Death and Darkness

Cien had suspected that there was a reasonable chance the Demon God had survived. However, upon confirming his suspicion, Cien hadn't yet thought of a way to escape the situation.

He was no longer able to fight, and the incarnation clearly harbored a grudge against him.

Cien could only draw one conclusion from the current situation.

"I'm going to die, huh."

Realizing this, Cien forced a stiff smile. However, he certainly didn't intend to go down without a fight. Even though his body couldn't move, it didn't mean he was entirely helpless.

As the Demon God leaped towards him from the center of the water vortex, wielding a dark sword, Cien shortened the Woodbelisk pillar, causing the Demon God's strike to miss its mark.

Frustrated, the Demon God then unleashed a dark bomb from its mouth, hurtling it quickly towards Cien.

Recognizing the danger, Cien reverted the Woodbelisk to its original form and spread the wings of his Abyss Raven cloak. He evaded by flying, watching the dark bomb enter the lake and explode with considerable force.

"Whoaa, you seem quite angry," mumbled Cien.

He then observed a dozen more dark spheres heading his way.

Although he couldn't physically move, he controlled the wings of the Cloak of the Abyss Raven with his mind, allowing him to easily evade every attack from the Demon God.

The problem now was one: his mana within the cloak had dwindled. Cien wasn't sure if he could fly for more than ten minutes with his current reserves.

In his current condition, unable to attack, cast spells, or manipulate elements, he felt he was merely delaying his impending death. Cien had run out of ideas to counter the incarnation.

Fortunately, about seven minutes later, just as Cien began to break out in a cold sweat, suddenly, large ice spikes appeared and attacked the Demon God, catching it off guard.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Hm?"

Cien, who witnessed this, then looked behind him and saw a woman flying rapidly atop an ice bird.

"Father!"

"Hahaha, she really came."

Cien laughed dryly. He didn't know whether to be thankful or not, as a parent, he didn't want his daughter to face danger. However, for some reason, Cien felt relieved seeing his daughter's face.

So relieved that his control over the cloak instantly released. His wings disappeared, and Cien began to plummet towards the lake.

He tried to change it back but couldn't. He realized that the mana within the Mana Core in the cloak was likely depleted.

Puk!

But instead of falling into the lake, Cien landed on something soft, like a mattress. When he looked behind him, he found himself atop a water bird.

"Thank you, Kiran."

"Father, are you okay?"

"Just out of mana. No excessive injuries. Kiran, be careful. Even though he's severely wounded, he's still strong."

Kiran nodded and then turned to the incarnation of the Demon God, who was currently shattering all the ice attacks against it.

Kiran could no longer sense the oppressive aura from the figure there. She concluded that the incarnation was now much weaker.

She couldn't help but wonder how her father had managed that battle.

Kiran smiled broadly. The Demon God in front of her was no longer a threat. She even felt that this incarnation was weaker than Azazel. Plus, Kiran wasn't alone!

Cien glanced to his side as two more people arrived atop two ice birds.

"Damn, aren't you two a bit too quick?" Cien asked as he saw the two newcomers.

Two individuals familiar to Cien. The Champion of Huntara, Signa Wayde, and the Blackwinter Hero, Jeanne the Amary Knight.

Jeanne, upon seeing Cien, immediately broke into a wide smile.

"Hehe, my aunt immediately instructed me to come and help after the Royal Decision was announced. I didn't expect to meet Mr. Millard here."

"Good to see you're okay, Jeanne."

Cien then turned to Signa, whose eyes were fixed on the Demon God.

The sudden decision of the Huntaran Kingdom to invade Farnodt had left Signa somewhat confused. But then he sensed some eerie auras and minor tremors.

Signa knew that something was amiss in the Farnodt Kingdom.

After receiving some information about the situation in Farnodt, Signa wasted no time and flew to Farnodt alone.

Along the way, he met Jeanne, who asked him to take her to Farnodt as well. That's why they were now in Marina. And what they saw when they arrived was beyond words.

Signa had protected the survivors who had fled Marina during the meteor strike. Afterward, he went to the Marina gate, met Kirana, and here they were, above a lake formed from the battle between two individuals.

Signa glanced at Cien Millard, a Shop Owner he had only met once, briefly.

He then looked at the injured demon on the other side. Even though it seemed severely wounded, Signa still sensed a power on par with a Demon General.

