Chapter 241: The Demons Who Chose the Wrong Prey

Chapter 241: Chapter 241: The Demons Who Chose the Wrong Prey

The streets of the dwarven capital had gradually become quieter as Ares, Selene, and Leon moved away from the busier districts.

They had already passed the main marketplace and the larger residential areas, leaving behind the constant noise of merchants, adventurers, craftsmen, and travelers. The farther they went, the fewer people they encountered, until the grand stone buildings of the capital began giving way to neglected streets lined with aging houses.

Some of the buildings had clearly been abandoned for years. Their wooden doors were crooked, their windows were shattered, and weeds had grown through cracks in the stone pathways. A few structures were little more than empty shells, their walls blackened by age and neglect.

Ares continued walking without saying a word.

Selene followed beside him while Leon walked slightly behind them, his crimson eyes quietly observing their surroundings.

To anyone watching from a distance, there was nothing unusual about their destination.

But Ares and the two knew better.

Something had been following them ever since they left the restaurant.

He had noticed it long ago.

He simply had no reason to acknowledge it until now.

Ares finally slowed his pace as they reached an abandoned courtyard surrounded by old buildings. The faint sounds of the capital had almost disappeared completely.

Selene glanced around.

Her expression remained calm, but her eyes had already narrowed.

Then she spoke quietly.

"Demons."

Ares stopped.

Leon raised his eyes toward the surrounding rooftops.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a low chuckle echoed through the deserted street.

Another followed.

And another.

Figures slowly began emerging from the shadows.

One appeared from behind a collapsed building.

Then another stepped out from an alley.

Then three more descended from a rooftop.

Within moments, the abandoned street was surrounded.

Dozens of figures stood among the ruined buildings, all wearing dark robes and hoods that concealed most of their faces. Their clothing was similar enough to suggest that they belonged to the same organization, although there were differences in their weapons and physiques.

Some carried curved blades.

Others held staffs, short swords, or strange metallic weapons.

But the most obvious feature was something none of them could conceal.

Horns protruded from beneath their hoods.

Some possessed a single pair of curved horns, while others had longer, jagged horns that extended backward from their heads. Their eyes glowed with unnatural colors, and several had sharp fangs visible beneath their lips.

There was no mistaking them.

They were demons.

Selene’s expression immediately changed.

Leon remained composed, but the faint amusement that had occasionally rested on his face disappeared.

Ares, however, remained completely motionless.

Then a figure appeared on the roof of one of the abandoned buildings.

It was the same man who had been watching them earlier.

He stood near the edge of the rooftop with his hands inside his robe, looking down at Ares’s group with an amused smile.

His eyes gleamed beneath the shadow of his hood.

"So, these are the adventurers everyone’s been talking about."

His voice carried clearly through the empty street.

Several demons looked toward Ares, Selene, and Leon with expressions ranging from curiosity to amusement.

One of them laughed.

"They look even less impressive than I expected."

Another demon tilted his head.

"They killed members of the Tiger King’s forces, didn’t they?"

"That only makes this more interesting."

Selene’s eyes narrowed.

A faint smile slowly appeared on her face.

"It seems we have guests, Master."

She took one step forward.

"Just give me the word, and I will—"

"Selene."

Ares’s voice was quiet.

She stopped immediately.

"Yes, Master."

Selene bowed her head slightly.

"As you command."

Leon remained several steps behind Ares.

He looked at the surrounding demons for a moment before speaking in a calm, almost conversational tone.

"You should be aware of something before you make your next decision."

The demons looked toward him.

Leon smiled faintly.

"You have gathered quite a number of yourselves here, yet none of you appear to understand the danger you are standing in."

One demon scoffed.

"And what danger would that be?"

Leon did not answer immediately.

His crimson eyes shifted toward Ares.

A faint pressure had already begun spreading through the area.

It was subtle at first.

Then it grew heavier.

The air itself seemed to become colder.

Several demons instinctively stiffened.

Their expressions changed.

One of them took an involuntary step backward.

Leon calmly continued.

"Master has been unusually patient with you. However, you should understand that even I am beginning to find it difficult to restrain my killing intent while listening to your insolence."

The pressure increased.

BOOM.

The stone beneath the demons’ feet cracked.

Several of them staggered.

Their bodies reacted before their minds could understand why.

A primitive instinct screamed at them to run.

’What is this pressure?"

’Why can’t I breathe?"

"He’s not even moving."

The demon standing on the rooftop watched the scene carefully.

His smile gradually disappeared.

He had expected powerful adventurers.

He had not expected this.

Still, he forced himself to remain calm.

"Catch them."

His voice echoed across the courtyard.

"They will be useful for our experiments. The stronger the subjects, the more valuable the results will be."

The demons immediately moved.

Several reached for their weapons.

Others prepared spells.

But before a single one of them could take another step, Ares raised his hand.

He snapped his fingers.

SNAP.

The world became silent for a fraction of a second.

Then—

WHOOM!

Soul flames erupted from within the bodies of the demons.

No ordinary fire spread across their clothing.

Instead, the flames appeared directly within their souls.

The demons froze.

Their eyes widened.

Then the screaming began.

"AAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!"

"IT—IT BURNS!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

They collapsed onto the ground, clawing desperately at their own bodies.

But there was nothing they could touch.

Their flesh remained almost completely untouched.

Their souls were not so fortunate.

Soul flames twisted through their spiritual existence, consuming something far deeper than flesh and blood. Their screams echoed through the abandoned district, growing louder as the pain intensified.

AAAGHHHHHH!

HELP ME!

MAKE IT STOP!

The demons writhed helplessly on the ground.

