CHAPTER 49 - UNCANNY POWER

The silence in the arena was palpable, a heavy tension hanging in the air. The three demons stood face to face, an unspoken challenge burning in their eyes, none daring to look away. 

Atrox, his hunger for victory evident, seized the initiative. His wings, unlike the fleshy or feathered appendages of others, were crafted solely from bones. Although he couldn't fly, these wings lent him unmatched versatility. With a clenched fist encased in dense bone, he charged towards Bliss. 

Bliss, recognizing the threat but unable to match Atrox's sheer speed, was forced to rely on his teleportation skill to evade. Yet, Diablo wasn't one to sit idly; a colossal beam of crimson energy erupted from his forehead, aimed squarely at Bliss, who had just reappeared on the other side of the arena.

Bliss was forced to erect a spatial shield due to the speed of the attack. Bliss had learnt a few tricks over the past month and realized his spatial shields could be a lot more versatile. Due to this, instead of a normal hexagonal transparent shield that he normally produced, his shield now had a curved surface. 

Diablo's attack ricocheted off it with incredible force, heading straight back towards Atrox.

Atrox, caught off guard, attempted to shield himself with his bone-like wings. However, the sheer power of the attack tore through his defenses, sending him tumbling across the arena floor.

Meanwhile Bliss was using every ounce of his focus trying to maintain the spatial shield that had visible cracks already chipping away. 

To no surprise the blast eventually tore through Bliss's shield but before he could be affected he had already teleported away. 

Bliss, free from immediate danger, sighed with relief. But his sense of security was short-lived. He suddenly felt a vice-like grip on his hand. He turned to see Diablo's massive form hurtling towards him, a thunderous fist poised for a crushing blow.

In a fraction of a second, Bliss summoned a series of miniature spatial shields, desperately trying to slow down the impending strike or at least mitigate the damage. Teleporting away wasn't an option with Diablo holding onto him, as it would only bring the demon lord along.

Despite his best efforts, the relentless momentum of Diablo's punch shattered each of the miniature shields, one by one. The shields disintegrated with resounding crashes, unable to withstand the overwhelming force of the punch.

With the power from his massive body Diablo landed a fist so powerful that the entire divine shield around the arena gained a spider web like design due to the cracks from the aftershock of the attack. 

The devastating strike struck Bliss, sending him hurtling through the air, his face a grotesque mosaic of blood and pain. Yet, the ordeal was far from over.

Mid-air, Bliss found himself once again in the clutches of Atrox, who had since recovered from Diablo's previous assault. With a powerful kick, Atrox sent Bliss hurtling towards Diablo's ascending fist.

Together, Diablo and Atrox treated Bliss like a hapless ragdoll, mercilessly battering him back and forth. The crowd, which had cheered with excitement earlier, now watched in hushed shock as Bliss was subjected to a brutal pummeling.

The crowd grew quieter and quieter as the thrashing became more and more violent. Bliss's state was worsening by the second but Diablo and Atrox showed no mercy, each attack more savage than the last. 

Diablo wasn't a savage but he was a firm believer in duties and responsibilities. If he allowed Bliss to take over the demon race without a proper trial it would only breed distrust and insubordination later on. Afterall, it was well documented of the few leaders who took charge without a proper trial and almost always the demon lord was stabbed in the back. 

Diablo understood that the good nature of demons now was only a result of recently overcoming the hardships of survival and soon the demons would revert to their former ways of scheming and fighting for power. If Bliss became their Demon Lord without a proper trial it would only breed turmoil. 

Regardless, Diablo never expected Bliss to be this far subpar. For a prospective Demon Lord, if this was his standard he was nowhere near ready. In fact, Diablo knew that among the original demons he was still among the weakest, for Bliss to struggle against him and Atrox was very telling of their future. The risk alone was enough for Diablo to ensure that Bliss did not pass. 

Bliss teetered on the brink of consciousness, his attempts to use teleportation thwarted by the searing agony and relentless onslaught.. 

"I knew our God MorningStar would never let a nobody become our demon Lord!"

Atrox was the one to break the silence of the beating. He had no ill will towards Bliss but he found him very prudent to accept the trial of the Demon Lord. He himself planned to take the trail after he had fully recovered and lead the demons to a new era of dominance. But Bliss was an outsider, who despite his helpfulness would never understand what they had all gone through over the years. 

Bliss sensed the escalating aggression and realized his life was genuinely in peril. With no other recourse, he activated the active skills of all his armor pieces simultaneously.

Bliss was flying towards Atrox when a bright glare from his armor enveloped the arena again. Instantly Bliss with his mangled body appeared in front of Atrox and made a powerful downward kick. 

The sheer power of the kick generated a crescent moon-shaped shockwave that split the arena floor.

Atrox, struck by the devastating blow, plummeted towards the ground like a meteor. His impact left a massive crater and a billowing cloud of dust and debris. 

Diablo, momentarily taken aback by the sudden turn of events, was forced to retreat as the dust enveloped the arena. But as he attempted to move, a black, clawed hand emerged from the cloud, seizing his face. 

Diablo struggled to counter, but before he could react, a claw moved at an unimaginable speed, piercing him straight through. The force of the attack sent Diablo hurtling backward, driving him to one knee as he clutched the gaping hole in his abdomen.

Bliss, observing the aftermath of his counterattack, checked his armor's active skills. As expected, their usage had dropped to zero.

Diablo looked down and smirked, feeling like he had underestimated Bliss. This was exactly what he wanted, a Demon Lord that could take on any enemy. Seeing this display a sense of competition welled up deep within him as he wanted to show the enter demon race the magnificence of their soon to be demon lord. 

Diablo stood up, spitting out a mouth full of blood as his hand glowed in a red hue and his wound cauterized. 

Meanwhile Atrox laid in the creator smiling, feeling like even after taking a full force attack he was still fine. A ball of bones broke from around Atrox as he stood up and looked at Bliss standing in the center of the arena again. 

'This time… I won't hold back!'

Both Diablo and Atrox thought in unison.