Gonna Be a Demon King!
Chapter 103: Xynax

Chapter 103: Xynax

The figure pulled back their fist as they ducked low under the hook, then answered with an uppercut.

Xaren snapped his arm back, tucking his upper arm tight across his chest while angling his forearm outward to block, but the impact still sent a numbing jolt up his arm.

His opponent followed up before he could recover from the impact, unleashing a quick one-two combo, their fists hammering toward his ribs.

Though Xaren shifted to the side, evading the first punch, the second weaved past his guard and landed against his right side, breaking his gravity shield and aura skin in one go.

"Guhk!"

Pain radiated across his torso as their fist cracked his ribs, but Xaren gritted his teeth and hooked his right around their left, locking it in place as he stepped forward and drove his knuckles into the side of their face.

The figure’s head snapped to the side from the impact, but it didn’t flinch, stagger, or show any sign of injury.

Without hesitation, they retaliated with a palm strike aimed directly at Xaren’s sternum, forcing him to release their hooked arm and parry the blow instead. He deflected the strike, sending it off into empty air.

Xaren immediately dropped his hips, dodging the punch from their now-free left hand, and drove his fist up towards their stomach. They caught it with one hand, spinning him halfway around and forcing him to plant his foot against the ground to stay upright.

The moment he regained his balance, Xaren’s right foot shot towards their leg while his left fist drove toward the side of their face.

Though his opponent raised their left leg to block Xaren’s kick, their right hand wasn’t fast enough to release his and rise to block the punch, allowing it to land solidly.

The force of the blow sent them stumbling back, their right leg still raised to block Xaren’s kick. Taking advantage, Xaren pulled his right arm free from their grip and aimed another punch at their head.

The figure planted their leg back on the ground to regain balance, then crossed their arms in an attempt to block Xaren’s incoming punch.

But that was when Xaren activated Gravity Crush.

A sphere of gravitational energy enveloped their crossed arms, leaving them with only two choices in that instant:

Either keep their arms crossed to block Xaren’s punch and risk having their forearms crushed or broken by the gravity, or pull their arms away from the sphere’s reach, but take a punch to the face from Xaren.

They opted to pull their arms away, conjuring a shield of magic power to block Xaren’s punch. However, the grey demon’s aura and magic power surrounding his fist shattered the shield, allowing his punch to land and send them stumbling backwards.

Xaren quickly closed the distance, reaching them before they could recover, and sent a second punch to their face. At the same time, he used attraction on their raised left leg, yanking it upward and causing them to fall onto their back.

His punch collided with their face mid-air, the impact driving their head into the ground. Without hesitation, he pulled back and unleashed another full-power punch, completely crushing the silhouette’s head.

Just as Xaren claimed victory, his opponent’s body glitched and then dissolved, melting into the ground like some liquid.

’What the—?!’

Xaren jumped back warily, but before he could do anything else, a deafening thunderclap rang out, the loud sound seemingly clearing the dense fog around him.

The fog was pushed away to reveal a large clearing surrounded by trees.

As Xaren looked around, he spotted the other recruits, all either wounded, down on one knee, or completely unconscious.

His pupils darted around and he immediately spotted Ilya, but her condition looked far from ideal. Her white hair clung to the right side of her bloodied face, the red staining her features.

At that moment, the same voice from earlier echoed across the clearing.

[None of you died? Seems this batch isn’t entirely useless after all.]

Danger Sense screamed the loudest it ever had since Xaren acquired the skill.

The alarm blared so loudly it nearly deafened Xaren, his head pounding from the intensity.

But again, Xaren didn’t need the skill’s alarm to know where the ’Danger’ was.

Hovering a few metres in the air above the recruits sprawled all over the clearing was a man.

He had deep violet skin and four curved horns, his eyes glowing silver. He wore a black and brown camo shirt, with black cargo pants and combat boots. A long tail extended from his lower back, slowly swaying through the air as he descended to the ground.

Xaren couldn’t move.

No one could.

The energy radiating from the purple-skinned man with sharp features was enough to freeze everyone in place.

Their survival instincts screamed at them that even the slightest movement would mean death.

Even those who had fallen unconscious were jolted awake, their breathing ragged and sweat running down their necks.

[You all fought my weak clones, tailored to match your levels, and managed to survive. That’s something the previous batch couldn’t accomplish.

As such, each of you gets 100 Bonus Points. Looks like you won’t be starving for the next ten days.]

He stepped forward, hands clasped behind his back, his voice echoing in their ears.

[Since you’ve entered here, you’ll be staying for a maximum of five years. During that time, I’ll turn you from the useless children who only know how to recklessly swing weapons and cast basic magic that you are, into proper combatants.

My training can kill you—and it will, if you can’t keep up.]

The man paused, a low chuckle escaping his lips as he muttered in a low voice, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

[Well, that’s assuming I don’t kill you myself for being useless.]

The man’s laughter cased as he came to a stop in the middle of the clearing.

[I don’t care if you’re a noble, or backed by one. I don’t care how much of a genius you think you are, or how gifted you’ve been told you were.

I would train you all to death equally.]

With that, he turned and began walking toward a path between the trees ahead. But just as he reached it, he stopped.

[Ah, I almost forgot.

Welcome to Area One, recruits. For the next five years, I’m your owner.]

Turning his head slightly, he finished.

[You may address me as ’Lord Xynax’.]

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Gonna Be a Demon King Volume 1: COMPLETED