"Perhaps it's waiting for us to approach on our own." Natsuki Subaru pondered for a moment, then voiced his guess, "Of course, it's also possible this itself is a form of intimidation—using absolute silence to throw an intruder off balance first."
As he said this, Natsuki Subaru turned his head to look at Esil beside him. Seeing the unease hidden in her eyes, he softened his tone and said, "Don't worry, what's meant to happen will happen. Haven't you heard a saying from the human world? The calm before the storm often signifies that a more violent tempest is about to follow."
"The calm before the storm..." Esil nodded, not fully understanding, and asked in a low voice, "So, should we keep moving forward? What if there's a trap ahead?"
"Of course we keep going." Natsuki Subaru didn't stop walking, his gaze fixed firmly ahead as he spoke, "We've made it this far; we can't give up halfway. Besides, hiding is useless. If the Demon King wants to find us, he'll show up sooner or later."
The two walked forward side by side for about ten minutes.
After all, each floor of the Demon Castle was astonishingly vast, nearly the size of a large city in the human world. It naturally took some time to get from the transfer point to the center of the domain.
Along the way, Esil would occasionally point to the red-glowing cracks on the ground, reminding Natsuki Subaru to watch his step, while Subaru kept a constant watch on the sky and their surroundings, afraid of missing any abnormality.
Just then, a deafening roar suddenly exploded from the darkness deep in the sky—
"ROAR!"
The sound was like thunder cracking next to their ears, carrying the unique, deep growl of a dragon. It shook the very ground beneath their feet, and even the air vibrated violently, forming an invisible shockwave.
"It's here..."
The hem of Natsuki Subaru's clothes whipped about, and the black hair on his forehead was blown back. He stood his ground firmly, his eyes instantly turning sharp.
"Ngh..."
Esil's face paled instantly. She subconsciously reached out and gripped Natsuki Subaru's arm tightly, her body still trembling slightly, just barely managing to steady herself and not be knocked over by the force.
"Huh? Is that a dragon...?"
Natsuki Subaru's eyes narrowed. He sharply looked up, his gaze piercing through the thick, dark gray clouds.
A white flying dragon with a wingspan of over thirty meters was slowly diving down from the clouds. Its body was covered in hard, white scales that resembled ice crystals.
And on the flying dragon's broad back stood a demon of ridiculously burly proportions!
He was more oppressive than any demon Natsuki Subaru had ever seen, at least three meters tall, with a neck almost as thick as the flying dragon's.
He wore a suit of black armor inlaid with white skull decorations. The pauldrons were two ferocious demon skulls, with ethereal blue flames burning in their eye sockets. A dark blue mist constantly seeped from the gaps in the armor, coiling around his body like a living thing.
In his hand, he held a massive blue greatsword taller than himself. The blade was about two meters long and as wide as a door panel, shrouded in a chilling aura. Even from a distance, one could feel a bone-piercing cold, as if the very air around it was about to freeze.
Even more astonishing was the pressure he exuded, which descended like a tangible shroud, carrying the absolute authority unique to a monarch.
It made Esil involuntarily take a step back, her hands clutching the corner of Natsuki Subaru's clothes, her body still trembling slightly. Her voice was filled with obvious fear, her teeth chattering slightly: "Lord Subaru, th-that's... the monarch of all demons on every floor—Baran!"
This was an awe ingrained in the bloodline of demons, like the reverence humans have for gods. Faced with a monarch-class existence, it was impossible to suppress the fear in one's heart.
Even though Esil knew Natsuki Subaru was powerful, her body still trembled instinctively.
At the same time.
A line of conspicuous red text slowly materialized above the demon's head. The font was wreathed in black energy, exuding a suffocating sense of danger. Even the system panel carried an unprecedented sense of warning:
[Demon King Baran!]
"An extraordinary aura. Very strong... Can I win?"
Natsuki Subaru's brows furrowed tightly. He wasn't frightened by the sight before him; instead, he began to analyze it calmly.
The Demon King Baran in the sky was several times stronger than the two lords he had encountered before, Cerberus and the Flame God of Greed, combined. He had now broken through level 100.
