Chapter 523: Slaughter Demon
"Roar—"
Another furious roar echoed.
The gaunt yet muscular Goat Demons were draped in filthy gray beast hides. They raised their withered staffs in unison, chanting a foul hymn.
"The terror of the Abyss is endless."
"And it, the child of the Abyss, slaughters other races eternally."
The Soul Judge Demon cracked its long whip, watching expectantly as the murky, jagged spatial rift trembled.
"Roar—"
A savage roar once again erupted from within the rift, its twisted summoning circle flickering with eerie light.
First, a razor-sharp, insectoid claw emerged, followed by mantis-like limbs gripping the edges of the rift. Then, a massive, grotesque figure slowly stepped out.
The monstrous demon towered over ten meters high, its enormous, deformed body a grotesque amalgamation of the worst traits of multiple creatures.
—Bear, mantis, wolf, and a reptilian humanoid form.
It appeared as though it was an experiment gone horribly wrong. In truth, that was precisely the case. According to legend, these creatures were the creation of a powerful demon lord, formed from the tortured souls of sadists and murderers.
Almost every terrifying creature in the Abyss was driven by an insatiable lust for slaughter, and among them, the Slaughter Demons were the most relentless.
More terrifying than most demons, their physiology combined the deadliest aspects of insects and beasts, making them enormous and lethal killing machines.
This was the demons' reinforcement, a brutal executioner of the battlefield—the Butcher Demon!
Seeing the Butcher Demon's arrival, the Soul Judge Demon approached and whispered, "Karl, Lord Jezal Slak requires your assistance."
The towering demon inhaled deeply, as if savoring the scent of death in the air.
"Hoo—"
Its multifaceted eyes turned toward the Soul Judge Demon, and from its massive jaws came a harsh, metallic rasp.
"I do not need you to tell me what to do. It has been too long… since I last savored the slaughter of mortals."
"…Fine."
Though the Soul Judge Demon's expression darkened slightly, it said nothing more. In the Abyss, strength was everything, and the Butcher Demon was far stronger than it.
The demon's presence on the battlefield was due solely to the will of its demon lord, not because of any favor toward the Soul Judge Demon.
At last, they could break through that disgusting defensive line.
The Soul Judge Demon turned its gaze toward the fortress, eyeing the countless gun barrels and cannons protruding from it. A twisted grin crept across its face, baring its sharp fangs.
As a commander in the demonic legion, it had invaded the Material Plane countless times and had fought enemies far stronger than the Empire—Celestials, Giants, Fey…
Yet, never before had it suffered such humiliation. Its proud demon army had been unable to even reach the defensive line, forced to retreat under relentless long-range fire.
This was a disgrace!
No nation, no force had ever dared to treat the Abyss this way. Even extraordinary beings regarded them with fear and caution.
"Roar—"
The Butcher Demon let out a bone-chilling roar, stretching its colossal body before charging straight at the Imperial Wall.
Behind it, more than a dozen Bull Demons trampled over the charred wasteland, each step shaking the earth.
These monstrous creatures moved like living mountains, advancing toward the Imperial soldiers, while the Butcher Demon at the front cleared the path with sheer devastation.
Countless demons followed in their wake, unleashing deafening screeches, occupying both sky and land, forming yet another surging demonic tide.
On platforms atop the Bull Demons' backs, emaciated Goat Sorcerers waved their bone staves, chanting whispers from the Abyss.
Layer upon layer of chaotic blood-red energy enveloped the demons, cursing the land beneath them.
The demonic legion was surging back.
"Fire!"
"For the Ember Empire!"
"Suppress them! Make these Abyssal bastards scream!"
The bunkers echoed with the roars of commanding officers, the ragged breaths of soldiers, and the rapid bursts of gunfire.
Heavy machine guns spewed flames, their bullets raining down like a storm, interweaving into a deadly net of firepower.
Alongside each thunderous explosion, fortress cannons roared, their muzzles flashing, filling the air with thick smoke as shell after shell was fired.
"Moo—"
Deep, guttural bellows rang out as the massive bull-like heads exhaled white smoke.
The Bull Demons lifted colossal boulders as shields, their cursed blood acting as armor, charging headfirst into the hail of bullets and artillery fire.
But the Butcher Demon was far more terrifying. With its insect-like exoskeleton and beast-like hide, it ignored the bullets and shells entirely.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Bullets struck its body, but not even a scratch remained as they ricocheted off.
"Whoosh—"
A shell arced low through the air, launched from a distant cannon.
Yet, with a swift motion, the mantis-like limbs on the Butcher Demon's back flashed, slicing the projectile in midair, cleanly splitting it in two.
It picked up a broken fragment from the ground, bringing it to its nostrils and sniffing the scent of steel and gunpowder before letting out a low chuckle.
"Interesting. But merely… a toy of prey."
The Butcher Demon bent its four powerful limbs, veins bulging beneath its skin, its grotesque body pressing against the earth.
With an explosive boom, the ground beneath it collapsed, forming a deep crater. Then, like a coiled spring, it launched itself into the air, propelled by its monstrous strength.
This nightmarish chimera of a demon soared dozens of meters high, covering hundreds of meters in an instant, closing in on the Empire's defenses.
"Boom!"
Another thunderous impact followed as the Butcher Demon landed, shaking the ground violently. Dust clouds billowed, debris scattered in all directions.
A massive crater formed where it landed, and from within the swirling dust, its towering, monstrous silhouette emerged, sprinting toward the defensive line like an unrelenting nightmare.
Each step it took sent tremors through the ground.
Inside the bunker, Imperial officers and soldiers were momentarily thrown into disarray. They had never seen anything like this before.
"Quick!"
"Kill it!"
"That demon is coming! Aim at it!"
In an instant, rifles, machine guns, and cannons all turned toward the colossal beast.
Bullets, shells, and grenades rained down on the Butcher Demon in an attempt to obliterate this monstrous threat.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Explosions erupted across the battlefield, flames engulfing the area, swallowing the Butcher Demon whole.
Thick smoke filled the air, dust and debris rising, carrying the acrid stench of burning flesh.
"Is it over?"
"Did it die?"
That was the question lingering in every soldier's mind within the bunker.
"This is…"
George watched the swirling smoke intently, his heart pounding wildly for reasons he could not explain.