Episode 342: The Final Battle (1)

As soon as Damian unsheathed Erebus, the Four Demon Lords sprang into action.

Their bodies began to swell rapidly, transforming into hulking figures that seemed to combine the mass of several humans.

But it wasn’t just their size that changed. Their bodies turned to metal, became covered in scales, or sprouted jellyfish-like tendrils.

The true forms of the Four Demon Lords were monstrous, not human. Their original bodies were those of demons or dragons.

Yet, what Damian saw now was different. They were still monstrous, but their appearances were more human-like.

This change was undoubtedly due to absorbing the body of a great demon.

“Why are you all hesitating? We need to offer him to Mother quickly!”

Iota was the first to move among the Four Demon Lords.

Originally, Iota’s true form was that of a massive dragon. But not anymore.

Now, he was a giant, as if three humans had been combined, with dragon scales and claws protruding. He looked every bit the part of a dragonkin.

“I’ll pay you back for everything you’ve done to me right here and now!”

Iota opened his mouth wide, gathering a fiery red blaze in his throat.

At that moment, a symbol appeared on Iota’s forehead. It was the power of Wrath.

The power of Wrath amplified anything it touched. Simple, yet immensely powerful.

As soon as the power manifested, the flames in Iota’s mouth swelled dramatically, then surged toward Damian.

It was like a dam bursting, releasing a tidal wave of fire that threatened to engulf everything.

To withstand such a powerful breath attack, Damian had no choice but to push himself to the limit.

He focused his magic into Erebus, enveloping it in a pitch-black aura blade.

He swung Erebus at the oncoming wave of fire. In that instant, a slash erupted from the ground, cleaving the wave in two.

It was as if a black wall had split the fiery tide. The red wave parted.

Damian retrieved Erebus, which had reached into the sky. At that moment, a blue bolt of lightning struck down from above.

It wasn’t a natural lightning bolt. It carried an ominous power.

Damian leaped away, just as the lightning struck where he had been standing.

The bolt exploded, sending a storm of electricity that obliterated everything around it.

Damian looked up to the sky. A figure with a massive, cloud-like head was staring down at him.

When Lambda pointed a finger at Damian, the energy he released transformed into electricity.

The blue lightning filled the sky, converging into a single point before striking down at Damian.

This time, it wasn’t just one bolt. They came in rapid succession. Damian dodged the lightning, moving swiftly.

‘They’re both formidable opponents.’

Both were skilled enough not to be underestimated. If the battle continued like this, it wouldn’t end well for Damian.

“Damian Haxen! Why are you just running away?”

Iota began gathering flames again. In the sky, Lambda summoned more lightning.

‘This is troublesome.’

Facing the Four Demon Lords wasn’t the real issue. The problem was Dolgo.

Damian’s body couldn’t withstand the full power of the Mindflower Technique right now.

Using it against the Four Demon Lords would leave him vulnerable when facing Dolgo.

But this wasn’t the time to hold back.

‘I’ll use it just once.’

Damian activated the Mindflower Technique. His entire body surged with magic, filling him with immense power.

“One Flower.”

Damian vanished.

In an instant, he closed the distance to Iota. Iota was caught off guard by Damian’s sudden appearance.

“Wha—how is he so fast…?”

Damian’s hands moved. The sacred sword and Erebus struck simultaneously.

The two blades unleashed countless slashes, cutting into Iota’s body from all angles.

But.

No blood flowed. Not even a scratch appeared.

It was because of the symbol that appeared on Iota’s body.

The power of Gluttony.

The power that absorbed everything had devoured all of Damian’s slashes.

“Annoying.”

Before the words were even finished, the symbol flashed.

The slashes absorbed by the power of Gluttony were released back at Damian. He leaped back to avoid them.

“Iota, how many times have I told you to coordinate with me?”

Epsilon stood beside Iota, chiding him. Iota shrugged it off, brushing himself off.

“I was counting on you.”

“Don’t flatter me.”

Iota placed a hand on Epsilon’s shoulder. A symbol of Wrath appeared on Epsilon’s forehead.

“This time, let’s finish him.”

“We can’t kill him. Mother wants Damian Haxen captured alive.”

Iota and Epsilon moved in unison.

The power of Wrath amplified their speed. Their movements became a blur.

Iota charged in, swinging his fists wildly. Damian parried the blows with his twin swords.

Suddenly, Iota dropped flat to the ground. Epsilon swung a massive axe in tandem.

Damian crossed his swords, deflecting the axe, and slashed at Epsilon’s side.

But Epsilon’s body remained unscathed. Once again, the power of Gluttony absorbed the attack.

“I didn’t expect that power to be so troublesome.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Before the words were even finished, Iota closed in again. He unleashed a barrage of punches to crush Damian.

Damian dodged all of Iota’s attacks, slicing at his body, but once again, the power of Gluttony absorbed them.

Then, a sharp sound assaulted Damian’s ears.

No, it wasn’t just his ears. Damian’s entire body was vibrating.

‘Sita…!’

Damian realized instinctively. It was Sita’s sonic attack.

But it was strange. Damian’s body was protected by the Mindflower Technique. Even if Sita was skilled with sound, it shouldn’t have been able to shake him.

‘The power of Greed… you’ve gained Insight!’

With Insight, one could analyze and see through anything. Figuring out how to disrupt Damian’s body was easy.

Iota and Epsilon didn’t miss the opening Damian showed.

“Damian! We’ll finish this now!”

Iota’s axe glowed with the powers of Gluttony and Wrath.