His stats had nearly doubled compared to before, yet he could still feel an overwhelming sense of power from Demon King Baran, something he had never experienced in previous battles.
"Th-this killing intent... it feels like it could tear through my skin. I feel it in my bones..."
The demon girl Esil buried her head even lower, her whole body shaking like a leaf.
After all, the killing intent emanating from Demon King Baran was even more terrifying than Lilith's illusions on the 95th floor.
It was an aura condensed from countless lives and deaths. Just feeling it made her feel as if her very soul was trembling.
Even Esil could feel this immense pressure. As expected of the final boss of the 100th floor.
Natsuki Subaru glanced at Esil, who was practically curled into a ball beside him, and subconsciously mobilized the shadow power within him, feeling the Great Spirit Candealar's Blessing taking effect.
This passive skill not only improved his body's recovery ability.
It also allowed him to heal wounds quickly in battle and granted him immunity to all diseases, poisons, and abnormal statuses.
Naturally, this included the fear effect brought on by Demon King Baran's killing intent.
If not for this skill, he probably would have been like Esil, suppressed by this killing intent and unable to move.
"But, speaking of which, with Demon King Baran and the flying dragon staying in the sky, it's a bit troublesome for us on the ground to attack them."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze fell on the white flying dragon as he quickly calculated a counter-strategy.
After all, he specialized in close combat and surrounding enemies with his Shadow Soldiers.
But with the enemy in the sky, his Shadow Soldiers couldn't get close, and his dagger couldn't possibly strike a target dozens of meters high.
Just then, Natsuki Subaru noticed text appearing above the flying dragon's head as well. It was orange text, a tier weaker than Demon King Baran's red text, but it still carried considerable menace:
[Flying Dragon, Katherine]
"Huh? Katherine? It's actually a flying dragon... So the Demon Castle doesn't just have demons, but also these kinds of fantasy creatures."
Natsuki Subaru was a little surprised.
Generally speaking, with his current strength, he could completely handle an orange-level dungeon monster.
As long as he could get close, with the paralysis and bleeding effects of Kasaka's Venom Fang, he might be able to finish off this flying dragon quickly.
But the problem was, Demon King Baran was still standing on the dragon's back. The moment he made a move, he would expose himself to Demon King Baran's attack range.
At that point, forget finishing off the flying dragon; whether he could even dodge Demon King Baran's greatsword would be a question.
Thinking of this, Natsuki Subaru subconsciously tightened his grip on Kasaka's Venom Fang and looked up again at Demon King Baran in the sky.
Seeing him still standing steadily on the back of the flying dragon Katherine, the dark blue mist in the gaps of his black armor slowly churning, and the ethereal blue flames in his eye sockets as cold as ice.
"Looks like this fight is going to be harder than I thought... Just this silent pressure alone is far beyond what those noisy lords from before could compare to."
Just as this thought crossed Natsuki Subaru's mind, Demon King Baran in the sky finally moved.
He didn't raise that massive blue greatsword as wide as a door panel. He simply raised his right hand slowly and waved it casually at the ground.
In the next second, more than twenty black spatial gates suddenly appeared in neat rows on the ground fifty meters in front of Natsuki Subaru.
These spatial gates were a full two meters in diameter, with dark purple flames flickering at their edges. Piercing shrieks echoed from within.
Immediately after, swarms of demons poured out endlessly from the spatial gates.
These demons didn't pause for a moment. As soon as they emerged, they began to close in on Natsuki Subaru and Esil, covering the ground in a dense mass. They quickly formed a semi-encircling formation, their turbid eyes filled with a bloodthirsty light.
In just a dozen seconds, the number of demons exceeded several thousand and was still increasing.
"So this guy can call his underlings too..." Natsuki Subaru watched the ever-increasing number of demons, his tone still calm, though a hint of vigilance had entered his eyes. "Quite a number, but it's not enough to beat me with a human wave tactic."
"Lord Subaru, wh-what do we do? There are so many demons..."
Esil's voice trembled with fear, and she subconsciously shrank behind Natsuki Subaru.
