"I am the Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak! If you defeat me, I will recognize you as heroes! But if you lose, you will serve me until your very last breath!"
Facing the mighty Demon King were a group of three famous adventurers and a genius princess of the Water God Style.
"We didn't have the chance to introduce ourselves last time." Isolde spoke up, stepping forward and bowing slightly with her sword drawn. "I am Water King Isolde Cluel, disciple of Water God Reida Reia."
She declared her name and title with pride. Her blue eyes flashed with an intense fighting spirit.
Meanwhile, her teammate, the elf warrior, stepped up beside her. She flipped her blonde hair and drew her estoc, pointing the blade at the ground.
"I am Elinalise Dragonroad." Elinalise introduced herself briefly.
Next was the dwarf magician. He rested his earth-brown staff on his shoulder, his other hand stroking his beard slowly. "I am Talhand The Clifftop, a mage adventurer."
And finally, the mage who looked like a child gripped her staff tightly. Her other hand held onto her witch hat so the wind radiating from the Demon King wouldn't blow it away.
"And I am Roxy Migurdia. King-tier Water Mage."
These were the four warriors challenging the Immortal Demon King. Four adventurers of different races, origins, and powers. But they had overcome many trials and now appeared before the one who had once defeated them, to fight once more.
Seeing this scene, Demon King Atofe couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Mu wa ha ha ha!" It wasn't a scornful laugh; Isolde could feel the joy in it. "So we meet again! You dared to come find me even after losing once? Do you think you can overcome me after some training? Truly courageous to the point of stupidity! It's useless! Ku wa ha ha ha!"
This dialogue... it's literally ripped straight from the legend of the One-Eyed Hero Kurukan and the battle with Demon King Jurin.
As far as Isolde remembered, it was the story of a human hero (obviously) who took a quest from the king to set out and destroy Demon King Jurin to save the kingdom's princess. However, on the journey, Kurukan faced Jurin once. The hero was injured so badly he lost an eye, and fell into a labyrinth fifty floors deep. For an injured person, that was basically a death sentence.
However, with his boundless love for the princess, Kurukan rose from that abyss. The hero conquered the labyrinth, became stronger than ever, then defeated the Demon King and saved the princess. Then they got married and produced heirs for the kingdom.
Generally speaking, Isolde didn't see much resemblance to her current situation, but it seemed to match from Atofe's perspective, so the Demon King quoted it verbatim.
Indeed, Isolde had realized early on that Atofe really liked roleplaying as characters from human folklore or fairy tales. However, she leaned more towards the 'bad guy' side rather than the hero side like the normal children or teenagers she knew. She didn't know the reason for this, but she guessed it wasn't anything logical. Demon Kings don't have the mindset of normal people.
Last time, the Water King was a bit surprised because they hadn't had time to interact or for her to devise a way to deal with Demon Kings. But after the previous encounter and a whole month at Necross Fortress, Isolde had utilized the time to prepare for this battle.
The girl from the Cluel family had shadowed Atofe, learning her skills and observing her training sessions with other guards. She studied hard, planning methodically for countless different scenarios. In her plans, Isolde even contemplated dealing with the entire Fortress alone and escaping. Moreover, she spent time chatting and asking the guards here to understand the personality and hobbies of that Immortal Demon King.
And that was why, instead of answering Atofe's question, she decided to play along with the drama being set up.
"My hero is praying to the gods and the Great Saint Millis." Isolde declared eloquently. "So before the hero shows his face, I, his princess, will use this life to become the sturdiest shield to protect the one I love!"
That was a direct quote from the legend of One-Eyed Hero Kurukan. That must be why Atofe immediately laughed out loud.
"Wa ha ha ha ha! Protect? A shield? You? What can a princess with weak limbs do?" Of course, still a line from the fairy tale.
"I will do everything! I will wield a sword, hold a shield, cast spells, pray, everything!"
Isolde replied immediately; without realizing when, she had become so immersed in the role. Her voice was sweet and pure, like a princess stepping out of a book. Her eyes shone like starlight, her hand placed over her left chest as she spoke words that went straight to the hearts of the hundreds listening.
"As long as I can still see with these eyes. As long as I know how to love and can feel the warmth from that smile. I will not stop protecting him!"
From the crowd of guards, some started tearing up. Some covered their mouths in emotion. Some even knelt and prayed upon witnessing such an intense flow of emotion.
