The demon king didn't feel especially intimidated by the new information he had.
Even if his enemy had defeated more heroes than him, Aku knew that some heroes were stronger than others.
Perhaps Bīng Xuě had simply gotten luckier than him. It didn't necessarily mean he was that much stronger.
However, Aku had to admit that the ability to create taboos was genuinely annoying.
Up until now, Aku had depended on his subspace to defeat the other heroes.
His treasury was his only real arsenal.
Sure, he still had some abilities, but these paled in comparison to what they were when Aku was the demon king.
For that very reason he had to be careful, since he didn't have the advantage that had allowed him to beat the other heroes.
"Alright, I suppose the chit-chat ends here. Time to fight!" the hero said with a laughing smile as he began expelling an intense blue aura.
The plants began to freeze. The air turned dense and cold.
The temperature dropped sharply, but Aku reacted quickly.
He first grabbed one of the weapons he had summoned earlier, which was now stuck in the ground.
It was a long spear with a metal blade at the tip.
Its handle was somewhat worn, however it seemed sturdy enough to stay in one piece.
Aku took the spear and threw it with speed. The weapon pierced through the air rapidly as sparks flew from its tip.
Bīng Xuě raised his hand, creating an ice sword which he used to deflect the spear.
However the moment the sword's edge clashed against the spear's blade, a great explosion burst out.
Several bolts launched electrical currents in all directions.
Bīng Xuě felt several bolts hit him, however, it didn't slow him down in the slightest.
Aku had pulled two more swords from the ground while using the essence of chaos to his advantage.
Employing his randomness manipulation he made the heat from the entire area concentrate around him, seeking to counteract the cold induced by Bīng Xuě's aura.
Meanwhile Bīng Xuě launched himself at Aku, as if those bolts hadn't left a scratch on him.
With force he made a downward slash at Aku, who blocked it with his two swords and deflected the force of the blow to one side.
As he did, Aku spun on himself to land a cut at Bīng Xuě, who with a sword planted in the ground had no choice but to create an ice shield on his forearm and use it to protect himself.
However the sword had the ability to increase its mass. Right as he brought it down, Aku made it weigh several hundred tons.
Bīng Xuě's shield shattered into hundreds of pieces, however, the hero's arm suffered no damage whatsoever.
Still, Bīng Xuě's body was knocked to the ground by the blow, and he had to roll across the ground to get away.
As he did, he created a large volley of ice stakes.
However, Aku acted quickly.
The moment the ice construction was created it was pulverized, turning to ice dust.
Aku had used his randomness manipulation to concentrate a large part of the air's kinetic energy and transmit it as vibration in a specific zone.
The demon king created vibrations at the same frequency as the ice construction, forcing a resonance phenomenon that pulverized the ice in an instant.
Without hesitating a second, Aku threw his sword at his enemy, making it much heavier.
Bīng Xuě kept rolling until he hit a tree, while the weapon crashed into the ground beside him, shattering it to pieces.
Bīng Xuě didn't even flinch. He used his arm to get to his feet quickly and then turned toward Aku.
"Nothing com—"
Aku didn't let him finish. He quickly launched a downward slash with his sword.
Bīng Xuě dodged it swiftly by stepping aside, and with speed grabbed the arm Aku was holding the sword with, while with his other hand delivered a palm strike to his jaw.
The demon king was disoriented for a second, dropping the sword. As he did, Bīng Xuě took the opportunity to twist his arm and strike him in the solar plexus.
Aku shot away at great speed, crashing through several trees from the force of the blow.
"Tch, next time don't interrupt me. So rude," the hero complained as he stretched his neck. "I think it's time to end this. [Frost Coffin]."
The boy said. As he did, several blue marks began to glow on Aku's body.
On his cheek, arm, jaw, and solar plexus.
Exactly the places where Bīng Xuě had touched him.
In that instant, frost stars bloomed over the marks, spreading across his entire body like a razor-sharp cage.
"A shame. I would have liked to keep fighting, but I suppose if you act that desperate it's not fun," the boy commented as he sighed and turned away.
Had the demon king been defeated?