Chapter 762: All Trump Cards Exhausted
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 762: All Trump Cards Exhausted
With a long, mechanical beep, the heavy door—mottled by time and scarred by decay, yet still imposing—slowly ground open.
Stagnant air rushed into the garden as the seal broke.
In an instant, Muen and Ariel both felt a chill that seeped into their very souls, as if they had been plunged into an ancient ice field that had remained frozen for a millennium.
This was a botanical garden specifically designed for rare flora. Overhead, a magic stone of incredible size continued to radiate a gentle glow even after a thousand years, ensuring the environment felt like a perpetual, balmy spring.
Therefore, that chill did not stem from a change in temperature.
Rather...
It came from a very real, bone-deep threat of death.
"Zagu!"
After parrying a sudden, sniping shot, Ariel spat the name through gritted teeth. It wasn't just the wariness one felt toward a powerful opponent; if one were to speak of hatred, this bastard ranked second only to Muen Campbell in this Abyss.
The grudge from when he turned her "towering peaks" into "sunken valleys" had yet to be settled!
But... grudges aside, from a rational perspective, encountering Zagu here was anything but good news.
Even at her peak, she had been no match for the First Demon General, let only now, when her condition was far from its prime.
It was a case of adding frost to snow... No, this was another life-or-death crisis, comparable to their previous encounter with that strange Static Figure.
"Zagu... the First Demon General? The legendary strongest beneath the rank of Grand Duke."
Muen silently tucked the antidote back into his storage. It wasn't that he had given up on returning to his original form, but if the antidote were destroyed here, he would likely be stuck in this cursed state until he could find his Senior again.
More importantly, having nearly been killed by a sneak attack, he wasn't so careless as to perform a suicidal "drink your medicine" act right in front of Zagu. That would be no different from seeking death.
He had no doubt Zagu would seize such an opening.
Since the initial ambush had failed, both sides now circled each other like predators, prowling and watching for the slightest crack in the other's defense.
"To think you'd actually show up here," Muen said.
Because the conditions for entering this Inverted Tower were so stringent, and because he had been entirely consumed by the task of saving Ariel, he had almost forgotten that this fellow was still dogging his heels.
"And why shouldn't I be here?"
Zagu’s tone was peculiar, as if he genuinely couldn't fathom why Muen would ask. "This is a sacred land of my Demon Race. You two little mice are the outsiders here."
"Sacred... land?"
Muen turned the words over in his mind.
"Ah, perhaps 'sacred land' isn't quite the right term," Zagu mused, pausing for a moment. "To describe it as our 'homeland'... yes, that is more accurate."
"Sacred land? Homeland?"
Ariel suddenly spoke up. "I knew it. That cramped, slum-like city we saw earlier—that was where you lived a thousand years ago, before you even became the 'Demon Race,' wasn't it?"
"A thousand years ago?" Muen looked at her, confused.
"Miss An told me before that the Demon Race rebelled against certain entities atop the towers a millennium ago," Ariel explained. "It seems those 'entities' weren't just one person, but a collective. The ones atop the towers weren't a single oppressor, but a class of them. It’s highly likely that the magnificent Gutons Fortress above us never belonged to the demons at all. It belonged to those who once oppressed them. This place is the true home of the ancient demons!"
"I see..."
Processing Ariel’s information, Muen fell into deep thought.
The Old Loli had mentioned that the Demon Race was a species mutated by their faith in the Demon God. Perhaps the reason they chose to worship that deity in the first place was to gain the power to overthrow their oppressors.
After obtaining the power of an Evil God, they slaughtered their masters and seized their cities... A cliché story, most likely.
"Why bother thinking so much?"
Zagu, however, showed zero interest in their theories.
He paced forward, stepping out from the doorway one deliberate stride at a time, looking as relaxed as if he were out for a casual stroll.
"A thousand years is a long time. So long that even Lord Divine Will has likely forgotten many important details. What is the point in guessing at what happened back then?"
Zagu came to a halt and fixed a serious gaze on Muen and Ariel. Invisibly, the chill in the air deepened. "Wouldn't it be better to focus all your attention on the present... on this very moment?"
