Chapter — The Shikigami of Divine Shadow
The chapter begins exactly where the previous battle left off.
Kael Draven's devastating attack had already struck Soryu.
For a moment, Soryu's usual smile disappeared.
Then—
"Oh my God…"
His eyes widened as he looked at the destruction around him.
"Wow. This old man actually has some power."
Soryu looked at Kael and shouted,
"Hey, you crazy old bastard! Are you seriously trying to kill me?"
He dramatically grabbed his body.
"Mommy! My skin is burning from the heat of this attack! I think I'll have to use a powerful counterattack too!"
Soryu suddenly straightened his posture and took a proper battle stance.
His expression became serious.
"My strongest creature…"
He paused.
Then his expression immediately changed.
"…Just kidding."
His voice suddenly became louder.
"To defeat you, one of my loyal Shikigami is more than enough!"
Soryu raised one hand and slowly moved his fingers through the air.
A terrifying pressure suddenly appeared behind him.
"Akuryu—Crimson Dragon!"
BOOOOM!
A massive Shikigami emerged from behind Soryu.
Its body was covered in a brilliant golden aura, and its presence alone caused the entire battlefield to tremble.
The moment Akuryu appeared, Kael Draven's attack was completely nullified by its overwhelming aura.
A golden light spread across the entire battlefield, illuminating the destroyed arena.
But something even more shocking happened.
The destruction surrounding the battlefield began to repair itself.
Broken ground restored itself.
Cracks disappeared.
The injuries Kael Draven had suffered also began healing rapidly.
Kael looked at his restored body in disbelief.
Then he suddenly smiled.
"You idiot! You just made a huge mistake!"
He rushed toward Soryu.
"You healed me yourself! Now accept the consequences!"
Kael immediately attacked Akuryu first.
Soryu watched him calmly.
"Of course you attacked Akuryu first."
He smiled.
"I knew you would."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Soryu continued,
"You realized that if Akuryu heals me after you defeat me, all your efforts will be meaningless."
His smile became wider.
"That's exactly why I summoned this Shikigami."
Kael suddenly felt something was wrong.
Soryu raised one finger.
"You see, Akuryu has another ability."
"Anyone it heals can also be controlled by it."
Kael's expression changed.
Soryu laughed.
"And that's not all."
"Akuryu can also amplify the pain caused by the damage it heals—up to ten times."
Kael's smile disappeared.
Soryu pointed toward him.
"Which means…"
"You're going to have a very painful death today."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Impossible!"
His demonic aura exploded.
"A demon at my level could never be seriously injured by a beast like that!"
Soryu tilted his head.
"Oh? You think so?"
He casually moved one finger.
"Then take this."
Just a tiny movement.
That was all.
A sharp invisible force struck Kael.
SLASH!
A long cut suddenly appeared across his body.
Kael's eyes widened.
"AAAAAH!"
He staggered backward.
"What kind of attack is this?! My soul… my soul is being damaged!"
Soryu smiled.
"What did you think it was?"
Kael stared at Akuryu.
"What kind of beast is that?!"
Soryu laughed.
"It isn't a beast."
"It's my summoned Shikigami."
He pointed toward Akuryu.
"Its attacks can refine the souls of its targets."
Kael's face became pale.
"Soul… refinement?"
"Exactly."
Soryu smiled.
"But what's the point of knowing that now?"
His eyes became cold.
"You're going to die by my hands today."
Kael suddenly shouted,
"No! I'm not dying here!"
His demonic energy erupted once again.
"Soul Devouring Sword!"
A terrifying sword appeared in his hand.
Kael grinned.
"This is my favorite weapon."
He raised the sword.
"The Demon Lord Valtherion himself gave this to me."
Soryu looked at the sword with interest.
"Oh?"
He smiled.
"Then go ahead and use it."
Soryu spread his arms.
"I want to see just how powerful the weapon given by your Demon Lord really is."
His smile became provocative.
"If it can't even hurt me…"
He paused.
"…wouldn't that be an insult to your precious Demon Lord, Valtherion?"
Kael's expression darkened.
"Shut up!"
His killing intent exploded.
"How dare you insult my lord!"
He raised his sword.
"Take this!"
"One of my strongest attacks—Soul Devouring Sword: 100%!"
BOOOOOOM!
The entire atmosphere suddenly turned crimson.
The sky above the battlefield seemed to be dyed red.
