Compared to the chaos of the lower floors, the power distribution on the highest level was strikingly distinct.
Standing on a high cliff, Ren scanned the horizon. Three prominent structures dominated his vision:
Two massive, green egg-shaped buildings; A pitch-black ancient castle, above which hung a shimmering, radiant moon; A vast volcanic region with a lake of magma. At its center stood a Magma Tree, topped by a glowing sphere of molten rock.
These were Satan's Wraith Fortress, the Vampire Count's Castlevania, and the Fallen Angel's God-Fall Cliff.
As the group arrived at the summit, Gabriel's expression turned solemn. "Among the Lords here, Satan is the strongest, followed by the Fallen Angel. The Vampire is the weakest. We should kill the Vampire first to thin their numbers and avoid being surrounded!"
Gabriel's tactical logic was consistent: pick off the weakest link first. But Ren had other ideas. Before entering the Gate, he had made a pact with K to rescue her father, Count Dracula, the Lord of this floor. Of course, if the Celestial Holy Lord had already drained Dracula dry, Ren's hands were tied.
"I disagree," Ren stated. Under Gabriel's confused gaze, he continued, "We should concentrate our strength and directly eliminate the strongest one—Satan. This is a prison; everyone in here is a villain. Perhaps while we're pressuring Satan, the other two Lords will even help us just to scavenge his remains."
Gabriel thought for a moment and nodded, finding Ren's logic sound. The Corpse King didn't stir up any trouble either; under Xiao Hui's influence, he had evolved into something resembling a model student rather than the original monster.
The party of five stealthily infiltrated Satan's Wraith Fortress, but to their surprise, the two green egg buildings were completely devoid of life! As they searched, the moon above the distant Castlevania suddenly erupted with golden light. Golden lightning cascaded from the lunar sphere, striking the earth with terrifying force.
"What's happening over there?" Gabriel stared into the distance, dazed. Things were veering off her script.
Suddenly, a dark shadow lunged, pinning Gabriel to the ground! The assailant's hands gripped Gabriel's throat, and the hatred in her eyes was so thick it manifested as wisps of black qi.
"Broodmother! You dared to occupy my body!" the "Demon" hissed.
Gabriel looked at the demon pinning her and gasped, "You're still alive?" She wasn't panicked—a Heaven-level demon was something she could kill with a thought. She was just surprised Ren hadn't finished her off earlier.
As the Broodmother (in Gabriel's body) turned her gaze toward Ren, she met a pair of eerie, blood-red eyes.
"Time, Stop!"
An invisible ripple swept out, enveloping Ren, the Broodmother, and the Demon. Using Mangekyou techniques in the Hell Prison drained his mental energy directly; freezing the time of several God-level entities required a massive reserve. To conserve energy, Ren only froze the two females.
To the onlookers, it looked as if Ren and the Broodmother shared a brief glance, and then everyone simply froze. They didn't understand the mechanics, but the Corpse King's pupils shrunk in shock.
First time-acceleration, now time-stasis! Could he... reverse it too?
While Long You was having a mental brainstorm, Ren walked over to the duo. He knelt down, placed his hands on their heads, and whispered: "Soul Swap."
A golden light and a dark shadow flickered between their brows. Once the souls were exchanged, Ren released the stasis.
As time resumed, the real Gabriel, now back in her own body, found herself straddling the demon. Her brain lagged for a second. "What happened? Swapped again?"
The Broodmother, now back in the demon's body, was equally bewildered. She stared at her own red hands clutching Gabriel's throat. But in the next heartbeat, a violent wind surged. Ren struck instantly, his fist obliterating the demon's body!
The red-skinned alien beauty vanished into a mist of blood, scattered by the wind. Ren reached out a hand to Gabriel. "Back with us?"
Gabriel finally pieced it together. This man had used some unknown method to swap her soul back to its rightful place. "Thank you!" she said, bowing deeply.
Ren waved it off with a grin. "Now that you're back, let's head to Castlevania. It looks like a party is starting."
BOOM!
Even as he spoke, another explosion rocked the distance. A dark green figure soared toward the moon, but just before touching it, he was sucked into a shimmering halo.
"That's the Holy Lord's technique!" Gabriel's eyes lit up with joy. "The Holy Lord is still alive! I knew He wouldn't fall so easily!" Two golden tears escaped her eyes.
Ren, quick as a flash, produced a test tube and caught Gabriel's tears. The group's faces darkened, stunned by Ren's shameless "looting" of even her emotions. Gabriel's face flushed red, suddenly remembering she had been "naked" before Ren just moments ago. She turned away awkwardly. "The Holy Lord is fighting Satan. I must go help Him. You stay here!"
With a snap, her two wings became four. She took flight and vanished in a blur.
The group turned back to Ren, who had become the de facto leader. "Xiao Ren, what's the plan? Join the fight or lay low?" Xiaofei asked.
"No rush. Let's observe," Ren said. "Aside from rescuing Dracula for K, I intend for every other prisoner in this cage to die here."
These prisoners were former Super-Gods, Star-Lords, and Overlords. If they escaped, Earth would be pulverized. Even for Dracula, Ren planned to wait until he was nearly spent before extracting him.
They watched the flickering moon—which was actually the Holy Lord's heart. The Holy Lord had triggered the Divine Thunder; any creature with a Prisoner's Mark inside the castle was being struck down without mercy. Satan had been pulled into the heart of the moon, where the thunder was grinding his body to dust.
It wasn't until a flicker of red light appeared on the moon's surface that Ren turned to his team. "Our turn to take the stage!"