Well, anyway, I knew all of that would lead to a fight in the end.
It didn't matter which option she chose — "the honor of champions," "the fame of heroes," or "the power of the Demon King". With Atoferatofe, all roads led to the same place: beat her until she admitted defeat.
That was how her head worked — she had to fight. Before deciding how to treat you, she needed to know who was the strongest in the relationship.
Still, I had to admit… there was something thrilling about it all.
It was almost like being in a fantasy movie, or inside an RPG.
The arena like the Castle of a Demon King outdoors, the knights lined up reciting rehearsed lines, the sunset casting purple light on the flames… everything was so ridiculously "Demon King" that it felt like a professional production.
I had seen more dangerous and more impressive things in this world, but Atofe was very faithful to the role she had chosen.
Not just her presence and appearance; it was the whole setting, the mood construction. It would be quite glorious and intimidating to any normal person.
For me, of course, not so much.
Eris was smiling, excited. She also liked those stories and seemed thrilled to experience it herself.
Verdia, on the other hand, watched the scene as if facing an idol. The gleam of admiration in her eyes was obvious.
When Atofe finished her rehearsed presentation, I answered naturally:
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Atoferatofe. I am Rygar Adoldia, the Beast God, currently ranked as the Sixth World Power."
I pointed to the girls beside me.
"These are my two wives. Eris, a skilled swordswoman at the Emperor level. And Verdia, a King-level mage in multiple elements."
Verdia bowed in greeting.
Eris… well, Eris looked Atofe directly in the eyes in challenge.
I had already told her that she probably couldn't beat her at the moment — and, predictably, that only inflamed her fighting spirit.
Atofe followed my speech attentively at first, but in the end her gaze lost focus and she blinked confusedly.
"Lady Atofe…" one of the armored black guards approached and whispered something in her ear.
Before he could finish, Atofe exploded.
"Shut up! As if I didn't know something so simple!"
Her punch hit the subordinate violently.
Poor Moore flew like a rag doll, bouncing on the stone floor before stopping against a wall.
Atofe then turned to me and charged energetically.
Her battle intent was overwhelming, crushing. But despite that intent, I felt she would not attack us immediately.
Still, when she came too close, I stared at her with a sharp look.
She stopped at once.
My hand was resting on the hilt of Doomsday; if she took one more step, I would split her in two.
Atofe widened her eyes… and then began to laugh.
"Hohohohoho! You're quite a fierce champion, huh?!"
She put her hands on her hips while laughing with that immortal warrior energy who lives to fight.
After all, she was a Demon King. And a potential North God.
Of course I wouldn't let someone like that get close so easily, especially with Eris and Verdia at my side.
She stopped two meters from me — within my reach, but far enough to react easily.
Atofe pointed at me with a threatening, excited smile.
"Even I know about the Seven Great Powers! Kal was one of them! Moore said you guys got weaker over time… Are you like that too?!"
I smiled when I heard that. I had heard that a few times already.
But I didn't fully understand nor agree. From what I know, only the last three positions had changed drastically over the years.
The first four had been quite consistent over thousands of years.
Although I didn't know exactly how strong the current North God was, I considered myself stronger than usual for my current position.
Perhaps only the Death God was a bit below.
Before I could answer, Eris stepped forward with her usual conviction:
"That's impossible! Rygar is much stronger than Sixth place! He can beat anyone if he has enough time!"
Atofe turned her face to her — and opened a sinister grin from ear to ear.
"Hehe… that fierce, blazing look… you want to fight me too? Actually, I can feel you want to attack me right now!"
Eris really wanted to fight Atofe. It was as if at any moment she would leap forward and challenge the Demon King on the spot.
Of course, I didn't mind that, but first I needed to subjugate her; they would have plenty of time to fight among themselves afterwards.
I cut through the rising tension between the two:
"Fine, why don't we settle this once and for all? Atoferatofe, as I mentioned in the letter, I want a one-on-one duel. You two can fight afterwards."
Atoferatofe looked at me at first with slight confusion, but soon laughed uproariously.
"Hahahaha! Fine! You three will be great additions to my personal guard!"
That reckless impulse of hers was even impressive. She really had total certainty of victory simply for being immortal. A solid ego.
I looked straight into her eyes and answered:
"If I lose, I'll naturally be part of your guard or whatever. But if you lose… you'll be my subordinate for as long as I live."
As I spoke, I let my battle intent spread.
Atofe laughed even louder, opening a predatory smile:
"Muahahahaha! Well! You may be considered more Demon than Human, so… want to start a new War? Are you the new Laplace?!"
She spoke as if trying to intimidate me, but I saw the sparkle of excitement in her eyes. She probably wanted war, wanted a powerful enemy to face.
The idea of a war seemed more like a gift than a threat to her.
Well, who knows? Maybe I would really start a war… or maybe not.
But one thing was certain: having Atofe on my side would prevent the Dragon God from trying to recruit her later.
As for how useful she would be… that was still to be seen.
I replied calmly:
"That's not for you to know yet. But I admire and desire your strength at my side. That's all you need to know."
Her smile grew even more sinister, and her battle intent exploded against mine like an invisible shockwave.
The guards around, however, seemed quite calm — in fact, they were chatting among themselves about how long I might last against Atofe. They seemed used to that kind of combat prelude.
The Demon King shouted:
"Moore!"
The knight who had been thrown moments before reappeared quickly, bleeding a lot from the head, but with correct posture.
"Yes, Lady Atofe?"
