The Paladin in the Abyss

Lancelot's sword fell, cleanly severing the ugly head of the Bone Demon from its neck.

The energy that maintained the existence of the Bone Demon seemed to be extracted in an instant. Its shriveled flesh and exposed bones quickly lost color, then, like wood hollowed out from within, they couldn't sustain the body's strength and fell from the wall impaled by the Glacier, turning into a pile of bones that seemed weathered over many years.

The Steel Demons, witnessing the death of their charge, let out cries of despair and venomous curses:

"No! You have no right to kill it!"

"Succubus! How dare you oppose Barto! Hell will take its revenge!"

"We were about to achieve eternal victory, you can't change anything!"

Apart from Bruto's opponent, the remaining Steel Demons were tightly entangled by Lancelot's vines, unable to do anything. Normally, with their strength, it would not be difficult to break free from these vines, but these three Steel Demons had been somewhat injured. Kalalin also ensured each one was hit by a weakening ray, completely depriving them of their ability to resist.

The Steel Demon fighting Bruto wasn't faring any better. After losing the support of its companions, its strength seemed significantly weakened. Its legs were visibly deformed, and it appeared completely unable to move, barely managing to stand. Clearly, Bruto had targeted its knees extensively.

The Dwarf's condition seemed even more pitiful. Several noticeable gaps appeared on Bruto's shield, like a door chopped by an axe; his face was also covered with large patches of bruises, his left eye swollen nearly shut, and fresh blood leaked from the corner of his mouth.

However, the Dwarf himself seemed utterly unaffected by any setback, his hammer still swung swiftly and powerfully, and he was loudly singing a dwarf battle song that to Lancelot sounded not much better than the Steel Demons scraping their armor.

The death of the Bone Demon clearly shook the Steel Demon's will to fight; it seemed to foresee the inevitable outcome of today, and its attacks became frantic, driven only by duty to continue fighting.

Bruto now seized the enemy's subtle wavering. With his battered shield, he blocked a downward chop from his opponent, and the hesitant strength allowed the Dwarf to swing his hammer full force at the Steel Demon's left knee.

The knee of the Steel Demon let out a dull thud, the Dwarf's hammer smashing it into a completely unstandable angle. It reflexively swung its Great Sword, trying to use its weapon to support its body.

The attempt succeeded, but only for a brief moment. Bruto immediately knocked away the sword planted in the ground, and before the Steel Demon's body touched the floor, the Dwarf's hammer struck the top of its head.

The Steel Demon's Helmet was indeed very sturdy, so this blow only made the Helmet slightly dent, but the Steel Demon still died, as its whole head had been hammered into its chest cavity by Bruto.

After all, what supports the armor is but a body of flesh.

Bruto let out a joyous roar, celebrating his victory. He turned his head to look for the next enemy but suddenly found himself in a dilemma.

The remaining three Steel Demons were tightly bound by the vines summoned by Lancelot, effectively making them prisoners. Facing these incapacitated enemies, Bruto had no interest in taking action.

"Surrender," Lancelot declared expressionlessly, "and I can spare your lives."

The response he received was the Steel Demons' laughter.

"Hahaha, to think you expect us to surrender to Tanari! Do you believe we fear death?"

Amid the Steel Demons' mocking laughter, their bodies began to burn. Before Lancelot could intervene, the demons had completely turned to ash, with the vines only clutching their now-bodiless armor, the air still tinged with the smell of sulfur.

With a wave of his hand, Lancelot made the vines disappear. The armor from the Steel Demons fell to the ground, and Bruto, curious, stepped forward to inspect it, finding the once immaculate armor reduced to a pile of useless lead, which rolled away with a light kick.

"What is… going on?" Lancelot frowned and asked, "I thought even Fiends would fear death."

"They are not truly dead," Kalalin approached and explained, "All lower-plane Fiends can only be truly killed in their native planes. Those killed in other planes are reborn in their native plane with all their memories intact. Although it seems their power is not diminished, scholars speculate there must be some cost to such rebirth."

"The greatest cost is that they cannot re-enter the plane where they were killed for 99 years," Eckmond floated over shakily, "The process of rebirth is also extremely painful, similar to flaying and bone-crushing, though in reverse order. However, for Demons, that is not their greatest fear."
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"You seem quite knowledgeable about the conditions in Barto Hell," Lancelot eyed him skeptically.

"Stop teasing and tell us the truth already," Kalalin's face was full of curiosity. His expertise in Abyss and Demons left him with little knowledge about the Demons of Barto Hell. However, as a deadly adversary in the blood wars, any information about Demons could deepen his understanding of Tanari.

"What Demons fear most is always one thing: Degradation." The floating skull was very pleased to show off its knowledge, "Demon society has a strict hierarchy, and almost all demons exhaust their cunning to climb higher, to revel in the delightful privileges and the thrill of tormenting those beneath them.

This makes them fear Degradation more than complete obliteration, which is often the punishment for failing important missions."

At that moment, a loud explosion erupted behind them. The three turned around to see a huge hole blasted through the solid ice wall; Phil was striding through the hole with others, looking proud.

"Achoo!" The Goblin sneezed loudly, "Wow, this thing is really cold… Could you see anything from behind the ice wall, or is everything resolved?"

"You can't imagine the amazing battle you missed," the floating skull boasted, "How many get the chance to see a Succubus fight? The scene combined beauty, sexiness, gore, and violence—missing that is a lifetime's regret. Uh, boss, no offense, but right now, you're in the form of a Succubus."

"Pfft, we've seen that sort of thing many times already," Phil dismissed Eckmond's bragging, "And what's that? A few Steel Demons, a Bone Demon? Once, Lady Tijana fought a Barlow Flame Demon on the ramparts of Twin Bridges Town with a whip; now that was something worth dying with no regrets…"

"I'm going to report this conversation exactly as it happened," the Werewolf's words fell like a bucket of ice water over the Goblin, instantly rendering him mute.