A small smile curved Vlad's lips as realization struck him—just with Jormungandr's power alone, his battle strength now reached the absolute limit of the Half-Lord Tier, only a single step away from achieving a true Lord battle power. More importantly, this was a state he could maintain for hours, even days, without suffering backlash thanks to the vast, stabilizing might of his Red Sun of Wrath.
But there was no time to bask in victory.
Not even a second after Loatan's body had crashed lifeless into the ruins, Vlad felt it. Countless predatory gazes locked onto him from every direction within the Sector. Devils—superior and lesser alike—had fixed their eyes on the new throne, their instincts sharpened by greed and bloodlust. Now that Vlad had spent much of his strength in the fight, they saw what they believed to be the perfect opportunity: kill the fresh Sector Master before he could brand the Infernal Monolith and solidify his claim.
