Chapter 583: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)
"Cough."
A heavy impact reverberated within Eugene. Blood mixed with fragments of organs trickled from his mouth. Eugene spat out the sticky blood clinging to his throat and pulled himself away from the wall where he had been smashed.
"Quite unexpected,” he commented with another cough.
He had not anticipated that the Demon King of Incarceration would engage in close combat. Such a style of fighting was utterly uncharacteristic of the Demon King of Incarceration he had known so far. As far as he knew, the Demon King of Incarceration had never fought like this in the battle against Sienna, Molon, and Anise three hundred years ago.
"There's not much difference between us,” the Demon King of Incarceration spoke, unbothered.
Behind him, Molon, having dropped his subdued axe, was now lunging at the Demon King with bare fists. The Demon King raised his hand without even looking back. Molon's punch slid off the Demon King as if he were covered in oil. The Demon King of Incarceration smoothly caught Molon's forearm and, with fluid motion, slammed him to the ground.
"Just as you can wield a sword, spear, axe, and bow," the Demon King said.
Molon’s body did not move as his own. The moment he came into contact with the Demon King, his strength was drained, and he flailed uncontrollably. It was an unfamiliar sensation for Molon, who had perfect control over his body.
Even after hitting the ground, Molon didn’t regain control of his body. He couldn't tell if his right arm was truly his own. Though his joints and muscles were intact, the arm wouldn't move. It had neither strength nor sensation.
The Demon King of Incarceration continued, "I, too... have many skills. I can wield any weapon, and magic is no exception. I've had all the time in the world."
His gaze slowly shifted to Sienna. Seeing the swirling magical energy around Sienna, he smiled broadly.
"I have practiced magic since before Ether[1] was divided into dark power and mana. Of course, I'm more accustomed to the powers of a demon... a Demon King,” he commented.
"It seems you haven't mastered it to the extreme,” Sienna replied, unflustered.
Crackle, crackle....
The swirling force of soul power was imbued with a definite murderous intent. Simultaneously, Sienna manifested Absolute Decree and targeted the Demon King of Incarceration.
"You boast of handling magic for such a long time, yet you failed to discern the Sage,” Sienna reminded him.
"The extreme, you say? I cannot deny it. The extreme I thought I had reached has now become a relic of the past. And as a Demon King, to live eternally, I had to give up various things,” the Demon King of Incarceration responded with a bitter smile.
He didn’t say exactly what he had to give up, but Sienna could make a guess — it was because she felt the soul power and mana getting strongly repelled against the Demon King.
This being, true to the name of a Demon King, ruled only dark power. Mana and soul power were beyond his control. While it might have been different in the distant past, now the Demon King could not handle mana.
"But this I did not give up,” the Demon King said.
His hand slowly clenched into a fist.
Creak, creak....
As more power flowed into his fist, the chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration emitted a scream-like shrill sound, as if his power, his physicality, was bound by the chains.
"This is something I've possessed since my very existence began. It has granted me glory and despair," the Demon King revealed.
With a crack, Molon's body, which had previously been slammed into the ground, twisted to the side. He gave up trying to free his captured arm and instead opted to shatter his shoulder to escape the restraint. Even then, he was still on the floor. But even while lying on the ground, Molon managed to summon an extreme force and hurled his fist.
"This..." the Demon King said as if demonstrating something.
Crunch!
Before Molon's fist could make contact, the Demon King of Incarceration's fist fell. A devastating blow struck Molon in the solar plexus, sending blood spewing from his mouth as the Demon King withdrew his fist and stood upright.
"...is what I do best."
Eugene swallowed hard. The atmosphere around the Demon King of Incarceration had changed drastically. The Demon King, usually draped in boredom and ennui, now felt like a completely different entity.
What had replaced his usual indifferent attitude was a fighting spirit thrilling enough to vibrate the very air and a murderous intent too blatant to be imagined from the Demon King of Incarceration. He took a step forward and flung Molon's arm aside.
"Hey, Molon,” Eugene called out to the sprawled-out figure on the ground. "Are you alive?"
There was no response from Molon. However, Eugene could sense that he was barely clinging to life.
That was enough. Molon had also been on the brink of death several times three hundred years ago. That was why he was considered a fool. He would recklessly charge in, get beaten down, collapse, and then stand back up, attacking as if he had never fallen in the first place.
The Demon King of Incarceration took another step closer. The pressure doubled and engulfed Eugene. But Eugene did not retreat. The stronger the crushing pressure, the brighter the flames engulfing him blazed.
Boom!
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