Although she was a demon noble, she had never seen so many high-ranking demons gathered together.
Especially those with bizarre forms; just looking at them terrified her, not to mention the cacophony of roars that nearly shattered her eardrums, making her breath come in short gasps.
"When it comes to numbers, I'm not afraid."
As he said this, with a thought from Natsuki Subaru, the black shadow behind him expanded rapidly like a living thing, soon covering a large area.
Ranks of Shadow Soldiers emerged in formation from the shadow—heavily armored knights in front, mages in the center, and assassins flanking the sides, their formation impressively disciplined.
"Monarch's Domain!"
Immediately after, Natsuki Subaru shouted in a low voice, activating the Shadow Monarch's exclusive skill.
As he spoke, a faint blue halo spread across the shadow region. The aura of every Shadow Soldier within the halo instantly surged.
This was the effect of a level 2 Monarch's Domain, which could increase the abilities of all Shadow Soldiers within its range by 100%, effectively doubling the combat power of an entire army.
"Finish them!"
Following Natsuki Subaru's command, the Shadow Soldiers let out a unified, low growl and charged toward the demon army.
The two sides clashed instantly. The muffled thuds of longswords piercing demon bodies and the booming explosions of magic spells filled the air. The entire dark plain instantly turned into a brutal battlefield.
"So strong... Lord Subaru's subordinates are so powerful too!"
Esil watched the intense battle before her, her mouth slightly agape, her tense mood easing a little.
She had originally thought the Shadow Soldiers could at best fight the demons to a stalemate.
But she never expected that under the enhancement of Monarch's Domain, the Shadow Soldiers could actually suppress the enemy. Even as new demons continuously poured out of the spatial gates, they couldn't break the Shadow Soldiers' defensive line and were even being slowly pushed back.
But when Esil's gaze returned to Demon King Baran on the back of the flying dragon in the sky, a hint of hesitation and conflict arose in her heart:
"But... that's Lord Baran, the ruler of the Demon Castle, the monarch to whom all demons must submit.
And Lord Subaru is an intruder in the Demon Castle. According to the rules of the demon world, he's someone who should be eliminated..."
"Which side... should I be on?"
Esil remembered how Natsuki Subaru had protected her along the way. In Lilith's illusion on the 95th floor, it was he who had awakened her in time.
These fragmented images flashed through her mind, causing Esil's once-firm demonic stance to waver bit by bit.
Demon King Baran in the sky continued to look down silently on the chaotic battle below. The ethereal blue flames in his eye sockets flickered faster and faster, clearly dissatisfied that the demon army he had summoned was being held back.
He showed no expression and made no sound, simply raising his blue greatsword slowly.
In the next second, Demon King Baran swung the greatsword down violently. There was no furious roar, yet an invisible pressure swept across the entire field.
"Zzzzt!"
Hundreds of lightning spears instantly materialized in the sky. Each one was as thick as an arm, its tip glowing with a blinding white light, hurtling toward the ground with a destructive aura.
These lightning spears had an extremely wide area of effect, covering almost the entire battlefield. Even the position where Natsuki Subaru and Esil stood was not spared.
One of the lightning spears, in particular, fell with pinpoint accuracy toward the top of Esil's head, its speed so fast she had no time to react.
"......"
Esil's pupils contracted. Her whole body froze on the spot, her mind a complete blank. She could clearly feel the destructive power of the lightning spear, as if in the next second she would be blasted into ashes, her very soul ceasing to exist.
"Don't be afraid!"
Natsuki Subaru's voice was steady and powerful, instantly dispelling Esil's fear. With his left hand, he quickly pulled Esil behind him to protect her, while his right hand gripped Kasaka's Venom Fang, cleaving down at the lightning spear with the force of a gale!
—CLANG!
A deafening sound like metal striking metal resounded across the dark plain. The dagger accurately struck the middle of the lightning spear.
Accompanied by a dazzling shower of sparks.
The lightning spear containing destructive power was actually split in two, dissipating into fine sparks of lightning in the air, without a single stray volt touching Esil.