And even the one flying with bat wings opposite her was the same. The Immortal Demon King smiled incredibly brightly, looking just like a child who found a friend with shared interests. But in a split second, she switched back to the vile laughter of a 'True' Demon King.
"Mu wa ha ha ha! Truly touching words and such courage!" Atofe drew her sword and flew straight down, standing opposite Isolde. "So I will give you one last chance, princess! Accept belonging to me forever, and I will give that one-eyed hero a path to live!"
"Trading my own freedom for the life of the one I love?"
Isolde swung her arm decisively. The 'princess's' hair flew in the wind, creating graceful ripples. She arched her back, facing the Demon King's long shadow under the sunset. She looked so small, yet so magnificent.
"Oh Immortal Demon King, so kind, yet so cruel. What am I without freedom? What will be left of my hero if he lives by abandoning his love? I could agree. But the hero I fell in love with would never give up!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Then prove it to me, little princess!" Atofe laughed loudly, her bat wings spreading to their full extent, making the Immortal Demon King appear larger than ever. The 'villain' of the story then drew her massive sword, pointing it straight at Isolde. "Let us fight and make this battle of ours legendary!"
Isolde also drew her sword from its sheath, deliberately striking the most dramatic pose possible. "Do your worst, Demon King!"
"Oh oh!"
"It's starting!"
The watching guards immediately gasped in awe, as if watching a play. Applause and cheering erupted while on the arena, the 'princess' and the 'Demon King' held their coolest poses.
And they still hadn't fought yet. They would stand like that for a few more minutes.
"We did need to stall for time, but I didn't expect her to use this method." Talhand stroked his beard and nodded.
"Ahaha! As long as it works, right?" Elinalise was having a good laugh. "Isolde is really good at sweet-talking anyone. Even the Immortal Demon King played along."
"Yeah. It was unexpectedly successful. Now we just have to trust Atur."
Roxy nodded and glanced at the empty space behind where the guards were gathering, where a blue light was gradually appearing. At the same time, a pillar of light suddenly appeared where the petite mage was looking. It was so dazzling that the entire land preparing to sink into the darkness of night lit up.
To the majority here, they panicked at that. The crowd started buzzing; some gasped, some tried to step closer, but the heat radiating from the pillar of light piercing the night sky was too intense. Even black armor capable of resisting magic melted.
Only a few people knew what that was. The Immortal Demon King immediately widened her eyes looking at that light. She had seen it once, a thousand years ago. But before Atofe could understand or react, an elegant voice full of charisma rang out, drawing the entire space's attention.
"That is the blessing Millis has bestowed upon the hero!" Isolde announced. "And when the chosen one steps out from the flames of the sun, he will defeat the cruel Demon King."
"Mu wa ha ha ha! Then I just need to defeat all of you and destroy that ritual!"
"I won't let that happen!"
And so the battle began.
Atofe immediately rushed in, swinging her sword at the 'princess'. Isolde was ready and immediately used Flow to push that slash away smoothly. That very smoothness made Isolde instantly realize something was wrong, but it was too late.
"Hahaha! Water God Style users are too predictable!"
Atofe immediately threw an elbow at the Water King's face. With the Immortal Demon King's strength, that strike would easily knock anyone out of the fight.
That probably would have happened if Isolde were fighting alone.
"Wind Blast!"
A strong wind blew straight into Isolde's back, pushing the girl forward and barely dodging the critical hit.
"Nice job Talhand!" Elinalise shouted and lunged to where Isolde had just stood. The elf warrior swung her shield, bashing it into Atofe's forearm.
At the same time, Isolde used the momentum to slip past the Demon King, delivering a kick to the opponent's knee.
Two perfectly coordinated attacks occurred simultaneously and immediately took effect.
"Not bad! Knowing not to hit through my Battle Aura but choosing to trip me instead? Hahaha! But still too naive!"
Just as Atofe said, despite being tripped, the master of Necross Fortress could launch not just one, but two kicks at the two who had just approached her.
Elinalise reacted immediately; a piercing *clang* rang out as Atofe's leg armor hit the elf girl's magic shield. Although that equipment was a magic item capable of reducing any attack, with the Demon King's terrifying strength, the S-rank adventurer was still knocked back nearly ten meters. However, with her experience, Elinalise quickly regained her balance and took no significant damage.
