Chapter 69: Chapter 258

✠

The gravity on the battlefield dragged me down. Since I could no longer levitate, I had to exchange blows with Inferinos on the ground. The Demon Lord's hair slithered and darted toward me like a nest of snakes, forcing me to track their movements with my dynamic visual acuity and continuously hack at them with Liv Lily.

But her hair was like steel covered in blue sapphires. The blonde strands of hair tapering off in blue colors exploded with deafening noise every time my scythe struck them. The resulting shock wave alone could easily shatter one's rib cage, and I would have certainly had a heart attack by now if it weren't for the Divine Inviolability shielding my body.

Boom!

The blinding flash of destruction once again battered against my eyes, which I hadn't dared to close since the battle began. I had to ignore the burning sensation in my eyes while I focused my divine power into the left one.

⟬«System» Transcendent Skill [A Second of Foresight] activated.⟭

My left eye now allowed me to see a split-second ahead in time. I could clearly see the trajectory of Inferinos' attack as she flung several strands of her hair toward me. This skill gave me foresight in combat. I made efficient defensive and evasive maneuvers based on the foresight and swiftly closed in on Inferinos.

The scythe of Liv Lily drew a magnificent circle before slashing at the demon's neck, but the enemy simply leaned back to dodge the blade, which swept by her face without even causing her to flinch. Neither of us said anything, but our eyes expressed respect for each other's skills. However, there was no time to admire the finer points of the demon's prowess in martial arts.

I activated the Force of a Queen in my arms, harnessing its immense power to freely control momentum and create abrupt changes in my weapon's trajectory.

Slash!

The erratic movement of the blade sliced through a chunk of Inferinos' hair. The blonde part of her hair was relatively weaker than the blue ends. The Demon Lord glared back in disgust and swung another section of her slithering blue hair at me. It struck me squarely in the abdomen and sent me flying. The Demon Lord's hair immediately chased after me and tried to rip me apart midair.

«Ailette!»

I'm fine, Agnes. Besides, I also happen to have a snake of my own. I rotated Liv Lily and held it in my right hand, clutching it vertically instead of the horizontal. Once again, I used my left eye to gain foresight and imbued a great amount of aura into my weapon.

Thwack!

Liv Lily's vertical whip sword thrashed through the battlefield, throwing the Demon Lord's hair in disarray and neutralizing the attack. I safely landed on my feet and snapped the outstretched weapon back to shape. Then I kicked off the ground once again and immediately raised my hand to make use of the split second before I reached the demon.

⟬«System» Ultimate Skill [Divine Retribution] activated.⟭

Using Divine Advent after reaching Tier 9 certainly had its perks. For one, I no longer had to say any activation words to use skills. However, even though Divine Retribution was my main skill, it wasn't enough this time. So I activated another one to go with it.

⟬«Skill» Ultimate Skill [Tyrant's Hand Gesture] activated.⟭

The sky roared and unleashed a storm of lightning bolts that ripped furiously through the darkness of the night.

"What's this?" Inferinos asked, glancing up at the sound.

All the lightning bolts forked down toward Inferinos as if being funneled to her directly, striking at her like they would a lightning rod. The resulting blast should have been powerful enough to disintegrate her to a cellular level. Only it didn't.

"Hmph!"

The Demon Lord let out a low grunt and dispersed the lightning strikes above her head, causing the scattered bolts to bombard the ground around her. I hadn't expected it to work. Besides, I wanted to strike her down myself, with my own hands.

I swung the scythe once I got close enough. The demon's sapphire hair ends continuously clashed against Liv Lily, making the ground and air ring out with sounds of destruction with every flash of light. The stalemate continued for some time. I repeatedly tried to get extremely close to my target while Inferinos made an effort to push me back to mid-range. And so the battle continued as we both fiercely fought to secure a favorable distance from each other.

✠

The Divine Emissary and the Demon Lord's battle in the oval arena would certainly decide the future of the continent, so hundreds of warriors looked on and followed the duel in complete silence. But of course, the lack of sounds from the spectators hardly mattered, since the chaos on the battlefield continuously bombarded them with ear-splitting noise.

Their fight was on the scale of a natural disaster. Every clash between them sent tremors that rattled the spectators' internal organs, and each resulting shock wave eroded the very earth beneath their feet. The impact of the battle was as violent as when Mother Nature turns against the land. If the battle had taken place outside the secluded coliseum, the Litennial Plains would have had a completely different topography by now.

