The cracks in the earth caused by the raging battle expanded greatly with the addition of Qing Tan's shadow army. Large portions of rock constantly jumped from the ground and created showers of rubble that crushed some surrounding demons.
Soon after Qing Tan joined, Feng Qing'er did the same. She was able to understand Damien's purpose after taking a closer look at the situation.
Instead of targeting the demons, she flew into the air and spread her mana through the atmosphere, dying the sky red. Massive balls of flame and Phoenix phantoms rampaged through the fourth layer and caused mass destruction everywhere they went, tearing heaven and earth asunder.
The foundations of the Demon King Castle had already begun to crumble, and the large structure that used to stand imposingly atop the mountain peak imploded, causing clouds of dust and debris to cloud the area.
Damien's awareness suddenly found a spot of interest. While in normal circumstances, nobody would pay it any mind. It was just a slight gathering of mana that wasn't much different than the phenomenon a normal mana lamp would produce.
But once the environment was in shambles like it was now, such a gathering of mana was glaringly obvious. When Damien peered into the ground at that location using his All-Seeing Eyes, he was almost blinded by the brightness of the massive light ball that was present there.
'It's no wonder I never found the barrier core. It was being concealed by the numerous formations within the castle this entire time. Not only me, even the Demon Kings wouldn't have sensed it with the power of those formations.'
He had to wonder how those formations even came into existence for them to have the ability to trick 4th class existences. Perhaps that was what Lucius was referring to when he said that the Demon God could only restrict him if he was directly taking action.
'No matter, I need to target that area. Perhaps there are other barrier cores as well, but judging from the size of this one, it should have a significant impact on the structural integrity of the barrier if I break it.'
With a goal in mind, Damien focused his efforts on teleporting over to the barrier core, covertly leading the Demon Queen to its location as well.
'With the physical power of a 4th class, it should be much easier to break this thing.'
"Come, come! Miss Demon Queen, how can you be so weak?!"
Damien repeatedly provoked the Demon Queen as he moved. Without suspense, her attacks became even fiercer.
It wasn't even due to the fact that he was provoking her. With how long she had lived, how could she fall for such childish provocations? It was the situation more than the words themselves that provoked her anger.
She was an exalted 4th class existence. She was a true master who had successfully endured her Universe Baptism and obtained acknowledgment.
The fact that a mere 3rd class ant was able to both constantly escape from her grasp, as well as have the energy and mind to provoke her and freely chat with his comrades as he did so, that was what provoked her ire.
It was the greatest shame she had ever felt. Even when she was forcefully corrupted by the Demon God, she didn't feel so much shame. After all, the Demon God was an exalted Demigod. To be enslaved by him was an honor, especially when he simply allowed her to live her indulgent lifestyle without interference.
But this time, it was different. The man in front of her was nothing more than a kid to her. Neither his status nor power was greater than here. He was inferior in every way. Yet, he had played with her body and then humiliated her in combat as well.
Her mana raged furiously as she put her all into attacking him. Her physical strength skyrocketed, causing her every step to cause miniature earthquakes through the ground.
But even then, he evaded her attacks like a loach.
'If it wasn't for this damn restriction…!'
It was the only thing she hated about her overall situation. Due to the restriction, her power had been capped at the extreme early stages of 4th class. If it wasn't for that, how could he evade her so well?
While the Universe Baptism made a 3rd class incomparable to a 4th class, it wasn't some miraculous thing that'd make someone all-powerful. The number of benefits one could digest depended wholly on their aptitude and ability.
Unfortunately, her gains didn't help her in this situation.
The Demon Queen's specialization was Charm Laws, so most of the benefits she gained went towards her mana and mental strength. But today, she had met a bastard who had perfectly countered the laws she was best at.
When it came to energy-based attacks, she had forgone everything to maximize the comprehension she had towards her primary law, so the only thing she could use was physical strength to combat Damien.
But with his loach-like movements and cockroach vitality, how could she easily kill him?
'Those damn bastards! Why aren't they interfering?!'
She didn't care one bit about those so-called Apostles. They weren't worth shit. What infuriated her was that the other two Demon Kings still hadn't made a move yet even after seeing her get humiliated to such an extent.
'No, I guess I should expect this from them. As a matter of fact, those two bastards are probably enjoying the show!'
She gritted her teeth in anger, but she couldn't do anything against those two. Because of this, she directed all of her anger and grievance towards Damien.
"Little bastard! Obediently die by this Queen's hand!"
With a furious shout, the Demon Queen poured all her mana into her fist and struck out. She didn't target Damien but instead created a massive shockwave impact that left no area around her unscathed.
She had seen how he deflected the force of impact whenever it was near him, and she had seen how he evaded if she got too close. This method was the best way to deal with him.
"Keuk!"
As she expected, Damien couldn't dodge in time. He coughed out a mouthful of blood and shot back, heavily impacting the opaque barrier. Another mouthful of blood left his mouth due to the force of the second impact.
The Demon Queen was feeling pleased with herself for finally landing a substantial hit on that bastard, but when she looked at his face, he still had the same roguish grin he had when he was playing with her earlier.
"What?" Her eyes widened at the realization.
Crack!
But before she could do anything else, a small cracking sound rang through the surroundings. It wasn't loud at all, but it seemed like every being within the barrier heard it clearly.
Crack! Crack!
The cracking sound spread and multiplied as if countless glass plates were shattering at the same time. When the Demon Queen finally located the source of the sound, she couldn't hide her shock.
"Barrier core! It's actually the barrier core!"
She finally realized why Damien was smiling like that. He had intentionally provoked her into using a full-strength attack when she was directly above the barrier core, then used his strange ability to divert the force towards the core instead of using it to defend.
It was only because of this that he had suffered from the impact. But even that was planned, as he had used the force to propel himself to the barrier.
"But you didn't plan for everything. Did you seriously think just this was enough to shatter the barrier core?! It was created to keep us from escaping, so it will obviously hold up against our strength!"
The Demon Queen mockingly sneered at Damien.
Damien tilted his head in a confused manner. "Isn't that obvious? I mean, even if the core was well hidden, there had to be precautions in case one of you actually found it. Let me ask you, if you were the one who created the barrier, what mechanism would you add for a situation where the mana of the one you were trying to restrain heavily impacted the barrier core?"
The Demon Queen's eyes widened once again. The answer was obvious. If the prisoner showed signs of trying to escape the prison, they should naturally be punished.
A wave of fear swept over the Demon Queen in that instant. She was overwhelmed by the urge to flee.
"Of course, since you guys have been corrupted the barrier is mainly just for show. I doubt such a failsafe actually exists. Not like matters though. Thanks for getting distracted!"
Damien cheerfully continued talking as he extended his hand towards the barrier core. In the next instant, he clenched his fist.
"Collapse."
Space shattered, causing the cracks on the core to widen and deepen. The internal structure of the core seemed to take a large blow.
"Qing'er! Qing Tan!"
"You don't have to tell me!"
"Coming~!"
With two vastly different responses, a Phoenix phantom and multiple Shadow Generals attacked the core at once, breaking its final layer of resistance.
Under the eyes of everyone present, the barrier core broke into countless fragments. The opaque golden light film waned greatly until it looked extremely flimsy.
Damien grinned. His finger swept through the air and drew a straight vertical line.
"Dimensional Severance."
The thin black sword line of Dimensional Severance silently sliced through the barrier like butter, causing a large gap to open on its surface.
Qing Tan and Feng Qing'er rushed over to Damien's side as this happened.
Looking at the astonished Demon Queen in the distance, Damien flashed a bright smile.
"Well then, see you later!"
And then, he disappeared through the crack.
