The Demon King's First General
Chapter 137: Crimson Energy

Chapter 137: Crimson Energy

Angels who had heard the demon’s mockery gritted their teeth, but no one had the courage to talk back. Even Sherise, who was sitting in silence in the highest seat, felt ashamed, but she needed to maintain her composure. Her eyes were staring straight at Zeno, who was looking at her as well with disgust.

’But that’s how the world works; peace makes the warriors’ senses dull,’ the deity thought.

However, she knew that it was a useless excuse, so she didn’t even contemplate voicing it out.

Any second from now, Zeno could take Endelle’s life and end their duel, which would cause an inglorious outcome. However, nothing could be done; even she, as a deity, was in no position to stop an affair of honor, just to beg for the losing party’s life.

’Such a waste,’ she sighed deeply in her heart.

Even though she was already aware of the outcome of the fight, she was still surprised that, despite all those long millenia, the man she adored was still the same as she could remember.

The next second, she stood up and started to leave; she lost her intention to finish watching the duel. However, as she made several steps, a sudden surge of powerful energy came from beneath the crater where his guardian knight was, but the moment she looked at it, a silhouette rose up to the sky, which made her eyes widen in surprise.

"It can’t be," she muttered.

. . . . .

A few seconds ago, Endelle’s eyes were bloodshot, and rage was plastered on his face. He was in the process of questioning his strength.

"How! For a mere demon to be this strong!" He murmured while spitting some blood, questioning the silver-haired man’s prowess.

"I can’t die like this; I, Endelle, won’t accept this outcome," he slammed the ground with his fist several times.

Then, in the middle of his contemplation, he heard something.

"Do you want power? I can let you borrow some of mine," said a voice that was unknown to him.

He moved his head sideways, looking where the sound came from, but a sudden laughter pierced his ears.

"Stop searching; you won’t be able to see me, and you’re the only one who can hear this," the voice murmured.

"Who are you? What power are you talking about?" Endelle replied. The voice felt so real that he didn’t even consider it an illusion.

"Any minute now, you will die, and yet you still care about my name. Let’s do it this way; use my power to destroy that man, and it will be yours afterward," the voice answered, and an eerie laughter followed.

Then Endelle’s heart began to beat faster, and a type of energy unknown to him started to flow through his body. The black lightning that tied him to Zeno shattered upon contact with the mysterious energy.

"What in the world?" Amazed by the sudden surge of power inside of him, he whispered.

Then, with a devilish grin not suitable for an angel, he stood up and, bending his knees, propelled himself upward. His wings, which were tainted with blood, flapped above, and sparks of lightning accompanied his every motion.

Under his eyes, a thin vertical line could be seen, and a teardrop shape was at the bottom end of it. These lines were painted red, as if he were crying with blood.

Endelle looked where his deity was, and his smile turned even wider upon seeing the surprised look in her eyes.

The next second, he diverted his gaze towards the demon standing next to the crater. His eyes were still void of emotion, but his stares were enough to make Endelle’s blood boil in anger.

Afterward, the angel raised his arm, and uncountable spears of lightning materialized on his side. All of them were pointing at the demon. However, a second later, crimson energy began to cover the spears, devouring the divine energy from each of them.

The sky turned red in an instant due to this scene. The angels that were all silent earlier felt fear for their lives; they wanted to run, but their curiosity wouldn’t let them do so.

"L-look! Endelle’s wings are changing!" One of the crowd members exclaimed as he noticed that the feathers, which were tainted with blood, were now turning crimson as well.

Though the changes were not instant, as time kept on going, the white color continued to decline.

"Endelle! Stop it!" Sherise shouted, wanting to call her guardian knight’s attention, but the man didn’t even bother to look at her.

His sole focus was on the demon beneath him.

"Die, filthy demon," Endelle just whispered, but the authority of his voice was enough to inscribe fear in the crowd.

With a single gesture from him, the crimson spears rained down towards Zeno, and each of them bombarded the ground, creating explosions everywhere.

It continued for several minutes, and after the last spear fell, the field was entirely covered with smoke and dust.

The angel’s mouth started to curl, and his laughter echoed throughout the premises.

"I won! With this power, I will be the strongest!" He declared, his voice filled with joy.

