The moment Karla noticed the disappearance of the soul beside him, his vigilance instantly peaked.
He knew full well that the individuals before him lacked the capability to steal from him right under his nose.
Something was definitely lurking nearby.
Watching Karla glance around warily, Jem Woz asked in confusion, "What is he doing? Casting a spell?"
"I think he might be performing some kind of ritual?"
Safi, uncertain, touched the perfectly normal emblem in his hand before answering.
Glancing back at the continuous influx of subordinates behind him, he made a stern gesture.
Numerous priests immediately pulled out large quantities of holy water, prayer scriptures, and similar items they carried with them.
They were prepared for a fight to the death.
Safi spoke earnestly to Jem Woz, "Right now, he's at his weakest. We must banish him from this world immediately. If he escapes and finds a source to replenish his strength, his power will recover at an alarming rate. If that happens, we'll face immense trouble—just like the demonic calamities of the past."
"I have no objections. If that's the case, let's act now!"
By this time, Jem's soldiers had already formed their battle formation. He gave the order, "Heavy crossbow team, commence attack!"
Historical demonic calamities had proven that ordinary arrows were useless against demons.
Unless they were wielded by Grand Knight-level warriors, ordinary archers couldn't even scratch their hides. That's why Jem had specifically brought a batch of heavy crossbows capable of piercing through armored cavalry. Moreover, he had them soak the bolts in holy water beforehand and sent them to the church for blessings, imbuing them with the Church's exorcism power.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sensing the bolts were coated with power that could harm him, Karla flicked two fingers lightly to the right. A fierce gust of wind surged from within the basement, forming a translucent [Wind Barrier] that effortlessly deflected the incoming bolts.
While this technique might not be as effective against melee weapons, wind-based defensive spells were exceptionally potent against projectile attacks.
However, as the caster, Karla glanced at the spell's effect and scoffed, flicking his hand dismissively.
Had this world's mana density not been so low and his strength not been severely suppressed, the [Wind Barrier] could have formed a swirling vortex to envelop him entirely—not just a mere wall.
Over the centuries, though he hadn't deeply studied any spells—spending most of his time in battle—he had mastered his innate Bloodline Spells to perfection, achieving effects far beyond their original capabilities.
Confirming that no one was hiding nearby yet still unable to locate his missing sacrifice, Karla finally turned his gaze to the troops behind Jem and the others.
With a look of disdain, he remarked, "After hundreds of years, the supernatural forces of this world have grown increasingly feeble. I still remember back when you hunted me—your so-called Grand Knights used to charge in entire squads."
In these low-energy, highly exclusive lower worlds, the reason why Demons like them from the Bottomless Abyss often fail and retreat is usually because the natives employ various means to drag the Demon's power down to their own level. Then, relying on their abundant experience and overwhelming numbers, they use sheer force of numbers to forcibly kick the Demon out.
It must be said, this is truly infuriating—being defeated by opponents they wouldn't even deign to acknowledge.
Especially in situations like this, where they've just descended and are immediately cornered!
At full strength, Karla could slaughter all these worthless creatures before him with just one hand, not even bothering to spare them a second glance.
But now, with his power suppressed to its limits, barely a fraction of his strength remaining, he had to admit that he needed to take these trash seriously—otherwise, there was a real chance he might actually lose.
This undoubtedly stoked the fury in his already short-tempered heart, especially when he laid eyes on Richard Woz.
During his descent, due to the Summoning Ritual, he had formed a contract with Richard Woz. As payment for the offerings and the price of descending into this world, he was obligated to serve Richard Woz for a certain period.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. As part of the contract's terms, it was a perfectly standard arrangement, and Karla saw nothing wrong with it.
But now, the offerings that should have been his had been stolen by someone, his path was blocked by Jem Woz leading a large group, and he still had to fulfill his obligation to serve Richard Woz for a while—this left Karla feeling utterly humiliated!
It made him want to turn around immediately and rip Richard Woz's head off.
However, seeing the soldiers advancing toward him with shields raised and the priests chanting those irritating scriptures from their holy books, Karla wisely suppressed his hostility for the moment and asked Richard Woz beside him, "Is there a way out? My power is too restricted right now. I need to recover some strength before dealing with them."
