Marbas couldn’t believe it. His prized authority, his proudest power, had been broken just like that.
The only response Marbas received was Su Fan’s silence, followed by a storm of fists and feet hurtling toward him.
A distance of just over ten meters—it could be crossed in a single step!
Marbas tried to vanish again, but Su Fan simply wouldn’t give him the chance.
The lightning-struck wooden knuckle-dusters had found their way onto Su Fan’s hands at some point. As his spiritual power surged, the wind from his punches howled with the rumble of thunder, like the beat of fierce, relentless war drums!
In the heat of battle, Marbas finally revealed his true power.
Even a demon with a humanoid form, it turned out, was skilled in close-quarters combat.
Su Fan had anticipated this all along.
On the surface, he pretended to evade the demon’s melee attacks, but in truth, he was deeply experienced in this very art.
Devious and cunning—just as one would expect from a demon of his ilk.
The demon’s body was immensely tough, his movements almost impossibly swift, and with a tail as deadly as a viper added to the mix, he managed to trade blow for blow with Su Fan over several exchanges.
In the pitch-black space, brilliant bolts of lightning flashed in different locations.
In the instant of another collision, pale violet light illuminated the black-haired young man’s expressionless face—and his eyes, blazing with murderous intent!
Opposite him, the demon bared his fangs in a vicious grin.
Marbas indeed dared not meet Su Fan’s fists head-on.
The lightning clinging to them made even his crimson skin tingle and ache with a dull, numbing pain.
Wicked, filthy energy coalesced around him, forming what looked like solid gauntlets over his claws.
Though the black aura was rapidly consumed by the thunder with every contact, it still gave Marbas the confidence to engage Su Fan in close-quarters combat.
Every punch and kick from both sides landed solidly. The air itself trembled violently. The once-intact building structure, after only a few rounds of exchange, was left in ruins—shattered and on the verge of collapse!
Marbas raised his arm, using his forearm to block Su Fan’s heavy, devastating elbow strike. Beneath his goat-like hooves, the concrete shattered, sending up bursts of debris and drawing shrill screams from the onlookers!
By now, everyone inside the studio had gathered near the exit. Falling chunks of stone and twisted rebar had hurt no one—but the spectacle was more than enough to hold their attention.
Now.
Seeing most people looking upward, Teresa slipped through the gaps in the crowd and made her way to the side of the terrified, barely-breathing woman.
Cool holy water dripped onto the woman’s forehead.
The nun, holding her cross, spoke with a voice both ethereal and gentle. The biblical passages she chanted unleashed an incredible power.
A soft white glow emanated from Teresa’s cross, and eventually, the people around her took notice. They didn’t know when this unfamiliar girl had appeared beside them, but they understood what she was doing.
As the ritual continued, the unconscious woman’s twisted, anguished expression gradually softened—even taking on a hint of peace.
Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes. She opened them, thanked Teresa, and then drifted into a deep, restful sleep.
“May the Lord bless you.”
Gripping her cross, the girl offered a gentle smile and a soft prayer, placing her hand lightly on the sleeping woman’s forehead—the final touch to her benediction.
The lingering white light cast the girl’s makeup-free, delicate features in a glow that made her look like an angel.
Many people watched the entire scene in a daze, forever etching this dreamlike moment into their hearts.
For a moment, they even forgot to step forward and ask the young woman who had offered her help what her name was.
But they didn’t have the spare attention to dwell on such details anyway.
Because at that moment, the roar from above grew even fiercer and more relentless!
With every clash between the two combatants, the upper levels of the studio were completely demolished.
The red figure and the black-haired young man’s fierce battle was now laid bare before everyone’s eyes!
On either side of the erupting thunder, the young man’s face remained cold and expressionless, while the red humanoid creature bared his fangs in a savage grin—a sight that struck terror into anyone who beheld it.
In that instant, the image was burned into everyone’s minds with crystal clarity.
A tail as sharp as a whip, lower limbs like goat’s hooves, skin as red as blood, and beneath curved ram’s horns—a pair of vertical pupils glowing with crimson light!
How could they not realize now what kind of being had caused all this?
A demon! The demon of legend—wielding evil power, hailing from hell, and constantly plaguing the human world!
“My God…”
The swelling terror and dark, filthy negative emotions that had filled their hearts moments before were now forgotten.
What was unfolding before their very eyes was nothing less than a reenactment of legendary mythical combat!
The solid ground crumbled like paper.
A single step from either combatant could shatter it.
The tremors underfoot and the thunderous roars in their ears were like a volley of artillery shells landing on an open field not far away!
“So that’s the true face of a demon…”
“It’s exactly as described in works of fiction…”
“Was all of this the doing of that damned demon?!”
“Just who is that young man fighting the demon…”
“God… I’m not dreaming, am I? That young man’s hands are crackling with lightning!”
“Thor? Zeus? Who is he?!”
“Black-haired Asian—can’t be a god…”
“But if not a god, then who else could stand against such a vicious demon?”
