The city of Thatcher lay behind Vale, its walls scarred by battle, its air still heavy with the scent of death, magic, and ash.

Vale's Avatar seemed like a silent specter as he moved through the night with a singular purpose.

It was a Demon Saint that seemed to have a similar level of aura to the previous Demon Saint Vale had encountered.

There was a huge chance that it was Var'gakan's compatriot or Demon Saint with a single digit in his rank!

'Mhmm Is he meeting up with someone? He can't be that frightened to return to the Rift and stay in the comfort of the Abyss Realm, right?' Vake silently thought as he only knew that the direction the Demon Saint was heading was the nearby Rift.

This Saint could really be planning to go home, or perhaps, he was simply going to rendevous with his fellow Demons.

Nonetheless, this Demon Saint was unaware of the shadow that trailed him, a disguised Combat Art Specialist who was silent in its pursuit.

***

The Demon Saint, cloaked in the guise of a traveler, made his way toward the mountains where the Rift was located.

The Rift was none other than the portal that bridged the realms of humans and demons.

As soon as he reached the mountains, the Demon Saint's steps became measured, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of pursuit, but he saw none.

Vale's Avatar was a master of stealth, his presence as imperceptible as the whisper of the wind.

'Mhmm Formation Arts? Did they arrange this to stop others from closing the Rift?' Vale mused as he recalled that the other Rifts weren't well protected.

However, it seemed that they had learned their lessons and decided to make it difficult for others to find the Rifts.

After all, once it was camped by numerous Arcanists, the Demons who were coming out of it would also be in grave danger since their numbers wouldn't do much if they were in a tight space.

Anyway, Vale used his Presence Shift and control of the True Invisibility. The combination of this Spirit Art and Celestial Art was perfect for such a mission.

As the Demon Saint continued on his way, Vale followed silently without being detected. Soon, Vale saw the Rift, which was just above a huge mountain rock.

Then, Vale saw the Demon Saint reach the edge of the Rift and heaved a sigh of relief.

The air around him began to shimmer, the fabric of reality thinning as he prepared to cross over to the Abyss Realm!

'So you're really escaping now? Did you seriously get scared of the Aura Master? Shouldn't you call for other Demon Saints, at least? Why are you escaping?' Vale frowned as he considered whether to wait for the Demon Saint's return since he might bring some backup, and he'd get to kill more of them in the process.

However, he was also worried that the Demon Saint really planned to escape and close this Rift once and for all!

'Ugh Let me just kill you now for my peace of mind.' Vale thought as he made his move.

"Mhmm?" The Demon Saint felt a strange energy fluctuation and it was coming from behind!

Vale, an Aura Master, moved in a silent dash from the shadows, his black sword drawn and ready to strike!

The Demon Saint turned, sensing the disturbance too late!

The Aura Master was upon him, his sword a flash of silver in the moonlight.

"Assassin?! You coward!" The Demon Saint shouted as he lifted his own weapon.

Bang!

The Demon Saint parried, his blade drawn from the ether, its edge glowing with the power of the Abyss. Since he was near the Rift, his energy was a lot stronger, and he wasn't too afraid.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their exchange of blows didn't end in a single strike. They continued to attack each other in a move that was difficult to see with the naked eye.

The clash of their swords was like a symphony of steel and sparks; each strike was like a rhythm in the battle.

Vale continued to fight like a true Aura Master and an expert swordsman. He moved withprecision that was almost mechanical, his every move calculated to exploit the smallest opening.

"You're that Aura Master!"

The Demon Saint, for all his power, found himself on the defensive, his attacks turned aside with an ease that belied the Avatar's human appearance.

They have sent many spies to the Human Realm before they decided to open the Rift. They didn't just wait for the Will of the Human Realm to weaken.

They avoided putting the Rifts near the bases of powerful organizations that could gather thousands of Arcanists at a moment's notice.

Because of that, the Demon Saint wasn't expecting any Aura Master capable of killing all the Demons Creatures! He summoned!

Nonetheless, the Demon Saint's didn't lose hope. No matter what, he was still a Demon Saint of the eighth rank!

"If you think you are strong enough to kill me, then you're wrong, coward!" The Demon Saint said as he called the Aura Master a coward. He hated how this swordsman decided to attack him in surprise from his back!

"I am Togthamen! The Eight Rank Demon Saint! Remember the one who will kill you!"

As he said this, Togthamen gathered the leaking energy from the Abyss and burst with power! For some reason, he dislikes using the power of corruption against this sword-wielding fellow.

He wanted this cowardly Aura Master to be defeated in his own game!

With that in mind, Togthamen decided to simply use his blade and show him their difference!

They moved and exchanged blows, and each strike was meant to kill!

Clang! Clang!

Their figures started blurring as they exchanged blow after blow.

Whom~

As the Aura and Corrupted Divinity of the Demon Saint clashed, the Rift pulsed behind them, as if responding to the chaotic force of the two individuals.

Vale's Avatar was relentless; his Sword Aura was like a shield that turned away the Demon Saint's Corrupted Divinity that would normally prevent other Arcanists from using their Arcane Energy.

Vale's movement remained steady and fast as his sword was like a sliver of destruction that sought the Demon Saint's heart!

'This swordsman is too strong?! How did we fail to get any report about this person? This body must be a perfect vessel for the Gluttony!' Togthamen thought.

Apparently, Gluttony, one of the Seven Sins of the Abyss, had a part of its soul destroyed in this Human Realm, and it was searching for a perfect body to use and return to this place to find the Dark Magician who had killed its first vessel.

Gluttony had initially planned to just play around this realm with the weak body he had decided to use.

After playing around to gratify his boredom, he was planning to just leave the body on its own to do whatever it wanted with its remnant energy.

However, a Dark Magician ended its life so quickly and was now finding a strong human body to possess.

'If I get this swordsman and give it to Sir Gluttony, then I will definitely be rewarded!' Togthamen thought as he saw an opportunity!

The Demon Saint roared, a sound that echoed across the plains and unleashed a torrent of power.

"Playtime is over, cowardly swordsman" Togthamen spoke in his deep voice. His two horns started getting extremely dark, like that of an abyss.

The ground shook, the temperature turned cold, but Vale's Avatar stood firm.

With a shout that was more felt than heard, he pounced, his sword piercing the Demon Saint's defenses.

For a brief moment, the Demon Saint felt Divinity from the sword!

"You---"

The Demon Saint wanted to call him a coward once again. He didn't expect that swordsman had the power to wield Divinity or at the very least, he didn't expect that the sword could emit Divine Power that only Celestials could do!

The Demon Saint stumbled, his form beginning to crack as the Avatar's blade found its mark!

Yes, upon getting hit by the sword, the Demon Saint felt something spreading throughout his body! He could release his Demonic Arts! He couldn't access his Spell Models, and this had never happened before!

Even the Dimensional Creatures couldn't stop him from using Demon Arts! At most, it could only delay his casting speed!

Togthamen didn't want to end like this, he also didn't want his body to be desecrated by the swordsman.

He used all his strength to get away from Vale!

With a burst of his remained Corrupted Divinity, he was able to escape from Vale's blade, but he was already dying

With a final gasp, he fell to the Rift and Vale saw his body dissolving into the Rift with an explosion.

Vale confirmed that it had certainly died After all, the last spell he used was Corpse Explosion It wouldn't work if the Demon Saint was still alive when he fell to the Rift.

"Now How do I close this? Or should I enter?" Vale muttered as he considered his options.

As an Avatar, he didn't really mind dying. At most, the original body just had to recover for a month, and then another Avatar could be created without an issue.