The source of even greater power had been cut off. No longer could he surpass the power that fate has given. Even worse was the terrifying revelation, that the human he was forced to be against, was the only one who defeated the being that he exalted as the strongest one. There’s no going back. The inevitable failure will come, and his destruction assured. Zahekam knew that he will meet his demise soon.

  The demon who was sore afraid attempted to destroy the barrier caging him. He desperately moved in every direction to see if there’s a weak point to exploit. However, his demonic heart knew that there’s no hope once he was faced against an absolute being. A powerful human feared by his kind was his opponent. He wanted to deny the reality, but truly, he was the unluckiest demon during that time.

  Meanwhile, while Zahekam was in chaos, Kael was observing. He noticed that although Zahekam was moving everywhere, the demon never got near him at all. He was reminded of the demon king, who was just as fearful of him. He felt at that time that the past happened again, which brought back something that saddened him for a moment.

  He suddenly remembered the betrayal of the four rulers. He didn’t like what he was thinking. In his mind, somewhere in the future, that same betrayal will happen again. But realizing that what had happened was so long ago, he determined that the rulers were long dead and he was just thinking of something implausible. He shook his head, removing his gloomy thought, then, he put his mind back to his opponent.

  “Give up, you will never get out of here”, Kael said. Zahekam acted as if he didn’t hear what Kael said.

  Seeing that the demon didn’t listen to him, Kael made the barrier smaller, forcing the demon to get closer to him.

  Zahekam panicked even more. His desperate struggle became even more pronounced, but even with all his power, the barrier remained unbroken. He felt that his opponent could reach him without moving from position. The space inside the barrier felt way smaller compared to its real size.

  “You’re as pathetic as your king”, Kael said. “There’s no redeeming your kind”

  Zahekam was exhausted from his attempts by the time he heard those words. He felt Kael’s hatred of demons, which was the only thing that Kael ever showed them.

  “Leave me, I beg of you”, Zahekam pleaded. He lowered his head, hoping that what he did would soften Kael’s heart. However, Kael had a different reaction. Kael was angered by what he saw.

  It was just as before when he was Lucien. The demon king begged him to be kind. But, when he softened his heart back then, he was almost defeated by the demon king. From that experience, he learned that demons will become demons no matter what. Letting himself fall for a second time is not an option.

  [Speed Boost]

  Zahekam raised his head to look at Kael. Kael was not in front of him, but there’s a breeze of wind passing. Suddenly, his right arm fell on the ground, and as he looked at it, his eye caught Kael, already behind him. Kael’s sword shattered, and the realization kicked in.

  “Wait!”, Zahekam pleaded, immediately jumping to the other side. Kael became more terrifying than before.

  “Do you think you can fool me?”, Kael asked, glaring at the terrified demon.

  “No! I want to surrender. Like you said, this is my defeat!”

  [Speed Boost]

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Kael wouldn’t hear Zahekam’s pleadings. The demon’s left arm was pierced by Kael’s arm, and was forced to be separated from the demon’s body.

  “Is that your final words?”, Kael asked.

  [Dark Wall]

  Zahekam shielded himself from Kael, but the dark wall he created was immediately destroyed. He fell on the ground, despair consuming his heart, the powerful demon that he thought he was, was no more.

  “No, I don’t want to die. I must live, I must live!”, Zahekam kept muttering to himself while Kael was walking towards him.

  “This is the end”

  [Inferno]

  A torrent of blazing fire consumed Zahekam’s body, as well as his immediate vicinity. The great fire was so strong that it destroyed Kael’s barrier, and consumed the veil of darkness up above. For a moment, the whole town witnessed the bright flames consuming the sky, illuminating every corners of the streets. The people became terrified, thinking it was the end for them, but for those who knew, it was a message of hope. The demon invasion finally ended, and the nightmare was finished.

  After the flames dissipated, the true night sky appeared, and the brightness of the full moon was seen at last. Several people went on and finished the remaining demons, while others were still too afraid to get out of their hiding places. It wouldn’t take long after everyone will realize that the chaos was over, the demons are no more.

  Kael took Zahekam’s demonic heart, and decided to rest for awhile. His fight against Zahekam was indeed one-sided, but the battle still drained most of his mana. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened it again, he said the spell to restore his mana vessel. However, what he heard interrupted what he intended to do.

  The people of the town were not aware that they were so close to destruction, but Kael was made aware of the looming danger.

  Not even a minute passed, when Kael got his hand on Zahekam’s demonic heart, that he heard an applause from a distance. It was getting nearer to where he was, so he looked for where it was coming from. He saw a person walking towards him.

  “Just like my king predicted, you’re going to return”, the figure said.

  It was not the figure’s appearance that terrified Kael. It was the power he felt coming from the figure. He clearly felt it, the power of the demon king coming from the figure. It was merely a fraction of the demon king’s power, but it’s the demon king’s power nonetheless. With his current strength, which was drained by his fight against Zahekam, he didn’t stand a chance. Disaster will strike the moment the figure decided to make a move.

  “Who are you?”, Kael asked.

  “My name is of no concern for you, but I could say that I’m one of my king’s great hands”, the figure stated.

  Kael didn’t know what to do. If he was to start the fight, there’s a chance for a surprise attack. However, the difference in strength means that if he was intercepted, he would instantly lose. The situation was against him, and he was desperate to find a way to solve it. But then, he remembered what he did before. It’s the best option, so he wagered on it.

  “Are you here for this heart?”, Kael asked, showing Zahekam’s demonic heart.

  “You will not give that to me will you?”, the demon said. Kael nodded.

  “You know what you should do to get it”, Kael taunted.

  The figure became silent after hearing Kael’s words. He looked at the demonic heart, and then he looked at the human holding it. His silence was excruciating for Kael. After what felt like eternity, the figure spoke again.

  “This day is not the last, and I will be disrespectful for my king if I dare”, the figure said. “It is my duty to be my king’s servant, but as for you, you deserve to be my king’s prey”

  Kael swallowed the lump in his throat.

  “Well then, farewell… Lucien”

  With that the figure disappeared, which relieved Kael’s worry. But another problem arosed from the figure’s appearance. The demon king was revealed to be alive.