...

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The two streaks of light continued tearing across the heavens, closely following the endless crimson rivers flowing toward the opposite side of the Illuminating Forest.

The violent winds howled against Shin’s face, causing the mantle of darkness draped behind him to flutter relentlessly.

Not long after—

His Heart Realm Technique picked up another familiar fluctuation rapidly closing the distance from behind.

Without slowing down, Shin merely shifted his gaze over his shoulder.

Sure enough, a pair of enormous blood-red wings steadily cut through the sky as Alucard chased after him with all his strength.

Although his speed was remarkable by ordinary standards, it was still noticeably slower than Shin’s current state.

Shin slowed down ever so slightly, allowing the distance between them to shrink.

When Alucard finally flew alongside him, Shin swept his eyes across the latter’s battered appearance before letting out a faint chuckle. "You still managed to catch up in that condition?"

"You look quite beaten up, Alucard." He added.

The usually elegant vampire was in an unusually miserable state.

His crimson coat had been torn in several places, revealing numerous deep wounds that had yet to completely regenerate. Traces of dried blood still stained the edges of his sleeves while his breathing was noticeably heavier than usual.

Alucard glanced sideways before revealing a helpless smile, exposing his sharp vampire fangs. "You don’t exactly look much better yourself, Vice Commander."

Shin lowered his eyes toward his own body.

His armor had long become tattered after the relentless battle against the Elemental Anomalies. Even though most of his injuries had already recovered thanks to his powerful regeneration, faint traces of dried blood and countless tears across his attire still served as proof of just how brutal the previous battle had been.

They had not exited their combat state, so they still had yet to reset to their regular state.

The corners of Shin’s lips rose slightly. "I suppose we’re about even."

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke, leaving only the deafening roar of the wind to accompany their flight.

After several more seconds, Shin calmly broke the silence. "Don’t push yourself too hard."

His eyes remained fixed on the crimson rivers stretching toward the horizon. "We’re only dealing with the remnants of the Demonic Church of Terror, anyway."

He paused briefly before adding with a helpless shrug, "At least, that’s what I’m hoping."

Neither of them knew exactly what awaited them on the other side. After everything that had happened today, assuming anything would be foolish.

Alucard simply nodded. "Roger that."

Boom! Boom!

The two exchanged one final glance before simultaneously flapping their wings with tremendous force.

The air behind them exploded into twin shockwaves.

Flying side by side, they accelerated once more, transforming into two meteors that chased after the endless rivers of slaughter energy toward the battlefield awaiting them.

...

In the meantime, the very center of the Illuminating Forest had already transformed into a land of utter desolation.

The towering trees that once radiated gentle sacred light had long since withered into lifeless husks. Their bark had turned charcoal-black while countless brittle branches stretched toward the heavens like the fingers of corpses desperately grasping for salvation.

Even the earth itself had died.

The fertile ground that once released countless motes of holy light now oozed thick streams of black miasma instead, filling the surroundings with an oppressive aura that seemed capable of suffocating life itself.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

At the heart of that ruined landscape stood an enormous crimson altar.

Its towering pillars appeared to have been carved entirely from coagulated blood, while countless sinister runes continuously pulsed across its surface as if they possessed a life of their own.

A gigantic crimson barrier enveloped the entire structure.

Outside it, more than a dozen Demonic Players relentlessly unleashed one devastating attack after another.

Explosions continuously shook the surroundings, yet the barrier merely trembled before stabilizing once more.

Standing at the forefront of the assault, Henrick stared at the figure atop the altar with an increasingly distorted expression.

"Tsk! That bastard..." His eyes were frighteningly sharp. "Just how much longer is he planning to keep blocking the slaughter energy?"

His furious voice echoed throughout the ruined forest.

Beside him, Agata narrowed her eyes while carefully observing the continuously fluctuating barrier. "He was desperately pulling the slaughter energy into the ritual before..."

Her gaze slowly shifted upward toward the endless crimson rivers still flowing through the sky. "...yet the moment those rivers finally arrived... He suddenly started pushing everything away instead."

A thoughtful look appeared on her face. "He must be planning something..."

"No." Henrick immediately shook his head. "He’s buying time."

His expression gradually darkened. "Something must have happened on the Oath City’s side."

"He spent the entire battle protecting everyone inside that city..." His tone was getting graver in every passing second. "...yet now he’s willing to stand alone just to prevent the completion of the Grand Sacrificial Ritual."

"That only means one thing." His clenched fists released faint pulses of demonic power. "The situation over there has already changed."

Before either of them could continue discussing the matter, two figures slowly emerged from the ruined forest behind them.

Heavy footsteps echoed through the dead land.

Henrick slightly narrowed his eyes. "Mordrake... Velkris..."

The gigantic warrior let out a low chuckle as he casually rested the enormous battle axe on his shoulder. "So... This is what happens when your master insists on keeping everything to himself."

