Chapter 2624: Hoarding Sky Demons
Chapter 2624: Hoarding Sky Demons
Meylin could not stop staring at the coffin. In her eyes, it represented the key to breaking through every limitation on her path, a way to reach the highest tiers of existence, perhaps even follow in Anark’s footsteps and overcome the seemingly unbreakable barrier leading into the Fourth Realm.
It was more than a treasure.
It was an opportunity to become not merely a powerful warrior, but one of the central pillars in the future of the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe and the wars that would eventually extend far beyond it.
The young woman turned toward Cain, and after performing a solemn nod, she stepped forward without hesitation. She clearly understood the weight of the gift being offered to her, along with the responsibility that such power would bring.
Then she entered the Coffin of Life and Death.
Cain slowly closed the lid with his power before immediately focusing all his senses on the treasure, carefully monitoring every fluctuation within it.
It did not take long for a sharp light to appear in Cain’s eyes.
He could feel it.
The dark and negative emotions purified by the Coffin of Life and Death were not simply erased. Instead, they were gathered and condensed deep within the core of the coffin itself, where they gradually fused together and eventually gave birth to nightmarish lifeforms.
The existence of Legion—the entity that had nearly destroyed Cain’s soul and later became one of the greatest threats during the war for the Everstrife Empyrean World—was proof of that process.
And now, Cain could sense the same phenomenon occurring once more.
The negative emotions purified from Meylin’s soul were beginning to form similar entities.
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he carefully analyzed the creatures being born. Unlike before, he was now vastly stronger and capable of perceiving their true nature and core essence.
"They are similar to Depravitas... but also fundamentally different."
Luckily, the answer to his doubts came almost immediately.
"Those are Sky Demons," Apex explained, his voice echoing calmly inside Cain’s mind. "They share similarities with Depravitas, but they are far wilder and far darker."
Cain smiled faintly as he listened. The knowledge possessed by the System Spirit truly was an invaluable treasure trove.
"If you one day venture into the Emptiness, you will encounter them frequently," Apex continued. "Normally, they are considered a scourge that must be eradicated. However... they can also be extremely useful."
A meaningful light flashed across Cain’s eyes.
"And they would make excellent weapons."
The glow in Cain’s gaze intensified.
A weapon.
Something capable of channeling his power and unleashing it with overwhelming might.
That was something Cain had lacked for a very long time within the Nine Empyrean Suns Universe. There simply was no one capable of forging treasures suitable for his level, forcing him to rely almost entirely on raw energy manipulation, much like he did with the Zero State Spear.
But now, with the creation of the Chimera Wills and the birth of these Sky Demons, an entirely new path had opened before him.
"First things first," Cain muttered softly. "I need to ensure I can control and channel these entities. Otherwise, the weapon I have in mind will never work."
A sharp light appeared in his eyes as he carefully ensured there was nothing nearby that could interfere with his experiment—or be destroyed by the collateral damage.
At the same time, he remained close enough to the Everstrife Empyrean World to continuously draw upon its immense reserves of energy and life force.
Once satisfied, Cain slowly adopted a meditative position in the void beside the Coffin of Life and Death.
Then he extended his hand.
A massive hollow moon materialized before him, forged entirely from condensed force and matter. Moments later, Cain flooded it with enormous amounts of psychic energy drawn from the Scarlet Throne, along with life force supplied directly by the Everstrife Empyrean World.
Only after everything was complete did Cain focus fully on the coffin once more.
With a single thought, he allowed the newborn Sky Demons to emerge.
The creatures drifted into the hollow moon with expressions filled with confusion and instability. They had only just been born and were still weak, their forms vague and chaotic.
However, it did not take long for greed and hunger to appear in their eyes.
They could feel it.
The endless ocean of fuel and energy surrounding them.
They threw themselves upon the oceans of psychic energy and life force like starving beasts that had finally discovered paradise. Their distorted mouths split open far beyond normal proportions as they devoured everything around them with savage desperation.
The massive hollow moon trembled.
