Among the eleven Heroes that managed to survive the first month's calamity, there are two people that I want to kill the most but not immediately--Brianna and Mark. I am planning to keep them for the last because I want to cherish every second of that moment of bliss.
Weird as it sounds, I am slightly reluctant to face Mark here. There is a reason why we eat our favorite meal last and having it earlier feels wrong. I can't have fun with Mark. I can't make him face a difficult death because each one of my attacks is lethal enough to put out his life candle.
Boom!
The person himself doesn't know that he is standing on the brink of oblivion. He keeps fighting with his false conviction--sure that he will eventually win.
Blocking his attacks so far has earned me three Power-ups. It is proof that he has more Mana--firepower than I do. Still, it doesn't matter because I can barely feel the difference. He is stronger but by a very thin margin which means practically nothing.
He has some weird skills. They are rather troublesome but, once I get used to them, I can see how faulty they are. I can recreate some of them--an even better version of them. I use them for fun--I still prefer my original Skills--baffling Mark from time to time.
Burst!
"Aaaaaaack!"
"Shit! How did you get your hands on a Dragon!?"
It has already been the umpteenth time everyone in this sub-dimension hears someone scream like that because Genelos melts them. Mark and many others still feel incredulous, refusing to acknowledge that a fire-breathing Wyvern exists and is under my control.
As usual, I say nothing. I kick the ground and dash at him, swinging Rexorem that hits ten times worse than a bullet train.
Clank!
He managed to block it thanks to his [Skill: Oversensitive]. From his explanation, which I didn't ask, the Skill overcharges his synapses with Mana so his body can react 10 times faster to danger. It gives the same effect as the Instinct but is inferior. Unlike Instinct, it doesn't allow him to react until the danger is already before his nose.
It is a faulty Skill; only if it is used that way, that is. I got the idea of charging my synapses with Mana from it and I use it to accelerate my overall movement, which is overwhelming for Mark.
Clank!
"Keuk!"
My kick sends Mark skidding to the back. I used [Death Blow] on that kick; after all of the impact it has withstood, his armor is dented. Scratch marks have already decorated it at this point but the dent is what makes Mark worry about his defense.
"Throwing your humanity away...is it worth it--the power?" he taunts.
"What is there in humanity for you to be proud of?" I retort.
"The fact that we can think."
"Can't I?"
He laughs haughtily. "Demons--Cursed Creations are destined to die by our swords, the people chosen by God. It has always been like that, hasn't it? The good will trample the bad."
"Can you?"
If Mark were a sponge, he would immediately shrink; because he is self-absorbed. He is too fascinated by the gift that he has that he doesn't want to consider there are others just as gifted or more gifted. I believe he is honestly aware of it but he refuses to acknowledge that there is a chance that he may not surpass them.
As irritating as he is, though, I have to admit that he is not entirely stupid. I am sure he has a valid reason for being that confident in himself.
"Do you think I can't?"
That reason is now presented before me in the form of a lance containing a noticeable amount of Divinity--a Relic that humans call Holy Weapon. Mark swings it proudly as if he has owned the world, lifting his chin highly as he dares me to come.
Before its presence, I feel something squirming inside me. My heart beats faster, rising the temperature of my body. My veins bulge as I unconsciously hold Rexorem tighter. Is it fear? No. From my darkening vision, I can tell this is excitement.
'Don't lose yourself!' Luxia taps me out of it. 'You are not ready to use your Demonic Essence yet. You will end up going on a rampage should tap more into it.'
'Hoh? It is fine to use some of them.'
'It is not, honestly...but the Divinity that lance contains should be able to tame it down.'
Grinning, I swing Rexorem to the side, carving a parabola on the ground. My vision is tainted with black color. It feels like looking at a world through an ink-smudged canvas. I didn't know why it happened before but now I know that it is because of my Demonic Essence.
"What the fuck...? This presence...is sickening."
From Mark's eyes, I can see how my Demonic Essence affects my appearance. My pupils are now shining like lava. My horns have lava running through the vein-like lines decorating them, making them glow faintly. I look more intimidating and...Demon-like.
