Chapter 136: Heresy
As I stepped closer, the demon who called himself Hyperion swung his sword several times—each swing summoning fiery orbs like shooting stars hurtling toward me. But—
"Late as always."
I dodged the fireball, closed the distance to the demon in an instant, and landed a backfist to its cheek.
"Ah—?!"
Hyperion crashed violently to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth.
Guh... damn it!
She reached out toward me, still sprawled on the ground, summoning a blast of flame that tried to burn me to ashes.
I dodged it without a problem, but this guy’s flames… they feel seriously dangerous.
"The guy’s got a unique skill—'Favor of the Flame Emperor.' It’s a well-known one. Boosts fire magic power significantly. Be careful."
Yeah, fire’s dangerous, I guess… but other than that, nothing much. Hyperion stands up, swinging a magic sword crackling with flames.
Ducked to the side—then slammed my left fist into the belly.
Gah!!
Hyperion writhed, collapsing right there on the spot.
"He's a close-combat type! Keep your distance!"
The woman says that, and starts gathering light in front of her chest. Weird sensation—like the space around her is warping. Maybe it’s just my imagination.
"——Judgment Time (JUDGMENT)!!"
The shockwave spread, but there was no real damage. I was just about to knock down Hyperion, who was struggling to get up, when——
"Wait... what?!"
Like a wall I couldn’t see before Hyperion, my fist hit something solid. The opponent didn’t hesitate—immediately shot back with fire magic.
I dodged it, then drew my sword and slashed again—but my blade just couldn’t reach, like there was an invisible wall. I stepped back, just for a moment.
"Know what that is, Lazus?"
『It's a unique skill called 【Judgment】. It lets me set the rules of battle. Those rules transcend logic—no one can break them.』
"Rules?"
『The strength of a demon god depends entirely on their unique skill. Don’t judge power by level or stats alone.』
Hyperion fully rose, shifting into battle stance.
『I set the rules. Victory will be decided solely by magic. Your fancy swordplay and hand-to-hand moves won’t work here.』
『Die!!!』
Hyperion unleashed a massive whirlwind of flames. I raised a light shield forged through Barrier Art—but—
"Ugh! Damn, that’s rough!"
Seizing the opening, I fired back with magic.
"Combined magic—Thunder God Annihilation—!!"
A lightning bolt wreathed in furious flames struck Hyperion. But it was swallowed by the surrounding inferno and vanished.
『Hmph! What’s wrong? Is that all?』
Hyperion sneered.
『His 【Imperial Favor of the Flame Emperor】 renders fire-based magic useless. You’ll have to use other types of magic to attack.』
No way… my magic’s blocked, and I can’t even use my fire spells… this is seriously stacked against me, isn’t it!?
『Seems like a pretty good matchup for me, don’t you think?』
"Isn’t that cheating?"
『Ora ora! What’s wrong? I’m a magic-focused demon god. You think you’ll win in a magic duel?』
Fire magic rained down in relentless bursts, detonating violently with every impact on the ground.
"Damn it. Light Magic—Radiant Meteor (Radious Meitia)—!!"
Countless beams of light strike Hyperion, but seem barely effective, thanks to his powerful magical barrier and armor.
"Dark Magic, Dark Bind (Dark Bind)!!"
My shadow stretches out, grabbing hold of Hyperion’s feet. But the flaming sword slices through it—my Dark Magic vanishes instantly.
"Man… this fire’s really something."
I press my hands to the ground, channeling magic. Was I worried the dungeon’s stone wouldn’t respond? No problem—works just fine.
I manipulate the rock, shaping it into a massive stone dragon. I slap on Enhancement Magic, boosting its hardness dramatically.
Then, I use Thunder Magic to summon a lightning dragon, drawing moisture from the air to transform it into a water dragon, then freezing it into an ice dragon.
Three dragons appear before Hyperion.
"Come on… one of these has to work."
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What the hell is this guy…? How many types of magic can he even use!? Only the Demon God King should be able to wield all elements.
Is he near that level? No way… could he really… use every element?
The three dragons my opponent commands charge in. The crystal dragon made from the dungeon’s core opens its jaws wide, ready to crush me.
I try to counter with a fire blast—but it’s useless. The Enhancement Magic makes it too strong to destroy. I leap upward to dodge the crystal dragon—
Then the lightning dragon charges, making sharp, right-angle turns at terrifying speed.
