When the plot-skips players into the game world

The Stranger lifted his head, stunned by everything unfolding before him.

— He saw the roiling grey-black smoke billowing upwards, containing deep red and golden flames within.

Right in front of him, not too far away, the Hall of Silver and Tin began to spew out copious amounts of dust and smoke from its center, gradually fracturing and collapsing.

Even the buildings reinforced by the Preservers had no resistance. The entire structure seemed to be chewed up and devoured by some magical beast, emitting a harsh screeching sound. It curled and collapsed, mouthful by mouthful, with the trembling of the ground.

The peculiar monocle on the Stranger's face, much like a microscope, automatically rotated and extended, bringing him a whole new field of vision:

He saw heat spreading throughout the building like the roots of plants tightly clutching clumps of soil. Not far away, a gigantic humanoid form, too hot to behold directly even through multiple walls, was slowly rising.

It was slowly absorbing the entire Hall of Silver and Tin, visibly growing larger at a rate detectable by the naked eye.

Made of earth and stone for bone, of blazing fire for flesh.

A molten giant, forged from melted metals and rocks, was continuously acquiring "materials" from its surroundings in the contracting flames, growing larger and larger.

— That was none other than the Flame Demon!

The two Star Antimony powerhouses that appeared on the screen during the plot's introduction phase were actually very familiar to the Stranger. They were his acquaintances.

One of them was his mentor from the Spirit Summoning Tower; the other was Major General Leo Karl, a senior whom he had a rather good relationship with. Not long ago, they had entered the same advanced ritual together, which resulted in Karl suffering a broken leg.

Although the Stranger was not a Demon Scholar, due to his intense curiosity, he had once asked Major General Karl why there was "another soul" inside him.

General Karl had no qualms about sharing the truth with the Stranger:

Once these Demon Scholars ascended to become Demon Incarnations, a demon seed would begin to form inside them.

They were all incredibly powerful Upper-Level Demons, an aid too strong for ordinary Demon Scholars to acquire through summoning or pacts. Merely drawing power from them could yield supernatural strength, equivalent to an affinity with the Fourth Power Level.

When a Demon Incarnation just reached the Fourth Power Level, these demons would be in a dormant state. If they were slain at this time, the demons inside would typically just release distorted forces.

But once they reached the Fifth Power Level, these demons would be activated... like an egg, starting with just a yolk, turning into a mature embryo with feathers and flesh about to hatch into a chick.

Demon Incarnations then had to use rituals or curses to restrain the activity of the demons inside them, otherwise they could lose control by accident.

If they were nearing death, these Fifth Power Level powerhouses would directly enter the Ritual Magic Circle that restrained demons. That way, once they perished, their demons would emerge and could be immediately sealed or banished. Their disciples could even enter pacts with these demons, obtaining them as powerful allies.

And if they were accidentally slain, the out-of-control demons would teach their killers a lesson—although the sealed demons held great animosity towards their hosts, this did not mean they would be grateful to the enemies who freed them.

These original demons possessed all the memories, knowledge, and emotions of their hosts from birth until death. Rather than calling them demons, it would be more accurate to say they were another demonized personality born after the host had received the Mark of Sin.

Although they were two separate souls in reality, personality-wise, there were some similarities.

General Karl had also told the Stranger that the correct path of ascension for a Demon Scholar was to overpower their inner demon personality once they reached the Sixth Power Level and completely absorb it.

When both personalities merged into one, it was as though two selves were overlaid. Only then could one truly wield that power and become a bona fide "Demon Incarnation."

And clearly, this Flame Demon was a "less than perfect" product. It was proof of General Karl's death.

When General Karl was slain and the Flame Demon emerged from his corpse, his killer must have been devoured by the raging fire.

But after defeating the enemy, Star Antimony would become its new and only foe—

For it was the Star Antimony's heritage that taught Karl how to suppress himself, how to bind himself, and how to draw out power endlessly from within his body. After being bound for so many years, its hatred for Star Antimony far surpassed everything else...

But perhaps it was for this reason that the Stranger could feel temporary safety now, as it had no intention to destroy Avalon, he thought.

After all, the role he was currently playing was that of a Court Alchemist of Avalon. This, ironically, made his situation safer.

If one were to say whom the Flame Demon most wanted to attack at this moment... it would have to be his mentor.

