Black Star sensed something was wrong and immediately sat up.
His expression flickered with uncertainty as he thought for a couple of seconds before making a decision. With a face full of unease, he began to follow Sands' footprints.
It didn't take long before he found her standing in a large crater, her golden hair gleaming beautifully in the moonlight.
Seeing Sands unharmed, Black Star let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, nothing happened…"
But in the next moment, a strange anger surged in his heart, and he shouted, "Idiot! What are you doing running off so far by yourself?"
Sands turned around with a confused look, rolling her eyes. "I'm starving! I had to find something to eat…"
As she spoke, she peeled the shell off a large, creamy white volcanic worm and lit a flame to begin roasting it.
Black Star rubbed his forehead, half-resigned, and leapt down to sit beside Sands, silently keeping her company.
A few minutes later, the crackling sound of roasting filled the air, and the scent of meat wafted up.
"Mmm… smells good," Sands said with a smile, removing her veil to reveal her beautiful face. Her delicate nose twitched as she offered, "Want some?"
Black Star hesitated, worried that there wouldn't be enough for Sands alone. He waved his hand dismissively. "No thanks. I'm not eating bugs."
Just then, a faint tremor passed through the space around them.
At first, neither of them paid much attention, thinking it was just another volcanic eruption. They were used to small tremors in this area.
But soon, along with the tremor came a chilling, cold aura, like a bucket of ice water poured over a hot desert.
Something was wrong!
Sands' back went cold as her sense of danger flared. She glanced around warily, then turned and let out a startled scream.
Half of a large, purple demonic eye was slowly squeezing its way out of a crack in space, inching forward at a sluggish pace. It seemed like it would take a few minutes for the rest of its body to emerge.
Sands, seeing this eerie creature for the first time, felt her skin crawl. Instinctively, she dropped the worm and swung her blue whip. The sound of cracking filled the air as the whip lashed out at the creature.
Black Star, turning to look, was equally shocked.
The whip hit the purple demonic eye, causing it to blink angrily, its pupil twisting with rage.
Without warning, a purple beam shot out from the eye.
It pierced through Sands' body in an instant, reducing her to a pile of powder that continued to dissolve into nothing.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
By the time Black Star reacted, a flash of light was all he saw, and Sands had vanished. Not only was she gone, but her life force had also disappeared in an instant, like a falling star that flickered out in the night.
"Ah…"
Looking down at the pile of ashes, Black Star felt as though he had fallen into an ice-cold abyss, his entire body frozen to the core.
Sands… was dead?
Confirming the horrifying truth, Black Star stood motionless, as if petrified by fear. But in reality, his heart was not consumed by terror.
In his mind, memories flashed rapidly—scenes of how they met, fought side by side, shared laughter, arguments, and joy…
Until, finally, the purple beam appeared again.
In the next moment, those memories shattered like glass, igniting a black flame deep within Black Star's heart, burning furiously.
At that moment, Black Star underwent an immense transformation.
As the black flames raged within him, his spiritual energy ascended, evaporating into mist. His mental power, once liquid, now transformed into countless particles, spreading rapidly throughout his body, causing a profound metamorphosis.
His blood boiled at a hundred times its normal rate, flowing faster and faster.
Yet despite the abnormality, Black Star was very much alive, his life force growing even stronger. Except for his increasingly erratic mind, his strength surged exponentially in a matter of seconds.
Even the purple demonic eye seemed surprised, pausing its attack as it observed the extraordinary changes in Black Star.
The transformation continued.
Unbeknownst to anyone, white mist was rising from where Sands' remains had fallen, flowing into Black Star's body.
The white mist mingled with the black flames and dissolved into his spiritual energy, perfectly blending into every part of him.
Black Star's vision grew hazy. What… is happening to me? he thought, his mind muddled.
It felt as though his spiritual energy had vanished, yet it was somehow everywhere, intricately fused with his body. He was changing… into something else…
Suddenly, another purple beam shot toward him, though this one was much smaller than the one that had killed Sands.
Recognizing the attack, Black Star's expression twisted in fury. Acting on instinct, he swung his wand.
But no spell was cast.
Instead, Black Star's entire body glowed, his wand enveloped in a mysterious energy, which collided directly with the purple beam.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of thunderous explosions followed.
Amazingly, Black Star's wand shattered the purple beam. However, the impact sent him flying backward more than ten meters.
Even though his body was battered and barely held together, Black Star was still conscious. His strength had been nearly exhausted, and his mind was a jumbled mess, but his anger remained burning fiercely within him.
Darkness swallowed his vision, and he fainted.
The purple demonic eye, seeing this, seemed to lose interest. After all, an ant, no matter how strong, was still no match for it.
Finally, the rest of its massive body squeezed out from the spatial crack.
The eye floated above the ground like a ghost, unhurried as it drifted toward Black Star, circling him slowly, as if studying him carefully.
Gradually, a hint of admiration appeared in the eye.
"A human of this world? How curious. Unlike any I've seen before… His blood, soul, and body have fused in a fascinating way. How interesting…"
"This body will be mine!"
The demonic eye muttered to itself, its outline glowing with purple light as it reached toward the unconscious Black Star.
But just then, a blood-red spike shot through the air, piercing the purple light.
The spike carried a dual force of destruction and devouring, which immediately began to erode the purple glow, dimming it significantly.
"Blood Demon energy! Wait… no, this is even purer... Could it be that the Blood Demon left something behind in this world after all?" The purple eye's confusion was evident.
Its massive form blinked a few times as a stream of light descended from the sky, transforming into the figure of a man—Rhett.
