CHAPTER 290: DARK IMPULSES

In an instant, a terrifying black flame burst out from Darian, swallowing the light around him. Suddenly... the power of the nearby Spiritual Guardians started twisting, being quickly pulled toward him.

Everyone was stunned — it was like they no longer had control over their own power, and the moment it touched those flames, it was devoured.

These were incredibly powerful people — some at the very peak of a Spiritual Guardian’s strength. How was that even possible?

Darian let out a short snort. He still looked human, but everyone could feel that they were standing in front of something entirely different.

All that black power he’d built up was released — but then something surprising happened: the power of his ring also started moving on its own, becoming fuel for the flames. Because of that, the blessing of Heaven’s Will stacked on top of it, and those flames became even stronger than before.

"..."

Darian focused. He could still feel Niara’s grip on his neck. She was fine — he hadn’t let it affect her. He hadn’t completely lost his mind, just given himself over to it partially.

The transformation was instant — like an abyss opening to swallow everything in its path. The demons, so imposing a moment ago, went speechless. That young human shouldn’t have even been able to scratch them, but the power surrounding him sent a shiver down their spines.

The nine-ring demon felt his own power unable to handle being anywhere near Darian. This wasn’t just a show of strength — it was an anomaly that broke every rule he knew.

"Y-you... surrender, or everyone here dies!" Mallory said, her voice trembling slightly.

Since she wasn’t a Spiritual Guardian, she couldn’t fully sense the abnormality that Darian was.

Darian looked at her with a smile.

"Surrender? Hahaha."

He laughed, and a dagger appeared in his hand.

Mallory’s guards — all of them six-ring — snapped out of their shock. They turned toward Darian, sensing something.

"The blessing of Heaven’s Will..."

The demons muttered, finally realizing that power was mixed into the black flames. None of them were blessed themselves, but they knew very well just how terrifying its effects were. A normal Spiritual Guardian shouldn’t be able to...

"No!" Camille shouted, but it was already too late.

Darian didn’t hesitate for even a second. To everyone’s shock, he shot forward like a suicidal black bolt straight toward Mallory.

Her protectors instinctively began channeling their ring’s power into their spiritual roots. They did it lazily, without much effort — like a giant swatting away an ant. Ridiculous. Still, they couldn’t be careless. Any tiny spark of energy could hurt Mallory, and they couldn’t let her take even the smallest scratch.

They all had blessings specialized in containment and defense — they were bodyguards trained specifically to keep Mallory safe in any situation. But...

"Idiots."

One demon scoffed. At that moment, Darian stopped mid-charge and hurled his flying dagger like a missile.

The guards snorted, but the very next second... their eyes went wide in shock. They couldn’t activate their blessing!

*BOOOM*

A wave of black power exploded. In every direction, half of the guards were thrown back, coughing up blood.

"AHHH!" a scream of agony rang out.

Half of them managed to soften the blow, and the rest shielded Mallory at the last second. But... she was still hit, screaming as an indescribable pain tore through her. Black lines spread across her body.

Against a blessed one, normal Spiritual Guardians couldn’t twist reality with their blessings. But against his black flame, the raw power of a ring was automatically devoured.

Even so... what had just happened should’ve been impossible.

These guards had six rings, their bodies nourished for years by that power — giving them insane resistance and durability. Even if they didn’t use any power at all, taking a frontal hit from someone with four rings shouldn’t have even scratched them... but unfortunately...

"That dagger..." the nine-ring demon muttered, eyes wide.

He realized it — and when the others heard it, they understood too. This only happened because the dagger was unmatched — made from a material beyond anything that could exist in the universes. How could a young man possibly have something like that?

Of course, it had been forged from the claws of a Primordial Dragon. To take it head-on with no defense? The result was obvious.

Darian snorted at the sight of the result. If those daggers had rune seals on them, he definitely would’ve killed a few of them. Without hesitation, he pulled out two more.

Everyone almost jumped out of their skin. He had more than one left?!

When Darian was about to charge again... he stopped as a green flash appeared right in front of him. Camille blocked him, locking eyes with him, though her face was still stunned.

’The first strike failed. No point in repeating it... calm down, Dan, don’t lose your head,’ Niara murmured in his mind.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his dark impulses in check. Thinking was hard, and keeping his balance felt almost unbearable.

The guards around Mallory tightened their grips on their weapons while backing away with her, terrified. Without even looking back, they bolted toward the ground before it was too late.

Those who’d been thrown earlier began returning, all of them covered in blood.

The demons stayed silent, unsure how to react.

The dagger from earlier flew back to Darian, and then the three of them started floating menacingly around him. Everyone’s hearts were pounding.

"He’s definitely hiding a lot. Capture him immediately!" the nine-ring demon ordered coldly.

Darian snorted again. That demon hadn’t even bothered to hide his intentions from the start. He was clearly connected to those two who wanted him dead. Now, he obviously wanted to capture him and take everything he had.

Camille clenched her fists. Nikolai moved, his entire body covered in armor. The other Emperors just took a deep breath, knowing it’d be pointless to get involved...

"Gentlemen, this goes against the Sovereign’s rules. You can’t just come here and take him without a proper explanation."

Tian Yu stepped forward. Camille and Nikolai turned to him and nodded in thanks. That man was always neutral, acting only according to his own interests. He had no ties to Darian, but couldn’t just watch this happen without feeling offended.

"Explanation? Screw you and your explanation! That human is clearly not normal—we’re going to investigate every last thing about him. He was also used by that traitor Beleth, who captured the Devil Lord. We need to find him at all costs!"

He roared, then waved his hand: "If you want to die, fine. Kill anyone who tries to stop us!"

The three Emperors pushed their powers to the max. They’d already sent messages to all their contacts in the universe asking for help—they just needed to buy time... but they were facing millions of enemies. It was impossible.

"KILL!"

Thunderous roars erupted as all the demons charged.

*Buzz*

"!"

Suddenly, space vibrated with a deep hum. Every demon froze, startled by the feeling of a mortal danger rising.

In front of Darian, space warped and split open. It was like a portal tearing itself out of nothingness.

Slowly, a demonic figure stepped through, gazing coldly at everyone.

He looked like a human, about six feet tall. No horns, no wings to immediately mark him as a Demon. And yet, just looking at him, you could feel the oppressive presence radiating from him—the undeniable certainty that he was a demonic being.

He had long grayish hair and pale skin, contrasting with his glowing orange eyes. Despite his hypnotic beauty, he didn’t radiate malice. His posture and expression carried an ancient power and a solemn seriousness, making him both fascinating and terrifying.

"Traitor!"

"Beleth!"