Even those who had been preparing attacks were now unable to move.

The man standing on the rooftop stared down in disbelief.

"What...?"

His expression became pale.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

He leaned forward.

"Get up! All of you, get up and catch them!"

The demons couldn’t answer.

They were too consumed by agony.

Their mouths opened, but only desperate screams escaped.

"AAGHHHHHH!"

"IT HURTS!"

"PLEASE—!"

The man gritted his teeth.

He finally understood that something had gone terribly wrong.

These were not ordinary demons.

They were experienced combatants, each selected specifically because of their strength.

Yet Ares had incapacitated every one of them with nothing more than a snap of his fingers.

The man’s eyes met Ares’s.

For the first time, there was genuine fear in them.

Ares looked up at him.

The man immediately disappeared.

WHOOSH.

The rooftop was empty.

Selene watched the demons continue to writhe beneath the black flames before turning her attention toward Ares.

"Soul Art."

Her voice carried a hint of fascination.

"One of the most powerful branches of magic ever recorded."

Leon looked toward the burning demons.

"I have heard similar accounts."

His expression became thoughtful.

"According to ancient records, only beings possessing extraordinarily developed souls can wield Soul Art at such a level. There was once a World Serpent said to have lived for more than ten thousand years, and even among ancient creatures, its mastery over the soul was considered exceptional."

Ares glanced at him.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Master."

Leon folded his hands behind his back.

"There are also records of an ancient necromancer who possessed mastery over numerous elemental attributes in addition to Soul Magic. His existence became so dangerous that several kingdoms joined forces to eliminate him."

He looked at the demons.

"However, what Master has displayed here is considerably different from the Soul Arts described in those records."

Selene nodded.

"Indeed. Soul Magic is already exceedingly rare, and yet Master used it without preparation, chanting, or even the slightest visible fluctuation beforehand."

Ares looked at the demons.

"They are not ordinary demons."

His gaze passed over them one by one.

"All of them possess strength equivalent to an A-Rank boss-level creature."

The demons continued screaming.

"AAGHHHHHH!"

The sound echoed through the abandoned district.

Ares raised his hand.

The soul flames immediately vanished.

For a brief moment, the demons remained motionless.

Then Ares snapped his fingers again.

SNAP.

BOOM!

Every demon’s body suddenly ruptured.

There was no blood splattering across the surroundings.

Their bodies simply collapsed into fragments of dark ash before rapidly disintegrating into nothingness.

The courtyard became silent.

Ares lowered his hand.

Selene looked at the empty space where the demons had been standing.

Leon remained silent for several seconds.

Then Ares raised one hand again.

A small flame appeared above his palm.

It was not red.

It was not orange.

The flame was a deep, unnatural crimson-black, with dark edges that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Unlike ordinary fire, it produced no smoke, and the air around it seemed to distort slightly.

Ares studied it calmly.

"Demonic Flames."

The flame twisted gently above his palm.

"This is the essence of demonic fire. Unlike ordinary flames, it does not simply consume physical matter. It can burn magical energy, spiritual energy, and demonic power itself."

The flame grew slightly larger.

FWOOSH.

Its temperature did not spread outward like ordinary fire.

Instead, its destructive nature seemed concentrated entirely within its core.

Selene’s eyes brightened.

"As expected of Master."

A pleased smile appeared on her face.

"Even the flames of demons become insignificant when compared with the power you possess."

Leon nodded.

"Indeed. Demonic Flames are generally considered among the most destructive forms of fire possessed by demonic races, yet Master has reproduced their essence as though it were nothing more than a simple technique."

Ares extinguished the flame.

"It’s nothing particularly impressive."

Selene and Leon exchanged a brief glance.

Neither of them seemed convinced.

Ares turned away from the empty courtyard.

"Let’s return to headquarters."

"Yes, Master," Selene replied immediately.

She followed him, then suddenly remembered something.

"I should also check on Vina once we return."

Ares continued walking.

"There’s no need to worry about her."

Selene looked at him.

"Did something happen?"

"I received a report earlier."

Ares glanced toward her.

"Vina has evolved into an Arachne Deity. She is currently inside her domain."

Selene’s eyes widened slightly.

"She evolved into an Arachne Deity?"

A small smile appeared on her face.

"Master, isn’t that considered one of the highest evolutionary forms an Arachne can possibly achieve?"

Leon also looked interested.

"An Arachne Deity..."

He considered the name for a moment.

"That is an extraordinary evolution. Even an ordinary Arachne is considerably more dangerous than its appearance might suggest. Their physical abilities, regenerative capabilities, web manipulation, poison production, and natural affinity for magic already make them formidable creatures."

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"To reach a divine evolutionary state would mean that those inherent abilities have been elevated to an entirely different level. Depending on the individual, an Arachne Deity could possess enough strength to dominate entire territories populated by stronger monsters."

Selene nodded.

"I have heard similar things. Arachne are already intelligent predators capable of using both physical strength and magic, but the higher evolutionary forms are exceedingly rare."

She looked toward Ares.

"Vina’s evolution must have been extraordinary."

Ares listened quietly before giving them a brief glance.

"You two really do know quite a lot."

Selene smiled.

"There are still countless things we have yet to learn, Master."

Leon gave a faint, respectful smile.

"Indeed. Compared with you, Master, our knowledge is insignificant. We may have lived for thousands of years and witnessed countless events, but the power you possess exists beyond the limits by which we have measured the world."

Selene nodded.

"I agree. No matter how much we have experienced, there are still many things about your power that we do not understand."

Ares remained silent for a moment.

Then he looked toward the distant horizon.

"Then we’ll learn them eventually."