The Devil's Cage

Valenheart trembled when he saw the black figure.

The fear came from the bottom of his heart.

When he got the news of Kieran arriving, Valenheart was already scared but when he truly descended, it threw Valenheart into the abyss of despair.

What followed his despair was confusion.

"Why are you here? This place is hidden in the castle, you shouldn't have found this place!" Valenheart muttered.

"Hidden in the castle? Then I'll just burn down the entire castle! Where did you think the fire came from?"

Ridiculing words sounded from behind Valenheart but before he even turned around, a hand went through his chest. Valenheart looked at the hand that perforated his chest, not liking the outcome.

He still had a great plan to carry out! He had the upper hand!

Why! Why did he fail in the end?

Valenheart looked up at Kieran with difficulty, wanting to express his pitiful emotions, but what he saw was Kieran looking around, sizing up the place, not even bothering to lay eyes on him!

'He didn't even take me seriously!'

This momentary recovery of consciousness before his death allowed him to realize something.

Then he was out of breath.

Kieran's Intuition also told him Valenheart's presence was completely gone.

The Honor Kill notifications then came up on his vision.

[Player Killed: Valenheart]

[Treated as self-defense through authentication]

[Categorized as an Honor Kill]

[You will receive all the Points and Skill Points of the player…]

[Total: 30,000 Points and 0 Skill Points]

[Received the player's house key]

[Granted the right to use the player's house]

[All the player's belongings are returned to their house]

[Honor Kill: 119]

…

The pitiful number of Points and Skill Points did not surprise Kieran.

Kieran was mentally prepared when he discovered the peculiar situation.

After all, a quiet Freedom Alliance member wouldn't have become powerful and mighty all of a sudden.

Maybe Valenheart presented himself as such but the truth was still Points and… other people's power.

The Points came from killing his fellow Freedom Alliance members.

As for the 'other people's power'?

Huuu!

Devil Flame burned from Kieran's hand when he picked up an unusual presence further away.

The Devil Flame was hurled out with a whistle, flying across the sky like a meteor.

The semi-realistic illusory realm beneath Kieran started to crumble and vanish.

Alisritter, who got up to the execution state, saw the Decoman and the executioner disintegrating into particles. He looked up, seeing the fireball fly across the sky as it was hurled farther away. Alisritter heaved a breath of relief.

"That guy is here?"

After the little mutter, Alisritter sat down.

Although he emerged a victor from the battle with his own shadow, it drained his stamina and energy greatly.

Since Kieran had come into the mix, he seized the moment to rest.

Alisritter took note of Kieran's help in his heart, owing him a debt.

However, the moment Alisritter sat down on the ground, a black cloud of mist appeared behind him.

Little sparks of black lightning were rumbling in the mist but it was quiet.

Alisritter did not notice the unusual cloud of mist behind him.

A second before Alisritter got swallowed by the dark mist…

Huuu!

Devil Flame burned out of thin air and the blazing flames clashed with the cloud of dark mist.

The black lightning from the mist rumbled violently, the thunderous clapping sounding insignificant in front of the devil's roar!

RAWR!

The devil's image appeared in the flames. The black mist shuddered and more black lightning came out.

"Troublesome bastard! You really think you can stop…"

Fuuuaa!

Kieran's actions were always faster than his words. While the black mist spoke, two balls of Devil Flame appeared above his right hand and was hurled out.

Kaboom!

Devil Flame exploded upon impact, a dozen meters tall flamewave drowning everything in all directions; the humid air dried up and became scorching hot.

Alisritter had already retreated far enough when Kieran appeared behind him and yet he felt each breath he took was like breathing burning charcoal.

Once a disciple of a master smith in a dungeon world, the Swordsmith was quite familiar with heat. Similarly, he also felt familiar when he saw the black mist, very alarmed by the presence.

The black mist came for him! Everything here was set up specifically against him!

Decoman was just caught in the fire and used as bait for him to come here!

