Rise

Cien gazed at Azazel's lingering soul near Kirana.

Apart from the wound caused by Cien's arrow in the head, he noticed a gaping hole in the soul's heart. The large hole exhibited an effect that seemed to freeze part of the demon's body.

Cien immediately recognized that this wound was the result of his daughter's attack.

He hadn't expected Kirana to be capable of delivering an attack that could harm not only an enemy's physical form but also their soul.

This was something Cien himself could do after acquiring the [Netherworld Flame] skill or obtaining some mastery over the long-lost element of death from Kastia.

In truth, Kirana was unaware that her technique, [Frozen Soul], had the potential to harm a foe's soul.

She had used it because it had consistently proven effective in incapacitating opponents in a single strike.

Kirana knew nothing about souls or the element of death.

Azazel's soul began to burn visibly. Its countenance seemed to express an immense and excruciating suffering.

Cien could see the soul's face contorted in what appeared to be screams and cries, yet no sound emanated. It was a sight seen but unheard.

The spectacle of the burning soul disturbed Cien and sent shivers down his spine.

He couldn't fathom why the demon's soul was burning, but he surmised it had something to do with the next realm that Azazel's essence was destined for.

'Hell? No, the Realm of Death would probably be more accurate.'

This was the first time Cien had witnessed a soul's procession in this manner. It prompted him to ponder what would happen to those who departed for Nirvana.

Cien was curious, but he didn't want to witness it anytime soon. He felt that desiring such a sight was akin to wishing ill upon someone good-hearted. It wasn't an appealing thought for Cien.

"Father!"

As Cien was still absorbed in gazing at Azazel's fading soul, his daughter Kirana arrived and embraced him, causing Cien, who was in mid-flight, to lose his balance.

"Sigh… What about your mother?"

"She should be with Legia."

Kirana then briefly recounted the events she faced in Marina.

Listening to this, Cien nodded in understanding. Although the evacuation had gone relatively smoothly, there were still numerous Abyssian forces in the north that caused some delays.

To make matters worse, in about ten minutes or so, Cien felt that the incarnation of the Demon God had become visible.

Without wasting any time, Cien then briefly explained the approaching entity. A terrifying being capable of annihilating the City of Lumiere in an instant.

Hearing about this entity, Kirana shivered, realizing that her previous opponents, including Azazel, were not on the same level as the Demon God described by her father.

Kirana knew that her father had come to intercept this incarnation. She wanted to help.

Fortunately, she had retained skills from Muni's soul, which enabled her to take action against a formidable foe.

Unfortunately, Cien didn't allow Kirana to join the fight against the Demon God incarnation.

Their current priority was to secure the residents and move them away from Marina.

Defeating the Demon God was the next objective, as Cien himself wasn't sure if the incarnation could be defeated.

Cien instructed Kirana to go to the northern gate and assist Legia in evacuating the residents and eliminating the demon forces there.

"But what about Father?"

"Your father has a way to intercept and buy time for you to complete the evacuation. Once it's done, send a signal into the air."

Cien answered, reverting Woodbelisk to its original size. He then looked up to see a silhouette plummeting from the sky. Similarly, Kirana observed her cousin falling with a calm expression as usual.

Kirana then split her water dragon mount in half, shaping the fragments into water birds. The birds flew to where Lilinette was falling and let her land on their soft backs.

"Take Lilinette with you."

"Father, Kiran isn't sure…"

"Save your mother and the surviving residents there. Don't worry, even if I'm in danger, there's still someone who doesn't want this self to die," Cien explained, pointing to his heart, where the chain of Hela was embedded.

Cien, Kirana, and Lilinette then landed in the southern part of Marina.

The city walls were in ruins, leaving only unrecognizable debris. Bloodstains and scattered flesh littered the ground, evidence of the hundreds of wall guards who had stood their ground. Now, they exist only in memory.

Brook and the three survivors were waiting for Kirana and the others' arrival. They approached and received the same orders from Cien as Kirana did.

Kirana hugged Cien and reassured him, "Kiran will come back after the matters in the north are settled."

Cien didn't reply to his daughter's words. He only watched the silhouettes of the five people flying away on a water dragon and birds.

"I hope you don't come back, Kiran…" Cien murmured.

He believed it would be very dangerous for his daughter to return and face the Demon God.

Even though it was just an incarnation, that figure was beyond reason.

Cien felt the level of power from the incarnation was at least Rank King, possibly even more, equivalent to the peak power of Hela from the past.

Cien sighed, calming himself.

Truth be told, even though he had claimed to have a way to confront the Demon God earlier, it was merely a bluff.

