NOVEL NEXT Chapter 329
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]
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Chapter 329: Awakening (3)
The ruined capital of the Empire.
There, a giant and two knights were engaged in battle.
White lightning continuously struck the giant. A green storm slashed the giant's entire body.
But the giant did not fall. Instead, he shouted joyfully.
"Ha ha! Both of you are beyond my expectations! To think you could push me this far!"
Suddenly, the lightning and storm stopped. Soon, a boy and a woman appeared atop a building.
"Don't tell me you're already exhausted?"
The gigantic demon Bas looked down at the two and said.
The boy and the woman were too out of breath to respond immediately.
Bas then spoke with a regretful expression.
"Oh dear, it seems I pushed you too hard. I should have given you a break. As expected, I'm such a fool."
Bas tapped his head lightly with his large fist.
Seeing this, the boy frowned and asked the woman.
"Hey, Green Wind. Are all demons just fools like him?"
"Yes, filthy scum from Inferno are like that. Don’t expect much from idiots who defy the God."
At the pair's harsh remarks, Bas laughed loudly.
Due to his large stature, his laughter was also loud enough to cause an earthquake.
"That's harsh. I was fairly praising you."
"Receiving praise from you doesn't make me happy."
"I agree. Unless you offer your neck nicely, maybe I’d reconsider."
"I can't do that. I want to live for a long time. To conquer the surface and devour many humans."
The two had no choice but to scowl at Bas’s words.
"Indeed, a being we can't associate with."
"Mercenary King, if you create an opening, I will cut off his head."
"Oh, have you rested enough? Fine by me."
A grotesque smile emerged on Bas's face. He was excited by the prospect of resuming the fight.
"Bas."
At that moment, a familiar voice was heard. Bas lowered his head.
He saw the bull-headed demon Asthar looking up at him.
"Asthar? Are you already healed?"
"Don't worry about me. When do you plan to stop playing with those guys?"
Asthar said with a displeased expression.
"Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy this much fun?"
"Shut up. We're not here to play. We came to follow His Excellency's orders."
Bas scratched the back of his head, realizing Asthar wasn't wrong.
"Laria hasn't finished her job yet. What if you show a pathetic sight as well?"
"Got it. I'll finish it soon."
"If you can't finish, I'll handle it."
"Oh no, that's a problem. Those guys are my toys."
Bas’s voice dropped slightly.
Although Asthar was technically his superior, Bas couldn't tolerate having his toys taken away.
"If you’re so concerned, go assist His Excellency."
"Assist? Don't be ridiculous. His Excellency doesn’t need help."
Asthar's voice was filled with displeasure.
"Crushing someone like Damien Haksen is a simple task for His Excellency..."
At that moment.
A colossal force spread across the entire world. The two demons looked at each other's faces.
Although it was only for a brief moment, there was a significant change in the world. It was clear that Vahel had done something, as his presence reverberated throughout.
Soon, a shockwave erupted from a distance.
Bas and Asthar looked in the direction from which the shockwave had come, their faces filled with astonishment.
And they saw it.
The sight of Vahel, being pierced by Damien's blade.
***
The tip of Erebos touched Vahel’s body.
First, the Power of Isolation tried to stop Erebos. But it shattered instantly.
Next, the thick muscles gripped Erebos. However, the muscles that were strong enough to deflect most attacks, were ineffective this time.
Erebos cut through the muscles and continued to advance. The final barrier was the bones. They attempted to block Erebos.
Previously, Vahel had suffered a critical injury from Damien's slash. But back then, Damien couldn't cut through Vahel's bones.
Now Vahel had revealed his true form. The strength of his bones was incomparable to before.
But they couldn't stop it.
His ribs shattered. Eventually, Erebos pierced the heart hidden within the body.
The heart of a demon was quite different from that of other beings. It was more of an organ that produced and drove vitality than a simple heart.
The commonality was that it was just as important and critical as a heart. And it was utterly destroyed.
"Urgh."
Vahel coughed up blood. The blood didn't just come out once but continued to pour out.
To become a Duke class demon, he had to go through numerous battles.
He had sustained many injuries. Losing limbs was routine, and there were times when half of his head was blown off.
But no injury had ever killed Vahel. He always recovered and overcame any formidable enemy.
