Zaryx wasn't a true Demon King. That title belonged to Zephiron, the real ruler of demons, who had been sealed within Lioren. Unlike Zaryx, who was violent and reckless, Zephiron had become Lioren's closest friend—the two sharing a bond far deeper than just power.
Zaryx had once been nearly as strong as Zephiron, earning the feared title "The Bloody Demon King." But he had been banished from the Demon Kingdom because of his disobedience and desire for destruction.
Now, standing in the middle of the ruined city, Zaryx suddenly froze. His throat tightened as a strange sensation washed over him. He turned his gaze toward the approaching figure.
Lioren.
Zaryx's eyes narrowed. His deep echo-layered voice echoed through the atmosphere.
"So the rumors in my mind were true… I can feel it. It's finally time for revenge."
A voice, low and commanding, spoke within Lioren's mind.
"Let me take over, Lior."
Lioren smirked. "All yours, Zeph."
He was suddenly surrounded by a greenish energy that swirled violently before forming a huge, hideous face behind him, its eyes full of anger and its screeching teeth gnashing. The energy suddenly rushed forward and merged with Lioren's body.
His transformation was terrifying. He now had Zaryx's spinning, endless lines on his face, but something was different. His eyes were distinct, fully circled and far more menacing. He looked even more monstrous with his longer, sharper teeth.
The true Demon King had taken over Lioren.
As Zaryx lunged at Lioren—no, at Zephiron—his laughter reverberated throughout the destroyed city.
Zephiron met his charge without hesitation, both forces colliding in an explosion of raw power. The intensity of their battle caused the sky above them to darken, distorting the air itself.
Zaryx lifted his clawed hand, energy rushing violently around it, and his smile grew. Unable to bear the overwhelming force, the ground beneath him cracked.
His voice boomed, dripping with malice.
"Extinction Abyss!"
A massive black void formed in his palm, swirling with chaotic energy. Absolute darkness spiraled outward, clinging to the area surrounding them. Anything caught in its grasp—air, light, even sound—was instantly erased.
Buildings, rubble, professors, and even including the professors and even the lingering bloodstains from the earlier massacre vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed.
This was no simple destruction—it was complete erasure.
Zephiron intervened. He used his tremendous power to save the President and the professors, taking them to his own dimension to protect them from becoming nothinv.
A single touch of the Extinction Abyss would reduce any human to nothingness in an instant. No body, no remains—just obliteration.
And Zaryx was aiming it straight at Zephiron.
Zephiron's and Lioren's voices blended to create a shivering laugh that reverberated with confidence and strength as Zaryx charged forward. "Huh..." Before Zaryx sensed the change in the atmosphere, the word was barely audible. Zephiron vanished without a trace.
In an instant, Zephiron was back behind Zaryx, his hideous shape ablaze with green energy. He moved at an untrackable speed, causing the ground beneath him to crack open. It was as though an unseen force yanked Zaryx's body forward.
Zephiron was the first to strike, sending shockwaves through the city as his blow struck Zaryx square in the back.
When Zaryx stumbled and quickly got back on his feet, Zephiron was already on him once more, his claws tearing through the air with such force that everything in its path was shattered.
With his lightning-fast speed, Zephiron appeared to bend the air around him. His blows effortlessly cut through Zaryx's defenses.
Once a formidable force, Zaryx was now having difficulty keeping up and could hardly respond to the quick strikes.
Zephiron's attacks were endless. With each strike, Zaryx's blood-red aura flickered and broke apart.
The air was filled with the clash of black red and green energy
Zephiron mockingly said, "You were nothing but a shadow," his voice resonating with both his own and Lioren's strength. His strength appeared to grow with each word, while Zaryx's defenses weakened. Zaryx was forced on the defensive, unable to land a single blow in return.
With his claws cutting through Zaryx's aura and causing explosions in the sky, Zephiron advanced once more.
Zaryx was pushed to the limit by the overwhelming force of his blows. He had neither time to rest nor opportunity to strike back.
Zephiron sent Zaryx crashing into the ground with a single, smooth motion, bringing his clawed hand down hard. The ground trembled under the impact, and debris flew everywhere.
Zaryx coughed up blood as he struggled to stand. His face was contorted in shock, and his body was bruised. He mumbled, barely able to form the words, "How...?"
Zephiron sat erect, a mighty smile on his hideous face. "You were never on my level," he growled. Reaching up, he summoned the green power swirling around him, his eyes burning with intense energy. The final blow was imminent.
Zaryx had no chance to react. Once more, Zephiron's claws slashed through the air, forcing the Bloody Demon King to the ground and rendering him immobile.
For the first time, Zaryx realized that all his strength, his rebellion, meant nothing. The true Demon King had returned—and Zaryx was nothing in comparison.
But just as Zephiron prepared to land the final blow, something unexpected happened.
Zaryx's body suddenly surged with energy. It was wild, uncontrollable, and it sent Zephiron flying backward, stumbling several feet away.
Zaryx roared in rage, his voice shaking the very air around them. His arms reached out, and he started to rise, soaring into the air with a terrifying speed.
Something in Zaryx's body started to shift as he got farther away. As though he were evolving into something more than a demon, his shape changed and twisted.
His body was violently transformed, stretching and changing in ways that no one could have predicted.
In the meantime, Arvian was going through something. The dark energy of the cursed sword that had been stuck in his stomach started to seep into his body and spread through the hole as it melted.
The sword seemed to be trying to eat him from the inside out as the energy twisted inside him and entered through his mouth, eyes, and ears. There was a shift in his body, a dark, ancient stirring inside him.
The world around them trembled. It seemed as if a new force was emerging, and nobody could predict what would come next.