CH 85

Chapter 85: Demon King (2)

[Physis’ POV]

The clash of the axe and gauntlet ignited sparks.

I was pushed back.

Even though we hadn’t clashed several times, I could tell he was stronger than me.

Indeed, he could be worthy of the title “king.” Every time his robust axe struck my gauntlet, my arm began to feel numb, but I kept my eyes wide open, closely observing his movements.

He retrieved the axe that collided with my gauntlet, but slightly later than I did. Just seeing that, I could instantly tell how powerful he was.

Swinging and recovering that massive axe required much more strength than extending and recovering a fist. It was probably his sturdy body that allowed him to do such a thing.

With each gigantic axe strike on my gauntlet, the impact on my arm grew stronger. Perhaps, I wouldn’t be able to endure this for much longer.

At that moment, the monsters broke through the barrage of arrows and magic and approached the Ice wall.

However, they didn’t intervene in the battle between the demon king and me.

No, to be precise, they couldn’t intervene. They must have realized how dangerous it was to get involved in our fierce battle, where fists and axes clashed, shaking the heavens and earth.

They understood that they would be crushed if they interfered.

Acting purely on instinct, they decided that my battle with the king was risky. Instead, the monsters focused on directly climbing the Ice wall.

The monsters with tentacles reached over the Ice wall, while those flying through the air attacked the soldiers positioned above. Some gigantic monsters even assaulted the Ice wall directly, mimicking the actions of the demon king.

It was a fierce battle.

Amidst the chaos, I regained my composure and raised my numb arm, staring at the demon king in front of me. I immediately dismissed the thought that I might not last much longer.

I abandoned the idea of waiting for Adilun to use the Star of Hope. Since when did I have such weak thoughts? Perhaps, I had been influenced by spending happy times with Adilun. I decided to confront and defeat the demon king without hesitation.

I recalled the sensations from my previous life, the feeling of fighting against much stronger enemies alone, the memories of battling monsters, knowing I had to kill them or be killed.

I remembered my final battle with the black dragon. Compared to the pressure I had felt from the dragon’s tail strikes, the intimidation of his axe was not much different from that of a young child. Though my current abilities were far from what they were back then, experience couldn’t be ignored. I faced his intimidation head-on.

The axe and gauntlet clashed again, and a spark flew as the sharp edge of the axe struck the gauntlet head-on. Although a strong impact traveled through my fist, I extended the other fist again, overcoming the shock.

-Thumbbbb

A powerful sound, like a drum being struck, echoed from my fist as it collided with his hard skin. However, despite the loud noise, it seemed that the impact didn’t affect him much. Nevertheless, I could sense that he staggered slightly.

In another instant, I moved away from the position where his axe was about to strike down. The beauty of Fist Martial Arts lay in its fast attack delivery and recovery, allowing me to respond quickly to the attacks of weapon-wielding beings.

Of course, it also had significant drawbacks, but for now, it was beneficial.

Although the demon king was faster than me, being a living being, he couldn’t completely ignore the impact, as evidenced by his delayed reaction. It could be considered a small victory.

Perhaps, I should be thankful.

In any case, this helped me gain a vague sense of how to deal with him.

What I needed now was not an attack much stronger than his, but the ability to endure his impact and strike back at the right moment.

By accumulating these moments, they would eventually become a flow that overwhelms him.

So, I must continue to press him, enduring the accumulating impact on my body.

Seemingly unhappy about being hit by me, he snorted, clenched his axe, and spun his foot.

- Kuwong!

His stance became as solid as a fortress.

Whether it was due to his natural sensitivity to combat or if he discovered his own weakness when he allowed my previous attack, I didn’t know. But indeed, he found an answer and overcame it. It was not something easy to witness. In my past life, I rarely encountered an opponent who could achieve such objective self-awareness.

Being born from the accumulation of negative emotions in humans might be the reason for his sensitivity. Especially, he seemed very responsive to the grudge I held against him.

In other words, even if I saw through his actions with my eyes that see through the essence, he could still quickly respond to my attacks fueled by my grudges.

In various ways, he was an annoying opponent. He was well aware of the strength of his body and how to utilize it, as well as being adept at reading his opponent’s intentions.

