Dragon Claw
On the Istaria City, Steam Engine Car sped along the tracks, belching out billowing white steam.
"Waaah—"
The steam whistle emitted a sharp sound.
Suddenly, someone pointed ahead of the car and asked hesitantly, "Wait—"
What, what is that?
Suddenly, shrouded in steam, a huge black shadow appeared and blocked the train's path.
Soldiers on the train immediately reacted, raising their guns and firing while shouting.
"Damn it, it's a demon!"
"Stop right now!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A barrage of gunfire erupted, but the dark figure blocking the train remained unmoved, even emitting a low, chilling laugh.
"Hehehe"
The train driver, in a panic, pushed the lever to its lowest position. "It won't stop! The braking distance is too short!"
"Buzz—"
A screeching metallic scraping sound rang out, and the brake shoes gripped the wheels tightly, sending Mars flying from the bottom of the train.
The entire train was shaking violently, and the people in the carriages were terrified and screaming.
"What exactly happened?"
"Has an accident happened?"
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted, mingling with a jumble of metallic sounds and terrified screams.
The train engine was overturned by the enormous force, causing the carriages behind it to shake violently. People inside the carriages fell one after another, crowding and bumping against one side of the carriage, emitting noisy screams.
"Stop right there!"
"Help!"
"What exactly happened?"
Finally, the dark shadow in the steam cloud revealed its hideous true form.
The enormous, spider-like creature before them had three clawed, tentacle-like, twisted tails and eight legs connected by fleshy membranes, the tips of which were gleaming with cold light.
The mouthparts, filled with venomous fangs, were saturated with thick, murky saliva. The foul-smelling liquid flowed down, corroding the train's steel exterior.
Those pairs of compound eyes stared intently at the people in the carriage, their eyes gleaming with insatiable greed.
This is the Bat-Winged Spider Devil, a demon that devours any creature it defeats.
Compared to fresh flesh, the bat-winged spider demon prefers to eat completely rotten meat, especially rotten demon flesh.
And the curses they carry in their bites are excellent seasoning. However, the Bat-winged Spider Demon's favorite feast is cannibalism.
"What, what is that?"
"Keosius above"
"My eyes! What... what did I see? It was simply..."
Upon seeing the terrifying appearance of the Bat-Winged Spider Demon, many people with weak wills went mad, and their eyes shone with a chaotic halo.
Some people couldn't bear the physical revulsion and vomited right there in the carriage.
As demons from the Abyss abyss, these bat-winged spider demons possess an unnatural ugliness that would cause all beings on the Prime Material Plane to feel a profound unease.
Under the corrupting aura of the Batwing Spider Demon, the surrounding weeds withered, the trees rotted, and turned into a thick liquid crawling with maggots.
"Sizzle—"
The sharp, spear-like toe pierced through the train's metal, impaling the driver in his seat, his blood splattering across the windows.
The driver let out a piercing wail.
"Ah!"
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil retracted its giant legs, and the barbs on its legs dragged away the still-living, struggling pilot.
A foul-smelling slime gushed from its fanged mouth, enveloping the driver. Within a few breaths, its body rapidly decayed, turning into a pool of indistinct, rotting flesh and blood.
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil swallowed the rotten flesh, chewed it with its mouthparts, and continued to stab its legs in, trying to pull the passengers out of the carriage.
"Splash!"
The glass shattered, and the sharp foot reached in again, grabbing a Tiefling passenger.
"Help!"
"Help me!"
"I don't want to be eaten!"
Passengers screamed for help and struggled desperately in mid-air, but it was all in vain.
"Sizzle!"
He was then enveloped in sticky saliva and stuffed into the mouth of this enormous, spider-like demon.
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil ate so easily, it was like a child reaching into a jar for candy.
"Let us out!"
I don't want to die!
Inside the overturned and wrecked carriages, people screamed in terror, crowding at the doorway and pounding on the crushed and deformed carriages, desperately trying to escape.
"Bang! Bang bang!"
The soldiers inside the carriage kept firing at the Bat-Winged Spider Devil.
But against the demon's thick armor, these bullets would simply be deflected mercilessly, completely ineffective.
"Nina, don't be afraid."
"Keep quiet, His Your Majesty Keosius will protect us."
Tiefling's mother held her child protectively in her arms, hiding in a corner of the carriage.
Her body trembled slightly, but she tried her best to remain rational in order to protect her child. However, this only attracted the attention of the Bat-Winged Spider Devil.
