Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 202 - : DEMON WAVE XIV

Time passed...

Kyle once again returned to the Abyss—the very same place where he had first met the ancient demon.

"How has your acclimation to my bloodline gone?" the ancient demon asked.

"Thanks to you, I've grown stronger," Kyle replied, offering his thanks. Whether he was being sincere or not remained uncertain.

"Good. I summoned you because I've grown bored... and wish to hear some tales about your current ordeals," the ancient demon said with a lazy curiosity.

Kyle obliged, recounting everything to him. The ancient demon, still trapped within the Abyss, listened with rapt attention, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"So that brat calls himself the Demon God now, huh? He was always one to revel in praise and adoration," the ancient demon muttered thoughtfully.

"You mentioned a demon invasion, right? Hmm... it's most likely a performance by him and that damn Celestial. A stage crafted to remind the lower races of the might of both factions. Most likely, he'll send a powerful demon during the early stages to cause massive destruction and strike fear into the hearts of the lesser races. Then, at the climax, the Celestials will send a 'messenger' to clean up the demon forces. The powerful demon would already have been ordered to retreat to avoid clashing with the Celestial."

He paused, his expression darkening with insight.

"Such is the cunning of those two. It's a convenient way to eliminate demons who've outlived their usefulness—those who are rebellious or have reached their strength limit. Here," the ancient demon said, handing Kyle a small box, "take this."

Inside was a dark, pulsating fruit.

"This is a Desire Fruit. Give it to the second-in-command among the demons—likely the one who'll command the doomed, expendable forces. With it, the Celestial that shows up will be tainted, corrupting the narrative of their 'salvation.' Knowing him, he might even betray the Celestial behind the scenes to gain leverage for the next invasion. If he leaves behind a demonic origin seed to taint the world, all the better—it will serve our goals perfectly."

Kyle accepted the box, his gaze contemplative as a faint smile crept across his lips.

"Thank you, once more."

"Think nothing of it," the ancient demon replied. "Consider it the price I pay for your time and the tales you've shared."

With that, Kyle was released from the Abyss.

Back in Apocalypse, Kyle decided to trust the ancient demon's hunch. Whether the prediction was accurate or not didn't matter to him—he had nothing to lose.

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"Hurry up! When will the circle be ready?" the Oracle demanded impatiently.

"Very soon, Your Grace," replied a flustered mage.

"Speed it up!" the Oracle snapped, gripped by a terrible premonition. His instincts screamed that they had to escape quickly—or suffer a fate worse than death.

Meanwhile, the Tainted, after painting the demon camp in blood, raised its head, moving toward the next concentration of life force with only one thought—massacre and destruction.

"It's ready, Your Grace!" the high-ranking mage declared.

"Good," the Oracle said, stepping onto the teleportation circle—only to look up in horror.

"No...!" he screamed.

The Tainted had arrived, floating above them like a harbinger of doom.

Wielding a once-radiant sword now drenched in blood and exuding a sinister aura, the Tainted swung. A crescent wave of dark energy shot out, tearing toward the Oracle's location.

"Your Grace!" Several priests rushed forward, just in time to see the Oracle vanish as the teleportation circle activated.

He had barely escaped to the Celestial Temple, the magic circle destroyed a heartbeat later. But he hadn't escaped unscathed—his legs were severed by the Tainted's attack.

"Help him! Where are the healers?!" Bishop Davis cried, rushing forward with trembling hands. He immediately cast a healing spell to regenerate the Oracle's limbs—but the wounds pulsed with demonic energy, viciously rejecting the magic.

"It's no use! Take him to the VIP ward! We need to stabilize him at the very least!" Bishop Davis barked. Other healers gathered, lifting the Oracle and rushing him to the treatment chamber.

At the ruined site, the high-ranking Celestial mage stared grimly at what remained. They had been too slow. The calamity was already upon them.

He looked up at the corrupted celestial messenger—a mere husk, now ruled by Wrath's desire.

Determined, he stepped forward. His expression hardened.

"I won't die cowering," he whispered.

"Great Spell—Thunder Snake!" he roared. Lightning surged like a serpent, coiling toward the Tainted. Other mages followed suit, unleashing their own spells in a brilliant flurry of magic.

The Tainted gazed at the incoming attacks with cold indifference—and swung its sword once more.

Every spell was obliterated in a single, overwhelming sweep. Not one could stand against the Tainted's might.

"Not good! Shield!" the mage yelled, casting a barrier in desperation.

But it was futile. The dark crescent tore through the shield like paper, turning every mage and knight nearby into mincemeat.

Without pause, the Tainted moved toward the next beacon of life force—the castle where Elizabeth resided.

---

Jessica stood near the castle gates, her body tense. She stared at the broadcast screen, a chill coursing through her.

She had tried to log out, hoping to escape the catastrophe, but to no avail.

"Let me in!" she pleaded to the knights stationed at the gate, the castle walls already damaged from earlier skirmishes.

"Go back or we'll force you," one of the knights warned, unwavering.

"Are you stupid? Can't you see the broadcast? We need to get out of here—we're doomed!" Jessica yelled desperately.

But the knights didn't budge. Unknown to her, the broadcast was unavailable to them—Emperor Augustus had foreseen the Oracle's warning and ordered his mages to suppress all live feeds. He couldn't allow faith-driven panic to spread among his subjects.

Jessica felt helpless. She wanted to burn through them all—but that would only make matters worse. More knights would surely arrive to arrest her.

Then—

"Shit! He's here! How is he moving so fast?" she cursed internally as the system's notification popped up.

---

[The TAINTED has appeared before you! Help the NPCs defeat the Tainted to save Apocalypse!]

[Warning! Being killed by the Tainted will result in TRUE DEATH within Apocalypse World. You will be unable to log in to the game ever again!]

---

Her face contorted in horror. She looked up—

The Tainted now hovered above the gates.

It raised its sword, dark energy swirling around it—and swung it down toward her and the knights.

"Not good!" Jessica screamed in her mind, creating a barrier a meter in front of her.

The shield shattered instantly.

The attack surged forward, death imminent.

"Guess this is it," Jessica muttered, her voice shaking, resigned to her fate.

Clang!

The blow was deflected at the last second by another blade.

"Are you alright?" a masculine voice asked.

"You...?" She whispered, breath caught in her throat