The Black Flame That Burns the World

Atop the spiral tower.

A violent tremor struck without warning. Elder John stumbled and quickly grabbed a nearby stone pillar to steady himself.

"What’s happening? What’s going on!"

The shaking beneath their feet and the debris falling from above threw the cult members into a panic.

This grand temple of the ancient demon empire was beginning to collapse.

Elder John immediately turned to the two demon messengers and asked in a low voice, "You two! What exactly is going on? Is this earthquake related to the sacrificial ritual?"

The two demons also wore expressions of shock and confusion.

"It shouldn't be..."

"According to the legends passed down by our demon army, one must initiate the sacrificial ritual to obtain the secret treasure and please the god..."

"But we've never heard of an earthquake of this magnitude occurring. There are no such records..."

The high-level demons braved the falling stones to rush to the edge of the corridor and look down.

However, there was only a roiling cloud of thick dust below; they couldn't see anything.

"Where is Celia! Where is the Hermit!" A strange look flashed across Elder John’s wrinkled face as a terrifying thought suddenly surfaced. "Don't tell me... they’re about to escape?"

"That's impossible!" Although the high-level demon was surprised by the earthquake, he remained absolutely certain about the outcome of the sacrificial ritual.

"No one can escape the sacrificial ritual. Once it begins, death is the only end! You underestimate the methods of us demons. In a thousand years, there has only been one..."

At this point, the high-level demon paused.

"There has been a precedent for escape?" Elder John pressed urgently.

"There was..." The high-level demon stared down into the depths with suspicion. "But that was... the last monarch of the demon race, known as the strongest demon, an existence like a god walking the earth..."

Cold sweat kept dripping from Elder John’s forehead. He also stared into the deep underground, his sense of foreboding growing heavier and heavier...

Just then, a wild and chaotic torrent of mana surged upward from below.

Then...

That familiar Black Flame, containing the aura of pure destruction, surged toward them like an awakening tide!

"It seems..." Elder John murmured, "we are witnessing the second... existence like a god walking the earth."

The Black Flame churned and converged as Celia’s figure floated high above the spiral tower.

Her eyes, once full of life, were now nothing but a cold, blood-red. She looked down at the crowd below with indifference, as if inspecting ants.

The two demon messengers looked up at her in disbelief, their voices distorted by extreme shock. "You... how is this possible... how did you...!"

Celia’s gaze swept over them indifferently.

"Die!"

In the next instant, the two demons let out heart-wrenching screams. Their bodies were engulfed by the Black Flame. Their skin and flesh rapidly carbonized and peeled away before everyone's eyes, turning completely to ashes within seconds.

Except for John, all the cult elders cast spells toward the air.

But those whistling spells seemed to lose all effect. No attack could shake the layer of flickering Black Flame surrounding her.

Celia stared at Elder John with indifference.

Elder John’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. It was the most instinctive fear and despair from the depths of his soul.

"It's over..."

All their calculations and conspiracies were as laughable as ants before this crushing power...

"Die!!"

The Black Flame swept past, and all the cult members were instantly engulfed.

After a series of desperate, inhuman howls...

Only a large patch of charred ashes remained.

Celia silently lowered her head, looking at Ansu’s corpse held in her arms, and whispered softly.

"The people who started the ritual have been killed by me... but I haven't finished seeking revenge for you yet..."

"Echoes of Truth..."

Celia’s voice grew colder and colder.

She looked up at the top of the spiral tower. The Black Flame enveloped her and began to spread slowly toward the outside of the temple.

The Black Flame that burns the world rose into the sky.

But at the moment Celia was about to leave the demon temple—

The entire high tower suddenly emitted a low, heart-palpitating hum.

Another tremor came faintly from deep underground, as if some sleeping giant was turning over beneath the tower's foundation.

Celia’s gaze turned slightly grave. She looked down at the path she had come from.

She felt an existence had been suddenly awakened and was watching her...

"The God of Slaughter... Ersos?"

Celia couldn't help but let out a disappointed sneer. "Waking up only now is a bit too late..."

Ansu, who was observing everything, was overjoyed.

He checked the system countdown again. There was less than an hour left before returning to reality.

Miss Witch had completed this difficult task at the very last moment.

He knew Celia could do it!

