Demon Bible

Chapter 195: Degradation

Ahriman failed to kill the captain of the fifth squad, something the Demon Warlock had not expected.

As a Mutant demon, Ahriman's Attribute Value had already reached over one hundred and ninety.

In other words, some newly advanced Golden Rank beings might not even have an Attribute Value as high as his.

Yet that old geezer who had charged out of nowhere had truly and completely blocked Ahriman.

Of course, looking at it now, it was not actually surprising.

The old man from the Judgment Squad had his shirt mostly torn apart, revealing aged but remarkably unwrinkled skin.

When he hunched over, he gave the impression of a frail, decrepit old man, but once combat began, the muscles all over his body bulged, making him look exceptionally robust.

Even the aged skin on his face stretched taut, seemingly regaining the vigorous vitality of youth.

And on his exposed torso, Nemus saw a dense array of Holy Nails, along with a Potent Demonic Sealing Array formed from several seals.

Although this man was only an Iron Rank, in actual combat, even a Golden Rank would not dare to be overly careless around him.Upon hearing the Demon Warlock's words, Ahriman's face displayed sheer indifference.

As long as the profits were there, he would do whatever was asked of him.

Regarding that human old man, he only needed to be careful not to get caught in a mutually assured destruction attack.

The opponent could restrict his movements at best; if given just a little more time, he could naturally slaughter most of the people nearby.

However, since the Demon Warlock himself had chickened out, Ahriman was more than happy to oblige.

In fact, an ever-growing sense of joy swelled in his heart.

The Demon Warlock's soul was undergoing Degradation.

Previously, the Demon Warlock had always firmly believed in his own winner-takes-all philosophy, convinced that as long as he succeeded, everything could be salvaged and everything would remain under his control.

Yet, in his actions and deep within his heart, he still retained a shred of human sentiment—some things were truly important to him.

And this sense of importance, to a certain extent, surpassed his own life, or at least made him disregard his own survival in the short term.

For instance, earlier, the Demon Warlock thought he could abandon everything, but after the butler died, the emotions in his heart broke through his prioritization of his own life and future.

That was why he had taken out the Sin Soul he had always been so reluctant to part with, using it as Bargaining Chips to have Ahriman help kill people.

This emphasis on emotion was the human side of the Demon Warlock.

But now, under the crisis of life and death, that human side was gradually being suppressed, allowing cold rationality and bestial instinct to reach a compromise.

Having chosen to retreat, the Demon Warlock, faced with his own contradictory choices, would naturally avoid acknowledging the pain of "failure".

And the two easiest ways to achieve that were shirking responsibility and ignoring or belittling the emotional, human side he had shown earlier.

Currently, Ahriman was an indispensable force for the Demon Warlock, so he could not shift the blame onto the demon. Therefore, he naturally made the choice to belittle the bond between himself and the butler.

Once Ahriman stopped focusing on the offense, his movements became incredibly difficult to predict.

The speed brought by an Attribute Value over one hundred was more than enough to completely surpass the sensing capabilities of normal perception.

The Demon Warlock, meanwhile, was entirely shrouded in shadows, and the standard demon on the other side quickly moved to guard him.

The three demonic entities were about to leave the area through the surging shadows.

However, in the very next moment, a sword plunged into the ground.

Instantly, a massive amount of trees and vines surged upward, rapidly shooting out to entangle the Demon Warlock and his two companions.

Simultaneously, as countless vines and branches swayed wildly in the surroundings, all the shadows began to shift rapidly at that moment.

And with that single action, the Shadow Leap of the Demon Warlock's group ground to a halt.

Shadow Leap itself was not a spatial ability; it merely utilized shadows as a medium for movement.

Therefore, the shadow medium could not be allowed to fluctuate too drastically.

Nemus had acutely perceived this. The power of the Forest Treasure Sword to summon tree growth—an ability that usually seemed somewhat useless to him—was now fulfilling its true purpose. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, one could see that the roots of those plants had dug deep into the earth, siphoning the power of the shadows to a certain degree.

The Sealing Art was actively operating on the principle of turning the enemy's spear against their own shield.

The vines and trees summoned by the Forest Treasure Sword were by no means simple plants.

Otherwise, this blade would never have been worthy of the title Forest Treasure Sword.

"Bastard!" the Demon Warlock gritted his teeth. A pitch-black demonic aura erupted from his body, attempting to plunge the surroundings into total darkness once more to stabilize the shadow medium.

From beginning to end, he had never really thought highly of Nemus, this Great Knight.

He was just a minor character who had advanced to the Iron Rank barely half a year ago.

His Sword Art might be hyped up, but in all likelihood, it was nothing extraordinary.

Perhaps he had some tricks up his sleeve, or maybe he had connections in Sky Spring City.

But so what? His own strength far exceeded that of Nemus.

Previously, he had believed that in Tail Fin Town, only Rhine and that other "old geezer" posed any real threat to him.

As for Nemus, even if he showed up, he was just an ordinary Holy Knight with decent swordsmanship.

Yet it was this very Nemus, a man he completely looked down upon, who had first slain one of his top generals and was now blocking his escape.

It was just that the timing today was off; otherwise, he would have made Nemus pay a steep price!

"Just you wait!" the Demon Warlock spat out a vicious threat as he finished expanding the darkness. Sensing that the shadows had stabilized slightly, he prepared to finally leave.

However, Nemus had no intention of giving him that opportunity.

"Stay right here," Nemus declared. With a flick of his wrist, he shifted his sword into a reverse grip.

Secret Sword: Underworld Raven's Crossing!

A brilliant Sword Light tore through the curtain of darkness.

Nemus instantly appeared right beside the Demon Warlock.

Ahriman's eyes flickered slightly, and he took the initiative to act.

With a simple flick of his finger, a shockwave surged forth, aiming to intercept Nemus's movements.

However, in the very next heartbeat, Ahriman realized what was happening, his figure blurring as he darted in the opposite direction.

The Nemus before them abruptly flickered once or twice before vanishing completely.

It was still the Phantom Sword Art!

Only this time, it was combined with Underworld Raven's Crossing.

The real Nemus had already appeared on the other side.

Thrusting his sword upward from below, a fatal piercing strike became an absolute certainty.

The Demon Warlock's body felt as though it had been nailed to the spot. He was completely unable to move, and even his very thoughts seemed to have grown sluggish.

An Aura of Death, like a flock of circling ravens, had already locked onto him.

At this moment, he felt as if he wasn't facing a Sword Art at all, but rather a "Death Magic" disguised as swordsmanship.

The shadows writhing over the Demon Warlock's body shifted constantly, but they offered practically no resistance, instantly skewered by the sword strike.

Swordsmanship and magic had seamlessly merged; the sword served as the vanguard, while the spell formed the blade.

The Demon Warlock desperately pushed the shadows to transform, trying to cast a spell with his meager Mental Power, only to suddenly realize that all the shadows surrounding him were trembling violently.

It was just like water resting on a vibrating copper plate.

"Oh no!" His control over the shadow demon had been compromised.