"Is it possible for a human to fight like that?"

Someone blurted out a question in astonishment, to which everyone knew the answer. It was impossible. But the fighter in the arena who became an aura master and reached Tier 9 divine power triggered the Divine Advent through the blessing of God. What's more, she had absorbed into her body the powers of ten thousand demons from the Pit of Solitude.

As mentioned, no human could take on a Demon Lord alone. Only the Divine Emissary could stand her ground as the vanguard of the end of time because she had transcended beyond what it meant to be human. Indeed, she was an agent of God sent to save the world.

"That's what the Divine Emissary can do."

It reminded them of the solemn majesty and divinity represented by her title, which inspired reverence in all human beings. The five most powerful people in the continent were no exception to this effect.

Romina Lecandro mumbled out her praise where they stood. "I can see why she was chosen by God," she said quietly.

"I did not realize how glorious she is." Even Moriphys was serious as he watched the battle.

Fleagel Night added, "I doubt the Divine Emissary from five hundred years ago would have been this powerful. She truly is the chosen agent of God of our age."

Grand Duke Heathfenrir maintained his silence, but he was clearly beaming with pride.

Only one of them felt discomfort amidst all the praise and adoration. Muriel's face hardened, and she bit her tongue after Fleagel's words struck her somewhere deep in her heart.

Boom!

An explosion turned their attention back to the battle, which raged on without pause. The Divine Emissary was forced to become a natural disaster herself to contain the catastrophe that was the Demon Lord, casting out her holy powers of destruction to push Inferinos back. They seemed to be evenly matched. But perhaps... just maybe...

She might actually win! One could see the glimmer of hope in the eyes of the spectators as they watched the battle. Even the non-believers started calling on God and praying for the Divine Emissary's victory.

However, the tide of battled soon turned.

✠

Inferinos' sharp eyes widened with elation as the fierce battle ensued. My eyes were probably no different. And so, we kept exchanging blow after blow.

"Executioner of Evil."

A demonic voice rang in my eardrums through the thundering noise around us.

"Of all the enemies I have fought, I'm enjoying you the most."

"The feeling is mutual."

Then we both muttered the same reason at once.

"You keep your mouth shut."

"You keep your mouth shut."

The brilliant lights of carnage never stopped compromising my vision even as we spoke, while the combination of feints and actual threats upended my grasp on reality.

Inferinos spoke once again. "Words are vessels of power. They must not be wasted."

I did not respond, but I felt nervous. It was a significant remark because it had something to do with the demon's power.

Inferinos' red eyes flashed with malice. "Executioner of Evil."

I did not respond to her call.

"Or, should I say, Ailette Rodeline."

This time, I felt startled. She was the first demon to say my name. It made me flinch and miss my opportunity to land another strike against my foe.

"I express my admiration for your strength and courage. I shall now fight you with my true powers."

Her declaration of war made my body grow tense. The demon's command over words was truly formidable, for all it took was this comment to alarm all of my senses without any direct signs of attack. My hunch was soon proven right.

«Ailette! Get back and cover your ears!» Agnes shouted frantically.

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World warns you of imminent danger!⟭

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World warns you of imminent danger!⟭

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World warns you of imminent danger!⟭

"Blessing of Protection!"

I shouted the activation words aloud, even though they weren't necessary. A blanket of divine power covered my ears. But the demon's clear voice pierced through the barrier of my spell to reverberate within my brain.

"By my command," Inferinos proclaimed.

⟬«System» Warning. [Demon Lord's Command] activated.⟭

"Stop where you stand."

What?

Thump.

A heavy blow struck my heart. Then a mysterious force stilled my legs.

"Huh?!"

I nearly tripped over after my legs immediately came to a halt, though I managed to keep myself balanced and upright. But that was it. I couldn't take another step. Confused, I lifted my gaze to see Inferinos smiling as she watched me in delight.

Her voice shook my mind once again.

"By my command, bow down before me."

I couldn't believe it. The binding force traveled up my legs and spread through my body.

"Argh."

My overflowing divine power helped me fight back, but all I could do was use Liv Lily as support to resist smashing my head into the ground. The invisible power pressed down on my head and shoulders once again.

"Bow down."

Eventually, one of my knees buckled.