Even barking dogs have their ranks.
A dog that barks out of fear won’t bite when it’s actually in danger. It’s too busy tucking its tail between its legs and running away. But some dogs, when a crisis hits, bite like mad dogs. They don’t even think about how much they’ll get hurt. They just bite first and ask questions later.
– Hellfire!
The moment it came into view, Parnell instinctively cast a spell. Hellfire. One of the most powerful single-target fire spells. If it hits, it’s faster to list what itcan’tburn than what it can. A devastatingly powerful spell.
It pierced through the silence, becoming the only light in the darkness, and struck Grimudo.
Flames spread in all directions, and a massive explosion erupted. Yet, the darkness covering the surroundings didn’t fade at all. From within the explosion, a man with his hands casually behind his back continued walking as if nothing had happened.
The light is bright. The heat is quite intense.
But what does that have to do with me? He didn’t even bother to put up a barrier. It wasn’t worth the effort.
“My magic… what…?”
Parnell’s face twisted in frustration. If the staff she was holding wasn’t a royal treasure, it would have snapped under her grip.
Grimudo did nothing. He didn’t even lift a finger to swat away the fireball. But the sheer volume of his magical power was so immense that it naturally formed a barrier, dampening the attack.
It’s like how wildfires don’t easily start in humid environments.
What Parnell was trying to do was akin to trying to light a fire underwater. No one stopped her, but success was impossible.
– Calling Thunder!
A portion of the dark clouds in the sky suddenly crackled with lightning, striking down at Grimudo.
One bolt, two bolts, until finally, a rain of lightning poured from the sky. Parnell abandoned all thoughts of conserving her magic and went all out. This wasn’t an opponent you could beat by holding back.
A prolonged battle? If you try to conserve magic against Grimudo, you’ll lose your head in an instant. There’s no time to think about the future. You have to focus on this moment to have even the faintest chance of winning.
Swoosh.
This attack finally caught the Demon King’s attention. Grimudo turned his head toward the cascading lightning.
And that was it. His gaze shifted, and his magic followed.
Boom! Crash!
Countless shapes emerged from the darkness, grabbing the lightning and shattering it. Dark hands tore apart the lightning bolts, and crocodile-like jaws swallowed the lightning dragons.
Not a single bolt reached Grimudo. They all shattered before they could get close.
This isn’t even a Power Technique. It’s something they’ve never seen before.
No, no one in this world uses magic like this. The method of refining magic into one’s own power has long been lost in this world.
“What the hell is that…?!”
Even Harmail shuddered. Grimudo’s combat style was utterly incomprehensible.
His approach to handling magic was completely different. Suddenly, the Demon King’s gaze fell on Parnell.
Was it her imagination? Parnell, drenched in cold sweat, thought she saw him smiling.
“You’ve got some spirit. You’re the best among them.”
It was a backhanded compliment. Parnell trembled with humiliation.
That bastard is the arch-enemy of her family, the true target of her vengeance. No matter how great the heroes of the Citadel Republic were, they couldn’t have overthrown the kingdom without Grimudo’s help!
“But I don’t see the face I’m looking for.”
The ultimate magic passed down through the Citadel royal family began to take shape. Grimudo watched as the magic prepared, continuing to speak. Ignoring her was the most pitiful form of contempt, and Parnell didn’t even flinch or get angry.
He’s an enemy, a nemesis, but she had to admit it. She had to accept it.
Grimudo was that kind of being. Even as she launched her attack, she had no confidence it would succeed.
“Where’s that priest? Is he already dead?”
Fire, ice, wind, earth, lightning. The power of the five elements surged toward the Demon King.
The shaking earth, endless lightning, destructive winds, blue flames, and freezing ice pressed in on Grimudo from all directions. It was as if the entire world was trying to crush him, tear him apart, and burn him to ashes.
But when the world clashes with the Demon King, it’s obvious which side will break.
Grimudo simply lifted his foot and gently stepped on the air.
In that moment, a shockwave capable of shattering mountains tore through the earth and shook the heavens. Parnell’s magic was crushed as easily as a child’s sandcastle. The ground, scorched by the undead creatures, trembled as if an earthquake had struck, and it took a while to stabilize. The aftershocks continued.
Boom!
The deafening noise and shock nearly drove Harmail insane. Of course, that was because she was merely an observer, watching the battle without any intention of fighting.
For a moment, she genuinely felt relieved she wasn’t in Parnell’s position. The power Grimudo displayed was utterly insane.
‘How… is this possible? How can anyone defeat that?’
She was terrified to the point her hair stood on end. Unifying the continent? She immediately understood why he had no interest in such things.
Even if an empire unified the continent, if Grimudo decided to crush it, it would collapse like an anthill. It was just on a different level.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
Seeing Parnell trembling, having exhausted all her magic, Grimudo finally showed some interest.
