As Wrath reached out toward the Leader of the White Blood Religion, Rimmer stepped forward.
"Ugh…"
Despite being crushed by the immense pressure between the Transcendents' auras, Rimmer did not bend his knees.
"I have something to ask you."
He stood proudly in front of Wrath, a thin trickle of blood running from his lips.
"Child."
"Child?"
"Speak."
Wrath nodded, indicating for him to go ahead if he had something to say.
"When you killed Orgoth…"
"Orgoth?"
"The one you said wielded crude demonic energy. Did you see a young human at that time? Blonde hair, red eyes."
Despite being flustered by the term "child," Rimmer described Raon's appearance, seizing the opportunity.
"He had a longsword and a dagger, both black."
Sheryl approached Rimmer, alleviating his burden by adding details about the weapons.
The two wore urgent expressions, indicating they needed the Demon King's assistance.
-Hmm…
Raon bit his lip as he observed the desperate eyes of Rimmer and Sheryl. He wanted to tell them not to worry and to leave, but he couldn't bring himself to say it for their sake.
-Wrath.
'I am aware.'
Wrath slowly turned his gaze to meet Rimmer's and Sheryl's eyes.
"I only dealt with the insect wielding that demonic energy. There were other humans within the barrier, but I did not touch them."
He waved his hand, indicating for them to step aside.
"They could have fallen into a dimensional rift or been thrown somewhere else."
-Well done.
Wrath put on the best act he could. It would be odd if the Demon King, who even Transcendents feared, took an interest in a mere human Master.
"Thank you."
Rimmer and Sheryl nodded to Wrath and stepped back.
"Strange."
But the Demonblade wasn't convinced.
"I smell Raon."
Merlin, who seemed to have become a bloodhound from constant shape-shifting, sniffed around Wrath's vicinity.
He seemed to be tracking by scent somehow.
"He must be nearby…"
"Hmm."
Wrath trembled at the sight of Merlin's eyes, which turned from red to blue. He seemed to still fear Merlin's obsession.
-Now is not the time for this, Wrath.
'I know.'
Wrath nodded and turned his gaze to the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"How long are you going to keep me waiting?"
"…"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion raised her hands in silence. Transparent energy began to gather above her palms.
Though it looked like beautiful droplets of water, it contained a level of bloody energy far beyond anything seen before. Flickering heat waves arose around it.
"Hmph."
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance did not step forward but rather retreated, observing with an amused smile. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Whoooosh!
Wrath spread the energy of frost with his fingers. The icy aura drew geometric patterns on the ground, glowing softly.
Step.
Wrath stepped forward on the glowing patterns. Even before the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, he did not lose his dignity.
He lowered his hands and raised his chin as if daring them to come at him. He was indeed showing the majesty of a king.
Raon, watching the situation from behind Wrath, swallowed dryly.
-I must learn something.
The Leader of the White Blood Religion's aura was stronger than before, and the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance was an expert swordmaster comparable to Glenn.
Even if Wrath were pushed back, a closely matched battle would ensue, so Raon had to at least learn something and return.
"You're quite arrogant to come to someone else's land."
The Leader of the White Blood Religion twisted her lips and spread her hands shoulder-width apart. The concentrated bloody energy formed a blade and floated like a sword.
"You talk too much."
Wrath flicked his hand calmly. His Willpower embraced the wind, pushing back Rimmer, Sheryl, Merlin, and the martial artists around him.
With a simple gesture, he pushed back Grandmasters and Transcendents with a refined technique.
"Huh…"
"So, it wasn't just brute strength."
"This is the Demon King…"
The Thespian Emperor, Demon Slaying Spear, and Queen of Swords frowned as they felt Wrath's aura.
"You'll pay dearly for slapping me. I'll kill you!"
The Demonblade, with a cold glint in his eyes, vowed to repay the two slaps.
"You're all so cowardly. If you won't come to me…"
Wrath steadied his trembling fingers, still shaken by Merlin, and smiled.
"I'll come to you."
With those words, Wrath's body turned into light. He reappeared before the Demonblade as soon as he manifested, extending his hand.
Ziiiing!
The chilling energy of the Devildom targeted the Demonblade's neck.
"Ugh!"
But the Demonblade had risen above Orgoth's level to become a Transcendent.
Reacting to Wrath's attack, he immediately created a barrier of black flames that collided with Wrath's hand.
Crack!
The frost mist surrounding Wrath's hand completely froze the Demonblade's aura and penetrated the blade.
"What the…"
The Demonblade quickly retreated, scattering the black flames gathered on his sword.
"Begone."
Wrath commanded the surging black flames, which then dispersed without burning a single thread of his clothing.
"Unbelievable…"
The Demonblade trembled, repeating Orgoth's words with his jaw clenched.
"Impossible!"
With fear and disbelief in his eyes, he thrust his sword into the sky.
Black flames roared from the blade, surrounding Wrath with hundreds of beams of scorching light. Each flame contained the supreme martial power of a Transcendent strike.
"Pathetic."
Wrath sneered and waved his hand as if swatting a fly. The frost waves from his hand spread out in a semicircle, freezing all of the Demonblade's flames.
