Chapter 148: The Demon King is a child

I don’t even have time to mourn Flora’s death.

“[Spiritual Advance]” I use another skill when it activates, and I’m practically instantly in front of the monster, striking with my sword.

I hear the clink of the blow and notice that the monster is holding four swords and was able to effortlessly hold back my strike.

’Where did those blades come from?’ I don’t have time to think about it, so I keep striking at high speed while the monster blocks all the blows.

’Does this thing know fencing? How…’ This just complicates things, I dodge a blow by inclining my body down while Oliver throws the shield again, completely destroying the monster’s head.

But even without a head, the monster continues its attacks, showing that it doesn’t need that part.

I pull back, and in sequence, Yuri and Zion attack together, forming a giant fire arrow. The fire element seems to be the most suitable to stop this thing’s regeneration.

Even though it’s hit, this thing regenerates easily, soon several tentacles made of this black sludge advance to hit me.

I try to dodge, but I’m held in place, and when I look down, I see those tentacles have infiltrated the ground and are holding me.

Oliver advances and protects me from the attack while Amanda approaches Yuri to shelter in the barrier as she begins to chant a long spell.

’Amanda will use [Heaven’s Fall]…it might work, I need to buy time.’ The monster’s weapon has changed and is now a giant axe. The monster advances, striking Oliver’s shield, which causes the entire ground around us to shatter.

Suddenly, that thing speaks.

“[Black Prison] [Dark Cut] [Dark Lance] [Ice Beam Zero] [Divide]”

“!!!” That thing just chanted 5 spells at once, using the extra mouths to speak the incantation for 5 different spells. I and Oliver are trapped by black chains while a barrage of spells hits Oliver’s shield, causing it to crack.

’Impossible!’ This shield is a grade 7 item, it wasn’t supposed to be so easy to damage.

I break the chains and advance, using the incident to temporarily conceal myself while I cut the monster’s body into pieces.

“EVERYONE, DON’T LET HIM REGENERATE!” I continue cutting without stopping while Yuri uses another ice magic, focusing only on the monster, making that black sludge freeze.

Soon I hear the ice cracking while everything goes dark. I look momentarily at the sky and see a giant axe, practically a castle-sized structure.

“[Frenesis]” I use another skill, setting my body on fire as I jump up.

“[Frarentei]” A giant flaming slash is formed, splitting the dark axe into pieces, but soon I see that thing flying a little above me.

That thing starts to fall, plummeting from the sky above me. I defend with my sword while that thing accelerates, trying to make me hit the ground with great force.

However, the monster is shredded by several arrows. Zion, an exceptional archer, managed to hit only the monster.

I fall to the ground, but it’s not strong enough to hurt me.

I regain my combat stance and look for the monster. A column of flames is formed on my back, protecting me from several hands of darkness.

Yuri just protected me from an attack.

’What abnormal concealment…I can’t even feel the mana of this thing.’ I look at the monster and see that the sludge on the ground has formed many giant dark hands that are stopping all the arrows that Zion is shooting.

“Oliver, it’s up to you.” Oliver activates two skills and quickly advances, destroying everything in a straight line, shredding both the monster and the hands.

’This is going nowhere, why doesn’t this thing die?’ This is totally different from sludge-type monsters.

Even though it doesn’t have a core, it’s still abnormal to be alive after being shattered so many times. This monster never loses its smile, as if it knows it has complete control of the situation.

“Amanda, how much longer?”

“Just 2 more minutes, Roan. Can you hold this thing?” Amanda responds while asking.

“Of course.” Everyone is tense. We lost Flora, which causes 20% of our attacking force to disappear in one fell swoop.

And this thing doesn’t seem to have any conventional weaknesses that monsters of this type usually have.

I and Oliver continue the attack while Zion and Yuri focus on providing support.

The monster has now changed its approach to dealing with me and is using a single sword and mimicking me.

’It’s mocking me…but why is the entire focus on me?’ I don’t understand what this monster sees in me that it can’t stop looking at me for a moment.

Soon, several magic circles are formed around the monster, and the monster begins to fire dozens of different spells, destroying the entire area we’re in.

Soon, a large magic circle is formed in the sky, and everything turns white. I start taking absurd damage as my armor begins to break.

’Yuri’s attack…’ I approach Oliver, who manages to block the attack.

“Oliver, did you notice that?” Since this thing is using Yuri’s attack, it won’t be able to leave the spot while performing the attack.

“Yes…I noticed, and it’s not just with Yuri. This thing is replicating everything we do.”

It’s not literally our attacks, it’s just something similar, but it still has the same effect.

“Why do you think it’s doing this?”

“…Maybe it’s seeking revenge? We’ve been pushing this thing hard, and now it’s doing the same to us.”

“How humiliating, we’re losing to a mere beast.” I say angrily, because of this thing, Flora is no longer alive.

