Chapter 31. Subjugation
The first strike in the subjugation belonged to Ganesha. Buffed up, she charged at the Demon King Keygant with tremendous speed, swinging her axe with a mighty whoosh.
That speed and power were so much faster and fiercer it was embarrassing to compare to before. But the Demon King casually deflected her axe with his spear and counterattacked right away.
The princess twisted her body, dodging the thrust aimed straight at her heart. Seizing that split-second opening, Ji-hyuk shot forward like lightning and swung his sword at the beast's foreleg. But what should have sliced clean rang out with a clang.
The Demon King raised its foreleg and slammed it down at Ji-hyuk. The ground where its foot hit cracked wide open. The entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye.
Ganesha and Ji-hyuk pulled back slightly and exchanged a quick glance. One clash, and they instantly knew this wouldn't be easy. Even hobbled, a Demon King was still a Demon King.
Ji-hyuk took a deep breath in and let it out. The mana coiling around his heart spread through his entire body. He steeled himself to leave the rest to his teammates and unleashed everything he had. It had been a while since he'd felt this rush of freedom. The thrill was even sharper than the peak of orgasm.
To put it simply, mana reinforcement was like a self-buff. It maxed out his reaction time and strengthened his body. Ji-hyuk moved like a beam of light, striking the Demon King's foreleg again. This time, it sank in halfway without bouncing off.
-_-!! The Demon King swung its spear wildly. Ji-hyuk ducked low to evade it. Keygant's demonic energy poured out even more ferociously.
...A bit weak? No, the bastard's body was way tougher than expected.
This time, Ganesha attacked. But the Demon King whipped its spear shaft roughly, smashing her body, then lunged at Ji-hyuk. It seemed pissed about the sword lodged in it. That insanely heavy spear was a terrifying weapon on its own.
The Demon King swung it with murderous intent, slamming its forelegs into the ground with booms. Ji-hyuk nimbly dodged the spear's every arc. Growing impatient, the Demon King concentrated demonic energy into the spear and plunged it vertically into the earth. The magic exploded.
-_-_-!!! Ji-hyuk leaped back swiftly but got grazed by the edge of the blast radius. Luckily, his reinforced body took minimal damage.
Demon King Keygant leaped high and stomped down to crush Ji-hyuk flat. Boom boom boom boom boom boom—the deafening roars echoed across the entire battlefield, showing just how ferocious the assault was.
Ji-hyuk counterattacked too. He blocked a spear thrust with all his might, then spun his body in a fluid whirl to slash the beast's torso. A long gash tore open. Demonic energy gushed out.
That's when it opened its maw wide. -_-!! The Demon King fired a magic bolt straight at Ji-hyuk's body. He dodged with razor-sharp reflexes, barely evading it. A split-second slower and he'd have eaten it.
Slick bastard—.
The enraged Demon King gathered magic into its spear again and slammed it into the ground. Ji-hyuk took the full force of the explosion this time.
Ugh... fuck!! He flew back with a whoosh, rolled across the dirt, and sprang up again.
That's when Ganesha, spotting her chance from behind, rushed in and swung her axe. It smashed into the horse-like hindquarters, completely splitting the right rear leg. The Demon King turned, then kicked her torso hard with its remaining left hind leg.
Urk! Hit square in the chest, she soared through the air like she was flying before crashing into the ground. Without buffs and reinforcement, that strike would've been fatal.
She spat blood with a wretch, ground her teeth, and stood. "You fucking mutt...!"
Ji-hyuk seized the moment the Demon King's gaze shifted, charging in to swing his holy sword. Another long slash carved into its torso. -! This one landed solid; the beast's expression twisted.
Keygant's upper body swelled massively. Then it unleashed a barrage of magic bolts at Ji-hyuk. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!! The area around them turned to rubble. Ji-hyuk dodged direct hits while tanking the blast shockwaves. His clothes shredded to rags in seconds.
Enduring the onslaught, Ji-hyuk clenched his jaw and summoned a massive chunk of mana. He slashed left once, right once—two swift, powerful strokes. -_-_-!!! The Demon King's body warped momentarily before snapping back. A huge amount of its magic had been spent.
Rooooaaarrr—!!! Ugh. A eardrum-shattering roar erupted. Demon King Keygant was truly furious now. It reverse-summoned one of its demons and absorbed all its magic. An immense aura began swirling around it.
It stomped once. A fierce shockwave burst from the epicenter. Then it charged Ji-hyuk, swinging its spear far faster than before. Ji-hyuk evaded the thrusting spear and stomping foreleg. Magic bolts fired simultaneously, exploding on impact. He got caught in the shockwave again.
Grk, fuck! Ganesha, shaking off her daze, lunged at the Demon King again. She spun once for momentum and smashed both hind legs. Keygant's gaze snapped to the annoying heroine. It swung its spear at her. Even just grazed by the shaft, she flew back with a scream, slamming into the dirt.
The Demon King fired several magic bolts on top of her. She rolled desperately to avoid direct hits but couldn't escape the explosions fully. Her back skin peeled away completely.
Ji-hyuk attacked again. More gashes ripped across its body. The Demon King swung wildly, trading blows madly with him. But as time dragged on, Ji-hyuk was the one getting desperate.
...Can't last much longer. His body, trained for just a few years, didn't hold enough mana. If he'd honed it steadily for a decade or more, maybe—but now, his reserves were woefully short for a prolonged fight. No buffs made it twice as hard.
...What could he do? Complaining wouldn't change a thing. He sensed the Demon King's magic dwindling. It's hitting its limit too—. Of course, Ji-hyuk was nearly there himself. They both knew one decisive blow would end it.