Iota swung the axe at Damian Haxen. The slashes absorbed by Gluttony were unleashed.

The released slashes were further amplified by the power of Wrath.

A storm of slashes engulfed Damian.

---

The ground, after the storm had passed, was etched with countless wounds.

Amidst it all, Damian Haxen lay, bloodied and fallen.

“I knew you’d withstand it.”

Epsilon looked down at Damian Haxen, impressed.

Damian Haxen glared at Epsilon with eyes full of defiance.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been intimidating, but not now. Who fears a dying enemy?

“Kahahaha! You fool! This is what happens when you challenge us with such pitiful strength!”

Iota pressed his foot down on Damian Haxen’s chest.

“Cough.”

Damian Haxen spat blood from his mouth. Iota’s expression grew even more satisfied.

“Iota, step back.”

It was Sita.

At Sita’s words, Iota looked puzzled.

“Why so harsh? After all we’ve suffered at his hands, can’t we at least vent a little?”

“Step back… didn’t I tell you?”

Sita’s voice dropped. Iota, bewildered, removed his foot.

“Damn it… why is it always me?”

“Lambda, let’s move Damian Haxen. We need to present him to Mother.”

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

Lambda descended from the sky. Using dark magic, he lifted Damian Haxen’s body into the air.

Then, Lambda paused, examining Damian Haxen with a puzzled expression.

“This is… impossible… it can’t be… it can’t be…”

“Lambda, what’s with you now? Stop messing around and bring him over.”

Iota spoke in an irritated tone, likely venting his frustration from Sita’s earlier reprimand.

“This is… not him! Damian Haxen… isn’t him!”

“What nonsense are you… Gah!”

Suddenly, a blade protruded from Iota’s chest.

“Gah! Gah!”

Iota coughed up blood, turning to see Damian Haxen standing behind him, sword embedded in his back.

“That’s one down.”

Damian Haxen swung his other sword, severing Iota’s head.

“Iota!”

Epsilon, panicked, charged at Damian Haxen.

Damian Haxen extended his palm toward Epsilon. A symbol appeared on his hand.

The power of Gluttony, manifested by Damian Haxen, unleashed the stored slashes. Countless slashes flew toward Epsilon.

“This… this is…! The slashes I released…!”

Epsilon immediately activated the power of Devour, reabsorbing the slash that Demian had unleashed.

“Looks like you can only use it in one direction,” came Demian Haxen’s voice from behind. Epsilon turned his head in surprise.

But before he could react, Demian’s sword had already sliced through Epsilon’s neck. Epsilon’s head hit the ground.

“How… how is this possible?” Epsilon’s severed head shouted, his face a mask of shock.

Despite being decapitated, Epsilon was still alive, thanks to the formidable vitality of a Demon King.

“How did you manage to mimic the power of Devour?” he demanded.

“I watched and learned,” Demian replied nonchalantly, leaving Epsilon dumbfounded.

“That’s impossible! The power you inherited is just a fraction! You can’t possibly—”

“Really? It worked when I tried,” Demian interrupted casually. Epsilon was at a loss for words.

“Same goes for that clone. I just copied what that fat one did,” Demian said, pointing to his own body lying at Lambda’s feet.

He had used the power of Jealousy to alter his magic and create a clone, inspired by watching Lambda do the same.

“That’s… impossible… it’s not that simple…” Lambda stammered, disbelief etched on his face. Demian shrugged, as if bored.

“Maybe for you guys.”

The powers Demian had inherited from the Demon King weren’t particularly impressive. But Demian’s talent was beyond ordinary, allowing him to fully exploit even the slightest power.

“Aren’t you curious why I’m chatting away like this?” Demian asked suddenly.

“What are you—ugh!” Lambda’s question was cut short as Demian appeared in front of him, kicking him in the stomach.

In an instant, Demian had his sword at the throats of both Lambda and Sita.

“Don’t move. Or I’ll slice your souls apart,” he warned, his voice icy. Sita and Lambda froze, their bodies rigid with fear.

“Dorgo! Are you just going to watch them die?” Demian shouted at the sky.

The air shimmered, and Dorgo appeared, glaring at Demian with a face twisted in anger.

“You should’ve just surrendered quietly,” Dorgo said.

“I don’t do favors for the likes of you,” Demian retorted, slashing at Sita and Lambda’s legs. They screamed and collapsed to the ground.

“Don’t even think about running. I’ll kill everyone here if you do.”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of running,” Dorgo replied, gathering her strength. Her entire body seemed to pulse with power.

“I plan to capture you myself.”

“How flattering,” Demian said with a twisted smile.

Despite his expression, Demian was calmly assessing his own condition.

“I’ve used my power, but the internal damage isn’t too severe,” he thought.

The reason Demian resorted to trickery against the Four Demon Lords was because of Dorgo. If he pushed his power to the limit, he could kill them instantly. But then he wouldn’t be able to fight Dorgo. His body was too fragile to withstand such power.

So he had to conserve his strength against the Four Demon Lords.

“What a tangled web of fate,” Demian mused, activating his power.

He seized all the surrounding magic and the energy emitted by the Four Demon Lords, absorbing it all. He transformed it with the power of Jealousy. Dark magic and divine energy swirled within him.

“Let’s end this here,” Demian declared, channeling all the energy into one. He pushed his power to the extreme.

Energy exploded. His body ignited. His soul trembled.

Within Demian, flowers began to bloom. Not one or two, but countless, beyond any number.

“Floral Spring,” he whispered.

The world was awash with blooming flowers.