Lord of the Sky City

Stable descent complete, Rocky immediately activated the scanning mode of the armor. This was a newly added function in the White Demon Armor, developed by the Magic Energy Research Institute. Once it was perfected by Orton, it was quickly integrated into the White Demon Armor. Now, with the scanning mode activated, any demon within a 200-meter radius would trigger an alert, making it an incredibly convenient feature.

Thankfully, there was no sign of demons in the area.

After confirming the absence of demons, Rocky finally took the time to observe his surroundings.

His landing spot was deep within a forest on the far side of Mist Mountain. The vegetation here was dense, and the heavy mist reduced visibility to around 100 meters, even with the assistance of the White Demon Armor.

It was already a dire situation because even when dealing with normal demons, a 100-meter distance couldn't be considered safe. Let alone in Mist Mountain, where high-level demons lurked. If a high-level demon approached within this range undetected, the situation would turn perilous, even for Rocky. He had to remain extremely cautious.

Fortunately for Rocky, ground operations were not unfamiliar. His first encounter with demons had been on the ground, so after scanning his surroundings for a moment, he selected a sturdy tree, leaped up to its canopy, and established contact with the others.

"Has everyone landed safely?"

"Landed safely."

"No issues."

"All members accounted for."

As soon as Rocky asked, replies came through his communicator. It seemed everyone had landed without incident, which allowed Rocky to breathe a sigh of relief. After issuing some brief instructions, he leapt skyward, exploiting the White Demon Armor's mobility and burst capacity. With ease, he soared over ten meters in a single bound, landing precisely on the treetop of another massive tree. He continued hopping from tree to tree, covering over 100 meters of distance in no time.

"Hm?"

As he perched atop another tree, Rocky suddenly lowered his posture, gazing down toward the ground.

Through the thick mist, he could barely discern the blanket of fallen leaves spread across the forest floor. But it wasn't the sight that caught his attention—it was the faint sound coming from below.

Ever-cautious, Rocky dared not let his guard down. He promptly activated the scanning system, and the shrill sound of alarm filled his ears!

A high-level demon was nearby!

The unusual alarm confirmed Rocky's suspicions—there was indeed a demon below, and it was no ordinary one but a high-level demon!

So soon? A high-level demon already?

The alarm's blaring sound made Rocky's heart sink. He hadn't expected to encounter a high-level demon so quickly. Was it just his terrible luck, or had Mist Mountain become so infested with high-level demons that they were everywhere?

With a high-level demon lurking below, Rocky didn't dare act recklessly. He focused his gaze on the ground.

At that very moment, as Rocky looked down, he saw the thick pile of fallen leaves shift slightly. Then, something began to crawl out from beneath them.

The creature stretched over two meters long—relatively small for a high-level demon. Its body resembled that of a giant gecko, but its head was serpent-like. After emerging from the leaves, its mouth extended a long, forked tongue that grew longer and longer until it exceeded the length of its own body.

A Two-headed Demon!

The moment Rocky saw the creature, he recognized it as a Two-headed Demon. His gaze instantly shifted to its tail. As expected, there was a hammer-shaped lump at the tail's end. But this wasn't a lump of flesh—it was the demon's second head!

The Two-headed Demon had a head on each end—one at the front, one at the tail. While it wasn't among the most powerful high-level demons, its two heads made it particularly tricky to deal with. Moreover, as a reptilian demon, its exceptional ground speed made it challenging to kill.

What bad luck...

Realizing a Two-headed Demon lay hidden below, Rocky inwardly cursed his rotten luck. With his strength, killing this demon wasn't impossible. After all, in terms of power, the Two-headed Demon was on the weaker end of the high-level demon spectrum. Given his position and the element of surprise, Rocky could absolutely land a killing blow.

However, a "killing blow" only meant taking out one of the demon's heads. Its second head would require another strike, and that was the Two-headed Demon's most troublesome trait. This kind of demon had two Demon Cores—one in each head. As long as one head remained intact, the creature would survive, effectively giving it two lives. It was one of the hardest demons to kill in a single strike. And Rocky had to encounter one right away.

This put Rocky in quite the predicament. If he retreated now, the Two-headed Demon would undoubtedly notice him. Just one roar from the creature could summon all the nearby high-level demons. On the other hand, if he killed it, he'd have to decapitate both heads simultaneously. A single mistake would lead to the same disastrous outcome—alerting every demon within earshot.

Damn it... what now?

Confronted with the Two-headed Demon, Rocky was reluctant to take unnecessary risks. After all, he had just landed on Mist Mountain. If demons discovered him right off the bat, his whole mission would be compromised. Thus, he decided on a safer approach: waiting for the Two-headed Demon to leave.

He remained utterly still, crouched atop the tree. Thankfully, the Two-headed Demon, despite its dual heads, was a crawling creature, making it unlikely to notice anything above it.

Yet, after a long period of observation, Rocky realized the Two-headed Demon showed no intention of leaving. The bizarre creature lingered below, pacing back and forth as if sensing danger but unable to locate its target.

Seems like I'll have to take action.

Unable to wait any longer, Rocky resigned himself to action. He quietly reached behind him to draw the Magic Fang Scythe. Then, seizing the perfect moment, he dove toward the Two-headed Demon!

At full acceleration, Rocky's speed peaked instantly. In the blink of an eye, he closed the gap and descended upon the Two-headed Demon. The demon sensed the attack, but its reaction was too slow. Before it could adjust its stance, the glowing blade of the Magic Fang Scythe sliced downward.

With a frigid flash, the razor-sharp edge cleaved through the Two-headed Demon, splitting it in half from its torso to both heads. Its body, along with its two heads, was severed into two clean pieces.

"Phew..."

Landing softly, Rocky breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed at the bisected remains of the Two-headed Demon. Thankfully, he hadn't made a mistake. Otherwise, things would have gotten far more complicated.

Ignoring the corpse, Rocky prepared to leap back into the trees. However, just as he was about to move, he noticed a sudden glow from the Magic Fang Scythe. No, to be precise, it was the Azure Fang embedded within the scythe that was reacting!

Azure Fang—one of the fangs of Leviathan, one of the Thirty-three Great Demons. Why was it reacting now?!