Chapter 238: Hell Demon Lord.

Seeing the palm-sized little ball of fluff suddenly transform into a gigantic fire dragon lizard, the Light Squad and the Dark Elves were struck speechless.

"H-how... how did it get thaaat big?" Budno spread his arms in a wide circle, his voice full of disbelief.

"Wasn't Farm just a baby magical beast?" Angel was equally bewildered. Back in the Faerie Forest, Farm had often used its status as a baby magical beast to coax fruit out of the Little Fairies!

"It looks so impressive now that it's huge!" Dixio stared with wide eyes, practically drooling as he gazed at the enormous fire dragon lizard's wings.

Good grief! Those wings had to span more than ten meters when fully extended, didn't they?

Kumandi stared unblinkingly at the enormous crimson beast confronting the purple-haired monster in midair.

He had known for a long time that Farm was no ordinary baby magical beast. After all, what normal little creature could swallow a second-rank magical beast in a single bite?

But he had never imagined its true body would be so enormous, or that it would radiate such terrifying power. Its presence was even more formidable than that of the ninth-rank magical beasts he had encountered.

Was this really the little magical beast Sperien had picked up on Mount Amitai?

Pointing at the enormous beast in the sky, Hector stammered, "F-Farm... wh-what kind of magical beast is it?"

Sieti cupped her cheeks, her eyes sparkling. "I was feeding it fruit just a few days ago!"

Nasha's mouth fell slightly open in astonishment. She knew Amo had secrets, but she had never realized just how many.

"Is that a fire dragon lizard?" Efit murmured. "Why does it look different from the ones I've seen?"

Efit had once ventured into the Ergoja Desert for training and encountered fire dragon lizards there. Those creatures had no horns on their heads or wings on their backs, and they couldn't fly.

The Ergoja Desert had no shortage of ninth-rank fire dragon lizards, either, but not one had possessed the majestic appearance of the enormous beast overhead.

"Ansedram..." Efit murmured thoughtfully. "I've heard that name somewhere before."

Ace tilted his head back to watch the confrontation in the sky, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Shu Li rubbed his ears. Farm's roar had nearly shattered his eardrums.

Amanda secretly compared Farm's enormous body with his own true form and was disappointed to discover that he was smaller.

Seriu tightened his grip on his silver sword and motioned for Shu Li and Amanda to retreat into the defensive formation.

As Shu Li backed away, he shouted toward the enormous fire dragon lizard in the sky, "Farm! Do you know that monster?"

"Of course I know it!" Farm beat its wings and snarled furiously. "That bastard is one of the Ten Demon Lords of Hell, a lackey of the Dark God, Miroga Hodeh!"

"What? A Demon Lord?"

Shu Li and the others stared in disbelief.

According to ancient records, during the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, seven of the Ten Demon Lords of Hell had been killed. The remaining two, along with the Dark God, had been sealed in hell, condemned never to rise again.

Had the seal weakened after ten thousand years?

Otherwise, how could this Demon Lord named Ansedram have escaped from hell and appeared in Woba Grand Canyon?

"Heh, heh, heh..."

The purple-haired monster let out a sinister laugh.

When Farm had roared at it earlier, the monster had remained completely unmoved. It had merely narrowed its eyes and studied the enormous beast, apparently trying to identify the creature that dared challenge it.

There was a reason for its uncertainty. Every time it underwent another cycle of evolution and rebirth, it lost portions of its memory, which took time to recover fully.

After examining the enormous beast from head to tail, it finally remembered.

"Heh, heh, heh! And here I was wondering who could be making such a racket. So it's the Fire God's mount—Sharo Redisino Farm."

The purple-haired monster extended its tongue and licked its blackish-purple lips.

"Well, well. Who would have thought? The Fire God returned to the celestial realm but left you behind in the Human World. Could it be that he finally grew tired of your stupidity and abandoned you?"

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Farm roared. "I remained here on Lord Afama's orders to protect the continent! What about you? Shouldn't you be rotting away in the lightless depths of hell? What are you doing here?"

