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He had this lingering suspicion since the time he had exorcised the demons from the city, but his feeling was becoming solid.

That he was changing. Irrevocably.

The unknown yet familiar feeling was making him feel weird.

It coiled beneath his skin like something not quite his own.

Did that mean that as long as he consumed the hearts of demonic lifeforms, he would keep undergoing such changes?

He didn't know how to feel about that.

"Wait… wouldn't the exorcist clans hunt me down if they knew of it?"

He thought, a bit alarmed, but calmed down the next second as he thought of something.

He wasn't exactly easy to trace anymore.

He had Abyss energy with him, he could feel assured about his privacy at the very least.

And after the transformation earlier, his abyss energy was stronger than ever.

Denser. Wilder. Like liquid shadow just under his skin.

"I feel I can attempt to breakthrough any moment."

He had reached the peak, and had been suppressing it so far in order to form a strong foundation.

"It seems I should make a breakthrough soon," he said to himself as he looked around. The cave was destroyed, perhaps from his energy.

Jagged rock lay in shambles, and the air still shimmered with lingering static.

"This place is too risky. I don't want to get buried." He tensed and quietly left the premise.

In a matter of minutes, he was again back to the surface, in the same ordinary hut.

However, something was different this time—there was no hut, nor was there any village.

Everything had vanished. It had turned into a graveyard instead.

The illusion had dissolved, and the truth stood cold and still.

He knew that it was all an illusion since the beginning, tied to the demon king, yet he felt weird looking at the graves of demons around him.

The places where those shops were, now it was occupied by decaying mud.

Everything was a sight of dread now.

"It's over…"

The words left his lips like dust shaken off a dream.

He fell silent, pondering about the demon king. It was not a fight—it was a struggle.

The demon king was barely a fragment. He knew it too.

Else Oliver wouldn't have made it out of there had the demon king been as valiant as he was in past.

What was the purpose of leaving behind the soul fragment…?

Just as he was pondering on its implications, a voice called him out.

"Teacher!"

He looked behind. There she was, panting and sweating, running toward him.

"Agnes…"

"Teacher, are you fine!? Everything suddenly disappeared! I was so worried!" she complained with evident worry in her eyes.

He smiled. "I am fine, look."

He raised a fist with a smirk, gesturing playfully at himself.

"Hmm…" She looked at him intently.

"What is it?" he questioned, curious.

"You feel different."

"Do I?"

"Yes! Your… vibe? Something feels different." She stroked her chin and thought.

"Your energy is… weird. Wilder."

'Is it because I consumed the serpent and the soul fragment?'

Oliver felt it was quite likely.

"Never mind that. Tell me, are you fine?" he asked her.

"Yes!"

"Good."

"…."

"…."

"Teacher, what do we do now?"

"Well…"

Oliver looked around speechlessly. He was lost too, having no idea what to do either. Having no particular sense of direction upon where to go, he was in a dire situation.

They were in enemy land, armed with power but blind in purpose.

Randomly going anywhere might just get themselves killed.

What if they stumbled upon a beast of might they could not fight?

From the demon king's memories, he experienced the simulated terror of what sort of demonic monsters were living in this place.

He was starting to feel that he made a huge mistake by coming to this place just for the thrill of it.

Perhaps, he was one of the idiots he used to look down on.

Just as he was lost about what he should do next, his sharp ears detected a sound drawing close.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

"Something's coming this way."

"Huh?" Agnes blinked.

He grabbed Agnes and distanced himself, swiftly walking behind some debris.

Click!

With a snap of his fingers, an abyssal dome covered the two of them, completely erasing their presence.

It settled like ink across water—silent, undetectable.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

The sound of rumbling thundered and became extremely clear to even Agnes.

It sounded as if a band of horses was marching straight to this place.

Oliver peeked slightly and saw a group of demons riding what appeared to be a grotesque hybrid between horse and elephant.

They looked to be warriors or soldiers from their armors and the general atmosphere surrounding them.

One of the demons spoke in a harsh tone.

"The worst has happened."

"The lord won't be pleased," another demon replied.

"We might face severe punishment if we don't find who did this," another guard spoke in a tense tone.

"Decades of work… it's all ruined."

"WHO DID THIS!?" the demon at the front, appearing to be the leader, yelled aloud. His voice was strong and terrifying.

Agnes flinched as she heard the shout.

Oliver's eyes were calm as he analyzed the situation from afar, assessing the strength of the unfamiliar group.

There were five riders. One aura felt like ice over steel. Dangerous.

He had noted the key information from their conversation.

These demons were likely part of some sort of platoon.

They served a demon lord.

This place was deliberately planted here by the lord for some reason.

The lord of these demons was plotting something big apparently, working on it for decades.

He ruined everything.

They were now furious.

"Sir, we reached here as soon as the signals were disturbed. The trespasser could not have gone far after doing this."

"Search every corner, turn every rock. I want the culprit before me at any cost." The leading demon ordered as the troops dispersed immediately.

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