The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 557 But the MVP was still stolen.
The evening breeze in early July brought the sweltering heat of midsummer to Crow City, but in the dense forests of the northern suburbs, the air was thick and damp, like dewdrops condensed on a tombstone.

The wildly growing blades of grass were pressed down by the rapidly passing figure, then bounced up again, making a soft rustling sound, accompanied by the smacking of mice grinding their teeth.

Two hundred Plague Fang assassins swept through the silent forest like a gray tide.

"Hurry up, all of you! You bunch of stunted pigs!"

Shrek cursed in a low voice, his tiny eyes flashing with both fear and ruthlessness in the darkness.

He carried a heavy iron can on his back, bound with leather straps, the liquid inside sloshing about like the saliva of death.

If you pour this stuff into the wells of Raven City, in less than three days, the human creatures living there will be turned into a living hell!
Thinking of this, Shrek was so smug he almost laughed out loud, his thieving eyes already gleaming with the joy of revenge.

He had no doubt that the foolish human guards were fast asleep on the city wall, unaware that the Grim Reaper's fangs were already close to their throats!

Night—

But it's the rats' home turf!
Unfortunately, these rats still suffered from their lack of knowledge, not knowing that there was a creature called a "bat" outside the cave.

The vampires are at least one of the high-ranking demons blessed by the demon god Bayeri, so what kind of thing is the Gluttonous Rat Gero?

Let His original form come over first!
"squeak--"

A short, mournful cry came from ahead, instantly alerting the high-spirited Shrek, who instinctively stopped in his tracks.

As the leader stopped, the advancing troops abruptly halted, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily—it really looked like a legitimate operation.

"What happened?" Shrek growled in Rat Language, but the scouts ahead did not respond, as if swallowed by the night.

That short, mournful cry seemed to be the only information.

Shrek's expression grew increasingly suspicious, his hairy claws gripping the poisoned dagger at his waist, his entire body tense.

Time flows silently.

The once noisy chirping of insects had disappeared at some point, and the entire forest was eerily quiet, with only the whistling of the evening breeze blowing through the treetops, like the snorting of a carnivorous monster.

An aura of fear gradually spread among the ratmen. Fear was evident in the small eyes beneath their hoods, and their powerful hind paws involuntarily retreated.

Just then, a thin wisp of mist began to drift in from the edge of the woodland. Though it moved slowly, the mist filled the entire forest in just a few breaths.

Shrek's nerves were finally stretched to the limit. Just as he was about to order a retreat, a soft laugh reached his ears.

"Kukuku..."

The laughter was crisp and melodious, yet it carried a chilling coldness that made one feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

"Playing stealth games in front of the daughter of the night, don't you think you're being a bit presumptuous?" A sinister voice rang out in the mist, its rising tone carrying a hint of mockery, like a wildcat teasing its prey.

The moonlight pierced through the clouds at that very moment.

Shrek's pupils suddenly contracted.

In the open space ahead, a figure stood, a young girl dressed in a black and white nun's habit.

Her hair was like blooming violets, and her eyes, as bright as rubies, shimmered with a blood-red, viscous crimson. A pristine veil draped over her head, yet it offered no warmth, only a sense of blasphemy.

This blasphemy is as if the real nun has been devoured, and only a bat has taken over her nest.

"Who are you! Who dares to block Shrek's way!" Shrek shouted in panic, drawing his dagger with lightning speed.

It must be said that although mice are clever, they still can't shake off the problem of path dependence. When faced with danger, they make random gestures, as if afraid others won't know they're bluffing.

Vivian narrowed her eyes slightly. Apart from one person, no one had ever dared to speak to the "Little Tyrant of Shanghai" like that.

Without her even having to say a word, twenty knights clad in light steel armor silently emerged from the darkness, their scarlet eyes like drawn swords.

"What...? Never mind, your name isn't important. Just like your conspiracy, blame yourself for messing with the wrong person—"

"Kill them all!" Shrek screamed, his fear driving him to instinctively strike first. "There are only twenty of them!"

Although that terrifying aura is chilling, a lower-level superhuman is not without a chance when encountering a higher-level superhuman.

Two hundred Plague Fang assassins roared and charged forward, their poisoned blades gleaming with a ghostly blue light under the moonlight, determined to tear a piece of flesh from their bodies!

however--

This was destined to be an asymmetrical hunt.

Before they could even see the weapons in the hands of the twenty knights, streaks of bloody afterimages had already appeared in front of them.

"Pfft-"

The first dull thud of tearing cloth rang out.

