The Demon King's First General
Chapter 153: General’s Weakness

Chapter 153: General’s Weakness

After Sinclair inspected the surroundings, she noticed that the building in front of them was already abandoned. Even a single sign of life couldn’t be felt inside the place.

"This won’t do!" She exclaimed in dissatisfaction, while the silver-haired demon beside her was still ignoring her outburst.

All he did was smile like crazy while looking up at the moon. Upon seeing this state of him, Sinclair diverted her gaze towards where the demon was staring.

To her surprise, silhoutte of monsters were levitating up into the sky.

"W-What are those?" She blurted out, stunned.

There were hundreds of them, yet not a single one emitted a presence; if not for the demon looking in that certain direction, she wouldn’t notice them at all.

"Aren’t they monsters?" Zeno replied without averting his eyes from above.

His question was dripping with sarcasm, and as soon as Sinclair heard it, she rolled her eyes and shook her head in annoyance.

"That’s not what I mean," she retorted, but didn’t delve into it any further; instead, she walked closer to the building but stopped upon seeing black smoke rising from the ground.

She pulled out her weapon without wasting a single second; however, the moment she inhaled the content of the black substance, her eyes started to doze off. She struck the giant scissor on the ground to support her body and pinched her nose to prevent herself from inhaling a few more of the smoke.

"T-This is-" she muttered, but she couldn’t finish what she wanted to say as the dizziness made her lose her balance.

Afterward, before closing her eyes, she summoned her remaining strength and did her best to glance behind, only to see the demon looking in her direction, unaffected by the sleeping paralysis.

Then, the sound of footsteps broke the silence, and a man with a black onyx crown sitting on top of his head emerged from the shadows of the night.

Half of his face was scarred with burnmarks, and his right arm was black and covered with scales.

"Still as atrocious as ever, Strannard, though I’m quite disappointed. Is this what you meant when you told me that you would set the stage for your revenge?" Zeno stated all of a sudden while looking around.

"That army of monsters is a lot better than this. I expected more since that day," he added, smiling and teasing the man in front.

"My apologies, General Arthur, but you see, I was busy for the past few days and this meeting of ours was not really included in today’s schedule, so I hope you understand, but this is a perfect place for you to die, don’t you think?" The man with the distorted face answered with a smile.

"Hmnn, I’m not fond of dark places, so it’s a pass, and dying..." Zeno replied, then made a single step forward and spoke once again.

"Are you capable enough to take my life?" He chuckled.

"I’m sick of hearing the same things over and over again, but please do your best and try. Entertain me and suppress this boredom of mine," Zeno added, smiling while fidgeting the black dice between his fingers.

"As you wish," Strannard replied.

The next second, he extended his right hand on the side, and a portion of the smoke moved towards his palm. Soon after, the smoke turned into a white sword with a black snake design coiled around its blade. Then he pointed it to the demon in front of him, and the inverted arch on his lips vanished as black veins formed on his neck.

"You took everything away from me, and now I’ll definitely return the favor!" Strannard exclaimed and dashed towards the demon.

His blade aimed for the soul devourer’s neck. As a response, Zeno tossed the black dice upward and welcomed Strannard with a heavy swing of his fist.

Seconds before the collision of their attacks, jet-black gauntlets started to form around Zeno’s fists. Then, with his free hand, Strannard shoved a ball of smoke into the soul devourer’s face.

"Took everything away you’ve said... yet your still here, breathing. That’s not how I define everything," Zeno whispered.

"Though, I’m not sure if that’s still the case after a few more moments," he added.

Then he let out a vicious grin and tapped Strannard’s hand away. Afterward, he exerted enough strength to push the blade back before kicking his opponent in the abdomen.

This made Strannard fly several meters away, but he managed to stop his momentum by striking his sword on the ground.

"A giant’s strength is amazing to have, indeed," Strannard commented.

