Unsurprisingly, the speed of those two Pit Lords appeared to be much faster than it should've been. Glancing at their feet, two very conspicuous green pentagrams were shining brightly.

"Son'va... Not only debuffs, but they know buffs as well!? How much mana do they have? Have they even been restricted properly!?"

Before he could complain some more, two other violet pentagrams appeared above him, further affecting his reaction speed. The first one was a 'Fear' debuff, while the second was a 'Cripple'.

The first one was successfully resisted due to Herman's strong willpower, but the second wasn't, further decreasing his combat ability.

While the two Earls had already covered more than half of the distance, three more green circles appeared above them. Herman could tell from the Qi circuits forming them that one was 'Empower', a skill that could increase one's Life Essence attribute, another one was 'Copper Skin' that could improve one's Strength attribute, and the final one was 'Haste' that would boost the target's Dexterity. Judging by the Qi in the pentagrams, the boost should be about 5-10% at best, but that was more than enough given that his own attributes were decreased by 25% and his reaction speed was also affected.

A grim look appeared on his face as he directed some Primordial Qi in his Thundering Sword. Seeing how they didn't plan to fight fairly, he wouldn't either. The only issue was that his chosen tactic would deplete almost 80% of his remaining Qi and it wasn't guaranteed that he could finish all of them off.

And even if he did, there was still the fifth wave where he would probably have to face the mastermind behind this freaking setup. If there are more than one or two enemies that have 125% of his attributes... he was more than f*cked.

"Guess I'll have to gamble it. Here goes nothing!"

The attacks arrived immediately and he barely managed to parry the two descending swords. Even while they were broken, they were still over three meters in length and quite heavy as well. The Pit Lords themselves were standing three meters tall each, having another advantage due to their overbearing physiques.

As soon as he parried the attacks, he felt as if two trucks rammed into him at full speed sending him back by a couple of steps. Before he could re-adjust his stance, two whipping tails smashed into his sword and chest, sending him flying another ten steps.

Quickly getting up after coughing a mouthful of blood, he judged the distance between himself and the backline where the remaining seven Pit Lords were sneering at him. Being treated as a punching bag was quite the blow to his pride, but he had to endure it for now.

The attackers resumed their ferocious assault and soon, he found himself sandwiched between the nine Earls, less than 20 steps between him and the encirclement.

Sighing in relief, he checked his condition and found out happily that he only suffered minor injuries that wouldn't affect his battle performance. His sword however was close to its breaking point and having to fight barehanded against nine nobility-ranked demons would be suicidal.

"Luckily, it lasted this long thanks to the Primordial Qi I've injected in it. Also, since you pretentious d*cks had your fun beating me up for this long, don't you think it's only fair for me to pay you back with the same coin!?"

Debuffs are restrictions made out of Qi placed on a cultivator's meridian pathways. Buffs work the same way, but instead of them being restrictions, they are more similar to overloads without any negative side-effects. A buff would widen the circulation pathways and would allow for more Qi to flow through the body, while a debuff would restrict the Qi flow in order to produce the respective negative results.

As for a way to break out of the said restrictions, a lowly Soul Wandering realm cultivator wouldn't have a clue about what to do. In Herman's case as an experienced old man, he knew the easiest way to do it is by applying the opposite counterpart. If you want to get rid of a buff, apply a debuff that targets the same pathways. If it's a debuff you want to get rid of, all you need to do is overload the affected pathways with Qi and overwhelm the restrictions placed.

The reason why he hesitated in choosing this method was due to its immense Qi consumption. Even if he manages to overcome the restrictions, he would still be left with less than 20% of his Qi reserves and forced to fight against nine Pit Lords. Fortunately, there would be a slight benefit in destroying those restrictions.

"Since they are created using one's internal Qi, once I destroy them, the caster would receive a backlash. Not a big damage to inflict, but it would be sufficient to fluster them. The target should be the two that placed three that placed the 'Cripple' debuff on me."

Since the two attackers had buffs still active, targeting them would be stupid. Instead, the three casters that would receive the backlash would make for a much better punching bag.

