Episode 246: The Temptress (2)
The academy was filled with old, unused buildings, remnants of a bygone era.
Sla had claimed one of these abandoned structures as her own lair.
“Haa…”
Sla let out a heated sigh, feeling the intense aura of Demian’s presence. A faint blush colored her cheeks.
“Such a potent aura… You really are something else.”
She spread her arms wide, presenting herself to Demian with a bold smile.
“Demian, why don’t you join me instead of this? I can offer you pleasures beyond anything this world can provide…”
In an instant, Demian vanished from sight.
He reappeared right in front of Sla, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Oh my!”
Without hesitation, Demian swung his sword, Dawn, aiming for her face.
Yet, Sla’s head remained intact. The moment it was cut, it reattached itself immediately.
Her regeneration was far beyond anything Demian had encountered before.
“You’ve completely forsaken your humanity, haven’t you?”
“Quite the opposite. This body is the result of extensive human research.”
“Rubbish.”
Demian slashed at Sla’s body, severing limbs and slicing through her torso.
But the outcome was the same. Her wounds healed instantly, leaving no trace behind.
“It’s useless~.”
Then, Demian thrust his other hand forward, piercing Sla’s chest with his palm.
“Oh my, aren’t we moving a bit too fast?”
Ignoring her taunts, Demian channeled his magic into her body.
A vast amount of energy surged through her, causing her muscles to twist and contort.
”…”
Sla’s expression hardened at the sight. She quickly rotated her head.
Crack.
With a short sound, her muscles returned to their original state.
‘She’s controlling her body to suppress the effects.’
Sla was a dark sorceress at the pinnacle of the Frenzy School, her mastery over her body unparalleled.
Demian withdrew his hand from her chest and leapt back.
“Demian, damaging a woman’s body like this is unacceptable. Even for you, such brutality is intolerable. Don’t use such heinous techniques again, understood?”
Sla spoke as if scolding a child, showing no sign of fear towards him.
Demian’s lips twisted in frustration. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off her face.
“What’s strange is, despite the scent I’ve been emitting, you’re completely unaffected.”
Sla’s most terrifying weapon was her ability to release pheromones.
Anyone exposed to them became her willing thrall.
But Demian was immune.
A knight of his caliber could use magic to shield himself from external influences, be it poison or illusions.
Though he hadn’t regained his former strength, he was not susceptible to Sla’s allure.
“Looks like I’ll have to resort to more drastic measures.”
Sla shed her outer garment, revealing her nearly bare form.
She wasn’t completely naked; a white cloth covered only the essential areas, emphasizing her figure provocatively.
Demian grimaced, disgusted by her display.
“You’re treating me like a child. It’s quite insulting.”
Sla relaxed her stance and pointed a dainty fist at Demian.
“This might hurt a bit.”
She stomped the ground, shattering it beneath her.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished from sight. Demian’s eyes widened, unable to track her movements.
The next moment, her fist slammed into his abdomen.
He was sent flying, crashing into a wall, bringing the ceiling down with him.
“Oh dear, was that too much?”
Sla stuck out her tongue playfully.
“Don’t worry, as long as you’re breathing, I can fix you up.”
Demian emerged from the rubble, brushing off the debris.
He had managed to protect himself with a defensive technique, but couldn’t completely absorb the impact.
“Ugh.”
He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth.
“Oh my? I thought your insides would be completely crushed. You’re surprisingly intact.”
Sla remarked with genuine curiosity.
“How did you train your body like this? Is it some special technique?”
“Enough.”
“Not willing to share? Then I’ll just have to subdue you and find out later.”
Sla clenched her fist again.
“This time, I’ll hit a bit harder, okay?”
Her stance was awkward, like someone who had never fought before.
But she was not to be underestimated.
Her speed and power far exceeded Demian’s, and her previous attack had been merely a light jab.
“You’re not easy to deal with.”
Pandemonium, the empire’s nemesis.
The Great Evil was akin to the king of Pandemonium.
And among the Great Evils, Sla was one of the most formidable.
This was the toughest opponent Demian had faced since his reincarnation. It was time to reveal his true strength.
“Hemeira, protect me.”
Demian muttered, and metal plates emerged from the air, encasing his body.
“Armor? And quite advanced at that. Where did you get it?”
Demian didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he lowered his stance and murmured.
“Tri-Ring.”
Three rings within his body began to spin, emitting a resonant sound that seemed to tear at the air.
