Thunder God's Reincarnation

The Dragons left to chase after the demons. Left on his own, Mu-Gun set off directly towards the Centrion Mountain Range. This mountain range stood proudly at the heart of the Avalon Continent. While not as expansive as the four grand mountain ranges encircling the continent, it claimed the title of being the highest one within its borders.

The Centrion Mountain Range held an abundance of underground resources, earning its reputation as a resource haven. The Pamar Empire owed its current position to the wealth amassed from extracting valuable resources within these mountains. Consequently, the Pamar Empire exercised stringent control over the Centrion Mountain Range.

Yet, no one could have foreseen that the headquarters of the Demon Church resided within the Centrion Mountain Range, harboring the presence of the Demon God. The proverb, "It is darkest under the lighting," proved fitting for this unexpected twist of events.

Upon reaching the Centrion Mountain Range, Mu-Gun paid a visit to Ricael Hicarion, the Commander of the Centrion Mountain Corps responsible for overseeing the region.

“Welcome. But why has God’s representative come to this shabby place…?”

Although Ricael held the noble status of a knight in the Pamar Empire, he extended utmost courtesy as he inquired about Mu-Gun's purpose for the visit. Amid the chaos caused by the descent of the Demon God and the summoning of legions to bring ruin upon the Avalon Continent, Mu-Gun, as the representative of God, stood as the savior destined to rescue the continent.

Indeed, with Mu-Gun's remarkable feats gaining widespread recognition, the entirety of the Avalon Continent held him in reverence as God's representative. Their collective hope rested on Mu-Gun's shoulders, for his triumph over the Demon God and the salvation of the Avalon Continent.

Mu-Gun's standing in the Avalon Continent surpassed even that of the Pamar Empire's Emperor. Given this elevated status, it was only natural for Ricael to treat Mu-Gun with the utmost politeness.

“I have received information that the Demon Church’s headquarters is within the Centrion Mountain Range.”

“Are you speaking the truth?” Ricael looked at Mu-Gun in disbelief.

“It is reliable information. Speaking of which, is there perhaps a place you are suspicious of?”

“Well, as far as I remember, there isn’t any place particularly suspicious. Still, I really can’t believe it. The rangers of the Centrion Mountain Corps are heavily monitoring the area, so I can’t believe that the Demon Church’s headquarters was built here.”

“Although the Centrion Mountain Corps’ rangers are outstanding, it would not have been easy to notice the group's movement worshipping the Demon God. In any case, seeing that the rangers did not catch on to their movements, the Demon Church’s headquarters is likely located in a hidden place that is not exposed to the outside world.” Mu-Gun replied.

“Rather than just a hidden place, I think it is likely located in an unthinkable place, like deep underground.”

“Certainly, if it was hidden deep underground, no matter how outstanding the rangers are, it would have been hard to find them,” Mu-Gun said in agreement.

“That’s probably the case unless they knew in advance.”

“Then, as you said, we would probably have to search deep underground.” Mu-Gun opined.

“Do you have a way to search deep underground?” Ricael asked worryingly.

“With the earth spirits, it would be possible to search even if it is underground.”

“Ah! The earth spirits! That would probably work. Then, is there anything else that our Centrion Mountain Corps can do to help?”

“I would like the Centrion Mountain Corps to check whether there are any entrances leading underground around the mountain range,” Mu-Gun replied.

“The surroundings instead of inside the mountain range?” Ricael tilted his head, seemingly not understanding.

“If the Demon Church’s headquarters is located here, the Demon Church’s priests would frequently come in and out of the mountain range.”

“I guess so.”

“But the fact that their whereabouts had yet to be discovered until now means that they used a route that the Mountain Corps’ rangers could not monitor.”

“If they moved underground, the rangers’ surveillance would have been useless,” Ricael said in agreement.

“That’s right. So please take a look around the mountain range. Meanwhile, I will search inside the mountain range.”

“Understood. I will move right away.” At Mu-Gun’s instructions, Ricael began to search around the Centrion Mountain Range with the Mountain Corps’ rangers.

Meanwhile, Mu-Gun called upon the Earth Spirit King and Wind Spirit King to explore the depths of the Centrion Mountain Range. The Earth Spirit King took charge of subterranean exploration, while the Wind Spirit King handled matters above ground. Mu-Gun opted not to summon the Ice Spirit King and the Fire Spirit King, as their abilities were less suited for effective searching.