Natsuki Subaru was knocked back half a step by the impact of the lightning spear, his arm slightly numb, as a clear system notification sounded in his mind:
[Notification: Received lightning damage, HP -500].
"Only 500 HP, huh..."
Natsuki Subaru subconsciously glanced at his status bar, which read 99500/100000 HP, and a faint smile touched his lips.
For him, this amount of damage was just a drop in the ocean.
It didn't even count as a light injury, not even comparable to being scratched by a demon's claw before.
harm.
Natsuki Subaru flexed his wrist, gripped his dagger again, and his gaze remained firmly locked on Demon King Baran in the sky, not relaxing in the slightest.
"So cool."
But Esil, protected behind him, was already staring wide-eyed, completely stunned. Looking at Natsuki Subaru's straight back, at his dashing figure as he cleanly split the lightning with his blade, her cheeks instantly turned beet red.
The blush spread from her ears all the way down her neck, and even the tips of her ears were a burning pink.
This feeling of being protected with all someone's might made the demon girl's heart pound like a drum, like a small deer was running wild in her chest, and even her breathing became rapid.
The hesitation and conflict in her heart completely vanished, replaced by pure admiration and a fluttering feeling she couldn't quite explain.
Esil suddenly felt that, regardless of whether Baran was the Demon King or whether Natsuki Subaru was an intruder, she wanted to stand by Natsuki Subaru's side.
At the same time
The battlefield on the ground was already a complete mess.
The remaining lightning spears had landed on the battlefield, vaporizing more than half of both the Shadow Soldiers and the demon army.
The ground was covered with charred cracks, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning.
However, Natsuki Subaru paid it no mind.
After all, Shadow Soldiers could be summoned infinitely from the shadows. This level of loss meant nothing.
"Esil, find a safe place to hide. Stay away from the battlefield."
Natsuki Subaru turned and said to the demon girl Esil behind him.
The battle to come would be exceptionally dangerous. He absolutely could not let Esil risk staying by his side.
This was both for her protection and to allow himself to fight at full strength without any reservations.
"Lord Subaru... you have to be careful too!"
Esil's wine-red eyes were full of worry, but she also knew that staying here would only hold him back. She nodded forcefully and immediately ran toward a pile of rubble in the distance, still looking back reluctantly to urge him,
"I'll wait for you over there. You have to come back safely!"
"Strange? Is Esil worried about me?"
Only after seeing Esil's figure disappear behind the rubble did Natsuki Subaru finally relax.
He then locked his sharp gaze on Demon King Baran in the sky and quickly formulated a strategy,
"I have to take out his mount first! Otherwise, if he stays dozens of meters up in the air, I can't get close and can only take hits passively."
With that thought, Natsuki Subaru shot toward Baran like an arrow released from a bow.
"—Stealth!"
When he was a hundred meters directly below Baran, Natsuki Subaru immediately activated the skill. His figure instantly blended into the surrounding darkness, his very presence becoming faint and elusive.
He then let out another low shout:
"—Sprint!"
A faint blue halo enveloped his body, and Natsuki Subaru's speed surged again. The soil under his feet was kicked up as he became a blurry afterimage, closing in on the flying dragon Katherine's position.
This time, he had activated two skills simultaneously.
Stealth to conceal his tracks, and Sprint for a burst of speed, all to catch Demon King Baran completely off guard.
After all, while Demon King Baran was powerful, he had been a silent observer until now and might not expect a sudden assault on his mount.
Rushing directly underneath Demon King Baran, Natsuki Subaru bent his knees sharply. His legs exploded with astonishing power, launching him like a spring dozens of meters into the air.
The Kasaka's Venom Fang in his hand glinted with a cold light, its blade aimed straight at the flying dragon Katherine's neck.
That was the flying dragon's most vulnerable spot. As long as he could strike it, even if he couldn't kill it instantly, he could make it lose its ability to fly.
But in the next second, the unexpected happened.
The ever-silent Demon King Baran suddenly looked up without any warning, the ethereal blue flames in his eye sockets flaring brightly. He then raised his massive blue greatsword and swung it viciously toward a spot where there was nothing but empty air!
_____
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