Meanwhile, for Isolde, Atofe's kick struck straight into the sword she was holding. The Water King tried to use Flow to execute a counterattack. But before the move could form, two consecutive spinning punches from Atofe were executed while the Demon King was still falling in mid-air, knocking Isolde to the ground too.
"Kuh—" Isolde cried out in pain. She felt like a rib had cracked.
That wasn't even the worst part. The Demon King they were attacking had stood up first, the sword in her hand swinging toward Isolde.
The Water King didn't flinch. She immediately sprang up, readying the sword in her hand. But this time there was something very strange in how she moved the sword.
And she didn't need to wait too long; as soon as they entered each other's attack range, a voice that had been chanting for a long time reached the end of its verse.
"Answer my call, God of Obscurities, and shatter my enemy! Stone Cannon!"
A massive stone flew toward Atofe, right when the Immortal Demon King was paying the least attention to her surroundings.
Roxy knew this was the only appropriate moment to attack and had waited for this instant. Unlike normal swordsmen, Atofe possessed extraordinary strength and speed. In the previous encounter, Atofe had easily dodged or neutralized every attack from the Migurd mage. And even if hit, the black armor and body covered in powerful Battle Aura were too strong a defense to penetrate.
That was why Roxy decided to change things up a bit. Roxy's Stone Cannon was no longer pointed; instead, it was a heavy block of stone slamming straight into the target's hip. She wasn't trying to pierce through, but using blunt force to create maximum impulse.
What Atofe felt was like being rammed by a two-ton boar. But was it effective? Damage-wise? No. Because even if bones broke, the Immortal Demon King would easily regenerate immediately.
But it wasn't a meaningless attack.
Because the purpose of this Stone Cannon was to make Atofe lose momentum at the most decisive moment.
"What!? Again!? You guys only have one trick!?"
Atofe roared as she lost her balance once more. And that was when a *Whoosh* rang out; Isolde's sword sliced off the Immortal Demon King's left arm.
And immediately after, the Water King used her sword to follow the path of Atofe's incoming blade. Her Flow immediately caught the Demon King's terrifying attack force. Her sword path skillfully absorbed it, turning it into her own.
"Inevitable Counter!"
Another slash, and Atofe's right leg was severed.
Thus, they successfully cut off two of the opponent's limbs.
Atofe's arm and leg fell off, hit the ground, and immediately turned into a pile of squirming meat.
In a normal match, they certainly would have won. No matter what god the opponent was, losing a leg and an arm was basically a death sentence.
But their opponent was an immortal demon clan! Those who could still live even if crushed to pieces! They had fought Atofe once; they had let their guard down and paid a heavy price.
"Attack quickly!" Elinalise shouted immediately. "One leg is down!"
Now that the Immortal Demon King had one leg disabled, attacking Atofe would be much easier. So the entire remaining party of four didn't hesitate for a second; they immediately took turns applying pressure and attacking the fallen figure.
However, everyone seemed to forget what an Immortal Demon King could do besides regenerating quickly and being immortal like her name suggests.
"Mu wa ha ha ha!"
The Demon King's wings suddenly flapped hard, creating a gust of wind strong enough to blow Roxy's witch hat away.
"Hahaha! Hehehe! You forced me to use my wings! Not bad!"
But even though her opponents were using their full strength, Atofe didn't seem to be struggling. She even seemed to be having fun.
"It's been so long since I had to fight opponents both strong and interesting like you! Now I will fight with all I have! Hahaha!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Atofe didn't let anyone react. She immediately rushed at Elinalise and attacked first. The Immortal Demon King's massive sword slammed into the magic shield, once again creating a shockwave that knocked the elf girl away. However, the attacker had no intention of stopping; she rushed in again, swinging another blow at the off-balance target.
In a split second, Elinalise pivoted her ankle, dodging the attack when it was only millimeters away from hitting.
"Fast!" Atofe shouted in praise. She continued swinging her sword wildly but with extreme viciousness. "Hahaha! But still not enough! If you trained under me for a few hundred years, you'd become much stronger than this!"
"Sorry, I prefer my current free life."
Elinalise replied neatly and quickly retreated from the fight. Leaving Isolde rushing in to take her place.
*Clang*
"Your opponent is me." Isolde said calmly. "Don't run off like that."
"Hahaha! Then let me continue playing with you, princess!"
And the battle continued, with a faster and more intense pace than before.