Summoning the Ice Spirit King and the Fire Spirit King was deemed unnecessary, as there was no need to expend Mu-Gun's internal energy without cause. In line with Ricael's insight, the Demon Church's headquarters was presumed to be underground. Despite Mu-Gun's extraordinary abilities, searching beneath the surface was beyond his capabilities. Consequently, Mu-Gun refrained from participating in the search.

Certainly, even if the adversaries concealed themselves underground, their demonic energy would not escape Mu-Gun's notice had he concentrated on it. Nevertheless, opting for the more efficient approach, Mu-Gun relied on the earth spirits, adept at direct underground exploration.

Engaging in the search alongside the summoned Spirit Kings would escalate the depletion of Mu-Gun's internal energy, requiring more frequent circulation of his qi. Opting for efficiency, Mu-Gun chose to minimize the frequency of qi circulation and entrusted the earth spirits with prolonged underground exploration.

As the Wind Spirit King scoured the skies and the Earth Spirit King delved into the ground, the Centrion Mountain Corps' rangers meticulously combed the area for any subterranean entrances in the vicinity of the Centrion Mountain Range. Despite their efforts over one, two, and three days, no substantial results surfaced.

Both the Wind Spirit King and Earth Spirit King came up empty-handed. Despite the earnest efforts of the earth and wind spirits, the expansive Centrion Mountain Range proved too vast for a quick search within just a few days. As impatience crept in over time, Mu-Gun's frustration grew.

The Dragons, elves, Avalon Knights, and Yupir Church's paladins united their efforts in pursuit and elimination of the demons. Despite their formidable endeavors, numerous pockets of demonic forces persisted, leading to accumulating damage across the continent. Fortunately, there were no additional Hellgates opened.

Mu-Gun speculated that the Demon God had discerned their pursuit and implemented measures to evade detection. Recognizing Mu-Gun as God's representative, the Demon God had to bolster his strength to counter the impending confrontation.

To activate the Hellgates, a Demon God Stone served as a crucial requirement. Yet, crafting such a stone necessitated projecting the Demon God's power into it. The paradox emerged: the more Hellgates opened, the more the Demon God's power dwindled. However, the legion of demons summoned through the Hellgates could generate substantial vengeful spirits, potentially replenishing the energy expended in creating the Demon God Stone and, in turn, augmenting the Demon God's power significantly.

The looming threat was if Mu-Gun, God's representative, uncovered the Demon God's whereabouts and initiated an assault before the replenishing process could unfold. There existed the risk of the Demon God being vanquished without a chance for a proper confrontation. Viewing the situation strategically, it might be in the Demon God's interest to seize this opportunity to confront and defeat Mu-Gun, God's representative. Consequently, it seemed probable that, for the time being, the Demon God refrained from opening additional Hellgates and concentrated on regaining its strength.

Mu-Gun's optimal scenario involved locating and eliminating the Demon God before it could recover its strength. However, the urgency of the situation didn't guarantee a swift discovery of the Demon Church's headquarters and the Demon God's exact location.

Mu-Gun exercised patience with Nervatum and Nordic, refraining from pressuring them. Confident in their dedication, he understood that they would give their utmost effort. After five days of searching the Centrion Mountain Range, their diligence bore fruit, unveiling a significant discovery.

Nordic, the Earth Spirit King, unearthed an underground passage nestled deep beneath the mountain range. Swiftly relaying his findings, Nordic promptly informed Mu-Gun of the discovered passage.

-I found an underground passageway.

“Really?”

-Seeing that it’s artificially made, I think it was made by the Demon Church’s headquarters.

“Are you able to check inside the underground passageway?”

-I will try to send the spirits to check.

“Please do.”

Nordic summoned the highest-ranked spirits under his command to explore the subterranean passage. These towering earth spirits, resembling giants clumped with soil and rocks, ventured fearlessly into the underground tunnel.

The underground passageway presented a labyrinth of forks, obscuring the correct path, fortified with diverse magic arrays to deter intruders. Yet, the intricate maze posed no challenge for the earth spirits. Assigned to specific forks, the high-ranked earth spirits adeptly navigated and explored each route. Their innate power neutralized the magic arrays strategically placed along the underground passage.

