Evolution: From Little Devil to Devil Empress

Chapter 468: Reaching Cooperation

The being that had just appeared seemed to have come out of nothingness. It was a man with an ordinary human appearance, looking even smaller and more fragile before the towering Four Elements Devil than the Catastrophe Devil had.

Yet in the eyes of any observer, this man looked even bigger than his opponent. His existence itself seemed to defy the boundaries of logic, as if he were a high-dimensional being.

The moment he appeared, the only two people remaining in the 173rd Layer, Liora and the Four Elements Devil, recognized him.

The former recognized him because of his fearsome reputation, while the latter...

”Hollow Ancestor!”, the Four Elements Devil shouted, standing amidst the chunks of shattered continents and staring at the newcomer with murderous intent.

Despite his fury, though, he didn’t try to attack the opponent.

Liora watched as the two beings faced each other for a few moments before the Hollow Ancestor finally spoke up.

”You’re just as reckless as before.”, he shook his head in regret.

”Shouldn’t you have fled the moment you woke up? Really... Should I say that you’re arrogant, or should I label you as simply being dumb?”

The Hollow Ancestor sighed.

His words seemed to have driven the Four Elements Devil into a fury.

He was already angered to have died once at the opponent’s hands and having been used as material to ”support” the Demon Layer for millions of years.

Now that he heard the culprit behind his troubles mock him, he could no longer contain his fury.

Raising his arm, the giant palm transformed into a four-fingered claw once more.

The four elements revolved around these fingers, bursting with an unfathomable power as they struck at the Hollow Ancestor. His momentum was even stronger than when he tore apart the continents with his bare hands.

One finger alone was thousands of times bigger than the Hollow Ancestor.

However, the man showed neither surprise nor fear.

He didn’t even move, allowing the claw to land on him.

The expected collision did not happen. The claw caused no damage.

The two seemed to exist in different dimensions. Before the Four Elements Devil could even touch the Hollow Ancestor, his blow was wiped out by an inexplicable power.

The Hollow Ancestor seemed to have transcended the concept of life itself, existing outside reality and being unreachable by ordinary forces.

”How is this possible?!”, the Four Elements Devil muttered, stunned.

”How could you not have suffered any backlash? Did you give up your status as a Ruler?”

The Four Elements Devil had not gone mad to dare to attack the Hollow Ancestor.

Rather, it was the destruction of the Demon Layer that gave him the confidence to do so.

To his knowledge, the destruction of a Demon Layer would significantly impact its Ruler, greatly reducing their strength until they recovered.

In the Four Elements Devil’s mind, only a single fact could explain why the Hollow Ancestor had remained so strong.

”Have you advanced further?”, he asked in terror.

Halfway through the sentence, his body burst like a bubble.

He teleported far away and was already fleeing.

His body split into four clones, one for each element, and they all rushed in different directions.

Their speed was terrifying, as they could traverse giant distances within moments.

Yet, the speed he was proud of was extremely slow in the Hollow Ancestor’s eyes.

He let out a sigh and didn’t move.

However, his Throne, settled on the banks of the River of Time, quivered.

Immediately, the space in front of the Four Elements Devil’s Fire Body opened. An unassuming hand stretched from within the gap, slapping him and erasing his existence.

The space around the Wind Body shattered and devoured him whole. Similarly, the Water Body was attacked by several space rifts and torn apart.

Within just a few moments, only one body remained—the Earth Body.

Perhaps a coincidence, but the Four Elements Devil’s route happened to go right past Liora.

Or at least, this was how it seemed on the surface.

Liora knew it was far from a coincidence. For no other reason than that the Four Elements Devil transmitted a message to her.

”Don’t stand there! Come help me!”

As if afraid that Liora would not understand, the Four Elements Devil rushed to explain.

”Do you believe it’s a coincidence that you’re here? That you just got lucky to escape the Demon Layer’s destruction just in time?”

”Don’t be stupid. This is all the Hollow Ancestor’s plan! His target this time is not only me, but also you!”, he said, adding:

”I don’t know what you possess that can make the Hollow Ancestor scheme against you. However, your appearance here is evidence that you’re his target, too!”

The Four Elements Devil’s voice rang directly in Liora’s mind as he scrambled to escape.

A trace of surprise crossed Liora’s face.

Not because of the content of his words, but because of the rationality and intelligence he displayed.

Indeed. She had by now realized that everything that had happened was not a mere coincidence.

Most likely, it was the plan of a higher-level being.

And the most likely mastermind was the Hollow Ancestor.

However, though that much was obvious to her, Liora was caught off guard by the fact that the Four Elements Devil could also realize this.

Based on his previous actions, it seemed that only the words rash, reckless, and easily angered could be used to describe him. But it seemed this was not the whole picture.

”Indeed. How could a person who has reached this stage possibly be unintelligent? At worst, he is arrogant. At best, everything is a disguise.”, Liora thought, shaking her head.

Her gaze turned solemn. Glancing into her soul space, she concentrated on her transformed World of Heart.

Already having a guess regarding the ”cooperation” the Four Elements Devil suggested, her consciousness swept out, and the two secretly communicated.

With the threat of the Hollow Ancestor looming over both of their heads, the two reached a deal within moments.

Immediately, the Four Elements Devil accelerated. In the blink of an eye, his remaining body appeared before Liora, dissipating before fusing with her.

The next moment, her soul space lit up as her World of Heart descended.