Alisritter's expression sank when he reacted to the situation.

No one liked to be setup, including Alisritter.

A blade-like aura appeared on him, locking his gaze on the blazing flames.

He believed the bastard who set him up wouldn't die so easily, and his hunch proved correct.

The black mist shrunk rapidly under the scorching flames but moments later, it grew big again.

The black mist started to exterminate the weakening Devil Flame.

"Your flames are powerful, but… How many times can you use them? How long can you last? I am undead! I am endless! I…"

Kabooom!

Baaaam!

Before the black mist finished, it was drowned by the roaring Devil Flame once more.

As though a meteor shower, Devil Flame was blasted out ceaselessly and was smashed hard on the black mist from the sky.

The tides turned again. Devil Flame, who lose its stand for a moment because the black mist grew large, regained the upper hand.

Roar!

The magma devil's roar sounded like battledrums; the Devil Flame was like infantries charging towards their enemy.

The black mist was drowned again.

While in mid-air, Devil Flame gathered once again in Kieran's hand and this time, the Devil Flame was unlike the ones he simply hurled out earlier.

This one charged up for a longer time, striking fear in people with a single glance.

Basic Devil Flame could dish out rank II damage at its highest but after charging up, it could reach rank III and with the buffs from [Fiery Sulphur] and Fire Raven, Devil Flame swiftly reached rank V.

It was undoubtedly the strongest Devil Flame that Kieran could dish out at his current power level and also his strongest attack, which was destined to be different.

Devil Flame, which was originally in a sphere shape, started to change form.

A pair of spiral horns—as sharp as a blade—grew from the charged up flame; the flame formed a face with arrogant eyes—despite being blurry—its sharp teeth able to strike fear in people.

A breath's time later, the rank V attack Devil Flame changed it shape from a sphere to the head of the devil.

The flames burned and roars sounded endlessly, as though the burning devil head was selecting its target.

Alisritter, who had planned to intervene, hesitated and stepped back after he saw the charged up flame changed shape.

"Scary fire! IV? No, no, no, it's not IV, it's at least V!"

As he felt the flames that burned even his lungs when he took a breath, Alisritter swiftly determined what rank the fire was at. His eyes on Kieran—who was in mid-air—changed.

Being one of the people who ranked highly among the high-rankers, Alisritter knew what rank V meant.

Rank V had exceeded the previous ranking system, it was like heaven and earth apart from the old ones!

He and a few of his friends were working towards rank V.

Unfortunately, other than the one guy who never came out from his room, possibly reaching rank V, the others—including him—were barely scratching the surface of rank V.

And now, he saw the rank that he couldn't achieve and longed for.

Alisritter felt extremely complicated right now.

He remembered when he first saw Kieran, Kieran may already be powerful but not this kind of absurd level that far exceeded his prediction.

"What a fearsome fella!"

Alisritter took a deep breath and watched the Devil Flame in the shape of a devil head hurled down, clenching his fist unconsciously.

He realized he had been slacking recently.

Since when had he become like this?

He couldn't remember clearly.

A while ago, Alisritter had spent more time in the big city than in the dungeon world, although he was grinding himself in name, only he himself knew why he didn't clear dungeon runs.

He didn't want to endure the risk in the dungeon world!

Even though opportunity came with risks, risk was risk, which he didn't want to take it.

However… it was time to change! Alisritter made up his mind.

The altered Devil Flame was then smashed onto the ground, which was already filled with flames.

KABOOM!

An explosion louder than the previous one sounded, a blazing pillar shooting up into the sky.

Inside the blazing pillar, the devil's image looked so real that it almost materialized.

It roared at the sky and punched the dark mist with all its might.

Kakrooom!

The earth shook, but it was just the start!

The devil image launched a barrage of punches at the black mist, as though its hands were machine guns firing. The trembles became an earthquake and it revealed the burned castle as it shook the illusory realm—the castle was then turned into ruins.