The frozen black flames trapped within the blue ice exuded a chilling beauty.
Crash!
The frozen flames shattered, and the Demonblade's expression crumbled along with them.
Thud!
As the white frost rose from the ground, Wrath stepped forward, appearing behind the Demonblade and grabbing his arm.
Rip!
The Demonblade's arm was torn off, spraying red blood into the air.
"Aaahhhh!"
"You must be desperate to die if you're so careless in front of me."
Wrath discarded the Demonblade's arm and bared his white teeth in a grin.
-Ha…
Raon exhaled deeply.
-So, this is how you use true cold.
He had never thought of freezing flames, but Wrath was demonstrating it right before his eyes. Now he understood why Wrath always emphasized the importance of imagery and imagination.
But the battle wasn't over yet, and the opponents weren't just the Demonblade.
Whoooosh!
The Leader of the White Blood Religion seized the moment when her vision was obscured by the frost and launched a blade of bloody energy at Wrath.
Her lips moved rapidly, and the blade split into thousands, wrapping around Wrath.
Ziiiing!
The bloody blades pierced through Wrath's frost and dug into him. It was a display of the true martial arts and sorcery of a Transcendent.
Whoooosh!
As the Leader of the White Blood Religion recited her incantation at high speed, the bloody blades in the sky descended upon Wrath.
They moved in perfect synchronization, leaving no space to dodge.
"Impressive."
Wrath smiled at the transparent blades rushing towards him.
"But…"
As he swept his hand through the air as if touching a bead, frost gathered and expanded, mimicking the bloody blades' transformation and soaring like a tidal wave.
Clang!
The collision of frost and blood shook the night sky with a terrifying roar.
"Ugh…"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion winced at the frosty aura, but Wrath, still composed, observed her with unwavering eyes and pushed off the ground with his left foot.
As space folded horizontally, the Leader of the White Blood Religion's startled eyes appeared before Wrath's grasp.
"Parasite."
As Wrath reached for the Leader of the White Blood Religion's ebony hair, a chilling presence emerged from his right blind spot.
'Finally, you've come.'
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, who had retreated to avoid the fight, now thrust his sword amidst the chaos.
Crack!
There was no time to turn around. Wrath quickly conjured his Willpower. The fusion of will and demonic energy created a massive wall of frost from the ground, blocking the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's attack.
Clang!
But the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword, enveloped only in murderous intent, sliced through the ice wall and launched a second strike.
Wrath extended both hands. With his left hand, he pulled the Leader of the White Blood Religion towards him; with his right, he pushed away the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's strike with demonic energy.
As the wave of frost spread, the Leader of the White Blood Religion's body was drawn in, and the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's attack was repelled.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion, taking advantage of the situation, reached out with her bloody hand. The icy, bloody hand aimed for Wrath's chest.
Ziiiing!
Wrath's hand glided along the outer curve of a crescent moon. He deftly diverted her attack and bound her body and soul with chains of frost.
Simultaneously, he forced the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's strike into the ground.
Crack!
Wrath defended against the attacks of both Transcendents and countered. However, neither the Leader of the White Blood Religion nor the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance were ordinary Transcendents.
Ziiiing!
The Leader of the White Blood Religion ignited a bloody flame over her entire body, breaking the chains of frost, while the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance moved to a position untouched by Wrath's cold, swinging his black sword enveloped in white frost.
Wrath stepped into the Leader of the White Blood Religion's defensive range without loosening his vigilance against the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
"Damn it!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion quickly regained her composure and kicked. Her leg strike was so fast it reached Wrath's chest before he could even take a breath.
Crack!
Wrath's hand enveloped in translucent frost caught her shin. The clash of bloody and frosty energies produced intense sparks.
Ziiiing!
Even amid the sparks that devoured the flesh of a Transcendent, Wrath's hand extended toward the Leader of the White Blood Religion's neck. Just as he was about to grab her, the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword came thrusting in, as if waiting for this moment.
Whoooosh!
Wrath released the Leader of the White Blood Religion's leg and raised his left hand while lowering his right, forming a gesture as if holding a bead. Blue frost gathered in his hand, distorting space.
Crack!
Space distorted, causing the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword, aimed at Wrath's heart, to miss, while the Leader of the White Blood Religion's fist struck the ground.
Wrath's punch, delivered from the warped space, smashed into the Leader of the White Blood Religion's face.
Thud!
Although she conjured a bloody shield, Wrath's fist shattered it and struck her head.
"Huh?"
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance looked at the distorted space and laughed hollowly.
"You indeed deserve the title of Demon King."
He nodded, observing his black sword, which had gathered frost.
"This damn demon!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion ground her teeth, wiping the white blood from her lips.
Whoooosh!
She brought her hands together in rage. From the blood-soaked ground, a white tidal wave rose to the sky, reaching for the stars and crashing down on Wrath. The combination of martial arts and sorcery turned illusion into reality.
"Split."
Wrath's sky-blue eyes glowed. With his hands behind his back, he muttered in the face of the colossal wave of bloody energy.
Boom!
The Demon King's voice resonated through the world again, splitting the wave created by the Leader of the White Blood Religion. It was a mystical technique that infused Willpower into words—an enchantment.