An instant later, a glowing blue light covered Herman's entire body, signifying a major Qi release. The shackles placed on his reaction speed were removed and three of the remaining seven Earls staggered and fell to one knee, indicating which targets he should focus on.

With another burst of Qi, he increased his speed dramatically, reaching in front of the kneeling group in a second. Before they could even be shocked at his sudden appearance, three heavy cuts whistled through the air, followed up by three heads rolling on the floor.

Using the advantage of surprise, he already moved onto the fourth Pit Lord. His sword was parried in a flustered manner, making the demon ruin his stable footing. Taking advantage of the mishap, Herman sent a boot to the enemy's chest with all his might, further destabilizing the giant. With no way to defend itself from the upcoming stab, the sword found its way into the demon's throat and all the way up to its brain.

Swinging the sword heavily towards the ground, he cleaned the blade of the blood and brain matter clinging to it in a very oppressive manner. Seeing the remaining three backline Pit Lords taking a step back, he grinned wildly and continued rushing at them.

The strengthened demons were giving their all to chase after him, yet he always evaded their incoming attacks and focus on killing the supporting backlines. About an hour later after trading some injuries, he collapsed to the ground while surrounded by dead bodies, thoroughly gasping for air.

"F*ck me! Is there a need for them to try so damn hard!? It's not like they need to throw away their life! They could've f*cking retread instead of pitifully dying at the hands of a damned Soul Wandering cultivator. The hell's wrong with them!?"

[Hehe! They knew that failure means death, so what point is there for them to return with their tail between their legs. This Prince does not need such useless dogs in my court.](?)

"..."

The sudden voice coming from behind him sent chills running down his spine. The sheer bloodline pressure on his body made him want to scream in fear, yet he somehow managed to hold it in. While still on the ground, he turned his body face the fifth wave, as well as the 'mastermind' behind this unfortunate tribulation trial.

Seeing a 14-15 years old child with handsome features lazily laying on the ground in a similar manner to his, his own blood seemed to freeze. Judging by the small crown on his head and the way he addressed himself previously, there was no doubt that this was indeed a Prince of the Hell Realm.

At this point, there was no doubt in his mind anymore that if the kid would make a move, he would undoubtedly die, squished like an ant by an elephant. There wasn't an issue of attributes anymore but spell knowledge and efficiency. Honestly speaking, he wasn't confident in winning against the Prince in front of him, even if the latter had only 10% of his attributes.

"*Sigh* Your Majesty, how did this lowly one offended you? I'm pretty sure I did no such thing and just attempted to breakthrough peacefully. Or did the Hell Realm become so peaceful lately that you are bored beyond reason, enough to decide to pick on a bug like me?"

[Hehe! Look at you referring to yourself as a 'bug', yet I see no fear in your eyes when talking directly to this Prince.](?)

"Well, it's not like I can win in a fight against you, making my demise pretty much set in stone. What's there to fear anymore when I have no chance at living?"

[Hmm... true.](?)

Looking at the savage grin on the damned demon's face, there were signs of helplessness on Herman's face. It didn't look like he had a way of weaseling his way out of this situation.

"So? Exactly how did I appear on Your Highness's radar? Seeing how you went to great lengths to come over and kill me, I think I deserve knowing at least that much."

[Eh? No, no! I think you got something wrong. I didn't come here to kill you, but rather, to recruit you.](?)

"Huh!? Your Highness, you do know about the Six Worlds Limitations, right? No living being could travel..."

[...between the realms. Yeah, yeah, I'm aware. I'm not interested in bringing you over to the Hell Realm. A bug like you would die an untimely death if you were to come over. Even the small critters in this Prince's palace are at least at the Half-Immortal realm.](?)

"I see... you want to establish a faction in the Immortal World?"

[Oho!? Hehe! I knew that I've selected the correct person. Indeed! With the System's sudden decision, this Prince has a chance to advance to Godhood earlier than expected. Lord Father still doesn't know and he's rooting for the other brothers and sisters of mine that did a similar thing. Hehe! They look down upon this Prince but they would soon be trampled under my feet.](?)

