Episode 679

“The Warlocks of the Abyss.”

Zeke, residing within Claudia, immediately recognized the warlocks who had emerged from the shadows.

After the Liberation War, the scattered warlocks began their clandestine activities to resurrect the Demon King under the name “Abyss,” following the appearance of their priest, Harvey West.

These warlocks, who had summoned demons during the Liberation War, now revealed themselves here.

Their goal was to take the unborn child within Claudia, the future Holy King, Gio Luvern.

Bound by the magic circle crafted by the warlocks, Claudia’s eyes turned a fierce golden hue.

Simultaneously, her pupils transformed into the shape of a dragon’s.

“You bastards dare…”

Crackle!

Though the warlocks tried to suppress Claudia’s power with dark magic, they couldn’t fully contain the strength she unleashed, even if just a fraction of her dragon power.

Shadows began to creep out from her body.

Crash!

The shadows erupted from Claudia, dismantling the magic circle made of dark energy.

The warlocks, taken aback by Claudia’s unexpected resistance, hastily raised their staffs again.

Sizzle—

Dark energy flowed from their staffs, forming another magic circle around Claudia and Chronos.

Claudia’s lightning and shadows attempted to break the circle once more, but the reinforced dark energy blocked her efforts.

Just as Claudia gritted her teeth and tried to muster more strength, Chronos, standing beside her, collapsed.

“Chronos!”

Claudia cried out, rushing to support her fallen companion.

Chronos, her face pale, gasped for breath.

Though she had regained some strength, it only meant she could use her powers; her physical form remained weakened and vulnerable to the dark energy.

“Why did you foolishly leave the tower?”

Claudia scolded Chronos, summoning her purifying power.

Hum!

Golden aura flowed from Claudia, beginning to cleanse the surrounding dark energy.

At the same time, she directed healing light towards Chronos.

With a bit of color returning to her cheeks, Chronos reached out to Claudia.

“Claudia… they’re after your child…”

“Damn it, I know. Those cursed bastards, do they even know who they’re dealing with?”

Claudia replied with a voice laced with anger, glaring at the warlocks approaching with their staffs.

The purifying light emanating from Claudia and the lightning surrounding her kept them at bay.

She turned to Chronos.

“Just hold on a little longer. The knights will be here soon. Hang in there.”

But contrary to her hopes, it wasn’t the knights who arrived.

Rumble!

A space behind the warlocks split open, revealing a black void.

From it emerged a demon with horns protruding from its head.

Claudia’s eyes widened in shock.

“An upper-tier, no, a supreme-tier demon.”

Due to Karma’s restrictions, demons above a certain level couldn’t manifest in the physical realm.

They had devised a method to minimize power loss by overlaying a demon’s soul onto a corrupted dragon’s body.

Yet, the supreme-tier demon before her seemed to have descended with its full power intact.

The demon, with a red eye embedded in its forehead, grinned wickedly at Claudia and Chronos trapped within the magic circle.

“A light mage and the dragon of time. It seems my gamble paid off.”

They had deployed two dragon demons to draw out the hero, Terracan Draker.

While Terracan and the knights were occupied with the dragon demons, they planned to strike at Claudia.

The demon looked at Claudia’s swollen belly with satisfaction.

“So it was true. The witch of light is indeed carrying Terracan’s child.”

The demon flicked its blue tongue, advancing towards Claudia.

“Resistance is futile. It’s best to comply.”

Claudia glared at the demon, her voice cold.

“Filthy demon. Come any closer, and I’ll separate your head from your body.”

The demon laughed heartily at her fierce words.

“As expected of the witch of light who has vanquished countless of our kind. But you should know when to hold back.”

Suddenly, the demon’s gaze shifted, and a powerful aura emanated from its body.

Rumble!

The aura from the supreme-tier demon was on a different level than the dark energy crafted by the warlocks.

Under the crushing weight of the aura, Claudia clenched her teeth.

“This damned creature.”

While resisting the demon, Claudia also had to protect Chronos, whose condition was worsening.

Rumble!

The demon intensified its aura, pressing down on Claudia as if mocking her efforts.

Inside Claudia, Zeke could only watch the situation unfold, his teeth clenched in frustration.

“If I were there, I’d have cut down that creature with a single strike.”

Even a supreme-tier demon was no match for Zeke, who had reached the rank of a celestial being.

Claudia, too, could have easily handled a supreme-tier demon if she could manifest in her true form.

Suppressing her frustration, she tried to withstand the demon’s aura, but soon reached her limit.

Thud!

She fell to one knee, unable to hold out any longer.

The demon smirked at the sight.

“Good, it seems you’re finally losing strength.”

Forcing Claudia, the renowned light mage, to come with them would be troublesome if she managed to escape.

The demon knew this well and planned to take her once she was weakened.

Claudia realized the demon’s intentions.

She bit her lip, desperately calling out to her contractor, Terracan, in her heart.

“Help me! Terracan!”

She had held back to avoid burdening him, but she had no choice now.

As she called out to Terracan for help, she noticed something was wrong. There was no response.

Claudia’s face hardened at the realization.