The two sides constantly rushed at each other, attacking, defending, parrying.
When someone was injured, Roxy would immediately use prepared magic circles to heal quickly; she could even support and attack at the same time. When someone needed to stall, Isolde would be the one to step up due to her defensive capabilities. When space needed to be created, Elinalise's speed and flexibility immediately came into play. And when magical support was needed, Talhand was always ready.
The coordination of the four was truly unbelievably good. They didn't even need to say a word; everything happened so naturally it seemed like common sense. Like rain falling to the ground and flowing into rivers and lakes.
But facing them was a mighty force truly akin to nature itself. Each of Atofe's blows was strong enough to shake the ground. The Demon King's roar was as loud as thunder. Her speed was like lightning.
As minutes passed, the stamina of everyone on the arena was worn down. This wasn't a normal fight; it was a battle of attrition where whoever fell first would lose.
And as predicted, everyone starts exhausted.
First was Elinalise; she took a punch from the Demon King to the stomach and was out of breath. Although healed by Roxy, she started feeling dizzy. But the real reason the elf girl had to retreat was something else.
"She knocked my shield away." Elinalise smiled bitterly and knelt on one knee. "If I continue, I will be a burden."
A few minutes passed, and another person started gasping.
"I'm out of mana... Sorry everyone."
Next was Talhand. A battle requiring constant movement was truly difficult for a dwarf; he had used everything he had for nearly an hour. Even as a seasoned adventurer, a person's limit is always at a certain level.
However, this was still what they had planned. If they reached their limit, they had to retreat. This was a battle where they not only had to win but win while preserving their lives. Recklessness leading to severe injury would only cause unnecessary trouble for teammates. Everyone knew that, and leaving the fight voluntarily was something everyone had to accept.
"Ha ha ha!" Atofe laughed loudly while flying in the sky. "Now there are only two of you! No miracle will save you!"
Isolde looked up at Atofe. She smiled slightly.
"Roxy." She called her teammate's name. "Need me to act and stall for time so you can regain some strength?"
"No need." Roxy put her witch hat back on her head, she feels a bit safer now. "If you want to, wait until I'm beaten unconscious first."
"No way I'll let you fall before me." The Water King declared and stepped forward, shielding Roxy from the Demon King above.
"Don't worry too much about me. Our mission is to stall, remember?"
Isolde glanced at her friend who was a head shorter. Out of nowhere, she brought out her arrogance, right at this moment.
"I think this match has helped me become stronger to defeat that weird Demon King myself."
Roxy looked at Isolde. The mage girl intended to say something but could only sigh.
"I don't know why, but I always had a feeling you would say that."
"You know me."
And the battle continued just like that. This time, things clearly changed.
Atofe's attacks, though still strong and relentless, started becoming slower in the Water King's eyes. The swordswoman's blade paths suddenly became strangely smooth.
Her heartbeat slowed down even as the battle's pace increased. Her sharp eyes relaxed, her feet as light as walking on clouds. Her breath was as gentle as if she were reading a book.
And just like that, she saw everything most clearly. Every possibility, every potential attack, and every path she could take manifested clearly before her eyes. It was like she was playing a game of chess in real-time.
Ah right... Just like that match with him, huh? This was the feeling Isolde had experienced once when she truly focused intensely on a match. That was when she was 11, the first time she used her first Secret Art, in the trial match against Atur to see if he was worthy of being Water God Reida's disciple.
She later asked her master about that phenomenon. And Reida said it was 'Enlightenment', the state of highest concentration a Water God Style swordsman could achieve. When 'Enlightened', a Water God Style swordsman could perform things they inherently couldn't do yet. That explained why Isolde could use 'Inevitable Counter' when she was only 11, even though her ability back then was only Water Saint.
Isolde had tried to return to this state many times but couldn't.
"It's like a miracle. Don't force it; one day when you yourself realize you can do it, it will happen." Her master had said.
Water God Reida herself only achieved that state once in her life, which was when she realized her own secret art.
And this was the moment Isolde had to 'realize' what she wondered she would do when facing an invincible enemy like an Immortal Demon King. She started listing what the enemy had in mind while her hand still swung the sword, still parrying continuous attacks from the enemy without blinking.
A sturdy body impossible to cut through without King-tier technique or higher.
A Battle Aura layer so thick Elinalise's slash couldn't penetrate. That was something even the most durable armors had to yield to.
