Ex rank talent Awakening: 100% Dodge rate Chapter 196 CHAPTER 196: DEMON WAVE VIII

Lilith's brain went into overdrive, thinking hard about how to escape the coming disaster.

"Are you alright?" Aaron moved closer to Lilith, noticing her absentmindedness in the middle of the battle. The only reason she was still safe was due to her summon guarding her. Cerberus, noticing its master's distraction, had shifted from offense to defense, positioning itself protectively in front of Lilith.

Lilith didn't answer. Her mind was still calculating a way out.

"You know you could die if you keep spacing out," Aaron said, tapping Lilith to break her from her thoughts. Cerberus stared at Aaron with suspicion. Although it didn't attack—knowing Aaron and its master were close—that didn't an it let its guard down.

Lilith, forced out of her thoughts by Aaron's touch, frowned, then smiled afterward as she processed Aaron's words. She suddenly laughed. Had her laugh not been sweet to the ears, Aaron would have taken offense—or worse, called her crazy—but he held himself back.

"Thank you, Aaron. That's it!" she said excitedly, hugging him.

The hug caught Aaron by surprise. "Hey, you're not supposed to say my real na," he whispered, his voice hushed to avoid alerting others who might not have realized it. But Lilith wasn't listening to him one bit.

"That's what I should do. I'll log out," Lilith said cheerfully, canceling her summon.

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[Warning! The being has caught wind of your presence! Escape now!]

The system warning popped up.

Lilith, not planning to take the risk of staying any longer, logged out just as the celestial ssenger appeared a split second later.

"I felt a disgusting presence here monts ago. I was sure that presence was more repulsive than demons," the celestial ssenger muttered, a frown on his face as he scanned the battlefield.

Everyone—demons and humans alike—stared at the being in the sky. His presence filled the humans with reverence and the demons with dread.

Aaron stared at the celestial ssenger, his mouth agape. "What is this?" he whispered to himself, his eyes bleeding. He had tried to use Observer on the celestial ssenger, but his talent had been deflected. The backlash caused his eyes to bleed. Only one function of his ability had worked—but even he couldn't truly call that a success.

His observation skill had attempted to locate a weakness in the celestial ssenger but failed. Not a single weak point. That alone told Aaron all he needed to know about the monstrosity in the sky.

The celestial ssenger, having found nothing after scanning the battlefield, turned his attention to the reason for his descent. He gazed coldly at the demons.

"Vermins, today shall be your last," he declared, drawing his sword slowly from its sheath. The sword glead brilliantly, screaming divinity.

Everyone—demons, humans, players—stood frozen. No one moved an inch. They forgot about the battle entirely, transfixed as the celestial ssenger casually swung his sword downward toward the battlefield.

A beam of light, so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes, shot out from the sword. There was no sound, no pressure, no aura—only a still, eerie calmness. Darkness t them as they shut their eyes, yet even behind their closed lids, the light nearly burned through. No one dared open their eyes. Blindness was guaranteed for any who tried.

Eyes remained shut for ten seconds. Then, as if remote-controlled, everyone opened them at once. But for the demons, it was already too late. None of them could open their eyes—darkness had beco permanent. In fact, they could no longer think at all. Their deaths occurred the mont they shut their eyes.

Everyone stared at the aftermath in fear—Aaron included. A casual strike had annihilated every demon while sparing the humans. They were terrified. Terrified of the being that could cause such devastation.

They all looked upward—so with fear, others with reverence, so with respect, envy, jealousy, admiration... but one way or another, all eyes were on the divine being. No one paid attention to the system notification ringing in their ears, announcing the end of the event.

The battlefield wasn't the only place that had experienced the celestial ssenger's might. The temporary demon camp attacking King Edmund's kingdom had been the first to face his wrath, causing the event to end prematurely.

The celestial ssenger stared arrogantly—not out of pride or superiority, but with an innate, effortless dominance. It was the sa way humans thought of themselves as superior to ants, finding nothing unusual about the sentint. That was how the celestial ssenger viewed humanity.

Saying nothing more, he flew away, heading toward the next battlefield.

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Brian frowned deeply. It was just him and Stagnant Water left against hundreds of demons. Dual Blade was already dead. The pressure on him kept intensifying—not from fatigue (which was never a problem for him)—but from the sheer number of enemies charging at once, and his constant need to check on Stagnant Water to support him from ti to ti.

Chris was on his last legs. For a cripple, he couldn't believe how much he'd used them. For the first ti, he was actually happy he couldn't use his legs in real life—at least then, he'd finally get the rest he deserved. The only reason he had lasted this long was because Brian had been helping.

His stamina had hit rock bottom. He couldn't teleport anymore—doing so would drain him entirely and leave him defenseless. If that happened, not even Brian could save him from death.

Brian fought hard—swinging, dodging, stabbing, maneuvering. His swordsmanship sharpened with every move. It was the best kind of training—but he couldn't let it continue. As favorable as it was for him, he had to consider his best friend, Chris. Anyone who died before the event ended would respawn at the nearest resurrection point—likely the empire. That was a situation to avoid at all costs.

For a split second, Brian closed his eyes. When he opened them, his mind was made up.

"GREY EMPIRE IMPERIAL TECHNIQUE: HEAVEN'S FALL..." Brian said softly, no longer holding back out of courtesy