Chapter 240: Brogmir

At almost the exact same moment, a beast-like roar echoed through most of the maze.

Even Constance, who was under the effects of the Acceleration Technique, only had time to glimpse a warhammer shrouded in a red and black aura. It crossed several dozen meters in an instant, appearing before Kao Jia and smashing down violently toward the Desire Demon’s chest!

"You should be more careful, Sarisha," Kao Jia said, parrying the fatal blow with her sword. A shimmer passed through her eyes, as if she were casting some kind of magic. "This is your own heart, isn’t it?"

"I stopped needing it long ago!" Only then did the others finally notice the sudden attacker. The demon looked like a voluptuous female, but her face was now twisted into a savage snarl. She tirelessly swung her heavy warhammer again and again, smashing it against the Desire Demon’s sword. "A heart? Not important! A soul? Doesn’t matter!"

"As long as you die! All I want right now is for you to die!"

This succubus’s current state was certainly an anomaly among her kind. Although she had the same small horns and leathery wings as others, her every move radiated a berserk fury.

"Is that... Sarisha?" Queen Farama stared, dumbfounded, at the aggressively attacking succubus, then at the Desire Demon who was keeping her distance with the ease of a leisurely stroll. It felt like the sun had risen in the west. "No, this shouldn’t be happening..."

"When I was sealed here, Sarisha never acted like this..."

"That’s because I wasn’t here," Kao Jia sneered. Pretending to be distracted by her own words, she deftly changed her swordsmanship. As Sarisha charged headfirst into Kao Jia’s embrace like a Berserker, the flaming tip of her sword flipped upward, slicing a long gash across the succubus’s chest. "Ah, my own organ. It’s been a long time."

"That’s—" Watching the battle, Ron was momentarily speechless. The moment the heart inside Sarisha’s body was exposed, all his senses screamed a warning! If he wasn’t mistaken, the heart inside the succubus was Kao Jia’s original one!

’Can hearts be swapped, too? Even between devils and demons?’ Ron felt like his brain was short-circuiting.

"One of Lord Mephisto’s countless, insignificant experiments. Out of three hundred Desire Demon test subjects, I was the sole survivor—"

Although Kao Jia had succeeded in exposing "her own heart" and intended to take the opportunity to switch the organs back, Sarisha’s combat ability was never inferior to hers to begin with. With both their hearts exposed, Sarisha’s strength even climbed a notch higher, leaving the Desire Demon almost no time to continue boasting about her good fortune.

And Ron and the others had no time to get to the bottom of it.

RUMBLE— The maze wall to their right was smashed to pieces by a muscular arm. A demon even more imposing than the three previous Giant Bull Demons emerged from the billowing dust and stood brazenly before them.

Its small eyes, set beneath a pair of massive, curved horns, glinted with red light that pierced through the thick white smoke snorting from its nostrils. In its hand, it held a giant battle-axe roughly twice the size of the Grip of the Vast Wave, which radiated a bloody light. The sheer killing intent emanating from it was enough to make everyone gasp for breath.

"Two hundred, three hundred, five hundred... Just how many people has it killed?" You’s voice cut through the air, tinged with a hint of despair. As one of the Undead Creatures, no one there understood the blood debt on that battle-axe better than she did.

"I’m not interested in counting," the giant bull-head sneered hideously. "I’m sure you aren’t either. After all, that number is about to go up."

"Lord, I think we should retreat..." The painter, Jack, looked up with an ashen face at the powerful demon, the likes of which he’d never even seen in his nightmares. "That devil tricked us. This one is much harder to deal with..."

"You’re just scared by its size," Sera said, her fighting spirit soaring in contrast to Jack’s and You’s fear. She stared intently at the Minotaur Demon, her hands gripping the hilt of the Grip of the Vast Wave. "Ron, Silvia, I need your help!"

"I refuse to accept running away without even putting up a fight!"

"A Warrior?" The minotaur’s nostrils snorted another plume of white smoke. "Yes, come and fight me! Souls like yours are the sweetest!"

"My name is Brogmir, a Centurion under my master! Mortal, state your name!"

Brogmir glanced at the three Casters frantically pouring magic onto Sera, and his lips curled. "Alright, just for the fact that you haven’t run, I will grant you this chance. Come on, show me everything you’ve got!"

Aive walked up to Sera and took off her own Hand Armor, handing it over. "My shield is broken, so I’m afraid I can’t fight alongside you. Here, wear this."

"And my Gemstone!" Delaford tossed the Strong Acid Gemstone over. "It’s still got one charge left!"

Ron, Silvia, and Victoria didn’t say a word, but everyone could see Sera’s body begin to swell. At the same time, a series of mystical, arcane radiances started to light up on the surface of her skin.

"Take this, too!" Ron took off his Abyssal Silver Bracelet and tossed it up to Sera, who had now grown as large as Brogmir. "It’s got a charge of Mirror Image Magic in it!"

"It seems you are ready," Brogmir said, looking at the barbarian who had been decked out in treasures by the others. Surprisingly, he showed no sign of displeasure. On the contrary, a fierce battle lust ignited in his eyes! "Now, allow me to ask again: mortal, state your name!"

"My name is Sera! Chieftain of the Ocher Tribe, and..." Her four indistinguishable illusory forms glanced at Ron, then gazed down from their colossal height at the demon, who now seemed tiny from her perspective. "...the strongest Warrior in the Delusional Land!"

"Excellent!" the demon let out a mighty war cry, one that made Sarisha’s frenzied shrieks seem insignificant in comparison. "I will carve your name onto your skull!"

"The Hall of Heroes awaits me!" Sera let out a roar that likewise shook the entire maze. An unprecedentedly bright red light flared around her body. As she swung her sword and charged, her sense of self vanished. In her eyes, there was only the demon, destined to fall beneath her blade!

BOOM— The two massive weapons collided with full force. A huge cloud of dust instantly billowed up around Sera and Brogmir, engulfing them both.

No one noticed that amid the series of perilous clashes, Brogmir had been slowly pulling one hand away from the axe’s handle. Finally, as Sera put all her effort into a downward chop, Brogmir caught the falling Grip of the Vast Wave with just one hand. His free hand, concealed by the dust, rose and pointed at Ron, who was off to the side, concentrating on maintaining his magic!

"Flame Strike Magic!"