"Kid, I can't beat this thing. I've done everything I could. You've seen it yourself—it just won't die."
The giant, who had been stubbornly holding his ground, finally admitted defeat. Faced with the undeniable reality that he was no match for the ghost fiend, the giant decided that his life was more important than his pride. He rushed toward Muria, ignoring the intense heat radiating from Muria's body that could melt ordinary matter, grabbed him, and strode toward the edge of the black mist, attempting to flee.
"Ga-ha-ha! A futile, desperate struggle! Foolish creature, what makes you think you can escape my grasp?" The ghost fiend let out a mocking laugh as it watched the giant attempt to escape with Muria. Its voice was filled with confidence and satisfaction.
To the ghost fiend, Muria and the giant were already its prey. There was no way they could slip through its fingers. Absorbing and merging with Muria's power to grow even stronger was merely a matter of time.
"Running now? Isn't it a little too late for that?" Muria, cradled in the giant's massive hand, spoke with a trace of exasperation. "You might as well have kept fighting."
"But if I keep fighting, I'll die." The giant's honesty was striking. He fully understood the nature of the monstrosity he was facing. If the battle dragged on, he would inevitably be the first to fall.
"Still, running won't save you either. Dying in battle would at least be more dignified."
"We can escape." The giant's voice was firm, as if trying to inspire hope in Muria.
"Just like how you were so sure you could beat that ghost fiend before the fight started?" Muria replied, his tone laced with sarcasm.
Hearing Muria's biting comment, the giant fell silent. He didn't want to continue the conversation; Muria's words were too demoralizing.
At that moment, the giant's broad, iron-gray wings spread open, and his massive body lifted off the ground. He flew swiftly through the black mist, his powerful wings cutting through the air with great speed.
But Muria's earlier prediction came true. No matter how fast the giant flew, the scene around him remained unchanged—endless black mist. There was no sign of any exit.
The giant quickly realized the truth: he couldn't escape the ghost fiend's domain. Worse, he noticed that traveling through the black mist consumed his stamina at an alarming rate, far more than usual.
"Damn it." After flying frantically for a while, the giant finally accepted his fate. He cursed under his breath, landed on the ground, set Muria down, and began attacking the black mist around him with all his strength.
"You knew this would happen, so why didn't you just leave when I told you to?" The ghost fiend materialized before the giant, its crimson eyes filled with mocking amusement. "Why did you insist on staying and joining this little Hellspawn kid in his demise?"
"Enough. Your target is me, isn't it? How about letting him go?" Muria interrupted the ghost fiend before it could continue taunting. This wasn't an act of selflessness—he simply didn't want the giant to witness what was about to happen. Muria knew that what he was about to do would likely shatter the giant's worldview.
"Arnold…" The giant's face was overcome with emotion upon hearing Muria's words. He was deeply moved by what he perceived as Muria's self-sacrifice.
"Don't worry. As long as I'm alive, I won't let this ghost fiend touch you!"
Muria: "..."
Brother, just leave already. Why are you still here? Do you really have to stick around and watch me cheat? Knowing too much can be a dangerous thing.
"Ga-ha-ha! No need for such politeness. Both of you will die—it's just a matter of who goes first."
A condensed mass of deathly black mist appeared before the giant. Two claws, formed from pure death energy, descended toward him. This time, perhaps due to the giant's dwindling strength, the attack left visible claw marks on his iron-gray body, though it still sparked as it scraped his skin.
"Hmph!" A flicker of pain crossed the giant's face, and he let out a muffled groan. Then he raised his fist and punched at the ghost fiend once again.
Not long after, iron-gray blood splattered through the air. The ghost fiend, its body intact and unscathed, had finally broken through the giant's weakening defenses.
"Fool!" The ghost fiend, now in humanoid form, solidified its legs and delivered a powerful kick. The blow struck the battered giant, whose body was already covered in claw marks.