I couldn't help but laugh when I saw that. It was obvious he was used to her explosive temperament, probably being beaten frequently.
Atofe asked enthusiastically:
"If I defeat this guy, will I be one of the Seven Powers like Kal?!"
Moore answered immediately:
"Yes, milady, that is the case. However, I must remind you that it might be ideal to use all your strength from the start, this is a dange—"
He didn't finish.
Atofe's kick turned him into a projectile again, flying like a rag doll.
That man really seemed to know a little more about me — maybe he had gathered information — and was even trying to warn her.
But, unfortunately for him, Atofe did not take kindly to any doubt.
"Aaah?! You're doubting I can win?! Hmph!"
In a swift movement, she drew her huge sword. It was fast enough to surprise even someone of my level.
It was strange, almost contradictory, to see such fencing skill in someone so impulsive and wild. The world was really full of the strangest kinds of warriors.
I smiled, feeling the anticipation grow.
"Who knows? Maybe it will be a somewhat exciting fight after all."
I said, laughing as I watched her behavior.
"You're pretty energetic with your subordinates, huh? I suppose I can use the same treatment on you then!"
Eris and Verdia immediately took a few steps back when they saw me advance.
I drew Doomsday slowly, and the heat took over the environment instantly, as if the air itself were igniting around me.
Atofe widened her eyes at the sight of the sword.
For a moment, I could almost swear she shivered — but soon her expression turned into something even more fierce and euphoric.
"Hahahahaha! What an interesting weapon you have there! But we still have to see who will be whose subordinate!"
She swung her enormous sword. Her demonic wings opened violently, pushing a gust of wind that swept across the entire arena.
The guards finally stopped what they were doing — apparently, that was a sign that Atofe would really fight seriously, which rarely happened.
She laughed and flexed her knees, preparing.
"Hahaha! I usually allow challengers a free first attack! But Moore told me to act serious… You must be powerful! So take this!"
With those words, Atofe leapt toward me, brandishing her giant blade in one fluid motion. Her wings propelled her body as if she were an artillery projectile.
My Demon Eyes activated, and time slowed for me.
I watched every detail:
The movement of the wings. The thrust of the jump. The trajectory of the sword. Her crazed smile.
As much as she had kicked Moore before, it seemed she really trusted his advice. She was fighting seriously from the start.
A shame.
I was one level above what she could handle.
She was using the North God Style.
I immediately recognized the way she moved the blade: it was similar to Ornthorn's technique, but even more skillful.
The weight, the fluidity, the intensity, the hip rotation — everything showed that Atofe truly mastered that style.
So, I decided to respond in kind.
I also used a North God Style technique, the Counter Blade, while simultaneously using the Longsword of Light.
I struck at Atofe's sword directly — and amplified the blue blade with Fire Magic to full power.
Of course, I focused more on power than scale.
The truth was I was confident I could win that fight anyway: with or without magic, using one style or several, with my Demon Eyes or without them.
But I needed Atofe to understand, with absolute clarity, that she had no chance in this battle.
The battlefield ignited in an instant.
A blue flaming light roared in Doomsday. The sword whooshed forward, colliding with Atofe's strike.
Her sword split instantly, as if it were butter.
The blue flames roared as if a Dragon lived inside the blade, but I didn't stop there — the Longsword of Light pierced through everything along the motion, cutting without resistance.
A blue, fiery explosion engulfed Atoferatofe's body completely.
The impact was so intense that even the sturdy ground of Fort Necross cracked, melted and disintegrated into irregular patterns, trembling under the blow.
The flaming wave expanded like a wild sea of blue light, pushing Atofe away as she was cut in half vertically by my technique.
A small blue sun emerged from the explosion, sweeping across the entire arena before me.
The flames rose like pillars, dancing and roaring while the soldiers stood completely motionless — shocked, petrified, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Just from that exchange, I could evaluate Atoferatofe's level.
She was, without a doubt, above a North Emperor. Her strength and martial prowess definitely reached the level of a God, albeit perhaps barely.
Behind me, I heard Eris cheer:
"Yes! Who's celebrating now?!"
She pointed at the guards who, before the fight, were commenting on how long I would last against Atofe.
Now, Eris stared them down with ferocity, scolding and intimidating each of them mercilessly.
They could only fall silent, still open-mouthed, shocked at what they had just witnessed.
I laughed at the sight.
Moore, bloodied but still conscious, got up and ran toward the flames.
But I raised a Physical Barrier and stopped him from passing.
I smiled amiably, but for Moore it probably seemed even more sinister.
"The fight is not over yet."
I advanced calmly toward the still-dancing flames.
Doomsday at my side was still vibrating. It begged to burn more, to destroy more, to devour everything around.
Lately, I was beginning to understand this weapon better… and its endless appetite.
Among the charred debris, I found a scorched stump, what remained of Atofe's body.
Even her formidable Battle Aura had been completely incinerated — a feat that few techniques in the world could accomplish.
I levitated the stump into my hand with Gravity Magic.
If she was an Immortal Demon… this should work.
I placed my hand over the carbonized remainder and used Emperor-level Healing Magic, pouring the maximum amount of mana I could channel, with Doomsday serving as an amplifier.
The stump began to tremble, then contort, deforming into strange, pulsing shapes.
In about fifteen seconds, the flesh rebuilt, the bones formed, muscles wove, skin stretched — and the complete figure of Atoferatofe reappeared right in front of me.
Holding my hand. And completely naked.
This time, she had a serious expression — very different from the previous boastfulness.
I, however, continued smiling.
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