MTLNOVEL Chapter 40: CHAPTER 39
The King was losing his patience as he paced around the Chimera, who still refused to move or even regenerate.
What’s wrong with this thing…? King Demetrius complained internally, while keeping a cautious eye on the Monster in question. Has it already given up? No, Monsters don’t stop even on the verge of death. They are nightmarish creatures who will even use their dying breath to cause harm. This Monster is no different, and also nowhere near the point of such desperation. So, what’s the problem?! Must I taunt it further?!
Just as the King of Slayers was about to try degrading the Chimera again, the Demon’s dark aura began to emanate from it, causing the King to take a couple of steps back while raising his blade.
It seems that it’s finally ready to comply. He thought, and this time, he was filled with anticipation. Now, let me see with my own eyes when another spirit takes over a vessel…!
Just like before, darkness obscured the Chimera, as well as the entire underground chamber, blocking the light of the candles, just like when the Demon was initially summoned. As it transformed, its wound also regenerated, and after its body rose to tower over the King, the Demon looked down at him with its red and soulless eyes, obviously different from the eyes of the Chimera.
“WAS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? IF SO, THEN YOU MUST BE PREPARED FOR THE CONSEQUENCES, RIGHT?!”
King Demetrius smirked before puffing up his chest with pride as he responded.
“Of course… I wouldn’t be the King of Slayers otherwise!”
The Demon roared as its aura flared, then charged at the King with the full intention of tearing him apart! In response, the King’s own aura flared to challenge the Monster’s, swinging his blade at the same moment the Demon swung its claw. When the two forces clashed, the entire dungeon trembled, and the candles were blown out, allowing more darkness to surround the King!
The King was well aware of the risks of fighting a Demon alone in the dark; no Second Tier Monster should be challenged alone to begin with, but fighting a Demon at night or in any other dark setting was strongly ill-advised. At that moment, King Demetrius was at a grave disadvantage, and as the darkness surrounded him, and more of the Demon’s claws reached for him, his demise seemed imminent. Yet, his smirk never left his face…
“WHAT IS THIS?!”
Once again, the King of Slayers’s aura flared to meet the Demon’s level, and its claws that spawned from the darkness were all cut down in an instant! At the same time, the force behind his blade increased and pushed the Demon back.
DAMN HIM…! Chernos cursed internally. WHY DOES IT SEEM AS IF THERE IS NO LIMIT TO HOW MUCH HE CAN INCREASE HIS STRENGTH?!
I know what you said before, the Chimera began to make its suggestion, but we may need to combine our powers in order to overwhelm him…
IF HE LEARNS THAT TWO SPIRITS COEXIST WITHIN THIS BODY, THEN YOU’LL HAVE TO SUFFER MORE OF THEIR EXPERIMENTS! THEY’RE LOOKING FOR A WAY TO REMOVE SPIRITS FROM A VESSEL IN ORDER TO REVERSE A POSSESSION! IN A WAY, I’M MORE IN DANGER THAN YOU ARE IF THEY FIND US OUT!
If we don’t escape from here at any rate, they’ll eventually find us out anyway! Besides, you haven’t forgotten our deal, right?! I said that you could use my body freely, as long as you help me take vengeance on the Humans for turning me into this! Then, you said the contract would bind our spirits together until all of the conditions have been met, right?!
YES, BUT…
Then there is nothing to fear, even if they discover both of our spirits! They have neither the means nor the power to separate us! Let’s use our power to crush their King now! When their King falls, their kingdom will swiftly follow! We could meet most of the conditions of our deal at once!
While the Chimera attempted to convince the Demon within its mind, they continued trying to attack the King, using the surrounding darkness to their advantage, but to no avail. No matter how many of their claws were spawned, the force of King Demetrius’s attacks increased just to strike them all down before they could reach him. They used their tail to breathe fire at him whenever he tried to get behind them, but he would roll away from the flames just to close the distance again and strike. However, his attacks were shallow enough for them to easily recover from; he was still suppressing his strength whenever he attacked, only increasing it to fend off their ethereal claws!
DAMN IT…! Chernos cursed internally once more, as it had no choice but to acknowledge that the Human it faced was too strong for its power alone. VERY WELL, THEN… WE’LL COMBINE OUR POWERS, AND CRUSH HIM!
Then, the Demon’s aura flared as it seemed to expand from the Chimera’s vessel, and the darkness became even deeper, to the point where the vision of an average person would be so obscured, one would barely be able to see one’s own hands in front of oneself. The dark claws that they conjured started to grow larger, and the King had to exert much more force to dispel them.
“Oh…?” King Demetrius expressed a mixture of curiosity and scorn as he reacted. “It’s just as I thought. Even after transforming, you were still holding back some power. So, are you ready to show me everything you’ve got to offer now? I hope it proves more impressive than what you have shown thus far…”
“GO AHEAD AND BE SMUG… I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE THE EXPRESSION ON YOUR FACE WHEN YOU LAY DYING AT MY FEET!”
