The Demon King's chambers were calm, the serene environment interrupted only by the wind as it blew in and out, ruffling the hair on his head. The quiet atmosphere persisted for quite some time; there was no living being in the castle—not even insects.
Tyler slowly got up from the ground, brushing himself off. He walked out of the room to the balcony. It was dark, but he could tell the sun would rise soon. He stared at the moon with a blank expression; all the emotions he had felt moments ago seemed to have been replaced by a single, indescribable feeling.
He took deep breaths to clear his mind and focus on what was important.
"At least I can finally use magic. All I need now is to learn how to control it."
After taking a moment to calm down, he began to think about what had happened in the library.
There must have been some kind of restriction in the place that prevented the use of magic, or perhaps there was a time limit on how long one could stay in the library. He didn't know how the library had remained intact for so long, so maybe it had something to do with that.
If it was the former, it meant the orb's explosion had nothing to do with the library's restrictions. The orb didn't use any magic spells or circles; it simply absorbed the user's mana and reflected it as light. That meant there was a high possibility he had messed up by activating a spell inside the library. However, Tyler had felt something like an internal clock when he stepped inside. He didn't know when his time would run out and couldn't risk leaving without confirming if he could use magic. Otherwise, he would have been wasting valuable time learning spells.
If the library had ejected him due to the latter, it meant he still had hope of re-entering.
With that said, he still didn't know which scenario was true. But in the end, he was hesitant to leave without trying to get back in. Who would have thought there'd come a day when he'd want to break into a library so desperately? He decided to return to his original plan and search the castle for anything useful. He walked back into the room and approached the library doors one more time.
Thinking back to what he had done the first time, he retraced his steps in a last-ditch effort to re-enter the library.
Failure...
After failing to open the door again, he walked out of the room, locked it behind him, and took the keys. "Hopefully, it'll let me in again soon," he muttered. As he walked down the hallway, he decided to explore the other wings of the castle. The castle was massive, and he had only been moving around the West Wing. There were many places he hadn't visited yet.
To proceed to another wing, he needed to descend to the ground floor of the West Wing.
"Sigh... what a shitty design. If only I could teleport," he complained to himself as he walked through the hallway. Soon, he arrived back at the entrance with the large doors and the stairs. He now realized that this area likely connected to all the wings of the castle.
He walked forward and took one of the staircases, heading through the door at the end. The design was similar to the rest of the castle, with colorful crystals illuminating the way. There were fewer rooms in this wing, and none of them looked like resting chambers. He wasn't sure what they were used for.
The wing only went up to the fifth floor. He arrived at a large hall as he exited the stairs, with only a single room on this floor. A massive door stood at the end of the hall, large enough to fit a giant. Its design was exquisite; the door was made of pure gold, adorned with crystals that ornamented its carvings. Even covered in a thick layer of dust, it exuded a faint glow that made it look majestic.
There were 21 alcoves on either side of the hall, each containing broken statues of what might have been holy knights. The last alcove held a statue of a fallen angel. The statue was cracked, and one of her wings had fallen off. Just staring at it—at her—gave him a strange sensation.
He tore his gaze away from the statue and walked toward the massive door. As he approached, he felt as though the eyes of the knights were following him, but it might have been his imagination. He reached the giant door, which made him feel like a dwarf in comparison. Gulping, he placed his hands on the door and tried to push.
There was no sound. The door slowly opened without a single creak or groan. For a moment, Tyler thought someone had hit the mute button on a remote. He couldn't even hear his own heartbeat. As the door opened, the scene inside came into view.
An immense pressure, unlike anything he had ever felt, overwhelmed him momentarily. The room was so vast that he was sure it could fit hundreds of people. At the far end stood a throne made of a material he had never seen before—it had a metallic yet crystalline appearance.
The throne was almost tall enough to reach the insanely high ceiling.
Tyler stood there, stunned. He couldn't understand why such a place would be deserted. Surely, there were still high-level demons alive. Shouldn't they have taken over the castle and crowned themselves king? Or was there a reason they hadn't? He finally took a step forward and walked toward the throne at the far end of the room.
Soon, he arrived at his destination. The throne looked even more intimidating up close. He stood at the base of a short flight of stairs that elevated the throne. Climbing the stairs, he stood in front of the throne and extended his arm to touch it. It felt cold yet strangely soothing, with a compelling force urging him to sit. The thought terrified him. He withdrew his arm and began searching the room for anything of importance.
Sigh...
He found nothing, just like in the rooms he had searched earlier. There was nothing of value here either. Disappointed, he turned to leave but felt an urge to touch the throne one more time. As he approached, he noticed something: the throne wasn't attached to the wall behind it. He walked around to investigate.
Behind the throne, he examined the wall. He knocked on it, and to his surprise, it sounded hollow. Searching for a secret button or lever, he noticed something on the wall—a small inverse crest, about the size of a ring. Studying it, he instantly remembered where he had seen it before: on one of the rings in the Magic Library.
Meanwhile, in the Forest...
