Free Web NovelChapter 356: Seventh Demon Prince Of Hell
[Music recommendation: Rok Nardin & @samuelkimmusic - The Apocalypse]
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Ivan remembered how he had sealed this man within this very volcano, with Solaira standing beside him. He also remembered why they had sealed him instead of killing him back then.
But now, with her gone and Azrath having consumed her powerful blood, the barrier was the only thing preventing Ivan from destroying him.
Still, he would fight until his very last breath. These were the people who had stolen the reason he had to live once again.
As Ivan concentrated on Azrath’s form, shrouded in darkness with thin layers of red swirling around the man, he narrowed his eyes and spotted the tiniest particles of gold in the red that any normal person would have missed.
Ivan’s sharp eyes saw them clearly, and he realised with a jolt that it was none other than Evelyn’s divine blood swirling around the Dark Lord.
The hot lava flowing through his veins rushed more violently at the thought of someone else using her blood in such a manner, causing his own aura to blaze around him as he kept his gaze fixed on those thin strings of blood that belonged to his beloved.
A deep-seated rage and hunger for revenge boiled within him, and he vowed to destroy this abomination from the face of the planet before finally joining his beloved in the next life.
Just then, the smoke dissipated like a shockwave from Azrath’s entire being and rushed straight toward Selene’s slouching figure, looking as though the entire darkness expelled from him was being absorbed by the woman.
The rain had stopped some time ago, and the dark clouds disappeared just enough to reveal the massive crimson moon behind them, finally revealing Azrath’s new form.
He possessed long, flowing crimson hair and glowing red eyes, paired with curved black horns rising from his head, marking him as a being far beyond this mortal realm.
His features were sharp and strikingly handsome, set in an expression that was both calm and devastatingly arrogant.
He wore a loose black robe that draped over his frame, exposing the hard lines of his muscular chest and giving him the unmistakable appearance of a demon lord in his prime.
At the very centre of his chest glowed a brilliant crimson core of power, with red energy flowing outward like living veins of magic that pulsed with every breath.
Behind him, his massive bat-like wings stretched wide while the blood-red moon hung heavily in the sky, its light bleeding into his silhouette and enhancing his ominous, supernatural aura.
Azrath opened his eyes, and a wide, unsettling grin stretched across his face as he said, "Behold, the true form of the Seventh Demon Prince of Hell. I hope you remember this form of mine from before, Malakai... or should I now call you Ivan?"
As Ivan stared at the devil before him, a flash of battling this very form in a past life burned through his memory.
The only difference between then and now was the area of Azrath’s chest, which now glowed with a crimson core. Ivan knew it was because Azrath had fused his power with Eve’s blood, and that alone was enough to make his own blood boil.
"Hmm... let me see... should I kill you first, or..." Azrath’s gaze shifted meaningfully toward Iskara and the others who were still staring at him in shock, separated only by the wall of raging fire.
"Or should I start with the-"
Before Azrath could finish his sentence, Ivan raised his hand. A massive, violent tornado of swirling fire erupted and swallowed Azrath’s entire form, while Kai blasted a powerful stream of flames from above as if trying to roast him alive.
But Ivan knew that would never be enough to stop the creature before him.
But he was ready.
Rising from the ground with his power surging around him, his voice thundered across the battlefield, shocking everyone with what he shouted next.
"Eve! Resist him! I know you can feel my powers pulsing around him. Don’t let him use your life essence!"
Azrath lasted inside Ivan’s fire for barely five seconds before he blasted his way out of the tornado, only to be met with a sickening punch to his stomach.
For a split second, his barrier suddenly faltered, much to his shock, sending Azrath blasting into the mouth of another active volcano.
Ivan didn’t waste any time and shot forward like a burning meteor, leaving his position and everyone behind. His fist collided with Azrath’s with devastating force as soon as he emerged from the volcano, releasing another explosive blast so massive that it seemed to swallow half the volcano.
Azrath was stunned that his barrier had disappeared for that brief moment before it began fluctuating on and off.
He could not understand why it was suddenly behaving this way, but there was no time to dwell on it. Ivan was already coming at him again with full force, and he could not afford to lose focus.
Just like that, the two beings became locked in a battle so fierce and destructive that they carried the fight far away from everyone else, leaving only massive craters in their wake.
People watched the battle of the century unfold before their eyes, unable to look away even for a moment.
Ivan’s loved ones knew that he had deliberately shifted the fight away from them so that Azrath could not target them. All they could do was pray that he would succeed in the end, because the terrifying display of power from both Ivan and the Demon Prince was beyond anything they had ever witnessed.
But what was even more unbelievable was what they had all clearly heard Ivan say before he took off. Was he really speaking to Evelyn as if she could hear him? What did that mean?
Yet they had all seen Azrath’s barrier falter because of it, and the thought made them shudder inwardly at the terrifying possibility that Evelyn, or the blood Azrath had absorbed from her, could somehow respond to Ivan.
The mere possibility left their minds reeling.
Meanwhile, the soldiers continued fighting against the ghouls and the remaining Darkrots, even as thunderous blasts from Ivan and Azrath’s battle echoed in the distance. They had a duty to protect everyone, and they could not afford to lose focus, no matter how chaotic the situation had become.
But soon one of them noticed a disturbance near Solan and raised an alarm.
"Quickly! Something is happening to the woman!" freēwēbηovel.c૦m
Solan, Iskara, Septimus and everyone else who had been momentarily stunned by the incredible events unfolding far away turned their attention back to where Selene was.
That was when they saw how her body, which had been lying half-dead on the ground only moments before, was now levitating in the air. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
They watched as a grotesque transformation took place.
Her reptilian, grayish skin turned darker, and jagged claws formed on both her hands and feet, making her look like a creature that no longer belonged to this world. Her hair turned shock-white, and a single, pointed horn erupted from the centre of her forehead.
Her thin, dark lips parted to reveal rows of pointed teeth and a flicking, snake-like tongue. Finally, when she opened her eyes, they were nothing but ugly, yellow slits.
"Heavens! What happened to her?" Seira gasped, standing not too far from Iskara and the others.
"Looks like the witch has gotten an ugly makeover," Dante commented, his nose scrunching up in disgust.
"Or she’s finally showing her true colours," Cece replied, after finally tearing her eyes away from Ivan’s battle to look at Selene.
"When that demon prince transformed, he directed discarded darkness toward her to absorb. I saw it," Regulus noted.
"Whatever it is, I think we all have scores to settle with her... for what she did to my daughter." It was Iskara who finally spoke, scraping the tip of his sword against the ground.
He addressed the group, "Come now, everyone! Ivan is already fighting with his life for our sakes! We need to do our bit as well. I’m sure taking her down will stop the onslaught of these creatures who have no place on our lands!"
At Iskara’s words, everyone’s spirits were instantly lifted. But just as they were about to rejoin the fray, which the soldiers had held off until now, another sickening, evil laugh broke from Selene’s lips.
"Oh, really? You all think you can just get rid of me like that? A general from the Dark Lord’s army? Tch. I think I need to show you all what a general is truly capable of."
With that, she spread her arms wide, and darkness seeped out of her entire being. "Come out now and end them, my demons!"
Five thick tornadoes of dark smoke appeared before Selene, swirling until they took the shape of five giant, horned demons. Their eyes were solid red with no pupils, and they wore creepy, sharp grins just like Selene’s.
