Time flowed differently within the Underworld.

It was a realm of the dead. It was a place where countless things came to perish.

And among them... even time itself went there to die.

The flow of time within the realm was so low that it was almost motionless. Moments stretched endlessly, while days passed like drifting shadows beneath the skies of the Underworld.

That was why, despite Adam having spent several days wandering through that terrifying realm, only a few minutes had passed in the material world.

To the living universe outside, his disappearance had only lasted an instant.

And yet, even a few minutes were enough for countless things to happen during a war.

Battles could be decided in seconds. Entire armies could collapse in moments. A single mistake was often close enough to change the fate of kingdoms and worlds alike.

So while Adam wandered through the endless silence of the Underworld for what felt like days, the battlefield he left behind had further descended into chaos.

The battle between the Allied Forces and the devils and cultists within the colossal labyrinth had grown far more brutal and bloody. Magi were dying every second, and the battlefield descended into chaos.

Berger and Blackie now found themselves fighting several devils in addition to Volgron. The other devils had joined the battle after defeating their original opponents, turning the fight into an overwhelming struggle.

Meanwhile, Lucian and Tian Di remained locked in a stalemate. Despite neither side gaining the advantage, the destruction caused by their clash far surpassed the battles of any other Mana Core Magi.

And finally... there was the battle between the Heavenly Demon and the Cult Leader.

The effects of Summon Lightning still lingered in the air. Arcs of electricity crackled across the battlefield while the scent of burned flesh and ozone spread through the crater.

At the center of the destruction stood a dome of flesh and bones. Its surface had been completely charred black by the pillar of lightning, smoke still rising from parts of it as though the attack’s heat had yet to fade.

"Full of surprises, aren’t you?" The lich’s cold words echoed from within the deathly dome.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Demon was nowhere to be seen. However, he was there... hiding, waiting.

As the lich cancelled his spell and the flesh and bone dome slowly dissipated, he couldn’t help but turn his gaze upward, the green flames in his eyes flickering faintly.

His opponent had just used the lingering electrical charge in the atmosphere, along with the Dark King’s remnant mana, to cast an entirely different spell of his own.

What truly unsettled the lich, however, was something else entirely.

He could not understand how the Heavenly Demon possessed such a deep understanding of the Dark King’s spellcraft to make something like this possible.

Then there was also the gravity magic he had used. It was also similar... no, it was exactly the same as the Dark King’s spell.

What is going on? The lich thought to himself as the dome around him crumbled away at last.

Though he couldn’t see the opponent around, he knew he was there. And so the Cult Leader did not let down his guard for even a split-second.

It’s the lantern, he theorized.

The artifact belongs to the Hermit from the East. How did Marden acquire it? Did he kill him? Or...

A sickening possibility emerged in his mind that made the lich furious.

And right at that moment...

A flaming short sword suddenly appeared in the air and shot straight toward the lich from the front.

The flames in the lich’s sockets flared to life, and he calmly leaned to the side to evade it.

But the sword had only been an illusion.

At the exact moment the Cult Leader shifted his body, the Heavenly Demon appeared beside him in the direction he had leaned, as though he had already predicted the movement from the very beginning.

Then he viciously struck with the Blades of Fulgrim!

CLANG!!

The blades struck the vambrace. Flames flared violently as the enchanted weapons sliced through the metal with ease. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

In that moment, surprise flickered through the Cult Leader’s eyes. His armor could be considered a peak Grade 4 Artifact, yet the flaming blades had cut through it.

He couldn’t help but immediately draw back.

The corner of the Heavenly Demon’s lips curled into a menacing smirk. "The mighty Cult Leader of the Cult of Bones retreating?" he said tauntingly.

"What a wonderful sight!"

Although he had said that, even he knew that even though the Blades of Fulgrim could slice through the lich’s armor, they could not slice through the lich’s bones that easily.

The lich had thousands of years to strengthen his skeletal frame, after all. That was why he was so shocked to see Adam’s first ever strike cause the lich’s hand to crack.

If there’s anything that could thoroughly destroy the lich’s body, it would have to be the tyrannical Hand of Doom.

"Tell me," the lich said as he removed the damaged gauntlet and tossed it aside. "Where is Leland?"

The Heavenly Demon grinned from ear to ear. "Why? Dead, of course."

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed, and all the worries he had been carrying in his heart for the last few minutes vanished.

His plans of incapacitating the lich and escaping to a secure location to perform the ritual of necromancy also changed. A great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He could feel it.

The connection... he could feel it once again.

The Heavenly Demon raised his head and laughed out loud. "You absolute madlad!"

Listening to his words and sensing the sudden shift in demeanor, the Cult Leader found it strange. At the same time, he couldn’t help but grow even more wary.

He was about to launch another attack when suddenly, he sensed something in the distance.

A gust of wind swept across the battlefield, sending dirt and charred debris spiralling into the air.

The Cult Leader slowly turned toward a particular direction, his entire body gradually being overtaken by shock and disbelief.

Within the dust, a familiar silhouette stood motionless.

Then the wind carried the dust away, and the figure finally revealed himself...

Tenebrous eyes blazing with fighting spirit, and a head of raven-black hair with a small patch near his temple turned bone white.

The Dark King smiled menacingly as his gaze locked onto the lich’s stunned figure.

"Yo... long time no see."

Though he was staring at his archnemesis, these words were for someone else.

The Heavenly Demon tightened his grip on the Blades of Fulgrim and said with an equally menacing smile:

"We finally meet, old sport."