Chapter 332: The Cruel Growth of Demons
The two had not gone far when the previously petrified flesh of the Demon Gate began to slowly squirm. The hanging Demon’s Head also grinned, emitting a soul-piercing wail of pain. With the gate as the center, the chaotic power originating from the Abyss began to spread.
Just as Owen ran out of the Divine Stone, he felt the demigod-level chaotic power coming from behind him. His face changed instantly, and he immediately sped up.
This thing directly affects the soul and the physical body, capable of irreversibly twisting creatures within its range into chaotic and evil beings ━ in other words, demonization. If one were at the center of it, even Legends would inevitably be affected.
It can cause effects similar to swallowing a Demon Egg over a wide area without even needing demon flesh and blood. No wonder the Demon Gate could destroy the world if not handled properly. So Owen ran even faster, all the while holding Kotana, who wanted to charge back, even tighter. He couldn’t let this little guy cause any more trouble.
Actually, Owen didn’t blame Kotana for causing trouble because even he hadn’t expected the Demon Gate’s seal to be so fragile. Damn, it wasn’t even as strong as a potato chip.
And even if the seal hadn’t been pierced by Kotana, no matter what the two of them came up with, they would have to test it first, and they still wouldn’t be able to avoid breaking the seal then.
It could be said that from the moment Owen dug out the Demon Gate, the breaking of the seal was only a matter of time. It was definitely not because Kotana was cute that he forgave her.
Because there were no targets to transform around it, the Demon Gate soon shut up. It could only rely on itself now. So, the demon flesh and blood, bound by bones and used as filler, began to proliferate rapidly, just like mutated cancerous tissue, growing continuously in distortion and pus. Eventually, the excess parts squeezed out from between the bones, hanging down like redundant flesh. It looked a bit like an ambitious young man with mixed internal and external hemorrhoids who had just indulged in a spicy hot pot and ice-cold beer at night, only to transform into a “spray warrior” past midnight. The scene was truly tragic.
However, the demon’s proliferating flesh and blood was even more disgusting than hemorrhoids, more disordered and twisted. At least hemorrhoids wouldn’t swell and pulsate.
Yes, it was that disgusting. As the demon’s proliferating flesh and blood continued to swell, a strong pulsation came from within its belly-like bulge, and after swelling to a certain extent, it began to contract violently, squeezing out a bunch of meatball-like things. They splattered all over the ground, mixed with foul-smelling mucus. The scene was quite shocking, especially the way the proliferating flesh and blood gave birth like squeezing a pus-filled boil, which could efficiently cure all kinds of fantasies held by LSPs （lewd single people）.
“Are these newborn demons?” Owen saw this scene clearly through the means he had prepared beforehand. His face was a little pale, and his stomach began to churn, but he still persisted in watching because it was very difficult to see how demons grow in the material world.
Although demons come in all shapes and sizes, their essence is the same. In theory, there is no difference between a voluptuous succubus with curves and a muscular minotaur with a large chest and buttocks. It’s just that many young mages and warlocks who haven’t seen through the truth are unwilling to admit this. After going through many trials and tribulations, they will see through everything and understand the principle of “form is emptiness.”
Right now, Owen was very curious about how demons actually grow from a meatball into all kinds of demons, so he not only watched but also started recording. These were all valuable research materials.
As soon as they were born, with mucus still clinging to their bodies, the meatballs opened their intestine-like mouths and began to devour their weaker counterparts.
Because they didn’t have teeth, they could only wrap their mouths around their enemies and then swallow them down their intestine-like throats. Therefore, their hunting success rate wasn’t high.
There were successes, and there were failures, but as long as they could survive, these meatballs would begin to evolve on their own.
Some grew sharp teeth and wide mouths for more efficient eating, as well as stomachs full of barbs, but their bodies also became relatively bloated, like anglerfish.
Some, for more efficient hunting, grew slender limbs with sharp claws, which could both move quickly and be used to hunt. However, once they were bitten, the chances of survival were slim.
There were also those covered in poisonous spikes, just to avoid being devoured, and the poison could also kill their kind for easier consumption.
Others grew more and more alluring, with plump lips, large eyes, and an unusual charm, and then they were torn apart and eaten. This was purely a case of choosing the wrong evolutionary path.
No matter what kind of evolution it was, it was for more favorable survival in the current environment. For this, they kept eating, kept fighting, showed no mercy in their attacks, biting off flesh and blood with each bite. The sounds of chewing and screams mixed together, making one wonder if this was a restaurant or a slaughterhouse.
This was not simply a case of mutual slaughter; it was the unique way demons grow. They obtain more growth nutrients and combat experience by devouring their own kind. Therefore, every demon is a natural-born warrior. “Experienced in a hundred battles” is not enough to describe them, and there are no weaklings because the weaklings have long been eaten.
As the killing and devouring continued, the chaotic evolution continued as well, becoming more and more outrageous. Seven or eight mouths, five or six legs, eight or nine hands, heads growing on butts, brains in butts, opening their eyes to see with their butts… all kinds of bizarre shapes made Owen vomit.
Although ugly, the demons’ combat power was no joke. Owen began to worry about how to fight them next.
Running away directly was not impossible, but considering that this was a trial arranged by a god, who knew if he would be tied up and spanked if he ran away directly?
But how to fight was also a problem because the environment here was too special.
The characteristics of the Void environment limited all elemental magic because there were simply no elements here, and it lacked matter. Therefore, it was necessary to transform it with magic power, which was obviously not cost-effective.
Mind-based spells lacked killing power. Fiendfyre was powerful, but it also needed the support of matter to burn, and demons were Abyssal creatures. Their fire resistance could be said to be maxed out, and those with low fire resistance wouldn’t live long enough to grow up. Coupled with their equally excellent magic resistance, Owen really couldn’t say how effective Fiendfyre would be against demons.
Owen had never even considered engaging in close combat himself. Firstly, the danger was uncontrollable, and secondly, it didn’t fit his status. He was a lord, so why should he fight like a brute and engage in a bloody battle with his opponent?
Using a powerful move to clear the field directly was a good idea, but thinking about the trouble caused by the two previous uses of his ultimate move, Owen almost had a psychological shadow.
As for summons, the weak ones were useless, and the strong ones were his trump cards, not to be exposed easily.
Puppets wouldn’t work either because the Void environment was most corrosive to inanimate matter.
With no options left or right, Owen finally decided to have a Plants vs. Demons battle. This would not only be in line with his identity as a member of the Elf Royal Family, but it would also be convenient for testing the demons’ abilities. He wouldn’t feel bad about losing them anyway; there were plenty of them in Green Shade Town.
Moreover, the Demon Gate’s energy was not infinite, especially in the special environment of the Void, which was a restriction on them and also a restriction on the Demon Gate.
Without life, without killing, without fear, without souls, where would the replenishment come from? Once the energy was exhausted, it would be just a gate.
