Chapter 168 – Baptism of Death
Black mist slowly crept from the center of the battlefield, spreading like a wound exposing itself to the world. This mist was not mere smoke it was the manifestation of Sylvia’s evolved Death Aura, a form never before reached by any being. Every strand of mist carried the scent of destruction, silence, and the end of life itself.
Step by step, the battlefield fell silent. No more screams. No more clashing steel. Only the faint sound of crack... slosh... crakk... as the bodies of unfortunate demons disintegrated into ash and black fluid the moment the aura touched them.
The once-proud, snarling demons fell one after another. Even the four-horned demon who had nearly killed Sylvia froze in place. His back trembled, as though gripped by a winter from the ancient ages. In his eyes, the figure of Sylvia now cloaked in fog was like the goddess of death herself.
"W-What is this... this isn’t ordinary undead magic... this... this is a primeval curse...!"
Without a word, he turned and leapt away, his black wings beating furiously to escape the heart of the catastrophe. He no longer cared for pride or dominion. All he knew was that if he stayed, he would vanish.
Meanwhile, the creature from the underworld who had struck Sylvia and sent her flying stood frozen. The massive being with many eyes stared at the encroaching mist and growled... not in anger, but in fear.
"I... I made a grave mistake..."
Without hesitation, the entity whose true name and form had yet to be revealed—slithered back into the underworld gate. It retreated like a frightened child, and... the gate closed on its own.
BLAAAMMMMM!!
A shockwave of spiritual pressure erupted. The world seemed to fall still.
In the battlefield now filled only with the breath of the remaining zombies, Sylvia or the figure at the center of the mist remained floating. The death aura around her resembled a miniature dimensional vortex, both repelling and consuming life. The zombies below felt no fear... instead, they looked up.
Rotting hands rose. Their vacant eyes shimmered.