? ? ? ? ? ?

Voraxa lay sprawled on the ground, defeated but defiant. Lorelai hovered above her, radiant angelic wings gently flapping on her back, casting a divine glow that contrasted starkly with the remnants of Voraxa's dark aura.

"Damn angels! Always interfering," Voraxa growled through gritted teeth. Her once-menacing presence seemed diminished, yet a flicker of determination gleamed in her eyes. "And I was so close to resurrecting you . . . my lord . . ."

Voraxa's hands clenched into fists, and her nails dug into the soil beneath her. The frustration was palpable in her every breath.

"No. I can't let this end. I have endured for so long, consumed all the resources in these lands just to resurrect you . . . I can't give up now."

Voraxa's eyes shimmered with an unyielding resolve as she murmured, "This may prove to be a setback, and I might have to consume resources for another hundred years or so, but you have left me with no choice . . . I will use my trump card."

Ren and the others exchanged glances at the mention of a "trump card."

Lorelai's laughed. "Ha! Employ whatever trump card you wish; the result remains unchanged. Judgment awaits, and you will bear the consequences of your sins!"

The atmosphere underwent a palpable transformation, settling into an eerie stillness that clung to the surroundings, amplifying the weight of impending doom.

A surge of malevolent energy erupted from Voraxa, a dark light that seemed to defy the very essence of light itself.

It emanated from her, spreading outward in ominous waves, a sinister force that clawed at the air and twisted the fabric of reality.

The air crackled with a foreboding energy as the dark tendrils reached out hungrily toward Ren and the others.

As the waves of darkness enveloped them, an unsettling sensation washed over the group. It was as if the warlord was not just stealing their physical strength but delving into the very core of their beings, siphoning off their life force.

The sensation was insidious, a profound violation that left them feeling exposed and vulnerable.

"W-what . . . what is this?" Elena asked no one.

"It's . . . making me hungry," said Evie who appeared even more tired and asleep.

"It's draining our strength?" Ren whispered, noting that their HP remained intact, yet their bodies refused to respond, crippled by the enfeebling effects akin to the debilitating weakness of hunger.

Ren felt his energy dissipate, leaving him weak and helpless. He couldn't even tap on his abilities.

What was happening?

The others, too, succumbed to the overwhelming force, their bodies succumbing to the relentless drain on their vitality.

The dark smog, like an ethereal serpent, slithered through their defenses, bypassing any immunity they thought they possessed.

Even Lorelai, with her celestial race and formidable class, found herself succumbing to the dark onslaught.

Her usual resilience wavered as the hunger for energy overwhelmed her, and she slumped onto the cold, unforgiving ground.

The weight of the darkness pressed upon them, a force that transcended the physical realm and delved into the very essence of their existence.

Seconds felt like agonizing eternities as Ren and the others lay sprawled on the ground, their once-vibrant forms now reduced to frail husks.

The hunger, not for sustenance but for the life force stolen from them, gnawed at their weakened bodies and weary souls.

In the dim light, their skin seemed to cling desperately to their bones, the physical manifestation of the profound emptiness that engulfed them.

The darkness had not only robbed them of strength but had left them hollow, as if their very essence had been leeched away.

As the oppressive seconds dragged on, Ren and the others struggled against the overwhelming weakness that threatened to consume them.

The air itself seemed laden with the weight of their collective exhaustion, and the once confidence group now lay at the mercy of Voraxa's insidious assault.

"Ahahahahaha!" Voraxa rose to her feet, her laughter echoing maniacally. "Feel the agony! That's the state I endured before Obsidian X found me! Is it good?! Is it hard?! Is it agonizing and painful?!"

Amidst her continued laughter, her claws extended, long and razor-sharp. "Now . . . how shall I end you?"

Ren's heart skipped a beat. It was one of those rare moments when genuine worry for their future gripped him.

He had grown careless, relying too much on the presence of the princesses and underestimating their opponent just because he had them by his side.

He never anticipated that there existed something capable of bypassing the immunity of these two formidable NPCs.

Now aware, Ren vowed to be cautious in the future, hoping that Elena and Lorelai possessed their own trump cards to turn the battle in their favor.

But when he looked at his side, Elena and Evie were already asleep while they were groaning like they were hurt. They were murmuring about food with saliva dripping from their dried lips.

These two! Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

How could they succumb to sleep right now? Especially Elena.

"H-h . . . Egh . . ." Ren struggled to even open his mouth, the agonizing hunger rendering him delirious, distorting his perception of reality. He was on the verge of losing his consciousness as well.

Voraxa continued to laugh. "I wanted to see you suffer some more, but unfortunately, I still have a lot of things to do!"

"You . . ." Lorelai grumbled, her body drained of moisture, but she tried to keep her eyes open and not let her consciousness slip from her grasp. A testament to her strong will and resilience.

As Voraxa raised her claws, poised to strike Lorelai first, another dark energy burst forth from the Warlord's stomach.

Ren, in the grip of hallucination, witnessed the dark light converging and forming into a demonic entity.

It took shape, coalescing into a complete entity with a head, arms, body, and feet. The demon bore dark skin, white hair, and piercing purple eyes.

"Azazel?"

Ren questioned, uncertainty lacing his words.

The figure before them, although reminiscent of Azazel, stood taller and older, adorned with long, imposing horns on the sides of his head.𝒻𝓇𝑒𝑒𝓌𝑒𝒷𝘯ℴ𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