One of the rat-man assassins charging at the front didn't even see the enemy's movements before a pale hand pierced his chest.

The knight in his steel armor didn't even glance at the heart in his hand; his sharp fingernails transformed into a streak of blood-red light, imprinting his crazed expression onto the eyes of the ratmen.

Then came the second and third sounds!

Puff, puff—

One explosion after another, the blood-red mandalas bloomed in the night, a completely one-sided massacre!

These vampire knights possess at least the peak of the Silver rank, and their combat experience is extremely rich; even Gold-rank superhumans might not be their match.

The leading knight, with her short silver hair, possessed peak Gold-level strength. Her rapier danced like an impenetrable spiderweb, cutting down the elite ratmen one after another like a tiger among sheep!

Shrek's eyes finally showed a hint of fear, but he did not back down. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the nun with the eerie smile.

As long as we catch that guy...

Five elite assassins who attempted to flank Vivian leaped high into the air, but before they could even begin to fall, they were frozen in mid-air by an invisible force.

"squeak--!"

They screamed and struggled in panic, their rat-like eyes filled with terror, completely devoid of the bluster and cowardice they had displayed just moments before.

Vivian didn't even turn her head, but simply smiled and snapped her fingers, just like her most respected elder brother.

"That's really... not elegant at all."

Snapped!
A crisp snap of the fingers shattered the night sky, and five ratman assassins instantly exploded with shocking bloody holes. Blood was forcibly torn from their veins, turning into thousands of threads that intertwined in the night sky to form a blooming bouquet.

The silk threads that darted through the air were like invisible crossbow bolts, and in an instant, more than a dozen ratmen were pierced through the chest, offering their hearts to the nun standing in the shadow of blood.

Broken limbs and internal organs rained down from the night sky.

Watching the debris drift away in the wind, Vivian gently slid her fingertips aside, placing the flesh and blood of the dozens of ratmen to the side.

If she really was a nun, there was probably no more evil demon than her.

Seeing this hellish scene, Shrek's hair stood on end, and he finally realized what a terrifying opponent he was facing.

Platinum level!
This guy is at least Platinum level!
And he might be hiding something incredible on him!

The fear etched deep in their genes is awakened—the instinct of prey when facing a apex predator.

Shrek didn't even glance at his men being slaughtered. With the metal can hanging on his back, he dashed into the densest part of the forest without looking back!
escape!
Must escape!

Once you enter the dense forest and crawl into the rat hole, no one can catch the rat-man who is determined to escape!

At this moment, Shrek had clearly forgotten how he got caught and was only focused on running for his life.

The howling wind swept past his ears, and the screams behind him grew fainter and fainter. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly crashed head-on into an invisible wall.

"boom!"

A muffled sound!
Shrek was thrown off balance by the recoil and crashed heavily into the muddy water mixed with fallen leaves, losing all feeling in his nose.

A belated pain crept up his forehead, but he didn't bother to check his injuries. He rushed forward again, his hand trembling as he reached out to touch what lay ahead.

There was nothing there.

However, when he tried to extend his claws forward again, an invisible force struck his fingertips, causing him to stagger backward in pain.

It's a barrier!
Shrek's face was filled with fear.

Their escape route had long been blocked!
"Do not……"

Shrek's knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I was forced!"

He spoke with tears streaming down his face, holding up the tin can containing the "Black Reaper" as if presenting a treasure.

"Shrek surrenders! Shrek was manipulated! I...I have intelligence! You have no idea how evil those gravediggers are, I know everything!"

The Rat People's creed contains no loyalty, only survival.

As long as I can survive, I don't care who I betray.

Just then, a cold laugh suddenly rang out above the treetops, climbing up Shrek's neck like a ghost, making all the hairs on his body stand on end.

"I knew it, rats are never trustworthy."

Under the moonlight, gray figures appeared like ghosts in the forest.

They wore tattered gray robes, pale masks, and exuded an aura of decay like that of the dead.

They were undoubtedly alive, yet they resembled ghosts more than the living, numbering a full thirty. Among them stood a middle-aged man wearing a mask, radiating a terrifying aura that surpassed even that of the nun standing in the pool of blood!
Upon hearing that voice, Shrek, who was kneeling and begging for mercy, was so terrified that he almost dropped the metal can he was holding.

Lord Merlin!

These guys actually kept following behind; they never believed in themselves at all!

They were just using themselves as bait to test the waters!
Merlin didn't even glance at the fully armed knights, nor at the mice that had been almost completely slaughtered.

He looked at Shrek with icy eyes, as if he were looking at a dead rat.

"Since we've failed, let's take the secret to our graves."

