The hero approached the large, ornate gate, his golden armor shimmering faintly as he steeled himself for what lay beyond.

He could feel the malevolent energy emanating from the other side, thick and suffocating like a storm about to break.

Pushing the gate open, he stepped into the room.

The sight before him froze him in place.

Shattered pieces of statues lay scattered across the floor, the remnants of divine figures defiled and destroyed.

The room, once a sanctum of holy worship, now radiated a sinister aura, corrupted by the presence of a single being.

At the center of it all stood a figure that seemed to devour the light around him.

His tall, imposing frame exuded raw power, and his monstrous appearance—purple hair flowing like dark flames, crimson eyes glowing with malice, and a twisted, beast-like visage—spoke of a primal, untamed force.

The hero’s heart clenched.

His instincts were also telling him he was dangerous but his resolve held firm.

He could easily guess who this was.

There was no mistaking it.

"The Demon King,” the hero whispered under his breath, a shiver running down his spine.

The Demon King’s crimson eyes shifted lazily to the hero, his expression one of bored amusement.

He tilted his head slightly, as if observing an insect.

“Hmm... And who might you be?” the Demon King asked, his voice deep and dripping with disdain.

The hero didn’t answer.

There was no time for words.

Without hesitation, he surged forward, his sword blazing with divine energy.

Golden light enveloped him, the aura of the gods themselves empowering his every step.

The hero closed the distance in the blink of an eye, his blade swinging with the fury of the heavens.

The golden arc of his sword tore through the air, aimed directly at the Demon King’s heart.

But before the blade could land, the Demon King moved.

With a speed that defied comprehension, he stepped forward and caught the hero’s wrist in an iron grip.

The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the room, but the Demon King didn’t flinch.

Effortlessly, the Demon King spun the hero around like a ragdoll and hurled him across the room.

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The hero’s body smashed into the stone wall with a thunderous crash, cracks spidering out from the point of impact.

He fell to the ground, coughing as pain radiated through his body.

The Demon King lowered his gaze to his palm—the hand that had touched the hero’s wrist.

A faint burn mark marred his skin, black smoke rising from the wound.

His crimson eyes narrowed slightly as the mark healed, but much slower than he was accustomed to.

The Demon King’s gaze returned to the hero, now struggling to rise.

He flexed his fingers, the faint burn still lingering.

He understood now who the man in front of him was.

The divine energy radiating from the hero was no ordinary power.

It was the ultimate weapon against him.

Monsters, no matter how powerful, all shared one common weakness: divine energy.

The Demon King, as the amalgamation of all monsterkind, was no exception.

In fact, this weakness was magnified within him, a crack in his otherwise impenetrable armor.

And the hero was the embodiment of that divine energy.

The hero staggered to his feet, golden light enveloping his battered frame.

His armor, though dented and scratched, gleamed as divine energy surged through him.

The golden aura flickered like a flame but didn’t waver.

Each wound on his body began to close as if the divine energy refused to let him fall.

His eyes, glowing with determination, locked onto the Demon King.

Without hesitation, he charged forward again, his golden sword blazing brighter with each step.

But the Demon King wasn’t idle.

The Demon King’s legs began to contort and shift, twisting grotesquely until they resembled the powerful limbs of a colossal grey wolf.

The transformation was seamless, his new form exuding agility and raw power.

With inhuman speed, he vanished from the hero’s sight, reappearing in front of him in an instant.

Before the hero could react, the Demon King’s massive hand wrapped around his face, claws digging into his golden aura like jagged knives.

With a monstrous roar, he slammed the hero’s head into the wall with all his might.

The impact shook the room, causing fractures to spiderweb across the stone.

Dust and debris rained down, but the hero remained standing, his golden aura absorbing much of the damage.

The glow of his aura burned the Demon King’s hand, divine energy searing his flesh with a faint sizzle.

But the Demon King didn’t flinch.

Instead, his fury deepened.

“You can’t keep hiding behind that light!” he snarled.

The Demon King’s arms morphed again, growing grotesquely large as they transformed into the muscular, monstrous arms of an ogre.

Veins pulsed across the bulging muscles as he reared back and unleashed a flurry of punches.

Each blow was like a thunderclap, shattering the air and shaking the ground.

The wall behind the hero couldn’t withstand the onslaught, crumbling away to create a massive hole.

The hero, though battered, refused to crumble.

The golden aura shielded him, softening the brutal punches and healing his wounds just as quickly as they were inflicted.

But the force of the blows drove him to his knees, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth despite the divine protection.

With a roar, the Demon King grabbed the hero by his legs, lifting him effortlessly like a rag doll.

With terrifying strength, he swung the hero overhead and slammed him into the ground, creating a crater on impact.

He repeated the motion, thrashing the hero into the ground, walls, and ceiling, before hurling him out of the room.

The hero’s body tumbled across the courtyard, crashing through rubble.

Dust and blood stained his golden armor, but the aura around him flared, restoring his body and mending his injuries.

As the Demon King advanced toward him, the hero staggered to his feet once more.

His golden eyes burned with unrelenting determination.

He raised his hand, and in a flash of light, a spear materialized from thin air.

The weapon radiated divine energy, humming with celestial power.

Without hesitation, the hero hurled the spear with all his might.

It cut through the air like a comet, the golden trail it left behind lighting up the darkened sky.

The Demon King’s eyes narrowed as the weapon closed in on him.

With reflexes honed from countless battles, he caught the spear in midair, the divine energy scorching his palm.

Smoke rose from his hand as the golden energy burned into his flesh, but he didn’t flinch.

“Is this all you’ve got?” he sneered.

But the spear had a will of its own.

It began to tremble, its divine energy surging violently.

The weapon twisted and pulled against the Demon King’s grip, struggling to return to its master.

The Demon King’s muscles strained as he resisted the spear’s pull, his feet digging into the ground.

But even his monstrous strength couldn’t suppress the weapon’s divine will.

With a growl of frustration, he released the spear.

The instant he let go, the spear shot back to the hero, its force sending the Demon King stumbling a few steps backward.

The hero didn’t waste the opportunity.

As the spear returned to him, he tossed it aside and surged forward, sword in hand.

The golden blade shone brighter than ever, its light cutting through the Demon King’s oppressive aura.

The Demon King barely had time to recover when the hero was upon him.

He swung his massive claw in retaliation, but the hero ducked beneath the blow and delivered a precise slash.

The golden blade tore through the Demon King’s defenses, grazing his face.

The divine energy clung to the wound, burning like molten fire.

The Demon King let out a low, guttural growl, his crimson eyes narrowing as pain shot through him.

He instinctively touched the wound over his eye, feeling the searing burn of divine energy eating away at his flesh.

A snarl of rage escaped his lips as he turned his furious gaze back to the hero.

The Demon King’s body began to tremble, his monstrous form pulsating with unrestrained fury.

The air around him grew heavy, suffused with a malevolent energy that seemed to sap the light from the courtyard.

“You’ve managed to wound me,” he said, his voice calm but laced with venom. “But you’ll wish you hadn’t.”

The ground beneath him began to crack as his power surged, his form growing even more monstrous.