"Aaaaaaaaaaargh!"

Amid the agonizing cry, the black mist faded swiftly.

The thing inside the black mist was unwilling to accept defeat.

As long as it could get close, it would still have a chance to turn it around!

With this firm thought in mind, the thing inside the black mist mustered up the last bit of strength and threw itself at the floating Kieran.

Kieran, however, did not give the mist a chance since he had already witnessed what it could do.

The moment the black mist flew up, the devil image caught its tail and dragged it back to the ground. It was smashed down again before a barrage of punches rained down upon it.

The punches only stopped when the black mist shrunk into a crystal the size of the pinky finger.

Bloody Mary, who had been waiting outside, appeared beside the crystal without Kieran's order, checking the crystal before it grabbed it and flew to Kieran.

[Name: Voodoo Soul Crystal Remains]

[Type: Wonder Item]

[Rarity: III]

[Attack: None]

[Defense: III]

[Attribute: Sacrifice]

[Effect: Voodoo Consume]

[Prerequisite: Mystical Knowledge (Master)]

[Remark: Voodoo Hunters did not just admire power, they were fond of doing things the cruel way. The items formed by the tortured soul could satisfy their every desire.]

…

[Sacrifice: sacrifice it to the god who likes soul, you may get something out of it]

…

Kieran squinted his eyes at the crystal.

The person behind the mist obviously did not die, the mist might not even be a true form!

Or rather, the person dared not show his true form to Kieran!

All the person did was use tricks to affect players and use them to extend its malicious power into this big city.

Why though?

Kieran had brought 'external power' back to his room more than once, but he knew those 'external power' would eventually be wiped out by the system.

If there wasn't a vessel—a player—to 'protect' the 'external power', even just a little, the system would find it and erase it.

"Invaders… interesting," Kieran muttered while his eyes sized up the burned area.

He remembered that before him, there was already someone else who had eyes on this kind of 'external power', and when the power appeared, the said person wouldn't have sat back and done nothing.

As a matter of fact, Gluttony had already picked up that unusual smell. Kieran was also cautiously looking around for the person that might be hiding in the dark.

After all, even Rachel was cautious against the said person.

Time passed by, nut Kieran didn't find anything.

Alisritter came over.

"I owe you one," he said.

"No need to, I was just helping you along the way," Kieran answered.

It was the truth, since Kieran came to Huke Alley to help J.Pearlman, so helping Alisritter was really along the way.

Alisritter didn't say anything about the answer, but he still took it to heart, swearing to find a way to repay Kieran in the future.

"You've found J.Pearlman and Decoman?" Alisritter asked.

"In the dungeon of the castle. They were brought out by my companion and they are outside Huke Alley together with the castle natives," Kieran said.

"Castle natives? They aren't illusions?" Alisritter was stunned.

"Some of them are, some of them are just contracted companions," Kieran said as he looked at Bloody Mary, who was behind him.

"Is this useful?"

Kieran pinched [Voodoo Soul Crystal Remains] in front of Bloody Mary.

Bloody Mary nodded like a dog.

Since Kieran didn't want to sacrifice it to a god who liked his soul and did not expect anything good from the outcome, so he flung it to Bloody Mary right away.

The eager Bloody Mary didn't even use its hand, it opened its mouth and grabbed the crystal before swallowing it.

"Is it a dog before it becomes a spirit?" Alisritter wondered in his head.

He then realized Bloody Mary could read his thoughts and was gazing at him.

Alisritter smiled awkwardly.

"I am a loyal house, not a dog!" Bloody Mary explained seriously.

"Is there a difference?" Alisritter jolted.

"Dogs simply bite people, a loyal house… protects its master!"

Bloody Mary teleported behind Kieran in a flash. On top of its hand was a puppet which it grabbed through the void a moment ago.

Bloody Mary shook its hand and smashed the broken puppet on the ground.

It then shook its clothes and bowed to Kieran.

"Boss."