In soul power, Brimstone Hounds matched second-level superhumans. As demons, they couldn't be permanently killed outside the Abyss. Though Reyn absorbed most souls, some returned there. Each Brimstone Hound gave Reyn two charge units—slightly less than a typical second-level superhuman. Seven Brimstone Hounds, plus a few killed by Pollock and Kenji, boosted Reyn's charge by over twenty percent in a few breaths.
Before he could rejoice, red light flashed before him, unleashing a volley of fireballs. A large group of Lesser Imps was casting right in front. Their hands blazed as they hurled fist-sized fireballs. Though weak, they flew densely, blanketing the area. Reyn let the fireballs hit him. Ice armor formed around his body, flashing continuously. No matter how weak, the fireballs carried heat. The ice armor wasn't as sturdy as a shield, merely a thin layer over his body, enduring no more than ten fireballs.
Reyn glanced at the other two demon groups. They were small. Pollock and Kenji each took one and would soon wipe them out, preventing escape. He charged forward with another dash. The fireball volley struck empty air. In the next second, Reyn bowled over two or three Lesser Imps amid them, then swung his warhammer in a circular strike using himself as pivot. Bones crunched continuously; brains splattered, blood sprayed. Lesser Imps around Reyn fell like mown grass, clearing space around him.
"Gee-roo-va-gu…" The surviving Lesser Imps emitted strange cries, eyes filled with terror, and scattered in panic.
Frida arrived just then. Her silver longsword flashed, slaying one demon per strike, eliminating approaching foes with successive blows.
Demon souls streamed from corpses to Reyn one after another. He glanced at his phone interface: each Lesser Imp gave less than one charge unit, but there were masses. With dashes, he scattered one group, pulverized another like a wolf among sheep, harvesting souls. Charge rose steadily; in half a minute, the second bar exceeded forty percent. The more he fought, the stronger he grew.
"Could I luck out today and level up multiple times?" Before the thought finished, a new massive wave of demons erupted from the warehouse gates. Huge numbers of Brimstone Hounds and Lesser Imps surged, followed by half-human, half-snake beings. Their upper bodies were Human-like, lower a massive serpentine tail. Fiery-red scales covered them, like upright cobras. They had facial features but ferocious expressions. Over two meters tall, they gripped crude tridents in strong hands. They slithered swiftly via tails.
"Fire Demons!" Reyn's heart skipped. Fire Demons were another Burning Demons variant. Stronger than Brimstone Hounds, they had intelligence, no longer acting on instinct, and could command lower-rank demons.
"Four Fire Demons… Each soul nearly matches a third-level superhuman's. If we don't stop Trevichi inside, more demons will keep coming—we can't kill them all."
Thoughts raced through Reyn's mind, but his actions didn't slow. He raised his warhammer and charged. This group numbered fifty-sixty. Under several Fire Demons' command from behind, they flanked orderly from both sides, aiming to overwhelm Reyn with numbers.
"Get out of the way, I'll handle it!" Kenji shouted loudly. He'd already cleared a small group to the right. His mechanical armor thundered forward with huge strides. Heavy metal legs shook the ground; steam billowed from the back as it crashed into the demon horde. The spiritual Pistol fired nonstop; the gigantic sword cleaved left and right, bisecting several Brimstone Hounds per swing.
Pollock arrived in time too, joining Reyn with Frida. The four blocked the warehouse gates.
"No demon gets past here!" Pollock swapped magazines swiftly. As a Ranger, his movements were agile; among low-level demons, he felt confident. Pistol in one hand, flexible sword in the other. Reyn eyed the flexible sword, thinking Pollock usually hid it in his belt—and today finally drew it. He noticed Frida beside him, already breathing heavily. Frida, a third-level holy swordman and weakest of the four, was injured from the blast and fatigued after slaying several demons.
Pollock spotted her state and, after shooting two breakthrough Lesser Imps, asked,
"Frida, can you hold?"
"No problem," Frida gritted out.
Kenji before them stood immovable as a mountain. Fireballs pelted his armor, leaving black marks. He swung the gigantic sword, occasionally firing the pistol, repelling two demon waves. But fearless demons surged wave after wave. One Fire Demon cried out, and half the demons flanked Kenji's mechanical armor, splitting into two streams to break through. The gates were six-seven meters wide; one Kenji couldn't block them all.