Then he stood up, but the moment he blinked his eyes, his sight was blocked, everything turned black, and the next second, his head was slammed on the ground with the demon’s fist striking his face. The strength of the attack created a crater around them.

"Yes! It’s perfect for crushing the likes of you," Zeno stated. Not a single ounce of emotion could be seen on his face.

Then he stood up and looked at Strannard. Despite receiving a full-blown punch straight in the face, there was not a single trace of his opponent being attacked.

"Surprised, aren’t you?" Strannard asked before trying to stand up.

However, Zeno stomped his feet on his chest, preventing his movement.

"Not in the slightest," the demon replied with a smirk.

Then, Strannard’s laughter echoed in the forest.

"You! I’m glad knowing that you’re still the same as before. I can’t wait to kill you!" He exclaimed, smiling.

Afterward, he swung his sword at the demon’s leg, but Zeno remained still, ignoring the incoming blade.

"I’ll parry it or move away if I were you," Strannard suggested.

However, the sword had already made a deep cut on Zeno’s skin. His eyebrows twitched for a second, but he still smiled like a maniac.

"A sword that ignores energy defenses, how amusing!" He commented.

"Indeed, this is a gift from my people, but they couldn’t finish its scabbard. They died a miserable death... all because of you!" Strannard stated with a fit of rage present in his eyes. Then his body started to turn into smoke, and he freed himself from the demon’s clutches.

"For honor! For my people! For my kingdom!... And for her! That head of yours will be the sheath of this sword!" His voice echoed under the moonlight.

Then the black smoke became thicker and surrounded the soul devourer. It wrapped around his body like a chain, sealing all of his movement. Afterward, a sword appeared right in front of him; it was aiming for his head.

"Die!" Strannard’s voice reverberated once more.

However, just by releasing a portion of his energy, the smoke was brushed off, and even the sword aiming for him was thrown backwards.

The strong pressure he emitted dissipated the black smoke, and he even managed to redirect it to the woman hiding behind the parade of monsters above.

He gave her a slight glance afterwards, and the fierce gaze from his eyes was more than enough to convey his message.

Meanwhile, Strannard appeared on the roof of the building as soon as the black smoke emerged from it.

"You’re really different from all the demons I’ve encountered. Not a single one could match you in terms of strength. Even the late Demon King paled in comparison. You’re almost perfect, General Arthur, if not for that one weakness," the man stated while caressing the blade of his sword.

Upon hearing him, Zeno couldn’t stop himself from laughing.

"Weakness? Do I really have one?" He asked, curiousity present in his eyes.

"Perhaps you’re referring to her? Well, she’s a treasure to begin with that even those fools wanted to covet," he added, but Strannard kept his silence.

Then the gauntlets on Zeno’s arms disappeared, and a jet-black scythe materialized on the palm of his hand.

"Yet you let her die," Strannard uttered all of a sudden.

There was a trace of anger in his voice.

Then, he plunged downward, and without waiting for the demon’s reply, he charged at him and thrust his sword, but the demon was parrying all of his attacks with the snath and chine of the scythe.

Though, despite this fact, Strannard didn’t halt; he even increased his speed, turning most of his body parts into smoke, but it was still not enough to land a hit on the demon.

Meanwhile, Zeno was contemplating while defending from Strannard’s continuous attacks. The words that the man let out earlier were still ringing in his mind.

"I presumed you’re right on that one," he said out of nowhere after giving the man a push on the chest.

"But you’re still wrong in one aspect," he added as he dashed towards him.

He spun the scythe around his hand before striking it in front, aiming for his enemy’s neck.

"She’s not my weakness; it’s the opposite. Touch even a single strand of her hair, and I’m all set to tear down this world," he stated after decapitating Strannard.

The head, with half of its face burned, fell and rolled on the ground, but Strannard’s body remained standing.

"Cut the act; I felt nothing when I sliced your neck," Zeno said, and the moment he turned around, Strannard’s headless body turned into smoke, and his eerie laughter echoed once more.

. . . . .