Seeing a monster performing feats that would normally only be seen from a master of combat, I could tell that he didn’t become the king of monsters for no reason.

But then, in a moment...

- Quaaang!

A powerful storm of flames began to sweep the demon king away. Along with that, vitality gradually surged in my body. I briefly raised my head and looked up at the Ice wall.

There, Adilun, who was looking at me with a worried expression, was casting support magic. The vitality swirling around my body began to increase explosively.

As expected, the sight of her worrying about me even while casting the Star of Hope’s magic filled me with power.

However, even so, I had no intention of changing my initial attitude. I wouldn’t passively drag out time; instead, I aimed for the moment to kill him.

Similarly, as the demon king looked up at Adilun, his gaze was filled with hatred. He seemed to be seething with anger at the fact that there was another significant enemy blocking him.

“Uwaaah!”

That bastard let out a furious cry.

If time continued to drag on, they probably felt disadvantaged. Due to that, the king, who had been in a firm stance like a solid fortress, loosened his posture and gripped the massive axe again.

Continuing, the demon king struck the ground. The earth trembled as his axe came fiercely towards me. However, I didn’t step back. Instead, I took a step forward, extending my fist toward the direction of his axe.

- Quaaang!

Thanks to Adilun’s support magic, the impact transmitted through my arm was lessened, and the slight physical gap was narrowed, giving me the ability to take control of the flow of the battle.

Perhaps the demon king also realized this fact, as he began to attack me with increasing urgency. The way he swung his axe became more impatient.

Moments repeated.

My fist touched the king’s axe.

The axe collided with my fist.

Sparks flew simultaneously.

All these situations passed like separate moments, and within the continuous flow of those moments, I found openings in the king’s defenses.

With the momentum to completely kill him, I kept channeling my mana. The speed at which my fist struck his axe began to increase.

The moments kept continuing, forming a storm that pushed the king back. With each step on the ground, the earth trembled, and snowflakes fell, leaving marks on the ground.

Continuing the battle, I made efforts to regain the sense of my past life. The desire to kill the enemy began to flow thickly within me.

Even if the demon king knew and reacted, there would come a moment when he could not resist the storm.

“Uwaaah!”

His resistance began. The strength of his axe, breaking through the storm of my fist, interrupted my flow.

I struck the demon king’s axe with the back of my gauntlet, but due to an unimaginably intense impact, my defense momentarily broke.

This was dangerous. The sight of the demon king raising his axe again was imprinted in my retina.

At that moment, his axe lodged itself into my right shoulder. Then, the disgusting face of the demon came closer to me.

- Quajik!

A terrible pain began to flow throughout my body.

But I didn’t give in. Resisting the pain, I channeled my burning agony into anger, activating my body. Such injuries, I had experienced countless times in my past life. I couldn’t succumb to this trivial pain.

I rotated the mana even more wildly, resisting the demon king’s axe. At that moment, my well-trained body finally began to shine.

I endured the fierce blows of the axe without being cut, realizing that I could withstand his attacks. With this newfound confidence, I smashed the tough axe handle, made of the demon king’s bones, with my left hand.

- Quajik!

Now, the demon king’s axe was in a state where it couldn’t function properly.

However, the demon king relentlessly grabbed the broken top part of the axe and exerted all his strength to cut off my arm. The pressure from his shoulders brought immense pain.

But I also exerted all my strength to resist him. I struck the demon king’s facial area with my left fist, infusing it with mana for added power.

- Bang!

Unlike the previous loud strike, this one was a solid blow. Instantly, the demon king’s body was sent flying far away.

Seizing the opportunity, I pulled the axe out of my right shoulder, planted my feet on the ground again, and leaped towards the demon king. At that moment, my brain ignited, and the senses of my past life began to activate.

The surrounding scenery quickly passed by. I could vividly feel the sensation of each step I took and the snowflakes flying up.

The sound of the ground splitting echoed in my ears.

At the end of my sprint was the Demon King.

I grabbed the demon king by the neck and drove him into the ground.

- Quaaang!

With a violent roar, the demon king’s body was buried in the ground.