Chapter 340: The Tragic Thousand-Handed Demon

After a period of charging, the main crystal atop the Ethereal Fortress fired a beam of purple light. The beam contained a massive amount of energy, but the White Dragon Lord sensed no danger from it.

The beam struck the plains, and an incredible scene unfolded.

Matter appeared out of thin air, rapidly coalescing into a small platform. Judging from the patterns carved along its edges, this section was merely the corner of a massive plaza.

The purple beam swept back and forth, building across the plains at breakneck speed like a 3D printer.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a giant plaza capable of holding millions of people was born right before the White Dragon Lord's eyes!

"Creation from the void! This is the power of a god!"

The representatives of the various factions were shocked by the sight. Gasps of amazement, sighs of awe, and fervent discussions blended into a continuous uproar.

The White Dragon Lord was equally astonished, but long-term exposure to magical experiments and miraculous sights prevented him from losing his composure. He examined the newly constructed giant plaza.

The plaza was paved in perfectly square marble blocks. Exquisite reliefs were carved along the edges, recording the epic tales of the hundred races of the Emdas World battling the demons. Massive statues sat at the four corners and the center of the plaza.

At the four corners were a giant dragon spreading its wings to roar at the sky; an elderly human wearing divine robes and holding a Sacred Scripture; a member of the sea race wielding a trident on a mount with a dragon's head and a turtle's body; and a sand wormman holding a spear, with half of his body still buried in the earth.

An elevated, medium-sized platform occupied the center of the plaza. At its heart stood the statue of an Amethyst Human holding a magic wand in one hand and a code of law in the other.

Looking at the Amethyst Human's majestic face, the White Dragon Lord found the statue somewhat familiar. After a brief thought, he realized the model was none other than the Amethyst Human Sovereign he had met once before!

Beside the White Dragon Lord, the brass dragon—Mosahor—looked up at the dragon statue in the corner with glowing eyes. The local crowd watching from within the Ethereal Fortress also gazed at the statues with reverence; some even bowed in respect.

Seeing their reactions, the White Dragon Lord knew the statues depicted the anti-demon heroes of the Emdas World. Nordhill had gone through a similar history, so he completely understood the crowd's current feelings.

Not long after, a voice rang out.

"Distinguished guests, residents, to ensure the celebration proceeds smoothly, please refrain from stepping into the plaza area for now."

The voice was not loud, but everyone present heard it clearly. Immediately afterward, thick fog enveloped the plaza.

Guided by designated attendants, the White Dragon Lord and his group returned to their living quarters.

In his room, the White Dragon Lord thought of the mysterious fog over the plaza and could not help but feel a bit of anticipation for tomorrow's celebration.

Before dawn broke the next day, the ethereal city emptied out as everyone took to the streets. Men and women, young and old, all wore joyous expressions as they gathered around the plaza. Magic carpets, flight spells, and flying mounts hovered in the air, surrounding the plaza so tightly that not even a drop of water could slip through.

However, the fog had not yet dispersed, so the crowd waited quietly.

As the morning sun rose, a beautiful figure teleported into the center of the grounds.

"Oh! Princess Nina!"

Seeing the figure in the sky, the Amethyst Humans and numerous humanoid creatures cheered and danced with joy. Wave after wave of sound reached the ears of the White Dragon Lord, who was observing the scene through magic.

Princess Nina was the Amethyst Human Sovereign's youngest daughter. She had stepped into the High-Tier Legendary Rank at the age of two hundred. Her noble birth, formidable strength, and stunning beauty—coupled with the royal family's deliberate promotion—granted Princess Nina immense popularity among the major races of the Emdas World.

The upper-class nobility discussed Princess Nina's fashionable attire, while the lower-class commoners talked about where she had gone to help the needy. Even an outsider like the White Dragon Lord frequently heard her name.

After a brief but inspiring opening speech, Princess Nina announced the start of the celebration in the name of the Amethyst Human Sovereign. Amidst earth-shattering cheers, the fog dissipated to reveal the plaza.

Seeing what had been hidden on the plaza all night, the White Dragon Lord was taken aback. At least a thousand iron cages were neatly arranged across the massive square. Imprisoned within each cage was a demon, all belonging to different species.

Wild, furious, and murderous roars rang out. Even though they had been captured alive, these demons showed no sign of restraining their violent natures. They smashed their fists against their cages and gnawed on the iron bars with sharp teeth. The winged demons flapped wildly, slamming their bodies against the sturdy enclosures.

But no matter how the demons thrashed, they could do nothing against the sturdy cages.

The Amethyst Humans had divided the demons into five areas based on their strength, placing them at the four corners and the center of the plaza.

