Four beings had unknowingly assembled once again.

Unlike last time, where only their consciousnesses had briefly met, and the four were afar, they were actually here in person this time.

Four beings. All possessing the aura of a peak Archdevil, extremely close to the Ancient Devil stage.

Two of them were made out of pure fire and water, looking like a walking erupting volcano and a turbulent ocean.

Besides them stood a golem-looking creature that carried a mountain on its shoulders, as well as what seemed to be a living tornado.

Four beings. Four elements. Each representing one of the native Elemental races.

Now, all four of these beings had gathered together.

They stood in front of a statue, staring at it with piety.

It depicted a large humanoid figure. Though its appearance was indistinct, making it impossible to capture its true identity, the majesty in this figure could be imagined.

The four Elementals, which were usually arrogant and had their own grievances, were now silent, as if meeting the deity they worshiped.

Each of them reached into their body and dove into their core, pulling out a mountain of precious ores and other rare resources.

The demonic energy in the area surged.

In the blink of an eye, it had become denser than even the core area of Hollow City.

Just taking a breath here was enough to elevate a Devil’s strength. A single breath could turn a Young Devil into a Lesser Devil, and a Lesser Devil into a True Devil.

Yet, none of the four Elementals even blinked their eyes.

They held the materials and glanced at each other until they finally spoke up.

"It’s time!", they let out a low shout in unison, throwing all the materials towards the statue.

The statue, which seemed to be made out of stone and was a mere ordinary thing, actually showed a reaction.

Opening its mouth, it transformed into a black hole and began devouring those resources.

A glimmer of light shone across its surface.

As more resources were swallowed, the light deepened.

Until suddenly, a thunderous crash rang out.

Not from the stone statue or from the Elementals, but from the Demon World itself.

For a moment, it was as if something had broken, ruining the delicate balance of the 173rd Demon Layer.

The entire world, composed of countless continents, demi-planes, and even worlds, began to shake.

The entire 173rd Layer of the Demon World was affected!

--

In another place, Liora did not know the true cause of this change, though she could, of course, guess something.

At the moment, she had unknowingly soared into the sky and lowered her head, staring down.

The skin on her forehead had parted, and a golden eye had materialized between her eyebrows, maintaining an aloof gaze.

The eye, coupled with her own strength and the concept of Gaze she had fused, allowed Liora to take a glimpse of the entire Demon Layer.

As such, it didn’t take her long to realize the source behind the Demon Layer’s shaking.

The four forbidden areas... had awakened!

Or to be more accurate, Liora noticed that something had awakened in their depths!

It caused both the forbidden areas and even the Demon Layer to shake.

Liora was originally unable to pinpoint exactly what that "something" was. But as a powerful demonic aura surged towards the sky and various phenomena formed, she soon realized.

"These seem to be four..."

"Limbs?", Liora couldn’t help but whisper.

The golden eye on her forehead reflected the awakened beings.

Upon a closer look, one would discover that they looked exactly like four limbs, though giant enough to cover a continent.

Two arms and two legs.

Although they were only torn apart body parts, they seemed extremely majestic, as if each of them could shatter entire worlds.

The moment Liora recognized them, the four limbs moved.

Their muscles tensed, and demonic energy erupted as they struck towards the sky.

The legs kicked, while the arms turned into claws and attacked like beasts.

There was little obstruction.

Following a thunderous crash, the four formations, which had trapped the Elementals for an unknown number of years, were destroyed. Upon contact, they were erased from existence.

Freed of their constraints, the four limbs did not linger.

The legs fled into the distance, while the hands crawled along the ground, crossing the Demon Layer.

Their escape routes seemed random, but if one paid closer attention, they would realize that they overlapped.

From start to finish, the entire process lasted only a few moments.

Yet, the entire Demon Layer had been plunged into chaos in this short amount of time.

Elementals poured out of the forbidden areas and raided the nearby cities, while the surging demonic energy alone was enough to annihilate anyone below the True Devil stage.

Liora also sensed that outcome.

Just as she was pondering what to do, she suddenly lifted her head and looked towards the sky. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

For ordinary Devils, there was nothing above. But for Greater Devils, there was a majestic city floating there, being the true central hub of the 173rd Demon Layer.

Hollow City had remained unchanged for countless years. Yet, today, just like the Demon Layer, it also started to shake.

It was not because of the earlier impact, but because several Archdevil beings had been alerted by the changes outside.

They appeared in the sky, their gazes piercing through space and landing on the four limbs.

They seemingly guessed something and moved at once.

Soaring into the air, their auras gathered as they prepared to rush down and stop the four limbs.

But just then, another change occurred.

Not in the Demon Layer, but in Hollow City.

Unfathomable auras emerged from the residences of lone Devils and even famous organizations. They struck at the Archdevils in the sky, catching them by surprise.

Black mist began to spread at the same time, devouring thousands of building blocks within moments.

The Archdevils had little time to react. By the time they recovered, part of Hollow City was destroyed.

"How dare you? How dare you betray Hollow City?", one of them couldn’t help but shout in fury, but their voice was soon overrun by the battle sounds.