It didn't take long before Vale's Avatar was deep within the Abyss.

The oppressive Will of this Abyss Realm was still suppressing, but he wasn't discouraged.

His Magic Zone had already accustomed to the Realm as he scanned the horizon for any sign of a Rift or the Demon Lord's stronghold.

As he ventured further, the terrain grew more treacherous, the ground beneath seemed to be pulsating with a malevolent life of its own.

'This realm really looked different No wonder they all wanted to leave this place' Vale mused.

As he continued moving, he realized that the air was thick with the cries of unseen creatures, their wails a haunting melody that accompanied his solitary journey

'Spirits?' Vale thought as he scanned the surroundings. They don't seem to be problems, as they could probably tell that he wasn't the target they were looking for.

After some time, as he continued on his path, his eyes finally lit up.

In the distance, a faint glow caught his attentiona beacon of sorts, or perhaps a trap. Nonetheless, it was something new, so Vale was excited.

He then approached cautiously, his senses alert for any sign of danger.

It wasn't long before the source of the light revealed itself to be another Rift, its edges shimmering with the same dark energy as the one he had entered through. Furthermore, there were several platoons of Demonic Creatures waiting for their turn to enter the Rift!

"This is it" Vale muttered as he finally found one of his targets.

***

In the meantime, as Vale waged his solitary war within the Abyss Realm, the Human Realm was not spared from peril.

One of the Featherstar Clan's strongholds at the northern part of the Milton Kingdom, was a nexus for the realm's most formidable Dark Magicians.

The Dark Magicians that were gathered here weren't just from the Milton Kingdom but also all over the place. They had supposedly gathered many Dark Arts Practitioners in this place to have a serious counterattack against the Holy Arts Faction and the Church of the Fortune Goddess.

However, something unexpected happened.

It now faced an unprecedented threat.

Apparently, five Demon Fiends, beings of immense power capable of rivaling the power of Arcanists of the Darkness Path materialized above the clan's bastion.

Lennart Featherstar, a middle-aged man in his thirties with a long blond hair, was calmly seated in his room looking at his recording crystal that was given to him.

It was showing the powers of the Demon Fiends that had already caused trouble in a neighboring kingdom about a year ago.

'So it's true that the Demons had been planning this for a long time. The previous appearances of the Demons, Zyrans, Fiends, Evil Spirits, and Saints were all trials for them' Lennart thought as he confirmed that the reports he had read years ago were true.

This was indeed a carefully planned invasion and wasn't just any random invasion after the Abyss Realm found out their coordinates.

Lennart sighed as they weren't prepared for this at all. At most, only the Order of the Evanescent Vessels were prepared enough to deal with demons!

At this time, their Dark Magicians, Dark Ritualists, Corruption Weavers, Dark Alchemists, and Necromancers were prepared to deal with the Holy Arts and Mystic Arts Practitioners. Their weapons, equipment, talismans, and other items weren't meant to deal with the Demons, who also used a familiar form of Dark Energy.

"Let's hope that our current defenses could hold until the Vessels arrive..." Lennart muttered as he gazed outside the stronghold.

Whom~

Outside, the air was filled with malevolent energy as the Demon Fiends descended, their presence was like a blight upon the land.

The Dark Magicians, sensing the encroaching evil energy, rallied to the defense of their stronghold.

Led by the venerable Master Class Arcanist Eldrin, they formed a circle of power, their hands weaving intricate patterns in the air, summoning the forbidden dark magics that had long protected their lineage.

One could see several souls being used to create a mysterious defensive art.

Indeed, this area wasn't under the regulation of the Arcane Bureau of the Kingdom's Arcanist Guild. Using Forbidden Arts in this place wasn't a big deal at all!

"Those are Demonic Fiends! They were known for their habit of eating Dark Arcanists because of our Darkness Possession Anyone who had consumed the potion was considered as food for them to get stronger! However, we will let them know that we aren't their food! We will be the ones draining their life!" Eldrin shouted as he signaled his fellow Dark Magicians to attack!