When flesh is cut away, it seeks to return to the body and heal.
The arm and leg cut off earlier had rejoined Atofe's body. That meant this didn't cost mana, as Atur had told Isolde earlier. So beating the enemy until they lost regeneration ability was impossible.
None of the five Water God Style secret arts had a way to deal with this. So what could Isolde do?
Then there was only one way.
And Isolde started muttering something, too quiet for even herself to hear. Atofe opposite her was also too focused on enjoying the fight to realize what terrible thing was about to happen.
*Whoosh*
A slash from Isolde was swung. At first glance, it looked no different from an 'Inevitable Counter' she had used nearly a dozen times over the past hour.
But there was something strange in it.
"What is happening? Why isn't Lady Atofe regenerating?" Someone from the watching crowd shouted.
The chunk of meat that used to be Atofe's sword-wielding right hand didn't return to its owner's body immediately as it should have. And even stranger, Atofe's wound didn't even bleed.
"It seems the challengers used some special skill!" The MC standing at the edge of the arena spoke up to explain. "Wait! Look! Lady Atofe's wound is starting to freeze!"
Just as he said, the open wound had completely frozen over; the exposed flesh and blood vessel ends had turned to ice. Not only that, the cold from the wound started radiating out, invading every cell and flesh of the Immortal Demon King. As if understanding the situation, Atofe immediately grabbed her sword and cut off the frozen parts.
The severed part fell to the ground; instead of turning into a chunk of meat as usual, it slowly froze into a block of ice. Not far away, the chunk of meat that was supposed to be Atofe's hand met a similar fate.
"What the hell!?" Atofe uttered a sound of surprise; for the first time in the match, the Immortal Demon King had to step back to keep distance.
Behind Isolde's back, Roxy couldn't curb her curiosity and asked.
"Did you just... use magic?"
"Yeah." Isolde nodded proudly. "Thanks to your teaching, after all."
That was Isolde's solution to the problem named Immortal Demon King.
It was a combination of 'Inevitable Counter' and 'Icicle Field'. The Water God Style counter skill, as usual, would reflect the attack and damage the opponent; simultaneously, Isolde would cast a spell and use Icicle Field on the wound she caused. With that water magic, it would track the moisture and freeze it.
That's right, Isolde used magic to freeze the Immortal Demon King's blood so it couldn't regenerate on its own.
It can't work, right? If it's that simple, every mage in the world could defeat the Immortal Demon King. But why did she stay undefeated for such a long time? Because normal spells can't bypass Atofe's defense, even if you cut a piece of her body part out, the body will still immediately cover the wounded part and cover it with a strong battle aura. So there's no way to turn her body into ice like what Isolde just did.
Then how?
It lies in what is called: timing.
Although the Cluel girl was only an Intermediate rank Water Mage, that was more than enough to do what she just did. The hard part here was precision and using magic at the exact moment the wound was created to trick the opponent's body into thinking no wound existed in just a split second. And when the body realized, it would be too late.
With that seemingly simple but extremely complex combination, this move would later become a secret art. So with Isolde's current ability, she had reached Water Emperor level.
But that is another story for another time.
In the present, Isolde had in hand a skill that could control Atofe's regeneration, or even cause more damage than a normal slash.
And because of that, the Immortal Demon King started to be cautious.
That was something Isolde didn't want. Therefore, she decided to use another one of the Water God Style's ultimate skills.
"Come on, Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak, why won't you come down here and fight?" That's right, she threw out a trash talk move. "Don't tell me you're scared."
"Scared!?" Immediately effective, Atofe roared. "Mu wa ha ha ha ha! Scared? Me?! Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak knows fear? Ha ha ha ha ha! Are you joking, princess!"
Atofe, despite losing her right arm and being unable to regenerate, stood with hands on hips and laughed sky-high.
"Alright, to show respect to you, I will introduce myself again more clearly. I am Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak, wife of Kalman Rybak, founder of the North God Style. I will show you what the ultimate power of this sword style is!"
Now it no longer looked like they were acting out a fun play. Atofe's seriousness showed more clearly than ever. The Immortal Demon King's massive sword, instead of pointing straight down at Isolde as usual, was raised high; Atofe's floating body also lowered its center of gravity.
A feeling of unease began to appear in Isolde's mind.
"Fu wa ha ha ha ha! Now die! This is the North God Style's Ultimate Technique: Skyfall!"
