The group walked in silence, following the footprints deeper.
The Hero crouched again, touching the ground. "They keep going... further inside."
The Mage tightened her grip on her staff."The ether here is thicker. Even my barrier is starting to strain."
The Beastman growled, his skin steaming from the corrosive air. "Hrr. This is not natural. Even I feel it burning."
The Cultivator looked ahead, his eyes narrowing. "If we continue, the pressure will rise. We are scouts, not hunters."
The four stopped. The air was heavier, biting at their skin.
The Hero exhaled, lowering his hand from his sword. "We’ve seen enough."
"There are people inside the Core. Cultivators, maybe. If the devils’ numbers are falling, it may be connected to them."
The Mage nodded slowly. "Yes. That much is clear. Better to report this than throw our lives away."
The Beastman rolled his shoulders, reluctant. "Tch. I don’t like turning back with no fight... but fine."
The Cultivator adjusted his robes, voice calm. "Then we leave. The Supres will decide the rest."
---
They turned to head back.
But then, the ground trembled. A deep rumble rolled through the Core mist.
The Hero froze, shield rising instantly."Sothing’s coming."
The Beastman sniffed sharply, his claws extending. "Big. Very big."
The Mage lifted her staff, a circle of runes flaring around her. "I feel its ether... It’s Supre level."
A shadow stepped out of the mist.
It was a Supre-rank devil. Its body was huge, twisted like a mountain of flesh and bone.
Its skull-like face dripped with corrosive sli.
Multiple arms twitched and dragged along the ground, each tipped with hooked claws.
The Cultivator’s face hardened. "A devil of this level... it should not be here at the border."
The beast opened its mouth, releasing a roar that shook the stones beneath their feet.
The Hero braced himself and shouted."Formation! Do not scatter!"
The Beastman slamd his fist against his chest. "Finally, so prey!"
The Mage spread her staff forward.
[Arcane Barrier] blood, covering the group in a do of light. "Defend yourselves!"
The Hero raised his shield, runes burning across its surface.
[Guardian’s Wall] flared, doubling the protection. "It’s testing us. Hold steady."
The devil lunged, one massive claw crashing down.
The Hero stepped forward and blocked, sparks flying as his shield shook. "Gh—damn, it’s strong!"
The Beastman roared and leapt at the other arm, claws glowing with ether.
[Rending Fang Strike] carved a line across the devil’s flesh, spilling black blood. "Hah! Not so tough!"
The Mage lifted her staff higher. [Fla Lance] burst out, slamming into the devil’s chest and exploding. "Don’t let it recover!"
The Cultivator pressed his palms together, qi surging.
[Heavenly Binding Seal] spread like glowing chains, wrapping around the devil’s legs. "Now! Strike while it’s held!"
The Hero dashed forward, sword drawn. [Blade of Valor] cut across the devil’s arm, carving deep into its bone.
The devil shrieked, breaking the chains, and swung its tail wildly.
The Beastman was hit and sent flying, rolling across the ground with a snarl."Grr... still alive. Good!"
The Mage’s barrier cracked from the shockwave. "It’s not weakening... this devil is feeding on the ether around us!"
The Cultivator stepped forward, squinting at the monster’s chest wounds.
"Wait... look closely. This devil was already injured when it appeared."
The Hero gritted his teeth, shield raised against another shockwave.
"So it ca here wounded... then used the Core ether to heal itself."
The devil roared, its body swelling as black mist surged into its wounds.
[Ether Absorption] pulsed from its core, flesh knitting back together.
The Beastman snarled. "It’s trying to escape and recover!"
The devil turned, spreading its wings to flee deeper inside.
But before it could move, a blazing fla spear shot through the mist.
It pierced clean through its skull.
The devil froze mid-roar, eyes burning out, and collapsed with a heavy crash that split the ground.
The four scouts staggered back, stunned.
The Hero raised his sword, breathing hard. "Who... who cast that? That wasn’t any of us."
The Beastman sniffed sharply, his nose twitching. "Not her."
He jabbed a claw toward the Mage. "She doesn’t have power like that."
The Mage shook her head quickly. "My fire spells can’t kill a Supre devil instantly. That wasn’t ."
The four exchanged wary glances, their expressions darkening.
The Cultivator tightened his stance, voice calm but sharp. "Then soone else is here. Soone strong."
Flas spread over the devil’s corpse, licking across its flesh until it began to crumble.
[Fireball Burst] after [Fireball Burst] rained down, burning it to ash.
From the fading mist, a woman walked forward.
She was tall, wearing a tight black-and-red bodysuit under a short crimson-orange jacket.
Around her neck glead a black-and-red collar that pulsed faintly with ether.
Her long red hair swayed as she stepped lightly over the scorched ground.
She smiled at the four scouts, her red eyes sharp and playful.
"Finally killed it," she said, brushing ash from her fingers.
"Tch. Its taste was terrible, and it was too hard to catch. Better to just burn it down."
Savra raised her hand again, conjuring more flas.
She flicked her wrist, and [Fla Bolts] shot out one after another, exploding against the devil’s corpse until nothing remained but glowing embers.
The Beastman growled, dropping into a fighting stance. "Who are you?"
The Hero lifted his shield. "She killed it in one strike... don’t lower your guard."
The Mage gripped her staff tightly, eyes locked on the new figure.
"Her ether signature... it doesn’t belong to any of our factions."
Savra turned her head, her crimson hair swaying as she faced them.
A faint smile curled on her lips. "So, the people from that stronghold finally ca here, huh?"
The Beastman sniffed the air, his claws flexing. "The sll from those tracks earlier... it was you. No doubt about it."
The others frowned, shifting their stance.
The Hero raised his shield, eyes narrowing. "Who are you? What are you doing here in the Core?"
Savra let out a small laugh. She tilted her head, her hand playing with a flicker of fire.
"Why am I here? Because the Devil Nest is now my ho."
She stepped closer, the glow of flas dancing around her.
"And since you asked who I am, rember this well. I am the Infernal Demon of the Heavenly Demon Sect."
Her eyes glead as her voice grew sharper.
"The Devil Nest is our territory now. So tell ... what are you doing here?"
The four exchanged uneasy looks.
None of them expected anyone, let alone a Supre-level figure, to claim the Devil Nest as their ho.
The Cultivator finally stepped forward, his voice calm but firm.
"We are scouts from the Alliance. Our task is to investigate why the devils are diminishing."
Savra twirled a fla between her fingers, as if his words amused her."I see."
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