Published at 21st of June 2026 6:08 am

Chapter 1822 Crimson Brand

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The shadowy devil face's eyes were blank for a moment.

Then they gleamed under the ghostly light of the twin moons and locked onto Wagner's mutilated corpse.

Govax's face twisted into a scowl, and he shifted his gaze toward Adam's figure. His lips parted, and he furiously said, "So it was you—"

However, before he could even finish his sentence, the Dark King abruptly spun around and swiped his hand.

[Winds of Emanation]

Powerful and invisible wind blades streaked through the air and sliced at the devil's shadowy face. But the attack accomplished nothing.

The wind blades simply passed harmlessly through the shadow, as though it did not exist at all. A moment later, the attacks continued onward, cleanly severing dozens of trees in the background.

"It's useless," said Govax coldly.

Even still, Adam quickly retreated from the shadow and cast [Water Stroll].

A moment later, he was standing on the surface of the river more than a dozen meters away from the shadowy face.

The youth knew exactly who this face belonged to. He wasn't about to trust a single word it said. Nor was he willing to take any chances, not after finally emerging victorious.

Govax's eyes narrowed. "Cautious little fella, aren't ya?"

Adam stood upright, ready for combat at any given moment. He circulated the mana in his core and kept his guard up. He then said warily, "You're the one Wagner made a deal with?"

Govax chuckled.

"Indeed. I granted him lichdom. In return, he promised me the souls of this world."

A deep sigh escaped the shadowy face. "Billions of them…"

But a moment later, a hint of annoyance crept into his tone, and he continued, "Unfortunately, your incessant meddling prevented him from fulfilling his end of the bargain. A most disappointing outcome."

"Wagner is dead," Adam said solemnly. "Your army is defeated."

Govax intently studied the youth, then nonchalantly said. "I don't care about a mere three hundred thousand devils. Kill them all, if you like. They're all going to reincarnate back in Hell anyway."

"Then what do you want?" Adam's expression turned grim by the second. The devil's appearance was certainly not good news for him.

"The lich's soul was mine," Govax growled. "And you… you fuckin' destroyed it! How dare you!"

Adam's heart sank. The wrathful aura of the shadow was enough to make his scalp tingle. This devil was definitely not a Mana Core Magus.

"What's done is done," he said after a moment of deliberation. "Why are you here?"

"Tell me something, Magus." Govax had a contemplative look on his face.

"How is someone as weak as you capable of erasing a soul marked by me? And then there was the matter of Vornak not being able to divine your identity. What is it? You got a soul-type Artifact? One that also serves as an anti-divination tool, hmm?"

Adam felt like he was struck by lightning. But he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he casually lied. "I had help."

Govax fell silent.

He recalled the time when he warned Wagner about a powerful existence whose gaze had fallen upon Tron.

For a moment, the devil considered abandoning this world and the troublesome human who had repeatedly thwarted his plans.

But that thought lasted only an instant.

The next moment, it was drowned beneath a tide of rage and vindictiveness. Govax's shadow twisted violently.

No. He would not let this matter end so easily.

Adam could sense the change in the shadow's aura. Something had terribly gone wrong. In the blink of an eye, he weaved a simple hand seal and prepared to teleport.

But what happened next was simply too fast for him to react.

Wisps of dark-red infernal aura rose from Wagner's blood, flesh, and brain. The energy gathered together before shooting toward Adam like a crimson bolt.

In the span of less than a heartbeat, it struck his right hand and branded itself into his skin.

At the same time, Govax let out a low grunt. His shadowy face rapidly lost substance, its features becoming faint and translucent. The darkness composing his form grew noticeably thinner, as though a significant portion of his power had just been expended.

His fading face twisted into a cruel smile, and he said:

"Pray that you kill every last devil in this world. Because so long as one of us remains alive, we will continue our work. We will whisper into mortal ears. We will nurture greed, ambition, hatred, and desire. We will corrupt your people one soul at a time."

He paused for a moment and laughed menacingly.

"Perhaps not today. Perhaps not tomorrow. But one day… one day this world will fall prey to the devils. And when that day comes, all your struggles, all your sacrifices, and all your victories will amount to nothing more than a brief delay. And as for you…"

Adam stared at the blood-red symbol imprinted onto his hand in terror.

"You have been marked with the Brand of Evil," Govax declared with a malicious grin on his face.

"From this day onward, evil will be drawn toward you. All manner of devils will sense this mark upon your soul. They will hunt you. They will seek you out. They will attack you without rest. Your life will become a living nightmare. No matter where you go, evil will follow. No matter how many of them you slay, more will come."

As Govax's face slowly dissipated into the air, he left behind a final parting message.

"Today is your victory, human. But the Brand will ensure that your suffering is only beginning…"

Adam felt as though his hand was burning in magma. The Brand was violently imprinted not only into his physical body, but also into his spirit body. The pain lasted only an instant, but the fear in his heart never left.

The Brand of Evil resembled a watchful crimson eye enclosed within a jagged, eight-pointed star. The ominous eyes stared directly at Adam. An ever-present gaze that could not be escaped.

Adam gritted his teeth, rage and fury burning in his eyes. He glared at the Govax's fading face and snarled, "Count your days, devil. I will find you, and I will kill you!"

Govax simply laughed. His evil laughter echoed in the air until his shadowy face vanished.

Adam remained standing motionlessly on the surface of the water. His head was lowered, his teeth digging into his lower lip as countless thoughts swirled in his mind.

Wagner was dead. The war was over. And yet, there was no joy in his victory.

After a long silence, the youth glanced at the crimson brand on his right hand. Then he let out a weary sigh and stared into the night sky.

"Fuck me…"

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