"If Lord Malzareth had been allowed to participate from the beginning..." His mocking gaze swept across Henrick and Agata. "...none of this would’ve happened... nor would you have been stabbed in the back by those outsiders."

"Oh?" Agata immediately sneered. "And let your master claim every bit of the credit afterward?"

She took a single step forward, the surrounding demonic aura immediately becoming noticeably denser. "Let’s stop pretending."

"Everyone here knows the Demonic Church of Terror isn’t built on trust. It’s built on ambition." The air around her started pulsing with terrifying waves of demonic power. "The only difference between allies and enemies... is whether today’s interests happen to align."

"I see." Mordrake’s grin widened. "So your master taught you at least one useful lesson."

Throughout the entire exchange, Velkris remained completely silent.

His expression never changed, but his fingers slowly tightened around the hilts of the twin demonic swords hanging at his waist.

The subtle movement did not escape Henrick’s notice.

Likewise, Agata quietly shifted her footing.

For a brief moment, the atmosphere became incomparably heavier. The two factions silently stared at one another, neither side willing to lower its guard.

Had the Grand Sacrificial Ritual not still been incomplete, the battle surrounding the altar would have instantly turned into an internal bloodbath between the Demonic Church of Terror itself.

After all, these lunatics had never cared about friend or foe once blood was drawn. As long as someone stood in their way—or simply became an obstacle to their ambitions—they would not hesitate to turn their blades against them, regardless of rank, allegiance, or background.

...

From the top of the crimson altar, Diablo silently witnessed the entire exchange below before shaking his head with a helpless smile. "These battle maniacs really live up to their reputation."

To ordinary people, the current situation would have been more than enough to force a temporary alliance.

To the members of the Church of Terror, however, the possibility of killing one another seemed just as tempting as completing the ritual itself.

His gaze soon shifted away from them and landed on the enormous crimson barrier surrounding the altar.

Beneath its surface, endless rivers of slaughter energy continuously crashed against the barrier before being forcefully repelled away.

Originally, Diablo had intended to destroy the sacrificial altar immediately after finishing his battle against Dragulia.

Even though it would have required considerable effort, he was confident that he could accomplish it. During his fierce battle with the Arch Heretic, the altar had already suffered significant damage from the shockwaves produced by their exchange. Destroying what remained was merely a matter of time.

Unfortunately, before he could execute that plan, Alucard’s urgent message had completely changed the situation.

The sudden sacrifice of the incoming reinforcement was immediately followed by the betrayal of the Demonic Church of Envy.

Then the appearance of the mysterious gate further worsened the situation, especially when the crimson rivers of slaughter energy changed their original trajectory and headed toward the gate instead.

Diablo immediately realized what had happened, forcing him to abandon his original objective.

Instead of destroying the altar, he had to preserve it.

Fortunately, his experience as the former Commander of the Sweepers from the Pandemonium Descendants proved invaluable at such a critical moment.

Although he had never specialized in sacrificial rituals, his previous position had exposed him to countless operations involving similar altars.

That knowledge allowed him to quickly grasp the altar’s basic operating principles.

He first amplified the altar’s original suction force, forcibly reclaiming the crimson rivers that had begun flowing toward the ancient gate and redirecting them back to the altar once more.

That single decision had bought them precious time, delaying whatever existence was trying to keep the ancient gate partially opened through the endless slaughter energy.

Unfortunately, the situation changed once again.

The moment Shin resolved the crisis surrounding the ancient gate, Diablo’s priorities immediately shifted back to destroying the altar.

But before he could even adjust the ritual, the remaining elites of the Church of Terror arrived.

Understanding that he did not have enough time, he changed his priority once again.

Unable to advance or retreat, Diablo had no choice but to abandon every offensive option available to him.

By taking control of several of its core functions, he managed to reverse part of the ritual itself, transforming the altar from something that absorbed slaughter energy into something that actively rejected it.

Every torrent of crimson energy that descended from the sky was forcefully diverted away before it could be incorporated into the Grand Sacrificial Ritual.

He had even borrowed a portion of it to create the crimson barrier to block the relentless assault of the opposing group.

He concentrated all of his efforts on reinforcing the crimson barrier while continuously forcing the altar to reject every incoming stream of slaughter energy.

It was the only strategy left—a strategy built entirely upon buying time.

His expression gradually became solemn as he looked toward the endless crimson rivers still pouring across the heavens. "I can hold them back for now..."

But he also understood that he could not hold out for long.

Sooner or later, the barrier would reach its limit.

When that happened, he would have to withstand not only the relentless bombardment of the Church of Terror’s elites below the altar, but also the overwhelming flood of slaughter energy descending from above.

Once that barrier collapsed, the Grand Sacrificial Ritual would finally be completed.

And every sacrifice they had made until now would become meaningless.

......