The sudden eruption of battle sent the crowds in the market square scattering in all directions! Cries of panic and despair echoed relentlessly.
"Help! Somebody, please!"
"The monsters are back!"
"Run for your lives... the demon horde is upon us again!"
Hearing the terrified shouts of the fleeing townsfolk, Caesar sighed in frustration, eager to explain that he wasn't the dreaded demon king "Barn" they all feared.
"Wait… listen to me, I'm not—" Before he could finish, Nana's second fireball came hurtling towards him. With a swift dodge, Caesar evaded the attack with ease. But before he could react further, Takis struck from behind, his wooden staff crashing down onto Caesar's body—only to splinter on impact.
"I don't want to fight! I mean you no harm!" Caesar shouted desperately at Takis.
Yet in Takis' ears, the words were nothing more than mocking provocation…
Instantly, Takis summoned more of his inner power, his muscles swelling visibly, hardening with strength. In that brief moment, his entire form glowed with radiant white light.
"That's… Holy Prayer!" Takis recognized the familiar magic—it was the sacred spell cast by the great sage Niya, a blessing that greatly enhanced his combat abilities.
Niya soon appeared on the battlefield, her eyes wide with shock as they locked onto Caesar. "Barn… Barn! You're alive after all...!"
Before Niya could fully comprehend the situation, Takis lunged at Caesar once more, growling, "Niya, Nana… support me from behind!"
Without hesitation, a series of powerful enchantments were cast upon Takis, further amplifying his strength.
"His speed… it's increased…" Caesar grimaced as a heavy blow landed square on his face, sending him stumbling backward several paces.
Niya and Nana hurried to Takis' side, with Niya chanting a healing spell to tend to the injuries Takis sustained from striking "Barn." Though his punch had landed, it was Takis who had been hurt in the process.
Caesar steadied himself, his heart heavy as he gazed at the comrades who once fought by his side, now his adversaries. Sorrow filled his soul.
Niya and Nana exchanged a glance, then called out in unison, "Takis, stand back!" A black and white magic circle blazed to life beside the two. Seeing this, Takis quickly retreated several meters.
Indeed, this was Niya and Nana's combined ultimate spell—"Light and Darkness."
Caesar felt the oppressive force surrounding him, immediately sensing the overwhelming killing intent. He knew full well the destructive power of "Light and Darkness." Alarmed, he thought to himself, "They... they're serious this time! Even without their staffs, the potency of that incantation... I remember it all too clearly! This is bad…" Before finishing his thought, Caesar swiftly ascended into the sky, attempting to escape the battlefield. He knew, deep down, that if he were hit by that spell, he might face death once again.
"You're not getting away..." the two chanted, locking eyes with the demon king Barn above them. "Witness our ultimate magic—'Light and Darkness'!"
The terrifying power of the spell surged toward Caesar. He had no time to dodge, his heart sinking as he braced himself. "This is it…" he thought, forced to endure the devastating impact head-on.
"Ahhhh—!"
A deafening explosion echoed through the air, the spell's power rippling outward like an unstoppable wave, the shockwave felt for miles around.
Nana's hands trembled uncontrollably, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, while Niya collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. "This spell… the toll it takes on our bodies is immense…"
Takis hurried over to the two girls, helping them up as worry flickered in his eyes. "It must be over… right? With that kind of power, even the demon king Barn… couldn't have survived… could he?"
As soon as the words left his lips, they saw Barn still hovering in midair, his body soaked in blood. Slowly, he lowered his head and looked at his former comrades, his eyes welling with tears.
Takis, Nana, and Niya stood in stunned silence, gazing at Barn in disbelief—he truly was a monster! Even that ultimate spell had left him with nothing more than superficial wounds!
Caesar met their eyes for a brief moment, then turned, his heart heavy as he prepared to leave the battlefield. The wounds from the spell were not only physical; his spirit, too, was deeply wounded...
**************************
In the mist-shrouded city...
"Lord Zoe! Lord Zoe!" A small, frantic bat flew around the castle, desperately searching for Zoe.
At last, it spotted Zoe on the balcony. "Lord Zoe, wake up!" the bat cried. "The demon king Barn is injured again! He's collapsed near the forest!"
Zoe jolted awake from his sleep. "What happened?" he asked.
"I'm not sure..." the bat panted. "I found the demon king Barn lying there while I was patrolling, so I flew back here to alert you immediately!"
"Very well... quickly, gather some creatures and bring the demon king Barn back to the castle."
"Who are you...?"
"Who are you...?"
A voice echoed in Caesar's mind.
"What? What is this voice? Who am I? I… I'm Caesar. Where are you? Who are you?"
"Caesar? How are you inside my body? I am the demon king Barn."
"Barn? How are you still alive? I thought I killed you!"
"Hahaha… As demons, we can be summoned back from the abyss of death. But that's only necessary for lesser demons. I am no such being. I am the mightiest of demonkind. When you defeated me, I did indeed fall into the abyss, but I merely needed rest. At the right time, I would have returned. But when I awoke, I found my body had been taken… and the one who now possesses it… is none other than the one who killed me."
"I cannot accept this... You'd better leave now, or I will truly kill you!"
"Can't accept it? I should be the one who can't accept this! Do you think I wanted to wake up looking like you? My former comrades, seeing your face, attacked me without mercy. Do you know how absurd that feels?"
"You still want to kill me? Barn, didn't you already fall to me before?"
"Hmph, do you really think you can completely defeat a demon king like me? Don't make me laugh... By the time you entered Mistveil City, I had already been locked in battle with other demon kings for days. They sought to seize this place, and it took all my strength to hold them off."
"What? Other demon kings? Barn, you'd better explain yourself!"
"...It seems you're not going to leave my body anytime soon. Fine, I'll be generous and tell you the full story."
"You humans only see us as destroyers, as killers... In truth, we demons simply seek a place to call our own. Yet, not only do humans consider us their enemies, the demon kings themselves wage war against each other!"
Caesar asked curiously, "Other demon kings? Including you, how many are there?"
"There are seven of us in total—the ancient Seven Great Demons. I am merely one of them... Heh, so tell me, Caesar, do you still think you've truly defeated me?"