The force of the kick sent the giant's massive form flying. He traced a parabolic arc through the air before crashing heavily into the ground, carving a deep trench as he skidded to a halt.
"Impressive—solid and intangible at will." Watching this display, Muria couldn't help but nod slightly. Through the ghost fiend's battle with the giant, he had roughly discerned the creature's unique power.
The land beneath the fallen giant was stained with his iron-gray blood. He struggled to rise but remained pinned to the ground. The ghost fiend's energy had invaded his body, attempting to corrupt and assimilate him.
"Now, it's your turn, little Hellspawn." The ghost fiend turned its gaze toward Muria, ignoring the giant it had already defeated. Muria, for his part, remained calm, observing everything with a composed expression.
"I really didn't want to use Origin Energy… I spent so much time acquiring it, and now I have to waste even a sliver of it on you." Muria sighed, his tone tinged with regret as the ghost fiend floated toward him. He was genuinely reluctant to part with even a fraction of his hard-earned Origin Energy.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" The ghost fiend paused mid-air, puzzled by Muria's cryptic words. Unable to make sense of them, it resumed its approach, determined to devour Muria whole.
"Fusing the heart of a complete Balor Flame Demon Lord should be enough to deal with a little ghost like you."
Deep within his reincarnated body, Muria's true self had been preparing all along. Holding a sliver of Origin Energy in one hand, he infused it into the flaming heart of the Balor Flame Demon Lord that floated in his grasp.
In the next instant, the heart—radiating boundless light and heat like a miniature sun—melted into countless streams of fiery energy, which surged into Muria's heart and body.
Boom!
A sound like a war drum echoed through the black mist. The oppressive fog shuddered and momentarily froze in place. Even the ghost fiend hesitated, its movement involuntarily halting.
"What are you doing?" The ghost fiend, its claws outstretched toward Muria, was startled to see a golden-red glow emanating from Muria's chest.
The light not only made the fiery patterns on Muria's body shine brighter but also unleashed a terrifying aura that sent shivers down the ghost fiend's spine.
"What do you think?" Muria smiled as he observed the ominous shadow before him. He couldn't deny that this absurd surge of power felt incredibly satisfying.
"You've been hiding your strength." The ghost fiend glared at Muria, its crimson eyes filled with alarm. For the first time, it sensed a genuine threat from the boy it had considered insignificant.
"If that's how you want to see it, sure," Muria replied, his body swelling as he spoke. Flames surged from his mouth, and his fiery presence grew ever more intense.
"Hiding your strength won't save you. I'll devour you today, no matter what!" After retreating briefly, the ghost fiend surged forward again, abandoning its humanoid form. Its body, a mass of deathly black mist, aimed to engulf the rapidly expanding Muria.
"Begone!" Muria shouted, and with a simple motion, he unleashed a fraction of the overwhelming power flooding his body. A torrent of blazing fire erupted from his mouth, forming a pillar of flame.
The inferno consumed everything in its path, annihilating all traces of the black mist and reducing it to nothingness.
"Aaaah!"
The ghost fiend let out a scream of agony as part of its body was incinerated by Muria's flames. The searing attack didn't just damage its form—it struck at its very soul, the source of its being.
"What… what is this fire?" The ghost fiend, writhing in agony, managed to reform its body after a brief moment. Its crimson eyes now glared at Muria with a mixture of rage and fear.
"Only the flames of a Hellspawn who has awakened at least five times can harm a soul… Excellent. You've hidden this much strength from me, but this only makes me more eager. If I devour you, I'll surely achieve my seventh awakening!"
"Foolish." Muria's entire body glowed with golden-red fire patterns. With each pulse of light, the essence of the Balor Flame Demon Lord's heart coursed through his veins, transforming his body.
A second pair of horns began to grow from his forehead, while his frame expanded further. His muscles swelled, brimming with raw power, and two massive bulges began to form on his back...
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.