He had said it to prevent those around him from worrying. In reality, Cien had no idea how to stop the movement of the Demon God.

"This is truly like a suicide mission," Cien said, grinning broadly.

He then climbed the only remaining pillar of ice, a remnant of the ice wall created by Kirana. In about five minutes, he could already sense the presence of the Demon God on the horizon.

Though it wasn't visible yet, it felt close and incredibly ominous.

He looked up at the darkening sky, clouded over with a sense of impending sorrow. Perhaps even the sky wanted to weep for the fall of the Kingdom of Farnodt.

The kingdom had stood for hundreds of years.

Despite the recent events that had somewhat tarnished Farnodt's reputation, history still reminded everyone that Farnodt was one of the places that managed to survive demon invasions and the rampage of Hela in the past.

The loss of this historically significant kingdom was now one of humanity's defeats in the current chaotic era.

"Defeated due to the strength and foolishness of humanity itself," Cien sighed, closing his eyes and feeling the dampness in the air.

"Rain, perhaps…" he murmured to himself.

Cien smiled faintly and then opened his eyes. He had figured out a way to confront the Demon God.

Could he defeat it? Cien wasn't sure, but he believed he could at least stop it.

With time running short, Cien immediately put his plan into action.

He drew a magical circle on the surface of the ice pillar he stood on. The circle resembled an alchemical assimilation circuit, but Cien modified some of the designs and incantations within the circle.

After practicing alchemy hundreds of times (mostly creating antidotes), Cien had begun to understand the meanings of the strange symbols in some of the alchemical circuits he used.

When he finished, a pentagram was inscribed onto the surface of the ice.

At each of the five points of the pentagram, Cien placed five Mana Cores that he had brought as a precaution, in case he needed to create new magical arrows in the midst of battle.

But unexpectedly, this is how Cien will use it.

Utilizing his knowledge and creativity, Cien crafted a magical circuit designed to channel mana from the Mana Cores into himself.

This allowed Cien, who typically had a limited amount of mana, to access a much larger reserve.

Cien activated the magical circuit. The circle immediately lit up, and Cien felt a rush of abundant mana enveloping him.

"So, this is what it feels like to have a lot of mana," Cien remarked, sensing a unique warmth within him.

He took a deep breath, preparing for the next phase of his plan.

He could already see the silhouette of the Demon God at the edge of his vision. Within moments, the silhouette appeared right in front of Cien, about ten meters away and hovering higher in the air.

The Demon God scrutinized Cien, who stood at the center of a magical circle.

Initially, the Demon God was unaware of the specific magical circle Cien had employed.

However, upon closer examination, the Demon God was taken aback because the symbols Cien used were ancient characters created by humans and dragons in the earliest days of Kastia.

The very first original characters that emerged in Kastia.

"Who are you, truly? These characters should have disappeared long ago, at least after Adam vanished."

'Adam? Is that the name of one of the first humans born in Kastia?'

It was the first time he heard that name. In the tales recounted by Hela, the names of the first two humans were entirely unknown.

"I'm just a shop owner from a remote place. I'm not important. And these characters? I stumbled upon them quite accidentally."

Cien replied, downplaying his significance and the origin of the ancient characters he was using.

The Demon God frowned, not detecting any falsehood in Cien's words.

This only deepened its confusion. After all, if Cien was nobody of significance, how could he thwart so many of its attacks? Not to mention the chains exuding the heavy aura of death. What was all of this?

But it had to acknowledge that Cien was indeed not lying.

His identity was that of a regular shop owner. He wasn't a fighter, a king, let alone a Proxy or a God's incarnation. Even Cien's power level was only at Rank 2.

Cien truly was a nobody, at least by the standards of Kastia's current status.

"Hmph! So, someone without status like you dares to stop me? And all by yourself?"

"I must admit, what I'm doing is quite insane. But I have to stop you. Besides, who said I'm alone?"

"Hm?"

Cien grinned, "[Rise]."

He spoke as if commanding an entity, and thousands of souls that had been hidden from the mortal realm immediately manifested.

Thousands, even millions of human souls, mostly victims of the Abyss invasion, emerged from the depths of the earth.

They floated beside Cien, their energy brimming with vengeance, a burning desire to unleash their anger upon the Demon God.

It wasn't only human souls; there were also souls of demons and monsters that had perished in the war. All shared a common bond – the resentment of dying suddenly in the midst of an unexpected conflict.

With his abundant mana and mastery over the manipulation of the death element, Cien was now capable of performing something that defied logic.

Something that left the Demon God itself stunned as it witnessed countless souls instantaneously directing their intent to kill towards it.

"Let's see how long this can keep you occupied, Demon God."