Hearing this question, Richard Woz—unaware that the Demon before him was itching to strangle him—paused in surprise. Based on his understanding of Demons, shouldn't they charge straight into battle at a time like this?
Why was he thinking of retreating?
But then again, the royal archives did mention that Demons were at their weakest right after being summoned.
So without hesitation, he nodded. "There's a hidden passage behind us that leads directly to the surface!"
Karla nodded in satisfaction at the news. "Good. You go first. I'll catch up shortly."
Not that he was feeling particularly heroic about covering their retreat—it was just that, aside from Richard Woz, the remaining people were his loyal devotees. If he could save them, he didn't mind lending a hand. After all, he'd likely need them again in the future.
Watching them leave, Karla casually flicked his wrist. A highly compressed current of air instantly transformed into an invisible wind blade, which he hurled forward.
With a sound like a saw cutting through metal, the wind blade struck the shields of the frontline soldiers, sending bright sparks flying.
The sheer force of the impact sent the soldiers' bodies flying backward.
As for the wind blades, their momentum did not stop, slashing toward the crowd behind the enemy, splattering blood across the ground.
Human bodies were like thin sheets of paper before such force capable of slicing through metal.
Even a Grand Knight, who could tear tigers and leopards apart bare-handed, stood no chance of blocking it with their body.
Karla sneered disdainfully, "Pathetic. They can't even withstand an attack like this."
To him, the humans of this world, who could only wield magic in the crudest ways, were nothing more than primitives.
If not for harvesting souls, he would never have bothered coming here. Even the energy absorbed from casually breathing the air in the Bottomless Abyss would surpass hours of meditation in this place.
Yet, before he could reach out to seize the souls of the dead, he noticed something he had overlooked earlier.
The Magic Circle on the ground was quietly absorbing the souls and transmitting them elsewhere!
Gritting his teeth, he instantly realized where his sacrifices had gone: "A bunch of fools. They didn't even notice the Magic Circle had been tampered with..."
Under the influence of his fury, magic erupted from him in a violent surge!
The nearby floor tiles were torn apart, completely destroying the inscribed Magic Circle.
However, as he watched the dust and debris scatter, his mood didn't improve—instead, it worsened.
He knew the natives of this world lacked the ability to alter his Summoning Ritual without him sensing it. Therefore, an outsider must have interfered!
And clearly, that outsider harbored no goodwill.
In his weakened state, being maliciously targeted by one or more unknown outsiders was far from good news.
Even if they hadn't directly intervened yet, the danger they posed far exceeded that of the local forces before him.
Under these circumstances, would they let him leave so easily?
Karla doubted it.
And just as he expected—
Even without turning around, the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, belonging to those who had supposedly left earlier, told him everything.
"The secret passage has been blocked—completely sealed. It's some kind of rock that looks like dirt but is incredibly hard. Even weapons can't damage it!"
'Transmute Earth to Stone? Or a similar Spell?'
Karla barely acknowledged Richard Woz's panicked words, silently glancing up at the ceiling instead.
If he wasn't mistaken, the earth behind the stone slabs above had likely been hardened as well, preventing him from simply tunneling out.
He took a step back, narrowly avoiding several weapons aimed at him.
Steadying himself, he commanded the cultists and Richard Woz behind him, "In that case, we'll fight our way out!"
At his order, the cultists let out excited, eerie cries, utterly unfazed by the enemy's overwhelming numbers. In their doctrine, sacrificing their lives for Karla was the greatest honor—everything else was secondary.
Only Richard Woz hesitated slightly, deliberately positioning himself behind Karla.
For him, if going all out meant saving his own daughter, then it was naturally a duty he couldn't refuse.
But at this moment, having just summoned Carla, with things barely begun and the illness not even treated yet, the most important thing was clearly to get Carla away from this place. It wasn't yet the time for him to risk his life.
Moreover, with his limited strength, he didn't think he could be of much help to Carla.
As the summoner, the least he could do was not hold her back.
And so, chaotic combat erupted in full force within the underground chamber!
The cultists were the first to fall.
Though their madness granted them some strength, it paled in comparison to the disciplined formation of soldiers and priests. Like tiny splashes of water kicked up by a stone, they were instantly swallowed by the tide of blades.