Chapter 49 The King Of Oni's, Shuten Doji(1)



"Hey Zephyr! Are you certain it wasn't the Master of Exile, but just a regular demon?" I gasped for breath as I collapsed on the ground, my body drained of energy. The intense battle had taken its toll on me, but I couldn't help but ask that question.

The monster we just faced was a low-intermediate rank monster, which was comparable to peak 3 star knight. It took both our struggle just to defeat one monster. Thinking that we are going to face at least a dozen of them ahead, my frustration jumped up.

Zephyr looked at me, his own breath labored. It was evident that his involvement with the Oni demon had left him even more exhausted than me. "I don't know, do you think I'm some kind of monster appraiser? But regardless, I'm glad I brought you with me," he replied.

"Well, of course! It would have taken forever to defeat that monster without my help," I quipped. If it isn't for me constantly distracting the monster, Zephyr would taken much more time to defeat it.

But, Zephyr shook his head. "No, I'm not saying that because of your assistance."

"Then why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Even if I were to die here, at least I would have a companion, right?" Zephyr's words hung in the air.

"You, f*cker!"

As we took a moment to catch our breath, I marveled at the surroundings. The air in this hellish terrain was oppressively heavy, saturated with demonic miasma that could prove fatal to ordinary humans. It was a stark reminder of the inhospitable nature of this realm.

Zephyr voiced his discomfort with the environment. "The air here is unbearable. I can't get used to it."

Indeed, the atmosphere was thick with malevolence, making it a constant struggle to breathe. However, to my surprise, I found myself unaffected by the miasma.

Even I struggled a lot in past life because of the miasma, but for some reason I wasn't having any problems with it now.

This particular Oni demon dwarfed the others in size and presence, radiating an aura of authority and command. It was clear that this demon held a position of great significance among the Oni.

As I approached the throne, my eyes fell upon the words written below it, partially obscured by debris.

"<The King of Oni's, Shuten Doji>," the inscription read.

'A king?', I got puzzled reading the title and it's name.

"A king?" I murmured, puzzled by the title and the demon's name.

In my past life, I had learned that titles for demons held significant meaning, titles meant much more to the demons than just displaying their status.

And even among such titles, the title of 'King' was exclusive to the highest echelons of demonic power, that too only seven monarch- level demons could hold that title. Yet, here we stood in a low-intermediate rank exile, facing a demon with such a regal title.

".....R....", The Oni demon, sensing our presence, rose from its throne, its massive form draped in majestic attire that further emphasized its status as the king of the Oni. Its eyes blazed with an otherworldly fire, fixating on Zephyr with a gaze filled with anger and ferocity.

"It has a weapon. Be careful," I cautioned Zephyr, noting the katana clutched tightly in the demon's hand. Until now, the Oni demons we had encountered fought with brute strength alone, but this one wielded a weapon, adding a new layer of danger to our confrontation.

"...Ru..." The demon's guttural voice rumbled, as if struggling to form coherent words. There was an air of desperation in its words.

The monster slowly descended from the elevated platform where the throne stood, brandishing its katana with a menacing air. Its actions seemed to defy our expectations, and for the first time, I detected a plea hidden within its monstrous growls.

Finally, I heard what the demon was saying!

"....Run away....."

My heart skipped a beat. The demon could speak? How was it possible? Intermediate demons were not known for their linguistic abilities!

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