Mystery: The Stranger

Chapter 31 Demons and Zombies

"Ha, as long as you are still a demon, you will inevitably leave clues in the abyss."

The Great Demon sneered, wasting no more time, and prayed devoutly to the Abyss Duke of his clan.

The next second, a gigantic vertical pupil slowly opened amidst the blood-red curtain of light, its depths filled with endless darkness and filth. The eye merely swept across the mine, and the surrounding spacetime began to violently rewind. Even the unmarked leather suit Snow had conjured using Abyss Projection was clearly depicted—the identity of the Void Demon could not be concealed at all.

But just as the vertical pupil was about to further track Snow's physical coordinates, it suddenly flickered, as if it had sensed something, yet was somewhat uncertain.

"Ancestor?"

The great demon of the Belial family dared not even breathe loudly, and could only tentatively ask for instructions.

"There seems to be an elven aura..."

The Abyss Grand Duke's voice was aged and majestic, carrying a hint of barely perceptible apprehension: "Let's leave this matter here for now."

It failed to sense the seed of malice it had left on its direct descendants, which made things rather strange. The situation in the Abyss was delicate at the moment, and there was no need to create unnecessary complications.

"An elf?"

"They're already too busy taking care of themselves, how dare they come to the Abyss to provoke us?"

The great demon was somewhat confused, but since the vertical pupil in the sky had disappeared, it dared not ask any more questions and could only put the matter aside for the time being.

It's not a big deal anyway.

One offspring died; it can simply reproduce. Once grown, these offspring can hunt other Abyssal Demons with weaker backgrounds, naturally rising back to Sequence 5. As long as enough offspring are produced, some will eventually reach Sequence 5—in the Abyss, Sequence 5 is merely a high-level consumable.

The Abyss's environment is inherently cruel. Especially for those below Sequence 4, the ecosystem is one of survival of the fittest, where every day is uncertain. This is why Snow, despite his numerous raids on the Abyss, has never been able to find any wild Sequence 5s—those with powerful backgrounds might be killed inexplicably, while those without powerful backgrounds have long since vanished without a trace.

Snow, far away in Hawke's territory, knew nothing of this.

He had finished washing up and was lying on the soft bed, resting with his eyes closed.

A faint smile played on his lips as he inwardly mocked himself. Of all the countless transmigrators, he was probably the first to land so early but not dare to try and mooch off the Source Castle, or rather, had never even considered such a route. The Genie's example was a great lesson indeed.

The Lord of Mysteries is still very dangerous.

...

Several days later, the night was as dark as ink, enveloping Viscount Grey's castle.

The city walls were towering, and towers stood in rows. Patrolling guards, holding torches, vigilantly scanned the surroundings. Inside the castle, numerous extraordinary beings took turns guarding the area. As a nobleman who had established himself properly in the Fourth Age, Viscount Grey was unlike the pampered good-for-nothings of the Fifth Age. He was well aware of the dangers lurking in the darkness and never let his guard down.

But all of this is meaningless in the face of the Void Demon.

A faint black shadow enveloped Snow, his demonic features concealed, as he silently infiltrated the spirit world using only the ability to become ethereal in his special form. Like an invisible shadow, he moved between the spirit world and reality, easily bypassing all the castle's physical defenses and spiritual vigilance, and appeared in Viscount Grey's bedroom in the next second.

The room was brightly lit, and Viscount Grey was sitting behind his desk reviewing documents. He was dressed in a magnificent black suit, with a jewel-encrusted longsword at his waist. He exuded a subtle but powerful aura—the inherent aura of a Sequence 5 "Chaos Mentor," which could make the surrounding beings unconsciously lower their stance and submit.

An ordinary assassin would have been rendered immobile by this imposing aura, but Snow's eyes merely narrowed slightly.

Why aren't you sleeping at night? What are you doing?

He intended to strike a fatal blow when the other party was off guard, just as he had done with Baron Hawke before, but just as he was condensing a sulfur fireball at his fingertips, a sharp warning suddenly sounded in his mind—malice perception had been triggered!

Without hesitation, Snow rolled to the side, and a fist containing violent power grazed his shoulder before slamming heavily into the stone wall behind him.

"Boom!"

The bricks shattered instantly, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outwards, and the entire room shook. Viscount Grey slowly withdrew his fist, veins bulging on his muscular arm, his cold gaze locking onto Snow: "A demon? Scum from the abyss, daring to harass the nobility of the empire?"

His voice, amplified several times by the distortion ability of Sequence 5, resounded throughout the castle like thunder. In an instant, urgent alarms blared throughout the castle, the defense system instantly went on high alert, and footsteps and shouts rose and fell as the extraordinary individuals loyal to Viscount Grey rushed toward the bedroom.

The nobles of the Fourth Age are indeed quite capable.

Snow stood up, his bat wings suddenly unfurling behind him, and flames of crimson mixed with pale blue ignited, filling the air with the smell of sulfur. A mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips: "A nobleman? I'll send you to the underworld to meet your beloved Solomon."

"You're asking for it!"

This implicit offense to the "Black Emperor" was like a taboo, instantly igniting Viscount Grey's fury. As a legitimate nobleman of the former Solomon Empire, his reverence for Solomon ran deep in his bones; how could he tolerate the blasphemy of a demon from the abyss?

Anger acted as fuel, instantly ignited by Snow—inducing and amplifying the target's emotions was the fighting style that the Apostle of Desire excelled at.

Viscount Grey's body surged with violent energy, and he suddenly leaped up, his fist slamming towards Snow with a whooshing sound. The air in the room cooled down rapidly, covered with a layer of white frost, and even the flames surrounding Snow's wings flickered.

He also has a sealed artifact corresponding to the Sequence 6 zombie of the alien pathway.

Able to manipulate frost...

Snow's eyes narrowed, and a magma sword instantly materialized in his hand. The giant sword, interwoven with crimson magma and pale blue flames, swept out and collided violently with Viscount Grey's fist, which was enveloped in terrifying coldness.

"clang!"

The deafening metallic clang sent Snow staggering back several steps, his arm tingling and the magma sword nearly snapping in his hand. Viscount Grey also groaned as his fist was charred black from the intense heat of the magma sword.

Without pausing or giving each other a moment to catch their breath, the two clashed again.

As a Sequence 5, Viscount Grey's close combat skills far exceeded Snow's expectations. Not only was he physically strong, but he could also activate the "Chaos" ability at any time—causing the surrounding distance measurement standards to deviate. Even if he was more than ten meters away by relying on his mobility, he could rush to the front in a few steps; at the same time, by using the "Twisting" ability, he constantly changed the trajectory of Snow's attacks, causing Snow's condensed slashes to miss several times.

The opponent enters a zombie state through a sealing artifact, making their body harder than steel. Even if the lava sword can hit them, it is difficult to break through this solid defense.

While they can still inflict damage, for these undead, as long as their heads aren't shattered, other injuries aren't fatal. They're also protected from frost and are even immune to fire...