She had a high tolerance for such things, but even as someone born into a super clan, she had never seen a Midgod capable of slaying a Seven-Star Fiend...
She had never even heard of it!
It was far too outrageous...
Yet the way she looked at Simon grew even gentler.
No matter what, she was certain that Simon belonged to her.
And she belonged to Simon.
Knowing that was enough.
Ignoring the stunned crowd, Simon took Fanny back to their room.
That battle had indeed been intense. Roland was also the strongest opponent Simon had encountered since transmigrating.
Over the next few days, Simon repeatedly reviewed the battle, trying to find a better way to fight.
But after reviewing it countless times, Simon still found that the optimal method was to restrain his opponent as he had at the start, then use a Soul Attack once physical attacks proved ineffective...
It was no different from the choice he had made during the battle.
It also made Simon realize that if he wanted to establish himself in Hell, he could not have any glaring weaknesses.
If Roland fused Pulse of the Earth with the Power of Life—or did not even need to fully fuse them, merely making them compatible enough to give his soul defense an unceasing quality without any obvious flaws—
Then Simon, as he was now, would have been unable to break through Roland's soul defense no matter what he did.
Naturally, the likely outcome of that battle would have been that neither side could do anything to the other, and they would eventually part ways.
There was nothing to be done about that. Even after using Fusion Divine Power, Simon's divine power was only comparable to Highgod divine power. He held no advantage in that regard, and in terms of fusing Profound Mysteries, he was even slightly weaker than Roland.
Simon had only been able to suppress Roland because Ice Wind Space and Ice-Wind Prison amplified his strength a hundredfold.
Even so, Simon had been unable to cut through Roland's exceptionally formidable physical defense...
In the end, he could only wear him down to death using the advantage of being a Soul Mutator.
Temporarily Staying in Lier City
The actual battle had seemed brief, but in a battle between Seven-Star Fiends, dozens of life-and-death exchanges could occur in a single second. Not to mention that they had fought for more than ten full seconds.
That was already an exceptionally long battle between Seven-Star Fiends!
Simon had won this battle with great difficulty. Roland had been like a turtle shell, virtually impossible to kill when it came to physical defense.
Fortunately, Simon had found the weakness in his soul. Otherwise, whether he could have won would have been another matter entirely.
Simon also deeply realized that fighting more powerful opponents was necessary. He needed to understand the methods used by experts of every Element, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and then choose the appropriate response.
After all, as a Soul Mutator, Simon had many ways to deal with enemies, and the Water and Wind Elements complemented each other well.
This battle also made Simon place greater importance on Soul Attacks.
Of the Profound Mysteries from the two Elements he had comprehended so far, the ones remotely related to the soul were, at most, Wind Element's Profound Mystery of Sound Waves and Profound Mystery of Sound Music, as well as Water Element's Mist Illusion, Water Ripple, and Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness.
Water Ripple had not yet become compatible with Mist Illusion and Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness, nor had it reached mastery, so it naturally could not play much of a role.
Profound Mystery of Roundness and Softness currently provided only a small boost to Soul Attacks. Its future potential still needed further development.
Thus, Simon had only managed to kill Roland by luck, relying on absolute restraint against him.
Next, Simon would devote part of his energy to researching Soul Attacks.
But it was not particularly urgent. Simon merely placed it in the third priority.
The first priority remained Wind Space and the overall fusion of the Water and Wind Elements, continuing to increase the power of Ice Wind Space and Ice-Wind Prison.
Then came the fusion of the Water and Wind Element laws, and only after that would he focus on the soul.
After all, it did not matter if he could not kill his opponent. It did not matter if the opponent escaped, either.
What truly mattered was ensuring that he and his companions behind him remained safe.
After successfully killing a Seven-Star Fiend expert like Roland,
Simon's prestige within the caravan reached its peak.
Everyone was awestruck.
Along this journey, they felt as though they had witnessed the rise of a legend.
But it was still not enough for Simon. He yearned for greater strength.
He yearned to fight even stronger opponents!
The rest of the journey passed without incident. After all, encountering a bandit with Seven-Star Fiend strength was something that might only happen once in countless years.
One had to know that in Hell, reaching that level of strength already made one a true powerhouse. If willing, one could even become the lord of a city and gain the qualifications to challenge the Prefects and Purgatory Commanders.
If one advanced another step and successfully challenged a Prefect, one could join Hell's 108 Asuras and enter the Chief Sovereigns' sight from then on.
