Chapter 928: The Death of the Archduke of Hell
"Why?"
She unwillingly tried five or six times, until she finally snapped out of it upon seeing Eiji's mocking gaze.
Why did every strike hit her before she could make a move?
Why did each attack perfectly prevent her from carrying out her hostage threat?
What exactly was happening?
Completely unable to comprehend it, Asuk found herself submerged in a sea of heavenly thunder. Her injuries continued to accumulate without pause, causing the magical power within her to visibly diminish!
"Hmm..."
Barnier let out a puzzled hum.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to the boss?"
Seeing his expression, Kazuma thought the boss was getting beaten up and asked nervously.
"Not at all. On the contrary, Asuk is the one being beaten... But how is that possible? Every attack accurately hits the opponent, each strike landing before Asuk can make a move. That can't be a coincidence, right?"
"Then it must be causality manipulation, right?"
Kazuma laughed cheerfully.
The boss is a demon-human, and the most impressive thing about demon-humans is their ability to manipulate causality!
Certain hit, priority hit, victory, death... all kinds of causal relationships fall within the control of a demon-human!
"He has such a rare power? Is that guy really just human? Not even reincarnators are this absurd, right?"
Barnier let out a series of shocked remarks.
It seemed that the power to interfere with causality was exceptionally rare even in Heaven and Hell, to the extent that even Barnier hadn't immediately thought of it due to its scarcity.
That kind of power was something even gods would use sparingly themselves, let alone grant to reincarnators - that was another reason.
So indeed, the boss was just awesome!
"But, in that case..."
Having figured it out, Barnier's mind immediately became active.
He had previously made an agreement with Eiji, and though he had some hesitation initially, he could probably make up his mind now!
On the battlefield.
"In that case, how about this!"
Asuk's gaze turned fierce.
She released most of her remaining power, causing the surrounding light and shadows to shake violently as dozens of clones manifested around her!
Even for an Archduke of Hell, creating so many dream clones in one go left Asuk feeling exhausted.
But this way, even if he wanted to kill them all, it would take quite some time!
Seizing this opportunity, Asuk quickly began preparing a ritual!
That's right - she had decided to escape!
Thinking about it calmly, she realized that Eiji definitely possessed the power to interfere with causality. With her current strength, there was no way she could oppose him!
Escape was her only option!
Hundreds of years ago, the previous Archduke of Hell who controlled dreams had been foolish enough to be lured out of Hell, resulting in being killed by the gods of Heaven!
After succeeding to the position, she had fully learned from this lesson - throughout hundreds of years of divine war, she had never left Hell even once!
Only this time, because her army was dwindling, she had no choice but to personally venture out to this surface world to seek troops - unfortunately, she had coincidentally been thwarted by Eiji both times.
If possible, she would certainly want to kill Eiji, turn his soul into her slave—to be used on the battlefield by day and in bed by night. But since she couldn't defeat him, there was nothing more to say!
Survival comes first—escape is the priority!
Unfortunately, teleportation magic could only be used in the surface world. Even if she could reach the outer realms, crossing to different worlds was impossible. Thus, she had to rely on a ritual magic connecting to hell—a ritual that required time to prepare—
"Portray!"
Suddenly, hundreds of light swords erupted, transforming into a supersonic storm of blades that engulfed dozens of her clones.
In just two seconds, every clone was pierced through, dissolving into shimmering particles of light.
"Thud!"
A tremendous force struck out of nowhere. Before Asuk could react, she was sent flying by a powerful kick.
The ritual magic instantly collapsed.
"Die."
Eiji's hand shifted, and the holy sword suddenly became entangled with intense curses, transforming into a black demonic sword adorned with crimson circular patterns!
He channeled all his remaining magical power into this single strike.
"Excalibur—Morgan—!!!"
A pillar of black light shot into the sky!
Containing unimaginable heat, the pillar enveloped Asuk, who had been slammed against the ceiling of the dream realm.
The ominous torrent of light gradually eroded Asuk's body. Under such a fierce assault, she couldn't even scream. Even if she tried to erase her injuries by blurring the boundary between dream and reality, her internal energy rapidly depleted.
"Boom—!!!"
A deafening roar echoed like thunder in everyone's ears.
Violent tremors shook most of the Demon King's Castle, causing the beast-like fortress to groan under the impact.
Crack! The dream barrier shattered abruptly!
The thick black mist enveloping the castle vanished in the blink of an eye, and the black pillar of light pierced through the heavens, disappearing at the horizon's edge.
"Phew…"
Eiji let out a deep, slow breath.
He had used several powerful techniques in succession, pushing his magical reserves to the limit this time.
But the results were clear: the reversed holy sword's damage continuously stacked on Asuk, draining her power in an instant.
Her presence was no longer detectable. Most likely, that final strike had obliterated her, leaving not even ashes behind.
"Huh? Why was I asleep?"
"What just happened?"
"Whoa! Why did the Demon King's Castle's roof collapse?!"
The adventurers in the plaza began waking up one by one. Jedius, Kyouya Mitsurugi, and others regained consciousness, while even the Demon Lord Army soldiers stood up, scratching their heads in confusion.
"Congratulations!"
Loud applause rang out as Barnier approached Eiji with admiration.
"To defeat a Duke of Hell head-on—that's a feat even many gods cannot accomplish!"
"Boss! You really took down a Duke of Hell! Does that mean you're invincible now?"
Kazuma excitedly ran over, followed by a bewildered Megumin.
I've latched onto an incredibly powerful ally!
"Your Majesty, the Demon King!"
The awakened Demon Lord Army soldiers hurriedly knelt before Eiji, trembling with fear.
"We have failed in our duties, falling asleep at such a critical moment. We beg for your punishment!"
"The Demon King?!"
The adventurers' animosity toward the Demon Lord Army soldiers had yet to dissipate when they were startled by the title of Demon King. They leaped back in terror, warily eyeing Eiji, with some already preparing magic spells.
Seeing this, the Demon Lord Army soldiers grew furious. One by one, they gripped their swords and staffs tightly. Since they hadn't done anything wrong to begin with, this was the perfect moment to bolster their Demon King's majesty!
At the very least, it might earn them leniency during future punishments!
"Everyone, please wait!"
Just as tensions were reaching a boiling point, Prince Gedis arrived with a clear, resonant voice.