Chapter 434 - 433: Lord Rank (part 1)

Chapter 434: Chapter 433: Lord Rank (part 1)

Its towering gates had long since collapsed, revealing a vast courtyard beyond.

There, hundreds of Minor Lords awaited him.

Each one radiated the aura of a Tier 6 existence.

Their crimson armor gleamed beneath the blood-red sky.

Four massive wings rested behind every commander.

Towering halberds, greatswords, and black spears filled their hands.

Unlike the Tempters, none of them showed even the slightest trace of panic.

They stood in perfect formation.

Silent.

Motionless.

Like an army awaiting its final battle.

Then, without a single command. Every Minor Lord charged.

The ground beneath the citadel fractured.

Thousands of ancient runes shattered.

The combined pressure of hundreds of peak Tier 6 commanders surged toward Alix like a collapsing world.

The result, never changed. One after another, their bodies crossed the invisible boundary.

One after another, they exploded.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The deafening detonations echoed without pause.

Entire sections of the citadel collapsed beneath the relentless shockwaves.

Obsidian towers crumbled into dust.

Ancient walls that had stood for untold ages finally gave way.

The magnificent fortress gradually disappeared beneath clouds of smoke and endless crimson rain.

It didn’t take long.

When the final Minor Lord stepped into Alix’s domain, its body also burst apart.

Silence descended.

The entire city became still.

No more footsteps.

Even the oppressive aura permeating the capital seemed to fade away.

Then... A deep humming sound spread throughout the ruins.

Hummmmm...

The air began to distort.

The mana of the entire city gathered toward the center of the shattered citadel.

Countless crimson streams of light converged into a single point.

Ancient runes hidden beneath the ground awakened one after another, illuminating the broken ruins with a brilliant scarlet glow.

The earth trembled.

The surrounding space twisted.

A massive circular formation slowly emerged from beneath the cracked stone floor.

Layer after layer of intricate runes rotated around one another, forming an enormous magic circle over fifty meters wide.

At its center, space itself split open.

A pillar of crimson light shot toward the heavens.

The light gradually condensed, taking the form of an enormous portal.

Its surface resembled rippling blood, while ancient demonic symbols floated around its edges.

The pressure radiating from it far surpassed anything Alix had encountered since entering the dungeon.

He quietly observed it for several moments.

Then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"So..."

He looked directly at the swirling portal.

"Is this where the final boss is?"

There was no System notification.

No explanation.

Only the portal silently waiting before him.

Alix chuckled softly.

"Well..."

"There’s only one way to find out."

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped forward.

The moment he crossed the portal’s surface, the surrounding world dissolved into countless streaks of crimson light.

Space twisted violently around him.

The sensation lasted only an instant.

Then, his feet touched solid ground once more.

The scenery before him had completely changed.

Alix found himself standing inside an enormous underground chamber.

The cavern was so vast that its ceiling disappeared into darkness thousands of meters overhead.

Colossal pillars, each large enough to support a mountain, stretched endlessly into the shadows.

Their surfaces were covered in ancient demonic inscriptions that pulsed faintly like living veins.

The floor beneath him was carved from smooth black stone, polished to such perfection that it reflected the crimson glow filling the chamber.

Gigantic braziers burned with black flames along the edges of the hall, illuminating countless statues depicting ancient demons kneeling toward the center of the chamber.

There, far in the distance, stood an enormous staircase carved from crimson crystal and obsidian.

Each step was dozens of meters wide.

Ancient runes covered every inch of its surface, emitting a faint scarlet glow that had not faded despite the passage of countless millennia.

At the summit... Rested a colossal throne.

It had been carved from a single piece of black crystal so pure that it reflected the surrounding flames like a mirror.

The throne itself towered over a hundred meters tall.

Yet, it wasn’t the throne that drew Alix’s attention.

It was the figure seated upon it.

The demon remained completely motionless.

One hand supported its chin.

The other rested casually on the armrest.

Its physique wasn’t particularly massive by demonic standards.

Standing, it would likely measure only four meters in height.

Compared to the towering Minor Lords, it appeared almost ordinary.

Yet the pressure it emitted completely eclipsed everything Alix had encountered inside the dungeon.

Its skin possessed a dark crimson hue that resembled molten metal cooled over countless centuries.

Long black horns extended backward from its forehead.

Unlike the Tempters or Minor Lords, it possessed only a single pair of wings.

However, those wings were enormous.

Each feather resembled forged obsidian, giving off an indescribable sense of weight.

Its crimson eyes slowly opened.

The instant they locked onto Alix...

The entire chamber trembled.

Crack...

Crack...

Tiny fractures spread across the polished black floor beneath Alix’s feet.

Not because the demon had attacked.

Simply because it had looked at him.

An invisible pressure descended upon the chamber.

The air became unbelievably heavy.

Even mana itself seemed to sink toward the ground.

A translucent blue window silently appeared before Alix.

The System had already completed its analysis.

[Lord

Tier: 7]

Threat Assessment: High-Level Tier 7]

Alix quietly read the information.

His expression remained calm.

"So..."

"A Lord."

His gaze lingered on the new title.

Lesser Demon.

Tempter.

Minor Lord.

Lord.

The hierarchy was becoming increasingly clear.

The demon slowly rose from the throne.

The movement was simple, and unhurried.

Yet the entire chamber shook violently.

Boom...

Its feet hadn’t even touched the ground.

The mere act of standing caused invisible waves to spread throughout the hall.

Thousands of ancient pillars groaned.

Dust continuously fell from the ceiling.

The Lord calmly stepped down from the throne.

Each footstep echoed like a giant war drum.

Tier 7 beings no longer relied solely on techniques.

They manipulated the fundamental Laws of existence themselves.

A Tier 6 skill, no matter how powerful, remained a technique.

A Law...

Was authority.

It directly influenced reality.

The Lord stopped halfway down the staircase.

Its emotionless gaze never left Alix.

Then, it slowly clenched one fist.

Nothing flashy happened.

No dazzling lights.

No massive explosion.

Yet, the entire chamber suddenly became several times heavier.

The black stone beneath Alix’s feet instantly cracked.

BOOM!

Invisible force descended from every direction.

It wasn’t gravity.

It wasn’t mana.

It was pure strength given physical form.

The Law of Strength.

A trace of surprise appeared within them.

Alix smiled.

"Oh, the Law of Strength."

"It truly lives up to its name."

He slowly stretched his neck.

Crack.

Crack.

His bones produced crisp sounds.

"It’s been a while since I’ve faced someone capable of making me take a fight seriously."

A faint grin spread across his face.

"Then..."

"I’ll enjoy this."

Boom!

The floor beneath him exploded.

Alix disappeared.

He crossed several kilometers almost instantly.

His fist shot directly toward the Lord’s chest.

The Lord remained expressionless.

It also threw a punch.

No skills.

Only a fist empowered by the Law of Strength.

The two attacks collided.

BOOOOOOM!!

A deafening explosion shook the entire chamber.

The resulting shockwave spread like a tidal wave, reducing nearby pillars to countless fragments.

The polished black floor shattered for hundreds of meters.

Cracks rapidly spread across the enormous hall.

Alix was sent sliding backward.

His boots carved two deep trenches into the stone before he finally stopped.

Meanwhile...

The Lord remained standing.

It had only taken half a step backward.