The first area was the Low-Tier Demon zone in front of the sand wormman statue. The demons here possessed strength comparable to low-tier professionals; they were nothing more than cannon fodder in the blood war.

At the very front was the symbol of low-tier demons—the imp. Imps were about the size of a three- or four-year-old human child, with fleshy red bat wings on their backs, tiny horns on their heads, mouths full of sharp teeth, and arrow-tipped tails.

Behind the imps were the magic worms. A magic worm looked exactly like a dog-sized maggot. In the Abyss, all demons evolved from magic worms.

...

The second area was the Mid-Tier Demon zone placed in front of the sea race statue. This area contained muscular Berserker Demons and shape-shifting demons that could alter their forms at will...

The third area was the High-Tier Demon zone set before the elderly human statue. This area held snake demons that resembled serpent-men and bladed demons covered entirely in razor-sharp edges...

The fourth area was the Master-Tier Demon zone located in front of the giant dragon statue. The flame-wreathed Flame Demons were the quintessential representatives of Master-Tier Demons, alongside the Four-Armed Snake Demons—the evolved forms of ordinary snake demons.

The final area was the Legendary Demon zone in the center of the plaza. There were far fewer demons here—only seventy or eighty—but they were infinitely more dangerous than all the demons in the other areas combined.

These immensely powerful, special demons were contained in specially crafted magic cages. The White Dragon Lord swept a rough glance over them and spotted a Legendary Rank lava hound lord, a Bano Flame Demon completely engulfed in fire, a ghastly bone lord made of pale white bones, and a Six-Armed Snake Demon—the evolved form of the Four-Armed Snake Demon...

But what surprised the White Dragon Lord the most was a massive magic cage at the very center of the venue, resting right at the feet of the Amethyst Human Sovereign's statue. Inside this cage was an octopus-like monster the size of a fleshy mountain—a terrifying demon at the High-Tier Legendary Level.

Most importantly, this demon was an old friend of the White Dragon Lord. It was the octopus-shaped Thousand-Handed Demon—Ramsdenvalen!

Back then, when the White Dragon Lord had sealed his bloodline and his combat strength had barely crossed the threshold into the High-Tier Legendary Rank, he had been forced into an incredibly miserable state by a mere clone of this Thousand-Handed Demon.

A complex look crossed the White Dragon Lord's eyes. He never expected to reunite with this old friend under such circumstances after several decades. He had originally planned to find the Thousand-Handed Demon to catch up once he joined the blood war.

At the venue, the audience was momentarily stunned by the sheer variety of demons on display, until Princess Nina's voice broke the quiet.

"Residents of the Emdas World! Thirty thousand years ago, demons trampled our homeland, slaughtered our people, and vainly attempted to drag our world into the Abyss! ...Now, revel to your hearts' content! When the sun hangs high in the sky, let us all witness how these demons are reduced to ash beneath the fury of Emdas!"

The crowd cheered and flooded into the venue for a close-up look at these rare live demons.

According to Princess Nina, the public had four hours to view the demons, and at noon, all the creatures would be executed.

Looking at the Thousand-Handed Demon in the plaza, the White Dragon Lord felt a twinge of regret. It seemed he wouldn't be able to exact his revenge personally.

"Respected guests, if you wish, you are free to tour the grounds..."

Princess Nina's voice echoed in the White Dragon Lord's ears; this was a telepathic message broadcast only to the representatives of the other factions.

Shifting into a smaller dragon-humanoid form, the White Dragon Lord walked toward the plaza. Seeing this, the brass dragon immediately followed.

"Amos, are you interested in these demons too?"

"Indeed. In a little while, I'll be deploying to the Blood War Battlefield for my rotation. I might as well take this opportunity to observe live demons. It's not often you see so many different species gathered together."

The brass dragon came to a realization.

"Hmm... Let me tell you a piece of news. Princess Nina will be participating in the next blood war rotation as well, just like you."

The White Dragon Lord looked up at the beautiful silhouette in the sky.

"I'm truly delighted to have such a powerful teammate."

The brass dragon's face was full of question marks.

"Why would you think Princess Nina is so powerful? I'd say the two of you are about the same in strength."

"Well... you know, exceptional women like her are rarely short of powerful suitors. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to show off in front of a beauty, which means I'll have a much easier time."

The brass dragon was speechless.

The two dragons wove straight through the dense crowd, heading directly for the Legendary Demon zone in the center of the plaza. There were far fewer visitors in this area because, for safety reasons, the minimum power threshold required to enter the Legendary Demon zone was Master Tier.

After all, these Legendary Demons were no pushovers. Even with the cages holding them back, accidents could still happen. For example, subtle spells like charm magic were more than enough to silently place a victim under a demon's control.