He raised his withered right hand and gently tapped it with his index finger.

Without any chanting, a jet-black beam of death light burst forth from the ring on his index finger, aimed directly at Shrek's forehead!
Shrek's eyes widened, and he didn't even have time to let out a scream.

Just as the pitch-black death ray was about to pierce through the ratman's head, a sudden change occurred!

"Om-"

The air twisted strangely, and the attack that was powerful enough to kill a gold-level expert was deflected to the side as if it had hit an invisible mirror!
"boom--!"

A hundred meters away, an oak tree, as thick as three people could hug, was cut in half, leaving only a charred mark at the cut.

Shrek was terrified and scrambled into the nearby bushes, taking the jar full of "Black Death" with him.

"Who?!"

Merlin's pupils suddenly contracted, and he abruptly turned his head to look at a shadowy patch a hundred meters to his left.

The night there seemed even darker than elsewhere, impenetrable even to moonlight. And in the deepest recesses of that darkness, a terrifying pressure was silently spreading…

It wasn't a chilling killing intent, but rather a condescending gaze that looked down upon all living beings, causing his soul to tremble involuntarily!

It's like an ant crawling on a sand dune suddenly realizing that a boot is hanging over its head!

Vivian sensed it too.

However, unlike those "gravekeepers" who stand in the shadows, her scarlet eyes brimmed with genuine joy.

"Brother!"

My elder brother?!
Merlin was taken aback for a moment.

Before he could grasp the meaning behind that affectionate greeting, a premonition of death, like a blade pressed against the back of his neck, pierced his brow.

No hesitation!

His body instinctively recoiled backward!

Almost the instant he left his original position, a jet-black flame silently licked past his shadow.

There was no explosive roar, nor scorching heat that tore through space; there was only a deathly silence that devoured all light and temperature!
The five "gravekeepers" who reacted a little slower didn't even have time to let out their final screams before they were swallowed up by the gentle black flames and turned into ashes, which melted away with their fear into the boundless night!
Merlin landed on a tree root ten meters away, his back soaked with cold sweat, staring at the man standing in the shadows with suspicion and uncertainty.

"who are you?"

"Is this the only question you people can ask?" Luo Yan said slowly, his tone carrying a hint of weariness at the uninteresting performance.

"Kukuku! My elder brother is the most famous—ooh%￥#!!"

Just as Vivian was about to show off her triumphant words, an invisible hand suddenly appeared and covered her mouth, turning her incessant chatter into muffled sobs.

"Shhh."

Luo Yan raised a finger and placed it against his lips.

Vivian's body trembled for a moment as if she had been electrocuted, an unnatural blush quickly rising to her cheeks, and her chatter turned into soft humming.

what--

It is this feeling.

She's better now.

The only regret is that it wasn't the real big hand of my elder brother.

Standing at the rear, Sherry and the other vampire knights, in perfect unison, went blind, focusing intently on their enemies and ignoring their mentally unstable mistress.

No one who's managed to get to their position is a fool. Neither the next head of the Colin family nor the terrifying Demon King are people for outsiders like them to gossip about.

Looking at Vivian, who was enjoying herself with her eyes closed, Luo Yan felt that his wand was getting a little too hot.

His subordinates were all so unreliable, always trying to show off on his behalf. He was actually a very low-key person, especially when he couldn't decide which alias to use. Merlin had no interest in appreciating the bizarre interaction between these "siblings."

The initial surprise and uncertainty in his eyes gradually transformed into a desperate ruthlessness. With a flick of his wrists, two dark green daggers gleaming with a demonic light slid into his palms.

"Kill them!"

For the Kingdom of Ryan!

For the Devallo family!
A sharp shout ripped through the night sky.

Merlin moved with lightning speed, his entire body transforming into a gray afterimage as he rushed straight towards the little nun who was being "controlled" by an invisible hand.

Pick the softest one first!

Since we can't figure out that unfathomable man, let's first seize his weaknesses that we can see!

Gravekeepers are masters at finding weaknesses.

However, he only took one step when a gust of wind crashed into him, carrying the blood and ferocity of a wild beast.

"clang--!"

Mars exploded in the darkness!

There was no dull thud as one might expect from a dagger piercing flesh; instead, a metallic clang resounded!

In a mere second, Merlin swung dozens of swords forward, but to his horror, all of these deadly strikes were blocked!

He used the momentum to leap backward, creating distance, and only then could he see clearly the person blocking his way.

She was a demon girl with cat ears on her head, her neat black hair hanging down her shoulders, and her amber pupils as cold and terrifying as the dagger she held in reverse.

