The Devil’s Cage

While looking at the dubious, shocked and confused expression on Jin, the leader of Perforation Sting, Great Swamp couldn’t hold back his smile.

When Kieran approached him to propose a collaboration, Great Swamp knew he would gain something out of the deal.

After all, with a collaborator like Zackary, Kieran, and Great Swamp weren’t just predicting their opponent’s moves anymore, instead, they had absolute control over all the details in their plan—the duo knew every step their enemy would take.

The God of Forest City disguised himself as Jin whilst Great Swamp helped Kieran by transforming into him in order to engage the God of Forest City.

Great Swamp could already picture the astonishment on his old friend’s face when Kieran revealed his true identity—the astonishment must be similar to Jin’s current state before Great Swamp’s eyes right now.

Jin thought he had destroyed the earth vein node of Flame City but actually, the stone gate he destroyed was nothing but a trap; the real earth vein node was still intact behind Great Swamp.

In simpler words, Great Swamp created a false node in front of the real one.

For anyone else, the feat was near impossible but it was a piece of cake for Great Swamp.

Flame City was like his own house, so how difficult was it for Great Swamp, the owner of the house, to rearrange everything?

More so, the opponent he faced was Jin who never had a “house”.

Huu! Haaaa!

Jin was panting heavily, his breath was like a violent wind that was blown across the land.

He stared deeply at Great Swamp and asked with a heavy tone “This a trap?”

“Yup. Specifically targeted at you. If it’s the God of Forest City, he might have realized some inkling in the process but you..”

Great Swamp shook his head with a smile and purposely didn’t finish his words.

His words and actions actually had zero contempt but in Jin’s eyes, they were overflowing with it.

To be frank, what Great Swamp said was just facts.

Unlike any other God in the current realm, Jin who ascended into his divine status by slaying one had a natural disadvantage to begin with.

“You think you’ve won?”

“You think you’ve know everything?”

Jin was wobbling as he gave his best effort to stand up.

The unexpected trap damaged him severely but it wasn’t fatal yet.

After becoming a God, as long as the damage wasn’t fatal, Jin wouldn’t care.

Perhaps he had a natural disadvantage compared to other Gods but in another aspect, he also had the advantage that was incomparable to other Gods—like healing!

Jin could easily make a comeback after some good rest, there was no need like the others who had to move resources around on large scale or hold some sacrificial ceremony.

Of course, it wasn’t an easy feat to slip away under Great Swamp’s eyes like this but fortunately, he was prepared.

“I know right, it’s hard to tell the results before reaching the last moment but your arrangements, starting from Perforation Sting infiltrating Flame City to the family members of Flame City high positioned individuals being kidnapped, and the explosives that your group installed in a couple of important departments in the city, I’ve known almost all of it,” said Great Swamp with his amiable smile.

However, Jin laughed out loud.

“You’ve only seen all this? What about the God of Forest City? What about others other than me? You are too shallow!” Jin’s laughs were as frantic as ever because he thought he found the way for him to counterattack.

“Your Flame City will be destroyed soon and you? You will fall right here together with your city!” Jin said loudly as if it was a declaration.

Great Swamp was still smiling at him though.

“Did you forgot about my ally?” Great Swamp reminded Jin.

“Ally? Stop joking! How did you get an ally that can stall the God of Forest City? You must have used some way that I didn’t know off to prevent him from appearing temporarily, or that guy perhaps really wants you and I to be badly injured in our fight!”

Jin was jolted for a second and instinctively chose not to believe Great Swamp.

It was well-known that Great Swamp had no allies or close friends of the same power level.

If he had, Perforation Sting wouldn’t have targeted him in the first place.

“I know right, I am shocked as well. But you should thank him, otherwise, why do you think you’d still be alive? It’s him that wants you alive.”

“And me, my task is to try to deliver you to him in one piece.”

Great Swamp moved.

RAWR!

Amidst a dragon roar, the dragon-snake like creature showed its appearance again.

However, unlike the illusory image at the auction venue, this image was more real and possessed the nobility that the old image didn’t.

Correct, it was the nobility, the nobility that came from the deepest part of his bloodline and spread from his bone; any mortal would feel ashamed before this nobility because of their unworthiness.

The temperament from the image obviously affected Jin the moment it appeared.

He was stupefied for a moment before he was completely drowned by the dragon-snake like image.

…

PUK!

[Arrogant Word]’s giant blade slashed the cold and sinister looking God of Forest City in half.

Blood flew into the air and organs splattered everywhere.

But…

God of Forest City didn’t die!

Although the godly presence was rapidly weakening, it didn’t stop him from glaring furiously at Kieran.

“I’ll make sure you pay the price!” The God of Forest City roared angrily.

His split body rapidly liquefied and threw itself towards Kieran, trying to envelop him.

The liquid reeked of a vile stench and it was also boiling.

Relentless plague authentication that spammed his vision told him how dangerous the God of Forest City was in his liquid form.

However, after a single [Fury Slash] which depleted his stamina, Kieran heaved a sigh of relief in his heart.

A liquefied enemy, or to be more exact, any liquid that could boil or evaporate, even if it carried the lethal plague, Kieran was dauntless in the face of it because he had [Devil Burning] and the [Knight of Plague Body Tempering Art]!

Huuu!

The fire rose from Kieran’s left hand.

The devil flame that burned bodies and extinguished souls clashed with the liquefied God of Forest City and upon contact, more than half of the liquid was evaporated.

The Plague Force that devoured despair and gave birth to hope was activated to absorb the energy.

Soon enough, the liquefied God of Forest City vanished from thin air but Kieran scowled.

He turned his head towards the west side of the city through the broken theatre wall.

The God of Forest City who had just vanished appeared again in that direction. He appeared in the middle of his men and was glaring at Kieran with a heavy, gloomy gaze.

It was obvious that God of Forest City had suffered severe damage, he clenched his teeth at Kieran and said, “I’ll crush you to nothing!”

The words he uttered were clear. The God of Forest City then swung his hand down and right away, almost one hundred of his followers split into two groups before they charged towards Kieran.

Each and every single one of them were the elite of the elites.

All of them had special bloodline powers; All of them could rival ten men at once respectively.

Some even had the ability to rival a hundred at once, with the addition of the mystical items from the temple, they were like tigers with wings.

They were proud, proud of their identity as the aces of the elite troops of Forest City.

They were willing to sacrifice themselves without a second thought to carry out the God of Forest City’s orders.

Swiftly, the men surrounded Kieran completely but despite facing elite troops that glared at him like a tiger, Kieran looked up to the dark sky.

The sky was the darkest at that time because it was before sunrise—dawn.

“The time is just right,” he muttered quietly.

A drop of brilliance shined across the dark sky.

It was as dazzling as the stars, as brilliant as a sword’s glare!

Dak, Dak Dak Dak Dak Dak!

Ceaseless gallops tore the air apart.

Wuuuuu, wuuuuuur!

The sound of the horn tore the silence apart.

At the very next moment—

A squad of riders arrived by riding across the sky.

A fiery flag was waving along with the wind and the devil’s head was roaring fiercely under the dark veil.

The loyal knights responded to the summon and rode fiercely.

“BURNING—”

“DAWN!”