Reyn dashed forward, slamming his warhammer powerfully. Icy cold spread, freezing half the passage. He swung again, unleashing full power. Flesh chunks flew; the demon assault choked. With Reyn's aid, pressure on Kenji eased instantly. Together, like reefs in a stormy sea, they solidly held the gates. No matter the demon assaults, they held firm, sealing the exit. Rare breakthroughs were swiftly slain by Pollock and Frida behind.
From this position, Reyn could survey inside the warehouse. The vast space was nearly empty, few goods, all visible through. At the center, an altar on the floor bore a complex runic circle. Inside stood a power generator like a magical steam engine, fueling the circle. Beside the magical steam engine was a lean middle-aged man, about forty, in a pristine black suit, eyes bloodshot with insatiable rage and madness.
"Trevichi!" Reyn finally spotted the culprit.
Kenji had long noticed Trevichi and fired his spiritual Pistol several times, but bullets halted against the translucent shield enveloping the runic circle. This pale-golden shield was extremely tough. Even Kenji's powerful shots couldn't pierce it. Trevichi ignored external attacks. In his right hand, a strange dark-green rhomboid crystal emitted black light. Standing at the circle's center as conduit, he drew magical energy streams into the green crystal. The crystal shot a beam, tearing space on the open area before the circle, forming a two-meter-high portal.
These were the Abyss Gates.
The Abyss Gates led to an Underworld plane. Through them loomed hazy molten lava ground, smoke- and dust-choked sky, barren scorched earth. Countless Burning Demons massed, awaiting passage to Ellunes. Reyn gasped involuntarily. Fortunately, the Abyss Gates weren't fully open; only lesser demons could pass now. Packs of Lesser Imps and Brimstone Hounds shoved through like water from a faucet. Occasionally, Fire Demons wedged in with tridents. Half the warehouse now brimmed with demons, unable to exit as the way was blocked.
These were just lesser demons for now. As the Abyss Gates widened slightly more, mid- or even high-rank demons would soon emerge. Suddenly, the Abyss Gates expanded further, unleashing more demons. Reyn glanced, hair standing on end. At this rate, high-rank demons—and a horde—would appear in under five minutes. The four—himself and Kenji included—couldn't hold them.
"We need to kill Trevichi!" Reyn shouted during a brief lull. Simultaneously, using Eye of the Soul, he saw the fifth-level mechanic's soul was pitch-black with horrific blood taint. It writhed like a living thing, tentacles protruding. Sinister aura oozed from his crown, visible to the naked eye. At the soul's core, twin crimson horrific eyes noticed something and suddenly stared at him.
Lightning struck Reyn; his mind clouded, nearly losing control.
"Damn! What is that?!"
His movements froze an instant, warhammer slowing. Several Brimstone Hounds seized it, tackling him down and savagely tearing. It happened so suddenly even nearest Kenji couldn't aid.
"Reyn!…" Pollock cried bitterly. His flexible sword straightened, and he—with sword—rushed to help, ready to take Reyn's gate position.
Next second, icy cold flashed; warhammer rose, shattering encircling Brimstone Hounds. Reyn leaped up. His clothes shredded, exposing muscled body, but no demon bite marks—he was unscathed. Pollock reached him, stunned by Reyn's state.
"Reyn, you're okay!" In an instant, surprise and joy: joy Reyn lived, surprise at his terrifying defense. Brimstone Hounds' fangs were deadliest, carrying fiery venom causing burns. Even a mid-level superhuman would struggle with a bite. Several gnawed Reyn seconds, yet no scratches. Too unbelievable!
Reyn offered no explanation—nor time. He smiled at Pollock, spun, swung warhammer to slay a sneaking Brimstone Hound, then said quickly,
"Captain, hold here. I'll go kill him."
"Got it!" Pollock swung his flexible sword, taking Reyn's place.
Bang! Reyn's tall figure burst into the warehouse. He tore through the crowd of demons, brutally carving a bloody path for himself. Several Fire Demons had been hiding in the back all this time, commanding without daring to personally attack the gates. Seeing that Reyn had broken through inside, two of them swung their heavy tridents, flanked him from both sides, and charged.