“We’re actually witnessing a clash between beings like this…”
“A clash? Can’t you see? That young man is dominating that demon!”
Down below, after the initial shock wore off, everyone burst into a cacophony of excited chatter.
Some went so far as to grab still-functional cameras from nearby, load them with film, and start filming the battle above.
However, Su Fan and Marbas moved far too fast.
The camera lenses could only capture a flash of lightning—and then both figures would vanish, reappearing in another corner dozens of meters away.
Seeming to sense that someone was trying to spy on him with a camera, Marbas twisted his head a full one hundred and eighty degrees in the middle of the fight.
That terrifying face turned directly toward the director who was filming—and let out a vicious, ear-splitting roar!
The camera on the director’s shoulder exploded on the spot, blasting his face into a bloody mess!
That horrifying sight silenced everyone who had been chattering just moments before!
They never imagined that, in the midst of such an intense battle, the demon could still pay attention to the people around him.
Nor had they expected that a single roar could destroy a camera a hundred meters away—and leave its operator severely wounded!
The brief spark of curiosity that had flickered in them earlier was instantly extinguished. As if by unspoken agreement, everyone shuffled backward, desperate not to draw the demon’s attention.
Marbas had successfully intimidated the crowd of onlookers nearby.
But soon, he realized just how foolish and arrogant that move had been.
The battlefield shifted in the blink of an eye. Diverting even a fraction of his attention to deal with others while locked in combat with Su Fan—that single, tiny lapse—allowed the already disadvantaged demon to be instantly overwhelmed!
Su Fan’s berserk fist broke through Marbas’s defenses, leaving him wide open.
The thunder-charged heavy punch slammed into Marbas’s chest with devastating force, punching straight through his crimson body and leaving a gaping hole.
Such an injury would have killed any normal living being instantly.
But before Su Fan stood one of the Seventy-Two Pillar Demons.
Flesh and blood immediately began regenerating around the wound—sprouting buds of new tissue, twisting and writhing, trying to knit together and fill the void.
But the lingering lightning kept destroying the freshly grown tissue, severely slowing the regeneration process.
Despite his grievous injury, Marbas did not falter. He struck back fiercely with his claws, tearing through the air—a blow that could shred even steel!
But Su Fan was faster!
He raised his left arm to block the claws, while his right fist shot upward like a rising dragon, slamming into Marbas’s jaw and shattering the lower half of his skull!
The sheer force rippled through the air, sending scattered arcs of lightning and spraying black blood and shattered bone and flesh everywhere!
The demon’s entire upper body was lifted by the lingering force, bending backward at an extreme angle, as if about to snap his own spine!
But this brutal strike was still not the end!
Su Fan drove his elbow down into Marbas’s chest, then reversed his arm and tore an entire demonic limb clean off!
He shifted his hand into a claw and, with the ferocity of a tiger, slammed the demon’s still-standing body flat to the ground!
A massive crash followed, sending dust soaring several zhang high!
The already ravaged floor was completely pulverized!
The demon’s body was driven deep into the earth, disappearing from sight!
In the deep pit, the demon’s form seemed to go still.
But Su Fan showed no sign of stopping.
He grabbed Marbas by the hoof, ready to yank him out of the crater—
When a torrent of black energy erupted from the bottom of the pit!
Su Fan let go and stepped back.
Amid the black mist, Marbas let out a monstrous roar!
Marbas had originally assumed that Su Fan, being injured, could only rely on his body to fight—nothing to fear.
But he never expected that even without using divine abilities, Su Fan’s bare fists and overwhelmingly powerful physique could still inflict such heavy damage on him.
Having believed he could easily crush his opponent, he was now utterly beside himself with rage.
“Can’t even speak in human tongues anymore?”
Su Fan tucked away his knuckle-dusters and stared coldly at the demon shrouded in black mist.
“Fine. I’ll send you on your way early, then.”
Su Fan raised his hand.
A clear, resonant sword cry echoed in everyone’s ears—and then a streak of silver light crashed through the ceiling, landing in Su Fan’s hand!
Bright moonlight streamed through the hole torn open by the sword. Su Fan stood bathed in its glow, sword in hand, and lightly tapped the blade with his finger.
A mysterious pale cyan light enveloped the sword—and in that instant, a sharp, piercing aura surged forth!
Demon-Slayer.
The divine ability to slay gods and ghosts alike—now fused into the blade.
Standing sword in hand, Su Fan faced the demon Marbas, whose throat rumbled with low growls that shook the very soul.
A hundred meters away, the onlookers felt splitting headaches and their minds growing hazy.
Suddenly, Marbas moved!
He turned and charged straight at the crowd gathered by the entrance!
Their souls rattled by his roar, the people stood frozen, completely unresponsive to the hideous demon hurtling toward them.
He couldn’t beat Su Fan with his bare hands—let alone now that he held a sword. A frontal assault was clearly useless. Since that was the case, he’d make good use of those gawking humans!
Marbas was blindingly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had reached the entrance.
