Episode 284: The Four Demon Lords (2)

The power from the Dragonheart surged through Iota’s entire body.

Crack.

With the sound of bones twisting, Iota’s physique began to transform.

His once narrow shoulders broadened, and his chest muscles swelled. His previously thin limbs thickened to an unbelievable size.

The frail body that seemed like it would snap in a breeze now looked capable of withstanding a hurricane.

“It’s been a while since I’ve awakened my body.”

Even his voice changed. The childish, playful tone was replaced by a deep, resonant one.

It wasn’t just his appearance that had changed. Iota now exuded a vast life force, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Undead beings weren’t supposed to possess life force. Yet, here it was, happening right before their eyes.

“Damian Haxen, prepare to be crushed.”

Iota slowly raised his hands, folding his fingers one by one until they formed a fist.

The moment the fist was complete, Iota launched himself forward, aiming a punch at Damian.

Damian twisted his waist, narrowly avoiding the blow. The debris behind him was obliterated, even though the punch hadn’t connected. It was the sheer force of the strike.

Iota retracted his fist and advanced on Damian, stepping with precision.

A flurry of attacks followed.

Each punch from Iota shattered buildings with the force of his strikes. These weren’t wild, instinctual attacks; they were calculated, disciplined.

Astonishingly, Iota was employing martial arts.

“Surprised? Everyone thinks I’m just a mindless brute!”

Iota’s voice was filled with excitement.

“I’m not just a fool relying on brute strength! I’ve mastered techniques no one else can match, even those in the Master Class!”

Damian recalled memories from the past.

“Damian Haxen, my knight, do you see? These are my greatest creations.”

Back when he was a Death Knight, Dorgo had introduced Damian to the Four Demon Lords.

“Of course, compared to you, they’re lacking! But they’re still worthy of being called the strongest.”

The Four Demon Lords had indeed achieved great feats.

In every battle, they slaughtered thousands, building mountains of corpses and feasting on souls with glee.

Their monstrous acts were sickening to witness. Damian had to suppress his nausea.

“For centuries, I tried to perfect these creatures but failed. I couldn’t create a soul worthy of their bodies. But recently, I succeeded. Do you know the secret?”

Damian wasn’t curious, but at the time, his mind was sealed by Dorgo.

He had no choice but to listen to Dorgo’s ramblings.

“It’s thanks to you.”

The unwelcome truth forced its way into his ears.

“I modeled their souls after yours. They inherited a fraction of your genius, though just scraps.”

How could Damian describe the revulsion he felt upon hearing that?

Already enslaved by Dorgo, he had massacred innocents, desecrated noble knights.

And now, these horrific creatures existed because of him.

“In a way, they’re our children.”

The memory stirred a fierce emotion deep within Damian.

Getting swept up in emotions during battle was a rookie mistake.

But this time, he couldn’t hold back. Damian’s eyes burned red.

“How long do you plan to run?”

Iota shouted, swinging a punch at Damian’s face.

In that instant, the world seemed to blur, and Iota’s head slammed into the ground.

”…What?”

Iota looked bewildered.

How could this be? He had thrown the punch, so why…?

He lifted his head, dirt falling from his face.

There stood Damian, fist clenched.

“Fascinating, really.”

Damian spoke as he tucked his sword into a pocket dimension.

“Every time I deal with you lot, it leaves a bad taste. And each time, it gets worse.”

A swordsman letting go of his sword mid-battle?

Iota tilted his head in confusion at the inexplicable act.

“Damian Haxen, have you lost your mind?”

Damian ignored Iota’s words, instead weaving the mana flowing through his body.

He had studied countless secret tomes from the Holy Order.

As a result, Damian achieved a small breakthrough.

He successfully combined the mana techniques he had learned into one.

The Five Rings Harmony Technique.

Damian spun the woven mana, creating a cycle within his body.

“One Ring.”

Not a phantom, but a ring.

Unlike before, there was no resonant sound.

Instead, all the surrounding mana was drawn towards Damian.

External and internal energies circulated.

Body and mana circulated.

Finally, everything circulated as one.

“As thanks for reviving such vile memories, I’ll beat you to a pulp.”

Blue flames blazed in Damian’s eyes.

“All your efforts are futile…”

Iota’s face was smashed, sent flying backward. Damian had struck with lightning speed.

“Argh!”

But thanks to the dragon scales, the damage wasn’t severe.

Iota quickly regained his composure and swung at Damian.

Or tried to. If only Damian had been there.

“Where the hell… Ugh!”

An elbow struck his solar plexus, bending Iota’s body.

“I told you it’s useless!”

Iota reached for Damian, intending to slam him into the ground.

But Damian’s other fist struck again, hitting Iota’s solar plexus.

A thunderous noise erupted from within Iota’s body. He coughed up blood, staggering back.

Damian immediately launched himself, kneeing Iota in the eye.

The bones around the eye shattered, the eyeball burst, spraying blood everywhere.

“Aaaargh!”

Iota screamed, clutching his ruined eye.

“This can’t be… How am I losing to a mere human?”

The Five Rings Harmony Technique.

Damian’s new mana technique granted him explosive speed and power.

Enough to overwhelm even Iota, who had awakened a dragon’s body.

“Don’t get cocky! I can still become stronger!”

Iota’s heart pumped, drawing more dragon power.

His movements quickened, leaving afterimages with each step.

Countless afterimages surrounded Damian Haxen, all striking simultaneously.

It was impossible to discern illusion from reality.

But as Iota extended his fist, the world flipped.

Before he could comprehend, the sky and ground reversed, and he was slammed into the earth.

Iota’s body was tougher than the ground, so the impact wasn’t severe. But the follow-up attack was the problem.

Damian raised his foot, a formidable power emanating from his sole.

“Damian Haxen…!”

Iota shouted with hatred as Damian stomped down with all his might.

Shatter Wave.

The force of a wall-destroyer multiplied the impact.

With a deafening crash, the ground shattered in a chain reaction, creating a deep crater in the fortress’s center.

Dust rose from the crater’s depths, and someone emerged.

“Phew, I feel a bit better now.”

Damian dusted off his clothes.

“I’m not usually this irritable. But dealing with Dorgo always riles me up.”

As Damian grumbled briefly, a surge of power erupted from the crater. A massive column of energy pierced the sky.

A colossal roar echoed, tearing the clouds apart.

Something enormous rose from the crater.

It was as if a giant’s arm had emerged, covered in scales like a legendary dragon.

“Damian Haxen!”

The voice from the crater boomed across the world.

“Stay right there! I’ll devour you soon enough!”

Something began to rise from the crater, shaking the ground.

“Of course, you wouldn’t go down that easily.”

Damian opened a pocket dimension, retrieving his sword.

With his anger vented, it was time to finish the job.

And then…

The sky split open with a long, jagged tear, pulling apart to reveal a scene not of fortresses, but of dense, sprawling forests.

From within this rift emerged three figures, two men and a woman. They were strikingly beautiful, yet there was something unsettlingly unnatural about them. An inexplicable sense of revulsion hung in the air.

Demian, upon seeing them, murmured softly to himself, “Epsilon, Lambda, Theta…”

Few in the present day would recognize these names. After all, they weren’t supposed to exist in this era.

The Four Demon Lords.

The nightmares of the War of Destruction had returned.