Meanwhile, on the continent of Valoria, a battle was raging over a canyon.

A group of dark figures clashed with massive rock giants and flame creatures.

Not far from the battlefield, at the edge of the canyon, stood two castles.

A slender man with a stern expression watched the distant battle, his face tense.

Beside him stood a tall, burly man who looked simple and honest, lost in thought.

“These black creatures are like the undead; ordinary methods can’t kill them,” Cain observed. They were violent and frenzied, showing no signs of civilization. They weren’t a race but rather puppets under someone’s control.

So, they were likely the troops of a Lord. Otherwise, they wouldn’t attack so madly upon sight.

“This is a troublesome problem. We were so close to reaching Monarch level, and now we encounter them,” Earl said in a deep voice.

Their once five-member alliance was now down to just the two of them. Boreas had led them out of the Barren Plains and then left the Elemental Alliance, his whereabouts unknown.

“Don’t worry. As long as there’s no Monarch level, it’s not a big problem,” Cain reassured. He noticed the enemy’s troop numbers were similar to theirs. The frenzied black creatures were hard to kill, but their elemental beings weren’t easy to defeat either.

“But the Lord of those troops hasn’t shown up,” Earl worried about the Lord behind them.

“Valoria is vast, with a billion Lords on this continent alone. Currently, fewer than 50 have reached Monarch level. Our luck can’t be that bad,” Cain comforted Earl. Judging by the enemy troops’ performance, their Lord was likely on par with them. The chance of encountering a Monarch level was only 0.001%.

“You’re right, but I must say, Lady Luck doesn’t seem to favor you,” came a playful, unfamiliar voice from behind them.

Startled, they turned around, ready for battle.

They saw a man in black sitting on the castle’s courtyard wall, legs crossed, looking down at them.

“Who are you?!” Cain demanded. Their castle had a barrier, yet this man had easily breached it, indicating Monarch level strength.

Damn, why were they so unlucky lately?

“Allow me to introduce myself. My castle’s name is [Inferno], and I am Satan!” Satan floated down, landing smoothly, looking at Cain and Earl with ease.

To Satan, Commanding levels posed no threat. He could easily defeat them.

“You’re that demon Lord!” Cain and Earl were drenched in sweat.

“You’ve heard of me?” Satan’s grin widened.

Cain and Earl felt immense pressure. The demon Lord was not only Monarch level but one of the strongest among all Lords.

During the Lord wars, few names were remembered besides the standout Alex, and Satan was one of them.

But Satan hadn’t attacked immediately, indicating a chance for negotiation. Cain quickly assessed the situation, remaining calm.

“What do you want? Resources, crystals, or troops? We can even abandon everything and become Freelancers if you spare us,” Cain offered. Though both were lv9 Commanding level, they were no match for Satan. Fighting would only provoke him, sealing their fate.

Asking Alex for help was unrealistic as well. The Demon Lord and Undead Lord were equal allies, and Cain had no personal connection with Alex. Would she risk offending her ally for them?

“I’m not interested in your resources. As for troops, do you think your elemental beings can compare to my demons?” Satan’s arrogance was palpable.

“Then what do you want?” Cain asked, his face serious. Now was the time for patience; fighting was the last resort.

Satan stepped forward, looking at them. “Let’s play a game. You two fight me. If you win, I’ll let you go. If you lose, you submit to me. How about it?”

“It seems we have no choice,” Cain and Earl exchanged glances, stepping back to prepare for battle.

Why fight him? If they lost, they had no choice. If they won, they wouldn’t need his permission to leave.

“Smart choice. Come on,” Satan taunted, curling his finger in a slow, mocking gesture.

Though unsure of Satan’s intentions, they had no other option.

Cain’s hair floated up, turning into flames. His skin became black and red like charred coal, flames covering the area, transforming the terrain into his domain.

Earl’s skin was covered in rock, his body hardening. His eyes turned into blue crystals, glowing. The ground rippled, and like Cain, he had touched the threshold of a domain despite not being Monarch level.

“You both have pseudo-domains. Impressive. Out of respect, I’ll use 50% of my power,” Satan said, evaluating their transformations.

Cain charged at Satan as a flame, with Earl following, surrounded by spiraling rocks.

Satan raised his arm, dark energy swirling. He caught Cain’s punch with a light grip and kicked him back.

Facing Earl’s charge, a black barrier appeared before Satan. The rock attacks dissipated against it, and Earl’s collision didn’t budge Satan. Instead, Earl’s rock armor crumbled into sand.

Earl was no match for Satan, who punched his chest and kicked him away.

Satan didn’t pursue, waiting for them to rise.

Their pseudo-domains were useless against Satan, the strongest Monarch level they’d faced. Satan was leagues above Baldwin, even at 50% power.

Cain’s battle lust surged, his flames intensifying, his skin dripping like lava.

Inspired, Earl controlled the surrounding rocks, which seemed alive, converging on Satan.

Initially, Satan easily shattered the rocks, but as they multiplied, he struggled.

The rocks clung to Satan, covering and compressing him.

The rocks formed a massive sphere, which Earl levitated. Cain, having charged his right fist, struck with a magma-covered punch, shattering the rock.

Boom!

The rock exploded, revealing Satan, who had blocked Cain’s punch but was finally pushed back.

They saw a glimmer of hope. Satan’s arms were scorched, but he smiled. His wounds healed instantly, their combined attack having no effect.

“Nice teamwork. Now it’s my turn.”

As soon as Satan finished speaking, his figure vanished, and multiple shadows simultaneously attacked Cain and Earl. They couldn’t distinguish the real one from the fakes.

Cain chose to face the attack head-on but was overwhelmed after just a few moves. He realized that each of these shadows seemed almost real.

Earl opted for defense, confident in his earth element’s protective power. However, he fared worse than Cain. The earth elements were insignificant against the demon, shattering completely after just a few punches.

Earl was pinned to the ground by two of Satan’s shadows, while another shadow, emanating black mist, looked down at him. “You’ve lost.”

Seeing Earl captured, Cain stopped resisting and chose to surrender.

“I concede.”

Satan’s shadows dissipated, merging back into his true form. This was the only skill he had used during the fight.

Cain and Earl realized the vast gap between them and Satan. He had defeated them with overwhelming ease, without using any special skills or even his domain.

“Very good. A wise man knows when to yield. Rest assured, though my troops are demons, it doesn’t mean I’m a devil. I never mistreat my own.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep