Manor No. 1247, Enshitelong Street.
The clock's gears began turning again, its hands ticking onward.
The suspended raindrops yielded to gravity, trickling down the walls with the blood before slowly falling to the ground.
Rainwater struck the ground and spread rapidly in every direction, gradually forming a gray mist that engulfed the entire city.
"Hmph, fool. Your sword energy could never hit me..."
Nergal's face was full of disdain, an outrageously arrogant sneer still hanging on his lips.
To him, the humans before him seemed no more threatening than infants.
Yet somehow, before he could finish speaking, countless slashes of Holy Fire sword energy and a terrifyingly powerful elbow strike slammed into the weak point in his lower body.
Almost instantly, Nergal was sent flying as though struck by a devastating blow, crashing heavily to the ground like a kite with its string cut.
Worse still, as he flew backward, his crotch exploded into a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Holy Fire burned through it, leaving not even ashes behind.
A thick, bloody stench like sulfur instantly filled the air, and excruciating pain engulfed Nergal's entire body.
He lay on the ground, his face deathly pale, gritting his teeth as he helplessly clutched his agonizing crotch.
His once deep, hoarse voice turned shrill and tremulous.
"...Fu...ck!"
Who the fuck sucker-punched my dick?!
"What just happened?" Raven stared at the grievously wounded Nergal, stunned.
How had this incredibly fast, high-ranking demon suddenly had his crotch blown into a bloody mess?
She was not the only one. Constantine, who was slowly pulling himself upright against a broken wall, was just as bewildered.
Watching Nergal curl up in agony, he rubbed his eyes and said in disbelief:
"Did he hit me so hard I'm hallucinating? How did this bastard suddenly get hurt that badly?"
"Maybe... because he's a demon?" Chas guessed from beside him.
He had no idea why Nergal's crotch had suddenly exploded when the demon had all but won.
But he knew this was their chance.
Chas pulled a flask from his bag and handed it to Constantine, determination written all over his face.
"John, blast him with your holy water, then save Trish."
Holy water was made by immersing a cross blessed by a high-ranking cleric in water.
To demons, holy water was no different from highly concentrated sulfuric acid; it could weaken their power.
Nearby, a pale-faced Raven also rose to her feet, waves of scarlet once again washing through her blue eyes.
At that tense moment, Lynn slowly walked past them and tossed a pouch of soy milk into each of their hands.
"I've already knocked his health below 20%. Just use the Hachimi Southern and Northern Mung Beans to heal up, and don't steal my kill credit."
Constantine: ???
Raven: ???
His words left both of them utterly baffled.
What did he mean, don't steal his kill credit?
Nergal was badly wounded right now. If they didn't seize the chance to give him a righteous group beating, what if he escaped?
But in the next second, all their worries vanished.
Because... a terrifying, ferocious beast appeared over Lynn's body.
The instant the beast appeared, an utterly terrifying suction began dragging Nergal's ruined body toward it.
"No... what is that thing?!"
Nergal stared in horror at the phantom beast looming over Lynn, fear drowning him like a rising tide.
"No... my lord! Lord Negal, save me!"
The words had barely left his mouth before Lynn's Feast devoured him completely, leaving not even his soul behind.
[Feast Stacks: 103 (Attributes: Strength +8, Speed +7, Intelligence +3, Magic Immunity: provides a degree of immunity to magic)]
"Negal..."
Lynn remembered that this was the Hell Lord mentioned in the BOSS quest. Nergal had also spoken that name just before dying.
He turned toward Constantine and Raven, who were currently studying the Hachimi Southern and Northern Mung Beans in their hands.
Lynn asked, "Do you know the Negal he was talking about?"
"Negal?"
At the name, Raven immediately put away her soy milk and spoke gravely.
"I know him. He's the Hell Lord of the Plague Demons, ruler of the domain of Decay and Plague."
Constantine nodded as well and walked over to them.
"If Negal is the Hell Lord who's been secretly backing Nergal, then everything makes sense."
"Oh?" Lynn raised an eyebrow and asked again, "Sounds like you know a lot about him. What weaknesses do Hell Lords usually have?"
Constantine shook his head. "Hell Lords are incredibly powerful. Conventional weapons barely work on them."
Raven nodded and added, "They're practically immortal. Crosses, holy water, and silver weapons are completely useless against them.
"You have to use sacred weapons or Heaven's magic to fight them."
As she spoke, something seemed to occur to her, and she added:
"I sealed my father away with a sacred weapon back then."
Lynn: "..."
What a loving father and dutiful daughter.
So my Flameflow Blade can take care of that guy?
Lynn glanced at the Flameflow Blade in his system inventory, thinking to himself.
The Flameflow Blade was still in its second stage. To reach its third and final stage, he would have to kill plenty more evil creatures.
But they had already blasted Belur's manor into ruins, and nearly all the demons in Gotham had been killed. Where was he supposed to find more evil creatures?
Just as Lynn pondered this...
Bzz! Bzz!
Waves of buzzing suddenly rose outside the manor, as though countless invisible drumbeats were pounding deep inside their eardrums, piercingly loud.
Along with the buzzing, a blinding red light abruptly flared outside the manor.
The red light pierced the gray mist, staining half the sky an eerie dark crimson like dye.
Beneath its glow, scarlet magic circles began spreading wildly across the ground.
Wherever the circles passed, paving stones cracked and weeds withered.
Thick black mist bubbled up through the cracks in the magic circles,
spilling into the air with an indescribable stench.
"This is..."
At the sight, Constantine's expression changed sharply. He quickly turned toward the manor's gates, staring fixedly at the strangely shifting magic circles.
"The presence of Hell? Why are Hell's landscape and aura appearing here?"
Raven's brows drew tightly together at the sight, her blue eyes full of apprehension.
"Hell is beginning to invade Gotham. That Hell Lord has made his move!"
RUMBLE!!
A deafening roar rang out.
Immediately afterward, the place around them transformed into a hellish abyss burning with green flames.
Countless Plague Demons covered in tentacles and festering pustules writhed within the abyss, hideous beyond belief.
At some point, the ruins before them had become a castle built from bones and rotting flesh.
Atop the castle, a tall, indistinct figure flickered in and out of view within a shroud of plague mist.
"The mortal world... this scent of decay and pestilence is truly intoxicating..."
Staring at the evil creatures that had suddenly appeared, Lynn tightened his grip on the Flameflow Blade, his body trembling slightly.
Noticing his condition, Raven hurried to reassure him:
"Don't be afraid. Hell hasn't fully invaded Gotham yet. We still have a chance."
Lynn shook his head. "I'm not afraid."
"Then what is it?"
He looked at the countless demons ahead and broke into an excited grin.
"I'm excited!"
With this many evil creatures, surely the Flameflow Blade could reach its third stage, right?