The ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE SYSTEM
Chapter 91: DARK ELF

Chapter 91: DARK ELF

Crackling arcs of void energy danced at Chen Yu’s feet as he stepped out of teleportation, the world resolving around him into the blood-red skies and jagged spires of the demonic capital. The Demonic Kingdom’s castle loomed like a fortress of nightmares: obsidian towers rising like claws into the swirling storm clouds, rivers of molten rock coursing through the city’s labyrinthine streets, and enormous winged beasts circling above. The castle’s battlements were lined with horned guards clad in black armor etched with burning crimson runes, their eyes like embers watching his every move.

Yet Chen Yu did not falter. The moment his boots touched the charred black stone outside the throne room gates, a suffocating pressure descended on him. This was the seat of power for all demonkind—and even he had to acknowledge the primal, ancient strength emanating from the very stones of the citadel.

Two colossal guards flanking the gates immediately recognized him. The taller one, standing nearly four meters tall with bone-white horns and armor thicker than tank plating, stomped his halberd into the ground, sending a seismic shudder through the earth. "Lord Chen Yu," the guard growled in a voice like crumbling mountains. "His Majesty awaits you within."

Chen Yu offered the faintest nod. So he knew I’d come, he thought, unsurprised. The Demon King’s foresight and dominance over his realm were legendary even before the worlds merged into Neo-Terra.

As the gates groaned open, a wave of searing heat and infernal magic poured out. The throne room was a cathedral of darkness, its ceiling lost in shadows above towering columns engraved with infernal runes. Rivers of lava flowed along channels carved into the obsidian floor, bathing the chamber in a flickering red glow. Between the pillars, chained demonic beasts slumbered, each exhaling plumes of black smoke.

At the far end rose the throne: an immense chair of volcanic stone crowned with a halo of floating black flames. And there, seated like a living mountain, was the Demon King himself.

[STATS UPDATED: AZRAEL – DEMON KING]Class: Monarch of DestructionRank: RStats:• Strength: 770• Agility: 750• Stamina: 790• Mana: 780• Charm: 9/10• Energy: 1600Status: Proud | Calculating | Deeply Protective of His Kin

Azrael was a vision of apocalyptic power: armored in plates of darksteel inscribed with infernal sigils, massive black wings folded behind him like a cloak of night. His white hair fell like a mane around his horned head, framing eyes that burned like twin suns of crimson fury. Every breath he took radiated force enough to rattle the chandeliers of black crystal hanging above.

Chen Yu walked to the foot of the throne dais, the sheer weight of the Demon King’s presence pressing on his shoulders like a mountain. He bowed slightly, a gesture of respect given rarely and only to equals in power.

Azrael’s deep, resonant laughter rolled through the cavernous hall. "So the man who dares call himself my daughter’s master—and perhaps more—returns to my domain."

Chen Yu’s eyes met his without flinching. "I’ve come with purpose. The world has changed. Neo-Terra is now the proving ground for ascension. I’m gathering those worthy to challenge the Upper Realm."

Azrael’s eyes narrowed, embers glowing brighter. "And you want Hui to ascend?"

"Yes. But not only Hui. I need ten. I need the strongest. That’s why I came: to seek your guidance—and your realm’s best."

Azrael rose slowly from his throne, each movement echoing like an earthquake. As he descended the dais, the demonic beasts hidden in the shadows howled softly, instinctively cowed by their king’s presence.

"You come seeking strength. But what will you give in return?" Azrael asked, his voice like grinding glaciers. He circled Chen Yu, reading him as one might read the flaws of a blade.

"I offer protection to your daughter—and a chance to stand unopposed in the new world," Chen Yu answered, voice calm but edged with steely resolve. "Together, we will shape what comes next."

Azrael studied him for a long, tense moment. Then his lips curled into a smile sharp as knives. "Very well. But there is one who might join you—if you dare claim her."

He raised his clawed hand. With a sharp snap of his fingers, the throne room floor rumbled. A massive slab of black stone slowly lowered from the ceiling, revealing a dark stairwell spiraling down into the bowels of the castle. An icy wind, colder than the breath of death, wafted up from below.

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed. What is this...?

Azrael’s voice was low and grim. "Fifty years ago, long before the worlds merged, I imprisoned a being too dangerous to roam free—a Dark Elf of demonic blood, born in the Abyss and gifted with a talent for destruction. She was once the greatest prodigy of the Dark Elven clans, but her power and hunger for chaos became too much. I sealed her away when she refused to submit."

