Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

With each strike, the ground around the area trembled violently. At this point, Nuk's head had been driven so deep into the ground that it could no longer be seen.

Only then did Jinag stop.

He was certain that one more attack would end it all.

Jinag raised his fist, gathering all his strength, but just as he was about to kill Nuk, he sensed an ominous aura rapidly approaching his position.

Worse still…

He could feel that whoever owned that aura was targeting him.

Glancing briefly at Nuk, Jinag muttered before disappearing.

"You are lucky…"

The instant Jinag vanished, a Peak Rank 0 demon appeared.

The demon did not even spare Nuk a glance before immediately chasing after Jinag.

After all, to a Peak Rank 0 demon, the soul of a Middle Rank 0 demon held little value.

But a High Rank 0 demon…

That was an entirely different matter.

---

Several minutes later, Nuk pulled his head out of the ground and slowly stood up.

Even though he was severely injured and his body was practically useless at that point, he could still sense what had happened.

Dragging his body forward, Nuk swayed to the side and almost collapsed before grinning.

"What a nice battle…" Nuk muttered as he staggered away from the battlefield.

Right now, he was weak.

Even a Low Rank 0 demon could kill him.

After walking for some time, Nuk discovered the entrance to an underground cave.

He entered silently before finally losing consciousness as his body instinctively began healing itself.

---

Some distance away, the Peak Rank 0 demon finally caught up to Jinag. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

BANG!

The demon kicked Jinag violently, sending him crashing deep into a forest.

All the trees within a kilometer were vaporized instantly as scales flew off Jinag's body and blood pooled beneath him.

"Finally caught you…" the Peak Rank 0 demon said as he landed and slowly walked toward Jinag's supposedly lifeless body.

Just then, Jinag twitched slightly before standing back up.

His face was mangled, and portions of his flesh had been burned away completely.

"Oh?" The Peak Rank 0 demon stopped moving, clearly surprised.

After all, to Peak Rank 0 demons, those below were no different from ants.

An attack from him should have killed Jinag instantly.

Yet the demon had survived.

Still, the Peak Rank 0 demon did not think too deeply about it.

After all, he had not even used half his strength.

"You know… I should actually follow a friend's advice," Jinag muttered as he grabbed his own face and tore the damaged flesh off completely.

He casually threw it aside like discarded trash.

Blood poured down heavily, yet within seconds, his face regenerated completely.

"And what advice is that?" the Peak Rank 0 demon asked, his interest now piqued.

After all, it was rare for demons below Peak Rank 0 to possess intelligence.

Most were merely mindless beasts that only knew how to hunt.

…Or perhaps the Abyss truly was changing.

Of course, he had noticed it as well.

After all, he had lived within the Second Abyss for over three thousand years.

During those years, he had risen from a weak hatchling barely surviving the birthwar of demons to becoming a Peak Rank 0 demon.

He had participated in wars.

Led wars.

Killed endlessly.

And lately…

The newer generations of hatchlings seemed far stronger and far more bloodthirsty than before.

He once heard a rumor from a Rank 1 demon he had served under.

The Abyss was changing.

At the time, he had dismissed it as nonsense.

But now, looking at Jinag…

Perhaps it was true after all.

"Never run from a fight," Jinag muttered as the Peak Rank 0 demon burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Hatchlings…" the Peak Rank 0 demon mocked.

Not only hatchlings—even newly advanced Peak Rank 0 demons often believed the world belonged to them.

Arrogant.

Violent.

Consumed by battle.

He himself had once been the same…

Until reality crushed him.

Yet this demon was standing at death's door and still failed to understand that fact.

"So, does that mean you intend to fight me?" the Peak Rank 0 demon asked with a chuckle.

Today had truly become entertaining for him.

Not only could he slaughter hatchlings and grow stronger…

He had also found one that was actually interesting.

After all, endless killing eventually became boring.

Demons were brutal creatures.

There was no fear.

No pleading.

No begging for mercy.

Only lunatics driven by slaughter.

"At least those below Rank 1 are all insane…" he muttered inwardly.

"No," Jinag replied calmly as the Peak Rank 0 demon nodded.

"At least you are sensible. It wouldn't be bad if I took you under my wing—"

"I will kill you."

The Peak Rank 0 demon's expression froze as he stared at Jinag.

Did he hear that correctly?

****

Splash!

Jinag's foot tore straight through the demon's chest as its heart exploded into burning flesh and paste.

A dark soul larger than any soul Jinag had ever seen floated before him as he grabbed it.

"I told you I would kill you," Jinag spoke softly as he devoured the soul.

Behind him, across a radius of over five kilometers, there was nothing but magma.

Not naturally.

Their battle had shattered a magma river and created a crater so deep that even after magma had been pouring into it like a raging river for several minutes, it still had not filled completely.

The instant Jinag devoured the soul, he felt his body rejuvenate as every cell within him cried out in joy.

But more than that…

A steady stream of energy flooded through his body.

At the very least, he felt halfway toward the next realm..

Peak Rank 0.

If he could kill one more Peak Rank 0 demon, then he too could ascend into the Peak Rank 0 realm and become even stronger.

Realizing this, Jinag did not hesitate as he immediately moved in search of another Peak Rank 0 existence.

*****

Argh…

"Erm…" Nuk groaned as he slowly woke up.

His body felt… taller.

Or perhaps stronger.

Before, he had been slightly over one and a half meters tall, but now he stood at well over two meters.

The cave could barely contain him as he walked out.

But more importantly…

His body felt several times stronger, as though he could easily crush his former self.

Then..

Click.

Nuk instantly understood the reason.

His body had broken through into the High Rank 0 realm simply from battling Jinag.

Of course, consuming their eggshells granted demons knowledge, but that knowledge only came from the lineage of the demon they originated from.

As demons continued to grow stronger…

The Abyss itself would continuously imprint more and more knowledge into them.

"Ahh… so that's why," Nuk muttered as his vision darkened momentarily while new knowledge flowed directly into his mind.

Once the process ended, Nuk realized something.

He had gained a rather interesting ability.

After every battle, once his body healed, he would grow stronger.

Meaning aside from devouring souls…

He could also evolve through combat itself.

"Quite interesting…" Nuk said with a grin.