Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui shook his head.

"That record should... be true."

He looked at the area that was gradually returning to "normal," his gaze complex.

"Because of that figure just now, and the 'Soul-Devouring Monarch' described in the book..."

"Almost identical."

He recalled the description in that tattered ancient book.

"The book says it is shaped like an old, giant whale floating in the forest."

"Its body was wrapped in translucent tentacles, which hung down to the ground and swayed slowly."

"They live by devouring evil thoughts and wandering souls, and dislike killing."

"The appearance... is exactly the same as the one that just passed by 'above' our heads."

Shia still looked incredulous.

"So... you believed it just because it looks like the one in the book?" she asked.

"more than."

Lin Gui said.

"During the reconnaissance, I used the Eye of the Netherworld to vaguely outline its soul from a great distance."

"It looked familiar back then."

"It wasn't until I saw those tentacles up close that I was completely certain."

"Its soul form, and that ancient book I saw in the City of a Thousand Towers, supposedly unearthed from an ancient tomb..."

"The depiction of 'Soul Eater Apophis' is a perfect match."

He paused.

"That's why I believe that book wasn't forged by later generations."

"Only then did I dare to believe the description of him as 'gentle-tempered' in the book... perhaps there is some truth to it."

"That's why I decided—"

His voice lowered, becoming resolute.

"Starting from its territory, we formally enter and head towards Avalon."

Shea opened her mouth, but didn't refute it further.

Eve spoke softly from the back seat:

"There must be more than just one epic spirit in the Hall of Wailing Souls, right?"

"Um."

Lin Gui nodded, then turned his gaze to the map.

"In my observation, there are at least ten of them."

"The Soul Devourer's side is relatively 'peaceful'."

"And on the final stretch of the road to Avalon after crossing its territory..."

He pointed to the scarlet mark on the map.

"It will also be blocked by the domain of another epic demon."

And that was the demon who had been watching him the whole time during the reconnaissance.

Lin Gui did not tell Xia and the others about this.

I don't want them to be nervous because of this.

Taking advantage of the brief "rest" after the Soul Devouring Monarch left.

Lin Gui whispered, "Alright, that's all for now. Hold on tight, we're about to go on a wild ride."

He did not urge the airship to continue moving forward.

Instead, it came to a complete stop and remained suspended in place.

As if waiting for something.

That's right.

He was waiting for "it" to come over.

That scarlet spirit kept staring at him.

Now that I have stepped into its territory, it is impossible for it not to come.

It's even possible that...

In the misty corners where the forest ghost cannot be observed.

It had been lying in wait for a long time, but it had not made a move because it was wary of the existence of the Soul Devouring Monarch.

Now, that brief oppressor has departed.

This blank space presents the perfect opportunity for "contact".

The wait didn't last long.

The crimson mist ahead began to silently surge and condense.

A fierce and overwhelming killing intent erupted without warning!

All the wandering spirits and demons scattered like a school of startled fish.

Lin Gui pressed his left index finger firmly on the button of the wind pressure cannon.

He suddenly looked up and shouted:

"hold me!!"

The head, which had been bowed, was raised instantly.

Deep within those grey eyes, the light of the soul exploded with unprecedented brightness!

[Eye of the Underworld], at full power!

The world as I see it has completely changed.

No longer just a vague outline of a soul and a halo.

He "saw" it clearly—

Deep within the surging crimson mist ahead.

A gigantic female figure entwined and woven from countless blood-red thorns.

He slowly "stood up".

She was over ten meters tall, and her torso, made of thorns, was twisted and grotesque.

The head had no face, only a bottomless darkness.

Countless sharp thorns sprouted from her body, piercing into the surrounding space.

It was as if the entire area had been transformed into part of her prison.

Her arrival triggered a dramatic change in the environment.

The ground was cracked, oozing a thick, dark red "blood".

The whispers in the air turned into a piercing shriek.

All the grayish-white mist vanished the moment it touched her surroundings.

They were all stained a hopeless, frozen crimson.

She is this crimson realm...

Absolute dominance.

Just one glance.

The attack has begun.

The entire withered forest seemed to come alive, transforming into countless shooting crimson thorns!

That's not growth, it's an explosive puncture!

It moved so fast it seemed to tear through the air, yet strangely, there wasn't a single sound of it breaking through the wind.

Shea and Eve could not see the thorns.

But the chilling killing intent, and the trees and rocks around them being silently torn apart, shredded, and reduced to dust.

Make them understand instantly—

An immense terror has descended upon us!

Eve's face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth.

The feigned dark brown in her eyes vanished instantly, revealing their original mysterious purple.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling golden light shone from her chest!

The outline of a pair of wings made entirely of light was faintly visible on her back, about to unfold!

His aura surged wildly, instantly breaking through the limits of the extraordinary and rushing towards the legendary rank!

"Don't do this!!"

Lin Gui's roar exploded, drowning out everything else.

"You'll ruin us!!"

Eve shuddered, and her rising momentum came to an abrupt halt.

The golden light and the illusory wings vanished abruptly.

She groaned, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of her mouth.

In the blink of an eye!

Several blades of grass, shredded by an invisible blade, mixed with wood chips, flew through the air.

One of the shards, with its sharp, knife-like edges, grazed Shia's cheek.

A thin but clear cut was made.

Blood beads seeped out.

Gray eyes, empowered by demonic powers, see through all darkness!

Keep a close eye on it—a gap amidst the dense thorns!

Lin Gui no longer hesitated.

He completely released the suppression of the magical fluctuations of the flying boat.

A massive amount of magical power instantly surged into the wind pressure cannon at the rear!

"boom--------!!!!"

The extremely muffled roar did not come from sound, but from a pure burst of energy.

Behind the airship, a distorted air cannon, visible to the naked eye, suddenly exploded!

A violent shockwave blasted forward in a fan shape!

The ground below collapsed instantly, as if struck by an invisible giant fist, creating a crater with a diameter of over ten meters!

The soil, pebbles, and even the afterimages of those low-level spirit demons were all blown away and annihilated!

The airship itself, under this terrifying reaction force...

Turn into a shooting star!

It's not retreating, but moving forward...

Amidst the countless crimson thorns slicing through the air, the rapidly disappearing gap surged forth relentlessly!

The first second.

The airship collided with the thorny torrent at the forefront.

There was no explosion, no loud noise.

Those thorns that can cut through gold and jade, and tear apart the soul.

The instant they came into contact with the eerie light emanating from the surface of the airship.

It felt as if I had bumped into an absolutely slippery barrier.

The compressed wind pressure carried the airship.

At an angle and speed that almost distorts the laws of physics.

It squeezed into a narrow, fleeting gap.

The second second.

The airship passed over the head of that ten-meter-tall scarlet female demon made of thorns...

It flashed by!

They were so close that the moment Lin Gui looked up...

It can "see" clearly the other person's "face" that has no facial features, only darkness.

A touch of extreme humanity seems to emerge...

consternation.

The overwhelming, solidified killing intent faltered for a moment.

The third second.

Just as she realized what was happening, countless thorns transformed into a giant hand that blotted out the sky.

With the force to crush space, it slammed down fiercely towards the airship.

The airship had turned into a gray trail and disappeared into the depths of the thick blood mist.

Within the entire view of the scarlet forest.

They have completely disappeared.

All that remains are the huge craters left by the wind pressure cannons and the fragments of thorns, scattered slowly in the air by the brutal force of the attack.

This proves that it lasted less than three seconds...

A desperate journey.