Primordial Awakening: I Can Evolve My Skills Infinitely
Chapter 96: The Underworld Demons, Empowered By the Black Flames

Chapter 96: The Underworld Demons, Empowered By the Black Flames

Surrounded by hundreds of demons, all armed and ready, Sam took his stance without hesitation.

Each one of them was level 50. The absolute peak of the [Master] rank.

Monsters weren’t supposed to organize like this. That much was clear.

Any awakener team, unless they were filled with [Ascendants], would’ve been torn apart before they even got a chance to breathe.

But still, every single one of those demons locked their eyes on Sam. They were ready to pounce.

He noticed something strange almost immediately. Black flames. All of them were wrapped in it.

The same dark fire that he’d seen when entering this realm. The one connected to the [Forsaken Lord].

And then, a panel appeared in front of him.

[Void Watcher: The Forsaken Lord ordered them to kill you, no matter what, granting them additional power to do so.]

’So not only are they level 50... they’re boosted on top of that,’ Sam thought, narrowing his gaze. ’Figures.’

But it didn’t matter.

One of the demons suddenly let out a sharp, ear-splitting roar—and just like that, the rest of the army moved.

Hundreds of figures, all rushing toward him at once.

They weren’t holding back. They weren’t waiting for orders.

It was a full-on blitz, driven by hatred and divine command.

Sam’s grip tightened on the [Primordial Sword].

He had his [Eternal Barrier] if things got out of control, sure.

But even then, facing this many enemies at once would be tough. Even for him.

And more importantly, he didn’t have the time to charge [Crescent Slash] like he did in the second sub-layer against the army of [Black Sun Vessels].

Meaning... He needed something else.

He closed his eyes, ignoring the sound closing in.

Focused on his aura. On his power. On the affinities swirling inside him.

Then, he opened the skill panel.

---

[Skills: Primordial Sword Technique (Forsaken), Abyssal Obliteration (Forsaken), Eternal Barrier (Forsaken), Tendrils of Oblivion (Forsaken), Sovereign Inferno (Forsaken), Void Rush (Forsaken), Forsaken Clone (Forsaken), Gaze of the Primordial (Forsaken), I Always Come Back (Forsaken)]

---

His eyes moved to [Tendrils of Oblivion]... then [Sovereign Inferno].

All of them were [Forsaken] rank. That’s why he could hold his ground against enemies this strong.

But rank alone wasn’t enough.

He’d pushed his [Primordial Sword Technique] and [Abyssal Obliteration] beyond what they were supposed to do.

And it worked. Which meant he could do the same again.

’Tendrils won’t help much here,’ he thought. ’Too many enemies. But... Sovereign Inferno...’

A grin spread across his face. His eyes began to glow. The air trembled with energy.

The fire surrounding the demons looked strong. Stronger than most elemental attacks he’d seen.

But Sam was the last [Primordial]. The one this entire realm feared and hated.

And that meant... He had the right to burn everything in his way.

"You shall burn," Sam said, his voice calm but laced with power.

He poured his aura into his palm.

And then, he called on the four affinities within him, Shadow, Chaos, Void, and Hatred, all at once.

One hand gripped the [Primordial Sword]. The other opened slowly, palm facing up.

A small, unstable flame appeared. Dark at first.

But then... The moment his aura and affinities poured in, it began to change.

Shadow laced the edges. Chaos twisted the core. Void hollowed the center. Hatred ignited the fuel.

A perfect, swirling fusion of power.

’It’s faster than before,’ Sam noted. ’Doesn’t take as long to charge either.’

The demons were just meters away now. Snarling. Sprinting.

He didn’t care. He closed his fist around the unstable flame, and then swung his arm outward.

A ripple of pressure swept across the platform.

Ding!

[Shadow, Chaotic, Void and Hatred energy swirl around you, boosting your power.]

[Your "Sovereign Inferno" has improved.]

[You have learned "Primordial Hellfire"]

Sam’s grin widened.

And then—

BOOM!

A shockwave of fire exploded from his body.

It wasn’t normal fire. This was something far beyond that.

It was the manifestation of everything he had, his soul, his aura, and every ounce of destructive intent that the [Primordial] was capable of wielding.

The flames spread in a perfect sphere. The demons had no time to react.

They were fast, yes. Strong, yes. But they weren’t prepared for this.

The [Primordial Hellfire] swallowed them. Ashes replaced their bodies in seconds.

Even those who resisted the initial blast collapsed from the aftershock.

The entire army, wiped clean. The field fell silent.

"Incredible," Sam muttered.

He looked down at his hand. It was still hot. His [Soul] supply dwindled a lot too.

Using that much power took a toll, even on him. But it had worked. It had burned them all away.

The [Primordial Sword] reacted next.

Tendrils slithered from its hilt, sweeping across the battlefield and piercing what remained.

One by one, the demon cores were pulled in.

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 3 of the Expert Rank!]

Ding!

[Congratulations to Sam Walker for leveling up to Level 4 of the Expert Rank!]

’Damn.’

It had been enough for two levels at once.

And only one more until he hit Level 5, the next reward.

He didn’t know what the [Hatred] affinity would offer when empowered.

But whatever it was... he wanted it. Still, that would have to wait.

Because as the flames faded and silence returned, Sam turned his gaze back toward the distant gate, the one that marked the end of this layer.

It was still far. He took a step forward.

And then—

Fwish! Fwish!

[Bad call, Primordial.]

Sam froze. Something was wrong.

His senses flared. His body tensed. His eyes sharpened, instinctively calling on his aura to prepare.

Then—

[Hell-Mode Analysis: Oh shit, he’s here.]

[A deep sense of death overwhelms you, you can’t win this.]

"What—?"

Fwish! BOOM!

Something came from the darkness. A flash of black flame. A sudden gleam of metal.

A massive trident soared through the smoke, crashing into Sam’s [Eternal Barrier] and forcing him back.

The sheer force of the hit sent him sliding across the scorched ground.

He dug the [Primordial Sword] into the platform to stop himself, just before reaching the edge.

One more second, and he would’ve fallen into the endless fire below.

Sam lifted his gaze. And then... he saw it. The figure emerging from the blackened flames.

It walked slowly, rising with deliberate steps, the fire parting in its wake.

Tall. Armored. And exuding an aura so heavy that the air itself seemed to bend around it.

"So, you’re the Primordial," it spoke, catching the trident as it flew back into its hand. "How weak."

Sam didn’t hesitate. He immediately took his stance again. Everything inside him was screaming.

This... this pressure... It was the same thing he felt just before entering the fourth layer.

Which meant only one thing.

---

[Asmodeus, Underworld Ruler (Layer Boss)]

[Level: 50]

[Description: The fourth Forsaken Lord, the ruler of the Underworld, capable of wielding powerful hellfire, an army of demons, and his weapon.]

[Hell-Mode Analysis: He shouldn’t be here so soon...]

---

Asmodeus lifted his trident and pointed it directly at Sam.

Sam took a step back, his eyes narrowing. He couldn’t underestimate this one.

"I shall erase you from the face of this realm," Asmodeus said, his voice cold and distorted, "There is no mercy for your kind."

Sam said nothing. He simply stared. Focused.

Ready to strike, or defend, at the first twitch.

He hadn’t expected this. He thought the [Forsaken Lord] would wait until the sub-layer.

But it made sense now. They weren’t playing fair anymore.

The realm itself had chosen to stop him early. To crush him before he got any stronger.

[Determination.]

’Proceed, I know.’