Aleister's Most Memorable Shining Moment

The antlers fled and hid back in the "storage room".

But not his storeroom, but Aleister's storeroom.

He resurrected the remaining two corpses to protect himself.

They then petrified the door to the storage room, intending to stay there until the ceremony was over.

Unfortunately, the resurrected corpses were stripped of their four realms and cannot use the abilities of love, beauty, wisdom, or transcendence of the four paths. These two corpses should belong to "Red" and the monk, respectively corresponding to the Path of Love and the Path of Wisdom.

This means that the two corpses were only capable of moving.

But actually, it's not a big problem. The door has been sealed, and no one except the giants will come here... If the giants arrive, he will just send the corpses over for them to eat.

"There are at most three survivors left..."

The antlers murmured softly, "Ash can't possibly survive. So the ritual is actually over."

"All I need to do is stay here and survive to the end."

He could never have imagined that Mr. Gray could survive Aleister's attack.

For a demon with weak reason, low intelligence, and a tendency to go berserk, hunting a fast and elusive assassin is probably like a cat playing with a mouse—it only piques the hunter's interest. The Shadow Fiend also grants him the ability to see into shadows... therefore, Grey's stealth is ineffective against him.

"Hopefully, Gray can hold on a little longer."

The deer antlers sneered in a low voice, "Anyway, you young people have plenty of opportunities. Let me have this one..."

"As expected of a demon, he's terrifying." He exclaimed.

Although Demon Scholar see demons as nothing more than dangerous humanoid beasts.

But looking at other professions... at least at the lower levels, a demon possessed by Greater Demon is far more dangerous than Demon Scholar.

According to the demonology knowledge that Deer Antlers obtained from the Noble Red Society, First Level demon can exert at least one-tenth of the power of Greater Demon and one-third of the power of Lower Demon; with each transaction they make with demons, the power they can exert will further increase.

Demons are like excellent vessels for spiritual mediums, gradually shaping their bodies into forms more suitable for demons to use.

To demons, demons are like "armor" that helps them avoid their weaknesses, and "houses" that can manifest in the Material Realm without relying on contracts. They are extremely valuable assets.

Unless absolutely necessary, a demon will not be willing to kill the demon it inhabits.

Therefore, demons can gradually relinquish control over their bodies, exchanging power for increasing strength. As their energy level rises, their bodies are continuously strengthened, allowing them to develop techniques to borrow more Magic Power in advance, or to permanently twist their bodies into demon-like forms.

Until Demon Scholar advances to become Demon Avatar, transforming themselves into a superior demon and gaining immortality, in terms of pure combat power, Demon Scholar can never defeat a demon of the same level. Just as Law Mage would find it difficult to contend with an observer of the same level.

In the early stages of a spellcaster's combat effectiveness in skirmishes is ultimately somewhat weaker.

However, in terms of their relationship with demons, Demon Scholar are always collaborators. Higher-ranking Demon Scholar often have a relationship with lesser demons and Lower Demon that borders on enslavement.

However, the demon was always in a subordinate position.

What they sought to transcend was their own fate of being controlled by demons.

That Aleister is clearly the type who would be enslaved by the Shadow Fiend.

The sound Aleister made in the waiting room couldn't possibly be a human voice. Judging from the tone and intonation, it must have been the Shadow Demon controlling his body.

At the time, the antlers judged that he was probably stronger than a normal demon possessed by the Shadow Demon because he had no one to teach him. It was likely that he had sold more souls in his past life in exchange for greater power.

At this rate of trading, he'll probably be swallowed up by the Shadow Fiend and reduced to an empty shell before he even reaches the Third Level.

But the antlers underestimated him.

—When the hound appeared, the antlers immediately abandoned the probing and turned to run away.

Because the antlers recognized the hound. That was Shadow Fiend's signature attack, and also his avatar.

The antlers are friends with Vice President Boca of Lloyd's's. Boca is also a member of the Noble Red Society and was the one who introduced him to the society.

Boca is a high-ranking Demon Scholar, and Deer Antlers has personally witnessed him using extremely powerful high-level ritual magic.

The ritual "Shadow Hound's Bite" is to temporarily summon a Shadow Demon in the form of a Shadowhound, which is then sent back after only one attack.

The shadow hounds, which appear to be merely agile hunting dogs, have mouths that, when opened, are taller than a person and can devour them in a single bite. If they leap and attack, they can carry the bitten portion directly back to the Shadow Domain of the Dream Realm upon landing. That's equivalent to erasing that part of the body... If they happen to swallow a person whole, they can drag them directly into the Dream Realm.

The biggest difference between Phantom Demons and races of the Material Realm is that all Phantom Demons can physically enter the Dream Realm. But this is impossible for humans—therefore, humans who are dragged into the Dream Realm will inevitably die the moment they are pulled in.

If this attack happens to hit the Fifth Level powerhouse perfectly, and swallows him whole without him bursting out of his stomach, then the Fifth Level powerhouse will be killed in one strike.

This is a classic Path of Transcendence spell.

They emphasize winning against the odds by investing time and resources in advance, taking the risk of missing or failing to kill, and holding elaborate rituals to gamble on the possibility of a fatal blow.