The underground passage resembled a bewildering maze, stretching out in lengthy paths and branching into numerous directions. For ordinary humans, navigating such a labyrinth could lead to getting lost. However, the earth spirits remained undeterred by the confusing underground maze. They relied on the memory of the ground's flow, beyond the passage visible to the naked eye.

Despite the labyrinthine nature of the underground passage, the earth spirits maintained unwavering clarity regarding location and direction by relying on their memory of the ground's flow. Navigating through the tunnels, which alternated between branching into multiple paths and leading to dead-ends, the earth spirits successfully pinpointed the center of the underground passage.

Without hesitation, the earth spirits proceeded directly along the central route. However, during the process of dismantling the magic array through manipulation of the land, the highest-ranked spirits abruptly halted. Their pause was prompted by the detection of immense demonic energy emanating from within the underground passage, surpassing the level of energy within the earth spirits' capacity to handle.

Certain that the colossal demonic energy belonged to the Demon God, the highest-ranked earth spirits swiftly relayed the critical information to Earth Spirit King Nordic. Without hesitation, they turned and tried to retreat from the underground passage.

“Where are you going?” At that moment, a wave of demonic energy surrounded the underground passage along with a creepy voice.

The highest-ranked earth spirits tried to escape using the earth’s energy, but for some reason, it did not work. They panicked and looked back.

A human, leaking an immense amount of demonic energy, shrugged and said, “It’s no big deal. It’s just that I have taken control over the space with my demonic divinity.”

The highest-ranked earth spirits surged toward the figure. Yet, before they could reach the individual, colossal Dark Demonic Hands materialized from all corners of the space, ensnaring them. Despite the earth spirits' attempts to break free from the grasp of the hands, the Dark Demonic Hands, comprised of dark flames, proved relentless and unyielding.

Dark flames exuded by the Dark Demonic Hands enveloped the Earth Spirits, igniting intensely. Slowly, the earth spirits started to dissolve within the embrace of the dark flames. In moments, they vanished without a trace, leaving behind no remnants.

Baal's countenance, despite extinguishing all the earth spirits, did not radiate a sense of triumph. His strength had not completely returned. While he effortlessly vanquished the earth spirits, he still lacked the power necessary to confront God's representative and the Dragons. The demons summoned through the Hellgates persisted in generating vengeful spirits for Baal to absorb, but their pace fell short of the speed required.

The recovery process indicated that it would take a minimum of three days for Baal to regain his full strength. The pressing issue arose from the fact that the earth spirits had already exposed his location. While uncertain, the likelihood was that God's representative and the Dragons were likely hastening towards Baal at this very moment.

“Hmm, since things have turned out like this, it’ll be better for me to move myself and absorb some vengeful spirits.”

With Baal's location already unveiled, remaining within the Centrion Mountain Range was unnecessary. Baal deemed it more advantageous to relocate and initiate attacks, generating vengeful spirits for absorption before the imminent arrival of God's representative or the Dragons. The chosen target for this offensive move was the nearby Pamar Empire's Imperial City.

The Pamar Empire's Imperial City boasted the Avalon Continent's largest population. Moreover, numerous individuals from neighboring territories sought refuge within its walls amid the demonic invasion, believing the city to provide a stronger defense against the onslaught.

Consequently, the Imperial City found itself teeming with a population far surpassing its usual numbers—an ideal situation for Baal. The greater the populace, the more vengeful spirits that could be harvested, hastening the process of regaining his strength. By targeting the Imperial City now, Baal anticipated a swift accumulation of countless vengeful spirits. To achieve a similar result, attacking numerous other territories would have been necessary. This strategic move would enable Baal to reclaim his full strength in a single, potent assault.

While acknowledging the likelihood of God's representative or the Dragons arriving beforehand, Baal remained confident in achieving a satisfactory level of strength recovery. With the decision made, Baal immediately exited the Demon Church's headquarters.

Upon Baal's emergence from the underground, the wind spirits tasked with monitoring the Centrion Mountain Range detected his movements. However, the Great Demon God Baal, anticipating the presence of these spirits, extended dozens of Dark Demonic Hands.

Ensnared within the grip of the Dark Demonic Hands, the wind spirits vanished amidst dark flames. Having effortlessly evaded the spirits' surveillance, Baal unfurled his dark fiery wings, soaring towards the Pamar Empire's Imperial City.