Growl...
The Rykir glared at Rain, its agitation palpable. It had been a long time since it had been wounded. Even though it had kept its distance to assess its prey's capabilities, the prey had somehow managed to injure it. This was an unforgivable offense to a being of its status.
Growl!
Rain was momentarily taken aback by the sight of the Rykir's scales. A Tier 6 being wasn't supposed to have divine runes on them—those were meant for higher-tier entities. Her situation was worse than she had thought. I can't believe we're this unlucky. Of all the Tier 6 monsters to encounter, why this one? Liz is unconscious; this might get even more dangerous soon, she thought, her expression unchanging as she tried to remain focused and on guard.
As the Rykir continued to glare at its prey, its claws extended like razor-sharp blades, and its scales ignited into greyish-black flames.
"Shadow Body. Flames of Hell."
The moment its entire body was engulfed in flames, it bent its knees and disappeared, reappearing behind Rain almost instantly. Its claw slashed at her exposed back.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest. Rain had instinctively turned around and managed to deflect the claw strike with her remaining dagger, though barely. The ground beneath her feet cracked, and she was pushed back several feet, her knees trembling.
Still, the Rykir was visibly surprised—not by the fact that she had blocked its attack or reacted in time. It had seen her speed before and knew she was only slightly slower than it, even with the Flames of Hell's enhancement. What shocked it was her ability to withstand its strength.
The skill it had used was strength-based, compensating for its weakness. After a moment of confusion, it noticed her knees and hands trembling. It sneered and prepared to repeat its attack, disappearing from view. It assumed she wouldn't be able to block again.
Appearing above her head, it swung its claws at her with all its might.
Boom! Clang!...
The ground shattered like glass, but again, the sound of metal striking metal echoed through the forest. What's this? How is this possible? The Rykir was shocked beyond belief. The wounded prey it had thought would be an easy snack was fighting on par with it. This was an insult. It was on the verge of evolving into a divine being, yet a mere mortal was standing toe-to-toe with it, even while injured. Unacceptable. This was an outrage. No longer holding back, it let its emotions take control and went all out.
Again! Clang!... Again! Clang!... Again!...
The battle intensified as the Rykir was repeatedly parried, to the point where it forgot it had other attacks and skills. What the beast didn't know was that its opponent was on the verge of collapse.
After enduring the full brunt of the Rykir's attacks, Rain could no longer feel her arm. She only had one blade left and was barely keeping up with the Rykir's speed. She was reacting on instinct, relying on the Blessings of the Wind to redirect the attacks as much as she could. But she was nearing her limit. The beast was getting faster and more unpredictable, and she was starting to make small mistakes.
The opportunity for a counterattack she had hoped for never came. With no mana and no abilities left, she was only delaying the inevitable. "Sorry, Liz. It seems I can't keep my promise anymore," she whispered under her breath as she continued to fight to the bitter end. She was sure her bones were almost all shattered; she could barely raise her arm. But she had no intention of giving up.
Seeing its opponent slowing down, the Rykir finally regained its confidence. This was more trouble than it's worth. I'll make sure to eat every part of your body to honor your strength.
The Rykir regained its sanity, remembering it had other skills besides the Flames of Hell and could attack in various ways beyond its basic claw strikes.
Seeing its opponent on death's door, it decided to maintain its current attack pattern as a tribute to a worthy opponent.
Clang!... BOOM!
The fight continued for a few more minutes, but in the end, Rain couldn't withstand the Rykir's strength and was sent flying, slamming into a giant tree.
Gasp! Ack... She gasped in pain, spitting out blood. Still, she struggled to stand, determined to fight until her last breath. "Sorry, Liz... cough... cough... it was my idea to head into the forest. I should have been more aware." Despite her condition, the only thing she could think of was her friend. Strangely, it seemed to give her the strength to keep fighting, hoping Liz would escape when she woke up.
The Rykir, seeing its opponent struggle to stay on her feet, felt relieved. It hadn't expected such an intense battle. Not wanting to be careless, it quickly shot one of its blade-like horns at its prey.
Zing... Bang!
Though the horn didn't explode this time, it impaled Rain's shoulder, pinning her to the tree.
The Rykir sneered, having avenged the blade still stuck in its own shoulder. It walked slowly toward its wounded prey, preparing its finishing blow.
"Body of the Reaper."
The flames around its body intensified, its eyes glowing a bright red. Its claw was now covered in reddish-yellow flames, contrasting with the greyish-black flames surrounding its body. The Rykir looked like a hound from hell, ready to drag its opponent back with it.
It bent its legs, preparing to pounce. But at that moment, the temperature around it dropped dramatically. The air became almost visible, and the space around it grew incredibly dense. It was as if time had stopped—but no, the air was still moving, albeit barely. The Rykir could see the flames around it dying out slowly. The sudden change in temperature disrupted its focus. It noticed the ground around it had already frozen, and the air was thin, as if it were standing on the peak of the tallest mountain.
"Ice Domain!"