A vicious gleam appeared in the purple-haired monster's eyes. It spread its arms, and its body abruptly swelled to twice its former bulk, transforming into a giant seven or eight meters tall.

"Why am I here?"

Its handsome face twisted into a hideous expression.

"Why, for REVENGE, of course!"

The moment the words left its mouth, it beat its wings and charged viciously at Farm, its tentacles writhing and reaching to entangle the fire dragon lizard.

Farm opened its jaws and unleashed a serpent of flame, plunging into battle with the purple-haired monster.

"I couldn't kill you last time!" Farm bellowed. "But this time, you're DEAD!"

The purple-haired monster responded with a piercing laugh.

"Heh, heh, heh! Without the Fire Spirit's help, you are nothing to fear!"

One look at Farm's furious, volatile behavior was enough to tell that it hadn't merged with the Fire Spirit.

If the Fire Spirit were present, Ansedram would undoubtedly be no match for it.

But without that union, all Ansedram needed to do was provoke Farm until it lost control in a berserk frenzy. Then it could seize the opportunity to kill the beast.

BOOOOM!

The two enormous creatures clashed in the sky, their battle darkening the heavens.

Fierce winds howled, whipping sand and stones through the air. People, animals, and plants on the ground all suffered from the devastation.

Having retreated into the defensive barrier, Shu Li raised his magic staff and silently recited an incantation, reinforcing its defenses.

Across the entire surrounding area, their little sheltered space was probably the only place that remained safe.

Hector hugged himself, trembling uncontrollably.

"S-so terrifying... Such incredible power!"

Light God above!

That horrifying monster was actually one of the Ten Demon Lords of Hell!

If Farm hadn't been here, none of them would have escaped alive.

But come to think of it, who exactly was Farm?

From what the Demon Lord had said, Farm was... the Fire God's mount?

"Sperien, is Farm really the Fire God's mount?" Kumandi asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

Shu Li lowered his magic staff.

Faced with the group's intensely curious gazes, he answered with an innocent expression, "Uh... y-yes."

Dixio approached him and pointed a finger at his nose.

"Then why didn't you tell us before?"

Little Fairies rarely kept secrets from one another. And Sperien had actually deceived them!

Seeing Dixio puff out his cheeks indignantly, Shu Li caught his finger and gently moved it aside.

A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

"It... it was Farm who told me not to say anything."

"Really?" Dixio sounded skeptical.

Shu Li took a step backward and rubbed the tip of his nose.

"Farm was afraid its true identity would frighten you."

Of course, that wasn't the real reason.

Explaining Farm's origins would have been far too troublesome, and it would have meant revealing certain private matters of his own.

If so many things hadn't happened today, culminating in their encounter with a Demon Lord from hell, he would never have asked Farm to drop its disguise and expose its true identity.

Speaking of exposed identities...

Shu Li glanced toward Seriu and found the prince staring directly at him.

Back at the edge of the crater, the purple-haired monster had unexpectedly revealed Shu Li's and Amanda's true identities, and Seriu had heard every word.

He must be bursting with questions right now.

Shu Li stole another glance at Ace and saw him take a clean handkerchief from his storage pouch and hold it out.

"Wipe your face," Ace said gently.

"Huh?"

Shu Li stared blankly at the handkerchief.

Seeing his confusion, Ace took the initiative and began wiping the blood from his face, including the tiny droplet at the center of his forehead.

Shu Li stood perfectly still, allowing Ace to clean his face with meticulous care.

Earlier, he had been so consumed by rage and so intent on avenging Ace that he had completely forgotten about the blood splashed across his face.

Once Ace had finished cleaning him, he put away the bloodstained handkerchief.

"Thank you," Shu Li said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"You're welcome." Ace smiled.

Budno looked from Shu Li to Ace, then waved a hand between them to attract their attention.

"Sperien, you still haven't told us where Farm came from!"

Shu Li cleared his throat.

"Farm's origins are a little complicated. I'll explain everything once we get back. Right now, dealing with that Demon Lord is our priority."