At this critical moment, Teresa, who had been prepared all along, rose to her feet and raised her cross high against the oncoming demon.
But in less than a second, Teresa could feel the cross in her hands heating up rapidly—until it became as scorching hot as a branding iron!
Even so, she held on with all her strength, refusing to let go!
Almost simultaneously, sensing that Teresa couldn’t hold out much longer, Annie scattered all the talismans she had in her possession!
The talismans shattered in midair, and layers of barrier formed by their warding power materialized—trying to block the demon’s advance.
But Marbas was simply too powerful—far beyond what mere warding talismans could restrain.
As expected, in an instant, the demonic energy shattered every barrier!
Just as the demon thought he could seize human souls and take Annie and Teresa hostage—
From midair, an upgraded Five-Thunder Talisman had already finished charging.
The electric light turned the dark studio as bright as day!
Bolts of lightning, each as thick as an adult’s thigh, crashed down one after another without pause onto Marbas’s body!
After enduring six full strikes, he could no longer bear it—and let out a shriek of unimaginable agony.
The thunder, the roars, the deafening cacophony—finally snapped the onlookers out of their daze, their souls rattled by the demon’s terrifying cry.
Under the gaze of the crowd, five layered talismans flew forward and locked Marbas’s body in place!
“No… no!”
The demon struggled with all his might to break free, never imagining that Su Fan’s talismans could have such terrifying amplification.
Ever since obtaining the Heavenly Talisman, the effects of Su Fan’s multi-layered talismans could no longer be measured by simple arithmetic—one plus one no longer equaled two!
In this moment, Marbas finally tasted the fear of death!
Paimon’s descent, after all, had been through a human vessel—his true body never arrived.
But Marbas was different!
As a unique being among the Seventy-Two Pillar Demons, he could manifest his true body without a human host, using an object as a medium.
Though far weaker than his state in hell, it was more than enough to wreak havoc in the human realm.
But who could have imagined that the mortal world would produce a freak like Su Fan?
If this body were slain, the demon Marbas would be erased from existence entirely—never to return!
A powerful will to survive surged through Marbas, unleashing strength he had never tapped before.
He could feel it—his power, which had not grown in millennia, was actually changing, showing signs of breaking free from his bindings!
Overjoyed at this, he didn’t forget to beg for mercy, stalling for time.
“Su Fan! Spare me! I swear by my name as Marbas, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars—I will return to hell and never show myself before you again!”
But Su Fan, having merged his body with the sword, paid him no heed whatsoever.
Cold, surging killing intent crystallized into a blade of light that struck terror into the soul—and in a flash, it was already above him!
Marbas’s eyes met Su Fan’s once again—and this time, the demon’s body trembled.
He finally realized that no words he could utter would hold any weight before this man.
All the young man wanted was to cut him down completely with that sword in his hand.
Why?
An unfamiliar emotion—one he had never experienced since his birth—fear—stripped Marbas of his earlier composure.
He wanted to flee, to retreat back to hell—but the sword bearing the power of Demon-Slayer was already descending!
In that instant, a tall female figure materialized out of the darkness!
The watching crowd was petrified.
They could tell—this, too, was an incredibly evil and powerful being—even more oppressive than Marbas!
The towering figure, clad in a nun’s habit, had a pale, ghastly face. She reached out her hand to intervene!
Su Fan saw this, and the coldness in his eyes grew even sharper!
When he was about to slay Paimon before, another demon lord had rushed to the rescue.
And now they wanted to try the same trick again?!
Dream on!
With a single thought, he activated his ability, targeting the Ghostly Nun directly at full force.
The shadow that had been rushing toward Su Fan recoiled sharply, as if a video were being played in reverse.
But within a breath, it broke free of the binding and surged forward again.
Yet the Ghostly Nun’s rescue came too late.
Su Fan’s sword traced an arc of light through the air—and severed Marbas’s head!
Without pausing, the blade danced in a web of light, shredding the demon’s headless remains and the falling skull into pieces!
Then, with a burst of alchemical fire, he burned everything to ash!
Decapitation, dismemberment, incineration—all in one seamless motion, taking less than two seconds in total.
The demon Marbas, who had brought such terror to all, was now utterly erased from both hell and the mortal world—not even ash remained!
Nearby, the Ghostly Nun in the shadows had witnessed everything.
Her gaze toward Su Fan burned with murderous intent.
Her shadow seemed to mirror her fury, surging like rising tides, as if about to drown every living being in this space!
At the studio entrance, many fragile souls had already fainted from sheer terror.
The few who remained conscious weren’t faring much better—their faces pale as paper, struggling to breathe, their eyes fixed on Su Fan with indescribable awe.
If even they, huddled in the corners, felt this way—what kind of courage did it take for that young man, standing blade in hand, to face that terrifying presence head-on, without a shred of fear?
In the deathly silent studio, only Su Fan stood locked in a stare-down with the Ghostly Nun.
“What are you looking at? If your true body dares come here, I’ll cut you down too!”
He pointed his sword at her and spoke—his tone perfectly calm.