Atofe's blade swung down, a terrifying pressure slamming down on the entire arena. Isolde immediately ran back, using everything she had to shield the mage teammate. *Boom!*
"Urgh!"
Isolde felt like the sky had just collapsed on her. She collapsed, the earthen floor cracking into ten thousand pieces as if made of glass. The sword in her hand quickly shattered; bones in her arms started cracking, creating a deadly sound.
And suddenly, just when Isolde thought she couldn't hold out anymore, that terrifying pressure ended.
"Isolde!" Roxy called the name of the girl shielding her. "Let me heal you!"
Isolde's mind was now blank; she was no different from an insect just slapped in the face by a giant hand.
"Ha..." Her knees touched the ground. Her confident eyes now became dark and soulless.
This overwhelming power... Even more terrifying than Master Reida's.
Isolde had fought many opponents, undergone many trials. She had met those stronger and weaker than her. But she had never met anyone who made her look up as if seeing a towering mountain like her master Reida. To the Cluel girl, Reida was the strongest, the goal for her to surpass.
Yet now she saw something even more terrible than that. Now she looked at Atofe as if she were the vast majestic sky, something no one could reach.
Makes sense, right? Since she had thousands of years to train, after all.
Unlike the Immortal Demon King, humans could only live to sixty, or seventy was already too old. Their time was too short to surpass a certain limit. That must be why seemingly every Water God in history couldn't master all five secret arts. Because the time to learn them was too difficult and time-consuming. Even if one held a sword for seventy straight years, reaching level four was already a miracle.
Yet for those who could live hundreds, thousands of years, every technique could be learned no matter how hard.
Too unfair, isn't it?
Isolde thought so as Atofe swung her sword again.
…
"Actually, there's nothing unfair about it."
A voice appears out of nowhere and then—
*Pop*
It was a *pop*, not a *boom* like the sky falling. It was a *pop* like two hands clapping together.
"What the hell is happening?"
The Demon King's guards started shouting in disbelief because the scene before their eyes clearly exceeded anything they could imagine.
"That kid blocked Lady Atofe's Skyfall with his bare hands!?"
Exactly. What everyone saw was a naked kid. His head was bald, his body rippling with muscles and covered in scars on his front, but his back was completely unscathed. His skin is pure white, covered by a layer of fire dancing under the wind.
The teenager used his left hand to catch the entire terrifying pressure created by Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak. Compared to what people might hear from fairy tales, what they were seeing was even more 'fairy tale' than a real one.
It was too strange, bizarre, and extremely absurd.
"Thanks for waiting, everyone." The teenager spoke up. "Time for the hero to play his role."
But you didn't look like a hero at all! You are like a weird naked pervert! It seemed everyone thought that sentence in their heads.
The boy then puts out a grin when he's looking at Isolde who is on her knees.
"Isolde. I know what you are thinking right now." He said. "'You can't win against someone like that' right? 'A Demon King who has thousands of training and an immortal body is impossible to be beaten' right? 'This fight is just unfair', right?"
"What are you—"
Isolde can't even finish her sentence, the boy is already continuing with his speech.
"Well guess what?" He cracked his knuckles and turned his head to the Demon King who was flying in the sky. "Sit tight and watch what a real 'unfairness' is like."
"Mu wa ha ha ha!" Atofe saw that and laughed loudly. "Finally you also—"
But before she could finish, the bald teenager had flown straight up opposite her. He swung his arm.
"Normal Punch." He said.
And *boom!* It was like an explosion in mid-air, creating an impulse large enough to generate a massive wind blowing away rubble. Atofe's floating body immediately exploded, her lower half body was punched straight into the ground, creating a crater five meters deep.
But it didn't stop there; the bald teenager rushed down.
"Normal Punch."
Another punch was thrown and *boom!* another explosion, this time louder.
"Normal Punch." Another explosion.
Each punch the teenager threw, the ground shook.
"Normal Punch." And another one.
"Consecutive Normal Punches."
And now it was as if there was an earthquake. Sturdy buildings in the Fortress began to shake; many started to collapse.
Atofe's guards watching the battle started to panic. They were no longer witnessing a match; it had become a massacre.
The shockwaves strong enough to shake an entire castle lasted continuously for five minutes.
Suddenly it stopped. Quiet, too quiet.
Then from within the crater, two figures climbed out.