The Abyssal Devil relish the sight of humanoid beings suffering extreme pain; it is the intoxicating wine that they find solace in.
For the Bat-Winged Spider Devil demon, what could be more painful than witnessing a mother who has lost her child? "Squeak—"
The sound of metal being cut rang out.
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil forcibly ripped open the metal roof of the carriage like it was opening a can, exposing everyone inside to its greedy gaze.
People were even more terrified, crowding together, but there was nowhere to escape, so they could only close their eyes in despair.
Tiefling's mother hugged her child tightly; she could feel the greedy gaze fixed on her, but all she could do was pray silently.
"Keosius above"
This Tiefling experienced the massacre more than a decade ago, followed Mezhuolash through countless hardships, and witnessed the empire's gradual development.
She firmly believed that no matter what kind of enemy they encountered, His Majesty would always lead them to victory—even the incredibly powerful demon before them, who regarded human life as worthless, was no match for His Majesty.
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil let out a hoarse laugh and slowly extended its legs, which were connected by fleshy membranes, toward the crowd, their venomous stingers gleaming coldly.
The people inside the carriage were almost in despair; this demon was too powerful.
Neither knives, guns, nor bullets had any effect on this spider-like, twisted, and ferocious demon.
Now, all we can do is wait for a miracle to happen.
Suddenly, space distorted, and accompanied by scorching flames, a Space Rift opened in mid-air.
"Huh?"
The Bat-Winged Spider Devil raised its head in surprise. It suddenly sensed an extremely dangerous aura, causing its three tentacle-like tails to tremble.
It instinctively flapped its bat-like membranes, trying to escape and fly into the sky.
What lies on the other side of the portal? But soon, the Bat-Winged Spider Devil's question was answered, and this was also its last thought before its death.
A massive, incomparably large red claw emerged from the crack, carrying an unstoppable and terrifying force, and slammed down on the head of the Bat-Winged Spider Devil.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the earth shook violently, the ground cracked, and the ground within a radius of tens of meters collapsed, forming a huge crater.
Half of the Bat-Winged Spider Devil's body was crushed, and its foul-smelling slime and rotting flesh were smeared on the ground before being burned away by the scorching flames.
"Keosius above"
Tiefling's mother opened her eyes, her gaze filled with piety and surprise.
She looked up at the sky and saw that the giant red claw covered the earth, and the thick, muscular arm stood like a giant pillar.
She survived! And she was saved by His Majesty himself! That magnificent body, which could command the respect of mortals even with just the exposed arms, could only be possessed by that Embers of the Burned Emperor.
"Long live His Your Majesty Keosius!"
"Loyal to the Great Red Dragon!"
"That, that really is His Your Majesty Keosius!"
The survivors on the train opened their eyes, realized who had saved them, and were extremely excited.
The fear and panic from before vanished, leaving only worship and fervor for the owner of that giant red claw.
"Disgusting thing"
The giant red claw casually flicked in mid-air before retracting into the Space Rift and disappearing.
Only the people inside the carriage continued to pray, kneeling before the giant crater in worship, gazing in awe at the crushed remains of the Bat-Winged Spider Devil.
"As expected of the Abyss, it always manages to create things that pollute my aesthetic sense."
I thought that Kyton was ugly enough, but I never expected there to be something so disgusting even a dragon would feel physically uncomfortable.
Keosius exhaled a puff of Sulfur Scent white smoke from his nostrils and couldn't help but sigh.
The Red Dragon once again flicked its claws with a look of disgust, as surging flames encircled its arm, burning away the remaining flesh and slime.
It's like a human swatting a cockroach with their bare hand—despite the overwhelming force, the human still feels a wave of nausea and shivering.
Another spatial portal opened, and a panting Ogre appeared in front of the Red Dragon, kneeling down.
Keosius asked, "How is it?"
Lang Pu cupped his hands in farewell and replied, "Master, the demons within the Empire caused considerable casualties, but we have basically eliminated them."
Lang Pu waved his hair, and Magic Image appeared in mid-air, including demons of various appearances, all of which were ferocious, terrifying, and powerful.
They wreaked havoc in cities, villages, and wilderness, but were quickly wiped out by the elite troops sent by the Empire.
Misha, Anthony, Alger, Mezhuolash, and even Lang Pu himself, fighting valiantly, all appear in these Magic Image.
Lang Pu said with a solemn expression, "For nearly ten thousand years, that Revenge Devil has laid many traps in the Anzeta Great Wasteland, leaving behind many demonic seeds."
