1695  Five Months Later

Five months later.

Deep within the heart of a dense forest, concealed by the twisted limbs of ancient trees, a foreboding cave harbored a den of demonic entities.

The cavern echoed with eerie whispers and pulsated with malevolent energy as a demonic ritual unfolded within its shadowed recesses. The air in the cave quivered with an unnatural stillness, broken only by the guttural incantations of the demonic congregation.

At the heart of the ritual stood Zargoth, a towering demonic body cultivator with obsidian-hued skin that seemed to absorb the feeble light. His eyes glowed with an unholy fervor, reflecting the depth of his dark powers.

To Zargoth's left, Rivena, a demonic Ranker associated with the Demon Prince of Lust, swayed with ethereal grace. Her flowing crimson hair framed a face adorned with serpentine features, and her eyes sparkled with beguiling allure. With a mere glance, Rivena could ensnare the strongest wills and bend them to her demonic whims.

On the opposite side, Gorgoth, a hulking demonic Dreamweaver covered in jagged scales, brandished a massive, flaming sword. Each swing sent waves of infernal heat through the cavern, leaving a trail of smoldering embers in his wake. Gorgoth's demonic power lay in the manipulation of fire and the searing intensity of his wrath.

In the farthest corner, Lilithra, a shadowy figure cloaked in darkness, channeled her demonic energy into the very shadows themselves. Her eyes glowed an ominous violet, and her form seemed to waver, blending seamlessly with the shadows.

Lilithra's power lay in the manipulation of darkness and the ability to slip through the veil between worlds. She was an Elementalist with an affinity with the shadow-element.

As the demonic ritual intensified, the cave resonated with the combined powers of Zargoth, Rivena, Gorgoth, and Lilithra. Arcane symbols etched into the cavern walls gleamed with an otherworldly radiance, amplifying the demonic energies that surged through the air.

Outside the cave, the forest seemed to recoil from the unfolding darkness within. Unearthly cries echoed through the trees as the demonic den continued to channel their nefarious powers, weaving a web of malevolence that extended far beyond the confines of their hidden sanctuary.

"My guess was right. Something has happened to the echelon of the Demon Princes. None of them are responding the way they should be to our rituals," commented Zargoth with a frown on his face. He was not happy with the additional time the ritual was taking to complete.

"Well, even if the entire demon realm is filled with unrest, we are not qualified enough to know about it," responded Rivena before concentrating on the ritual once again. With a mere gesture of her hand, a series of containers appeared in the air.

These containers emptied the stored blood within them inside the demonic circle before disappearing into the thin air. One could only guess from where Rivena had obtained so much blood from and her methods of obtaining them.

"Hehehe," Gorgoth laughed sinisterly before adding further.

"Don't you guys see? This is… this is an opportunity for us to rise further. Hvergelmir Springs is about to appear in Labh Salem. The thing that is said to be the origin of all the demons.

The infernal energy within Labh Salem is already on the rise. The scales would tilt in our favor when the Hvergelmir Springs appear in this world. This world will see a new era when that happens. An era in which the demonkin would rule this world. Our kind.

They say that there's a position vacant among the 72 Ars Goetia Order. We could become true demons if one of the Seven Demon Princes favored us. We… we could become immortals if that happens. Hahaha."

Lilithra the Elmentalist was annoyed by Gorgoth's baseless confidence.

"Making bold statements won't take you much far, Gorgoth," Lilithra spoke.

"If you truly want to turn into a demon ghost, be my guest. But at least concentrate on the ritual. It is about to be completed. Who knows? We might truly get lucky. I have also heard that the Demon Princes are going to start a…."

Lilithra lost her voice mid-speech. At first, she didn't even realize that her mouth was not producing any sound even though her lips moved as she spoke. It took her a bit to realize that she had been muted.

She couldn't even produce a gag-like voice even though she decided to scream. She then looked at her demonic companions and found they too were suffering from the same dreadful phenomenon.

Just when they thought that their demonic ritual was about to succeed, someone entered the den and used a peculiar area-of-effect Skill. His entrance was felt by many because everyone in the den has lost their voices.

As the demonic entities reveled in their dark rites, a sudden intrusion shattered the eerie ambiance of the cavern. From the shadows emerged a silent figure, clad in a complete set of premium-grade Hex artifacts that gleamed with an ethereal darkness.

This mysterious intruder, an assassin veiled in black armor, moved with deadly precision through the twisted recesses of the cave.

[Skill: Sound Devour]

The assassin activated a peculiar Skill that only a few had access to even within the entire demonkind. Such a Skill could not be a stray Skill that one could gain simply by buying it through Menaka's Market.

This Skill belonged to a Skill Tree that one could only have access to if they were favoured by Beelzebub– the Demon Prince of Gluttony. A sudden hush enveloped the den, as if a vacuum had swallowed every whisper and incantation. The demonic entities, caught in the grip of the skill, found their voices stifled, their unholy chants reduced to silent gestures.

Within this newfound silence, the assassin advanced undetected. Building upon the stealthy advantage, the assassin unleashed another Skill from the Skill Tree he had access to.

[Skill: Light Devour]

A consuming darkness spread through the cavern, defying the presence of any light source within. Even the demonic flames that danced in Gorgoth's hands succumbed to the insatiable hunger of this skill. The den, once illuminated by an otherworldly radiance, plunged into an abyssal void, rendering the environment pitch black.

The demonic entities, now blinded by the engulfing darkness, groped in confusion, their powers momentarily nullified. Zargoth, Rivena, Gorgoth, and Lilithra, once bathed in the sinister glow of their ritual, were now enveloped in an impenetrable shadow.

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AN: The term "Hvergelmir Springs" was mentioned in chapter 1511. The term Ars Goetia was first mentioned in chapter 1377.

Merry Christmas! May your days be merry and bright, filled with joy and delight. ;)