Currents of scarlet psychic force and golden life essence spun wildly as thousands of Sky Demons consumed them at a terrifying speed. Their bodies began to swell and mutate almost immediately.
Some grew massive skeletal wings formed from condensed darkness.
Others developed countless crimson eyes that radiated madness and greed.
A few split apart and fused back together repeatedly, creating grotesque forms that shifted every second.
And all of them radiated the same thing.
Malice.
Pure, overwhelming malice.
The void itself seemed to darken under their presence as black and crimson auras spread through the hollow moon like poisonous mist. Their shrieks echoed endlessly, carrying boundless hunger and bloodlust.
Cain remained seated in silence, observing everything carefully.
More and more Sky Demons continued emerging from the Coffin of Life and Death. The negative emotions purified from Meylin’s cultivation acted as fuel for their birth, allowing new creatures to constantly crawl out from the darkness inside the coffin.
The newborn Sky Demons immediately followed the same pattern.
Consume.
Grow.
Devour more.
It did not take long before the oceans of energy Cain had prepared began shrinking at an alarming speed.
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he saw the cultivation speed of these monsters. It was as if the term barrir was unknown to them. As long as there was fuel, they could grow without end.
"They just need to follow their nature, and they can evolve again and again."
The Sky Demons possessed no morality, no restraint, and no hesitation. Their entire existence revolved around predation and evolution through consumption.
It was brutal.
Efficient.
And terrifying.
Eventually, the last traces of psychic energy and life force vanished.
Silence descended upon the hollow moon for a brief moment.
Then thousands of crimson and black eyes slowly turned toward Cain.
The hunger in those gazes intensified instantly.
The Sky Demons could feel it.
Compared to the energy they had just consumed, the existence sitting before them was like an endless ocean. Every instinct inside them screamed to devour him.
"ROOOAAARRR!"
Countless Sky Demons lunged forward simultaneously, transforming into black storms of claws, fangs, and killing intent.
Yet Cain did not even blink.
With a single thought, space distorted.
"BOOM!"
An invisible force crashed into the charging demons and hurled them backward with overwhelming might. Their bodies slammed into the walls of the hollow moon hard enough to shatter mountains.
The entire dimension trembled.
Several weaker Sky Demons exploded instantly upon impact.
The survivors shrieked in pain and fury, but none dared charge forward again.
They were evil.
Cruel.
Bloodthirsty.
But they were not stupid.
A terrifying cunning existed behind their savage instincts. They immediately understood that the being before them was far beyond anything they could challenge.
Cain’s power had utterly crushed any thought of rebellion.
The Scarlet King remained seated calmly, his golden eyes silently observing them.
Then the Sky Demons realized something else.
There was still food remaining.
Each other!
The shift happened almost instantly.
One of the larger demons suddenly seized a weaker one beside it and bit its head clean off. Black blood erupted everywhere as the creature swallowed the corpse whole.
The surrounding demons froze for less than a second before madness exploded once more.
Cannibalism began.
The hollow moon descended into complete carnage.
Sky Demons tore into one another with horrifying savagery. Some ripped open stomachs and devoured organs while their prey was still alive. Others split apart into swarms of smaller entities that consumed weakened demons from the inside.
The shrieks became deafening.
Blood flooded the hollow moon.
Black rivers of corrupted flesh spread across the interior while the surviving demons grew larger and more monstrous with every kill.
A few particularly cunning Sky Demons attempted to escape the slaughter altogether. They rushed toward the outer walls of the hollow moon, trying to flee into the void beyond.
Unfortunately for them, Cain had already sealed the entire space.
The walls of the hollow moon glowed with scarlet runes as the escaping demons slammed against them repeatedly.
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
"BOOM!"
The impacts shook the moon, but none could break through.
Eventually, the trapped creatures turned around once more.
Only to find the other demons descending upon them.
The massacre intensified.
Hours passed.
Days went by.
The number of Sky Demons gradually decreased, but the survivors became increasingly terrifying. Their auras grew heavier, darker, and more malevolent with every corpse they consumed.