— That is, Mr. Bruzvick, codenamed "Counselor." The old man draped in the black robe.

But in the next moment, the Stranger's expression suddenly changed.

For he heard the sound of the Flame Demon's fists pounding the ground.

In a flash, the earth shook and the mountains quivered. Buildings shook violently, shattered, and collapsed. The panic and cries of the Knights suddenly erupted within the structure.

The alchemist wearing that magical monocle saw it shrinking, curling, and repeatedly focusing, locking onto one soul after another as they were consumed by flames and perished.

Through his bizarre Perspective Eye that turned everything mundane transparent, he could easily see— the flames spreading from the fists of the giants like the roots of plants, resembling snakes or centipedes.

They burrowed into the walls and the ground, erupting suddenly from cracks as the buildings shook and shattered, striking at the knights.

No, their targets were not just the knights!

Even ordinary people, those servants working in the palace, were devoured by the fiery serpents, letting out piercing screams.

Even the Arbiters of the Fourth Power Level had almost no resistance. Their defensive spells were easily breached, and their blessed metal armor melted like paper.

...What was going on?!

The stranger shuddered with fear.

Thankfully, he had packed up his spellcasting materials and potions into a brownish-red leather briefcase shortly after landing, thinking of making a quick escape.

He now grabbed the case and ran. Just as he reached the door, a knight rushed over.

"Master Nobel, please hurry and leave!"

He was very nervous, raising his sword towards a slender fire serpent emerging from the corner: "I'll cover your retreat—"

"Don't bother!"

The stranger grabbed the knight's shoulder, almost screaming: "Just... run! Run together!"

At that moment, the knight belatedly sheathed his sword to leave.

A fire serpent that had sprung from the corner, coiled and ready, lunged at them.

It was like an arrow of flame, or a hunting hound.

The quickly raised blade of the knight was effortlessly burned through, leaving an ever-expanding hole, like a newspaper being charred from the middle. His instinctive duck saved his life—the fire serpent shot straight into the ceiling, causing melted steel to drip down.

The mere residual heat from the passing serpent made his helmet scorching hot, eliciting a scream from him—his left cheek sizzled as if branded on an iron plate. The stranger could even faintly smell the scent of roasting meat.

But the knight's vitality and willpower were extraordinary.

Not being killed outright, he caught his breath momentarily, then quickly recovered.

Seeing "Master Nobel" jogging and making a slow escape, he finally couldn't stand it and charged over, hoisting the stranger onto his shoulders.

The stranger immediately felt the scorching heat of his armor—it was like being exposed to the midday sun during the peak of summer for hours. Even through his robe, which provided some insulation, he couldn't help but scream from the burn.

Still, he clung to his briefcase without letting go.

They made their way towards the outside of the Hall of Silver and Tin, letting out intermittent screams.

They saw clearly—while fleeing—a knight on their path who tried to slash at a fire serpent attacking him, only to be impaled through the chest by it.

Fire continuously spewed from the gaps in his armor, and his screams ceased after just one shout. He quickly stopped writhing in agony and became silent. The fire jetting out from the gaps in his armor also grew steadier and quieter.

That metal armor took on a semi-melted form—the stranger saw clearly through "Nobel's" monocle that the person's soul had been forged into an entirely new shape by the flames.

It was as if the soul had been parasitized by a fire serpent, or as if a block of fine steel had been melted down and mixed with bone powder. The original traces could still be seen, yet it was obvious that he was no longer the same person as before.

Knight after burning knight, burning servant, burning skeleton—more and more gathered. Their clothing and weapons were ablaze with flame, yet they still maintained their previous forms without being consumed by fire.

The flames on them were golden-red, and in their hands they wielded weapons formed from gathered cyan-purple fire. Where their eyes should have been, two streams of burning violet-black flames now appeared.

As they burned, the human aspect visibly diminished at a pace visible to the naked eye.

First the skin and hair, then flesh and blood. Even as only a skeleton remained, it continued to burn, turning into a fiercer flame. In the end, only a blurry human shape was left, having turned into pure elemental fire.

In the meantime, the Flame Demon in the center of the Hall of Silver and Tin had shrunk to about half its original size. It still maintained the posture of fists touching the ground, while the entire Hall of Silver and Tin began to burn violently within its flames.

A "Flame Demon Legion" had thus been created out of nothing!