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

This is an exploration of the power of flames and the burning of cult members.

There is another point.

The Soul-Burning Scorpions underground do not attack these cultists, as can be seen from the fact that several Soul-Burning Scorpions are always following the cultists from the ground beneath their feet, acting as "scouts."

The cultists certainly did more than just prevent the Soul-Burning Scorpion's attacks; they also managed to control the Scorpion's actions to some extent.

Or……

This Soul-Burning Scorpion may itself be a follower of Felbaru, the demon of flames and destruction. Cultists are also followers of demons.

The Soul-Burning Scorpion itself may not be very powerful; the venom from its tail can only be injected into the body by piercing the skin and flesh.

It is worth noting the Scorching Soul Scorpion's ability to burrow underground.

In the Shadow Mountains, a terrain filled with rocks, not just under your feet, but anywhere there are rocks, a Soul Scorpion might suddenly emerge and strike you, making full use of the Shadow Mountains' terrain advantages.

Those with insufficient mental strength will find it difficult to react to the sudden attack of the Soul-Burning Scorpion.

Even if one's mental strength is sufficient to penetrate the ground and rocks to detect the movements of the Soul-Burning Scorpion, the constant need to concentrate to prevent the Soul-Burning Scorpion from launching a sneak attack has a significant impact on a professional's combat capabilities.

This faction...

If it's just Aita and Sita, they'll probably be led by the nose the whole time; their lack of combat power is a major weakness.

Finally, a point about the Shadow Mountains.

When Gray released his mental energy, he felt an unprecedented sense of resistance.

Using mental energy to explore the surrounding environment in other places is very smooth, but exploring the underground world consumes a lot more mental energy.

In the Shadow Mountains, Gray was able to unleash his spiritual power, but it felt as if his legs were stuck in mud, or as if a hand was constantly grabbing his thigh.

This "hindrance" greatly hindered Gray's mental energy release, causing the range that Gray could detect with his mental energy to be greatly reduced.

Because of the reduced detection range, Gray has not yet sensed any orcs, or even the servants connected to him by the "Demon King's Familia".

It's not that the phenomenon is caused by rocks everywhere, but a large number of rocks can indeed affect the detection of spiritual power.

The connection between the "Demon Lord's Familia" has always been only affected by distance and special magical effects, and Gray does not believe that the abnormal state of the Shadow Mountains is a magical effect cast by someone.

"What exactly is going on with this mountain range?"

The existence of such a mountain range in the desert is already incredible enough, but this mountain range itself is also extremely unique.

Gray found it difficult to reunite with the Shadow Court's subordinates by sensing the attendants' presence.

Sure enough, it's still...

Gray's consciousness sank into his mind, searching for the map.

The map of the Demon King's legacy is not affected by the Shadow Mountains. As long as you follow the location of the "Blood Spring" on the map, you will definitely find the orcs' base, unless life resources like the "Blood Spring" are also occupied by cultists...

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Deep within Bloodspring Valley, the roars of orc warriors and the fanatical shouts of cultists mingled with the deafening crashes of breaking rocks, repeatedly colliding and surging within the narrow space.

The precious blood spring water churned violently under the impact of energy, steaming up a reddish-brown mist carrying the stench of rust, enveloping the entire battlefield in a hazy, bloody halo. The air was filled with the stench of sweat, blood, charred flesh, and a suffocating, dry, burning smell.

Like a surging tide of scorched earth, the grey-robed cultists relentlessly assaulted the orcs' last line of defense, fortified with massive black rocks. Their eyes burned with a twisted fire of faith, and they cried out, "Burning Shadows! Eternal Sun!"

The most terrifying thing was the "ash fire" they were gathering in their hands. The flame was not the usual orange-red, but a deathly pale white, with a blinding bright white core and ominous gray-black embers swirling around the edges.

It had no temperature—or rather, its "heat" was an extreme form of deprivation. The cultists pressed their palms against the rocky wall, and pale flames instantly spread!

Under the licking of the pale flames, the hard, black rock emitted a terrifying "sizzling" sound, and its surface rapidly cracked, turned white, and disintegrated, as if it had been weathered away by millions of years of scorching sun in an instant.

Gravel fell in a flurry, and the sturdy barrier became as fragile as dried mud in the flames.

An orc warrior roared and swung his heavy battle axe at the cultist casting the spell. Before the axe blade could even touch the gray robe, it was met by a ball of pale flame released by the cultist.

The moment the battle axe came into contact with the flames, the metal parts melted and vaporized silently, like wax, while the hard stone handle quickly carbonized and crumbled into ashes!

All that remained in the soldier's hand was a charred hilt; his shock was instantly overshadowed by the shadow of death.

An orc sentinel was grazed on the arm by the ashes. There was no intense burning, but the flesh at the point of contact instantly lost all moisture and color, becoming like dry plaster, before silently cracking and peeling away to reveal the bones beneath, which were also rapidly turning gray.

The warrior's screams lasted only half a second before abruptly ceasing as the flames spread. His entire body collapsed into a pile of grayish-white powder like a sand sculpture that had been drained of its life force. Only his shattered bone fragments and unburnt pieces of leather armor proved that he had once existed.

Faced with the terrifying flames that could incinerate everything, the orc warriors' eyes widened in horror, yet not one of them retreated. Centered on the blood spring, with their backs against the last rock wall, they built a dam with their flesh and blood and their inherited martial arts.

A rockbreaker warrior named Gotan, clad in heavy plate armor and wielding a massive tower shield, took a deep breath, his chest bulging like a bellows.

He unleashed a deafening "rock vein battle cry".

Visible sonic ripples, mixed with powerful airflow, burst forward.

The sound waves not only assaulted the eardrums, but also carried the power of the earth's pulse, crashing violently into the surging pale flames.

The ashes were disrupted by the sound waves and shockwaves, their form becoming chaotic and their spread noticeably slowed. The bright white light at the core of the flames also dimmed for a moment, as the sound waves had a slight suppressive effect.

The roar simultaneously shook down rubble and dust from the top of the rock wall, forming a temporary dust curtain that partially obscured the cultists' vision and the path of the flames.

Taking advantage of the suppression of Gotan's battle cry, a warrior named "Earthshaker" Brock, who was wielding a giant two-handed stone hammer, stood beside him. His muscles were bulging, and his earthy yellow battle aura surged across his body.

He roared and unleashed his martial skill, "Earth-Splitting Hammer." The massive stone hammer did not strike the cultists directly, but instead slammed into the ground in front of their charging path with tremendous force.