"Supreme strength, authority, and wealth—you must possess all three, or you won't qualify to meet the former emperors' thirty guardians! The fact that you guests have made it to the City of the Survivors proves that you possess great strength."
The female leader nodded gently, approval showing on her face. Then her tone changed. "Yet another guest has arrived here. The thirty lords wish to know—which of you possesses the greater strength?"
As soon as the leader finished speaking, the space around them transformed. The glittering golden temple lost its shine, bricks crumbled, sand crept up over their feet, and a hot, dusty wind blew in from the temple entrance.
The female leader rose from her throne. "This is the former emperors' arena. Go forth, my guests. Prove who truly possesses the greatest strength."
EeDechi, Barrett, and the others stepped out of the temple. The view outside had changed completely, as though they had returned to the desert. The arena was immense, with giant skeletons and ruined city remnants half-buried in the sand and dark red mountains rolling in the distance.
At the far end of the space stood another ruined temple. A tall, skinny demon in a striped suit and round glasses stepped out the door.
"Demiurge!" EeDechi was stunned for a split second, but then her face hardened, rage boiling in her eyes.
Demiurge looked just as shocked. He frowned slightly. "EeDechi, Lord Ainz has been searching for you for ages. I never thought you'd be hiding here. Could it be... you have an Imperial Map too?"
His eyes swept over EeDechi, then locked onto Mare, who was bundled up like a mummy. His pupils contracted. "Mare! You're here!"
The female leader stepped forward, her serene face showing no emotion. "It appears that you know one another. All the better. Now, my two guests, prove which of you possesses the greatest strength."
Demiurge kept his gaze fixed on Mare as he cried, "Mare, no wonder we couldn't find you—you've been kidnapped!"
"Your opponent is right here!"
BANG! EeDechi drove her feet into the ground with explosive force, stomping a crater into the earth. Her figure shot out like black lightning, crossing a kilometer in an instant as her giant sword slashed toward Demiurge!
Aspect of the Devil: Razor Sharp Claw! Demiurge immediately unleashed his demonic power, covering his palms and wrists in dense steel scales, his five fingers stretching into sharp, curved claws.
CLANG!
The ten sharp claws clashed fiercely with EeDechi's giant sword, sparking bright red flames. Caught unprepared, Demiurge was driven back two hundred meters and only managed to steady himself by plunging his claws into the ground.
"Second form!"
Demiurge didn't hesitate to transform. The back of his striped suit burst open, and a pair of clawed bat wings spread wide. Veins stood out across his head as his features warped into those of a grotesque, bulging-eyed frog.
Demiurge had three forms; the third was his strongest and one he never used lightly.
In his second form, Demiurge's aura surged wildly. He sneered. "EeDechi, it is time you witnessed my power."
Before he had even finished speaking, Demiurge's hands traced eerie patterns, unleashing a barrage of devastating spells:
8th Tier Magic: Nether Strike!
8th Tier Magic: Pain Wave!
9th Tier Magic: Hell's Dance!
9th Tier Magic: Vermilion Nova!
Space twisted into chaos, ripples spreading outward as a mass of dark halos enveloped EeDechi. At their center, an eerie vermilion orb locked onto her, scorching a red trail through the air before shooting forward like an arrow with a hiss.
EeDechi erupted with astonishing speed, her form trailing a chain of afterimages. Her giant sword slashed left and right, up and down, shattering the dark halos like fragile glass. The ground was devoured by the breaking halos, and the surrounding building ruins collapsed in waves.
The vermilion orb reached her in the blink of an eye. EeDechi raised her giant sword high, channeled massive power into it, and brought it crashing down!
Martial Art: One Sword Opens the Heavens!
The vermilion light sphere exploded with a deafening roar that shook everyone's eardrums. The ground blasted open into a crater a kilometer wide, while the force of the blow tore a vast furrow through the earth and blasted apart the dust above it, revealing the endless blue sky.
As the smoke and dust cleared, EeDechi shot forward like thunder, fury blazing in her black eyes. "Go to hell, Demiurge!"
Martial Art: Star Cleave!
At that moment, time itself seemed to freeze. The air solidified and the dust hung still. Only the giant sword, driven by EeDechi's fury, came slashing down. The pressure of the blow bore down on everyone like a mountain, making even breathing a struggle. This strike seemed capable of splitting the stars themselves!
BANG!!
Both sets of Demiurge's claws snapped clean off, his round glasses burst into powder, and the suit over his chest was ripped to shreds. A deep gash opened in his abdomen, blood pouring out like a waterfall from the place his claws had failed to guard.
At the same time, the distant mountains erupted with a boom. The once-rolling range now had a massive breach, six peaks tumbling down like scattered blocks.
Demiurge's blood-red eyes bulged. He opened his grotesque frog-like maw and unleashed a piercing shriek. The sound waves tore through the air and shook the earth. Far off, Barrett, Antilene, and Franco clutched their ears in agony.
Franco and Antilene suffered the worst. Blood was already running from their nostrils and ears, while a shrill ringing threatened to pierce their brains.
As Demiurge's hellish howl continued, a pitch-black abyss cracked open beneath EeDechi's feet, countless twisted arms stretching out to drag her into the depths.
EeDechi swung her sword, hacking through the grasping arms, and bellowed, "Dragon Endbringer! To battle!"
Demiurge stopped shrieking and opened his eyes. He saw no trace of an attacker, yet an icy chill crept up his spine.
Demiurge turned to look over his shoulder, but before he could fully turn his head, Dragon Endbringer's massive steel fist smashed squarely into his face.
CRACK! The sound of his jaw shattering rang out clearly. Demiurge's head twisted at an unnatural angle. He threw his head back and spat out a mouthful of blood flecked with seven or eight broken teeth.
"AH!" Demiurge howled in agony, but his wounds were already regenerating at astonishing speed. His eyes narrowed as he chanted under his breath: 8th Tier Magic: Short-Range Blink!
Demiurge vanished and reappeared behind EeDechi. Dragon Endbringer's iron fist cut through empty air.
But teleportation over such a short distance was useless against a level 100 powerhouse. EeDechi's keen senses could still pinpoint her enemy's position.
As though she had eyes in the back of her head, EeDechi spun toward him and shot forward. Conical sonic-boom clouds swirled around her body as she shattered the sound barrier. In the blink of an eye, she closed in on Demiurge, her brutal giant sword hacking down at his neck!
BANG!
Demiurge blocked the strike at the cost of fracturing his right arm, but his body was hurled hundreds of meters away, crashing down not far from Barrett and the group.
"You fell for it, EeDechi!This was exactly where I meant to go!"
Demiurge let out a savage laugh. Although his right arm was twisted at odd angles and blood gushed from the wound in his abdomen, his bat wings flared behind him and began beating a thousand times per second.
The airflow reversed, and a massive vortex gathered in the sky, drawing the swirling dust into a gigantic tornado. The raging twister hurtled toward Barrett and the others.
"Watch out!"
Barrett, Franco, and Antilene yanked out their weapons and staves, scattering to avoid the tornado that threatened to swallow everything. Every muscle was tense as they prepared to defend themselves.
A blood-red afterimage flashed among them. It came to a halt, and Demiurge steadied himself, smiling triumphantly. "EeDechi, now face the combined assault of two members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick!"
In his grasp was none other than Mare, still bound by the magic ropes.