The battle commenced with a thunderous roar as spells and demonic growls intertwined.

Eldrin, staff in hand, channeled a spell of binding, attempting to shackle the Fiends with Corrupted Searing Chains.

Two of the creatures writhed, ensnared by the magic, but the others broke free, their strength were too great for the spell to hold.

Nonetheless, this bought the others some time to continue casting Spells!

Dark Nova, Darkness Coil, Spirit Hands, Spectral Hands, Nightmare, Night Pulse, and Spirit Shatter were only a few of the Dark Spells being thrown to the Demonic Fiends

***

"Not good Our spells are only delaying the inevitable It's not killing the Demonic Fiends"

From the ranks of the Dark Magicians, a Dark Magician named Shirley Harrison was worried about the situation. She was previously a professor at Vermont Academy, but as the war happened, she had to pass the duty of educating young practitioners to others.

After all, her skill would be better used in the battlefield than in the Academy.

As she observed the Demonic Fiends, she couldn't help but feel that something was off.

'They may not be as strong as the Demon Saints but they're definitely not going to die with our current tactics'

The Demonic Fiends had a grotesque perversion of the human form. They were standing taller than the average man, their stature was also imposing, and they had elongated limbs that ended in razor-sharp talons. Their skin was filled with dark veins with a seamless blend of obsidian and midnight blue that seemed to absorb the light around them.

She felt that not even the swords of normal Aura Master could pass through that skin!

Their heads are crowned with a chaotic array of horns, each one twisted and unique, jutting out at odd angle... They were different from the elegant horns of the Demon Saints.

Then, these Fiends' eyes are deep-set, glowing with a malevolent crimson There were no whites or pupils that could be discerned, only the endless, burning red that speaks of their infernal origin.

What made them a lot scarier was their mouths, which always seemed to be smiling. It was wide and filled with rows of serrated teeth, reminiscent of a shark's maw, ready to rend flesh from bone!

"We should be changing tactics now" Shirley muttered as she looked at their commander.

'Do you really think this monster would die from Tier 1 and Tier 2 Dark Spells?! Even Fusion Spells may not work since it's still Dark Spell! They're not afraid of it!' Shirley wanted to shout this out, but she was afraid that Eldrin might have some other plans in his mind

Normally, she could lead a small group of Arcanists not exceeding fifty people with her current rank.

However, because of the emergency situation, everyone had to follow the current commander until the situation was controlled.

Certainly, their Dark Spells could stop the Fiends from attacking them as they slowly caused some damage.

However, the Fiends were also recovering as they were getting hit by the Dark Magic Spells!

At this rate, their Dark Energy would be consumed before they could seriously injure one of them!

'Why are we not being ordered to use our Forbidden Spells until now?' Shirley thought worriedly.

She couldn't understand why Eldrin was underestimating these Demonic Fiends!

Soon, she realized what was going on!

After Eldrin gave an initial order, it remained standing on his spot, and his eyes were opened wide, and his eyes were not moving!

Something must've happened to him, and he couldn't move!

It was only Shirley who had noticed that something was wrong.

"Not good"

Without any more hesitation, Shirley stepped forward.

Many Dark Magicians noticed her breaking the ranks. This included the others who had been professors in the Academy. Of course, many of them were still those who had entered or graduated from the Academy.

They knew Shirley well. They immediately realized that something was off!

Soon, they saw her eyes glow

Then, a part of her hair turned silver as she invoked the forbidden Shadowflamea volatile magic feared even among the Dark Practitioners!

The flames, black as the abyss itself, surged towards the Fiends, engulfing one in its consuming embrace!

The Dark Magicians, witnessing Shirley's bold use of a Forbidden Spell without Eldrin's command, turned their gaze upon their leader.

A sense of dread filled the air as they noticed Eldrin's form, now eerily still and silent. Instinctively, they knewthe Fiends had ensnared him in some vile enchantment!