Seeing the passionate look on his face, as well as his sparkly eyes, Herman's back was covered in cold sweat. Could it be that this guy was very young!? He does look like a child, but with demons, you can never be too sure. Also, according to his words, he's quite low on the hierarchy scale, meaning that whatever benefits he has to offer wouldn't be too great.

"It doesn't look like I have a choice in the matter given that my life is literally in his hands, yet that doesn't mean that I can't squeeze him for some extra benefits."

[Judging from your pensive look, you have some questions. Go ahead and ask! This Prince is generous enough to answer you.](?)

"I think first off, it would be good to introduce ourselves if we're to work together in the future. My name is Herman Roy, Your Highness."

[Hmpf! That's bullshit! Do you think this Prince can't see through that fake name of yours? That's just some crap the System placed as a tag on your behalf.](?)

"As rude as that might be, I already renounced my old name due to personal reasons. I hope Your Majesty can understand."

[Hmpf! Very well! However, if your performance doesn't please this Prince, don't blame me for being ruthless. This Prince is called Veltar, the ninth Prince, son of Lord Father's Purson, the King of the Lower-East Hell Realm and Vapula, Great Duchess of Hell.](Veltar)

"The hell!? This noob is the kid of those two bigshots!? A king of hell and a great duchess!? F*ck me! This sounds like horribly bad news! Also, isn't that king Purson quite prolific!? Nine kids, man!? Give me a break here..."

"It's an honor to meet You, Your Majesty Veltar!"

[Mhm! Anyway, we'll have to leave the small talk for later when the faction system is released. This crappy System placed so many restrictions on this Prince that it makes me uncomfortable to even breathe. Let's start the fight! Don't worry, I'll go easy on you.](Veltar)

"..."

Herman's knees would've given out if he wasn't already on the ground. He still had to fight this damned bastard!? F*ck! He had to stall for time a little bit and also get some more intel before being beaten into a pulp.

"A moment, Your Majesty. You still haven't told me much about you. If I am to join your faction, as well as convince others to do the same, I need to know about Your strength. May I ask how many legions are you responsible for in the Hell Realm?"

[Eh... this...](Veltar)

Seeing his fretful appearance, Herman almost spat a curse at the fidgety bastard. Sure enough! He was most likely a weak punk that was feeling indignant about being left behind by his siblings and decided to act behind his mother's and father's back.

Judging by his demeanor, he is also very young and shouldn't have many accomplishments either. That means that the number of legions under his banner should also be very low.

A respectable and reputable Prince in the Hell Realm should have at least 20 legions to command, while even stronger ones would be a match for those old dukes and kings even. It all depends on one's level of charisma and background.

This Veltar twerp wasn't lacking background with both parents being big figureheads. From what he remembered, Purson should only have 22 or so legions, mostly because he was the governing type instead of the warring sort. His mother, however, was the though nut in the family. She should have at least 36 legions under her belt from what he remembered, and she loved to war against the neighboring territories constantly.

If an alliance between those two powerful figures was created, no wonder that Purson managed to secure the entire Lower-East Hell Realm territory. Even if it wasn't more than 1/18th of the entire Hell Realm's surface, it was still a ridiculously big territory.

[There are nine legions currently following this Prince!](Veltar)

Herman breathed in relief when he heard that number. If it was five or less, he would rather die than join such a weak bastard. Anyway, the number isn't what mattered, but their strength and his. Time to push for more answers!

"That's truly impressive Your Majesty! If you don't mind me asking, I noticed that Your Majesty is quite young. How old are you?"

[This Prince is 86 years old! Just so you know, I have already reached the Golden Devil realm last year, earning the praise of Lord Father. He said that among my brothers and sisters, I rank in the top three regarding cultivation talent!](Veltar)

Seeing his prideful look, Herman nodded his head again. The Golden Devil realm is the correspondent of Golden Immortal in the human world, so reaching that realm in less than 100 years... that's a truly terrifying genius. Actually, considering his age, having nine legions to command before coming of age (for demons the coming of age was celebrated once they reached 150 years of cultivation) was quite impressive.

