Chapter 186: Nicholas

“Mr. Sali, the current situation looks rather bad.”

Hels pushed up his golden glasses and looked at the monster before them with a serious expression.

It was an abyssal beast.

In the darkness of night, the creature’s white skin was particularly conspicuous. It sat atop a small hill, gazing down at the demonkin below.

It opened its mouth, and foul-smelling liquid dripped from its jaws.

In the eyes of this monster, these demonkin were nothing more than delicious meals from which it could extract abyssal aura.

“Hehe, bad?”

The leader of the ancient Shadow Family, Sali, leaned on his cane with both hands. Facing the abyssal beast ahead, his tone was exceptionally relaxed, as if he didn’t take the monster seriously at all.

“Mr. Sali, I must remind you that this is a Transcendent-tier abyssal beast. Its strength is already very close to Legendary tier,” Hels said. “The escort team you brought with you is not enough to handle this abyssal beast.”

“Is that so?”

Sali glanced at the demonkin guards behind him. Faced with the ferocious abyssal beast, they had all grown tense.

He smiled.

“Defeat this abyssal beast, and I will grant you all the wealth and glory you desire.”

“Mr. Sali, do you truly mean that promise?” the demonkin guards couldn’t help asking.

“Of course. When have I ever gone back on my word?”

Sali gave his promise.

Most of these demonkin guards were desperados from the Desolate Fallen Continent who lived dangerous lives on the edge of a knife.

Working for Sali was naturally done for the sake of profit.

After all, this was the Shadow Family—the most resource-rich among the ancient families. The wealth and glory Sali spoke of were no small matter.

They could never obtain such rewards even if they risked their lives for an entire lifetime.

Now that the opportunity was right in front of them, how could they not take the gamble?

“Anyway, we outnumber it… Let’s attack together! There’s bound to be a chance!!”

One of the demonkin guards shouted and charged forward.

With a leader taking the initiative, the other guards grew fired up. They raised their weapons, determined to kill the abyssal beast and change their fates.

Facing the charging demonkin guards, the abyssal beast leaped into the air and let out a piercing screech that shattered the hill beneath it.

The sonic wave suppressed many of the guards, forcing them to stop in their tracks, unable to move.

Taking advantage of the opening, the abyssal beast landed in the middle of the group. It raised its claw and swung out a blast of fierce wind. The air blades sliced through the demonkin guards like cutting melons and vegetables, instantly slicing several of them in half at the waist.

They didn’t even realize what had happened before falling to the ground in two pieces.

Abyssal Force surged around the beast like a swamp, spreading outward and trapping the remaining guards.

The demonkin guards immediately regretted their actions. The greed that had flared up moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by overwhelming fear.

There was only one word left in everyone’s mind—run!

But it was already too late to escape.

Under absolute power suppression, the merciless slaughter began.

“This abyssal beast really is quite strong,” Sali remarked as he watched the bloody scene.

“…Mr. Sali, if you don’t do something soon, we might die here.”

Hels frowned.

He was confused. Why had the leader of the Shadow Family brought him to such a dangerous place in the middle of the night?

It couldn’t be that he was tired of living and wanted to drag Hels down with him.

“Hels, how are the preparations for the next Demon King’s enthronement ceremony coming along?”

In this critical situation, Sali suddenly asked a completely different question.

“The enthronement ceremony?”

“Yes. Didn’t I ask you to handle it?”

“It’s mostly ready. The other ancient families are willing to cooperate and jointly elect the next Demon King,” Hels replied, unable to read Sali’s thoughts but still answering patiently. “At the beginning of next month, many powerful demonkin will gather at Starlight Palace. As long as the candidate Demon King attends and proves himself, the enthronement should proceed smoothly.”

“Mhm, very good. Hels, you handle matters quite efficiently. It wasn’t a waste for the Shadow Family to nurture you all these years.”

“Mr. Sali, is this really the time to be discussing this?”

Hels’s hand was trembling slightly.

The blood-soaked abyssal beast had already arrived in front of him and Sali.

All the other demonkin guards were dead. They would be next.

“Didn’t I tell you earlier that we already have a suitable candidate for the next Demon King?” Sali said. “Previously, there were various reasons that made it inconvenient for him to show himself. Now, the time has come for him to act.”

“Who is it?”

“Come.”

Sali raised his cane and tapped the ground. The gem on the cane lit up.

The abyssal beast raised its massive claw and slashed down toward Hels and Sali. At this critical moment, a swift figure rushed out and stood in front of the two, blocking the fatal attack.

It was a male demonkin with a bare upper body. He had long black hair, skin as pale as a corpse, and powerful muscles engraved with mysterious runes. His eyes were completely devoid of color, like bottomless black abysses.

“Is this… the next Demon King?”

Hels’s expression turned strange.

He had blocked the abyssal beast’s attack with just his physical body, without using any armament?

This was simply unbelievable.

The abyssal beast reacted with shock. It could feel its own power being suppressed by the opponent instead.

“Kill the abyssal beast,” Sali ordered.

Upon hearing Sali’s command, the mysterious demonkin grabbed the abyssal beast’s arm. The runes on his body lit up as he unleashed overwhelming force, brutally tearing the arm off.

The abyssal beast let out a miserable wail and tried to retreat. The mysterious demonkin immediately gave chase.

The hunter had become the hunted.

…Too strong. Just who is this person?

Hels’s pupils trembled. For some unknown reason, looking at the mysterious demonkin filled him with intense awe. His demonkin bloodline felt naturally suppressed, as if it wanted to force him to his knees.

“His name is Nicholas. He is a Demon King from the ancient era.”

Sali looked at Nicholas, the corners of his mouth curving upward slightly. “Two hundred years ago, our Shadow Family discovered a mysterious ancient ruin and has been secretly exploring it ever since. Twenty years ago, we reached the end and found that it was the tomb of a Demon King from the far ancient era.”

“You resurrected an ancient Demon King?” Hels said in disbelief.

“It wasn’t a resurrection. Nicholas never truly died. Strictly speaking, his body never died. Nicholas feared death, so he searched for various methods to achieve immortality. He succeeded, and he failed. He succeeded in making his body ageless, but failed because his soul had already died.”

“You mean…?”

Hels already understood the situation.

He glanced at the glowing staff in Sali’s hand.

At this moment, the abyssal beast had been slain by Nicholas. Its head was torn off and tossed into the air by the soulless Demon King.

“That’s right. The Shadow Family poured everything we had into successfully taking control of Nicholas, allowing him to act in this world once more,” Sali said proudly. “This way, we will have the most obedient—and the most powerful—Demon King.”