"Heh... fair point," Muen said, his lips twitching into a wry smile.
The prerequisite for verifying any theory... was surviving Zagu.
From the looks of it, that prerequisite was going to be difficult to meet.
"So... I thought you'd stick to your previous tactics."
Muen tilted his head, glancing at the empty space behind Zagu.
"Where are your Hounds? Did you lose so many that they're no longer willing to follow a tyrannical commander who treats them as disposable fodder?"
The absence of the Skinners was a mystery. He wasn't sure if it was a stroke of luck... or a bad omen.
"Tyrannical? Hahahaha..."
As if he had heard a hilarious joke, Zagu burst into laughter.
"Muen Campbell, you humans truly cannot understand us. To the Demon Race, such things are hardly considered tyrannical."
"Oh? Even being used as cannon fodder, stepping stones, and trash to be discarded at will... that's not tyrannical?"
Muen raised an eyebrow, his expression odd. "Are all you demons masochists?"
"That actually seems possible."
Recalling a certain succubus who had been corrupted by the Love God because she enjoyed the Grand Duke of Bewitchment's abuse, Ariel rubbed her chin in agreement. "If that's the case, it would explain about eighty percent of the stupid things your race does."
"Stupid? Heh... those are merely the biased words of the ignorant. You don't understand us at all. The reason the masses don't find it tyrannical isn't for the ridiculous reasons you suggest."
Zagu sneered with disdain.
"It is because, to us, death is no great matter. Why would one fret over something that isn't a big deal? Therefore, we are not like you humans—cowardly, timid, and terrified of life and death."
"Death... is no great matter?"
A flicker of light crossed Muen's eyes. Connecting this to events he'd witnessed from the Imperial defense lines to the demon tribes, he felt he was on the verge of grasping a crucial realization.
Unfortunately, Zagu wasn't about to give him the time for deep contemplation, and Muen was still missing the most vital piece of evidence.
"Time waits for no one. Let us return to the previous topic."
Zagu looked at Muen. "You asked why I'm not using my initial tactics? It's simple. I grew tired of that slow, dragging method of tearing at my prey. So, I came personally to end this."
"To end it? Heh, I see... It seems Grand Duke Divine Will is breathing down your neck."
Muen let out a cold laugh, completely disagreeing with Zagu's framing. "Otherwise, with the patience you showed before, you wouldn't care about a little extra time. Since you're acting on orders, don't act like you're just doing this for leisure."
The air stagnated for a heartbeat.
Though he wore a helmet, the muscles on Zagu's face could be seen twitching through the slits of his visor.
"...You truly are clever, Muen Campbell. Not only smart, but your talent for provocation is exceptional. It seems Lord Divine Will was right to want you dead."
"Thanks for the compliment. Though I'm not exactly flattered. Among the many beings I've pissed off, that old fossil Divine Will doesn't even make the top of the list."
If nothing else, Muen was a professional at drawing aggro.
"..."
Zagu took a slow, deep breath. He was starting to regret giving these two a chance for final words.
Yet, at the same time, he felt a twinge of regret.
Witty.
Perceptive.
Resilient.
Exquisitely talented.
They were merely two weak humans, yet in the face of a brutal pursuit, they had created miracle after miracle.
The fact that they had managed to cross "that area" to reach this place was entirely beyond his expectations.
In his long life, how many such humans—how many such opponents—had he encountered? How many more would he ever see?
He had actually enjoyed the chase. Even after being toyed with more than once, he had savored it.
Because that was the true meaning of the hunt, wasn't it? What kind of hunter would crudely grip his knife and rush into a bloody brawl with his prey?
"A pity."
Zagu's tone suddenly turned frigid.
"In the Abyss, within the Demon Race, Lord Divine Will's volition stands above all else. Therefore, I can only kill you here in the most ordinary of ways."
It was like a beautiful story from the human kingdoms, one that made a reader savor every word and return to it again and again...
But even the most beautiful story can have a terrible ending.
"But rest assured. Even if the ending is poor, I will ensure your final moments... are the most brilliant of all."
Clang—
The sound of vibrating metal hummed.
A massive, tearing sound ripped through the space in an instant. A blinding light erupted, so bright that even the magic stone overhead paled in comparison.
