Chapter 758: Embracing Death Part Six
758. Embracing Death Part Six
“You know, I’m starting to wonder when you guys will get tired of this.”
Manos yawned as he dodged a flurry of attacks aimed straight for his head. They came from all around him— dozens of Primeval Demons, striking at him from all sides. They used various weapons. Different kinds of attacks. Whether it was a normal punch, or a bladed swing.
It didn’t matter. Even if it was a sword or an axe or a hammer. Whether it was a fist or a scythe-like arm. Even if it was a volley of magical projectiles— like fire arrows, ice spears, or lightning blasts.
The Executioner just stood atop the fallen rubble, rapidly moving his upper body to avoid their attacks. He didn’t even take a step back to dodge. He was simply leaning away from the flurry of strikes that came his way.
“Because, like, it’s clear you guys aren’t on my level. And Chordus is probably dead by now. Seriously, stop wasting your time.”
Manos spoke casually as he continued to dodge the constant onslaught of attacks. However, a small [Fiend] yelled and leapt into the air.
“Get out of the way, everyone!”
She pointed down at Manos as the other Primeval Demons moved, leaping back. The ground beneath Manos began to glow with a green light. And he just sighed as he took a step forward.
“Are you serious, Lafor—”“[Dome Of Destruction]!”
The [Fiend]— Lafor— yelled as a giant green sphere seemed to engulf the Executioner and everything in hundreds of feet. For a moment, nothing happened. The next instant, everything exploded.
A powerful blast erupted where the dome had been, shaking the earth as Lafor panted and eyed the scene. A small smile began to spread across her lips as she looked down at the clearing smoke.
“Got him—”
“No, you really didn’t.”
Manos cut her off as he swung for her head from behind. Before she could even react, her head was lopped off, her black blood spilling all over the air. All the while, Manos just slowly descended back into the ground, hefting his waraxe over his shoulder.
“Seriously, you’d get a notification if I were dead. Are you stupid? Well, not like you can answer that question now…”
He shook his head as he landed on the ground right after Lafor’s falling body. He swept his gaze over the dozens of remaining Primeval Demons as they backed away apprehensively, exchanging apprehensive glances. ꞦàƝꝋꞖÊȿ
“Now, are you going to give up, or will I have to kill half of you before you listen to me?”
Manos raised a brow as he looked between the remaining leaders of the legions. He knew that a few of them would keep fighting— that they would be loyalists to the Demon King’s cause to the very end, just like Chordus. But the Executioner had hoped that more of them would have defected by now.
Unfortunately, since they still held the numbers advantage, they remained uncertain. Especially since Chordus had activated her Grand Skill earlier, before vanishing with Salvos and Naro. It was very likely the Primeval Demons here were waiting for the temporarily-transformed Primordial Demon form of the [Hellprincess] to return to make a decision.
After all, even though Manos was high-leveled, he couldn’t possibly defeat a Primordial Demon.
Or so they thought.
The Executioner shook his head as he took a step forward.
“Look, this is your last chance—”
He started. But then he was interrupted as a rift in space opened up right behind him. Blinking, he glanced back as the other Primeval Demons gathered here paused for a moment. They waited with bated breath as a figure began to emerge through the portal.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
And Manos grinned.
“Oh, hey, Salvos. You’re back.”
He turned to face the Enemy. A susurration of disbelief washed over the staring Primeval Demons as Manos lowered his waraxe.
“I take it it’s over, then?”
But Salvos just shook her head as the rift closed behind her.
“It’s not over yet…”
She spoke softly, before lowering her head. Her eyes fluttered shut as Manos eyed her curiously.
“But it’ll be over soon.”
And he gave her a flat stare in response.
“What does that even mean?”
Chordus swooped down at Naro, swinging at him with a giant broadsword. He raised his own sword of ice to parry the attack as the ground beneath his feet cracked open from the sheer weight of the strike. But the [King Of The Wild] wasn’t finished just yet.
With her free hand, she swung down with a spear that struck the [Hellprince] directly in the chest. His armor of ice shattered as he was sent flying back. But it immediately began to grow back, protecting his body as he landed on the ground, skidding to a halt.
He picked himself up as Chordus flew straight for him, landing a flurry of follow-up strikes.
Naro wasn’t able to keep up with her. Of course not. He was a mere Primeval Demon, while she was a Primordial Demon as of right now. Even if he had a powerful Grand Skill, he didn’t stand a chance against her. All he could do was delay the inevitable.
Especially since despite the fact that each strike Chordus landed was absorbed by the armor of ice that protected the [Hellprince], he was still taking severe damage from the attacks. She ducked under one of his swings as she struck his torso with her broadsword. His armor of ice cracked, and a deep cut opened up where her attack landed.
But not only did the ice instantly fix itself, it also seemed to freeze over his wound, partially healing it. Not to the same extent as those potions the Enemy had been using. Instead, it was just enough to keep Naro going, despite being completely overwhelmed.
So Chordus knew she was going to win this battle with ease. The only problem was that she was running out of time. She felt her heart beginning to race faster and faster, indicating that her Grand Skill was soon coming to an end. When that happened…
She just screamed.
“Just die already!”
Chordus swung for the [Hellprince]’s head. But Naro’s eyes flashed as he opened his mouth. A wave of frost shot out, halting her in her tracks for a moment. Her entire body froze over just long enough for him to swing for her neck.
Naro’s attack struck through as the ice holding the [King Of The Wild] in place shattered. But she didn’t even take a single step back. She didn’t budge as she stood there, her face was barely pushed back.
A voice resounded in her head as she bared her teeth savagely at Naro.
“Shit—”
He cursed, but he wasn’t able to move out of the way in time as she swung out with her broadsword. But this time, she whispered the name of the new Skill that she had been given.
“[The Royal Flush].”
Chordus unleashed four slashes. Each of them came out in the same instant. They shone black and red, striking Naro and shattering his armor. But that was not all— they ripped straight through his body, slicing him in half.
The [Hellprince]’s eyes went wide as he dropped to the ground. He couldn’t even react, taken aback by the sudden attack that shifted the tides and ended the battle in an instant.
“I have won.”
Chordus said as she stepped over Naro’s bleeding upper body as he lay beneath her. He stared up at her, blood pouring from his mouth.
“Y-you—”
He choked, coughing out blood as the [King Of The Wild] just smirked.
“I knew you always wanted to be the one to kill me, Naro. Unfortunately for you, that dream of yours will forever be a dream.”
Chordus raised her broadsword over her head, aiming for the [Hellprince]’s neck to finish him off. And he just sneered back at her.
“You lost.”
“What?”
Chordus paused when she heard that. She tilted her head back down at him.
“What does that even mean—”
But as the words left Chordus’s mouth, the ground beneath her feet suddenly vanished. The [King Of The Wild] leapt into the air, thinking it was a sneak attack by the Enemy. But as she spun around, she saw no one there. Instead, she just watched as the world all around her began to… dissolve.
The ground, the earth, the sky— even the strange colorful distortion— it all began to melt away, revealing an infinite darkness all around her.
“The plan worked. And now, you’re going to die all because of me.”
Naro laughed as the ground also began to dissolve beneath him. Chordus stared at him for a moment longer, before gritting her teeth. She screamed as she threw her spear down at him. But the spear’s momentum suddenly halted, before it floated up along with the dissolving world like it was being carried away by something else.
The [Hellprince]’s laughter faded away as his body began to crumble from an invisible pressure. All the while, Chordus was also overtaken by a strange sensation.
As she was slowly crushed in the fold between the planes.