Platinum grade?!

Do not--

"Gold level?!"

Merlin's right eye, gleaming with magical light, shone from the top of Sarah's head to her ankle, and a short gasp escaped his lips.

How could a mere Gold-level expert possibly keep up with the speed of a Diamond-level powerhouse?!
Even if his strength is not based on raw power, he should never be forced to retreat in a head-on confrontation by a Gold-level superhuman!

There's a two-rank difference between them!

wrong--

Merlin's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, and his Magic Eye talent activated once more, keenly capturing the faint blue runes shimmering on her wrist and the golden light that flickered in her pupils.

"This is... an enchanting technique?"

"not only."

Seeing the gray-robed mystery man exclaim in surprise, Luo Yan still wore that gentle and harmless smile.

Dragon language magic is actually very powerful.

Especially in his hands.

The moment she finished speaking, Sarah vanished from her spot again, like a cheetah pouncing on its prey.

She held a dagger in her left hand, while a short sword had appeared behind her back in her right hand. In an instant, she was in front of Merlin.

this moment--

She is not fighting alone!
Seeing the cold glint of light approaching him, Merlin had no choice but to abandon his plan to exploit his weakness and grit his teeth to meet the challenge head-on.

Two figures clashed in the woods, their cold glints flashing back and forth, sparks flying as they exploded beneath the trees!

No frame of the battle between the superior beings can be taken lightly, and Sarah, who is blessed by the Demon King, is not at all out of danger!

Meanwhile, the remaining twenty-five "gravekeepers" clashed with the waiting vampire knights, engaging in a bloody battle!

That was bloodshed in the literal sense!
The two hundred rats whose hearts had been pierced earlier had all their blood drained and turned into weapons in the hands of the Knights Hospitaller!
On one side are the vampire elites, growing stronger with each battle; on the other are the elite assassins of the Kingdom of Ryan. But in terms of experience, the former clearly have the upper hand, since the latter are not particularly adept at this kind of direct combat.

Not to mention--

Behind the group of vampire knights stood a demon king with amethyst-level strength.

With twelve buffs applied, Shinette let out a triumphant cry, and her rapier transformed into a meteor tearing through the battlefield. Within minutes, several gravediggers fell to her rapier.

There was absolutely no need for Vivian to intervene.

Within just a few minutes, piercing screams echoed one after another.

Of the twenty-five elite "gravekeepers," most had already become corpses on the ground, following in the footsteps of those rats.

As for the vampire knights, not a single one was injured or killed!

Merlin caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his heart sank to the bottom, especially since the knights who were buffed were looking in his direction.

One demon swordsman can fight him to a standstill, if another one comes, he'll probably make all the diamond-level powerhouses lose face!
Can't delay any longer.

He unleashed a powerful attack, forcing back the persistent cat-eared guards, then reached into his robes with his left hand and pulled out a magic scroll radiating warp energy.

Once it's torn open, the random teleportation spell can take him away from this forest and teleport him to any open area a hundred kilometers away!
"goodbye--"

He had just applied force with his fingers when he was horrified to find that his fingertips had gone empty. The precious magic scroll had somehow turned into countless withered yellow leaves and been blown away by the silent evening breeze.

Damn——

when? !

"This is an illusion."

Luo Yan's voice drifted over lightly, tinged with a hint of mockery.

He said that.

He knows more than just enchanting spells.

In less than half a second of hesitation, Sarah had already charged back to Merlin's side.

The withered leaves fluttering in the air were shredded by the sharp dagger, and a flash of cold light went straight for Merlin's heart, about to pierce through his chest.

"Boom-"

A muffled thud was heard, and Sarah couldn't help but groan. Her hand throbbed with pain, but her expression remained unchanged.

Merlin's face contorted, and a burst of black demonic light erupted in front of him, transforming into a shield that blocked the fatal blow!
"You think you can hurt me with mere gold!"

He grinned maliciously, ready to crush this arrogant wildcat.

However, at that moment, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that the short sword in the hand of the person in front of him had disappeared without him noticing!
Instead, she held a musket with its barrel sawed off, the dark muzzle pressed firmly against the shield in front of his chest!
Those amber eyes remained as cold as ever, while Merlin's pupils contracted slightly, and a sense of impending death crept back into his brow.

But this time——

But he didn't have time to dodge.

"boom--!"

Sarah pulled the trigger.

And at the very moment the firing pin ignited the gunpowder, the whole world was brought to a standstill by an unseen index finger!

In Merlin's vision, the world seemed to lose all color in an instant, leaving only black and white... except for the bullet that had burst out of the chamber.