If one was fortunate enough to catch a Chief Sovereign's eye, one could become a Chief God Envoy and possess a Sovereign Artifact.
There would also be a relatively stable source of Sovereign's Might, allowing one to truly live freely and without worries from then on.
That was why becoming a Seven-Star Fiend was so important.
Simon had such plans as well. He would complete Fiend missions all the way until he became a Seven-Star Fiend, then challenge a Prefect once he was strong enough!
He would truly enter the ranks of Hell's supreme experts.
Another half year passed.
Under the blazing Blood Sun, the group arrived outside Lier City.
After several years and a journey of hundreds of millions of kilometers across three prefectures, the caravan finally reached its destination.
"Whew, that wasn't easy. The mission's finally about to be completed."
Fanny happily linked her arm through Simon's as she spoke.
"Yeah, we've finally reached our destination."
After Kenchi and the other Fiends entered Lier City, they headed straight for the Fiend Castle.
After confirming and handing over the mission with the castle staff, then going through a series of procedures, Simon and the others officially became Two-Star Fiends.
Holding their Two-Star Fiend Medals, everyone let out long breaths of relief.
"This mission wasn't for nothing."
Just then, Kenchi, who had completed the mission procedures, walked over as well.
"I truly have to thank Lord Simon and all of you for protecting us along the way. If I hadn't been fortunate enough to encounter you, this journey would have been extremely perilous for me."
"You're too polite, Kenchi. It was our duty in the first place, so don't take it to heart."
Simon waved his hand.
Kenchi was still deeply shaken by this business venture. Just look at how many powerful bandits they had encountered this time.
If he had known before setting out that things would turn out this way, he would never have taken on this business, even if it killed him.
But when he thought about how he had gotten to know a powerhouse like Simon, it did not seem like a loss after all.
Then, under the Fiend Castle's notarization, Kenchi paid the mission rewards to all the Fiends.
For Simon and Fanny, Kenchi even gave an additional one million Inkstones to each of them.
Simon had not wanted to accept it. After all, it was not easy for a Midgod like Kenchi to risk his life to earn a little Inkstone.
But Kenchi insisted repeatedly, and Simon could not refuse any longer, so he accepted.
Kenchi was delighted when he saw Simon accept the Inkstones.
Using a little Inkstone to build a connection with a Seven-Star Fiend-level powerhouse was a deal that could never be a loss.
Moreover, Kenchi could tell that Simon was someone who valued relationships. With this connection, he could be said to have gained a backer in Hell.
If he needed help in the future, as long as it was not too difficult, Simon would surely lend a hand.
"Thank you all once again. I'll mainly be doing business around Lier City from now on. Feel free to come find me whenever you have time. Especially you, Lord Simon—if there's anything I can help with, just say the word."
Kenchi said after leaving the castle with the other Fiends.
"Sure, sure."
"If there's a chance, I'll escort you again in the future, haha."
The Fiends who had completed the mission were all delighted and chimed in one after another.
After bidding farewell to Kenchi, Tara, and the other Fiends, Simon's group headed in another direction.
Everyone would be going their separate ways now. No one knew how many of these Fiends would survive in the end, or how many would truly reach the pinnacle.
Next, Simon's group planned to find a restaurant for a proper meal, then cultivate in seclusion in Lier City for a while.
On the way to the restaurant, Fanny and Lona were both excited, constantly playing with the Fiend Medals in their hands.
Napote and Hamut were much the same.
Seeing everyone's excited expressions, Elno rarely cracked a joke.
"The value of your Two-Star rank is probably the greatest among all Two-Star Fiends. I've never heard of a Two-Star mission requiring the death of a Seven-Star Fiend."
"Ha ha, isn't that right? We got these Two-Star Medals by killing a Seven-Star Fiend."
Hamut shouted excitedly. Passersby nearby all looked at him strangely.
"Has this Midgod lost his mind? Did he kill one in a dream?"
A passerby gave him a disdainful glance before ignoring him.
Hamut did not care about any of that. It did not matter who killed Roland; he had participated too, hadn't he?
Cheering from the side counted as participation too!
Simon was also very happy. His first mission since coming to Hell had finally been successfully completed.
After several years, he had finally achieved a satisfying result.
Simon had also gained a great deal from this mission.
Before long, the group arrived at Lier City's most luxurious restaurant. They ordered every signature dish, and after eating and drinking their fill, Simon suggested buying an estate in Lier City so they could cultivate properly for a while before setting out again.
Before you continue