CHAPTER 291: IMPOSSIBLE?

Darian stared seriously at the newcomer’s back. That figure wasn’t using any power, and Darian couldn’t sense any ring or energy. But... just his presence alone was enough to completely change the atmosphere. There was no doubt — that was an Immortal Keeper, someone who had transcended the nine rings.

The curse activated, and Darian saw a grayish karma, which caught him off guard.

"You actually dared to show up, hahahahah..." Suddenly, a deep, mocking voice echoed.

In the same instant, two distortions appeared in the air. Two demonic figures emerged from the void, and the moment they showed up, the air became unbearably heavy.

The Earth’s Emperors turned pale — the situation was escalating to an uncontrollable level. They obviously knew those two almost–Spiritual Sovereigns: the leading demons of the universe’s planets number 8 and 9.

Both stood over three meters tall, with two horns and wings. One had red eyes and radiated an extremely pure fire power; the other, with blue eyes, was the opposite, emanating a dense, icy aura.

Beleth snorted coldly. At that moment, a golden mark appeared at the center of his forehead, pulsing faintly. That was the physical manifestation of someone who had transcended the nine rings. A terrifying feeling swept over everyone, like a furious god glaring at them — making them feel no more significant than ants.

"You dared to capture the Devil Lord... by sovereign law, we’re in the right," the blue demon’s voice rang out, dry and sharp. "This has become a life-and-death matter for all demons. Since you had the guts to come here, don’t think you’re walking away alive."

Right after that, the two immortal demons unleashed their power to the max. Two identical golden marks appeared on their foreheads. An apocalyptic tremor rippled through the void, cracks spreading in every direction.

The Emperors’ eyes widened in terror — the entire Earth was just one step away from total annihilation.

Those two demons, in theory, were at the same level as an Immortal Keeper. That title was just a name for those who had transcended the nine rings but chose never to advance further at the cost of nearly destroying a universe.

It was two against one, but Beleth was an extremely ancient immortal demon, famous across the universe. He was part of the first generation of Spiritual Guardians, born more than four centuries ago.

Every planet with complex life in the universe had its first awakenings around the same time; but Earth went through centuries of chaos before stabilizing.

Just like Earth, many other planets went through the same process. That difference in timelines made all the difference in the current power levels of planets; for this and other reasons, the first planets to stabilize were now the most powerful.

Beleth, however, had undergone an ancient awakening and was one of the oldest individuals in the universe. Everyone was certain he could handle those two... yet he didn’t move, nor did he seem like he wanted to fight.

That’s because no one could sense the real danger — except him... or almost. Niara instinctively noticed something hidden and extremely far away. She told Darian the direction, and he focused, using his single ring to try and sense it.

From there came a terrifying presence, silently watching everything.

It was a Spiritual Sovereign — a true, complete one. The only demon on that level was, obviously, allied with those two demons. With him around, Beleth couldn’t possibly win — even getting out alive was just a dream.

But he knew that — and still came anyway.

"Capture the Devil Lord? You guys really are that stupid?" Beleth’s voice came out without a hint of fear.

"Cut the crap, you bastard! Tell us where you’re hiding him and maybe we can still make a deal!" the red demon roared.

Beleth snorted, looking tired. "You really only think about the most obvious? You seriously believe what others told you is possible? You can’t see what’s right in front of you... or you just don’t want to?"

"You talking about that human?" the blue demon asked calmly. "Don’t be ridiculous. That race is known for being extremely weak. Every soul born into a human is naturally fragile and without any affinity. Sure, there’s one advantage — being born with nothing means you can grow in multiple directions without conflict. A high-level human Spiritual Guardian is unpredictable and troublesome. But that’s only after a long time and a lot of talent. A Devil Lord, on the other hand, can only be born young, and the idea of one appearing among humans is completely impossible."

Beleth shook his head and sighed.

"Your blessing should’ve been impossible too, right? Spiritual Guardians twist reality and make the impossible happen all the time. Do you really think ’impossible’ exists? You just don’t know it — but your arrogance won’t let you admit it."

"Young fool... the more you think you know, the less you really know. Even now, no matter how much I’ve lived or seen in the world, every time I look in a new direction and really pay attention, I find something I never imagined could exist."

"Nonsense!" the red demon roared.

"I didn’t find the Devil Lord. In fact, you guys found him before I did." Beleth went on, unfazed, then turned and locked eyes with Darian.

"I heard from little Irana that this human had a strange power. On that special mission, he used a black, terrifying energy that she said was way above the demonic power she knew. On top of that, his talent was shocking, so I decided to send the demonic artifact as a test... I don’t know why it took him so long to try opening it, but the result is standing right in front of you."

"You expect us to believe that?" the blue demon asked coldly.

Beleth just shrugged, unfazed. "I wouldn’t believe it with just words either. But you saw the same thing I did just now, didn’t you? Ever met any human or demon who could do what he does? Any so-called genius with four rings who could pull off something like that?"

"A Devil Lord is someone whose soul has been completely corrupted and transcended the darkness. No race besides demons can survive such a transformation for long. This isn’t about talent; what you’re claiming is the same as saying some regular fish suddenly decided to leave the water and fly through the skies. It makes zero sense."

Hearing the blue demon’s words, Beleth nodded. All of a sudden, a blue pearl appeared in his hand.

The whole place was instantly flooded with an intense heavenly blue light, leaving everyone stunned.

"A Celestial Fragment..." the two demons muttered at the same time.

Beleth confirmed it with a nod. "Let’s settle this the practical way, then. I’ll use this on him."

He locked eyes with Darian. "Kid, this is a supreme artifact — rare, one-of-a-kind, and it can only be used once. For a short while, it’ll bring out the maximum power from your soul. Since we Spiritual Guardians draw our power from the soul, this will multiply our strength several times over, pulling out all our potential and revealing the true nature of the wielder. If you really are the Devil Lord, everyone will see it for themselves."

Darian scoffed.

What did this have to do with him? This demon, Beleth, was the same one who’d helped him on that special mission. Darian hadn’t asked to get dragged into this mess... but when he saw in that demon’s eyes just how important this was, he realized a huge opportunity was right in front of him.

And no opportunity should be wasted. He gave Beleth a slight nod.

Beleth smiled faintly, and the pearl floated toward Darian.

Every demon was watching without blinking.

The pearl hovered toward his forehead, where his four rings were, and then, as if sucked in, it vanished.

**BUZZ!**

Suddenly, all of space-time began to tremble violently.

On Earth, every living thing felt as if a hammer had slammed into their chest.

Out in space, everyone’s eyes went wide in shock.