Kae
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Dungeon Diver CH909
🕑 Added 2025-06-24 23:00:10 +0000 UTCThe Demon’s expression shifts, and it hesitates for a fraction of a second, processing my words before launching an X-shaped wave of bright purple energy from a thick, curved blade at me, and four cyan-colored harpoons from a strange circular weapon at Maria.
“Oh, so that Liar Lucian actually did pick someone after all? He wasn't just playing with our lives for the fun of it?”
I swing upward, and my blade collides with the center of this incoming energy attack.
It ripples with crimson flames and bursts into harmless celestial residue as I burst forward, spinning and dodging through weaker flying daggers and small energy attacks sent afterward.
“Yes, he did. In fact, I killed him. How do you think we made it past the green zone?”
Loud cracking sounds echo through the air as the spears sent toward Maria freeze and shatter. She sends a dense crescent of ice in the Demon’s direction next to go on the offensive.
The Demon’s eyes widen as it senses danger and twists its body away from the sparkling wave of ice. Still, two of its shadow arms are lost. One of its soul weapons freezes to dust, while it manages to move the other out of danger in time.
It doesn’t seem worried, more interested in what I’ve said.
The Royal’s eyes turn from surprise to a calculative state, then to one of understanding.
“That makes sense… You must have some kind of assimilation skill. That’s how you were able to steal all these Demon’s strength on your way to the temple.”
I’m the one shocked at its words next, dodging a curved cyan-colored blade on a dark black chain, then swinging my sword backward to counter it when it turns midair to try and catch me off guard.
It bounces off but shows red cracks in its blade’s face. When it curves back in to attack me again, I shatter it to pieces and send a pulse of corruption down its black chains.
The Demon lets go of the soul weapon’s remains, not wanting to be infected by the attack I just threw. Instead of sending another strike my way, it speaks again.
“Judging by your reaction, I’d say I’m spot on. That would explain the trace amounts of the Fallen One in your soul bonds… and the scent of another royal in that darkness you carry. That Dragon must have slithered its way into a family head position. –And the temple's legacy, that’s how you absorbed its power without having to be the chosen Demon.”
The Royal laughs out loud and throws a flurry of dense black and purple energy crescents toward Maria.
It yells again.
“You’ve doomed your own race. All of the Lower Races! And you don’t even know it! That Dragon was your last chance. There’s no way the Vanguards will take any more chances if a Family Head is killed, and he hears the Fallen One got this close. The Lower Realm will be sealed and turn into an eternal prison worse than this one…”
It laughs more and more, throwing the same type of dense celestial energy attacks it sent at Maria toward me. Some are mixed with white arrows and occasional pure cyan divine thread waves of light.
For a moment, I get paranoid that it figured out everything about me in just a single sentence, guessing my unique skill just by watching me in the Ravine. However, it seems to have convinced itself of something else that isn’t true… yet I think I can use this to my advantage.
The red aura around my body intensifies, even compressing in on itself to become brighter crimson. I need to get a little more serious to block this new barrage of strikes. I’ve come within about 2 kilometers of this demon now.
As dozens of explosions burst around me, I yell again, "Doesn't this make us allies? You were trapped in here by Lucian? And my aim is to get out of here and stop the sealing. Don’t you think it’s pointless to fight?”
The Royal hesitates again, but twists its body out of the way to dodge another one of Maria’s probing attacks after she froze and shattered the barrage sent our way.
We both zigzag through the debris, closing in on a kilometer away from this Demon, for him to let out a laugh.
“Allies? How naive you must be. There is no longer any need for allies. I have heard those words countless times before, and this is what it has gotten me.” He stops sending waves of attacks my way for a moment and points to the sky with both hands toward the white rift far above us. “This is an Imperial’s Seal. Your hopes of ever seeing a Family Head again are long past. Enjoy the fact that you managed to kill one at all.”
Its aura grows sharp, and its eyes turn to my blade again.
“The only allies I have or will ever need again are my weapons. And I see one that will finally bring me closer to unlocking my second path. Whether you were meant to be or not, you are truly the perfect gift to entertain me in this solitude.”
The smirk leaves its face, as it feels like he’s about to get serious.
“Fine. At least we tried…”
I hold both hands tight on the grip of my blade, and the hot crimson mist trailing around me compresses even more, allowing me to use it to increase my attack power and movement speed rather than just a domain of defense.
Maria’s eyes tighten too, focusing on the Demon’s vitals and calculating all the attack patterns of the weapons pointed at her form on that side of the Demon’s body.
We swing our blades in unison. The two crescents of fire and ice are tens of times more deadly than any warning shots before.
I can feel the millions of layered waves of vibrations in this attack from my sword collide with the spiked club in the Demon’s real hand.
It is the very one that one-shotted both of us at once, putting us in a coma for over a decade just from making contact with it.
The Royal Demon’s aura has been compressed too and concentrated in its weapons, yet I’m certain it wasn’t expecting anything like this.
Dense black waves of Celestial Energy flow out from its arms and cover the two strongest defensive soul weapons it’s holding. On Maria’s side, it’s a massive purple axe.
There is a shockwave of red fire and blue ice as our True Royal auras collide.
The shockwave makes all of its shadow arms dissolve so that the Demon can focus on defense with its true weapons.
The sound of a murderous yell, one that has been held in for millions of years, comes echoing out into the Ravine.
With both arms outstretched, it does manage to hold the slashes back for a moment…
However, the club starts to show miniature red fractures all over the contact point. Maria’s ice begins flooding into the dark layer over its purple axe as well. Slowly, it spreads to the entire axe face and down its handle.
Maria and I converge in toward the Demon’s center, where it’s wide open now. At less than 500 meters away, we both swing again to release a perfect X mark of fire and ice toward its chest.
Just before impact, the Demon’s club and axe shatter to pieces. They explode, making the weapon shrapnel and Celestial Energy Residue slam into the Demon’s sides. Some are blocked by its armor, but its exposed skin is torn through creating hundreds of tiny wounds. Still, the Demon kicks off the air backward to give itself an extra moment to grab a black and white cube from its remaining weapons that float above its head.
“I am the master of all Soul Weapons. A Royal Demon Meant for the Throne! Do you think I’d ever let humans strike me down?”
The box glows brighter and brighter white in his hands and expands to lock onto both of his forearms. It grows into a massive rectangular shield, and the two crescents of energy explode on contact, returning to a harmless dazzling state in the air.
The shield is blinding white and hot in my senses… like its Celestial Energy purity is far greater than mine or even the demon wielding it. It is spotless without a dent or scratch on it, but the shockwave has sent this demon flying backward.
My enhanced eyes see burn marks on its left arm, all the way up to the shoulder, and veins of blue ice still creeping up its right from the residue of the attacks we managed to hit.
It’s not invincible, but its arsenal of weapons are unpredictable… For some reason, it is still confident, showing no fear. If anything, its deep purple eyes grow even sharper.
We both take steps forward again to follow it after being blown backward. However, I sense the air pressure start to shift, as though there is something else here watching.
My instincts tell me what I’m feeling is impossible… Dragons don’t awaken paths.
At least the thousands of Noble Demons we fought before, their dragons did not carry vibrations like their bonded partners. Yet, I sense a fluctuation far off in the Ravine where this demon has been sent flying. Somehow, they’re the vibrations of a Royal Dragon…
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