The bullet, like a bronze beetle, flew slowly and steadily forward, easily tearing through his prized magical shield.

He couldn't move at all.

The bullet pierced his chest, but no blood gushed out.

Instead, a gray hue spread wildly outwards from the wound as its center... In the dim light, he saw a huge four-sided clock!

Merlin had no time to ponder what kind of illusion it was; he was horrified to discover that his skin was shriveling, his muscles were atrophying, and his bones were becoming brittle...

It was as if hundreds of years of time had been compressed into this one second, turning into the "tick-tock" of the clock hands returning to their positions.

"What...is this...?"

The last syllable stuck in his throat, turning into a cloud of dust.

Merlin, the guardian of the graveyard and a diamond-level assassin loyal to the king, was reduced to dust in the night wind, leaving not even a speck of ash behind...

The vampire knight captain, Sheryl, who was not far away, narrowed her eyes and her face was filled with disbelief.

What kind of weapon is that?!

In an instant, she was reduced to ashes by a diamond-level expert, and that power instilled in her a deep-seated fear.

No wonder Elder Zacro Dragon was no match for Councilor Luo Yan!

With Merlin's death, despair filled the eyes of the remaining five "gravekeepers." Knowing they had no hope of survival, they did not hesitate to bite open the poison sacs hidden in their teeth.

As Luo Yan released Vivian with a loose clench of his right hand, an invisible giant hand gripped the throat of one of the gravediggers.

Then he struck his abdomen with his other hand.

"vomit--!"

The man vomited and was knocked unconscious by the immense force, lying on the ground like a lump of mud, completely unaware of his surroundings.

As for the other four people, they had turned into four blackened corpses.

To Luo Yan's surprise, they had the mark of Holy Blessing on their bodies, making them impossible to summon as ghouls using necromancy.

In short, something took them to be reincarnated, just like the players of "Cataclysm Online" whose souls returned to the Great Cemetery after death.

The blood of these assassins all contained "holy essence"...

The battle is over.

The magical light emanating from Sarah's body slowly dissipated.

She put away her weapon and walked up to Luo Yan, her cat ears drooping, her head bowed apologetically, as if accepting punishment.

"I'm sorry... Lord Demon King, we were unable to capture one alive."

Luo Yan smiled faintly, reached out and patted Sarah's drooping head encouragingly, and said in a gentle tone.

"It's alright, leaving two alive is enough."

The other one is still running, but it's a waste of effort. If he can let the rat under his nose escape, his demon general might as well find a block of tofu and smash his head against it.

Seeing the cat stealing food while she wasn't looking, Vivian's blood pressure, which had just gone down, spiked again. Only thanks to Sherry's desperate intervention did she not rush forward.

"Let me go! Shennet! That's an order!"

"Calm down, Your Highness... There's something strange about that demon!"

"I don't care! That's my brother!"

"Please, please be patient..."

Sheren Tang dared not let go, so she could only call for help while pleading and trying to appease the little devil.

On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. What if that guy's gun accidentally goes off?!
We need to figure out what that is first!

She made this judgment purely from the perspective of a guard, after all, she didn't know Sarah, let alone know what kind of person she was.

Regardless of Vivian's commotion, Sarah kept her head down in silence, still wearing a look of shame, but the slight swaying of her cat ears betrayed her secret delight.

Ok……

This time, at least no one bothered us.

Looking at Sarah's expression, Luo Yan was unsure whether he should stop or not, feeling that the vampire knight was about to lose control of Vivian.

But just then, he suddenly noticed the change in Sarah, and his eyebrows twitched slightly.

Ok?
His cat has actually leveled up.

……

Deep in the black pine forest, one kilometer away.

Shrek was still running for his life. Tree branches scratched his face, and mud smeared his eyes, but he dared not stop.

As long as you run far enough...

"Pfft!"

Just as he was thinking this, the tree root next to him suddenly moved to a different position, blocking his claws perfectly.

Before he could dodge, Shrek fell flat on his face again, the metal can containing the "Black Reaper" flying out of his hand and rolling several times on the ground.

He raised his head in despair.

On the tree trunk ahead, a red-haired woman was sitting.

Her legs were long, yet her overall figure was even more petite than that of a ratman. Demonic wings fluttered behind her, and her scarlet eyes gleamed with mockery and languor.

The leather-wrapped tin can seemed to have been bewitched, floating up and hovering above her slender wrist.

"Good evening," she smiled brightly, "little mouse."

Shrek closed his eyes in despair.

Now the real trouble is at hand...

(End of this chapter)