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

"Standing complete, proceed to the 18th floor!"

"Yes!"

After casually issuing the order, Delta then tried to move closer to Gray.

Gray: Is this guy craving something again?

The group arrived at the bottom of the stairs on the 17th floor.

The starting platform of the stairs is paved with ancient black marble, its surface severely worn and cracked at the edges. In the center of the platform, a stone sculpture stands silently; it is a raven with outstretched wings, its eyes gleaming with a faint red light, as if watching over every traveler attempting to descend.

The stairs wound downwards, their angle of incline unsettling. Each step was carved from hard rock, its rough surface bearing the marks of time. There were no handrails on either side, only a few torches fixed to the walls, providing dim and unstable light.

The steps were covered with intricate runes and patterns, some ancient magical incantations, others depicting bizarre monsters. Reflected in the firelight, these carvings seemed to writhe, giving the illusion that the steps themselves were alive.

As they descended, the air grew more humid and chilly, and an indescribable sense of oppression gradually intensified. The echoes between the steps amplified the sound of their footsteps, each step sounding like a drumbeat leading to an abyss.

The torchlight cast long shadows on the steps, making the descent uncertain. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, extinguishing the torches and plunging the world into darkness, only to bring light again when new torches were lit.

At the end of the stairs lay an open space, but its exact location could only be vaguely discerned. A deeper darkness seemed to lie there.

"Looks like someone beat us to it."

Sensing the presence of the endless shadows, Gray murmured to himself.

Gray decided to hold off on making a move and observe the capabilities of his men.

In reality, Gray only formed ten shadows and rescued a small number of girls in the Shadow Garden.

The Shadow Court's growth was entirely due to the Ten Shadows; Gray, a nobleman's adopted son who spent all his time in Azure Peak Territory, didn't have the freedom to develop the Shadow Court.

Based on the classic saying "My vassal is not my vassal," Gray was unaware of the capabilities of his subordinates' subordinates, and Gray left a mysterious and unfathomable impression on the ordinary members of the Shadow Court.

"Everyone, turn your night vision goggles to the highest setting!"

Each dungeon has its own unique characteristics, and the characteristic of the Netherworld Palace is darkness.

Although there were many torches in the Netherworld Palace, their lighting ability seemed to be suppressed, and they could not emit light and heat normally.

The deeper one goes into the Netherworld Palace, the stronger this characteristic becomes, until on the 18th floor, it is pitch black.

Given the unique characteristics of the Netherworld Palace, all ordinary members of the Shadow Court were fully equipped for this operation.

Night vision goggles, as the name suggests, have obvious functions.

A fusion of technology and magic, clearly the work of Iota.

Delta and Gray, who were in charge, both had night vision. For them, the so-called pitch-black darkness was just a little bit dark.

Stepping down the stairs and officially standing on the 18th floor of the Netherworld Palace, Delta instantly sensed dozens of eerie auras.

Delta determined that the aura did not belong to a demon, but rather to the followers of the Demon Cult!

"All personnel, fight!"

Before he finished speaking, Delta had already conjured a blood scythe in his hand and was about to attack his opponent.

The remaining members of the Shadow Court followed closely behind, each taking out their weapons and equipment to fight the enemy.

The Shadow Court's overall attire consists of black robes, while the Demon Order's overall attire consists of gray robes.

When the two sides are fighting, an ordinary person probably can't tell which side is the villain at first glance.

The Shadow Court has far fewer people than the Demon Order, and Gray was worried that the numerical disadvantage would lead to a one-sided battle, but it seems that his worries were unfounded.

Amidst the chaotic battle, the members of the Shadow Court showed no signs of fatigue in fighting against overwhelming odds, and even appeared poised for victory.

The victory was mainly due to the battle between the two leaders, which favored the Shadow Court.

Delta wielded a crimson giant scythe, using his eighth-tier magic power and unpredictable blood magic to outmaneuver the seventh-tier magic leader.

These cultists possess the ability to command the monsters on the 18th floor of the Netherworld Palace. By having these monsters attack Delta one by one, they disrupt Delta's actions, allowing the leader of the opposing faction to survive and avoid being killed by Delta.

However, this situation obviously could not last forever. As the monsters in the Netherworld Palace continued to die, the battle between the opposing leader and Delta became increasingly difficult.

In battles against ordinary members of the Shadow Court, the followers of the Demon Order also suffered repeated defeats.

"Sigh, why be so pessimistic?"

As Gray finished speaking, bursts of blood mist exploded in the darkness behind him.

It turned out that some members of the Demon Order, seeing that Gray hadn't made a move and was just slacking off, thought he was an easy target and wanted to use him as a breakthrough point.

Gray simply released his magic, and with a casual wave of his hand, he turned the unruly attacker into crimson liquid.

Gray waved his hand dismissively and jumped away with a powerful leap.

It's getting harder and harder to control the intensity lately; it's almost bursting open.

Gray and Princess Philippa share the same view on blood: avoid getting blood on your hands as much as possible.

Gray's casual strike made matters worse for the already disadvantaged Demonic Order.

First, Gray eliminated some of the enemies, weakening their fighting strength.

Secondly, the ordinary members of the Shadow Court, seeing the tragic state of the Demon Order followers caused by Gray's attack, became even more imposing, their morale already high due to Delta's suppression of the enemy leader.

Thirdly, the opposing side, seeing that the Demon Shadow Court had such a powerful expert who had been too lazy to make a move, became disheartened and demoralized.

The psychological blows suffered by the members of the Demon Order were far more devastating than the casualties in battle.

They were already outmatched, and then they discovered the other side was actually holding back?

This caused many believers to break down mentally, believing there was no chance of victory, and they gave up the struggle and planned to surrender.

So, is it true that conquering cities is inferior to conquering hearts and minds?

Gray and the Shadow Court members showed no mercy to these cultists of the Demon Order, and were determined to eliminate them as quickly as possible.

In a way, these girls of the Shadow Court were all rescued from despair by Gray or other members of the Shadow Court.

Many of them had suffered at the hands of the Demonic Cult and hated it so much they were determined to exterminate it!

However, if these followers of the Demonic Order are truly pushed to the brink, they still have a final, desperate measure: mutual destruction.

When enough people have died, and they all realize that surrendering also means death, then it's time to fight to the death, right?