"To have the greatest strength, power, and wealth—all three are essential, or you won't qualify to meet the former emperors' thirty guardians! The fact that you guests have made it to the City of the Remnants proves you have great strength."
The female leader nodded gently, a look of approval on her face, then she suddenly shifted gears. "But there's another guest who's arrived here too. The thirty lords want to know—compared to him, whose strength is greater?"
As soon as the leader finished speaking, the space around them transformed. The glittering golden temple lost its shine, bricks crumbled, sand crept up over their feet, and a hot, dusty wind blew in from the temple entrance.
The female leader rose from her throne. "This is the former emperors' arena. Go on, my guests—prove who truly has the greatest strength."
EeDechi, Barrett, and the others stepped out of the temple. The view outside had changed completely, like they were back in the desert. The arena was vast beyond measure, with giant skeletons and ruined city remnants half-buried in the sand, dark red mountains rolling in the distance.
At the far end of the space stood another ruined temple. A tall, skinny demon in a striped suit and round glasses stepped out the door.
"Demiurge!" EeDechi was stunned for a split second, but then her face hardened, rage boiling in her eyes.
Demiurge looked just as shocked. He frowned slightly. "EeDechi, Lord Ainz has been searching for you for ages. I never thought you'd be hiding here. Could it be... you have an Imperial Map too?"
His eyes swept over EeDechi, then locked onto Mare, who was bundled up like a mummy. His pupils shrank sharply. "Mare! You're here!"
The female leader stepped forward, her calm face showing no emotion. "It seems you know each other—that's perfect. Now, you two guests, prove who has the strongest power!"
Demiurge's eyes stayed glued to Mare as he blurted out in shock, "Mare, no wonder we couldn't find you—you've been kidnapped!"
"Where are you looking?!"
BANG! EeDechi suddenly exploded with force from her feet, stomping a crater into the ground. Her figure shot out like black lightning, instantly crossing a kilometer, her giant sword slashing toward Demiurge!
Aspect of the Devil: Razor Sharp Claw! Demiurge immediately unleashed his demonic power, covering his palms and wrists in dense steel scales, his five fingers stretching into sharp, curved claws.
CLANG!
The ten sharp claws clashed fiercely with EeDechi's giant sword, sparking bright red flames. Demiurge, unprepared, was forced back two hundred meters, only steadying himself by plunging his claws into the ground.
"Second form!"
Demiurge didn't hesitate to transform. His striped suit burst open at the back, a pair of clawed bat wings spreading wide, his head bulging with veins as it shifted into a bulging-eyed frog shape.
Demiurge had three forms; the third was his strongest and one he never used lightly.
In his second form, Demiurge's aura surged wildly. He sneered coldly, "EeDechi, it's time you witnessed my power."
Before the words even finished, Demiurge's hands traced eerie patterns, unleashing a barrage of terrifying spells:
8th Tier Magic: Nether Strike!
8th Tier Magic: Pain Wave!
9th Tier Magic: Hell's Dance!
9th Tier Magic: Vermilion Nova!
Space twisted into chaos, ripples spreading out as countless dark halos enveloped EeDechi. At the center of the halos, an eerie vermilion orb locked onto her, scorching a red trail through the air before shooting out like an arrow with a sizzle.
EeDechi erupted with astonishing speed, her form trailing countless afterimages. Her giant sword slashed left and right, up and down, shattering the dark halos like fragile glass one after another. The ground was devoured by the breaking halos, and the surrounding building ruins collapsed in waves.
The vermilion orb reached her in the blink of an eye. EeDechi raised her giant sword high, channeling massive power into it, and brought it crashing down!
Martial Art: One Sword Opens the Heavens!
The vermilion light sphere exploded in an instant, an earth-shattering roar shaking everyone's eardrums. The ground blasted open into a kilometer-wide crater, a ravine ripped from the earth straight up to the sky, revealing the endless blue expanse above.
As the smoke and dust cleared, EeDechi shot forward like thunder, endless fury blazing in her black eyes. "Go to hell, Demiurge!"
Martial Art: Star Cleave!
At that moment, time itself seemed to freeze. The air solidified, the dust hung still—only the raging giant sword came slashing down. A mountain-like pressure bore down on everyone, making even breathing a struggle. This strike seemed capable of splitting the stars themselves!
BANG!!
Demiurge's claws both snapped clean off, his round glasses bursting into powder, the suit across his chest ripped to shreds. A deep gash opened in his abdomen, thick blood plasma pouring out like a waterfall—that was the spot his claws hadn't guarded.
At the same time, the distant mountains erupted with a boom. The once-rolling range now had a massive breach, six peaks tumbling down like scattered blocks.
Demiurge's eyes bulged blood-red. He gaped his horrifying frog mouth wide again, unleashing a sharp, piercing shriek. The terrifying, ear-splitting sound waves tore through the air, quaking the earth. Far off, Barrett, Antilene, and Franco clutched their ears in agony.
Especially Franco and Antilene—their nostrils and ears were already bleeding, a shrill buzzing threatening to pierce their brains.
With Demiurge's howl like a demon from hell, a pitch-black abyss suddenly cracked open beneath EeDechi's feet, countless twisted arms stretching out to drag her into the depths.
EeDechi swung her sword, hacking through countless arms, and bellowed, "Dragon Endbringer! To battle!"
Demiurge stopped his ear-piercing shriek. His eyes snapped open, seeing no shadow at all, yet an icy chill crept up his spine.
Demiurge twisted his head to look back, but before it fully turned, Dragon Endbringer's massive steel fist slammed right into his face.
CRACK! The sound of his jaw shattering rang out clear as day. Demiurge's head twisted unnaturally. He threw his head back and spat a mouthful of blood, flecked with seven or eight broken teeth.
"AH!" Demiurge howled in agony, but his wounds were healing like mad. His eyes narrowed as he chanted under his breath: 8th Tier Magic: Short-Range Blink!
In an instant, Demiurge's figure vanished, reappearing behind EeDechi. Dragon Endbringer's iron fist swung through empty air.
But instant teleportation like that was worthless against a level 100 powerhouse—EeDechi's sharp senses would always lock onto the enemy's position.
As if she had eyes in the back of her head, EeDechi exploded forward, conical sonic boom clouds swirling around her body as her speed shattered the sound barrier in a flash. In the blink of an eye, EeDechi closed in on Demiurge, her brutal giant sword hacking down at his neck!
BANG!
Demiurge blocked the strike at the cost of his right arm fracturing, but his body was hurled hundreds of meters away, crashing down not far from Barrett and the group.
"You fell for it! EeDechi!This is my escape route!"
Demiurge let out a savage laugh. Even with his right arm twisted at odd angles and his gut wound gushing blood, his bat wings flared behind him, flapping at ultra-high speed—a thousand times per second.
The airflow reversed, a massive vortex gathering in the sky, dust swirling into a gigantic tornado. The raging twister hurtled toward Barrett and the others.
"Watch out!"
Barrett, Franco, and Antilene yanked out their weapons and staves, scattering to dodge the all-devouring tornado, nerves on edge as they braced for the attack.
A blood-red afterimage flashed among them. It came to a halt, and Demiurge steadied himself, grinning with smug triumph. "EeDechi, now face the onslaught from two of the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"
In his grasp was none other than Mare, still bound by the magic ropes.