—–

Just as the student imitated the master, the master also imitated the student, learning valuable lessons by seeing things from a fresh perspective.

In this moment, Hue Xian employed the powerful techniques she had learned from Anna, even if only indirectly.

“{Perpetual Cycle of Harmony Blade Arts}: {Heavenly Myriad Blades}!”

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

“GRUUUAAAAGGGHH?!”

Centurion screamed in horror and agony as countless slashing wounds suddenly covered his entire body, glowing brightly with golden light. At the same time, all six of his weapons…

Crack, crack…!

CRASH!

Shattered into pieces one after another, leaving him with nothing but his fists.

That didn’t matter much to him in the long run.

“GRRRAAAAHH!”

With a furious demonic roar, Centurion’s fists surged toward the Heavenly Empress. His Demonic Battle Aura merged with his body, increasing his size by thirty percent and granting him even larger muscles and greater physical power.

At the same time, demonic tribal tattoos began appearing across his red skin. He galloped forward as swiftly as a demonic horse, his tail splitting at the tip into five heads that resembled a hydra.

“{Infernal Chimera Onslaught}!”

As he activated yet another Demonic Skill, his body moved instinctively to compensate for his lack of refined technique. The high level of the skill boosted the power and speed of every attack.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

“Nnnggh…?!”

The Heavenly Empress was rapidly overwhelmed. She was constantly pushed back until she and the demon crashed into the burning floor beneath them, shattering it and creating a massive crater.

CRAAASH!

“Y-YOU’RE SO DAMN TOUGH!”

“OUR HANDS…!”

“THIS IS RIDICULOUS…”

Centurion complained as he glanced at his own hands. They were bleeding profusely, their skin torn away to expose the bones beneath.

Indeed, the Heavenly Empress’s armor was immensely tough above all else.

“I crafted it with the desire to survive above everything else… It seems my abilities responded by making the armor as resilient as possible. Its toughness increases based on the amount of kinetic force the force fields absorb. The more damage you deal, the harder it becomes.”

“FUCK OFF!!!”

“WE DON’T CARE!”

“WE’LL BEAT YOU WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE!”

Centurion roared with all his might. As a Demon General, he stood a league above the Death Apostles. His raw physical strength and durability were akin to those of a Constellation, though he lacked their cosmic abilities.

However, he wielded Demonic Power and its upgraded form…

Infernal Power!

RUMBLE!

Infernal Energy surged from Centurion as he powered up in that instant. His tattoos grew larger, covering nearly his entire body with runes and flames made of black ink.

The Heavenly Empress merged both of her swords into a longer katana while imbuing it with her very Soul Aura.

“Demons are incredibly resilient beings, but I’ve learned they have a fatal weakness: their souls.”

Her powers concentrated even further into her sword as Centurion roared and charged toward her like a mad horse, galloping at lightning speed.

“Unlike Constellations, whose souls are usually well protected, Demons rely solely on their bodies for defense… As long as I can reach his soul…”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“RAAAAHHHH!”

“I should be able to do it!”

Her eyes shone bright gold through her helmet as her mechanical armor moved faster than her own body could, elevating her to an even higher realm of physical prowess.

“{Perpetual Cycle of Harmony Blade Arts}: {Heavenly Myriad Blades Echo}!”

As she raised her sword to meet the Demon’s full-body assault, her mind was suddenly flooded with countless memories.

Of her love.

Of her son.

Of her new daughter.

Of her disciples and her world.

Of hope.

And of… despair.

The pain of the world, the happiness of the world.

The hope of the people, which became her strength.

And now, their pain, agony, and despair, which also fueled her power.

She condensed it all together, and for a moment, as she moved her sword upward, Hue Xian could swear she saw him.

A dark silhouette with sharp red eyes, gazing at her from behind Centurion’s back.

“You can do it, Hue Xian.”

She shed a tear, her resolve burning with unbreakable willpower.

“My beautiful white lotus.”

“{Heavenly Boundless Ascension}!”

SLAAASH!

“AH…?!”

A single, blindingly bright slash of her blade.

That was all it took.

RUMBLE!

A ray of light split the sky apart, and the entire Demonic Domain trembled, suddenly growing weaker.

At the same time…

“A-AH…!”

“W-WHA…?!”

“AAAUGH…?!”

Centurion’s vision split in two, and then…

CRAAASH!

His entire body collapsed into two halves, burning with golden and black flames that slowly faded into ashes.

Hue Xian’s helmet opened to reveal her face, her eyes filled with sorrow.

The silhouette she had seen was nowhere to be found.