The naked teenager turned to the naked woman.
"What did you say down there earlier?"
The woman looked at the teenager; the hostile eyes of an arrogant and tyrannical Demon King were gone.
It was something completely different.
"I lost. And as promised, I will free your princess." Atofe paused for a moment before finishing her sentence. "You defeated me, Lan Atur. From now on, you are a 'hero'."
And so, Atur became a hero, by punching the Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak into pieces for 5 minutes straight.
…
Isolde sat still again, her blue eyes fixed on the teenager with only a coat on before her. She couldn't say a word, only gaze at him.
Isolde suddenly recalled the way her friend used to look at her back then. The upward gaze of someone whose starting point was hundreds, thousands of times further behind than the other's. It was a look of jealousy and admiration all at once. In truth, she had received both since she was very young. Everyone called her a genius, so being envied and admired was nothing strange.
But there was something different in the way Atur looked at her.
It wasn't "I don't think I'll ever beat you," but rather, "So what if you're a genius? It would be way cooler if I beat a genius."
And he had truly done just as he set out to do.
He had frantically chased after her for a long time.
Because of that, he became visibly stronger; in just one short year, he went from a weak beginner to someone capable of fighting on par with a Water Saint like her. Although Atur claimed he was still far behind her, Isolde herself knew back then that the gap had been narrowed significantly.
And that was why she decided to set out and train at other dojos. She wanted to remain the person Atur had to chase forever. Not only because of her pride, but also because she is afraid of being looked down on by someone who's always behind her. Now she was a Water King, perhaps even a Water Emperor already. A seventeen-year-old Water Emperor—how many people achieve such a title?
The whole world should have been looking up to her.
Yet here she was, forced to look up—and not just at the sky.
She was seeing something even further away than that, something whose shape she couldn't clearly make out, just a flickering light in the distance.
It was a star.
Since when had the person chasing her from behind gotten so far ahead?
Also becoming so unfamiliar and scary.
"Hey, Isolde! I told you that I will win, didn't I? Haha! By my bare hands! Hahaha!"
But with just that one sentence, her eyes, which had begun to fill with sadness, suddenly widened.
"Well it's not like I don't want to use a sword." He explained, even though the girl didn't even ask. "But I figured out that if I just use blunt force instead, it's easier to shatter Atofe's body. It's like throwing a rock to a pond, you know?"
"Hey, are these your swords?" The MC suddenly appeared. "I found it near the platform so I kept it for you."
"Ah yes! Thank you!" He took the swords. Then slowly turned to Isolde with an awkward smile as he scratched his head. "It's not like I can't find my sword anywhere, absolutely not. Hahaha…"
Ah no, he was still that same idiot.
No matter how strong he got, the guy who had nearly given her a heart attack twice was still standing right in front of her, half naked, still laughing like an idiot.
"Yeah." Isolde nodded, smiling with relief. "I believe you. With someone who can perform a secret art by his bare hand like you. A sword is just a mere tool anyway."
"Really?" Atur glared immediately. It was clear he didn't believe her, looking as if he wanted to say, 'You actually rate me that highly?'
"I never underestimated you." Isolde replied to his unspoken thoughts.
"Is that so? Hehehe?" He laughed awkwardly again. Isolde can clearly see that he's thinking something like, 'then maybe some years later, I will finally surpass you.'
"Ha! Ha ha!" And with just that remark, the Water King clutched her stomach and laughed. "You just punched an Immortal Demon King until she bowed, and you are thinking about surpassing me instead?"
"You know full well that what I just did wasn't my real power." Atur sighed. "It's just some trick I'm lucky enough to pull off because I'm a Blood Tribe."
"But you still defeat her."
"Still just something came out of nowhere. So it doesn't count. And as I said before, it's unfair as heck." He shrugged. "I bet that you still can defeat me in swordsmanship easily."
You really never learn to value your own achievements, do you?
"Think what you want." The Water King wiped away a tear brought on by her laughter. "But fine, I will spar with you to clarify that if you want."
"Hah. You will surprise how strong I am now ha ha! Maybe this time I will knock your sword out of your hand again."
"We will see."
Then, together, they stepped over the rubble, heading into the castle of Immortal Demon King Atoferatofe Rybak.
The girl from the Cluel family glanced once more at Atur standing in front of her.
A star huh? No matter how far away you are, I will still catch up with you. Just you wait.