Crack!
The wave of bloody energy, which failed to touch Wrath, melted the forest behind him and then subsided.
"This… this can't be…"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion widened her eyes in disbelief.
-This happened earlier too…
Raon recalled the wave and flames split by Wrath's words and swallowed dryly.
'It's called an enchantment.'
Wrath explained what he had just done internally.
-An enchantment?
'I've mentioned it before. It's the act of infusing Willpower into words to manifest them in reality.'
-Like dragon speech?
'Lizardfolk do it instinctively, but others must reach enlightenment. Ah, come to think of it, I need to finish this quickly.'
Muttering that he had little time left, Wrath spread his hands.
"I'll kill you with all my might…"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion gathered her hands, exhaling ragged breaths. Her lips moved so quickly they were almost invisible, summoning a white dawn in the night sky.
From within the noble dawn, a blurred silhouette appeared, with forty-eight arms and three eyes. It was the manifestation of the Blood God, Mara's Blood-Consuming Guanyin.
As the Blood God opened its eyes, bloodshot with visible veins, red blood overflowed from them, soaking the ground.
-That thing…
Raon widened his eyes at the sight of the Blood God.
'Its arms have increased!'
When Glenn faced it before, the Blood God had forty-four arms; now it had forty-six. As expected, the Leader of the White Blood Religion had also grown stronger.
Whoooosh!
As the Leader of the White Blood Religion's lips moved at incredible speed, ominous malevolence filled the sky. Human weapons emerged from the forty-six hands of the Blood God.
Without stopping, she recited a second incantation. Pure white flames ignited the forty-six weapons held by the Blood God, the esoteric blood fire of the Blood God, Mara's Blood-Consuming Guanyin.
"I should put in some effort too."
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance floated his black sword. A pressure that made it hard to breathe emanated from the shadowy black blade, as if it were melting darkness itself.
Yet, he seemed to still be holding back some power.
Boom!
The Leader of the White Blood Religion's Blood Spirit Weapons and the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's Black Star Slash extended simultaneously, erasing the earth in a swirl of black light as if it had never existed.
A massive storm of mana surged, so powerful that retreating would mean being torn apart by the wind.
"Hoo…"
Wrath exhaled lightly. Draped in mystique like a cloak, he extended his right hand. The conqueror of the Devildom, who had transcended beyond, smiled faintly.
"Pierce."
An enchanting light so dazzling that it was hard to keep one's eyes open emerged from Wrath's hand.
Wrath's Ultimate Technique of the Ruler of the Demonic Realm.
Silver Moon Demonic Seal.
The blue radiance of the enchanted spell collided with the Blood Spirit Weapons of the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Black Star Slash of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
Boom!
The light exploded in a monstrous burst of mana, with a force that could be suppressed by no one in the world—a clash of transcendence.
Wrath accelerated the force of his Willpower, pushing the cold energy of the Silver Moon Demonic Seal to spread wide, encircling his enemies. The Leader of the White Blood Religion countered by spreading her bloody energy just as widely to block it.
'Now!'
Wrath's eyes flared with blue flames as he compressed the energy of the Silver Moon Demonic Seal into a single point.
Crack!
The concentrated frost pierced through the Blood Spirit Weapons of the Leader of the White Blood Religion and pushed back the Black Star Slash of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
Rip!
Wrath seized the moment to move in front of the Leader of the White Blood Religion, grabbing her throat and applying pressure.
"Grrr!"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion tried to defend with her bloody energy, but Wrath blocked it with cold energy and twisted her neck.
"Stay still."
"Sorry, but her dying isn't part of my plan."
The black sword of the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance came crashing down on Wrath's shoulder.
Clang!
A blue light of armor emerged from Wrath's clothing, blocking the sword.
-Magic Armor of the Snow Flower!
The blue armor perfectly formed to block the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's attack.
Crack!
But it wouldn't last long. The force behind the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword rapidly increased, and cold sweat trickled down Wrath's forehead.
Crack!
As the armor began to break, Wrath caught the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword with his hand, still holding the Leader of the White Blood Religion's neck with his left hand.
"Get lost…"
The Leader of the White Blood Religion pushed Wrath back with bloody energy, while the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance's sword emanated a sinister light.
'Just as I thought.'
Wrath nodded, as if realizing something, when an immense wave of mana erupted from the sky.
Looking up, a colossal golden dragon obscured the stars, its maw wide open.
Whoooosh!
A yellow breath of lightning flashed within its black jaws. Lightning Breath, the strongest weapon of the Golden Dragon, descended like a bolt of lightning.
Crack!
At that moment, a sword wrapped in red lightning streaked across the sky from the right.
A strike that transcended the concept of speed, rivaling the Dragon Breath in power, enveloped the sky.
'Finally, you're here.'
Wrath released the Leader of the White Blood Religion's neck and, bringing his hands together as if praying, twisted his left hand in the opposite direction.
The cold patterns he had laid on the ground earlier began to shine brilliantly.
Boom!
The Breath, the lightning, the bloody energy, and the black sword clashed, creating a storm of light that did not exist in this world.