And Vice President Boca made the right bet—the arbitrator, who was even more powerful than them, was taken away by Shadow Fiend and vanished without a trace. Not even a trace was left.

If Aleister could summon Shadowhounds...

That means the Shadow Fiend's power can already manifest in the outside world through him. If a vessel for the Shadow Fiend allows his power to flow outwards, then that vessel is leaking.

As a demon, I'm only one step away from going out of control. Those near-out-of-control Phantom Demon Egg are in the same boat.

"... It doesn't matter, I still won in the end."

The antlers comforted itself.

This promotion will only hasten Aleister's death... His will has been almost completely worn down, and this promotion will be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

He vaguely heard that Thunder seemed to have let the knight escape. But in Antlers' view, the knight probably couldn't have escaped anyway.

The only one who can survive is yourself, hiding here.

So once Aleister is promoted and completely devoured by the Shadow Fiend, this ritual is essentially a victory for him alone.

His current location is the very storeroom where Aleister first appeared. It's a superb hiding place that Antlers finally managed to find after much difficulty.

His deduction was simple—Thunder's team of three was complete, while Aleister appeared alone. Therefore, the storage room with two corpses must be the storage room where Aleister appeared.

This is a blind spot in thinking.

Aleister would either hunt down the knights or search for the Holy Lance. Given enough time, no one would consider turning back, especially not to their birthplace, which they had taken such a long detour to reach.

"Seventeen minutes left."

The antlers murmured softly, "It's almost there, almost there..."

Although he did not have a pocket watch, as a transcendent being of the Path of Twilight, he was very perceptive of the passage of time.

"—What's coming soon?"

A faint, low voice suddenly came from outside the door.

This made the antlers hold their breath.

An immense sense of fear gripped his heart—even though he knew it was all just a dream, the incomprehensible yet imminent sense of crisis still made him instinctively feel suffocated.

He tried to suppress his fear and calm himself down.

Without a word or hesitation, he raised his hand and used his remaining Magic Power to cast the Petrification Ray on the door once more.

—It was hard to see clearly in this dark environment, but a bone ring was on the right index finger of the deer.

That was a ritual implement he crafted himself, made from an infant's skull.

It allows the antlers to skip the First Level of spell incantation and instantly complete the spellcasting. This is why, even though its level is slightly lower than Red and Thunder, it sits in the first position.

Previously, Deer Antlers deliberately complained to Mr. Gray about not having a bone staff, and then slowly and completely chanted the incantation at the petrified gate. This was all to conceal his instant casting ability and set a trap for Mr. Gray. If Mr. Gray thought he had seen through Deer Antlers' abilities and decided to attack him, then Deer Antlers would give Mr. Gray a surprise.

Unexpectedly, Lei Ting, who had fainted for some unknown reason, suddenly woke up.

Compared to the knight and the unknown spellcaster, Thunder posed a much greater threat. Therefore, the antlers were forced to reveal their trump card, attempting to ambush Thunder and instantly petrify him.

But for some reason, Thunder reacted—or rather, anticipated.

The petrification spell is faster than a bullet; once you see it, it's too late to dodge.

It's strange, how did Thunder realize that he was about to use petrification on him?

The antler-weary deer couldn't figure out what flaw he had revealed. At this point, there was no longer any need for him to hide... all he could do was seal the gate.

Even when unlocked, the bronze door required considerable effort from these strong young warriors to open. With the keyhole, handle, and door seams welded shut, Aleister was unable to open it no matter what.

If Aleister is simply disappointed, he should leave. After all, he has no reason to kill himself; in fact, Aleister has already successfully advanced...

But just then, a loud bang was heard.

It was as if something had struck the bronze door—the incredibly sturdy solid bronze door was cleaved through with a single blow.

—This is the gate to the temple, not just a plain bronze plate!

Antlers' heart pounded, and he couldn't help but shout, "Are you crazy?! This will attract giants!"

From outside came Aleister's deep, sinister voice. "Then open the door, sir..."

Before he could finish speaking, another loud bang shook the ground and sent dust billowing up.

This time, the antlers finally saw clearly that it was a giant spiral spear composed of shadows. Even the protected temple gates couldn't withstand the Shadow Demon's full-force attack. Another attack would likely smash a huge hole in it.

"—You're insane, you monster!"

Without hesitation, the antlers raised their hands and shot Petrification Ray at the hole.

However, a third attack did not occur for a long time.

Just when the antlers thought he had successfully petrified, he prepared to send a corpse to test the waters. "Go and check..."

"I'm here..."

A deep, hoarse voice whispered behind him, in his ear. "What do you want him to... see?"

when--

In an instant, countless sharp, barbed spikes pierced through the back of the antlers, the long, black spikes dripping with blood, lifting his body forward and upward into the air.

"Well..."

The intense pain left Deer Antlers' mind blank.

Before he could even comprehend what was happening, he saw an incredibly thick, black, spiraling spear pierce through his back, through his chest and abdomen, and appear before him.

"Is this... what you wanted to see?"

The Shadow Fiend's evil, hoarse voice rang out.

Then, amidst its maniacal laughter and the antlers' agonizing screams, the antlers were torn to shreds by the Shadow Demon, starting from its limbs.