With that thought, Genot raised his head and looked provocatively toward the remaining Peak Rank 0 demons.

"You were saying something... right?"

Nuk could not help but feel anxious.

If this was truly how breakthroughs worked now, then he could not rush his own advancement.

He would need to wait.

Gather resources.

Travel across worlds.

Find equipment, power, cursed artifacts...

Anything at all that could increase his chances of surviving the breakthrough into Rank 1.

But contrary to the fear Genot expected to see, the Peak Rank 0 demons merely stared back at him in silence. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Suddenly, Genot felt his skin crawl.

These...

Were not the Peak Rank 0 demons he once knew.

They were beings standing at the very edge of Rank 1.

Why would they waste their lives recklessly here?

He had assumed they would act cautiously and withdraw while he will chase down a few demons, then retreat back to Heaven and ascend gloriously into Rank 1.

But he was wrong.

Very wrong.

The eyes of every Peak Rank 0 demon were filled with rage.

Hatred so intense that all sense of reason had vanished.

It was as though they had not even noticed the death of their comrade.

They said nothing.

They simply opened their fangs...

And charged.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Peak Rank 0 demons rushed forward as Genot felt his heart skip violently.

A spine-chilling sense of dread descended upon him.

"No... no... stay back!" Genot shouted as he swung his sword wildly.

Slash!

A Peak Rank 0 demon fell.

But the others did not care.

They continued charging.

Slash!

Slash!

Slash!

Genot frantically swung his sword around, cleaving through demon bodies one after another.

This sword was an artifact he had obtained from a civilization that worshipped angels as gods.

He had been confident because of it.

And rightfully so.

The blade sliced through demons effortlessly.

Combined with Heaven’s blessing enhancing his strength, he should have dominated this battlefield.

So why...

Why were they not retreating?

Why did they become even more excited the more he slaughtered them?

None of this made sense.

But before Genot could think further, his sword became lodged inside a demon’s body.

And before he could pull it free...

They finally reached him.

From the outside, Nuk heard a bloodcurdling scream.

Then, moments later, a bright divine figure crashed onto the ground.

Genot’s soul had already been ripped away, yet strangely enough, his body still remained alive.

The angel screamed endlessly in agony.

Nuk watched in shock as demons of every level flocked toward the fallen angel.

High Rank.

Middle Rank.

Low Rank.

Even Early Rank 0 demons rushed forward madly.

The sounds of snapping bones and tearing flesh echoed throughout the battlefield until finally...

The screaming stopped.

The angel was dead.

Nuk watched everything in stunned silence before noticing a Peak Rank 0 demon holding Genot’s radiant soul.

Unlike the dark souls of demons, this angelic soul was overwhelmingly enticing.

Every demon present felt a deep instinctive urge to devour it.

A maddening craving.

But alas...

Only the Peak Rank 0 demon had earned the right.

Without hesitation, the demon swallowed the soul whole.

"What a lucky bastard..." Nuk thought as he watched the scene unfold.

But before the Peak Rank 0 demon could rejoice...

SPLURT!

Its body exploded into blood mist and minced flesh as a terrifying pressure descended upon the battlefield.

From Peak Rank 0 demons all the way down to Early Rank 0 demons, everyone was smashed violently into the ground.

Nuk felt his organs rupture as blood burst from his mouth.

Then..

A new portal appeared.

Unlike the previous one, this portal was far more stable and far more powerful.

And from within it...

A being stepped out.

A female angel resembling a Valkyrie.

Her long flowing hair resembled a cascading waterfall, while her battle armor clung tightly to her figure, highlighting her beautiful curves.

In her hand was a long sword overflowing with overwhelming power and judgment.

Even demons standing far away could feel their scales burning apart simply from her presence.

A Rank 1 angel had appeared.

And all demons instinctively bowed before her pressure.

Calmly, she waved her hand as Genot’s soul floated into her palm.

Then she turned around, preparing to step back into the portal.

But suddenly..

She paused.

"You all will pay for his death."

Just a single sentence.

Yet her voice sounded like divine judgment itself.

Instantly, demons began exploding apart.

Her targets were the Peak Rank 0 demons.

Every single one of those demons possessed the potential to ascend into Rank 1 someday.

Yet now...

They were being slaughtered mercilessly by this Rank 1 angel.

This was a blatant attempt to sever the future roots of the Abyss itself.

And the Abyss would not take such humiliation lightly.

Suddenly..

Space trembled violently as the aura of a Peak Rank 1 demon descended.

A massive demon with two wings and two horns appeared.

Its body towered over ten meters in height as fierce demonic pressure spread across the battlefield.

Its eyes burned with crimson flames as it gazed upon the thousands of corpses belonging to the Peak Rank 0 demons.

Then...

It grinned while looking toward the angel.

"Is this your doing?" the demon asked.

But the angel ignored him completely.

After all, she had already accomplished her mission.

Now she merely needed to return to Heaven with Genot’s soul.

Just then..

CRACK!

The portal behind her shattered apart.

"A mere High Rank 1 angel dares ignore me?" the demon spoke coldly.

Only then did the angel slowly turn around and speak.

"I only came here to retrieve his soul," the female angel spoke calmly as the Peak Rank 1 demon laughed.

"Really? And you killed thousands of Peak Rank 0 demons?" he asked.

"Was that also part of retrieving his soul?"

The Peak Rank 1 demon appeared only inches away from the female angel.

Hearing this, the female angel fell silent for a moment before speaking, her eyes filled with icy killing intent.

"What if I say it was—"

Before she could finish her sentence—

One of her wings was instantly severed.

Blood sprayed across the battlefield.

"When I break through to Rank 2, I will pay Heaven a visit," the Peak Rank 1 demon spoke coldly.

"I hope you are among those waiting for me."

As he waved his hand casually, the female angel was blasted backward at terrifying speed.

Her abdomen split open violently as blood poured endlessly from the wound.

At the same time, a portal to Heaven opened behind her and instantly pulled her back inside.

Then..

The Peak Rank 1 demon disappeared.

Bringing an end to the chaos.

Finally, Nuk and the surrounding demons were able to stand once more.

But Nuk was far from happy about what he had just heard.

Did that mean even breaking through into Rank 2 required invading Heaven?

Damn...

This had suddenly become far more difficult for both demons and angels.

---

Heaven...

The female angel crashed onto the golden grounds of Heaven, creating a ravine nearly fifty kilometers long.

Her breathing was weak as she struggled to move.

Her gaze overflowed with murderous intent, yet she forcefully restrained it.

That was right.

When that demon eventually broke through into Rank 2...

They would meet again.

And she herself was already only a step away from reaching Peak Rank 1.

Their hatred would be settled then.

But for now...

She had to return Genot’s soul.

With that thought, she staggered forward unsteadily.

One of her wings had been destroyed, preventing her from flying.

And her injuries were severe enough that she could only walk toward Heaven’s Gate while large pools of blood formed beneath her every few steps.

*******

Half done , I will release the remaining soon