A trick. Her grand magic was just a trick. To him, it was nothing more than that.
Parnell shuddered with helplessness. Grimudo looked at her and asked curiously.
“Why so quiet? Didn’t you charge at me last time? Or are you already scared?”
“Who’s scared… I just ran out of magic.”
The only difference was that back then, Kyle was there to restore her magic, and now he wasn’t. But that difference was ultimately meaningless.
Against Grimudo, it was just a matter of whether she could last a little longer or not.
“If I had any magic left, I’d have thrown fireballs or something…”
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you two. Not coming at me?”
“Grimudo… the Primal Demon King.”
While the hero and the demon hunter remained silent, a new face spoke up.
The saint, Araidel, quickly composed herself and began to chant. She opened her eyes and faced the Primal Demon King, a radiant halo shining behind her.
“I, the saint chosen by the goddess, shall stand against your tyranny. Mother, grant me the strength to face this great evil!”
“Sorry,”
Grimudo’s response was simple.
He just opened his palm and drew a line.
“You’re not interesting to me.”
As his hand moved, the space behind Araidel split open. A void mark was carved into the air.
Magic came from dragons. It was a gift from dragons to the races of the earth, a charity without cost, a form of grace.
– Transcendent Magic: The Horizon of Annihilation.
Grimudo, on the other hand, exchanged knowledge with dragons, learning their secrets. Naturally, the dragons had much more to teach him.
Grimudo’s mastery of magic was on par with the dragons, the origin of magic. A transcendent magic that only dragons could use was unleashed here, tearing open a void behind Araidel.
A line of darkness that devoured light. An absolute line of death cut through Araidel’s halo and consumed it. This wasn’t an attack—it was more like a judgment. An inescapable verdict.
“Archbishop… at least the Archbishop…”
“It’s too late. The only option is to try to escape from within.”
Whoosh!
A massive line of darkness, comparable to the horizon, swallowed Araidel and Reinhaim whole.
They fell into the dark field that usually crushes whatever it consumes, but beings like Reinhaim and Araidel wouldn’t die instantly. Still, by the time they managed to escape, everything would be over, and they’d have little strength left.
“Saint…!”
Yurinel reached out with a blank expression toward the saint who had been swallowed by the void.
Of course, her hand only brushed through empty air. Only the Demon King’s voice remained, mocking her.
“Yurinel Larkponsia.”
Yurinel froze. She never expected the Primal Demon King to remember her name, let alone call her by it.
“Didn’t you say you wanted revenge on me?”
The Demon King smiled. He still remembered the uninvited guests who had come for him.
In his long life, one of the few joys was receiving such visitors. Before the hero party, Elder Geher and the quiet Leyman had come to challenge him, and before that, there had been sporadic visitors.
“Or have you given up on revenge after losing once? It doesn’t matter to me.”
“Grimudo! What business do you have with the hero?!”
From afar, Harmail butted in with her advice.
“That guy is our enemy. Just kill him. You can do it easily, can’t you?”
Haha.
Grimudo just laughed. The moment that laughter reached her ears, an intense pain shot through Harmail’s head. She reflexively tried to block the pain but realized it was an attack she couldn’t evade or defend against.
A dark energy entered through her ears and eyes, forming black hands that seemed to squeeze her brain. Her vision flickered, and she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t think of anything. She didn’t even know where she was or who she was. She couldn’t think at all!
Crash!
Unable to stay airborne, Harmail plummeted to the ground.
In her pain, she groped around, touching her head, but it was intact, not a drop of blood spilled. Yet, her brain screamed in agony. It was bizarre and horrifying.
She couldn’t think at all. Her mind went blank.
It felt like dwarves were hacking at her brain with knives. Harmail clutched her head and screamed.
What is this? What just happened? What kind of technique is this? She couldn’t even form the obvious questions.
“It’s a mental attack.”
Hearing Grimudo’s answer, Yurinel and Lucia gasped.
“It’s a method used only in the ancient past. You know how to use magic, but you know nothing about mental arts—enhancing and using mental power for attack and defense.”
“A… mental attack?”
Even Lucia Western, a demon hunter, had never seen such a bizarre attack.
There are monsters or spectral beings that attack the mind, but Grimudo’s mental attack was on a completely different level. Just look at how Harmail is writhing on the ground.
Did this guy still have such tricks up his sleeve? Lucia couldn’t help but ask, her voice trembling.
“Why… why didn’t you use this last time? Were we so insignificant that you hid this technique?”
“I did use it.”
The Demon King simply smiled.
“You just blocked it back then. Probably that priest.”
The main reason he came here was precisely that.
“So where is that priest now?”