The pressure became heavier and heavier.
Soryu's smile slowly disappeared.
He stared at the attack.
"Oh…"
A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Wow. This attack actually has some power."
He swallowed.
"Mommy…"
He started trembling.
"I'm scared."
Kael stared at him.
Soryu pointed at the incoming attack.
"If that hits me, I might actually die."
As the attack continued to grow, the surrounding atmosphere became heavier.
Soryu's expression became more nervous.
"Wait…"
His smile completely vanished.
"Why am I actually feeling scared now?"
He looked toward the sky.
"Demon Lord… forgive me."
He took a deep breath.
"I'm using your attack like a child playing with a toy."
Kael's eyes widened.
"What are you talking about?"
Soryu suddenly pointed forward.
"Here we go!"
"Soul Devouring Sword—SLASH!"
The massive crimson attack shot toward Soryu.
Soryu immediately shouted,
"Akuryu! Go!"
Akuryu moved forward.
Its golden body stood directly in front of Soryu.
BOOOOOOM!
The crimson attack and Akuryu collided.
The entire battlefield shook violently.
For several seconds, neither side moved.
Then—
Cracks began appearing across Akuryu's golden body.
Soryu's eyes widened.
"No…"
Akuryu slowly began disappearing.
The crimson attack was gradually consuming its body.
"No, no, no!"
Soryu's face became filled with panic.
"My Shikigami can't disappear this easily!"
He turned toward Kael.
"Hey! You're seriously making me angry now!"
Then he suddenly became terrified again.
"Last warning! If that attack hits me, I'm going to cry!"
He raised both hands.
"No! No! I'm going to die!"
"Help me, Akuryu!"
His voice became desperate.
"You can't leave me here! Who's going to save me now?!"
Soryu dropped to his knees dramatically.
"I don't want to die!"
"AAAAAH! Somebody help me!"
Kael stared at him in disbelief.
Soryu continued screaming.
"Uncle, please forgive me!"
"Stop that attack or I'll die!"
He suddenly shouted,
"I'm not even married yet!"
Kael's expression became strange.
Soryu continued,
"I wanted to have sixteen or seventeen children!"
He looked toward Kael.
"I can't die without even having sex and children!"
Kael's face twitched.
"What the hell is wrong with this guy?"
He looked at Soryu in complete disbelief.
"Who recruited such an idiot into their team?"
Soryu shouted,
"Hey, old man! Can you hear me?!"
"Don't you feel ashamed bullying a little kid like me?!"
He grabbed his head.
"Mommy! Why did I even come here?!"
Kael suddenly stopped.
Something felt strange.
"Wait…"
His eyes narrowed.
"Why do I feel like…"
The surrounding space suddenly became strangely quiet.
"…time itself has slowed down?"
Soryu's expression changed.
His terrified face disappeared.
A small smile appeared.
"Hmm…"
He looked at Kael.
"Uncle…"
"You finally noticed."
Kael's eyes widened.
He suddenly understood.
The space around them had been frozen.
Soryu had secretly manipulated the surrounding space while pretending to panic.
Kael's expression became serious.
"So that's what you've been doing…"
Soryu smiled.
"Now that you've figured it out…"
He shrugged.
"…why should I hide it anymore?"
Soryu raised his hand.
"Shinra Kage—Divine Shadow."
BOOM!
A mysterious Shikigami appeared beside him.
Its body looked almost ghost-like, covered in dark, distorted energy.
Its face was completely covered.
The moment it appeared, an eerie silence spread across the battlefield.
Soryu pointed toward Kael's attack.
"Go."
"Destroy that attack."
Shinra Kage immediately disappeared.
A moment later—
It appeared directly in front of the enormous crimson sword slash.
Soryu smiled.
"My attack isn't weak either."
The two Shikigami powers collided with Kael's ultimate attack.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The battlefield was engulfed by crimson and dark energy.
Both attacks began struggling against each other.
Kael clenched his teeth.
Soryu's smile returned.
"Let's see which one breaks first."
But then—
Suddenly…
Everything stopped.
The crimson attack froze.
Shinra Kage froze.
Even the surrounding space became completely silent.
Then an unknown energy appeared between the two attacks.
Without any effort…
It stopped both attacks simultaneously.
Soryu's smile disappeared.
Kael's eyes widened.
For the first time, both of them looked toward the same direction.
A mysterious voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Enough."
The chapter ends.