'How strong were they before they became this weak? It's quite terrifying.'

Thought Signa as he readied his Greatsword. Jeanne and Kirana prepared their Bluminous and Moonice, respectively.

The Demon God, upon seeing the three newcomers, frowned. It could sense the danger that Signa posed, given its current weakened state.

Kirana had already put it on alert, but Jeanne... it wondered why such a weak woman was involved. It almost felt like an insult.

But then, something unexpected happened again. Before the battle could commence, a small dimensional crack appeared beside the incarnation of the Demon God, shocking everyone present, including the Demon God itself.

A young man with black hair, red eyes, and two horns on his head emerged from the dimensional crack.

He wore luxurious clothing befitting a king. The young man had an expressionless demeanor, looking around at those present with boredom.

His gaze then fixed on Cien, and they exchanged looks for a moment before he turned to the Demon God.

"Failed, huh..."

He murmured, observing the Demon God in Kastia, realizing that it was just a small incarnation.

That meant his planned ritual had failed. He glanced at Cien again before appearing to contemplate with his expressionless face.

Those who saw the young man could only stand still. Not because they didn't want to move, but because the aura he emitted was comparable to the evil aura of the previous Demon God incarnation, as well as the deathly aura of Hela.

They felt paralyzed by an overwhelming sense of terror, everyone except Cien and the Demon God, who frowned at the young man's actions.

Cien had a suspicion about who this young man was.

"Let's go back," the young man ordered the incarnation, inviting it to pass through the dimensional crack he had created.

"Hey, you! How dare you command me?!" the Demon God exclaimed, feeling irritated.

The young man glanced briefly at the Demon God before furrowing his brow, as if he were looking at someone foolish.

"Are you an idiot?"

"Hah?!"

The young man then pointed towards Signa, "You might think that only Signa Wayde poses a threat right now, but that's a grave mistake."

He then pointed towards Kirana, "When under the moonlight, this woman is nearly unbeatable. No matter how strong you are."

He then pointed towards Jeanne, "She may be weak, but her weapon is deadly enough for you in your current weakened state. One thrust, and your incarnation will end."

Finally, he pointed at Cien, "An anomaly. He's from the realm of death. There are too many unpredictable factors about him. Though he appears the weakest right now, there's a possibility he's still the most dangerous person there. So, can you win? I sacrificed many lives just for a small incarnation. I won't let you die so easily. Whether you're a God or not."

Slash!

The young man then severed the Demon God's neck with his hand, holding the head of the Demon God, and let its body fall into the lake.

The young man knew that even though he decapitated it, the Demon God wouldn't die. Like Azazel, the Demon God could regenerate its body.

"YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU—"

"Quite noisy."

The young man remarked as he sealed the Demon God's mouth with darkness. He then turned to leave through the dimensional crack.

Signa, seeing this, wanted to stop his enemy from escaping, but he heard Cien's voice telling him to halt.

Cien then stared at the young man's back. "Wait, Demon King."

This made the young man pause and turn to face Cien.

Cien asked, "What's your plan?"

The Demon King didn't answer. He then looked at the sky, which was now free of dark clouds, revealing the beautiful twilight sun.

"Don't you think this world is boring?" the Demon King said, looking at Cien.

"Huh?"

The Demon King smiled, "For hundreds of years, life in the Abyss for demons has been so monotonous. But conflicts among humans outside the Abyss are quite entertaining. So... maybe I just want to play with all of you."

"Are you kidding?"

The Demon King shrugged his shoulders, "Who knows? What do you think, as a survivor from the realm of death? Would you like to play with me?"

Cien, looking at the bored expression of the Demon King, smiled and shook his head, "Is the game you're playing now enjoyable?"

"Hmm, not really. But the presence of one person makes it quite interesting. Because it makes the possibility of winning uncertain."

"That person is quite unfortunate."

"Perhaps. I hope he doesn't resign."

They exchanged glances again. After a while, the Demon King left with the head of the Demon God in his hand, waving to Cien and the others as the dimensional rift closed.

When the Demon King left and the oppressive aura disappeared, the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They then turned to Cien, astonished that he was completely unaffected by the terrifying figure they had witnessed.

"Sigh... this is going to be a very long game," Cien muttered, lamenting his fate.