Carster's Deficiency Had Gone All the Way to the Underworld in the Demon Realm

"Master, is this Shadow World related to you?"

Dekan asked, somewhat surprised.

"I might have been here before."

The Master's voice grew fainter and fainter, as if he were caught in deep thought and struggle.

She was trying to piece together those shattered fragments of memory.

If she misses this opportunity, she may never be able to grasp that last thread of memory again.

The last time Dekan saw his Master in this state was at the end of the Shadow World [The Secret Tale of the Withered Sacred Rite].

At other times, the Master would almost never show this emotion.

Since the Shadow World are almost all projections of certain periods of history in other worlds, Dekan cannot determine the connections between the worlds or whether the timelines match.

Despite Dekan's attempts to gather intelligence about the human realm from the upper levels.

However, it seems that it is unrelated to this Shadow World, or it involves information that seriously affects the difficulty of conquering other Shadow World.

This is a mechanism within the Shadow World to prevent challengers from obtaining crucial information outside the map of a Shadow World that would otherwise be impossible to access under a special identity and situation. This could potentially disrupt the normal operation of other Shadow World.

Even if Altis mentions the human kingdom to Dekan, it will be automatically Mute and blocked by the Shadow World.

Therefore, Dekan could not determine whether the Demon Realm in this Shadow World [Endless Purgatory of Eternal Pursuit] was the world where his Master originally lived.

Based on the information gathered in the previous Shadow World, Dekan could only deduce that the Holy Kingdom must be related to the world where his Master lived.

At that time, in the [Secret Tale of the Withered Sacred Rite], Dekan heard that the northern part of the Holy Kingdom was at war with the demons.

Meanwhile, the Demon Realm, where this Shadow World is located, is at war with the human kingdoms.

Add to that Master's reaction just now.

Dekan could finally be certain.

The worldview of the [Demon Realm] is very likely to be interconnected with that of the [Holy Kingdom].

"Master ...No matter what, I will do my utmost to complete this Shadow World. I will cross the Demon Realm to see if the other side is the Holy Kingdom."

Dekan murmured softly but firmly.

"Um."

Despite being deep in thought, the Master still heard Dekan's thoughts and responded to him.

Dekan didn't bother his Master anymore, but focused on the scene before him.

The dome on this floor is exceptionally high.

Beneath the dark dome and adorned with crimson starlight lies a magnificent cemetery, with the portal from the Seventh Floor positioned at its edge.

Strangely, this cemetery did not appear as dark and gloomy as the previous two Exile Zone.

On the contrary, it possesses an unusual sense of holiness, like the intersection of heaven and the underworld, the dim light rendering the cemetery solemn yet somewhat eerie.

The cemetery is covered in lush green grass and fragrant with countless varieties of flowers; it could easily be called a garden.

These Demon Realm plants from the Magic Power, lush and verdant, swayed gently in the breeze that seemed to come from nowhere. If it weren't for the gloomy sky, one might even have seen dewdrops accompanying the twilight mist.

Dekan kicked Morion twice and discovered that this demon king's Magic Power, besides sealing prisoners, also provided powerful protection.

Furthermore, the rules state: [The Jailer will strictly enforce the rules and will not attack the guards rashly].

Therefore, there's no need to worry about the Jailer indiscriminately destroying things like the Faceless Demon of the fifth level.

The rules at this level don't actually violate the common sense of the Shadow World —there are no certain death situations under the normal strategy.

As for Dekan almost failing due to the rules of the Eighth Floor, it was mainly Clay's fault.

If he doesn't kill the Jailer on the next level, Dekan can at least buy some information and prepare for demonization in advance.

The situation in the real world is much easier to explain.

Since they couldn't see the effects of [Blood Mimicry], they naturally assumed that the Shadow World had helped Dekan change his race as well.

After all, the plausibility of the Shadow World needs to ensure that challengers have a chance to succeed.

This might be a rare opportunity for Dekan to openly use his demon form in front of everyone.

Having confirmed that leaving his companion here would not pose any danger, Dekan continued walking forward. Before he had fully entered the cemetery, he felt a cool, damp temperature swirling around him, and his steps suddenly became much heavier.

Visible black Magic Power surged forth from the cemetery, as if one could see the phantoms of mythical evil gods and demonic phantoms wreaking havoc within it, and even hear the chilling roars of ancient evil spirits.

This was the "Demon King's Magic Power" that had almost been sealed away before.

Even an eighth-tier expert would have no way to resist this Magic Power.

Fortunately, it wasn't some great demon controlling this Magic Power.

They are merely unowned Magic Power lingering within the barrier of this layer.

It only maintains the rules required for the Eighth Floor.

Therefore, after confirming Dekan's pure demonic identity, the heavy Magic Power, apart from making him uncomfortable, did not pose a threat to his life.

