Episode 335: The Demon King (1)
“Damian, calm down!”
Just as Erebus was about to strike down Sita, the Swordmaster grabbed Damian’s arm, stopping him with all his might. Thanks to the Swordmaster’s intervention, Erebus’s blade halted just short of Sita’s neck.
Damian tensed his arm, trying to break free. The Swordmaster began to slide backward, and the blade inched closer to Sita.
Realizing he couldn’t hold Damian back on his own, the Swordmaster shouted desperately, “If you kill this undead, we’ll lose our only clue to finding Dorogo! Is that what you want?”
At those words, Damian’s grip slackened. He cursed under his breath and sheathed his sword, collapsing to the ground, his hands covering his face as he took deep breaths.
“Are you not going to kill me?” Sita asked, looking at Damian. Grinding his teeth, Damian snapped back, “Shut up and keep your mouth closed.”
Sita obediently fell silent. Damian rose to his feet, growling, “I’m warning you. Don’t ever mention my past life again.”
With that, Damian stormed out of the cell, the Swordmaster hurrying after him.
“Are you alright?” the Swordmaster asked.
“I’m fine. I apologize for causing you concern,” Damian replied, though his pale face told a different story. The Swordmaster studied him closely, then asked, “What was that about your past life?”
Before Damian could answer, the entire prison began to shake violently. Both men looked around in alarm.
“This isn’t…” Damian started, realizing it wasn’t a natural earthquake but an external force causing the tremors.
A knight burst through the door, confirming their fears. “An unknown enemy is attacking the palace!”
Debris from Epsilon’s attack rained down on the palace like a tidal wave of refuse. The protective barrier surrounding the palace held for a moment but was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the debris. The walls crumbled, and the palace itself was on the verge of collapse.
Just then, a flash of light erupted, and an aura blade obliterated the debris.
“Impressive,” Epsilon murmured, watching the knight who had intercepted the attack.
The Empire’s greatest swordmaster stood before Epsilon, blocking his path.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” the swordmaster said, sheathing his sword.
“You must be one of Dorogo’s undead creations… but something’s off,” he mused, tilting his head, uncertain.
“I’m not interested in you. Hand over Damian Haxen,” Epsilon demanded.
“Why should I listen to you?” the swordmaster retorted, drawing his sword again, his killing intent palpable.
“If you want to meet Damian Haxen, you’ll have to get through me first.”
“I don’t usually enjoy picking on the weak, but… I suppose I have no choice,” Epsilon replied, summoning his power.
His body began to transform, turning a metallic silver and bulking up with muscle.
The swordmaster was taken aback. Epsilon’s true form, seen in Elfheim, had been a giant of metal and stone. Now, though larger, he wasn’t quite a giant, but the presence he exuded was overwhelming.
The swordmaster swallowed hard, feeling as if an invisible hand was pressing down on him. Even facing a duke-level demon like Bahel hadn’t been this intense.
Suddenly, Epsilon vanished, reappearing before the swordmaster in an instant. A chill ran down the swordmaster’s spine.
“I can’t waste time on someone like you,” Epsilon said, swinging his fist.
The swordmaster saw the attack coming but couldn’t dodge in time—it was too fast. A sense of impending doom enveloped him, his life flashing before his eyes.
Just before the blow landed, the swordmaster disappeared, and Epsilon’s fist struck the ground instead, shattering it with a thunderous crash. Epsilon pulled his fist from the ground, turning his gaze to where the swordmaster and a young man now stood.
“At last, we meet,” Epsilon said, addressing the young man with a formal bow. “It’s been a while, Damian.”
“Don’t pretend to be human, you undead,” Damian Haxen said with disdain. Epsilon showed no sign of offense.
“I apologize if I’ve upset you.”
“You dare attack the Empire with me here? Bold move.”
“I had no choice if I wanted to see you, Damian.”
Damian scrutinized Epsilon. Unlike in Elfheim, Epsilon now wielded true power, not dark magic. His aura was as ominous as, if not more than, Bahel’s.
“You’ve changed completely.”
“Thanks to my mother’s grace, I’ve gained new strength.”
Damian examined the energy emanating from Epsilon, recognizing it from somewhere. He asked bluntly, “Did you absorb the Demon King’s body?”
Epsilon’s eyes widened slightly. “Your insight is remarkable. Yes, I absorbed the Demon King, all thanks to my mother.”
The Demon King—an ancient being said to have once ruled the continent. Yet Damian focused on another revelation.
“So, Dorogo is at Mount Karon.”
The atmosphere shifted. The oppressive aura Epsilon exuded vanished, replaced by a sudden chill.
Epsilon’s eyes flickered, and he spoke with admiration, “To think you’re unfazed by the power of the Demon King.”
“Answer my question. Is Dorogo there?”
“Yes, my mother is there.”
Damian’s killing intent intensified, and sweat beaded on Epsilon’s forehead.
“Damian, I’m afraid you won’t reach her.”
“Do you plan to stop me?”
Epsilon spread his hands, and metal particles coalesced into a massive double-headed axe. Damian chuckled at the sight.
He opened a pocket dimension, retrieving his sword, Dawn. The blade trembled with excitement at being unsheathed after so long.
“Don’t worry. I’ll deal with you first…”
Epsilon moved, vanishing and reappearing right in front of Damian, swinging the axe with both hands. The weapon sliced through the air toward Damian.
“…!”
The speed was beyond expectation, and Damian was forced to block with Dawn, skidding backward and carving deep grooves in the ground.
Damian looked at Epsilon in shock. Epsilon, calm and composed, said, “I’ve absorbed the Demon King’s power and abilities. Even you, Damian, will find it hard to defeat me.”
Damian twisted his lips into a smirk. “You’re full of it.”
He charged again, Epsilon mirroring his movement. Their weapons clashed in mid-air, both recoiling from the impact.
They quickly regained control of their weapons, aiming for each other’s vital points. Their speed was such that the weapons seemed to vanish, replaced by a constant shower of sparks.
-Remember my words, Damian.
As they exchanged blows, Damian recalled the Emperor’s words before he’d rushed out upon hearing of the palace attack.
-This isn’t about taking credit.
-I used the palace’s treasures to heal you without reservation.
-Your body is stronger than before. It can handle your techniques.
In his battle with Bahel, Damian had pushed his body to the brink, using both the Nameless Qi Technique and the Five Rings Harmony Technique simultaneously, leaving him in ruins.
The Emperor must have known and offered his advice accordingly.
But there was one thing the Emperor didn’t know.
From his fight with Bahel, Damian had gained much, enough to create a new mana cultivation technique.
Anyone else would have called it madness, creating a new technique in such a short time.
Even if he had, it was untested and unstable—a suicidal move.
But Damian was different. He had the capability.
“Let’s see,” he murmured.
Drawing a deep breath, Damian channeled both magic and dark magic simultaneously. He also infused the divine power he had absorbed at dawn.
The technique known as “Full Bloom of the Heart.”
A tremendous force surged within him. Though his body cried out in pain, Damian ignored it and murmured softly.
“One Blossom.”
A shimmering haze enveloped Damian’s entire body.
Initially colorless, the haze gradually turned pink, scattering like petals in the wind.
With a powerful leap, Damian vanished as if he were a mere illusion.
“What…?”
Epsilon’s face twisted in confusion. In the next instant, petals danced before his eyes.
For a fleeting moment, Epsilon’s gaze was captivated by the petals.
Cutting through the petals, a swift strike descended. Epsilon’s body was cleaved in two.