“Wow…”
A broad smile spread across Sla’s face.
“This is going to be fun.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Demian lunged forward. Sla mirrored his movement.
They clashed, Demian wielding his sword, Sla her fists.
Demian’s blade sliced through Sla’s body relentlessly, so fast it seemed like multiple swords were striking at once.
Sla neither blocked nor dodged. She focused solely on attacking, her incredible regeneration allowing her to do so.
“Ahaha! This is truly exhilarating!”
Sla’s fist grazed Demian’s cheek, tearing away part of his armor.
‘What a monstrous body.’
Even with all three rings activated, Demian struggled to match Sla’s speed.
Yet, he held his ground thanks to his superior technique.
As Demian continued to hold his own, Sla spoke with a hint of regret.
“This is fun, but I can’t keep playing. If reinforcements arrive, it’ll be troublesome.”
Steam began to rise from Sla’s body, her muscles bulging beneath her skin.
Demian immediately recognized the change.
She intended to enhance her physical abilities by unleashing her special bloodline.
“I hate using this technique because it makes me look hideous… but I have no choice.”
Sla charged forward, her fist aimed at Demian.
The movement was obvious, but too fast to evade.
Demian raised his sword to block, but the force behind her punch was overwhelming.
“Ugh.”
He was sent flying again, crashing into another wall.
“This time, I won’t wait for you!”
Sla pursued him relentlessly, her fists raining down.
The spot where Demian had landed was obliterated, the ground and walls reduced to dust.
“Ahaha! Demian Haxen! Why are you just standing there? Show me something else!”
Sla shouted, her face alight with ecstasy.
“You’re not someone who dies so easily, are you? There’s more to you, isn’t there? Show me! Show me what you’re hiding!”
She abruptly stopped her assault. The area where Demian had been was a cloud of dust and debris.
“Oh, I got too excited. He might be a goner now.”
Sla said with a hint of concern.
“But it’s okay! Don’t worry! I’ll fix you up! Even better than before…”
As the dust settled, Demian’s figure emerged.
”…What?”
Confusion spread across Sla’s face. Demian stood there, unscathed.
“How… how is this possible…?”
“Being undead isn’t all advantages.”
Demian said, rising to his feet.
“You lack pain. Your senses are dulled. You didn’t even realize I was deflecting your attacks.”
Demian had redirected all of Sla’s blows, allowing the surrounding area to take the damage instead.
“Hah.”
Sla laughed, her initial shock giving way to admiration.
“You truly are remarkable. I’ve never met anyone as intriguing as you.”
“Spare me your nonsense. You don’t discriminate between men and women, do you?”
“I can’t take it anymore. I’m taking you down right now!”
Sla charged at Damian with incredible speed, the air splitting with a deafening roar.
Sla reached out, trying to grab Damian.
But Damian twisted his body, dodging Sla’s attack, and in the same motion, swung his blade to slice through Sla’s arm.
Sla crashed into the wall, then pulled himself out, speaking with a hint of frustration.
“How long do you plan to keep swinging? By now, you should know it’s useless… no matter how much you cut…”
Thud.
Sla’s arm fell limply to the ground, the lower part hanging lifelessly.
”…”
Sla stared at his arm in shock. It was unresponsive, and even the wound refused to heal.
“How is this possible…?”
“I didn’t waste my time. I found a way to disrupt the flow of your dark magic while tearing through your flesh.”
To maintain regeneration, a constant supply of dark magic was necessary. In other words, if the flow of dark magic was interrupted, the regenerative body became useless.
For an ordinary regenerative being, cutting off the dark magic would have been easy.
But Sla was no ordinary foe. The flow of dark magic was intricately hidden, making it nearly impossible to sever.
“It took thousands of cuts to finally find it. You hid it well.”
The confidence drained from Sla’s face, replaced by urgency.
“I can’t let you live any longer.”
Steam billowed more intensely from Sla’s body, muscles bulging with renewed vigor.
“You’ve made me look this pathetic. The price for that won’t be light.”
“First, you’ll have to settle with me.”
Damian summoned his magic, his entire body igniting with power.
“Fury of the Celestial Flame.”
His body temperature soared, every sense sharpened to a razor’s edge.
“Fourth Ring.”
The fourth ring activated, sending resonant waves in all directions.
“I promised to tear you apart, limb from limb, didn’t I?”
An overwhelming aura emanated from Damian, pushing back Sla’s presence in an instant.
“I’ll keep that promise, starting now.”