Episode 336: The Demon King (2)
A sharp pain sliced through his body.
A diagonal cut ran from his left shoulder to his right hip, and hot blood gushed out as if cheering its release.
Epsilon stared in shock at the blood spraying into the air.
He hadn’t even seen Damian Haxen approach, let alone swing his sword.
It was only after the wound was inflicted that he realized he had been struck.
There was no time to tend to the injury. Damian Haxen was already preparing for a second strike.
“Ugh!”
In a panic, Epsilon swung his axe at Damian Haxen.
The horizontal swing aimed to cleave Damian’s neck.
But just before the axe could connect, Damian’s afterimage stretched and slipped past Epsilon’s side.
In the next instant, blood erupted again. A deep gash had appeared on his side.
“Argh!”
Epsilon groaned, trying to pursue Damian, but he had already vanished.
Epsilon was left in disbelief.
He had absorbed not only the powers but also the body of the Demon King.
Granted, it wasn’t the full power of the Demon King in his prime—he had only absorbed the corpse.
But still, a Demon King was a Demon King.
In ancient times, the Demon King commanded dukes of demons as mere subordinates, an unrivaled sovereign.
Yet even with such a transcendent body, Epsilon was being outmatched by Damian Haxen.
“Incredible…!”
This opponent was no pushover. Epsilon realized he had to give it his all. He unleashed the hidden reserves of his power.
Energy surged through his veins, filling his entire body. He felt his senses sharpen to a razor’s edge.
With heightened awareness, he could perceive more—every sensation of the air against his skin, every vibration of sound.
To his side.
Epsilon turned his head and saw Damian Haxen charging at him.
He could clearly see the horizontal slash coming his way.
Epsilon tensed his limbs, and the energy coursing through him exploded.
He brought his axe down on Damian, intercepting the strike.
Damian swung his sword again, and once more, Epsilon parried with his axe.
“I’ve caught up!”
Epsilon exclaimed with satisfaction, raising his axe high.
This time, he would split Damian’s head.
He drew even more power, his muscles writhing like living creatures.
With all his might, he brought the axe down.
The overwhelming force displaced the air around them, sending a gale through the surroundings.
The axe descended like a thunderbolt, aiming to crush Damian’s skull.
At that moment, Damian muttered something briefly.
“Two Blossoms.”
The haze surrounding Damian thickened.
In the next moment, Epsilon’s arm vanished.
It had been severed from the left shoulder, and the dismembered arm, along with the axe, flew high into the sky.
“…?”
At first, Epsilon couldn’t comprehend what had happened.
It was only much later that he realized Damian had cut his arm off at a speed beyond his perception.
“This can’t be…”
Epsilon looked at Damian in disbelief.
Damian had already retrieved his sword and assumed a stance.
He lowered his sword, bending his waist, ready to spring forward at any moment.
A sense of foreboding struck Epsilon’s mind. And sure enough, his fears became reality.
Once again, Damian Haxen disappeared. Slashes rained down from all directions.
His body was being sliced apart, swaying like a reed in a storm. Blood splattered endlessly onto the ground.
Even amidst the pain, Epsilon desperately tried to track Damian’s movements.
But all he could see were petal-like afterimages.
He couldn’t even catch the afterimages. As time passed, his wounds only multiplied.
If this continued, he would die.
The fear of death began to rise from his toes. Instinctively, Epsilon activated the power of Devour.
He opened his remaining right hand, and a sigil of Devour appeared on his palm. The sigil began to suck in the surrounding air.
The suction was so powerful that even the clouds in the sky were drawn in.
As soon as he judged that he had absorbed enough air, Epsilon released it.
A deafening explosion erupted.
The release of air blew everything away, carving a massive crater as if a meteor had struck.
“Huff, huff.”
Epsilon panted heavily. The hasty use of his power had drained him significantly.
But he couldn’t afford to rest. He scanned the area, searching for Damian Haxen.
And there, in the distance, stood Damian, unscathed.
“How did you avoid that?”
He couldn’t help but ask.
The time between absorbing and releasing the air was incredibly short. There shouldn’t have been enough time to evade.
“I just widened the distance and came back.”