"Kindness beats evil. That's what you said, isn't that?" My voice has changed. It has become deeper and intimidatingly raspier. "Why don't we see how much truth it holds?"
"Hmph! You will regret ever feeling good for being a Demon."
Swish!
We immediately rush at each other. Our Mana clashes before us, creating a faint explosion mark on the ground. When our weapons clash, there is a moment of silence until the ground below us disintegrates. A deep crater that looks like a mining site is formed but none of us falls into it since we are suspended in the air.
Both of us are pushing each other's weapons. We are equally matched, unfortunately, so we maintain our positions as our weapons shake.
"Hell...even after the significant physical boost..."
"Ah, no wonder you suddenly got stronger."
Glaring at me, Mark snarls, "I know you are hurt by the Divinity. You don't have to act tough."
"Do you think so?" I sneer.
Without even giving him the chance to retort, I take one of my hands off Rexorem's hilt and swiftly clutch his lance's shaft. Shock and bewilderment instantly overwhelm his mind; he retracts his lance, ignoring his defense.
I let go of the lance and ignore the fact that my palm has been scorched. It is interesting to find that a Holy Weapon contains enough Divinity to hurt me but using his carelessness to my utmost advantage is my priority.
Swinging Rexorem widely with [Great Impact] active, I launch him into the air. Putting both of my hands on the hilt, I propel myself into the air, and then swing it vertically, discharging a three-story building-sized Mana Sword at him.
He points the tip of his lance at me. There is a tiny ball of light that shines brightly and grows bigger at a rapid speed. When my Mana Sword is just a few feet from him, a beam comes out of the tip of his lance. His beam clashes with it and struggles for a few seconds before destroying it.
As the scene unfolds, I am creating as many petals as I can with [Senbonzakura]. I send all of them to Mark while he is preoccupied with my Mana Blade.
"Skill: [Wave of Death]!"
By the time the beam reaches me, I swing Rexorem down. Three consecutive explosions occur, swiping everything in their path--Mark--like tidal waves. They don't hinder my launch but Mark is getting further from me. Still, it doesn't matter. The explosion also carries my petals away.
Clink! Clink!
"What the fuck is this!?"
As the tens of thousands of tiny blades scratch his armor, Mark panics. He hastily erects a Magic Barrier around him that his lance fortunately has.
He has only been exposed to [Senbonzakura] for a second but it is already enough to make his previously pristine and luxurious armor look extremely worn out. Scratches are riddling his face but they are rapidly healing, so they are not worthy of note.
Keeping myself suspended twenty feet away from him, I put Rexorem on my shoulder. He looks at me with a scowl and points his lance at me while maintaining the Barrier.
"I have reached my patience limit. This is going to be your end, Layland," he harrumphs.
Smirking, I point Rexorem at him. "Say that without fear, pussy. I can smell it miles away."
Acting quickly, I channel Mana into Rexorem and use Fire Magic. I shoot fire out of Rexorem, engulfing the barrier with it. Mark sneers at the scene but immediately frowns the moment he notices how concentrated it is. As he realized what is going on, Genelos joins me.
Burst!
The tens of thousands of petals I made with [Senbonzakura] are revolving around the Barrier, entrapping the fire and increasing its heat. They are becoming visible as they catch on fire, prompting Mark to widen his eyes at how many they are.
"This is a new Skill that I just made, Mark. I call it [Radiant Core]. Be glad that you are the very first person to test it."
"Layland!" Mark wants to shoot out his beam at me but my sneer stops him.
"Try it. You will figure out how good these fire blades at confining your beam are."
I control the petals [Senbonzakura] made to get closer to the Barrier. I eliminate the distance between them as much as possible until I can no longer see the Barrier through the fire and the burning petals.
I control them to revolve even faster afterward, making turning the Barrier into a house-sized sphere that is radiating glaring red light. When I snap my finger, I watch an atomic bomb explode before me.
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