But that humming and tearing didn't come from Zagu.
It came from Muen and Ariel.
From the moment they saw Zagu, both had been secretly accumulating power. Having survived countless such crises, they were well aware of the reality...
It was time to put their lives on the line.
Muen struck from the left. His Pure White Blades traced a perfect Moon Arc. Under sixty-fold Time Dilation, a terrifying Hundred-Stack Force accumulated in a split second. Blade energy and shockwaves, carrying a sharpness that could cleave through anything, slashed toward Zagu’s flank from a treacherous angle.
Ariel struck from the right. Crimson flames enveloped her greatsword as surging power exploded after being suppressed to the limit. Divine Blessing, sword intent, and the techniques Ariel had honed since childhood all merged into this single strike, slamming toward Zagu’s face with overwhelming force.
They had seemed to be chatting idly, with no chance to coordinate, yet they moved in perfect synchronization—one leading, one supporting—completely sealing off all of Zagu’s paths for retreat.
They had both simultaneously chosen to take the initiative!
"Hoh."
Even Zagu couldn't help but utter a word of praise.
"What remarkable coordination."
But it was merely praise.
Zagu tightened his grip on his long spear.
He didn't dodge.
Or rather... he didn't need to.
Zagu’s arm muscles bulged, looking like coiled dragons that threatened to burst through his armor. Faint flickers of pitch-black light extended from his palm, rapidly staining the entire spear in a sinister, terrifying hue.
In his crimson pupils, the blinding, unimaginable radiance was reflected.
Yet, through that glare, he accurately captured the figures of the two attackers.
Then.
The ground shuddered.
Zagu’s body barely seemed to move, yet the metal floor beneath his feet began to cave in and deform violently.
It was as if some gargantuan, horrific force had begun to pivot around the point where Zagu met the ground... and swung!
And the end of that extending force was the spear in Zagu’s hand!
BOOM!
It sounded like a thunderclap.
Like a mountain collapsing.
In an instant, all light and sound vanished from the world. Muen’s vision went black. If he hadn't known exactly where he was, he would have thought he had become a reckless bird that had slammed headfirst into the pitch-black cliffs at the edge of the Abyss.
By the time he regained his senses, he was flying backward at nearly the same speed he had used to charge Zagu.
He smashed through countless rare plants that were likely extinct in the outside world, crashed through a thick layer of crystal, and finally slammed into the metal wall, leaving a massive indentation before he managed to steady himself.
"Cough... cough..."
Muen coughed up blood. His hands weren't just shaking; they felt ruined. Every internal organ throbbed with a pain so intense it felt as if they had been wrung like a wet rag.
Dammit.
How is this guy so powerful?
Back on that tower in Gutons Fortress, hadn't Ariel been able to trade blows with him?
Wait, where was Ariel?
Could she still fight...?
Just as the thought occurred, Muen forced his eyes open only to see Ariel flying through the air like a sandbag, crashing down beside him in almost the exact same posture.
"Cough... cough..."
She, too, spat out blood, her disheveled appearance a mirror image of his own.
"..."
It seemed this stubborn girl's condition wasn't nearly as good as she had claimed.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Steady footsteps echoed through the settling dust.
A tall figure loomed in the haze, only those cold, crimson eyes remaining vividly clear.
"By the way, regarding your earlier question, there is actually one more reason."
Zagu didn't seem to be in a hurry to finish them off. Instead, as if admiring the final struggles of his prey, he began to chat again.
"Muen Campbell, where is that strange Black Flame of yours—the one even Lord Divine Will is wary of? In a situation like this, you're still not using it?"
"..."
"And you, human woman. What about that move you used against the Twisted Figure at the base of the tower? The one where you collided two opposing forces? Even from a distance, the power of that strike made my heart skip a beat... Why not use it again?"
"..."
"It seems neither of you can use them for the time being."
Beneath the visor, Zagu seemed to flash a mocking smile.
"You see, the logic is quite simple. You are both formidable, and you possess incredible trump cards that even I wouldn't dare provoke lightly. But now, facing me while those cards are unavailable..."
"What exactly do you plan to do?"