Chapter 455: The Horned Demon

As Helag ventured deeper into the mountains, the surroundings grew darker, and he was now far from the camp.

Skeletons swarmed from all directions, attacking relentlessly, only to be cut down again and again.

These skeletons had the ability to revive unless their skulls were completely shattered, extinguishing the soul flames within.

Helag’s strikes were precise, shattering the skulls of each skeleton, ensuring they couldn’t revive.

By now, no one was paying attention to him; everyone was caught up in their own battles.

Human stamina had its limits, and no one could fight endlessly.

Some of the stronger adventurers were already injured—no one could guarantee they wouldn’t make a mistake.

With a few quick leaps, Helag moved deeper into the mountains.

Once he was out of sight of the others, he used his Shadow Corner ability, merging into the darkness and bypassing the skeleton army as he advanced swiftly.

Helag infiltrated the depths of the mountains and arrived at a valley.

Skeletons continued to emerge from the valley, marching toward the camp at the mountain’s entrance.

Helag climbed up the side of the valley and hid in the shadows, observing the scene below.

In the valley stood a horned demon, holding a staff.

Each time the staff glowed, a new skeleton appeared.

The horned demon was small, barely 1.4 meters tall.

“So, this is the one…” Helag muttered.

He could sense the demonic aura emanating from the horned demon.

After scanning the area, Helag confirmed that there were no other demons present.

“Absolute Defense!”

“Power of the titan!”

Helag’s body rapidly expanded, transforming into a small giant clad in dark gold armor.

The horned demon seemed to sense something and began to turn around.

But before it could, Helag vanished, reappearing behind the demon in an instant.

This was his innate ability, White Deer Spirit.

Using spatial teleportation, Helag appeared behind the horned demon and immediately swung a massive fist at it.

The size difference between Helag’s giant fist and the small demon was stark.

Just as Helag’s fist was about to connect, the demon’s staff trembled slightly, and the demon teleported ten meters away.

Helag recognized the move. “A teleportation spell, similar to Blink.”

“Trying to out-teleport me?”

With a thought, Helag followed, once again appearing behind the horned demon.

The demon had barely begun to conjure a fireball when Helag’s fist came crashing down again.

A green shield appeared in front of the demon, attempting to block the punch.

But the demon had clearly underestimated Helag’s strength—or perhaps it had no better options.

The green shield held for barely a second before shattering like glass.

The force of Helag’s punch slowed only slightly before slamming into the demon’s body.

The horned demon’s body, though tougher than a regular skeleton, was no match for Helag’s immense strength.

The punch shattered the demon’s body into pieces, leaving only its head intact.

This wasn’t because Helag had held back, but because the demon’s skull was particularly hard and had resisted the force.

“Spare… spare me!” the horned demon’s soul flame flickered, and a voice emerged, speaking in Avetian.

“You can talk?” Helag asked, surprised.

“Yes… yes, I’ve learned your language,” the demon stammered.

Since they could communicate, Helag decided to take the opportunity to gather some information.

“Where are you from, and why are you here?” Helag asked.

The horned demon replied, “I was originally living deep in the mountains, and I never provoked anyone. The surrounding area was my territory. But recently, a powerful being appeared. I couldn’t defeat him, so I had to find a new place to settle. I just arrived here and saw the people at the mountain’s entrance, so I decided to deal with them.”

“Was the one who took over your territory a demon or an exorcist?” Helag continued.

The demon’s soul flame flickered. “It was a human, but he was strange. His power was different from that of an exorcist. I’m not sure what he was.”

Helag was silent for a moment. He knew the demon was likely referring to a wizard, though he didn’t know which one.

“Do you remember where your old territory is?” Helag asked.

“Yes, I remember,” the demon quickly replied.

Helag grabbed the demon by its horns, lifting its head. “Lead the way. Take me there.”

“Okay, okay… but will you spare my life?” the demon pleaded.

“Do you think you’re in a position to make demands?” Helag said coldly.

At that, the demon fell silent, too afraid to speak further. It obediently pointed the way.

The demon’s soul flame formed an arrow, pointing north.

“Convenient,” Helag remarked.

He glanced north, toward the depths of the mountains, a place rarely visited by humans.

“Oh, and deactivate the skeletons at the mountain’s entrance,” Helag ordered.

“Understood,” the demon complied.

At the mountain’s entrance, the skeletons suddenly froze in place, their soul flames extinguishing instantly.

The skeletons collapsed to the ground, leaving piles of bones scattered everywhere.

The members of the demon-hunting squad, who had been locked in a fierce battle, were stunned by the sudden turn of events, unsure of what had just happened.

They had been surrounded by the skeleton army, and many were already exhausted.

Only a few exorcists were still holding their own, while the ordinary adventurers were on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, Helag, carrying the horned demon’s head, moved swiftly through the forest, heading toward the demon’s former territory.

The horned demon, eager to survive, remained silent except to give directions, not daring to disturb Helag.

***

“Damn the expedition team!”

Medel stood inside a third-tier magical array, cursing as he gazed up at the starry sky.

He blamed the expedition team’s malfunctioning teleportation rings for his current predicament.

Medel had already planned how to deal with Helag. He intended to return to the wizard plane and kill all of Helag’s friends one by one before finally killing Helag himself.

He wanted Helag to die in utter despair, only after experiencing the greatest pain imaginable. Only then would Medel feel his anger had been avenged.

“A lowly wizard from a barren land dares to defy my orders!” Medel fumed, his anger growing as he thought about it. He wished he could return to the wizard plane and kill Helag immediately.