Ashen Dragon

The devils left outside were torn apart by the frenzied demons, unable to leave even a complete corpse—this was already the most advantageous choice.

Krum raised his giant hammer high, swinging it in the air, and laughed loudly, "Do you see it? They are scared! These cowards from Hell cannot stop us! Lord Koschech will conquer Aphernas, and this land will become a paradise for demons!"

"Long live The Abyss!"

"Praise Lord Koschech!"

The demons had completely taken over the outer defenses, letting out a series of noisy, hoarse roars.

In just a moment, they had thoroughly slaughtered the tens of thousands of devils, leaving only blood, debris, and shards scattered everywhere.

This is the demon, a product of chaos, born purely for slaughter and destruction. Compared to life, they are more like living disasters.

The second line of Hell's defense was composed of scorching lava rivers, often erupting and splashing into the sky. Deadly toxic smoke lingered over the river's surface, and the devil army stood ready on the banks, with various large weapons lined up.

Frenzied low-tier demons flapped their wings densely like dark clouds, trying to cross over the river, but were blocked by the lava and toxic smoke. Their twisted bodies ignited, accompanied by shrill wails and howls, falling like raindrops from mid-air into the lava, leaving only a trail of foul-smelling black smoke.

The strong demons let out a roar, straining with all their might to flap their wings, with muscles bulging on their shoulders and veins popping out, trying to forcibly break through the defense line, but a powerful Gravity Spell descended, swatting the demons down like flies into the lava river.

The devils also raised their Hell Crossbows, aiming skyward in unison, pouring arrows with flames like a sudden storm, shooting down the demons in the air.

In just a few minutes, thousands of demons perished in the Magic Tide, the foul black smoke permeating the battlefield, polluting the surrounding air and causing revulsion.

Fortunately, both Hell and The Abyss are extremely harsh places, and the pollution of demons is nothing out of the ordinary for Barto Hell. If it were the Material Plane that suffered this level of pollution, nearby areas would likely be barren for decades.

"For the Lord of Nine Prisons!"

"Stop them, never let those abyssal mongrels invade the Bronze Fortress! You must know that Lord Baal is always watching you!

Anyone who can make achievements will have the opportunity to be promoted! But those who fear or shrink from battle will face only death, and the Nine Prisons will abandon such cowards! Such beings deserve to be nothing more than the worms of Hell!"

With a roar, the Devil Officer wielded his Longsword, issuing a death order to his soldiers.

To make an example, the high-level devil even found a fleeing little devil engineer within the city, lifting it high to display before a group of devils.

"Lord, lord, I know nothing! I received orders from my superior to be transferred to the Bronze Fortress!" the little devil struggled and wailed, its voice particularly shrill.

This little devil knew that at times like this, it must not admit to any error.

The Devil Officer didn't care about the little devil's motivations or thoughts, nor even about the facts; he only wanted to find a suitable target to establish authority.

"Still dare to argue! It's because there are too many deserters like you that those abyssal mongrels have become so rampant!" he snarled, his expression ferocious.

"I, I didn't..." The little devil was beyond refutation.

However, the Devil Officer didn't waste any words, slashing down with his sword, cleanly decapitating the little devil, its neck spraying blood.

He held the little devil's head, eyes still open in death, lifting it high, roaring, "Do you see this? This is the fate of deserters! Lord Baal doesn't need the useless, the Nine Prisons don't need worthless devils!

Want to become a high-level devil like me? Then go battle demons for me! You can also become a Great Devil!"

"For the Nine Prisons!"

"Long live Lord Baal!"

The devils raised their weapons and shouted, seemingly fervent, though who knew how much of it was mere pretense.

...

"Look, the devils can only rely on such inferior methods to maintain morale, they are truly fragile."

"This time, with Lord Koschech uniting two Abyssal Lords to invade Hell, it is unstoppable. If the Nine Prisons fall, given your standing in Lord Koschech's eyes, you should be able to claim a position of Hell Lord."

"Hahahaha! I think Aphernas would suit me well!" Hearing the flattery from his subordinate, Krum roared with laughter, his voice extraordinarily rough.

The demons were still surging towards the devils' defense line, continuously falling from the sky, and some even fearlessly rushed directly into the lava river, heading toward death with sizzling sounds.

If it weren't for the demon bodies returning to The Abyss after death, the entire moat would likely be filled with demon corpses.

"Enough, this boring game should end now." Krum stood up, gripping his giant hammer, glaring maliciously into the distance, bellowing, "Piere, you pitiful Devil Duke, if you don't come out, your subordinates will all be killed by me!"

He took a step forward, disdainfully eyeing the devils' lava moat.

"Hmph, with just this... you think you can stop me?"

The Frost Giant gripped the hammer handle with both hands, raising the giant hammer above his head, causing the runes on the hammer's body to light up, emitting a blue glow.

Immediately, an incredibly bone-chilling cold emerged, with howling gales carrying countless hailstones and snowflakes swirling around the large and sturdy body of the Frost Giant, forming a terrifying extreme-cold storm around Krum.

But unlike ordinary snowstorms, the hailstones and snowflakes summoned by Krum were not pure white, but a murky green, as if tainted with some foul slime.

This group of Frost Giants following Koschech had been corrupted for thousands of years, and this was the product of the fusion of Frost Giant Rune Power and the Chaotic Power of the Abyss.

Krum's face twisted, veins bulging on his arms, as he suddenly swung the giant hammer down.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar, the ground shook incessantly, deeply caving in from the impact of the giant hammer, while the ice exuding chaotic aura rapidly expanded centered on the hammer, causing the ground to freeze swiftly.

Even the scorching hot lava moat instantly solidified into magma, and hundreds of devil soldiers at the forefront were frozen into ice sculptures.

Accompanied by a faint "crack", fine cracks appeared all over their bodies, ultimately shattering entirely into countless rigid shards.

These were the most loyal and brave devils, yet they didn't receive the anticipated promotion but instead became the first sacrificed cannon fodder.

Several other Frost Giants followed suit, releasing bouts of cold, rapidly solidifying the lava river in front of them, providing a passage for the demons' assault.

The Devil Officer shouted, "Be careful, these Frost Giants have peculiar abilities, it's the power of frost!"

The Hell Legion reacted swiftly, soon having Devil Sorcerers appear within the defense line, raising their White Bone Staffs, chanting spells that made the surrounding climate unbearably hot, even twisting the air.

But it was already too late by then; black lava-made bridges had already appeared over the lava river, and the demons were rushing over them, forming mottled torrents, attacking the devils on the other side of the river.

The Hell Legion struggled to cope, holding the bridges desperately, while countless demons fell into the lava river amidst the melee, causing molten rock to splash everywhere, burning holes into the ground.

But the first line of defense had already been breached, and it seemed only a matter of time before the demons broke through this second line as well—their numbers were growing ever larger, covering even the distant horizon.

"Stop resisting! The Bronze Fortress is bound to be breached; Piere, no, not even the Lord of Nine Prisons can save you!" Krum shouted.

The blizzard beside this Frost Giant remained fierce, as he rode an Abyss Giant Beast straight across the lava river, charging directly into the tight ranks of the Hell Legion, rampaging within.

Just then, a resounding Dragon's Roar echoed across the battlefield.

"Roar——"

The roar carried an overwhelming and indescribable strength, causing all in Aphernas to tremble—including the demon Frost Giants.