The maid squad is too strong, what use is there for me, the Demon King?

Then, the gargoyle's eyes began to change. A faint light began to flicker in its previously lifeless stone eyes, like a spark being ignited, gradually spreading. The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually burning into two dancing flames in the gargoyle's eyes.

As its eyes came to life, the gargoyle's mouth slowly turned up, and its originally stiff stone surface began to distort, forming a malicious smile.

With its restraints released, the gargoyle fully revived, letting out a sharp cry as it lunged at the Shadow Court members.

Gray quickly glanced around.

There are four in total, all of them are seventh-tier monsters.

Monsters of this level are a piece of cake for Gray, but they are a bit difficult for the waiters who have already cleared out countless waves of monsters and exhausted a lot of their stamina and magic.

Grey understood this and did not intend to force them to deal with all the gargoyles.

With a light step, his figure shot out, leaving only a blur. Half of the gargoyles that had rushed at him were repelled by Gray and taken to a distance to divide the battlefield.

Beta and Kappa immediately understood Gray's meaning. After exchanging a glance, they activated their magic to attack the remaining two gargoyles.

Gray's intentions were clear: he would deal with two himself, while Beta and Capa would each take one, with the waiters assisting them.

Fighting four opponents is already a bit difficult, but reducing the pressure by half makes it much easier.

Gray severed the claws of a gargoyle with a single stroke of his sword, producing the sound of shattering rock.

The feel of metal cutting through rock...

Gargoyles are truly peculiar creatures; despite being entirely composed of stone, they are able to perform normal life functions.

What are the main components of stones again? I think they contain calcium carbonate?

So this gargoyle... should it be called... a calcium-based life form?

Gray was distracted while fighting the two gargoyles, focusing his attention on Beta and Kappa, showing that he didn't take the two gargoyles seriously at all.

The two gargoyles seemed to sense Gray's disdain, let out a shriek, and, in a fit of anger, spread their stone wings and took to the air.

The gargoyle let out a wicked laugh, looking down smugly at the grid below... Where are the people?

The moment the gargoyle lost Gray's sight, its stone wings were slashed, instantly losing its ability to fly and crashing heavily to the ground.

Gray slowly landed in front of the two gargoyles.

It's just flying, anyone can do that.

Besides, the hall is only so high. If you fly up, you'll reach the ceiling. With a good jump, you can reach it. I really don't know what this gargoyle is so proud of.

The main problem was that the thing's laughter was so awful that Gray couldn't stand it and was instantly knocked down by the gargoyle.

The two gargoyles struggled to get up, but Gray clearly wasn't going to give them the chance, beheading them with a single stroke.

A double kill, instant fame!

After its head was cut off, the gargoyle's rocky body collapsed to the ground with a crash.

Like any other living creature, once its head is cut off, it can no longer move.

To be on the safe side, Gray unleashed several sword strikes, slicing the gargoyle's remains into pieces.

Having never seen a gargoyle before, Gray wasn't sure if his previous conclusions were correct. He didn't rule out the possibility that it could still move after being decapitated, or that it could lie on the ground pretending to be dead and launch a sneak attack.

As a follower of Daklis, the demon of the underworld and shadows, the gargoyle indeed inherited Daklis's treacherous and cunning nature. Realizing it was outmatched, it immediately lay down on the ground as the sixth man, still plotting a sneak attack...

Unexpectedly, Gray was also a sixth-born.

This Demon Lord is obviously incredibly powerful, yet he's excessively cautious.

Gargoyles are incredibly resilient; they can still move even after their heads or limbs are severed. But once they're hacked to pieces, they simply can't hold on any longer...

After finishing off the enemy, Gray turned his gaze toward Beta.

Two non-fully-equipped Tier 8 warriors, along with the assistance of their servants, quickly suppressed and killed the two gargoyles. Gray also went over and finished them off with a single blow.

After Gray swiftly dismembered the last gargoyle with his sword, the hall seemed to be shaken by an invisible force, beginning to tremble violently. The once stable floor and walls shook violently, and pebbles and debris rained down.

The wall directly opposite seemed to be slowly torn apart by an invisible hand amidst the tremors, not letting in a ray of light, only an even deeper darkness spreading behind the door. As the wall gradually separated, a magnificent and mysterious door slowly revealed its outline in the darkness. This door reached all the way to the heavens, and was carved with intricate and chaotic patterns.

The frequency of the vibrations gradually decreased, but the traces left by that force were still clearly visible. Finally, everything returned to calm. The door was now fully open, like a giant beast opening its dark maw, leading to an unknown realm.

Beyond the door lay an even deeper darkness, devoid of light, only endless shadows and silence—a bottomless passage filled with unknown mysteries.

Is this... some kind of trial?

After overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating numerous monsters along the way, finally reaching the finish line after defeating the bosses guarding the way, are you about to arrive at the destination?

Gray approached the open gate and was about to step inside to explore when Capa suddenly grabbed his hand.

"Kappa, what's wrong..."

Gray turned around in confusion and saw that the pink-haired succubus's pretty face was filled with fear, and the hand holding his was trembling uncontrollably.

“Lord Shadow, could you please not go in…” Kappa’s voice trembled. It was the first time Gray had ever seen Kappa with such an expression.

"Did you sense anything?" Gray asked.

The pink-haired succubus trembled and nodded slightly: "This...this servant senses it, a strong demonic aura."

Gray and Capa were the two people with the strongest mental power present. What Capa could sense, Gray could naturally sense as well.

Gray felt no fear from the demonic aura. After confirming that Kappa wasn't taking advantage of him, Gray reached out and rubbed her head, which was smaller than Ray's.

"Are you scared?" he asked softly.

Kappa nodded; as a former member of the demon's kin, she understood the terror of demons best.

Demons are all tenth-order life forms, which are worlds apart from the limits of ninth-order creatures.

Kappa was unsure of Gray's exact strength, and having had close contact with demons, she didn't blindly worship the Shadow Lord like the other servants.

She felt that Gray was at most at the peak of the ninth rank and could not possibly surpass the limit to reach the tenth rank.

Gray chuckled, and the next moment, he unleashed his demonic aura, causing Kappa to catch his breath.

"You're worried about my abilities, aren't you?" Gray smiled slightly. "Now, which side do you think is more terrifying?"

The pink-haired succubus froze, her pretty face turning embarrassed and blushing because she had underestimated Gray.

"I...I'm overthinking it..."