Chapter 572: It’s not enough, not nearly enough…
Axel clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling the overwhelming, mountain-shattering physical strength within him, feeling his now-evolved bloodline, and his complete demonic self.
There was an unmistakable clarity and completeness to his being that was always lacking before.
But now, he felt whole, to a certain extent.
And yet, there was no excitement on his face, no vicious grin that a devil should have.
Rather, the only words that came out of his mouth were filled with disappointment, as he whispered, "It’s not enough...."
"No, not nearly enough... ", he added.
Then he closed his eyes once more, feeling the last traces of the endless expanse of despair, now almost gone, and all it was used for was to evolve his bloodline into something superior; his advancement to the third phase was merely a byproduct of his ascension to becoming a complete demon.
He could still feel more energy dormant in his bloodline; the last traces of the true essence of despair were there as well.
Axel said, in almost a comforting tone, "Don’t worry, even if the world forgets your untold stories, I will never."
"So, let me carry that burden."
No one knew who he was talking to, or if it was someone at all, but the essence of despair as well as his now evolved bloodline stirred once more.
And then....
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!
A cataclysmic explosion of pitch-black demonic energy of Axel Nomrad encompassed every inch of the battlefield.
When he first made his entrance onto this war in the guise of Osiris, the task of freezing all powerhouses, which he had to do with the help of the Circle of Dread, now he could do that with his own power and with quite ease as well.
Even then, he regarded that harrowing power to be not enough against the foe he would be facing next.
Axel growled in a demonic fury, erupting every ounce of his hidden bloodline power with calamitous strength.
BANG!!!!
BANG!!!!
Two consecutive barrier-shattering sounds reverberated throughout the heavens, and those barriers existed within Axel’s black, glistening Soul Sanctum.
[You have successfully advanced to Mid Third Phase]
[You have successfully advanced to Late Third Phase]
[Your Existence has become more defined.]
[Your Demonic Energy has grown denser.]
[Your Will is starting to manifest]
[Every single one of your aspectual and non-aspectual skills has significantly grown stronger.]
[All of which have been detailed in your Nexus Panel]
As the last traces of despair within him were gone, Axel opened his demonic eyes once more, and in a mere second, all the exploded Demonic Energy and power was sucked right back onto his demonic body, displaying his overwhelming control and range over the Demonic Energy, as well as the sheer inflammable quantity of his power.
Slowly, eight figures flew over and knelt in reverence before Axel. His followers felt his boundless demonic majesty, which seemed to bend the very world itself in an unseen manner.
There was also an undeniable bloodline pressure pressing upon the souls of the Partial demons.
Of course, that pressure vanished in the next instant, thanks to Axel’s active control.
The Demon snapped his fingers, and a wave of his dense bloodline power travelled to each of his minions through the bloodline link.
This brought Axel’s followers some benefits; they did not advance, but this greatly loosened their wall forward towards the next stage.
Like the blossoming of hidden potential.
Axel showed them a grateful smile and said softly, "Thank you, everyone. I could not have done it without you. So please stand."
His subordinates stood up and looked him in the eye, and felt that something was gravely wrong. Axel’s gaze was strange and somewhat hollow, and to them it felt frankly terrifying.
It was as if a part of the previous Demon had died, or had fundamentally changed to something that was completely and utterly alien to human nature.
’Perhaps that is what it means to be a Complete Demon, ’ thought Wangnan to himself.
Regardless of those weary feelings, the Corrupted Elf spoke up with a smile, "Congratulations on your breakthrough, my lord."
Axel nodded at the elf and turned to his first-ever subordinate and sighed, "Thank you, Gareth, for not betraying me."
There was no threat in his tone, but only a calmness and a genuine sense of gratitude.
Gareth opened his mouth to ask something, but Axel said first, "Don’t worry, I have kept my promise. Activate the teleportation device, and you will see it on the way."
The Demon waved his hand towards the skies, and the golden shielding barrier which the Spirit of Prime cast started to crack, because its purpose was over.
Gareth stepped forward and handed over the Night-Visor mask. Axel donned the visage of the skull mask demon once more, but his skull face was now pitch black, and his horns were black as well.
The subordinate then pulled out a fixed, directional, one-time-use teleportation artefact and crushed it in his hands; a spatial tear enveloped Axel and his subordinate.
They were pulled into a channel of space, heading in a certain direction.
Just before the moment they disappeared, the golden barrier shattered, and Axel saw the chaotic state of the Human Camp’s army. Most of the powerhouses had already gone to their territories because of what had happened across humanity.
But a few remained; for example, Chancellor Helen, the peak 5th phase powerhouse of the Suncrest Royal family, and the Demon’s gaze met with hers for the first time; and Axel smiled at her condescendingly.
Those outside of the barrier till now could not observe what was happening within.
Only now, after the breakage of the barrier, could they see the inside.
The powerful woman roared in fury, but she could do nothing, as the demon and his followers had already disappeared, and she could not trace their direction or any sign of their teleportation.
As Axel and his followers flew through the tear in space at an inconceivable speed, Gareth witnessed from the skies how the whole of the Human Lands was filled with the bodies of mundane people lying everywhere; it was as if it had become a land of death.
However, when he looked a bit more closely, he saw that the black veins on most of their bodies were already gone or receding, and many of them were stirring.
A profound relief washed over his heart, unlike any he had ever felt; he said in a trembling voice, "All the Humans, they are indeed waking up."