Along the way, the further Dekan went, the stronger the Demon King's Magic Power became, and the greater the pressure he felt.

Dekan did not see the Jailer.

What you find here is nothing more than a monotonous sense of oppression and a near-death desolation.

Based on previous experience.

He would probably need to reach the depths of the cemetery to trigger the rules of the Demon Bracelet.

Walking slower and slower, Dekan finally arrived at what appeared to be the center of the cemetery after more than ten minutes of leisurely walking.

There was a small, clearly visible Altar in front of us.

The environment around here is completely different from the scenery we saw on the way. There are many huge black stone tablets, each more than ten feet tall, all around. They are covered with strange runes and even faintly shimmer with light, like countless eyes, eerie and cold.

Moreover, Dekan was finding it difficult to take another step here.

At the same time.

"You can stop now."

The sound, seemingly coming from nowhere, startled Dekan.

He turned around in the direction of the sound and saw a demon trimming flowers and cleaning tombstones.

Dekan hadn't even realized the demon was there.

Compared to other demons, this tomb-guarding demon doesn't seem to have any outstanding qualities at first glance.

He didn't even resemble a demon; he was more like an ordinary human with demonic racial characteristics.

If you look closely at this demon, you'll find that his figure seems to possess a unique demonic quality, and no matter how you look at him, you can't see his true appearance.

In just a moment, the indescribable, eerie Magic Power emanating from this demon convinced Dekan that this was the most dangerous demon he had ever encountered!

"Are you the Jailer for this floor?"

Dekan asked tentatively.

The Jailer probably won't attack him.

"Yes, I am the Carster of Illusion."

The Jailer paid no further attention to Dekan, continuing with his work as he answered with his back to Dekan.

Upon arriving here, Dekan finally saw the clue in the Demon Bracelet.

[Devil King Tomb]

[The burial place of all the Demon Kings]

Each inscription is engraved with the Demon King's will and his emblem left behind during his lifetime.

[The barrier contains the combined Magic Power left behind by successive Demon Kings. By gaining the Demon King's approval, one can invoke his magical Magic Power.]

[Place the Demon Bracelet on the Demon King's Altar to initiate the Demon King's review.]

[The more approval you gain from the Demon King, the more magical Magic Power you will receive from him.]

The degree of blessing from a single Demon Lord's approval is determined by the strength of the Demon Lord's remaining will.

The more powerful the demon lord, the more modern the demon lord, the stronger the remaining will.

[Do not attempt to take any prisoners out of the Eighth Floor]

[After clearing the Eighth Floor, you will receive Demon Point based on the level of Demon King's Magic Power buff the jailer received.]

Dekan frowned as he looked at the rules.

This layer was simpler than he had imagined.

It's practically impossible to implement.

It's a screening process to identify traitors and prevent other races from disguising themselves as demons and infiltrating the prison.

Then, the Demon King's will adds some subjective scores to the performance of the jailers in the first seven levels.

At this level, Demon Point are no longer as important. The main purpose of these massive amounts of Demon Point is to be exchanged for the Demon Realm Currency at a certain ratio when leaving the Demon Realm Prison.

For most prison guards, the Eighth Floor is more like a perk.

It can make you rich overnight.

"How many Demon Kings' approvals are typically needed to withstand the pressure of their Magic Power and leave this place?"

"Dekan asked."

"Once you gain the approval of at least three... no, in your case, at least ten Demon Lords, you can pass through the Devil King Tomb to reach the Ninth Floor."

The Jailer, the Carster of Illusion, still did not turn around, and explained.

He saw through Dekan's inherent weakness.

Logically speaking, the jailers who can usually reach the Eighth Floor should be at least at the seventh rank.

Once you gain the approval of the three demon kings, you can overcome the pressure and get through.

Carster had never seen a fourth-rank jailer before.

But the fact that a mere fourth-tier cultivator could arrive here suggests that he must possess something unique, and he might even gain the approval of many demon kings.

Of course, there are also some exceptionally powerful eighth-tier jailers who can force their way through even if they only gain the approval of one or two demon kings or simply do not seek the approval of demon kings.

Dekan nodded; he had already quickly counted the number of these black stone tablets.

There are 33 in total.

With his outstanding performance, gaining recognition from at least 10 people should not be a problem.

But Dekan started to get a little scared.

These demon kings are the true kings of demons throughout history; their approval is of paramount importance.

If a large number of "heartthrob Royal Capital" kept their lights on for Dekan, what would the audience in the real world think?

This is practically public execution!!!

"By the way, is there any way I can take the prisoners I brought with me away?"

Dekan asked again.

The test itself wasn't difficult, but the real challenge lay in how to take the Saintess of Darkness with him.

The Jailer will likely not allow him to move the sealed Saintess of Darkness.

His companions are likely to be in the same situation.

