Chapter 92: Ultimate Defense

"Mmmm, a kiss for goodluck?" Monica pushed Howard into a wall and grazed his lips with hers, and gently pulled back his hair. "Heh, how did you like that? The new me, I mean?"

"I like both the old you and the new you. Aren't they the same," Howard smiled and gently pushed her away from his torso, kissing her once against the neck before he turned to look at the hallway up ahead.

The hallway contained dozens of suits of regal silver armor from antiquity, and a large collection of paintings that had beautiful golden frames. Each part of the house looked valuable, but Monica seemed to want to hiss him in every spot.

After 10 minutes of feeling her lips battling him in a fight of life and death, he finally felt the feeling calling him had grown to its maximum. It felt like a world opened when he turned behind him, a pair of knights armor shimmering from what appeared to be a fake moonlight, and he finally had no choice but to gently push Monica to the side.

"We have to win in order to get Una back, remember," Howard smiled and brushed aside Monica's hair. "Meet me out here in 10 minutes?"

"Aw, I'll miss you, Howard," Monica gently pulled him closer before finding her lips against his one more time. "You'll think about me right?"

"Sure, why wouldn't I?" Howard laughed and waved. He almost didnt' feel safe around her. It's like every part of her had been released, and she just wouldn't let go of him. However, he also didn't understand why she wanted him to have more than one girlfriend.

Wouldn't that mean less time with her?

"I guess I'll get used to it," Howard smiled and walked over to the glowing armor in front of him. "Anyways, what's the weird feeling I'm getting from this thing? Why does it look familiar?"

"It's you again," An ominous voice appeared from the core of the armor, causing it to glow a sinister tone. "You never did use that Ki Jar again. I thought my successor wouldn't be so afraid to learn his past."

"Heh, I haven't had time," Howard smiled, seeing the armor come to life before his eyes. "It's you again! The-the man that had multiple wives right?"

"That's how you remember me!" Howard's ancestor's voice, the one he presumed belonged to the original demon king, seemed to crack in disbelief. "I-I spent so much time preparing that room for you, yet you haven't even grabbed the scythe! Damn it! Howard! How am I supposed to teach you to defend yourself if you're still so weak!"

"I got stronger," Howard shook his head, "However, I promise once i leave here, I'll look in the jar again. It just… Barabin watched me so carefully! I never had any time alone!"

"Well, it's fine. Nothing wrong with adjusting," The armor took off its helmet, revealing a ghastly apparition hidden inside of it. "I'm a Ki Mark left behind by your great ancestor Howard. The one in the Ki Jar also was like me. However, you can just say I'm a little bit more permanent."

"I have a simple task for you Howard. I want to teach you three of my ultimate skills. One of them will make you be able to defend yourself from any attack 1 rank above your level! The other two skills are even stronger! When you learn to master them, you'll be able to completely shatter the boundaries of ranks! You might even be able to bring people back to life!"

"That sounds fun," Howard nodded his head and laughed, "Wow, does that include you?"

"No, they must be living," Earl shook his head. "Howard, I've been dead for a long time. I died when this castle was built, and now the stone has to be polished every year so it doesn't fall apart."

Earl was the name of the original demon king, Howard's ancestor. Back then, he'd discovered the secrets of the Furnace, and the true evil lurking underneath the surface. Frankly, he even found information that if he told Howard now his eyes might pop out of his sockets. However, his most important task was to teach Howard to defend himself at this moment.

Then, he'd give Howard something even the strongest people in the Furnace could only dream of. It was only, however, given to those who shattered his expectations. In total, he onl yhad five of these specific gifts yet. After all, Howard wasn't truthfully the only person that could become demon king. He was just one of the only that were living.

"Anyways, Howard, about this skill. Before I teach it to you, do you know what knights of my time were called? Ones that used shields?"

"I-I never did well in history class," To say Howard didn't do well in history class was an understatement. His father loved history, but because of that Howard could never get into it. He couldn't help but see his father every time he learned about the knights revolution, or learned about a terrifying battle like the one in the Savron Lakes. His father lingered in every page, every moment, of those classes, so he could barely remember, "However, I'm guessing they defended important people, right?"

"Exactly, and a demon king is only as strong as those he can defend. You must always not only keep in mind your weakest link, but be able to defend them!"

"I loved women, just like you, but I lost one and became unspeakably evil for many years," Earl nodded his strange ghastly head and gently bent over, the metal bolts of the armor creaking, the leather straps falling, and gently touched Howard on the head. "I'm going to teach you how to make sure that doesn't happen. By increasing your Ki Projection to an extremely high level very quickly."

"Ki Projection is an A rank skill, right?" Howard doubted he could do that any time soon, "Heh, there is no way I can make that happen early! How is that possible?"

"It doesn't matter what's possible!" The large metal armor slammed its hand against Howard's chest. "What matters is you can do it! The reason I decided to give up my life, to give the Horned a chance, is because the surface was becoming so horrible without Ki."

"Wars kept happening, conquests almost always unfolded," Earl looked at Howard and tapped his shoulder. "Anyways, are you listening? Stop thinking about girls and focus!"

"Heh, it's not that!" Howard said, "It's just you're supposed to be evil. How can you be evil if you care about what happens on the surface?"

"I'm evil because I killed a lot of people for a reason," Earl shrugged his shoulders, "Even people who kill for good reasons are evil. No matter what anyone says, it's not honorable to be a killer." Earl sighed and gently tapped his finger on Howard's forehead, before smiling. "I-I slaughtered entire nations in the Furnace when I got here in order to try and find away to save the surface However, now, the Exland Empire is only getting stronger, and my legacy is growing dim!"

"Heh, well, I killed people too," Howard said with a smile, "And I don't feel evil."

"You defended yourself," Earl shook his head, "I slaughtered, and massacred. You fight for your friends, and I fought for things that didn't exist!"

"Howard, pick up the shield laying next to me and look for the powerful skills hidden inside! Once you learn my ultimate defensive skill, I promise! Not a single obstacle will make you change directions! You'll be able to stand the test of the strongest tides!"

"I-I'm confused," Howard picked up the shield and grabbed the handle and the leather strap. He wrapped it around his back and punched out, striking the air with the full weight of the metal surface. "Heh, what's so wrong with being evil. I like you!"

"You won't like me in the future," Earl tapped his fingers in annoyance, watching Howard's body begin to glow. "Now sit here for 10 minutes and fully focus on the feeling of defense in your hands! Inside, you will find a skill like no other! The ultimate defensive skill I could ever muster!