felt the Hellfire’s presence—its eyes turned blood-red in a heartbeat. A spectral Evil Moon Phantom shimmered overhead, a clear sign: the demon was ready to bolt, spooked by the infernal threat.
Abyssal demons and the conniving devils of Hell—ancient foes, their hatred baked into bone and soul. The Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord knew it was outmatched; if those infernal creatures got loose, it would get a proper taste of hell. Lucky him.
The Overlord summoned the Evil Moon Phantom, desperate to flee, but the shifting sands held it fast, pinning it down—no escape, not this time.
Its massive arms slammed into the ground, trying to use the rebound force to break free from the shifting sand’s grip. But just as the rebound hit, the sand’s restraint suddenly vanished.
The sand that had pinned it to the ground abruptly erupted with a tremendous force, launching its body skyward.
Just as it was about to reach the Evil Moon Phantom, a wave of shadow silently spread out, shrouding the moon’s glow. Instantly, the phantom—like a spatial gateway—lost all function.
The Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord’s body passed through the dim Evil Moon Phantom, plunging headfirst into the blazing vortex above.
Half its body was dragged into the fiery vortex, thrashing wildly to escape, but its enormous frame seemed gripped by some monstrous force—pulled relentlessly into the flames.
The moment the Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord vanished, Dida La decisively cut off the spell. The flames scattered in the wind, and the Demon Overlord was gone.
With the Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord sent to hell, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Among the seventy-two noble demon bloodlines of the Abyss, the Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord is renowned for its monstrous physique and terrifying strength. It can withstand spells of its own rank without serious injury, and possesses a powerful innate ability—the Evil Moon Phantom—for escape.
Ordinary spatial abilities—teleportation, blinking—can be disrupted by interference. Heavenly Mages can open spatial gates as long as they have a coordinate and minimal disturbance, allowing direct transport.
But outside of mages who specialize in space magic, almost no one can use this ability in battle. Too much interference makes opening a spatial gate impossible—and even if forced open, you might end up underground, or even in the void itself.
But such violent magical interference has no effect on the Purple-Eyed Demons—they can easily summon the Evil Moon Phantom and teleport away.
If you can’t finish them off in one strike, things get messy.
By harnessing the power of shadow to obscure the Evil Moon’s projection, the Demon Overlord’s escape was blocked—then the Hellgate was opened, sending the creature straight to hell.
No doubt the sly, treacherous devils of hell will be delighted to welcome this Demon Overlord. If they don’t turn him into a specimen and hang him on their palace gates, it’d be a shame...
With the most troublesome Purple-Eyed Demon Overlord dealt with, the battle elsewhere was nearly over.
A dozen Lesser Demon Overlords were slaughtered outright by the three floating fortresses of Skyhold Fortress—and by Joey and his five companions.
While Dida La and his two allies were scheming against the Demon Overlord, ten of the Lesser Demon Overlords had already been slain.
Joey, Heron, and the Orc Sword Saint each led a subordinate, joining forces to besiege the remaining Lesser Demon Overlords.
Joey’s Starfield Reflection enveloped one of the Lesser Demon Overlords, transforming the space into a starry void. In an instant, countless stars blazed, crashing down—within ten seconds, the demon’s head was smashed to pieces.
Heron lurked in the darkness, a shadowy curtain sweeping by. Seconds later, a scream rang out from the gloom; as the darkness faded, a Lesser Demon Overlord lay exposed, its heart and brain corroded away.
As for the Orc Sword Saint—a living legend in Andalusia—he fought with the classic sword saint style: relentless battle energy slashes, slicing a Lesser Demon Overlord into dozens of bloody fragments...
The remaining demons were blasted to pieces by three mages from Skyhold Fortress, wielding their floating fortresses with ruthless spellfire...
The battle ended swiftly. In midair, Leon and Rafael were still tracking the changes in the Alchemical Array.
A few minutes later, the array’s fluctuations calmed, the landscape reverted to ordinary mountains, and the energy ripples slowly faded away.
A hint of delight flashed in Rafael’s eyes.
"Archmage Merlin, I’ve pinpointed the critical changes on this side."
Runes faded from Leon’s eyes as a faint smile curled his lips.
"That’s about it. I’ve logged the key data and changes here. We can continue studying this Alchemical Array now—once the data’s corrected, we’ll move on to the next site."
Rafael’s eyes sparkled with joy, his face breaking into an irrepressible grin.
"I didn’t expect our first experiment to go so smoothly. The power that leaked from the Archfiend was only that of a low-tier Demon Overlord. With this success, the next rounds will be much easier—at least there’s no risk of releasing the Archfiend."