Ashen Dragon

"Is that the isolation barrier?" Suddenly, Wolf of the Dark Night reached out and pointed at the shimmering red membrane in the far distance.

Yulier quickly nodded, "Yes, that's the thing. Everyone, hurry and put on the magic resonance cloak, otherwise, even passing through the weak points of the barrier will get us detected."

"Alright."

Thus, the bronze ship traversed underground along the River of Magma, repeatedly passing through several protective arrays, finally arriving at the Fourth Tier of the Bronze Fortress.

Along the way, they encountered many Hell Bats and Lava Monsters, but all were effortlessly defeated by the Natural War Maniac with a single punch each.

The Level 12 Dragon Vein Berserker, even in Barto Hell, was certainly not a weakling, already sufficient to become the leader of a small Devil Army.

"We've arrived, lords."

Yulier pointed to a distant, simple stone door and softly said, "This can lead directly to Lord Valerius' mansion. He has a special chamber for enjoying smuggled Prayer Mergers."

"Why aren't you going?"

"Lord Baal entrusted you all with the task. I'll be here waiting for support... Don't, don't, I'll go, alright?"

This devil, who had been managing a casino for years, was on the verge of tears, turning to look at the little devil with eyes filled with deep resentment, as if wishing to tear them apart.

From the lofty lord of the casino to someone else's prisoner, the disparity couldn't be greater.

The Natural War Maniac's face was stern, yet excitement gleamed in his dragon-like golden eyes, "Folks, I can sense many powerful auras, unlike anything we've felt before!

Our opponents this time definitely have a challenge level above Level 15! Maybe even Legendary level!"

Legendary, in any plane of the Multiverse, is undeniably a true powerhouse—even in Barto Hell.

A being with such power could easily lead a large Devil Army, manipulate the outcome of a small-scale Blood War, and even become a favorite of the Hell Lord.

Up until now, even with the level cap raised to Level 12, no player has managed to solo a Legendary-level boss.

Watching the increasingly excited Natural War Maniac, Europe King seemed scared, "War Maniac Bro, don't just charge in, confronting a Great Devil of such level head-on, we don't stand a chance... We finally entered the Inner Circle, let's not throw our lives away."

Beside him, Swashbuckler also revealed a peculiar smile, reaching into his cloak, "Nice, nice, encountering a boss of this caliber right as we arrive. It makes spending all my fortune and pulling strings to get this worth it."

Saying so, he pulled out a round metal ball from his cloak.

"What is this?"

Yulier and Dick, the two Hell Demons, stared at the unremarkable metal ball, feeling its significance and a bit confused.

Was this what they relied on to counter a Great Devil?

But the remaining three players were aghast, with expressions as if they'd seen a ghost.

"Damn, how'd you get this?"

"Isn't this the Miniature Space Collapse Bomb that was mentioned at the last Imperial Military Equipment Seminar? It's the lifeblood of the Mechanical God Cult! Did you sell them a hook?"

Swashbuckler laughed softly, "You have no idea. This is what the Chief of Nocturne can pull off! Even an upper-level devil can't take this blast close-up, right?"

"Then... Doesn't that mean we'll also die there? There are many tasks up ahead," Wolf of the Dark Night asked quietly.

Upon hearing this, Europe King seemed to resolve something, gritting his teeth as he pulled out a parchment sewn with the Empire's emblem from his mage robe, "Even Swashbuckler's using something that good, so I won't hold back.

This is our Magic Coin Guild's heirloom—a Flame Teleportation Scroll handcrafted, no, hand-clawed by Emperor Kai.

It can ignore antimagical fields below the Ninth Tier and instantly teleport to any place within five kilometers, making it the ultimate escape artifact." Europe King's hand trembled slightly as he held the scroll.

This scroll is worth thousands of gold coins, comparable to rare equipment. If it's used this time and the mission fails, he figured Charlotte would beat him to a pulp upon his return.

"Well then, let's..."

The four exchanged glances, finally resolving together, saying in unison, "Take a gamble!"

...

In the East District of Bronze Fortress's Fourth Tier stood a tall, imposing castle with a rugged style.

This was the mansion of Valerius, the legion commander of the 13th Legion under Zareel, a Hell Count. The entire castle was constructed from cooled, solidified magma, its surface covered in spikes, demon reliefs, and burning runes, with pitiful wails emanating from underground.

Deep within the castle hall, a ferocious and terrifying devil was bathing in scalding magma, holding a silver cup, savoring the vintage wine brewed from mortal souls.

The gigantic pair of fiery red wings and eyes that burned like embers made this huge devil exude a fearsome aura—this was the Abyss Demon Refiner, an upper-level devil born from the deepest part of the Nine Prisons, the Naisse.

Strong, resilient, and possessing extremely formidable wisdom.

These ruling classes of Hell, whether serving the Great Duke, enforcing their laws within the Nine Prisons, or exercising tyranny in the mortal world, are endowed with considerable autonomy.

A Horror Demon waved its wings, respectfully kneeling by the magma pool and said softly, "Legion Commander, your servant—the feeble smuggler has arrived."

Valerius swirled the wine glass, savoring the aura of fear and listening to the wails of the souls within, casually saying, "Hmm... That's Yulier, right? He's done well these years, bringing seven to eight Prayer Mergers annually.

However... Lord Zareel is planning major events recently and is cracking down hard on smuggling; Yulier knows too much. His casino is too closely tied with us, it's time to deal with him.

When he hands over the goods, you should completely erase him, also clean out that casino thoroughly, leaving no trace for other legions to discover. They're all eyeing us hungrily."

"Yes, Legion Commander."

"By the way, how many Prayer Mergers does he bring this time?"

"Around twenty. And he claimed to have brought a precious artifact, valued at thousands of mortal souls."

"What? Bring them in quickly!"

The Abyss Demon Refiner suddenly sat up, causing magma to splash, creating shallow pits on the ground.

"Yes, Legion Commander."

The Horror Demon responded solemnly, then waved its wings, flying out of the hall.

Valerius raised his head, downing the soul-crying wine in laughter, "Hahaha, never thought a discarded pawn could still surprise me!

...

Not long after, Yulier brought along

Fear Aura (Su): The Horned Demon can radiate a 5-foot radius fear aura as an immediate action. Affecting creatures must pass a DC 23 Will save, or suffer effects similar to those influenced by the Fear Spell (casting level 15). Creatures that successfully pass the save will not be affected by the same Horned Demon's Fear Aura for 24 hours. Other devils are immune to this aura. The DC for this save is based on charisma.

Stunning (Su): Whenever the Horned Demon's thorny chain attack hits, the opponent must pass a DC 27 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d4 rounds. The save DC is based on strength. This ability is innate to the Horned Demon, not related to the thorny chain.

Purgatory Trauma (Su): Being hit by the Horned Demon's tail attack causes an enduring wound. The affected creature suffers an additional 2 points of life loss per rouned. This wound cannot be naturally healed and will resist healing spells. The continuous life loss can be halted by a DC 24 Heal check, a healing spell, or healing method. Using any method, attempting to release healing spells or methods on a wound created by the Horned Demon's tail requires the individual to pass a DC 24 casting level check, or the spell will be ineffective on the injured creature. A successful Heal check will automatically stop continuous life loss similar to restoring life points. The DC for this save is based on constitution.