At this moment, the god's will seemed to be watching Celia at the top of the tower. Celia’s performance had finally awakened this ancient existence that had slept for a thousand years.

The whispers that had been appearing in his ears ever since they started exploring the ancient ruins became even clearer.

Celia clutched her forehead. The annoying whispers made her incredibly angry.

"Get out of my head... I don't need you to teach me... I know what to do!"

Her dark red eyes flickered violently, and Celia couldn't help but hold Ansu’s corpse tighter.

However, this time, Ansu could no longer bring her warmth...

Celia’s emotions were gradually being influenced by the evil god's whispers. That intense will of resentment and hatred seemed impossible to shake off by any means...

"Get lost!"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost Ansu at all!! This grudge belongs to you too!"

"Ersos, you foolish god!! Hahaha! You think that by choosing me, you can have your revenge? You useless coward! You don't even dare to show your face!"

Celia laughed madly, constantly mocking Ersos’s incompetence.

And those sinister whispers suddenly stopped amidst the cursing and mockery.

Then, an even more violent tremor came from deep underground.

The evil god's angry and resentful will seemed to want to break through the seal. The heart-palpitating hum filled the entire spiral tower.

Celia couldn't help but sneer, feeling even more contempt for this incompetent fellow.

Ansu silently watched the mocking Celia, feeling quite helpless. If Miss Witch kept cursing like this, she might actually make the evil god faint from anger...

Ersos indeed couldn't break the seal, but this place was his territory after all. The evil god's will was everywhere; it was better not to provoke him too much.

Ansu’s consciousness had been focused on the deep underground.

Just after Celia obtained the god's recognition, the circular altar underwent a certain change.

The demon undead no longer appeared. In their place was... an extremely thick magical power. This magical power opened a hidden barrier, and Ansu could faintly see countless golden objects.

The ultimate goal of this mission.

The demon army's treasure.

It’s done!!

Excitedly thinking about the next task, Ansu decided not to continue playing dead.

He immediately opened the system panel. The duration of Feign Death was too long; Ansu had to wake up immediately.

【Magic Immunity Lv2】

【Selected immune skill: necromancy magic - Feign Death】

The moment 【Magic Immunity】 was selected, Ansu’s 'corpse' suddenly twitched. Then, he sat up like a corpse rising from the grave.

"I can finally breathe. I almost suffocated..."

Ansu clutched his chest, gasping for air as he looked at the dumbfounded Miss Witch.

"Celia... I know you must be very shocked, but don't ask so much for now..." Ansu instructed hurriedly, "Quick! Take me deep underground first!!"

Celia’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Ansu, who had suddenly spoken to her from her arms.

Eh??

Ansu smiled at Miss Witch.

Her red eyes were wide and round, and her expression had turned blank. That overly shocked little look was truly cute.

Ansu couldn't help but chuckle and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"I'm not a liar, you know. I heard everything you said about me being bad~"

"Ansu!?" Celia looked him up and down in disbelief, then hugged his body with frantic strength. "You're alive? You're still alive! What on earth is going on?"

"I'm alive... of course I'm alive..." Ansu was being held so tightly he could barely breathe. "Don't be so excited. Take me down quickly... the demon army's treasure has been opened. We don't have time..."

"This is wonderful! This is wonderful!!" Celia even thought she was dreaming, but when she felt Ansu’s breath and his warm body temperature, she felt as if she had come back to life as well. Tears involuntarily burst from her eyes.

She cried loudly as she hugged Ansu, her fingernails instinctively digging into his back as she vented all the pain and despair she had just felt to him.

"I thought there would be no one left to stay with me in this world... You just left me like that. What's the point of me living alone... Ansu, how can you be so mean? Why did you lie to me like that!!"

"Don't cry... fine, I'm mean... I'm the meanest..." Ansu felt the stinging pain in his back from her grip, but he still gently patted her back, softly comforting the crying Celia as if she were a child.

"But isn't the result good? Alright, alright, stop crying... time is tight... we should do some proper business..."

As soon as he said this, Celia suddenly raised her head, her blood-red eyes staring straight at him.

"Hmm...?" Ansu was startled, not knowing what was wrong with her now.

In the next second, Celia’s face leaned in.

She used a burning and fierce kiss to block Ansu’s mouth, stopping whatever else he wanted to say.

The world seemed to fall silent.