He paused, crimson eyes gleaming. "But if anyone can channel her rage, it is you, Chen Yu."

A thrill of anticipation sparked in Chen Yu’s chest. An imprisoned dark elf of demonic origin? He followed the Demon King down the spiraling stairs, each step taking them deeper beneath the throne room until the world grew silent but for the slow, echoing drip of molten rock cooling somewhere far below.

They reached a vast underground chamber. Its walls were covered in layers of ancient seals glowing faintly with red and black light. In the center hovered a crystal sarcophagus of dark glass, chained by runes to four obsidian pylons. Within the sarcophagus floated a woman.

She was breathtaking—tall and lithe, her skin pale with an almost moonlit silver sheen that contrasted with long hair blacker than the void. Her pointed ears marked her elven heritage, but her presence radiated demonic malevolence. She wore a tight black bodysuit of living shadows, and on her closed eyelids, strange red tattoos glowed softly.

Even asleep, her aura lashed the air, shaking the seals that held her. Chen Yu could tell at a glance: this was not someone who belonged in the lower ranks of Neo-Terra’s challengers.

Azrael gestured to the floating crystal. "Meet Nyzelia, the Dark Elf of the Abyss."

[STATS UPDATED: NYZELIA – DARK ELF OF THE ABYSS]Class: Abyssal ShadowbladeRank: SR (50 years ago; potential unknown)Stats (as of imprisonment):• Strength: 520• Agility: 580• Stamina: 500• Mana: 690• Charm: 10/10• Energy: 1000Status: Imprisoned | Wrathful | Unyielding

Chen Yu’s eyes widened slightly. Her potential... she might already rival Hui at her peak. He stepped closer, feeling the killing intent rolling off her even in stasis. "She’s dangerous," he murmured.

Azrael nodded, wings shifting with a low rustle. "She has always walked the blade’s edge between unstoppable power and uncontrollable chaos. But if you can master her—or better yet, help her master herself—she could ascend and survive where others would fall."

Chen Yu extended his hand toward the sarcophagus. "And if I fail?"

Azrael’s voice dropped to a whisper like death itself. "Then the only mercy will be the speed with which I end you."

For a moment, only the hum of ancient seals filled the silence. Then Chen Yu smirked. "Understood."

He placed his palm on the sarcophagus, feeling the surge of power as the Reth contracts within him stirred. "Nyzelia," he whispered, "awaken."

The seals glowed violently, one by one shattering with sounds like bells tolling the end of the world. The dark glass cracked and exploded outward in a silent shockwave, shards dissolving to mist before touching the ground.

Nyzelia’s eyes snapped open—brilliant scarlet, burning with madness and fury. She landed gracefully on the ground, dark energy swirling around her as if reality itself bent to her will. Her gaze locked onto Chen Yu, and in a voice both musical and cold as a glacier, she said, "Who dares disturb me?"

Before Chen Yu could answer, she lunged. He barely sidestepped, the floor exploding behind him as her glaive of black energy materialized in her hand, swinging with speed and strength beyond most SR challengers.

Chen Yu grinned, void energy swirling as he parried. The chamber turned into a maelstrom of clashing powers—Nyzelia’s abyssal shadows against Chen Yu’s space-rending strikes, both combatants moving too fast for the eye to follow. Ancient walls cracked; seals sparked and fizzled.

"Enough!" Azrael’s roar boomed through the chamber, waves of force slamming both fighters apart. The Demon King’s wings unfurled, eclipsing the chamber in darkness. "Nyzelia! This is Chen Yu—the only one who can offer you freedom!"

Nyzelia’s breathing was ragged, red eyes flicking between Azrael and Chen Yu. "Freedom?" she spat, but there was a tremor in her voice.

Chen Yu stepped forward, eyes burning with certainty. "Fight with me. Ascend with me. And I will take you to a place where even your power will be challenged."

A long silence followed. Then slowly, Nyzelia lowered her glaive. Her lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Very well... master."

Azrael’s massive form relaxed slightly, his wings folding behind him. "You’ve done what I could not in fifty years, Chen Yu."

Chen Yu nodded, sweat dampening his brow but heart hammering with victory. "Then it’s decided: Nyzelia will be the ninth."

Azrael clapped a massive hand on Chen Yu’s shoulder, nearly staggering him. "I will join you as well. Neo-Terra must know the fury of demonkind, and the Upper Realm will tremble at our approach."