Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 373 A Twist of the Hand Brings a Bloodbath, Another Turns the Hand Brings a Rain of Blood

Demons are terrifying to any mortal. They are magical creatures born from the mire of evil desires, generally possessing sturdy bodies and abundant strength, like wild beasts such as lions, tigers, rhinoceroses, and elephants, or even comparable to engineering machinery.

Beyond the absolute difference in physical strength, there are also differences in magic and intellect. Even the weakest demon can master simple spells, throw a few fireballs, and cast curses comparable to serious illnesses.

Not to mention those high-ranking demonic warlords who can traverse shadows and time and space, unleash meteorites that destroy ancient cities, sprinkle deadly plagues, torment minds from afar, and create lifelike illusions.

Such a devastating disparity leaves ordinary people with no way to survive once they enter the void and chaos; the only possibility is becoming lambs to the slaughter.

However, this situation has now been reversed.

To any demon, a True Name Mage is terrifying. They are the masters of the tangible existence of all things. They can disregard the will of demons and forcibly discover their true names. Even the knowledge of a mortal's true name would bind a great demon, let alone a True Name Mage who can decide life and death with a single word.

Ancient saints are a powerful group among the divine beings. Although they do not have the formless and magnificent life form of true gods, and although they still possess a physical body that can be destroyed, the types of incantations they master are more extensive than those of any god.

From natural phenomena to magical things, to ancient dragons, and even the origins of the universe, any power, if practiced to a high level, can lead to extraordinary achievements.

Faced with such an opponent, neither the Lesser Demon's fireball nor the Greater Demon's meteor burst could be used to harm the enemy; instead, they would be manipulated by the Ancient Saint to injure themselves. Any attack would need to break through that seemingly thin barrier to be effective, but the result was simply a stone sinking into the sea.

Force fields are extremely powerful, and most physical and magical defenses cannot resist them, making them almost like true damage in actual combat. A high-intensity force field blade can, in most cases, cause injury with a mere graze and death with a direct hit.

Thus, in the eyes of the demon, Lin Bo was an enemy who possessed both an unbreakable shield and a deadly spear, an opponent who could no longer be defeated by any conventional means.

The chaotic evils that ravaged all living beings finally realized the powerlessness of mortals. Similarly, the souls of mortals killed by demons could not escape, and the flesh, blood, and soul of the demons slaughtered by Lin Bo would be devoured by the staff.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Will showed them no mercy, only relentlessly piling up troops on the front lines. This was not a piecemeal tactic, but rather feeding them into a meat grinder.

Lin Bo calmly watched the warships continuously emerging from the poisonous fog. Each ship carried thousands of monsters, as well as an even larger number of prisoners and military rations.

He hovered in the air, while the ground below was piled with corpses like hills. The demons, their bodies ripped open, were like freshly split fruits. After being drained by the Life-Devouring Staff, they were left with shriveled, mangled remains.

The Life-Devouring Staff murmured contentedly, its power growing steadily, almost to the point of being overwhelmed. The restrained demonic soul, unwilling to submit, continued to repeatedly attempt to break through the seal.

Lin Bo was still a little worried about whether it could handle it.

"Of course, don't worry, Master, I can eat as many as you want." The Life-Devouring Staff began to strengthen the devoured demonic souls. Its phantom avatars began to attack and tear apart these food, and the screams of the demonic souls spread out, making the faces of the enemies on the other side of the battlefield stiffen.

Having exhausted all other options, the Chaos Demon knew it couldn't defeat the enemy by force and could only try to outsmart them.

A lithe, female-shaped demon slowly floated toward the mage, raising its arms to indicate harmlessness and using the common language of the material plane to convey its willingness to negotiate.

"Powerful eternal enemy, terrifying humans, what brings you into the land of chaos?" A seductive and alluring voice drifted into my ears, sweeping across the desires of my heart like a brush, stirring up any trace of longing and twisting my desires.

Lin Bo was not swayed by the charms. He watched the alluring demon approach without killing it.

The demons stirred in a commotion.

"Well done, as expected of a succubus lord, even the gods would be captivated by her beauty." "Heh, great! As long as we control that human, we can rip out his heart and lungs. After he dies, I'll forge his soul into the most dazzling jewel in the crown!"

All the demons forced to face the sorcerer saw the dawn of victory at this moment, and were so excited that they began to drool, stick out their tongues, and talk nonsense.

Lin Bo continued to let the succubus lord approach, with only a seemingly thin, transparent water membrane separating them. Inside this membrane was a pocket universe expanded by force, so vast that any attack would be trapped inside and unable to hit the mage.