"Impossible. Any prisoner who reaches this level will remain forever on the Boundary of the Mausoleum."

When the Carster of Illusion heard Dekan's question, it seemed that his bottom line had finally been crossed. He slowly turned around and looked at Dekan, a sharp killing intent flashing in his eyes.

"Unless you're confident you can defeat me."

"..."

Dekan was finally convinced.

Another purpose of the Eighth Floor is to retrieve prisoners.

The fact that a prisoner could be taken to the Eighth Floor by the jailers has already proven his value and danger.

They will be considered the highest-ranking prisoners and sealed here.

As expected, this level was not a simple demon-king version of "If You Are the One" for him.

Instead, he needs to strengthen himself using the Demon King's Magic Power and then destroy this Carster of Illusion.

Only in this way can they lead their companions and the Saintess of Darkness to the final level to challenge the Warden.

But here's the problem.

Dekan doesn't rely much on stats; he relies more on rank and tactical synergy.

Even if you increase his Magic Power stat by a huge margin.

He's still a support player.

Or rather, Dekan has never relied on his own damage output.

Because of the inherent flaws in his Magic Power attribute, the rate at which Magic Power is converted into damage was discarded by Dekan when creating cards.

Therefore, without teammates, Dekan doesn't have an easy time against this Jailer.

Unless, of course, he can gain the approval of an exaggeratedly powerful demon king on this level, to the point where he can kill the Jailer one hit at a time with just basic attacks.

"By the way, has any prison guard ever challenged you?"

Dekan decided to ask Carster some more questions.

Carster: "Yes, he has gained the approval of more than half of the Demon Kings, but unfortunately, he is still no match for me."

Dekan: "..."

This guy really does seem to have super-bishop level strength, no doubt about it.

His strength is probably already nearly unmatched below the ninth rank.

Moreover, after arriving at the prison, Dekan had a vague sense of déjà vu about constantly encountering familiar faces, and he also had a general idea of which bishop the Carster of Illusion corresponded to.

If Dekan were to fight the Bishop of Falsehood Carlos one-on-one, all Dekan would want to do is call for reinforcements.

If you can't win one-on-one, there's no hope.

Thankfully, this is the Shadow World.

With rules and mechanisms in place, there should always be a way to get through this.

Let's see how much of a buff we can get first.

Dekan stood before the Altar and placed the Demon Bracelet upon it.

Instantly, the Altar reacted, the Demon Bracelet hovered above it, and the light on all the Devil King Tombstone in the distance began to flicker violently, as if reading the records on Dekan's Demon Bracelet and analyzing his performance in the first seven levels.

Dekan looked at the group of devilish guests with a hint of nervousness.

He hoped that more demon kings would bless him.

But I'm also afraid of too many things.

Dekan feels a bit overwhelmed by this kind of official certification.

Before long, the flashing frequency of the light on the Devil King Tombstone gradually calmed down, as if it was about to give a result.

Just as Dekan swallowed hard...

All 33 Devil King Tombstone lit up with a blinding red light!

"I※!"

Dekan couldn't help but shout it out.

All the Royal Capital have acknowledged me?

Doesn't that completely ruin his reputation?

You should at least symbolically extinguish a couple of lamps!

I don't lack that little bit of strength!

This sight widened the eyes of even the Jailer.

"There has never been such a demon before..."

Carster checked again to make sure he hadn't missed anything, and finally murmured to himself.

"I, I really am..."

Just as Dekan was about to curse the Demon King, he suddenly realized that he was still very heavy and had no feeling of being able to draw upon the Demon King's Magic Power.

And.

The Jailer's gaze towards him held no trace of appreciation or admiration.

Instead, his expression was complicated, as if he were looking at a strange person.

Dekan suddenly realized the truth.

If not all are approved.

That might mean...

No one agrees?!

"... Surely there isn't a single Demon Royal Capital could make your heart flutter?"

Dekan asked somewhat tentatively.

Despite the somewhat unfavorable situation, a strange sense of ecstasy began to well up within him.

I told you, I'm not some kind of demon!!

Now that it's officially confirmed, let's see who dares to call me a devil again!

"Unfortunately, none of them approved of you. If they had, the light would have been blue."

Jailer Carster put down the flowerpot he was holding and looked at Dekan with an even more complicated expression.

"What am I going to do? I can't go up or down, I'm stuck on this floor."

"Dekan asked."

"You can only hone your skills on this level until you can pass through the Devil King Tomb without the Demon King's Magic Power before leaving. But for someone at the fourth rank like you, this will likely be a long process."

Carster said helplessly, then added:

"Of course, perhaps your rank is too low. After a period of arduous training and review by the Demon King, perhaps then the Demon King will approve of you."

Carster never imagined that a jailer would stay on this floor for so long.

Generally speaking, even the strangest jailer will gain the approval of at least a few demon kings once they reach this level.