Their attacks were highly targeted, specifically targeting important locations such as railways and arsenals. These demons swarmed out to disrupt the order of the empire.
Therefore, I suspect that the Revenge Devil is using all his contingency plans primarily to draw the Empire's attention and cover his next move.
A glint flashed in Keosius's pale golden eyes. "You mean the full-scale invasion of the Abyssal Devil is about to begin?"
Lang Pu nodded seriously and replied, "In my humble opinion, Leo Bosk, is very likely to be in the demon army."
And that Revenge Devil is very likely to personally descend upon the Prime Material Plane.
Keosius nodded slightly; he had also guessed this. Last month, he had used three wishes from the Fire Giant Empire to predict the Demon Invasion.
But each time, after a certain point in time, the future vision presented by the prophecy would turn into a chaotic and disordered mass of colors.
It should be noted that the Wish is the most unreasonable of the Ninth Circle Spell. If the distortion of those wishes is ignored, it can grant almost anything a mortal desires.
There is only one possibility that could completely block out such a spell: the object he was spying on was Quasi-divinity, or even a higher-level existence.
And Keosius could easily guess the existence that was interfering with the prophecy—
Jierlazarax.
The demon sealed within the Divine Body Kareks, Abyss Lord from tens of thousands of years ago, seems to have a goal concerning the fate of the multiverse.
"Is it finally coming?"
Keosius spoke calmly, but a barely suppressed, undisguised excitement still shone through his pale gold eyes.
It's time to decide the winner.
He had waited too long for this day, and he believed the demon had waited just as long.
The Red Dragon raised its head and looked into the distance, a blinding light shining from the depths of its pupils.
That gaze traversed nearly a thousand miles, crossing the vast Savedra Plain, piercing through the majestic Anstica Mountains, and reaching the towering snow-capped Snow Peak.
Mount Thierry.
The sky was azure, and the wind was biting cold.
This is the tallest mountain in the entire Anzeta Great Wasteland, covered in snow all year round, but also exposing large areas of bare black rock.
Known as the "King of Snow Mountains" by the people of the the North, for nearly a thousand years, every ruler in the Northern United Kingdom has used the Mount Thierry as a metaphor for himself to demonstrate his supreme authority.
—However, the Red Dragon Emperor was an exception. He never needed external objects to demonstrate his authority; his very existence was the embodiment of divinity.
"Call--"
The cold wind grew stronger, and a piercing whistle came from high in the sky, which suddenly turned dark.
A giant black claw tore through the sky, creating deep vortexes high in the air and on the ground, from which countless hideous demons poured out.
They surged in like waves, their ugly bodies even obscuring the sun and plunging the earth into darkness.
Their shrill cries vented their hatred for everything, until the noise became unbearable even for themselves.
A deep, hoarse voice came from Abyss abyss, echoing among the mountains and making all mortals tremble.
"Keosius— "
"I know you're watching, but you'll soon find out that all your struggles are in vain, and your proud empire is nothing but a laughable toy."
I will make you witness the destruction of your empire firsthand. Prepare to face your Doomsday Fate!
Vrock, Bargura Devil, Gorebull Devil, Hezrou, Glabrezu, Kyton, Bat-Winged Spider Devil. Countless powerful and diverse demons appeared in that Magic Tide, many of whom had appeared in the attacks against the Empire.
This time, however, they came in droves, taking the destruction of Anzeta for granted.
Soon, the surging Magic Tide blotted out the sky and covered the earth, containing tens of millions of demons, more than the entire population of the Embers of the Burned Empire.
Finally, a familiar figure emerged from the Abyss.
It was a humanoid creature with reddish skin, a tall and strong build, and bat-like wings growing from its back.
The demon gripped his Flame Longsword tightly, gazing into the distance for a long time.
"I'm finally back."
"The North".
He uttered the name that had been abandoned for many years— the North.
In this Embers of the Burned Empire, no one remembers the past glory of the the North.
This even became a derogatory term, and when drunks in taverns quarreled, they would call each other "cowards of the the North" or "maggots of the Northern Nobles."
Thinking of this, a fierce fire of hatred burned in the demon's eyes, and his tone was filled with gritted teeth.
"Shameless traitors, rude and barbaric monsters, and reptiles that have destroyed everything I own, I will destroy everything of yours—armies, cities, and even nations—and let you taste what I have tasted."
"The demon," or rather, "Leo Bosk" said.