"Kukuku Bring it on, lower life forms!"

Kougar, the 24th Ranked Demon Saint, stood amidst the ruins of his own making.

His suppressed laughter resonated with the crumbling stones of the city.

Lisa, her figure shrouded in the cloak of night, faced him with the Eclipse Scythe in hand. Its blade was emitting a powerful Divinity, and she knew that she couldn't control this weapon for too long.

Nonetheless, she was confident in winning this battle because she wasn't alone!

"Your arrogance will be your undoing" Lisa declared, her voice steady despite the maelstrom of Corruption that Kougar wielded.

Yvaine, her form barely visible, a wraith in the shadow, produced a talisman that pulsed with a celestial light.

It was the Divine Talisman given to her by Vale in case they met a powerful foe. In a sense, it was considered a sacred artifact inscribed with Vale's "Light Void Claw".

It was based on the Void Claw spell from the Dimensional Creature but it was heavily modified after engraving it into the talisman.

It now seemed to be a spell that could produce a light that could shackle even the darkest of entities and send them to the void.

As Lisa engaged Kougar, the Eclipse Scythe hummed with the power of Shadow Divinity...

Each swing cleaved through the air, dispelling the Corruption as it sought to connect with its target.

"A strong divinity However, that wouldn't last forever, Vampire!"

Kougar, in turn, unleashed tendrils of his Corrupted Divinity, each one was like a serpent of decay aiming to corrupt the very essence of life.

Lisa was actually being affected by the Corruption, but with her blood already mixed with the Immortal's Blood, she was able to easily recover However, she could not be too complacent as her healing ability might not keep up with the corruption if the Demon Saint continued intensifying his attacks.

Boom!

The battle was a clash of Divinity against Corruption

Lisa, who was proud of her speed, rained down her attacks to the Demon Saint...

Kougar's attacks were also relentless, but the Eclipse Scythe parried and countered

Bam!

Kougar was pushed away at the sudden burst of the Scythe's Spell It seemed to have the power of Wind Element!

Yvaine, seizing the moment, activated the Divine Talisman: Light Void Claw.

Whom~

The talisman glowed brighter than the stars, its light rending the space as it shot towards Kougar.

Kougar's eyes widened as he felt a powerful Spell suddenly appearing out of nowhere!

This Spell was definitely at the level of a powerful Celestial!

"You!"

Kougar was certainly surprised as he didn't expect a Celestial-level attack to suddenly come at the most critical time!

"Aaargghhh!

The Demon Saint roared as the Void Claw tore through his existence, searing his flesh and halting his advance.

"This can't be---" Kougar looked at the Demon Spirit that he had ignored because it was simply too weak in his perspective

He didn't expect that it was carrying such a deadly talisman with her!

"Tsk You're leaving me with no other choice" Kougar muttered as he released his true form, aiming to fight against the void that was tearing through his body!

However, it was too late for him to show his full strength!

Lisa did not waste the opportunity. With a cry that echoed throughout the battlefield, she lunged forward, the Eclipse Scythe arcing through the air with deadly precision.

Kougar, bound by the powerful offensive spells, could only watch as the scythe descended upon him.

Boom!

The impact was cataclysmic.

A shockwave of shadow and light erupted from the point of contact, sending ripples through the city and the surrounding lands.

As the light from the Divine Talisman: Light Void Claw faded, the form of Kougar, the 24th Ranked Demon Saint, began to dissolve into the ether.

The city, which had teetered on the edge of destruction, now teemed with life and relief. Arcanists, once braced for death, now stepped out into the dawn of their salvation, their faces etched with disbelief and gratitude.

"You have done the impossible" One of the elder Shaman declared, his voice echoing the sentiment of every soul within the city walls.

"Yes! Thank you, Miss Vampire!"

"You have saved us! The City Lords would like to meet you!"

"Right Did the Sage really send you here to save us? Thank you!"

Lisa just gently nodded in their direction as she had no plans of staying for long.

She simply needed some rest, so she hadn't moved yet.

However, she recalled Denise' reminder to be kind to the customers who will soon give them wealth.

