Chapter 278: Malpash, the Archdemon

Roar!

A terrifying roar echoed in all directions as a monster crawled out of the crater left by the explosion.

The creature had a strange, unsettling form. Its body was massive—about four meters tall—with a posture resembling a human’s.

Yet its face and legs were unmistakably those of a horse.

Horns jutted from its head, and its red eyes burned with a terrifying intensity.

“That’s… a demon!” Leina exclaimed in horror. “He actually managed to summon a demon! Damn… this is bad!”

The demon before her radiated incredible power. Perhaps it was on par with a Second Spirit Core—or maybe even a First Spirit Core.

Just by looking at it, Leina could feel the immense threat it posed.

“Auntie, what should we do?” Merlin asked cautiously. “Should we call for help?”

His eyes were fixed on the demon, a flicker of fear in them. Its aura was overwhelming.

He even sensed that it might be slightly stronger than Leina. This was his first time seeing a demon in person, and it matched every expectation he had imagined.

’Open the system panel,’ he whispered.

[Status]

Name: Malpash (Demon)

Age: 1000+

Identity: One of the Eight Archdemons

Talent: S

Rank: Sealed (at full strength, equals a First Spirit Core; currently wields the power of a Second Spirit Core)

Favorability: -100

When he saw the demon’s status panel, his eyes widened in shock.

’Its power… it’s at the level of a First Spirit Core? Damn… this demon, Malpash, is incredibly strong!’

If the summoning had been successful, the mere appearance of this demon could have thrown the entire continent into chaos.

On top of that, its rank was fearsome—one of the Eight Archdemons.

By online game standards, the creature before him was clearly a mid-level boss, the kind that would take at least six people to defeat.

Fortunately, he and Leina managed to stop the Dark Tunnel Organization before its plans could unfold.

Otherwise, Merlin wasn’t sure if only Malphas would have appeared—or if even more powerful demons would have joined.

“Hieek! World… Finally, I can appear in this world! Hieek!”

Malphas let out a terrifying, shrill scream.

Leina and Merlin instinctively covered their ears, feeling as if their brains had been struck violently by an invisible force.

“Merlin, run now. Leave him to me,” Leina said, her voice heavy with resolve.

In truth, she wasn’t sure she could defeat the demon on her own. If Jason were here, she might have stood a chance.

But he had gone to help Victor, who had somehow been captured by the enemy.

So all she could do was hold the demon off, just long enough for Jason to arrive.

Merlin shook his head stubbornly. “No, Auntie. I’m not letting you fight alone. I’ll come with you.”

Leina frowned. “You’re only at the Fifth Spirit Core. The demon is at the Second Spirit Core. If you join, you’ll just get yourself killed!”

“Who said my power is only at the Fifth Spirit Core?” Merlin said with a sly smirk.

Leina froze, confused by his words. Before she could react, Merlin pulled out the potion he had obtained earlier and downed it in one gulp.

Whoosh!

The mana in his body surged violently. His hair whipped from side to side as a strong wind swirled around him.

Merlin clenched his right fist and whispered, ’So this is the Third Spirit Core? Incredible…’

His power had multiplied dozens of times over. Against his former self, he was certain a single strike would be enough to finish him.

“You reached the Third Spirit Core? How is that possible?” Leina asked, astonished.

Merlin smiled as he summoned the Arkan Magic Staff.

“I used a special potion, Auntie. Don’t worry—it’s safe and has no side effects. But it only lasts about ten minutes. So come on, let’s take down this demon together!”

Roar!

The demon’s roar shook the air. Its eyes glowed hungrily as it fixed its gaze on Leina and Merlin, then twisted its mouth into a wicked grin.

“Hiekk! You will be my meal! Hiekk!”

Without hesitation, it charged at them.

Leina knew there was no reason to tell Merlin to stay back. Twirling her magic staff, she leapt into the air and charged at the demon.

“Come on, Merlin. Let’s finish this!”

…

“Ugh…” Victor groaned, clutching his body. “Everything hurts… it feels like my bones have been crushed. What happened to me?”

Jason entered the room, carrying a tray with bread and two glasses of water.

“You were captured by a member of the Dark Tunnel Organization and nearly killed. If I had been even a few minutes later, you wouldn’t have made it,” he said with a long, relieved sigh.

Victor furrowed his brow, trying to recall what had happened, but his memory refused to come.

His body throbbed with pain, and he needed time to recover fully.

“Please… help me lean against the headboard,” Victor pleaded.

Jason nodded and carefully lifted him, making sure he was safely positioned.

Then he handed Victor a glass of water. Victor drank it in a single gulp.

Jason offered him a piece of cold chocolate bread.

“Eat this. It’s still edible, though it might be a little hard,” he said.

Victor took a bite. The bread was indeed a bit firm, and the aroma slightly off—but it was still edible. He devoured it eagerly.

When he asked for more, Jason handed him another piece. Then he sat beside Victor, taking a bite himself.

“Do you remember what happened to you?” Jason asked calmly.

Though Victor wasn’t as strong as him or Leina, defeating those men in black cloaks shouldn’t have been difficult.

Yet somehow, he had been captured and placed in a mysterious tube—clearly intended as a sacrifice for the demons.

Thankfully, Jason had acted quickly. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be sitting here like this, safe and relaxed.

Victor remained silent for a few moments, then lifted his head and fixed Jason with a deep, steady gaze.

“I remember what happened. I was entering a narrow passageway and suddenly found myself in a mysterious hall filled with demon statues. Before I could make sense of it, I was struck on the back of my head and lost consciousness.”

He rubbed the back of his head unconsciously. Even though the incident had happened only about an hour ago, the pain still lingered.

Jason was silent for a moment, carefully weighing each word. No wonder Victor had ended up there—this explained everything.

“I see. Does your memory stop at that point?”

“Yes. That’s the last thing I remember,” Victor replied weakly.

Jason nodded and rose to his feet. “All right. Rest here for now. I need to go help Leina—she and Merlin are in serious trouble.”

Victor just nodded, saying nothing.

As Jason turned to leave, a loud explosion rang out in the distance.

Boom!

Both of them flinched and exchanged horrified glances.

“I’m going!”

Jason sprinted off, disappearing from view in an instant.

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