Soon Oliver coughs up blood while everything around us trembles. I see the monster attacking Oliver with Flora’s martial art, which generates enormous shockwaves throughout the environment.

“HOW!!!” Yuri can’t move while performing this mana attack, but the monster can move. I advance to attack the monster and push it away from Oliver.

Due to the monster’s mana attack, I can’t have the support of the other team members. The monster hides in the glare, disappearing from my field of vision.

“Oliver, are you okay?” I see the damage caused. The front of Oliver’s armor has a huge hole, and blood is flowing.

’A bite? Did this thing bite him…’ In the area of the injury, there is a clear bite mark along with that black sludge.

“…Roan…I think this is the end for me…” Oliver says as he falls to his knees on the ground, still holding the shield pointed upwards to protect us from the attack.

“What are you talking about? Amanda can heal this, man…don’t give up like this, you have your daughter to take care of, remember?” I say as I try to get a better look at the injury.

“This thing…is inside my body…I feel it destroying my body from the inside…take off my armor.” I remove Oliver’s armor plate, and I see a black trail under his skin.

This thing moves and writhes under his body in a gruesome sight, and Oliver is also very pale.

Soon, several holes begin to appear on Oliver’s body as darkness spikes pierce his body from the inside out.

“…” I look sadly at my companion, who has suffered this brutal and grotesque death.

Soon the mana attack stops, and everything becomes visible again.

I see the monster a few meters away, laughing cruelly at Oliver. Quickly, Oliver’s body disintegrates into a black liquid, leaving only the shield and armor behind.

“YOU CURSED MONSTER!” Two companions have been killed in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything.

Tears of rage flow down my face.

“[Raikirintare]” The entire sky is covered in storm clouds as several lightning bolts fall on the monster, which doesn’t seem to care about the electric current running through its body.

“ROAN, I’M DONE!” Amanda shouts, drawing the monster’s attention. Soon, a barrier forms around the monster, trapping it.

At the same time, everything inside the barrier turns golden. This is the [Heaven’s Fall] attack, a sacred element spell that traps the target and releases a powerful sacred element attack inside the barrier.

An agonizing sound comes from inside the barrier, a shrill and uncomfortable tone that gives me chills.

It doesn’t sound like a scream of pain, it’s something more bizarre with a sickly tone.

I go to Amanda, who is near Yuri and Zion.

“Oliver is dead…” They all have a look of sadness. Oliver, although he didn’t speak much, was a nice and kind guy. He was an ex-templar who decided to become an adventurer. Our team always knew that death was inevitable in this field, but the loss of comrades is still something we can’t help but be saddened by.

“G-Guys,” Amanda says with fear, looking frightened at the barrier.

“…L-Lie” I see 7 of those things looking at us with a distorted smile.

“H-How is this possible?” We couldn’t even deal with one, how are there 7 of them.

“I figured it out,” Yuri says as one of her relics glows.

“Guys, it’s not 7, it’s just 1. The body is just extending beneath the ground.” The monster momentarily loses its smile and has a disappointed look, and the 7 become 1 again.

’The fear? Is that it? This thing wants to scare us? It’s just playing with our psychology?’ This is the answer I come to. This sadistic monster is not seeking revenge, it’s just playing with us like a child.

’All this power…just a child?’ Monsters in their true form tend to lose intelligence and revert to their primitive state, but not all of them are like that.

In other words, the monster will act based on what it is, and based on its age.

If this monster acts this way, it’s because it’s a child.

“King…Demon?” They all look at me when I say that. The only answer for a monster with all these characteristics that has shown and is a child is that this being is the Demon King.

The current Demon King is a monster, and also a child.

“Roan…is this the Demon King?…” Soon all the pieces fit together, that’s why this thing has such a bizarre aura.

“…” The monster looks at me angrily, soon we are all trapped in a completely dark place, nothing is visible, and I feel weaker.

We are all grasped by the darkness and imprisoned, we are all too tired to resist.

’This thing could have finished us off whenever it wanted…’ Despair hits me, soon my companions begin to be abused by shadow monsters while the Demon King approaches me.

The Demon King grabs my head and forces me to observe my companions being abused by shadow monsters, while my mouth is constrained by the shadows.

“You shouldn’t have ruined the fun,” the Demon King says, watching my companions with amusement in its eyes.

“Don’t worry, human, I’ll take very good care of your companions.” The shadows in this place seem to infiltrate my companions’ bodies, and they no longer react.

So I’m forced to watch this scene for hours, feeling only hatred, disgust, and revulsion. I can’t do anything while my companions are being abused.

After hours, the Demon King seems to get bored, so the monsters devour my companions.

“Mother, thank you for the gift.” The monster suddenly expresses gratitude.

“Now I don’t think I need you anymore, so enjoy the last vision you’ll have, after all, this is the last vision you’ll carry for eternity…I hope it’s a good taste.” The monster says as it begins to shred my body and devour me, ignoring my screams.

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