They could see each other's faces clearly.

The tall female demon has a renowned face, not only because all mortals who have seen or dreamed of her become her loyal followers, but also because this face once belonged to an epic hero of the Prime Material Plane.

A powerful mage known as the Holy Maiden who saved the nation, whose soul came from the Realm of Light but failed to return smoothly, was forcibly abducted by demons to the void. After enduring countless years of torment, her essence was finally distorted, and she transformed into something despicable.

The ancient saint's mirrored pupils reflected the demon's face, which remained as captivating as it had been in life, carrying a profound sense of pity and sorrow.

The spirits of the Light Realm made great sacrifices to save this companion, but the result was that more heroic souls fell into the hands of demonic warlords, or worse, became weapons and treasures in the hands of demons.

Lin Bo's lips remained still as he spoke the language of the demons through the throat of his soul. The language was sharp and deafening, causing the female demon to tremble slightly.

"You were once a kind person. But you can't turn back now, can you?" "No, no, I haven't missed a single moment of wanting to leave this place! Please take me away! I want to get rid of this body, I want to return to the human world!" the succubus lord pleaded desperately, "Help me!"

Lin Bo seemed to laugh. This greatly invigorated the female demon.

"I can defect to fight for you and swear allegiance to you."

“Very well, then, state your real name.” The mage’s gaze remained as calm as ever.

The female demon, who was just putting on an act, froze.

"You're unwilling? It seems you're not truly loyal." Lin Bo's tone softened further. "It doesn't matter. Since I can't save you, I'll kill you."

His fingers lifted slightly, and a terrifying premonition of death swept over the succubus lord's mind and body like needles.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you right now!" it cried, clutching its heart. "But may I whisper it in your ear? I don't want other beings to discover this secret."

A gap opened in the energy barrier in front of Lin Bo, and the female demon rushed in, approaching within a foot of the mage under the excited gazes of the other demons.

"Listen carefully, my real name is... Death!"

The female demon's beautiful face was suddenly twisted by boundless malice, her eyes slanted and teeth bared, so ecstatic that she could no longer maintain her composure. She used her sharp, naturally shaped claws to stab at Lin Bo's chest.

This sudden attack unleashed a sonic boom, almost comparable to lightning, and faster than human thought; the opponent had no chance of dodging it!

The expected "plop" sound of the guillotine being opened rang out.

A hot, purplish-black heart beat in the succubus lord's hand.

It laughed loudly and held up its spoils for the world to see.

However, there were no cheers, only the wails of the dead and the muffled sound of the churning poisonous fog.

The succubus lord's smile slowly faded. She looked down at her chest, where her exposed bikini-like armor revealed her pale heart, now bearing a fresh, bloody hole. The demonic heart that had been pulsating within her body was now clutched in her hand.

"……how come?"

The mage placed his palm on the female demon's head, gently twisted it, and plucked off her beautiful and graceful head. The demon's soul was about to escape, but it was instantly swallowed up by the impatient Life-Devouring Staff, and even her exquisite body turned into withered firewood in the blink of an eye.

Lin Bo tossed aside the light, flimsy skull in his hand.

He turned and looked back. Players from the cross-network had already entered this bloody battlefield one after another. His followers were marked with green, and there were many others marked with yellow and red. There were indeed magic-based players on the cross-network, and their numbers were never small.

The battlefield situation has become unpredictable due to these reinforcements from other worlds.

We need to work even harder from now on.

Lin Bo pulled out the stopper from the thin tube on his back, and the secret spirit mercury flowed out like a babbling brook.

That wasn't enough. He silently recited the true name of the Mystic Mercury, expending his magical power to create even more tangible illusions. As a result, the trickle expanded and grew, transforming into a winding stream, a rushing shallow river, and a mighty great river.

The mercury, dark and viscous like venous blood, suddenly evaporated and dispersed, transforming into a vast expanse of red mist, surging towards the void like a tide.

The restless demons and hanging prisoners on the decks of those ancient, corrupt ships all looked up, feeling the cold, drizzling rain on their cheeks and bodies. When they touched the rain, the water was red.

Blood rain fell.

The fine, needle-like raindrops vibrated at a high frequency, seemingly brushing past lightly, while the demon's thick, hard armor and robust muscles were silently shattered, like layers erased by an eraser, quietly disappearing.

A few seconds later, sharp howls and angry shouts exploded like thunder, echoing across the vast land, causing the newly arrived players from the distant network to furrow their brows in alarm.

(End of this chapter)