In a secluded part of the Douluo Continent lay the rear mountain of a family's estate.
A beautiful woman with dark red hair stood with vacant eyes, a hollow demonic power suffusing her body and distorting her surroundings. A pair of pitch-black, bewitching wings spread behind her, making her look like a breathtaking Fallen Angel, controlled by the power of corruption.
Nine Soul Rings appeared around her, and the most conspicuous among them was a peculiar ring of intertwined black and red, marked with a Fallen Angel pattern.
When this Soul Ring lit up, a dazzling red light also shone around her, summoning a twisted, eerie gate.
Through the gate, one could almost hear the rustling movements beyond it. Countless whispers drifted out, making this place seem like a demonic hell that lured others into corruption.
With a sweep of the woman's hand, the Demon Gate opened, and a passage connecting to the Demon Plane slowly appeared.
Countless demons poured out in great numbers. As they emerged, the gate gradually grew larger, as though accommodating them.
The secluded haven that should have been peaceful and quiet was shattered by this sudden nightmare.
Family members patrolling in the distance discovered this abrupt intrusion, along with the densely massed horde of demons surging toward them like waves.
"What are those things?"
"Wait, they look like demons!"
"Why are there demons here?!"
"Never mind that! Send word to the family and call for reinforcements!"
Yuanen Zhentian had never imagined that his family would suffer such a catastrophe, and his expression was heavy with grief.
Seeing his second daughter-in-law, who had already died, and the many family members fighting desperately for their family filled him with anguish.
But he still could not let his guard down.
He threw himself into the battlefield, joining the other family members as they resisted the assault with the strength of their entire clan. His power as a Limit Douluo shone brilliantly on the battlefield, his formidable strength slaughtering enemies in every direction.
But it was not enough. His strength could be considered immensely powerful on the Douluo Continent, but it was not enough to turn the tide before him.
The Demon Gate before them was a passage connected to an entire plane!
Even if their whole family mobilized, they could not possibly contend with an entire plane.
Moreover, the situation was critical. Even with all his strength, he could only slow the continued advance of the Demon Plane's battle line while protecting his family members as best he could.
This left Yuanen Zhentian completely tied down.
When he acted, he could only protect his clansmen. But if he looked after them, he could not look after the family estate behind them; if he looked after the estate, he could not protect the clansmen beside him.
He had already ordered someone to seek help from Shrek Academy. He believed that as long as the foremost expert of the age, Sky Propping Douluo, came to their aid, their combined strength would surely drive back the demonic tide.
He and his family only needed to hold out and wait for Shrek Academy's reinforcements.
Having made his decision, he would resist the invasion from the Demon Plane and protect his clansmen, even if he had to stake his life on it.
Yet things always went against one's wishes. The Demon Gate opened wider and wider, and the demons emerging from it grew ever more numerous and powerful. The family members around him fought desperately to resist. Their family estate was behind them, and inside were the people they cherished. They could not retreat.
But the result was a toll of grievous, heartbreaking sacrifices.
The Yuanen Family's Martial Soul was the Titan Giant Ape, a top-tier super Martial Soul. For those who awakened it, becoming a Titled Douluo could almost be called inevitable.
Although their bloodline gradually thinned over the generations, it was still enough to produce ample powerful experts for the Yuanen Family. This was where the family's strength lay.
Yet now, all of it had become one mournful lament after another. Watching the clansmen beside him die one by one to protect the families behind them left Yuanen Zhentian in utter agony.
His strength as a Quasi-God was still not enough. After all, contending with the invading forces of an entire plane would require a god, no matter how one looked at it.
A Quasi-God was not a god, in the end.
Just then, however, an unexpected figure appeared on the battlefield, darting across it like an arrow formed from lightning. Wherever he passed, the demons exploded outright and turned to ash.
It was as though an invisible fuse had swept across the scene, igniting these "demon firecrackers" in earth-shaking blasts. The flashing explosions lit up the battlefield as brightly as day.
At the sight before him, Yuanen Zhentian was stunned.
"Whose general is this? How can he be so fierce?"
"Could it be-"
"Reinforcements are here?"
All the survivors present noticed the scene before them. The demons, too, noticed their underlings' numbers rapidly dwindling, but they were powerless to stop it.
After the figure swept around once, a pillar of light shot skyward from the battlefield, engulfing every last demon, along with the Demon Gate.
The Demon Plane seemed to sense this dangerous presence as well and hurriedly shut the gate.
[Hyper Clock Over (Clock Up ended)]
While everyone's gaze was fixed on that focal point, trying to catch sight of the figure, someone had suddenly appeared before Yuanen Zhentian without him knowing when.
Everyone present was utterly shocked.
The armor of interwoven red, silver, and black was particularly striking, and the large red horn atop his head made his large blue compound eyes all the more dazzling.
It gave off none of the presence of Battle Armor, yet it was even more dangerous than Battle Armor, making even Yuanen Zhentian's heart jolt.
He was a being Yuanen Zhentian could not comprehend at all. Despite his Quasi-God cultivation, he could not see through to the being inside. The enclosed mask concealed his face, and Yuanen Zhentian's divine sense had no way to probe him. It even faintly warned him of danger, that something bad would happen if he tried.
Fortunately, as one of the continent's foremost beings, Yuanen Zhentian possessed more than strength alone. He was not someone blindly driven by curiosity, but someone who knew how to judge the situation.
This being had effortlessly killed those demons in an instant merely by sweeping past them, making his strength plain for all to see. Even Yuanen Zhentian did not dare claim he could achieve such a feat. That terrifying speed was probably beyond even Yun Ming.
"Thank you for lending us your aid."
"Our Yuanen Household will engrave your great kindness in our hearts."
"May I ask your name?"
"Kabuto. Kamen Rider Kabuto. Just call me Kabuto."
But the person before him did not seem particularly concerned with his words. After answering briefly, he glanced at Yuanen Zhentian's second son, who was beside him, weeping bitterly as he held his wife's corpse.
Noticing his gaze, Yuanen Zhentian let out a long sigh, likewise overwhelmed with grief.
This tragedy had come far too suddenly, catching everyone unprepared.
The family had suffered severe losses. Including his second daughter-in-law, thirteen people had already fallen. Had the man before him not intervened in time, the outcome would probably have been even worse.
He sighed deeply and shook the sorrow from his mind. As the head of the family, he could not let his emotions rule him and neglect the being before him.
Someone so powerful was perhaps the ultimate hidden trump card of some great power, likely on par with Sky Propping Douluo.
He could not help wondering whether there was only that one place capable of producing such a powerful expert.
"Sir Kabuto, may I ask if you are from Shrek-"
"Grandmother once said..."
"Hm?"
"The sun didn't shine because the rooster crowed."