The demon’s presence, which vanished after his attack, made him think that it was a success; after all, there was no place to hide against those spears.

However, as he bathed himself in excitement, he failed to notice a jet-black arrow coming at him from below. It was clad in black lightning that pierced his body.

It left a hole in his chest, making him grit in pain.

"What? Are you still alive?" He exclaimed as he looked down.

After a few seconds, the smoke dispersed, revealing the demon, unscathed from his previous attack.

"H-how? How could you survive such a thing?" He stammered, then conjured a spear in his hand and rushed towards the demon’s location.

On the other hand, Zeno, who had the same exact hole in his chest, was smiling like a maniac. He waved the bow in his hand, and the dice embedded in it spun, and a jet-black scythe appeared as soon as the previous weapon vanished into thin air.

"How deep did you fall, huh? For you to accept that burst of power? Such a fool," Zeno stated after their weapons collided.

"Shut up, filthy bastard!" Endelle responded. The anger on him would not dissipate any second from now on.

Instead, the more his fury rose to a certain level, the crimson color sped up, devouring the white hue on his wings.

They exchanged swings after swings, and like before, the demon just blocked all of Endelle’s attack; however, the crimson energy that creeped out from the angel attacked him, dealing serious burns on his skin.

His clothes became tattered after clashing several times, and Endelle’s wings were now glowing crimson. Aside from his armor, which was almost similar to the other angels’ in the vicinity, not a single thing about his appearance could lead him to be identified as an angel, much more as a guardian knight of a deity.

Their battle continued, the crimson color began to spread on the white of his eyes; even a few strands of his hair started to dye red. And the changes didn’t only apply to his appearance; his speed became so fast that he managed to land a few hits on the demon, and his strength increased beyond his expectations.

These improvements drove Zeno into a corner; the angel’s lightning spear pierced his stomach, imprinting another hole on his body. Then, after pulling it out, Endelle sent him flying with a kick strong enough to destroy the barrier that Sherise activated earlier.

"Know your worth, trash!" He said, and his laughter echoed in the field.

But Endelle’s barrages didn’t halt; he threw the spear to where Zeno was the very next second; however, the dice on the scythe spun once more, and it transformed into a jet-black shield that protected Zeno from the attack.

"Your resistance is futile!" Endelle exclaimed as he zipped to the demon’s position.

His hand produced another lightning spear. He planned to end the duel and came out victorious; however, as he leaped over the giant shield and saw the demon lying on the broken concrete, he hesitated to continue his charge. His state was dire, yet the grin on his lips made him contemplate.

For the very first time in their duel, he let his instinct take over and halted his attack to observe.

"What’s the matter? Why did you stop?" Zeno asked as he lifted his chin and looked at the entity levitating above.

His question was soon followed by awkward laughter. Then, upon realizing that the angel kept his silence and distance, he stood up despite his injuries.

"Quite a spectacle, wasn’t it? There are holes in your opponent’s chest and his body is covered with wounds, yet he acts like nothing happened," Zeno stated as he shrugged some dirt from his tattered coat.

Afterward, he made a step forward; the jet-black shield returned to its cube form and landed back on his palm.

"Hey, Sherise!" The demon shouted without averting his eyes from his opponent.

His voice was loud enough to capture everyone’s attention; all of them were surprised that the man who was supposed to be at death’s door still had the strength to stand up and talk. However, there was one being who didn’t find it odd, and that was the woman watching from the highest seat.

"I’ll be doing you a great favor by disposing of this filth from your ranks. Wouldn’t it be great if you could provide me with some useful information afterward?" Zeno stated while fidgeting with the dice between his fingers.

Then, a fraction of a second passed, and a reply that he had already expected came from above.

"Even if you didn’t ask, I’m ready to return your generosity," Sherise’s voice reverberated in the place.

Her words were like a death sentence for Endelle. He glanced at her, his expression questioning why. The deity that he served since the time he was born was now siding with his enemy and even had the thought of disposing him.

"Why?" Endelle opened his mouth; only a word escaped from it, but it was filled with rage.

"You! All of you!" He yelled and the place began to tremble; his hair turned full crimson in color, little pebbles floated into the air, and thunder rolled beneath the clouds. Then, at the bottom part of his back, below his wings, something started to sprout.

. . . . .