Chapter 135: The Pathetic Heavenly King
Dozens of light arrows, with no preamble, shot forward, giving Latran no time to react. And though he had been momentarily taken in by Rhodes's trick, his demonic instincts kicked in, and he managed to cast a petrification spell on himself, hoping to weather the storm.
But the attack was just too vicious, too fast. He was sent flying, tumbling across the ground, the force of the blows leaving him battered and bruised. "You treacherous human!" he roared. He was injured, but he could still cast his spells.
He looked up, and his eyes began to glow with a sickly, yellowish-gray light. This was his petrification spell. Two beams of light, like lightning, shot forward, one at Rhodes, and the other at Serie, who was in the middle of casting her own spell. He intended to take them both out at once.
Serie, who had been anticipating the counter-attack, had already thrown up a magic barrier for them both. But she hadn't expected to be a target herself. And the petrification spell... it was a strange one. It could bypass some of her magical defenses.
The barrier was pierced, though the beam was now much smaller. And she, who had never expected her barrier to be broken, was a moment too slow to react. A yellowish-gray light washed over her lower legs. A cold, numbing sensation, as if her very life force was being drained away, began to creep up from her feet.
She looked down and saw that her boots and a part of her lower legs were turning to stone, and the petrification was still spreading. Her face paled, and she immediately tried to use her own powerful mana to dispel it. But the spell was a stubborn one; her dispelling couldn't keep up with its spread. Fortunately, the barrier had weakened it, and it stopped at her knees.
"Serie, don't just stand there!" he shouted, having already dodged the beam aimed at him. The rock behind him had instantly turned a pale gray. He rushed to her side, grabbed her by the waist, and pulled her out of the way of the next beam. Her petrified boots and clothes shattered, revealing the fair skin beneath.
"Are you alright?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. Fortunately, it was just her boots and a small patch of skin. She immediately cast a holy spell, and the grayness began to recede. "I'm fine," she said, her voice cold. She was more angry at herself for her own carelessness. "This spell is... troublesome. But it seems holy magic is effective against it."
"Leave it to me," he said, and drew Org.
He's had it. I'll show this demon what a close-combat mage can do.
"Hmph! To think you know holy magic!" Latran said, annoyed that his attack had been so easily nullified. "Turn to stone, all of you!"
"Stone? I think it's your head that's made of stone."
With a sneer, Rhodes vanished. It wasn't just a high-speed movement, but a short-range teleportation, a spell he had created after studying the spatial distortions of the Godfall Land and the teleportation circles of the Sky-Winged and the demons. A mage who couldn't teleport was not a good mage.
Latran's vision blurred, and in the next moment, Rhodes was right in front of him, the holy light of Org a blinding flash as it came down on his head.
"What!?"
He was shocked, and in his haste, he had no choice but to try to block with his own petrified arm.
CLANG!
The holy light and the petrified arm met with a deafening screech of metal. The force of the blow sent a shockwave through his entire body. But what was even more shocking was that the holy sword seemed to be a natural counter to his own magic. At the point of contact, his own mana began to stagnate.
"Damn it!" he roared, and a wave of demonic energy erupted from him, trying to push Rhodes back. All living creatures recoiled from the dark aura of the demons, and he was sure this human would be no different.
But Serie's own retaliation was faster. "You will not!"
No fancy incantations, just pure, unadulterated cold, a taste of his own medicine. A ring of ice-blue light appeared at his feet, and a frost began to rapidly spread up his legs.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
His lower body was now frozen in a block of solid ice, and even the ground around him was covered in a thick layer of frost. His own burst of demonic energy had been cut short.
"No!"
He was trapped, just as he had petrified the others. But to be able to do this, without an overwhelming advantage in power... it should have been impossible.
Rhodes seized the opportunity. He brought Org down with a powerful blow and severed his petrified arm at the elbow. And then, he brought the flat of the blade down on his chest.
THWACK!
"AHH!"
Latran coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying back, crashing into a rock and then sliding to the ground. The fight was over, clean and decisive. The so-called "Heavenly King" was no match for the two who had fought a god. Or perhaps, the Heavenly Kings of today were just the best of a bad lot, the truly powerful demons having been wiped out in the false Divine Strike.
He walked over to the defeated demon, the tip of Org at its throat.
"Damn you, human! The Demon King will not let you get away with this!"
"Listen," Rhodes said, looking down at him. At the mention of the Demon King, his eyes flickered. "I don't care what you're doing here. But go back and tell your king... tell him that one day, his old companions will come for him. And they will put an end to all his pain and suffering, and give him his release."
(End of chapter)