I try to block with fire—but it cuts right through my flames, slamming straight into my barrier. The force knocks me backward, hard.
‘Damn it!’
I barely regain my balance, lunging at him—then a freezing dragon appears above me.
Ice, right? Should be weak to fire. I throw fireballs, over and over. The ice dragon’s scales—icy plates—fly out, wrapped in flames.
I intercept them with fire magic, but one pierces through the barrier, slicing my cheek.
A trickle of blood. Then sweat bursts out.
Look—just a moment ago, I melted that ice dragon, yet it’s already back to its original form. Three dragons stand before me now.
‘What the hell is this guy?!’
Me, being pushed back like this… impossible. I’d heard rumors once, long ago, that Hybris had wounded the Demon God King. But no one believed it.
Of course not. How could a human wound our “Wang,” who wields absolute power? But if that rumor were true… Hybris must’ve been impossibly strong.
And this man… beat even Hybris? So his strength surpasses even our “Demon Generals”?...
‘Pull yourself together, Hyperion! I can’t help you while I’m using my abilities. Finish that lowly human quickly!’
‘Who the hell do you think you are, giving orders like that?! He’s not that easy to—’
Wait… what’s this?! Something’s clinging to me… red, thin… thread?
‘What is… this?!’
Temis notices too, seeing me tense up.
‘What?! Something’s on my whole body!’
I yank at the threads—won’t come loose. They appear out of nowhere, from the space around me, crawling inside my flesh.
What the hell is this disgusting thing!? Some kind of attack! I’ll burn it all to ashes!!
I unleash flames around me, trying to incinerate everything. The fire swirls upward, forming a massive pillar that devours the red threads.
How’s that!?
The flames die down—but not a single scratch on the red threads. Worse, they multiply, burrowing deeper into my body. A nameless dread creeps into my mind.
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"What the hell are you doing? That guy..."
They’re attacking something invisible... No, wait—because of the red mist, it’s hard to see. But something red is clinging to their bodies.
What the hell is that!?
"Damn it! Is this your doing!?"
"No, I didn’t do anything."
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Thin, capillary-like veins spread out around the Demon God King. Their faces turn pale, blood draining away.
Their skin shrivels, drying up—limbs stiffen, then stop moving altogether.
"...Ah... mmm... good..."
Wait—what was that!? Did I just hear something?
The Demon God King collapses into the form of an old man, dead. His body crumbles apart, armor disintegrating into dust, vanishing into the red mist.
"...Been a while since I had a proper meal..."
The voice is unmistakable. Clear. Someone’s here... but I can’t see them. I back up, scanning the area, tense.
"Hey, Lazus! There’s someone nearby. You know why the Demon God King just dropped dead?"
I turn to look at Lazus. His face is stone-cold.
"Knew this would happen... I was afraid of it."
"What do you mean?"
"...The Demon God King was originally human. Evolved by the Demon God King himself—gained power beyond human limits, but still not a monster. So he doesn’t have a ‘demon core.’ Meaning... he can’t be tamed."
I didn’t get what Lazus was trying to say.
‘—But there was one being, not human, but evolved from a monster into a Demon God. That Demon God was said to be the strongest among all Demon Gods, second only to the Demon God King.’
‘…What the hell are you talking about?’
Lazus ignored my words and kept going.
‘That Demon God eventually grew arrogant, believing it deserved to stand at the peak of all Demon Gods, and challenged the Demon God King to battle.’
The cave, which should’ve had no wind, suddenly stirred. The red mist began to move.
‘The arrogant Demon God was defeated before the Demon God King, but even the Demon God King couldn’t kill it completely—so he sealed it away in this “Dimensional Labyrinth.”’
The red mist scattered through the cave began to gather, carried by an invisible wind, swirling into a vortex.
‘You just asked me a moment ago, “Where’s the monster?” But you should’ve seen it all along.’
‘…No way… That red mist…!?”
“Hostile Detection” screamed in my head. A terrifying wave of magic poured out.
‘HYAAAH-HAHAHAHAHA!!!’
The red mist started forming a shape.
Closer look—human face… then slowly, a full upper body. The grotesque form, upon inspection—
Agalirepto
Vampire · Demon God Species Lv8876
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