Seeing the purple demonic eye and Black Star, Rhett was momentarily surprised but quickly regained his composure.
His suspicions had been correct. He should have guessed that the purple demonic eye and Black Star, having both appeared near Rocky Volcano, were likely to cross paths.
Had he not arrived in time, Black Star would have fallen victim to the eye's schemes.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late. A weakened Soul Demon like this one, he was confident he could handle on his own.
"Soul Demon? What are you doing in this world?" Rhett narrowed his eyes, studying the creature. He couldn't help but wonder what its inner workings looked like. Did it have a heart? Kidneys? Was it male or female?
The demonic eye was equally startled, assuming that Rhett must be some remnant of the Blood Demon, for how else could he know about the Netherworld?
"Hmph, Blood Demon, I didn't expect you to hide so well. Even the Old Ancestor of the Undead believed you had failed, but here you are, fully integrated into the elemental world," the purple eye said bitterly, recalling the familiar aura of the Blood Demon.
It had no idea that Rhett's true abilities came from his unique bond with his homeland.
Realizing the Soul Demon's misunderstanding, Rhett was amused. After all, who would believe he had no connection to the Blood Demon after using the power of Devour? He decided to play along.
"Hmph, Soul Demon, do you really think you can claim this world? I suggest you abandon your ambitions. This world belongs to me. If you know what's good for you, return to where you came from. Otherwise… you'll stay here forever!"
The purple demonic eye trembled with rage. "You arrogant Blood Demon! Aren't you afraid of retribution when you return to the Netherworld?"
Retribution? Rhett almost laughed. The two races must have a terrible relationship! Delighted by the thought of them turning on each other, Rhett grinned coldly. "Hmph, I fear nothing! If your ancestors dare to challenge me, let them come! If all you can do is shout empty threats, don't be surprised if I look down on your entire Soul Demon race!"
As his words hung in the air, Rhett didn't wait for the demonic eye's reaction. He summoned his full power of evolution, channeling it into a blood-red spike, and thrust it directly toward the creature.
The blood-red spike, like a venomous serpent, carried a terrifying aura of Devour as it streaked through the air, targeting the demonic eye with lightning speed.
"Curse you, Blood Demon! CURSE YOU!" the purple eye raged, its pupil burning bright red. Sensing the thick Blood Demon energy, it became even more convinced of Rhett's identity.
Whatever minor differences it had noticed, it chalked up to the Blood Demon adapting to this new world.
"You think I fear you? You're just a remnant, not even at full power!" the demonic eye roared.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive eye unleashed a beam of purple energy—not just a beam but a full-on column of light.
This attack drained the demonic eye of all its remaining strength, its last-ditch effort to critically injure Rhett.
The demonic eye had no illusions about winning. It had crossed into this world too weak, unable to even absorb any souls to recover. Meanwhile, "the Blood Demon" had fully integrated into this world and was at his peak. The demonic eye knew it had no chance of victory, and its fury stemmed from the realization that its plan was likely doomed.
Feeling the destructive power of the purple beam, Rhett's eyes flashed with curiosity. He summoned a massive meteor in the sky, which descended to block the path of the purple beam.
The clash of red and earth tones emitted a strange energy, swirling in the air.
Zzzz... Zzzz...
When the two forces collided, they melted into each other, ultimately canceling each other out.
Rhett stood tall, his energy steady. The demonic eye, on the other hand, was severely weakened, its spirit dim and fading, though its gaze remained filled with resentment.
Not wanting to give the creature a chance to escape through some strange spatial ability, as had happened in the simulation, Rhett decided to strike while the iron was hot.
A blood-red spike quietly formed behind the demonic eye.
Sensing the impending doom, the demonic eye panicked. "Wait! Blood Demon, I'll cooperate with you! Don't kill me… AHH!"
Its agonized scream echoed across the desolate landscape, though no one was around to hear it.
In an instant, the enormous eye disintegrated into dust.
Most of its body, subjected to the world's suppressive force, dissolved into ash, leaving only a large, glowing purple orb that rolled onto the ground.
Rhett let out a relieved sigh, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
By eliminating the Soul Demon at its source, he had avoided countless future troubles and even managed to save Black Star.
One small decision had changed everything…
Standing on the rocky terrain, Rhett first checked on Black Star. Using his spiritual energy to probe, he was stunned by what he found.
Black Star's body was vastly different from that of a normal human. His organs, blood, and overall structure seemed to have undergone a strange mutation, almost as if they had evolved.
It was as though his spiritual energy had fused completely with his body. While most people kept their spiritual power in their mindscapes, Black Star's spiritual energy was intertwined with his physical form, producing effects Rhett couldn't fully comprehend.
He could only confirm that the fusion had indeed taken place.
As for what kind of changes this fusion brought, Rhett wasn't entirely sure. But it seemed to be a positive transformation.
Without any outside help, Black Star's new body was healing itself at an astonishing rate, far surpassing even that of a high-level Earth Knight!
Rhett marveled at the sight. What kind of creature has Black Star become? he thought, eager to learn more once Black Star woke up.
Turning his attention away from Black Star, Rhett focused on the glowing purple orb lying quietly on the ground.
Though the demonic eye was dead, it had left behind this peculiar, luminous object. Rhett found it intriguing.
After carefully examining it and confirming that it posed no immediate threat, Rhett's first thought was… Could this contain the world's essence?
Deciding to find out, he immediately activated his homeland's simulation ability.
However, after a few attempts, Rhett realized that the orb did not contain any essence from the Soul Demon's realm. Compared to the Blood Demon's essence, it was far inferior.