The others understood that this was hardly the time for idle conversation, so they reluctantly set their curiosity aside.

"Farm can defeat it, right?" Amanda asked, looking up at the fierce battle raging overhead.

As the Fire God's mount, Farm had lived for tens of thousands of years. Its strength surely couldn't be underestimated.

Shu Li, however, looked far from optimistic.

"Farm is incredibly powerful, but it has one fatal weakness."

"What weakness?" Kumandi asked.

"It loses control." Shu Li frowned with concern. "Whenever it unleashes its full power, it becomes extremely violent and eventually stops distinguishing friend from foe."

Dixio clicked his tongue in dismay.

"How can that be?"

He had thought Farm's arrival would guarantee they could finish off the purple-haired monster!

Nasha clasped her hands tightly together, her expression anxious.

"Then what should we do?"

Shu Li pressed a hand to his forehead, troubled.

"We need the Fire Spirit to merge with it."

"Where are we supposed to find the Fire Spirit?" Dixio asked in surprise.

The elemental spirits had been missing for ten thousand years, and so far only the Wood Spirit had been recovered.

"We'll just have to try summoning him and hope for the best," Shu Li replied.

Ever since they left the underground palace and returned to the Elven Kingdom, Sharo, the Fire Spirit, had remained separate from Farm.

He had appeared only a handful of times since then, coming and going unpredictably. Even Shu Li couldn't be certain where he was.

"Do you really think summoning the Fire Spirit is that easy?" Hector asked.

The captain was being far too optimistic.

This was a legendary elemental spirit! No mage had ever succeeded in summoning one.

And honestly, so many outrageous things had happened today that Hector could barely process them all.

"If Sperien says he can summon him, then he definitely can," Angel declared.

His faith in Shu Li had always bordered on blind worship.

"Once the Fire Spirit merges with Farm, they'll be able to defeat that Demon Lord, right?"

Shu Li nodded.

When Farm and the Fire Spirit merged, they were virtually unstoppable.

Who cared whether their opponent was one of the Ten Demon Lords of Hell? It would be nothing to fear.

"Then there's no time to lose! Let's summon him right away!" Dixio waved his magic staff enthusiastically. "Do you need me to do it?"

He had a fire affinity, so surely he would have a better chance of summoning the Fire Spirit.

"Wait—how do we summon him?" he asked Shu Li. "Is there an incantation?"

"No," Shu Li answered. "The Fire Spirit and I have an agreement. All I have to do is call his name, and he'll answer my summons."

Sharo had once promised that he would be at Shu Li's disposal whenever needed.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, Shu Li raised his magic staff and gathered the fire elements in the surrounding air.

Then he called out loudly.

"O Fire Spirit Sharo! I am Sperien, and I ask you to appear before me and help me destroy my enemy!"

A long moment passed.

Nothing happened.

Shu Li froze.

Had it failed?

Or was the Fire Spirit still in the Elven Kingdom, too far away to hear his summons?

"ROOOAR!"

BOOM!

The battle overhead grew increasingly fierce.

The purple-haired monster was actually fighting Farm on equal terms. Unable to defeat its opponent despite its relentless attacks, Farm was clearly becoming consumed by battle frenzy, growing more and more violent.

"Don't worry," Ace reassured him. "We'll find a way."

Shu Li drew a deep breath, raised his magic staff once more, and began chanting solemnly.

"O Fire Spirit Sharo, I am... Sperien of the Faerie Forest. I ask you to appear before me and help me destroy the Demon Lord who has come from hell..."

A brilliant crimson pillar of light shot from the sunstone atop his magic staff.

Countless fire elements converged within the beam, gradually coalescing into the figure of a handsome man with red hair and golden eyes.

He wore flowing robes, and a faint smile graced his face. A gentle warmth radiated from his entire being.

"O Sperien of the Faerie Forest, I am Sharo, the Fire Spirit. In answer to your summons, I have come to aid you in destroying this evil enemy."