A Master-Tier guard stood at all four corners of every Legendary Demon's cage, meant to stop tourists from getting too close to the creatures.

The White Dragon Lord walked up to an unconscious Six-Armed Snake Demon and stopped to read the two plaques hanging on its cage. The first plaque recorded the demon's identity and background.

"Six-Armed Snake Demon—Slams; belongs to the Blood Slaughter Fortress—Third Legion under the Simora Demon Warlord; holds the rank of Deputy Legion Commander of the Third Legion. It gained fame by piercing the hearts of three enemies of the same tier in a single battle on the Blood War Battlefield, earning the epithet Piercer of Hearts. Captured by: Mosahor Pudujelan, brass dragon of the Metallic Dragons. Date of Capture: Year 29,999 of the Emda Calendar."

The White Dragon Lord glanced at the brass dragon beside him. The brass dragon just spread his hands.

"Yeah, this guy is my loot from last year. It almost got away from me, too."

"But you still succeeded, and capturing it alive is already an impressive feat."

After praising his friend, the White Dragon Lord moved on to the second plaque, which provided a brief overview of the Six-Armed Snake Demon species.

"The Six-Armed Snake Demon is the evolved form of the Four-Armed Snake Demon. A quintessential Legendary Demon, they possess agile bodies, excel in combat techniques, and specialize in close-quarters combat using scimitars. Their numerous arms make them incredibly difficult to defend against. It is highly advised that melee professionals do not engage them in close combat. Ranged professionals, such as mages, are the optimal choice for dealing with a Six-Armed Snake Demon..."

The White Dragon Lord then stepped over to the Bano Flame Demon. Unlike the Six-Armed Snake Demon, the Bano Flame Demon inside the magic cage was not unconscious. Its body was wrapped in coil after coil of runic iron chains.

Scorched by the flame demon's intense heat, the runic iron chains glowed a fiery red, and densely packed blue runes surfaced on the metal. The White Dragon Lord recognized them instantly; they were the ice-element runes he was most intimately familiar with.

Suppressed by the ice-element runic iron chains, the roaring fires that should have engulfed the Bano Flame Demon were reduced to tiny, sputtering flames. Beneath the dim firelight, its cracked skin—which resembled a dry volcanic surface—was clearly visible.

Noticing the White Dragon Lord and his companion approach, the flame demon unleashed a vicious roar.

"You damned flesh-and-blood maggots! Release me at once, or else—!"

"How annoying!"

After using a Silence spell to rob the flame demon of its ability to speak, the White Dragon Lord went back to reading its plaque.

"Corpse Burner—Shamorap..."

Time trickled by. After briefly touring all eighty Legendary Demons, the White Dragon Lord arrived at the foot of the Amethyst Human Sovereign's statue. This was where the strongest demon in the venue was imprisoned: the Thousand-Handed Demon—Ramsdenvalen.

"Oh, a familiar scent. Let's see who has come to visit... Kakakakaka."

Catching the familiar scent, the fleshy, red, mountain-sized tentacle monster lying inside the magic cage writhed. It turned to look at the approaching White Dragon Lord.

"So it's you, little white lizard!"

"Long time no see, old friend!"

Seeing that he was accompanied by the brass dragon, the four legendary powerhouses guarding the Thousand-Handed Demon did not stop the White Dragon Lord from approaching.

The White Dragon Lord walked right up to the cage.

"Are you satisfied with your new house?"

"Little reptile!!!"

Thud!

A massive tentacle dozens of meters long smashed violently against the magic cage, only to be forcefully rebounded by the specially crafted enclosure. Infuriated, the Thousand-Handed Demon began thrashing wildly against the bars.

The White Dragon Lord remained entirely unmoved, casually reading the Thousand-Handed Demon's plaque with breezy calmness.

"Thousand-Handed Demon: Ramsdenvalen; the number one general under the Howling Lord—Brash; Captured by..."

So it was personally captured by the Amethyst Human Sovereign. The White Dragon Lord came to a sudden realization.

The Thousand-Handed Demon was one of the most active and infamous Peak High-Tier Legendary Rank demons on the Blood War Battlefield. This just so happened to coincide with the thirty-thousand-year anniversary of the Emdas World's victory over the demons, making the unlucky Thousand-Handed Demon a prime target for the Amethyst Human Sovereign.

The White Dragon Lord could not help but shoot the Thousand-Handed Demon a look of pity.

"Did you come here specifically to mock me?!"

"Please don't misunderstand. In my eyes, you're no different from any of the other exhibits."

Looking up at the sun hanging in the sky, the White Dragon Lord turned and walked away.

"Farewell."