But this time was different. Vahel realized that death had come for him.
"How did you escape the stopped time...?"
Even as he experienced his dying moments, he couldn't help but ask.
Vahel had isolated time flow. Everything in the world had stopped.
Yet Damien moved and managed to pierce Vahel's heart with his blade.
"I slashed through it."
The answer was brief. But Vahel immediately understood what Damien meant.
"You used the realm that slashed through my power once again."
Mediocre fighters merely swing their swords.
Second-rate fighters use their bodies as well.
And top-tier fighters move with their minds.
Damien Haksen was a Grandmaster. He could manifest his realm without even having to swing his sword.
That's why Vahel couldn't completely stop Damien.
"Truly... incredible. To a reverential degree."
Vahel spoke sincerely.
Since becoming a Duke class demon, it had been difficult for him to find rivals for hundreds of years.
Even demons who had lived longer than him couldn't compete with Vahel.
To think that he would be defeated by a mere human, who had lived for less than a century.
"The more I think about it, the more absurd it feels... To become so strong so quickly..."
Suddenly, Vahel thought of Ruin.
The hero who drove out demons and monsters from the surface and built the world of humans.
All demons hated Ruin. They had documented him in great detail as a result.
A human who appeared suddenly one day.
In just one year, he had united all the wandering humans, and within three years, he had built a formidable force capable of standing against demons.
The demons of that time recorded Ruin like this:
A human who lives a day as if it were a hundred years.
A mysterious being who becomes a monster with each encounter.
From Vahel's perspective, Damien's talent was no less than that of Ruin.
‘Haha, so this is how they all felt… No wonder they were so afraid…’
Vahel's head slowly drooped. He was about to face complete death.
-Lord!
-Your Excellency!
His subordinates were running toward him, calling out.
-I’ll save you!
-Just hold on a bit longer!
Vahel looked at his subordinates with a puzzled expression.
Even though he hadn't treated them poorly, he didn't expect them to act like this.
“Indeed, there are still some pests to deal with.”
Damien tried to pull the sword out of Vahel's chest. Vahel quickly grabbed Damien's wrist with his remaining arm.
“What are you doing?”
Damien glared at Vahel and asked. Vahel smiled and then shouted.
“Do not come any closer!”
At Vahel's shout, his subordinates halted in their tracks, their faces reflecting their confusion at the command.
“If you come here, you will only meet a futile death! Think of the future and retreat!”
The pain made it extremely hard for him to shout. Yet Vahel suppressed the pain and roared.
“Return to Inferno! Deliver my message! Tell them there is a monster on the surface! As long as this monster lives, they should never dream of reclaiming the surface!”
His subordinates' faces were filled with hesitation.
Vahel sighed inwardly. He never thought their loyalty would be this frustrating.
“Do you think I’ll let them go?”
Damien said in a cold voice. Vahel gave a bitter smile.
“Of course not.”
Vahel squeezed out all the remaining vitality. He unleashed his final power.
The arm holding Damien's wrist began to turn into metal.
Damien quickly tried to pull his sword out of Vahel's body, but it wouldn’t budge.
Damien raised his foot and stomped on Vahel's torso, trying to break the body and free his arm.
However, Vahel's torso had already transformed into metal. It withstood Damien's stomping.
“I will use my body as collateral to isolate you here. Even you won't be able to break through this easily.”
As Vahel's neck and face slowly turned into metal, his entire face soon transformed completely.
It was the moment when Duke class demon Vahel vanished from the world.
-Your Excellency!
The bull-headed demon Asthar shed tears from his eyes.
-You cannot go like this!
Asthar charged at Damien. Damien extended his free hand towards Asthar.
At that moment, an invisible slash cut Asthar. Asthar's torso split open.
-Argh!
Asthar screamed and rolled on the ground. But he got back up again.
-Your Excellency!
Asthar tried to rush in again. But before he could, Laria held him back.
-Migmag! Open a dimensional portal!
-Don't stop me! We must save His Excellency!
-Migmag! Open the gate immediately!-
As Migmag struck the ground with his iron staff, a massive dimensional portal opened.
All the demons leaped into the gate.
-Your Excellency!
With Asthar's final cry, the demons disappeared into the dimensional portal."
***
[Translator - Kie]
[Proofreader - Kawaii]