'Ha~' Lisa sighed.

Currently, her hand was resting on the hilt of theEclipse Scythe She thought for a moment before she controlled her expression.

After taking a deep breath, she offered a gentle correction.

"No, we have done the possible, together." Her eyes, reflecting the breaking dawn, held the wisdom of the night's ordeal.

These words made the rest of the soldiers and arcanists cheer aloud.

***

However, unbeknownst to everyone, a figure managed to appear not too far from the battlefield.

This figure was heavily injured and he was the true Kougar who lurked in the shadows. His demonic essence was barely present, and his Corruption Divinity was already less than 10% of the original

His form was a mere specter of his former glory.

"Whew I still survived. But half of my soul gone" He muttered through gritted teeth, the pain of his soul's division was something new and unwelcome sensation.

He had never tried this before until now!

'Tsk I will remember you, Vampire Once I'm fully healed. I will come back stronger!' Kougar could only plan his revenge as he didn't expect the power behind that Divine Talisman with Light Void Claw to be too much!

Perhaps, if he didn't have the bone of the Dimensional Creature with him, his body would've been torn to many pieces already since the protection of the Abyss in his body was still not complete.

'I hope the Demon Lord can lend me some Abyssal Knights' Kougar thought as he knew that the Vampire's weakness would be those undead knights without any blood or life force to consume.

He believed that just five of these Abyssal Knights would be enough to handle the Vampire even if she was equipped by that Eclipse Scythe!

Intent on fleeing, Kougar summoned the remnants of his power, preparing to disappear and escape to the Rift.

"Hmm?"

But fate, it seemed, had other plans.

From the silence emerged a figure, cloaked in the authority of the shadows.

It was a figure that many of the Demon Saints knew because of how he had killed and injured many Demon Saints already It was the mysterious guardian of this Human Realm! The Shadow Immortal!

To be exact, it was Vale's Avatar.

Kougar turned, his eyes widening in shock.

"You!" he spat, the word a venomous hiss.

'You're supposed to be being hunted by the single-digit Demon Saints!' This was what he wanted to say!

After all, the reason why many of the Demon Saints became active was because they believed that the Demon Saints who were still alive from Rank 1 to Rank 9 would be hunting the Shadow Immortal!

However, those lazy Demo Saints seemed to have different plans!

"Why are you here?!!!" Kougar shouted in frustration and anger! It was a mix of emotions as he also wanted to scold the other top Rankers!

Vale's Avatar stood unflinching, his gaze piercing the Demon Saint's facade.

"Did you think you could escape so easily, Kougar? It seems that you're unaware, but we have two Demon Generals on our side" His voice was calm, a stark contrast to the turmoil that raged within Kougar.

Kougar was confused for a moment before his eyes widened as he realized something.

It appears that those Demon Generals leaked the information about his ability to split his soul!

Vale smiled after seeing his reaction.

Indeed, the two Demon Generals that had been enslaved in the Abyss Realm had served their purpose. They informed them of everything about the Abyss Realm, including the unique abilities of the Demon Saints!

The Demon Saint, now desperate, unleashed a barrage of corrupted spells, each a desperate cry of defiance.

Vale's Avatar, however, was an unstoppable force.

He didn't even bother dodging the attacks of the weakened Demon Saint

"You cannot touch me, Kougar. You are but a shadow of your former self, and evil spells hold no sway over me" Vale's Avatar proclaimed, his hand reaching out to the Demon Saint

At the same time, he activated one of his Spells: Slave Mark!

The temperature dropped with the appearance of Arcane Energy as a sigil of light appeared on Kougar's forehead, searing into his very essence.

"You!"

Kougar roared in defiance, his form writhing as he fought against the inevitable.

His attempts to resist were fierce; he summoned the remnants of his Corrupted Divinity, trying to sever the bond that the Slave Mark was forging.

But it was like a gale trying to uproot a mountainfutile and doomed to fail.

Nonetheless, Vale wasn't complacent and added more. It was the Spell he had recently obtained from the Sin!

"Dominion Thirst"