"Die Or Surrender?"
The demon language was no different from any other language, but those words alone were enough to ignite a furious rage within Odu, the lord of the tenth floor of the abyss.
"A human courting death!" Odu roared, his massive figure barreling forward like an armored tank, filled with violent, unrelenting fury.
Novak shook his head in mild disappointment. "Demons... what foolish creatures."
Particularly the lower-class demons—while not entirely lacking intelligence, their thought processes were painfully simplistic, relying more on brute strength than strategy.
Fallen demons were slightly better, but the inferior demon clans had long been the defining label of the abyss.
——
As Odu charged recklessly toward him, Novak summoned the Biochemical Disaster weapon to his hand with practiced ease.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Even though Odu, as a level 30 second-tier demon warrior, was far stronger than the average demon, his fighting style remained as crude and predictable as ever.
His raw strength had grown, sure, but his tactics hadn't evolved in the slightest.
Still, Novak never underestimated an opponent.
This demon lord had held dominion over the tenth floor of the abyss, commanding legions of inferior demons and fallen demons alike. There had to be a reason behind his reign.
While close-quarters combat was thrilling, Novak's true strength lay in the virulent plague powers of the Plague Sun—his most lethal and versatile weapon since harnessing the myriad viruses from his bioengineering experiments.
A faint black-green light flickered at Novak's fingertips, shooting toward Odu.
The moment it touched his exposed skin, Odu's monstrous body tensed. A strange sensation—foreign and unsettling—invaded his being, gnawing at him from within.
A sudden wave of weakness washed over him, and dark spots began to appear on his skin—faint but persistent, clinging to his vitality like an incurable plague.
But Odu was no ordinary foe.
As a demon lord whose level surpassed Novak's by at least twelve levels, he was a certified boss-level entity in the eyes of the Cosmic Will.
This wasn't some lowly minion that could be felled with ease.
Demons, by their very nature, were formidable across all realms. Even an adult demon who had undergone a profession change was considered a boss-level creature in the Trial Fields of Gods and Demons.
And Odu? He was a boss among bosses.
The Plague Sun shifted from Novak's fingertips to his eyes, which now burned like two miniature suns, ready to unleash a deadly plague virus at will.
Meanwhile, a massive, razor-sharp claw materialized in his palm, and the Biochemical Disaster weapon burst to life, crackling with power. Dark red hellfire surged around Novak's body, amplifying his strength exponentially.
Without hesitation, Novak lunged forward at breakneck speed, hellfire trailing behind him like a comet.
Odu's eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty madness. His colossal battle axe pulsed with energy, and a ghostly figure—an ancient demon warrior spirit—materialized behind him.
The Demon Warrior's Soul— granting him immunity to most psychic abilities and mental attacks.
No matter.
With a single thought, Novak detonated through the air like a thunderclap, applying every debilitating debuff he possessed onto Odu. Now, the demon lord would face Novak at full power.
Novak's attributes surged by 50%, and with the Tyrant's Claw ability from the Biochemical Disaster weapon boosting his strength and agility by an additional 30%, his physical prowess shattered previous limits.
At that moment, Novak's strength and agility soared past the terrifying threshold of 1,000 points!
Novak's burst of speed was like a flash of lightning through the air. Even though Odu had summoned every ounce of his strength, raising his colossal axe high above his head, he was still a fraction too slow.
Novak's razor-sharp blade sliced through Odu's arm, leaving a gaping wound that exposed bone beneath torn flesh.
But instead of weakening him, the injury fueled Odu's strength.
Demon Warrior Passive Skill: Death Rage—the more severe the wounds, the greater the boost to his attributes.
A second-tier peak demon warrior was no easy foe to defeat.
Yet, Novak had already achieved his objective. The dark red flames of hell engulfed Odu, drawing from him an agonized, blood-curdling howl that echoed through the abyss. The sound traveled far and wide, summoning countless demons from every corner, all converging on their location.
I need to end this quickly!
Gritting his teeth, Novak pushed himself to the limit, unleashing every ounce of his combat potential.
Even with the power of Biochemical Disaster, breaking through Odu's formidable defenses had already proven challenging.
I'll have to find a way to enhance Biohazard's power soon…
But now was not the time for that.
Novak's relentless assault left Odu—a blood-soaked, battered figure—looking like a broken marionette. Wounds crisscrossed his body, exposing raw flesh and torn muscle, dripping with dark, viscous blood.
Odu's crimson eyes burned with rage, but there was a flicker of something else—a dimming consciousness, weakened by the toll of virus and pain.
His strength, instead of increasing, began to wane.
Demons were not immortal beings. Wounds, no matter how fierce their rage, would inevitably affect their combat capabilities. Even with Death Rage, injuries still left their mark.
But more concerning was something far more sinister.
The blackened spots on Odu's exposed skin spread rapidly, seeping deeper into his flesh, staining him from the inside out. The infection, like a virus, burrowed into his very marrow, darkening and expanding with every passing moment.
Each movement from Odu was accompanied by labored breathing, raspy coughs, and harsh, wheezing gasps, like a bellows struggling for air. His hulking frame trembled as the truth dawned upon him.
Realization struck like a hammer blow.
Eyes wide with disbelief and fury, Odu—demon lord of the tenth floor of the abyss—finally collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
From the shadows, countless demons had gathered, drawn by Odu's enraged screams. Their eyes gleamed with anticipation—some with excitement, some ready for battle, others eager to test their strength.
Novak paid them no mind.
He seized Odu's massive battle axe and, without hesitation, severed the demon lord's head. Holding the grisly trophy aloft in one hand, he raised the other, dark runes swirling around his fingers as he connected to the Well of the Abyss.
A surge of Abyss power enveloped him, and a familiar voice echoed in his mind:
[The Great Master of the Abyss has conquered the Tenth Floor of the Abyss! You have gained supreme control over the current interface! All attributes +10!]
[The Great Abyss Master has completed the first step of conquest! Your class power as the Abyss Master has advanced! New Ability Acquired: Oracle of the Master!]
A sudden clarity washed over Novak's mind as the new power settled within him.
With a single thought, he issued an unspoken command.
The demons that had gathered around the Well of the Abyss froze, their expressions shifting from bloodlust to reverence. One by one, they fell to their knees, bowing deeply.
Even the gods themselves would have found the sight unimaginable.
Every demon, in unison, chanted in their ancient, guttural tongue:
"MASTER!"