The muscle-bound Ganesha spat blood and charged again. Ji-hyuk swung at Keygant simultaneously. The beast parried both attacks with a wide spear sweep, then fired a magic bolt from its maw at Ganesha first. It thrust at Ji-hyuk closing in on its torso.
That's when Ganesha bulldozed straight through the magic bolt, exploding it head-on, and came at it like a demon. She slammed her axe into its torso with everything she had. It must've defended with mana, but fur burned off everywhere, clothes shredded to expose skin. Her wild blonde hair was half-torn out, eyebrows singed away—her appearance was horrific.
But her savage eyes still burned fierce. "Die, you fucker—!"
The heavy torso blow staggered the Demon King. It bellowed in rage and fired a massive magic bolt at Ganesha. -_-_-!!! The explosion swallowed everything around. That one rocked her hard; she lay sprawled far off, struggling to rise.
...And Ji-hyuk didn't waste the golden opening her sacrifice created. From the instant her attack landed, he'd been priming this lethal strike.
Huuuuuh—. Time slowed. Ji-hyuk awakened every muscle in his body. For this killing blow.
Here goes. The cursed holy sword at his waist arced in a perfect circle, flashing like light. His hands were already extended high in a diagonal overhead grip. The Demon King sensed something immense incoming. It tried to react, but too late—the blade had already grazed past.
-_-_-!!!! Agonizing pain erased most of its magic. Its body was cleaved clean through.
Rooooaaarrr—!!! The severed parts rejoined. But the massive magic loss didn't recover. The Demon King poured everything left into its spear, gripped it reverse, and hurled it viciously at Ji-hyuk's feet. It knew he'd dodge a body toss.
This fucker...! The spear embedded; the ground rippled, then detonated massively. Ji-hyuk minimized damage as best he could, but with mana spent, he took the full brunt. The pain piercing his body was indescribable.
Kuh... He hit the ground, mind blanking momentarily. A shrill reeee rang in his ears; his vision spun.
Then the Demon King loomed before him. Ah—. It raised its spear. One downward smash and it was over.
...But Ganesha charged in, swinging her axe fast. The Demon King's head came clean off. -_-_-!!! The eyebrow-less muscle woman landed the final blow.
"Fuck off and die, you dog bastard—!!!"
The head reattached with a chunk. But the spear vanished from its hand. Magic depleted. Even with its head severed once, Keygant never took its eyes off Ji-hyuk to the end. Like it meant to drag him along at least.
This fucker...! Ji-hyuk realized his mistake. Suddenly, thunder crackled overhead. The Demon King fired all remaining magic skyward, preparing reverse-summoning.
Ah—. Something was falling. Instinct screamed not to get hit. He tried twisting away, but his stone-like body wouldn't move like usual.
Kuhuhu—. The Demon King sneered at his pathetic struggle.
"Fun... puny... mortal...—."
Its finger flicked down. Lightning speared from the heavens, targeting Ji-hyuk precisely. He knew dodging was impossible. So he scraped together every last drop of mana and curled up tight. Just before the magic lightning struck, Ganesha threw herself in front, taking it instead.
BOOM—! A blast echoed. A spike protruded from her solar plexus before absorbing into her body.
"Grk...!" Ganesha gritted her teeth against the agony. Her muscular arms trembled, barely holding her up. Blood dripped from her mouth onto Ji-hyuk's face.
The Demon King unleashed its final attack, then crumbled to ash and vanished.
"Fuuuuck..., damn, this... hurts... "
"Ganesha—!!"
She collapsed atop him. Ji-hyuk quickly laid her flat. Blood bubbled from her mouth nonstop; her breathing grew labored.
"Hey, th-, urk..., you bast-, I'll, gasp, han-, handle th-, this... "
"Don't talk—!"
Ji-hyuk scanned the surroundings wildly. The devastated area was empty. With the Demon King gone, only a handful of crow troops remained.
He hoisted her onto his back and staggered toward the subjugation team. Even the hero's legs wobbled, strength spent. He nearly face-planted but squeezed out every ounce to keep going.
Soon, Ganesha's team and Ji-hyuk's swarmed in. Healers poured heals on them both. But Ganesha's condition worsened.
"Why...? Why is this happening—?!"
"I-it's not working... Heals aren't fixing it—!"
That final attack must've been a curse packed with the Demon King's dying spite. No simple heal could cure it. The buff shaman tried dispelling with buffs, but it failed. She wailed that dozens of curses were layered, impossible to unravel.
...Ah...! Ganesha kept vomiting blood. She called for Ji-hyuk.
"Ji-, hyuk..., hey..., hey... "
"Don't talk. Please."
She gripped his arm tight. "Fuck... "
"I said don't talk—!"
"It's... fiiiine.... Gonna... die... anyway."
Ganesha shuddered. Blood foam bubbled from her mouth. Her eyes bulged red. Yet she smiled.
"Promised... to... survive... to the... bitter end... "
Ah—. Her dying words made everyone sob.
"Ganesha, Ganeshaaa...!"
She gasped raggedly. The curse tightened around her lungs and heart. Heals and buffs slowed it, but couldn't stop the spread.
Watching, Ji-hyuk bit down hard. Time for a decision.
...Couldn't let the princess die like this. He called for Grace. She rushed over.
"Give me what I left with you. Now."
"Y-, yes—!"
She pulled a vial from her bosom and handed it over. Ji-hyuk bit his lower lip. He uncorked it and poured the contents into Ganesha's mouth.
"Swallow. Swallow it. Now—!"
Ganesha gulped it down with a bloody glurk. Then she convulsed with an aaagh.
The legendary elixir, Elixir, slowly pushed the curse from her body. The princess, dying in agony from the horrific curse, began to recover.