She couldn’t tell if it had been merely her imagination or truly his spirit.

“Thank you for cheering for me… My love.”

Her gaze shifted to Lucifer, who was battling all of Anna’s demons. He wasn’t truly struggling, but the constant interruptions prevented him from healing completely. The demons were buying as much time for her as they could.

Then she looked toward the skies at her son, who was fighting a mighty demon. For a moment, she considered helping, but…

“Leave this to me, Mother!”

She heard her son’s telepathic message directly in her mind.

Hue Xian was slightly surprised but realized it was one of the many powers he had been born with.

“Song? Are you sure? But…!”

“No, this is a challenge I must overcome on my own! I need this…! I’ve had so little time to train. I need to use my powers and put myself in danger to grow… I’m sorry, but please, go help the demons fighting that monster! I’ll be fine… I promise you!”

She fell silent for a moment. The boy brimmed with willpower, and his recklessness reminded her so much of his father. He had definitely inherited his spirit.

“You’re the precious gift he gave me… I don’t want to lose you.”

Hue Xian closed her eyes and began walking toward Lucifer instead of aiding her son, despite her words.

“But I also want to trust you. My son, you hold immense power. Face your fears, overcome them, and grow stronger. The future of Bestia depends on it.”

“Yes, Mother!”

Song smiled as he faced the monstrous praying mantis-like demon. The creature possessed four giant scythes, a big-eyed insectoid head, pointed antennae, and an immensely powerful, blazing aura.

“GRAAAAHHH! WHAT ARE YOU GETTING DISTRACTED BY, DAMN KID?!”

Despite his loud and shrill voice, this demon had lived for hundreds of thousands of years. He was a powerful Demon General serving Lucifer directly and commanded five thousand demonic battalions used to invade other worlds through Apocalypses.

Each world conquered by the demons strengthened Lucifer and the other Demonic Thrones, while the Generals grew more powerful, with a chance to gain Cosmic Power and ascend to the thrones themselves.

However, with seventy-two Generals in total, the competition was fierce. Every Demon General fought for supremacy. Even those ranked lower were immensely strong, as only the strongest of the strong could survive in such conditions.

“YOU’RE TOO SLOW, KID!”

Song struggled to keep up with the Four-Bladed Warrior of the General of the Burning Battalion: Morax. The demon general’s rapid and precise attacks were immensely powerful. They carried intense flames that burned through Song’s Heavenly Ki with ease, sometimes outright negating his techniques.

“{Infernal Shredder}!”

By activating the skill, Morax overwhelmed Song, who was shielding himself with white armor—an imperfect imitation of his parents’ Heavenly Imperial Armament Creation.

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

Crack, crack…!

CRASH!

His armor shattered, and he vomited blood. He realized Morax had narrowly missed slicing his stomach in two.

“Are you sure you’re in the same caliber as that bird who killed Centurion? Because I just don’t think you are, brat! GYAHAHAHAHA!”

Morax mocked him, fueling Song’s growing fury.

He was already recognizing his many shortcomings: he lacked experience and advanced techniques.

He hadn’t even developed his own techniques yet!

In that moment, he felt like a frog in a well, unable to grasp how vast the world truly was or how powerful these monsters were compared to him.

He had assumed that, with his innate powers, he could face them easily.

He was wrong.

“WELL, NOW! TIME TO DIE!”

Song gritted his beak, his eyes shining brightly.

If he lacked experience, he would simply have to improvise.

Morax’s sharp blades rushed toward Song to finish him off.

And in that moment…

FLAAASH!

“HUH?!”

A giant copy of Morax materialized out of metal and light, counterattacking with all four of its scythes.

“What the…?!”

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

The giant praying mantis was pushed back, forced to retreat in surprise as he beheld the crude imitation of himself.

“What is this shitty thing?! You thought you could just recreate me as some sort of golem?!”

“I’m still figuring things out, you know?”

Song smirked, wiping the blood from his beak while standing atop the shoulder of this “copy.”

“But as my father once said… If you can’t overcome a foe through sheer power, use every little trick you’ve got to fuck ‘em over.”

“DAMN… BRAT! I’LL SLICE YOU UP REAL GOOD!!!”

Morax grew furious. His blazing aura erupted and shattered the ground as he charged toward Song.

It was time for Song to step into the next realm.

Not through experience, nor even technique.

But through improvisation, recklessness, and the inherited willpower of his father.

He thought he could do it.

No, he had to.

There was no other way.

“Surpass your limits right here, right now, son.”

He could swear he heard his father’s voice behind him, filling Song with burning resolve.

CRAAASH!

—–

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep