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Chapter 425 - chapter 425 - Endless War [2]

Kl'lara didn't hesitate.

As nightmares rose from her master's shadow, she raised her scythe and, with it, summoned her own army.

From cracks in the earth, a legion of skeletons emerged, their sockets blazing with ghostlight. In seconds, the first level of Hell was drowned in two armies: shadows and bones.

But this was Hell.

The true Hell.

Home to countless demons.

No matter how vast their numbers, Taufik's forces would never outnumber the demons.

Fortunately, they didn't need to.

This wasn't just any army.

This was an Immortal army.

They did not die.

They fell and then rose again.

"…Clear the path," One command. That was all it took.

The Shadow Legion and skeletons surged forward.

The barrier still stood, glowing faintly like a last thread of divine hope. But they passed through it as if it were mist.

And just like that, Hell began to burn from the inside out.

To the Shadow Legion, a demon was nothing more than a living thing, something they could trample with enough force.

They knew no fear. They had no mercy. They feared only one being: their ruler, Taufik.

The demons fought back. Brutal. Ferocious. Tireless.

But it didn't matter.

No matter how powerful you were… You could not win against something that could not die.

It was only a matter of time before the battlefield was cleared.

But this was not the end.

This was only the beginning.

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As the battle ended, the first Horde of demons was wiped out.

But they didn't die, not truly.

Demons never die.

They are reborn, in different bodies, but with the same soul. That is the curse, or perhaps the gift, of their kind.

Still, their corpses littered the battlefield. And corpses meant one thing: more skeletons for Kl'lara.

The barrier behind them finally collapsed.

Taufik, Kl'lara, Basukhi, and Lembuswana now stood on a blackened plateau of obsidian, surrounded by a hellscape.

Above them, the sky burned orange, not from any sun, but from eternal firestorms that raged across the heavens.

The ground cracked beneath their feet, belching flame.

The heat was suffocating.

Kl'lara, Spirit of Death, cloaked herself in protective Mana, shielding her essence from the corrupted air of Hell.

"My lord," She said, her voice strained, "this place… it is not meant for the living. Are you sure you will be okay?"

Taufik didn't answer right away.

Unlike her, he allowed the corrupted Mana to flow over him, into him.

Not because he was fearless, but because he could.

No taint, no darkness, no infernal energy could ever affect him now.

"I'm fine," he said simply.

Then his eyes shifted to Lembuswana and Basukhi.

They too were unshaken. Beings as ancient as they had endured the Age of Chaos itself, this was nothing.

Taufik's voice deepened, his shadow form flickering with power.

" remind all of you: we're not here to live... We're here to conquer... We're here to ensure that no Hell Gate ever opens again"

Then they heard it.

Howls.

From the cliffs. From the cracks. From the darkness.

Demonic hounds.

Bone-armored beasts with molten fangs.

The scouts of Gusion, the Bloodhound.

Basukhi growled low, "They're testing us. Picking at our defenses before the real army comes"

The hounds charged.

But just as they reached them-

Silence.

Then nothing.

The beasts were swallowed by their own shadows.

Taufik had raised his hand, and darkness coiled like a serpent, danced around his fingers.

"Then let them come," he whispered.

And they did.

From the skies of fire.

From the lava rivers.

From the broken earth.

Thousands, tens of thousands, of demons emerged.

A volcano in the distance erupted, casting fire and smoke into the heavens.

And through the smoke, a voice came.

"So you've finally come, O Dafient," it snarled.

A figure leapt down from the cliff.

Lean as a greyhound.

Armor jagged like a broken bone.

Eyes glowing crimson.

It's Gusion.

The Bloodhound.

Duke of War.

Demon of Relentless Pursuit.

Once a celestial tracker… now a fallen predator.

And he grinned.

"The whole of Hell reeks of you now. You think you can walk through these depths unchallenged? I've been ordered to stop you... permanently"

Taufik stepped forward. Slowly.

He unsheathed his katana, its edge whispering in the heat. The authentic version is on NovelFire.

"Then try," he said.

The Thousand Demon Army roared, the sound so powerful it shook the ground beneath them.

But Taufik's party did not flinch.

There was no fear.

Only smiles.

Because now… they didn't have to hold back.

"My soldiers," Taufik called, voice echoing across the plain, "Do not fear death"

"Because even if you fall… I alone will tear your souls from Death herself"

"So fight... Fight until she comes and tells you to stop"

The army of shadows and skeletons roared in response.

Lembuswana and Basukhi took to the skies, their titanic forms crashing into the flying demons.

Kl'lara, her soul burning with Mana, commanded her undead legions like a goddess of war.

And Taufik?

He stood at the rear. Watching... Waiting.

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Shadow is formless.

You can strike it, burn it, or crush it, but it slips through all.

But what if shadow had form? Then it becomes a nightmare.

And that... that is what the legion of demons faced now.

Shadow beings, dark manifestations are only truly vulnerable to light.

But demons?

They are not light. They are rage, fire, and brimstone.

So this was not a battle between life and death.

This was a war of endurance.

But the shadows never tire. As long as Taufik breathes… as long as mana flows through his veins…

They. Will. Not. Stop.

And will never stop because Taufik Mana is close to endless.

This is not a war to decide who will win.

It's only a war to decide how long the demons can delay their inevitable defeat.

And the skeletons, Kl'lara's endless dead were just as relentless.

For every shattered bone, a hundred demon corpses rose in its place.

The battlefield was a cauldron of recycling death, and it favored the undead.

Above, two abominable skyborn entities, Basukhi and Lembuswana wreaked havoc through the burning skies.

From the beginning, this war was unbalanced. The conclusion was already clear.

Only one side could dominate.

And Gusion, the Bloodhound Duke knew this.

He understood the truth of the battlefield.

He saw the root of this nightmare.

The source of it all.

Taufik.

If Taufik fell… the tides would turn.

Victory would belong to Hell.

But Gusion knew one more thing.

Knowing the path to victory…

… doesn't make walking it any easier.

Especially when that path leads straight into the heart of the greatest nightmare ever born.

So, what should Gusion do?

"…O Defiant…"

He muttered through gritted teeth.

There were no other options.

If a single road exists, even one paved with doom, then the only choice… is to walk it.

He clenched his fists.

And roared.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THE ONE WHO DEFIED FATE ITSELF IS THIS MUCH OF A COWARD!"

Taufik heard it.

He lifted a hand, slowly, effortlessly.

And in that moment, the entire battlefield... Stopped.

No sound.

No motion.

Even the skybound titans, Lembuswana and Basukhi, froze mid-flight.

As if the world itself bowed to his will.

"…What do you want?" Taufik's voice was soft, yet it echoed across the silent plains, reaching every soul, every shadow.

Gusion grinned.

He pointed, first at Taufik, then at himself.

"You and me. One battle. Winner takes all"

Taufik chuckled.

"You… have you already accepted your defeat?"

At his side, Kl'lara stepped forward. "My lord, this-"

But Taufik raised a hand, silencing her without a word.

Gusion narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong, O Defiant? Scared?"

Taufik tilted his head slightly, amused. "Hee~ Are you that desperate? Wait... who even are you again?"

A pause.

"…Ah, well. Doesn't matter. No need to remember the name of a corpse'

"Y-YOU… YOU FUCKER!" Gusion screamed. "FACE ME IF YOU DARE!!"

"Too loud~" Taufik spoke with the calm of someone who had seen this outcome a thousand times over. "You want a fight, didn't you? So what are you waiting for?"

He raised his hand and beckoned.

"Come~"

Gusion didn't need to be told twice.

Consumed by rage, the towering demon lunged... His massive body glided through the air like a predator unbound by gravity, faster than most eyes could track.

In his hands, a pair of chained daggers curved like monstrous fangs, gleaming with lethal intent, whistling through the air, thirsting for flesh.

But Taufik…

He didn't flinch.

Didn't brace.

Didn't even shift his weight.

Instead, he made a subtle gesture, just a flick of his fingers, Kl'lara immediately moved back, understanding the signal without question.

And then, Taufik drew his katana.

For a second, nothing.

No flash. No sound. No pressure.

Then-

*CLANG!!*

The entire battlefield rang with the sound of metal screaming against fate.

Gusion's daggers were caught mid-swing, locked against Taufik's blade in a perfect parry that looked more like art than combat.

Shock flared in Gusion's crimson eyes.

He hadn't even seen the blade move.

Taufik, still calm, met his gaze.

"...Is that it?"

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..

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