The main purpose of this level is to filter out traitors and recover prisoners. As for the jailers who arrive here, it's practically a Gold Coin bonanza, it's just a matter of how much they can get.

"By the way, is it possible for me to see why the Demon King doesn't approve of me?"

Dekan asked again.

"Of course, once you get the Demon Bracelet back, you'll be able to see each Demon Lord's evaluation of you."

Carster replied.

He was actually quite curious about what this jailer had done to be rejected by all the demon kings.

For the jailer...

The Demon King's review can be repeated on this level.

If they could identify their problems and make even small improvements, they might be able to gain the Demon King's approval.

But Dekan didn't think so.

He wanted everyone in the world to see how the various demon lords determined that Dekan lacked the qualities of a demon!

I can't wait!

Dekan then triggered the notification from the Demon Bracelet.

All I saw were a series of reviews displayed.

[Extremely evil, wicked, and insane, threatening the stability of the Demon Realm]

[His threat to the Demon Realm outweighs his abilities.]

[It is recommended that the current Demon King execute him.]

[...]

Dekan: "?"

He stiffly turned off the comments.

Everyone in the world... has seen it, right?

Dekan's face immediately turned as black as a pot, and his entire aura seemed to have turned dark.

For a moment, even the Jailer couldn't help but feel a sense of danger.

As expected, someone who can be rejected by all the demon lords for this reason is no ordinary person.

There's no room for improvement; to reach the Ninth Floor, you have to level up and brute force your way through.

However.

Dekan's aura quickly subsided, as if he had returned to his previous harmless state.

He looked at Jailer Carster:

"So, as long as I don't try to move prisoners to the next level, I'm not breaking the rules, right? And you won't attack me for any other reason, will you?"

Dekan's tone was surprisingly calm.

"That's right."

The Jailer agreed.

Dekan nodded, but said nothing more.

You can't lie on this level, and Dekan doesn't need to worry about Carster lying.

Dekan walked to a Devil King Tombstone, summoned a creature to test it, and seeing that it did not trigger any counterattack or trap, Dekan finally stepped forward himself and gently touched the tombstone with his hand.

It seems to be analyzing its structure.

As someone proficient in modern Magic Engineering, Dekan is capable of deciphering the Devil King Tombstone to a certain extent.

"As expected, it's this ancient soul imprint connection technique..."

If the worldviews are interconnected, the timelines correspond to those of the Holy Kingdom.

Therefore, the Magic Engineering of this world is many versions behind that of the present world.

"??"

Jailer Carster couldn't understand what Dekan was up to.

But he knew that it was extremely impolite for Dekan to touch the Demon King's tombstone so easily.

Just as Carster was about to say a few words to Dekan.

With lightning speed, Dekan pulled out a hammer and began to swing it forcefully!

They're digging up the Demon King's grave!

"Are you crazy?!"

The Jailer's eyes widened, and he shouted.

He had never seen a mentally unstable jailer dig up the Demon King's grave before!

Although there was no magical barrier on the Devil King Tombstone.

However, it was out of respect for the deceased.

No one would cast a protective spell specifically for the Demon King's tombstone in such a secure Demon Realm!

And most importantly...

Even the most vicious demon wouldn't be so insane as to dig up the Demon King's grave!

Regardless of its significance or whether it will succeed, this is something we should do.

Once the current Demon King finds out, he'll kill you first!!

"I advise you to stop! Even if you can break open the stone tablet, you can't sever its connection to the Magic Power of this level!"

Although Carster was somewhat bewildered, he couldn't stop this madness, as it wasn't his job.

The Demon King never stipulated that he should stop the jailers from destroying the tombs of past Demon Kings.

This demand is absurd!

However, Dekan ignored him.

They simply and slowly began to dig up the target's grave.

He used all his strength to lift the black tombstone.

As Carster observed Dekan's strange behavior, he gradually sensed something was wrong.

The next second.

Dekan summoned the [Bandit Goblin].

Then he began ordering the [Bandit Goblin] to steal his belongings.

After several attempts, the [Bandit Goblin] finally snatched the stone tablet from Dekan's hands.

Suddenly, the light on the stone tablet went out as if a power outage had occurred.

Carster: "???"

Under Carster's suspicious gaze, he saw that the Devil King Mark, or rather, a trace of his soul, remaining on the Devil King Tombstone had been completely severed!

"You?! You actually have a familiar capable of severing soul links?!"

Carster clutched his head and cried out in utter terror.

This prison guard is not only insane, but also uses bizarre methods!

Dekan ignored Carster.

He's very angry right now!

You're slandering my innocence, aren't you?

Then I'll show you what's what!

Dekan walked to the Altar, placed the Demon Bracelet on it again, looked around, and asked with a cold laugh:

"Hehe, do you acknowledge me now?!"