Damian replied nonchalantly, and Epsilon could only let out a bitter laugh.
“More importantly, how can you use the power of Devour?”
Damian asked in a displeased tone.
It was understandable. The power of Devour originally belonged to Damian Haxen.
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ve absorbed all the powers and abilities of the Demon King.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I hold the Demon King’s power.”
“The power your mother implanted in you is only a fraction. Most of it remained in the Demon King’s corpse.”
Epsilon had inherited more powers than Damian.
In terms of powers, Epsilon had a clear advantage over Damian.
Not just in output, but in versatility as well.
“So don’t expect to be able to do what I can show you.”
“Bold words for someone on the brink of death.”
Damian taunted.
Epsilon was indeed in a dire state. His body was battered, and he had lost an arm.
“These wounds can be healed quickly.”
Epsilon placed his remaining hand on the ground, activating the power of Devour to absorb the earth.
The ground began to sink.
It wasn’t an illusion. The entire field where the capital stood was gradually lowering.
Soon, Epsilon’s body began to regenerate rapidly, and even his severed arm grew back. In the blink of an eye, he was whole again.
Damian watched with interest.
“So you can use your original abilities as well as the Demon King’s powers?”
Originally, Epsilon had been created using the corpse of a long-extinct giant.
That giant had the ability to manipulate minerals at will.
Epsilon had just absorbed a large amount of earth, transformed it into metal, and used it to restore his body.
“As long as there’s ground, I’m practically immortal.”
Epsilon declared confidently, trying to pressure Damian Haxen.
“Is that so? Then this time, I’ll sever your head in one stroke, so you can’t regenerate.”
But Damian Haxen showed no sign of intimidation. Instead, his killing intent grew even more intense.
“…”
Epsilon felt himself shrink back.
Even after absorbing the Demon King, he wasn’t confident he could defeat Damian Haxen.
Suddenly, his mother’s advice came to mind. Dorgo had repeatedly warned Epsilon and Iota to avoid confrontation.
His mother was right.
Damian Haxen was not someone to be trifled with. They needed to be fully prepared and certain of victory before engaging him.
“To be lost in thought with me in front of you. You’ve got some nerve.”
Damian Haxen’s killing intent sharpened further. Epsilon felt a chill run down his spine.
“Hahaha! I’ve found it! I’ve located it!”
At that moment, a voice boomed from above.
Iota’s laughter echoed from the sky.
Simultaneously, Iota descended from the heavens, diving toward the royal palace.
With a thunderous crash, the palace was destroyed. The sound of the earth shattering followed.
Soon after, Iota soared back into the sky, holding Sita in his arms.
“Epsilon! I’ve rescued Sita!”
Iota shouted excitedly.
“Are we leaving now? But wouldn’t it be a waste?”
Iota looked down at Damian Haxen from above. Damian glared back at him.
“Why not capture Damian Haxen here and now? That would solve Mother’s worries!”
Epsilon felt a twinge of temptation at those words.
He hadn’t revealed all his cards yet. With Iota joining in, they might have a chance.
As Epsilon calculated in his mind, Damian Haxen muttered quietly.
“So there was another one.”
Epsilon felt a chill at those words.
Epsilon spread his energy in all directions, trying to conceal Iota’s presence.
However, Demian Haxen had already sensed Iota’s existence.
The fact that he still chose to engage in battle with Epsilon meant he was confident he could defeat them both.
“Iota! Withdraw immediately!” Epsilon commanded.
He pulled a crystal, about the size of a fist, from his cloak.
With all his might, he hurled the crystal to the ground. It shattered, sending a beam of purple light shooting skyward.
Soon, the sky began to twist.
The twisting quickly transformed into a vortex, its center darkening ominously.
From within, someone emerged.
The figure was completely shrouded in a robe, making it impossible to discern their identity. Even their hands were hidden beneath long sleeves.
Inside the robe, darkness pooled, with two fiery eyes glowing from within.
At the sight of the mysterious figure, a smirk twisted Demian Haxen’s lips.
“Well, this saves me the trouble of hunting you down,” he muttered with a mocking grin.
“Dorgo, it’s disgustingly delightful to see you again.”