The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Chapter 1174: The Demon: Clash against the demons

Swoosh!!

Souta pierced through the veil of the formation, and at once, a crushing force wrapped around his body. The pressure was immense—thick like molten iron—restricting his movements and slowing the flow of his energy.

But he didn’t hesitate.

He raised his sword, crimson arcs of lightning crawling up its edge.

Crackle—!!

A torrent of blood-colored lightning exploded outward, tearing through the air. The blast ripped a gaping hole through the massive floating land, shaking the entire structure.

Boom!!

Chunks of burning debris rained down as Souta stepped through the breach. The air shimmered with violent energy as his perception spread like a storm, sweeping through several layers of the stronghold in an instant.

But he couldn’t see it all. The web of formations and runes that covered the fortress resisted his probing, distorting his senses.

He clicked his tongue. ’As expected...’

This was the danger of raiding a demon stronghold—an impenetrable fortress laced with killing traps, sealing arrays, and suppression barriers designed to slay even the most cautious invader.

Swoosh!!

Figures flickered into existence around him—dozens of demons, their eyes burning with murderous intent. The floor trembled as their combined aura filled the hall.

Souta didn’t even flinch.

It had only been seconds since he entered, yet they were already here.

Exactly as he expected.

He knew how demon strongholds operated. Surveillance was woven into every wall, every rune, every shadow. To enter undetected would require a stealth technique powerful enough to deceive even the Demon Pillars themselves.

Unfortunately for them... Souta hadn’t come to sneak in.

He came to tear it down.

Souta took a deep breath. His muscles tensed, lightning coursing through his veins. Then—

He bent his knees slightly and vanished.

Swoosh!!

A demon lunged forward, thrusting its spear toward him. But before the strike could land, Souta twisted midair, evading the attack by a hair’s breadth. He spun, momentum snapping through his body, and his heel crashed into the demon’s chest.

The creature barely had time to scream before the scythe came down.

Slash—!!

A head rolled across the floor, blood scattering like rain.

A vast, ominous magic circle spread beneath Souta’s feet, glowing with crimson light.

Crack!

In an instant, jagged black spikes erupted from the ground, skewering the demons that surrounded him. They were lifted off their feet, nailed to the ceiling, their dying cries echoing through the hall.

Souta swung his scythe again, and the spikes—and their corpses—crumbled into dust. With a wave of his hand, the lingering souls were drawn toward him, devoured by a pair of accessory in his ears.

”I’ll kill every last one of you,” Souta muttered coldly, his eyes burning with red lightning.

Then his figure blurred—

And disappeared.

...

Wooo—!

Sirens blared throughout the stronghold. Red light flashed along the walls as demonic energy surged to life.

By now, every demon in the fortress knew the truth—The Blood Lightning Monster had invaded their sanctuary.

Panic rippled through the ranks, but the demons quickly rallied, forming squads and preparing their defenses.

Souta cut through them like a blade through mist.

Floor after floor, he advanced without slowing, tearing apart every demon that dared to stand in his way. The halls became rivers of blood, the air heavy with burnt energy.

Several times, traps detonated beneath his feet—violent enough to shatter even some of his passive defenses.

Explosions flared, smoke filled the air but Souta kept moving.

He had no time to be cautious. Every second mattered. If he stopped to carefully disarm each formation, it would take too long to reach Alice.

Swoosh!!

Souta blitzed forward, a streak of crimson light cutting through the corridors. Every demon that lunged toward him—every blade, claw, and spell—vanished in the blink of an eye, erased before they even realized what had happened.

The stronghold trembled under the weight of his speed.

And then—his perception flared.

Alice.

Souta’s eyes snapped upward. He could feel her faint presence above him—roughly two hundred kilometers away.

A smile crept across his face. ”Found you.”

He raised his hand, and a bolt of blood-colored lightning tore through the ceilings, punching through layer after layer of the fortress.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

But just as he was about to move again—his instincts screamed.

Souta twisted aside. A wave of frigid energy erupted from behind him, freezing everything in its path. The air crystallized, and frost devoured the walls, turning his previous position into a field of ice.

He rolled through the air, regaining balance—but the cold still reached him. The hand gripping his vajra sword froze solid, locking in place.

”Tch... such a powerful trap.”

Souta clenched his jaw, dark energy surging through his veins. Shadows crept along his arm, devouring the frost inch by inch until the ice shattered into dust.

