Night Ranger

Chapter 496: Balkh

Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation

The valley Balkh lived in was situated at a strategic location of the Withered Leaf Promenade.

Marvin couldn't understand why a relative of a Demon Lord would come here, but since he had built an altar, it was very likely that he wanted to establish his own power here.

From what he knew, many sinister spells from the Abyss were linked to altars, needing the power from the altars to cast them.

Demon Wizards on an altar, especially Legend level ones, were even more terrifying than other Wizards holding an [Unlimited Magic Eye].

Marvin had assassinated a Demon Wizard in the past, but he had died three times before finally succeeding. It was due to the frightening amount of bonus abilities that the Wizard gained from the altar.

For example, an altar could let a Demon Wizard's soul resurrect within it, basically granting powerful Demon Wizards the benefits of being a Lich.

Thus, altars were like a stronger version of Wizard Towers.

Constructing a Demon Wizard's altar would take a long time, and when it was completed, it would create a huge disturbance.

Marvin didn't know how it could stay hidden from Eisengel's people, but this was enough to show how outstanding Balkh was.

Although it was a common understanding that Demons were crazy and chaotic, revering strength and disliking the idea of thinking things through, Marvin knew that this didn't include the Wizards among them.

A rational person born from a chaotic group was even more frightening.

Marvin took a trip around the valley. The more he looked, the more apprehensive he became.

The entrance of the valley was filled with a fog of acid. Despite Marvin's formidable resistance to various ailments and effects, a red rash still appeared on his skin.

If he hadn't retreated quickly enough, the rash would have spread.

This wasn't the only negative effect. Marvin had been checking his logs at the same time and found out that when he touched the fog, three afflictions appeared: [Plague (Rash), Perception Weaken (Slow mind), and Willpower Weaken (Drowsy)]

This was just for coming into contact with the fog for a few seconds. Who knew what other strange things would appear in this layer of fog?

Those two Ace Assassins who managed to sneak in really were experts.

Marvin became even more vigilant.

He originally thought that the two Ace Assassins didn't live up to their name, but he now got rid of that thought.

Just the layer of fog was enough to trouble him, let alone the Demon behind the fog.

The other side had already known that he was coming and was calmly waiting for him to walk right into the trap.

Leaving the initiative to his opponents wasn't Marvin's style.

He thought for a moment before quickly disappearing from the valley's entrance, turning toward the other side of the Withered Leaf Promenade.

...

In the quiet hidden valley, a strange light came out from the Abyss stones making up the altar.

A Cyclops' arm was stuck in the altar's surroundings, with an Abyss flag hanging from it.

That flag represented the will of that Abyss Lord and also had coordinates that could be used to recruit Demons as Balkh's subordinates.

As for the Demon himself, he was now standing above an operation table outside the altar.

A blonde man with his chest opened up was resting on the table. His internal organs had been cleanly taken out.

But he was still alive and filled with fear. Due to his earlier yells, Balkh had cut apart his vocal cords.

"Don't worry too much, you won't die."

The Demon held a needle and thread, using them to patiently suture the hole in the man's chest.

"You should feel honored. As the 43rd experiment, you are already a finished product. Even if you will be forever loyal to the blood triangle flag, compared to your fellow compatriots, you are quite privileged."

"Human bodies are too fragile, so I granted you a Demon's heart and gave you a strong physical body while also allowing you to keep your Human reason. This will help increase your fighting abilities. I'll soon have an army that will follow me to wipe out the Crimson Wasteland. I dislike fighting alongside a group of idiots that only cause slaughter and destruction. I need some smart Demons."

"But this isn't easy. I need your leadership and fighting abilities. I heard you were a general that was good at military warfare in your world?"

Balkh was talking to himself while the blonde man continued feeling terrified.

And as his fear slightly dulled, he gradually felt sorrowful.

His home plane had fallen to the Demons. It was a secondary plane and the most powerful person there was only level 16 due to the plane's upper limit.

They didn't have the strength to resist the waves of Demons.

Most people died on the spot, while the rest became captives.

He had once been a respected general, but had now sunk to being a mere prisoner. After changing hands multiple times, he ended up at the mercy of Balkh.

That lunatic wanted to turn him into a being of the Abyss while keeping his previous military abilities.

This wasn't a simple matter. The power of Demons was chaos attributed, so most of the transformation following the corruption ritual would be followed by mental instability.

What Balkh wanted was to change this rule that had been considered set in stone.

In his eyes, this 43rd experiment was nearly perfect.

His body was very sturdy, which was necessary for him to be able to handle a Demon Spawn.

His willpower was resolute and thus wouldn't easily suffer from the interference of chaos blood.

All that remained was the final step.

Balkh took a squirming Demon Spawn from a pool of blood beside him and forced it down the man's throat!

The blonde man couldn't resist at all.

The Demon Spawn quickly went down and entered his chest.

Because the organs had already been removed, the Demon Spawn could incubate in the cavity, and thanks to the influence of the Abyssal magic used by Balkh, the Human body's rejection of the intrusion had been greatly suppressed.

He would most likely succeed this time!

Thinking of this, Balkh couldn't help but feel rather moved.

Since he was born, he had always understood the biggest disadvantage of the Abyss.

These Demons had never been able to rule over the Universe despite their strength due to their wisdom, or rather the lack thereof.

Balkh felt that he was extremely outstanding and that his birth would inevitably lead the Abyss to prosperity.

But before that, he had to do something to make his father notice him.

And conquering the Crimson Wasteland was the starting point to conquering the Universe!

He silently watched the blonde man's changes, his abdomen quickly moving in all directions while pain was visible on his face. It was clear that the Demon Spawn was swallowing everything within this shell.

But this wasn't the outcome Balkh wanted to see.

He fiercely explained to the blonde man, "If you want to survive, kill the newly born mind within the Demon Spawn!"

"It is fighting you over the control of this body. If you concede, your body will be occupied by a Demon!"

"You want to survive? You want to see your wife and daughter again?"

"If so, then do your best! Hahaha…" Balkh's laughter echoed in the desolate valley.

But at that time, a light blue Dragon appeared next to him, and reported to him in Abyssal, "Master, that person is provoking us again."