With that, the Demon swung its claws, enhanced by the Chimera’s unique power of Magnification. It was the Chimera’s ability, not the Demon’s, that allowed them to create the projection that intimidated most of the Slayers within the Third Squad. Though it was only used as a scare tactic back then, it was being used to increase the effectiveness and range of the Demon’s claws of darkness. The King of Slayers would’ve had to expend more stamina in order to completely avoid the claws, which would eventually lead to his exhaustion before the Supernatural duo could be defeated…
Yet, the King was still not shaken; he easily avoided the Monster’s attacks, and though he certainly increased his aura once again to match the combined powers of Chernos and the Chimera, it didn’t seem to wear him down at all. It truly seemed as if he could indefinitely increase his power without straining his body. In spite of how much the Chimera used its own aura to magnify the Demon’s darkness, they still could not overwhelm the King of Slayers.
Is the one we’re facing truly Human?! The Chimera questioned internally. Why hasn’t he run out of stamina by now?!
WE ARE NOT AT FULL STRENGTH, Chernos explained. IT’S AS I TOLD YOU BEFORE: AS LONG AS WE ARE SURROUNDED BY ORICHALCUM, WE ARE AT A MAJOR DISADVANTAGE. WE MUST ESCAPE FROM THIS PLACE! CRUSING DEMKIL’S MONARCH CAN COME AFTER!
The Chimera agreed by magnifying their combined auras even further, threatening to cause the dungeon to collapse just like they had done at Swinger’s estate! Yet, the King’s composure remained undeterred.
“Now I see…” King Demetrius commented as he examined, “so the power of the Chimera can increase the aura’s area of effect, but it relies on the strength of the Demon’s dark aura to actually affect its surroundings. This is how two spirits can cooperate within a single body, eh?”
“SO, YOU HAVE FOUND US OUT, BUT WHAT OF IT?! YOU CANNOT PREVENT OUR ESCAPE, IN SPITE OF YOUR POWER!”
The Monsters’ auras continued to increase, threatening to collide with the ceiling and walls of the dungeon.
“Oh…? You say that as if you understand the nature of my aura. Let’s test your knowledge, then…”
Then, instead of raising his blade, the King of Slayers raised a free, open hand towards his enemy and slowly started closing it into a fist. At first, the Demon stared at him as if that action had accomplished nothing, but then its magnified aura began to slowly recede.
“WHAT… WHAT IS HAPPENING?! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
“Do you see now, Monsters? Not only can I suppress my own power, but when I understand someone else’s true nature, I can suppress their power as well. That is my true nature, the power of Suppression. Therefore, escaping me, let alone overpowering me, was never a possibility from the very beginning.”
“YOU… BASTARD!”
“Though, I admit that challenging the power of two spirits in tandem was quite difficult, at least for me...”
The Demon lunged at the King, even as its auras were restrained, and its power was diminished. King Demetrius, while still imposing his influence upon the beast with one hand, used his other to treat his sword like a cane once again, resting the tip of the blade against the ground, similar to before the battle with Chernos and the Chimera started.
“Well, that’s enough for today.”
Then, he tapped the ground with the tip of the sword only once, and the magic circle had bound the Demon, rendering it immobile once again.
“I look forward to what more I can learn from you next time.”
With those last words to the Demon, the King of Slayers turned away from it, ignoring its curses and roaring. He walked up the stairs leading out of the dungeon, and as soon as he made it outside, he met with the Slayers that followed him to that location, along with the researchers they were escorting.
“Welcome back, Your Majesty.” One of the researchers approached him and bowed before interviewing him. “So, how was it? Did they work out for you well?”
“Yes,” King Demetrius answered, “The spells that were cast upon me held up until the very end, even as I used my aura. My stamina did not decrease no matter how much of my aura I used, and my physical strength has not been reduced as a consequence. These spells may be added to ‘it.’”
“Yes!”
“I told you it would be a success!”
“With this, we’re one step closer…!”
The researchers celebrated, before remembering their surroundings, clearing their throats, and dispersing to prepare for the next experiment. Then, one of the Slayers, the Captain of the Fourth Squad, who had transported Nexus to Swinger’s establishment along with the Third and Fifth Squads, stepped up to question the King without the intention of insult.
“My King, I would like to know the meaning behind these experiments. Trying to figure out how to undo a mutation or possession, I understand, but I thought the point of learning how these Monsters use their powers were to render them powerless, not use them for ourselves. Is it necessary to go this far…?”
“If we are to defeat Nexus and any other Monster on or above its level, then any method, any power we can attain is necessary. Remember, Fourth Captain Rudick, this isn’t a battle to save Demkil alone, but all of Humankind. The future of Eva, our world, depends on our victory.”
With that, the King of Slayers walked off towards the site of the next experiment as the researchers were setting everything up. Meanwhile, Barry Rudick couldn’t help but have a thought…
Any power is necessary, huh? In that case, how exactly will we know when we’ve crossed that line of no return…?