Beneath his skin, the parasite pulsed weakly as it began to repair the damage. Its regeneration was slower than before—its limit showing—but Souta didn’t care.

He couldn’t stop now.

His focus locked onto Alice’s aura near the portal above. He pressed his foot against the ground, and a magic circle bloomed beneath him, glowing with intricate red sigils.

Crackle—!

In the next instant, his body dissolved into shadow.

He shot through the air like a streak of lightning—fast, silent, unstoppable.

His instincts blared once again—Dozens of traps ignited at once, explosions cascading around him.

But Souta didn’t falter.

He pushed forward through the chaos.

Because just beyond those layers of death and fire—

Alice was waiting.

The runes carved across the walls of the massive stronghold began to glow, pulsing with hostility. Each symbol radiated energy designed to repel intruders—designed to repel him.

Then—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Multiple explosions shook the entire structure. Flames burst through the corridors as destructive waves of magic clashed against one another. The walls groaned under the strain, chunks of stone and steel raining from above.

Souta gritted his teeth, his eyes glowing crimson.

”I can’t let it happen...” he muttered, pushing through the storm of runes and fire.

Every second counted.

If that portal activated—Alice would be gone.

...

Meanwhile, in front of the portal...

The massive gate rippled like liquid glass, its center swirling with unstable light. A deep hum filled the air—the sound of an awakening gateway.

Alice stood before it, her expression tense, her golden eyes trembling. The energy pouring from the portal stung her skin—it was almost ready.

She wanted to run.

She wanted to scream.

But standing between her and freedom was Leimin, a tall demoness cloaked in dark flame.

Leimin’s eyes were calm yet unyielding. The crimson sigil on her forehead burned brighter as she tightened her grip on her spear.

”Don’t make this difficult, Princess Alicia,” she said, her tone cold but firm. ”Once the portal stabilizes, you’ll return to your homeland. Your father awaits.”

Alice’s fingers curled into fists. She didn’t respond; her thoughts were elsewhere—

on the roaring energy, on the sound of distant explosions echoing through the fortress, and on the one name that refused to leave her lips.

”Souta...” she whispered, her voice trembling.

The floor rumbled beneath her feet.

Somewhere deep below, something unstoppable was drawing closer.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the lower levels of the stronghold...

The ground shuddered beneath Souta’s feet. The walls trembled, dust falling from above as his senses flared. Two powerful presences surged toward him like living storms.

He narrowed his eyes.

”Two... Freedom Realm demons.”

Souta gripped his weapons tighter—the vajra sword pulsing with blood-red light in one hand, the scythe vibrating with dark energy in the other. He leaped into the air just as the walls exploded around him.

BOOM!!

Two figures burst through the debris. One was wreathed in roaring lightning, arcs snapping violently across his body. The other was cloaked in black flame, his outline flickering between light and shadow.

”Intruder! Face the wrath of the demons!!”

Their combined voices echoed like thunder, shaking the entire fortress.

Souta met their charge head-on.

Steel clashed against claws, lightning struck against blood. Shockwaves rippled outward, shredding the stone pillars around them.

If this battle were outside, Souta knew he could end them both with ease. But here—inside the stronghold—the very world resisted him.

Every rune on the walls flared to life, the air thick with oppressive energy.

Even gravity itself seemed to drag him down, fighting his every movement.

The fortress was alive, bending the laws of nature to aid its demonic masters.

Souta clenched his jaw as sparks and blood-red lightning erupted around him.

He felt he wasn’t fighting just two demons—he was fighting the entire world they stood upon.

’Don’t be distracted, Souta!!’ Saya’s voice echoed sharply in his mind.

But he couldn’t help it. Through his perception, he could feel Alice’s energy signature fading—moving closer to the portal above. If he didn’t act now... it would be too late.

”Die, intruder!!”

A roar cut through his thoughts. Souta snapped his gaze upward—

A massive shadow loomed.

A colossal tree, its branches infused with demonic energy, slammed into him with the force of a meteor.

BOOM!!

The entire structure quaked as Souta’s body was hurled downward, tearing through countless floors before crashing into the lowest level.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision flickering.

”Ugh—!”

’A demigod...! Moreover, someone who still retains a fragment of godhood!’ Saya’s tone was filled with alarm.

Above, three silhouettes emerged through the haze of smoke and lightning. They looked down at him, disbelief etched across their twisted faces.

The Blood Lightning Monster—still standing.