The demon laughed loudly at her expression.

“Ha ha ha! So you’ve finally realized. The hero won’t be coming here.”

The warlocks’ power had completely severed the connection between her and Terracan, her soul contractor.

Realizing the link with Terracan was cut, Claudia’s heart raced with urgency.

“I have to find a way out of here.”

At that moment, Chronos, who had been struggling to regain her senses, slowly rose.

Having gathered herself somewhat, she spoke to Claudia.

“I’ll hold them off here. You escape while you can.”

Claudia shouted at Chronos, who looked ready to collapse at any moment.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You look like you’re about to die!”

Clutching her belly, Claudia tried to summon more strength.

But then, light began to shimmer from Chronos’s body.

Sizzle—

Moments later, a sandglass made of light appeared before them.

Claudia gasped in shock.

“Chronos! No! If you use your power now…!”

She tried to stop her, but Chronos ignored her and activated her power.

The sandglass flipped, and the sand began to fall.

The demon frowned, flicking its tongue.

“What are you trying to do? It’s useless…”

Then, something astonishing happened.

“Gah!”

The warlocks standing behind them began to age rapidly.

Chronos, the dragon of time, had accelerated their time.

Unable to withstand the rapid aging, the warlocks collapsed on the spot.

As they fell, the magic circle made of dark energy crumbled, allowing Claudia and Chronos to escape.

“Do you think I’ll let you go so easily?”

The demon moved to restrain them again.

But then, it stopped in its tracks.

The oppressive presence from behind froze it in place.

“This, this is…”

Drip!

Sweat dripped to the floor as the demon struggled to breathe under the crushing pressure.

Footsteps approached from behind.

A human, yet a transcendent being who had slain thousands of demons—the immortal knight.

“Te, Terracan Draker.”

The demon sensed Terracan approaching from behind.

As he drew near, the demon swiftly turned, swinging its clawed hand imbued with aura.

“Die…!”

But in that instant, something flashed by.

Thud!

The demon’s claw fell to the ground.

“Ah, ah…”

Unable to voice its shock, the demon staggered back.

A knight in black, wielding Zahhak and radiating golden dragon eyes, glared at it.

Meeting Terracan’s gaze, the demon’s body shattered into pieces, scattering on the spot.

Shhh—

Terrakan, having effortlessly dispatched the high-ranking demon, made his way toward Chronos and Claudia.

“Claudia.”

As he approached, he swiftly pulled her into his arms.

Claudia looked up at him and spoke, “Did you use Poseidon’s power again? You know it shortens your lifespan every time. Why do you keep doing it?”

“I don’t care about my lifespan. I couldn’t let the one threatening you get away.”

Poseidon, the dragon god’s avatar, had once taught Terrakan the ways of refinement. Through this guidance, Terrakan surpassed his limits and awakened the true power of an immortal. Poseidon had passed on his profound knowledge to Terrakan, a power immense yet burdensome for a human.

Though Terrakan could replicate this power using the dragon’s strength and immortality he gained through his pact with Bahamut, it inevitably took a toll on his lifespan. But when faced with a formidable demon like today, he had no choice but to use it.

Understanding his resolve, Claudia sighed and gently extricated herself from his embrace to check on Chronos. Having overexerted her own powers, Chronos was pale, her lips a shade of blue.

Seeing this, Claudia turned to Terrakan. “We need to get Chronos back to the tower.”

Terrakan nodded in agreement. “The demon dragon is already defeated. The knights are clearing the battlefield, so we should be able to open a portal soon…”

But just then, Claudia suddenly staggered, blood trickling down.

“Claudia!”

Unfazed, she calmly tugged at Terrakan’s sleeve. “The contractions have started. It seems… the baby is coming now.”

Terrakan was taken aback by her sudden announcement. The baby wasn’t due yet, and the news caught him off guard.

“Hold on, I’ll fetch the chief mage right away. Damn it, of all times, why is Hoshgar not here…”

He quickly moved Claudia and Chronos to lean against the wall and rushed out of the room.

“Haah, haah.”

Despite her long years, Claudia had never given birth before, and the situation made her anxious. At that moment, Chronos, pale-faced, struggled to her feet and approached Claudia.

”…Claudia.”

With effort, she reached out and took Claudia’s hand. Claudia managed a small smile and said, “Haah, you and I both look a mess.”

Though Claudia chuckled softly, Chronos seemed intent on protecting her, glaring at something unseen. As Claudia steadied her breathing, she followed Chronos’s gaze, sensing something amiss.

Suddenly, someone appeared before her.

A girl in a lavish dress materialized in front of Claudia, her violet eyes gleaming. She greeted Claudia and Chronos with a bright smile.

“Hello! So nice to meet you! Wow, I can’t believe I made it to the physical realm. Humans have created such fascinating things!”

The girl, brimming with excitement, darted around the shattered room. Chronos, with great effort, addressed her.

“Leave this place at once, .”

At her words, the girl turned her glowing violet eyes toward them, then focused on Claudia, speaking in a respectful tone.

“Light Mage, I have come here personally to make you an offer you cannot refuse.”