True, due to their demon blood and special methods of cultivation, the inhabitants of the Hell Realm always had a faster cultivation pace as well as higher attributes when compared with other realms. Probably only the demi-gods would be their match. Oh! There were also the asuras that could fight them to a standstill, but mostly due to their superior fighting skills and techniques.

"That's indeed the realm of geniuses! Since Lord Purson said so, he wouldn't casually lie. I assume that the strength of your legions is also top-notch. Is that right, Your Highness?"

[Hmm... when compared to other legions, their attributes and cultivation realms are weaker. They are all between Half-Devil and Profound Devil realm, with some generals reaching Golden Devil just like this Prince. However, all of them are less than 500 years old. That was this Prince's imposed rule when I started recruiting them!](Veltar)

"Shave my head and call me Freddy! This bastard didn't inherit those legions from his parents and instead recruited them himself!? The f*ck kind of monster I'm I looking at!?"

One has to understand that demons aren't the most friendly and understanding of races. They respect only one thing: strength! If one doesn't have the strength, even authority doesn't mean shit to them. That's why even using his mother and father's names wouldn't have won over that many soldiers, since the leader they would work under is wet behind the ears still. Not to mention that his cultivation realm is also on the low side.

Yet this frightening bastard somehow gathered nine legions worth of elites that are under 500 years old!?

"*Sigh* I have to say, Veltar, I am quite amazed."

Hearing the way the bug suddenly addressed him, the Prince frowned for a second and then grinned widely. He knew that he won the other party's respect, just as he did in the Hell Realm over and over again in the past 50 years.

However, what surprised him was that the bug didn't address him more politely or fanned over him with a multitude of compliments, but rather expressed his heartfelt admiration over his performance.

[So? Do you think this Prince is 'worthy' of you following him as your boss from now on?](Veltar)

"Boss, no! Partner, yes!"

[Hoh!? Explain your reasoning properly. Otherwise, you might find yourself dead before being able to utter another syllable.](Veltar)

"Your potential is great, I won't lie, however, your current strength is weak and limited. If I am to join your faction when you create it, it means that I would have to convince others to do the same. A faction would give various benefits such as Perception or Absorption bonuses, but what can you provide them with? Given your cultivation realm as well as the fact that you belong to a different race entirely, it's doubtful you could convince them to join. Not to mention that convincing humans to join a demonic faction would be harder than ascending to the Heavens. You should know that in my realm, demonic cultivators are frowned upon and considered nothing more than criminals that have done horrible deeds."

[Mhm... you make a valid point. What about a servant bloodline?](Veltar)

"What!? You can do that!? Isn't it against the realm rules?"

[Hehe! Aren't you surprisingly informed? That's usually the case, but only if I was to bestow it upon a random person of another realm. It's obviously taboo to do such a thing if the receiver was, for example, an asura or a demi-god. Not that the latter would agree anyway, but it's not like there haven't been exceptions. There are multiple cases of both ghosts and beasts that have a demonic bloodline, and sometimes, when human kings make a powerful case, they could even negotiate a demonic bloodline for themselves. Simply put, it's a matter of usefulness to our race.](Veltar)

"I see... that's indeed a powerful card to play. Judging by your talents, it's clear that even a weak bloodline from you would give an incredible boost to anyone receiving it. I won't lie, it would be helpful to myself given that I am participating in the race for Heavens."

[Hoh!? You're participating, huh? What are your chances?](Veltar)

"I'm aiming for the title of 'first ascender'."

Seeing Herman speak so shamelessly about such a significant manner while shrugging, Veltar felt an impulse to smack this bug over his arrogant head. But at least, his attitude was right. All that was left was...

[Very well then! Let this Prince see if you have what it takes to claim that title.](Veltar)

"*Sigh* I still can't avoid that, can I?"