· Skill [Speed of Sound] has been activated.

Arnold wasted no time aiming for the boy. He was definitely weaker now that he took human form.

Perhaps not expecting Arnold to move at that speed, the boy froze for a second before bringing up his arms to his face.

Arnold kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying into a nearby rock.

Almost immediately a fist arrived in front of his face which he skilfully slapped away, using Gederick’s momentum against him.

‘That’s some insane strength…’ He could feel the punch’s power without even having been hit by it.

Gederick was about to swing his spear but Arnold ducked and swung his sword, aiming for Gederick’s ribs.

A clang resounded, followed by a crater forming in the ground due to the sheer pressure when Gederick parried the strike with the tip of his spear.

‘Only an expert spearman can parry a larger blade with his own. Still I expected him to be at that level.’

Arnold has seen his father fight many times so he was used to spear users. They’re at a disadvantage if you’re close to them.

As such they have to either use slash attacks or do big wind up moves to be able to strike. The latter leaves them wide open. An expert spear user would never attempt to strike at this range.

As such…

Gederick threw another punch just as Arnold was getting into a stance.

He tried to catch this one but the power behind it was too strong so his arm went numb. Taking this opportunity, Gederick threw a punch aiming straight for Arnold’s face.

Arnold's helmet manifested at that moment, taking some of the force of Gederick’s punch.

Arnold gained some distance from Gederick.

‘It felt like my brain was bouncing around in there. That was from the force of his punch alone.’

What would’ve happened if he didn’t have Gergois with him?

Arnold took a second to glance over the area, searching for the Mimic Beast boy.

He couldn’t spot the boy so he didn’t lower his guard.

Gederick charged at Arnold with his spear’s tip pointing at Arnold. Arnold teleported behind him at that moment using [God’s Step]. He managed to strike Gederick with his sword.

“Kuh! It seems I’m getting rusty! It’s been so long since I fought in a real battle!” Gederick swung his arm, not giving Arnold the time to recover his stance.

As such, Arnold held up his two arms to block.

Arnold was sent flying into one of the trees, crashing into the ground afterwards, knocking the tree down.

Gederick closed the distance between them. He thrust his spear straight at Arnold just as he was about to get up.

The spear narrowly missed his neck. Arnold kicked Gederick with the intention of pushing him back but Gederick stood strong and firmly on the ground.

“Kuh.” Arnold recovered and gained some distance again.

He cut into the bark of one of the trees and dug his hands into it, lifting the whole tree up with ease.

He span around on the spot, building up some momentum with the tree as his main weapon.

He smashed the tree into Gederick. Instead of being flung away, Gederick stood firmly, tanking the hit instead. The tree shattered in the next moment. Arnold used that opportunity while Gederick was recovering to strike.

He sent a flurry of consecutive aura blasts in front of Gederick. Gederick could only go on the defensive as Arnold his released relentless attacks.

Pieces of Gederick’s armour was being chipped away by the second. At this rate, Arnold might be able to expose his skin which would give him an opportunity to strike vitals.

“!” Gederick roared, releasing a powerful shockwave that pushed Arnold back.

His spear vanished the next moment. He opened his arms in a grapple stance.

‘He’s a monk too. Hand-to-hand combat it is.’

Likewise, Arnold dropped Luxtivin and held up his arms.

‘Let’s see how I fair in close-combat with a demigod.’

Arnold made his move first, using his monstrous agility to move around the trees in a zigzag. He kept his eyes on Gederick as he moved at the speed of sound through the trees and branches.

Gederick was slowly looking around, his arms still up.

He suddenly jumped in a random direction.

Arnold felt a giant hand grab his throat.

“Kuh! Wha?”

“Huoooooh!!” Gederick slammed Arnold into the ground with tremendous force.

Arnold’s head pounded. Was the injury, from the time he shot himself in the head, not fully healed? The pain then stopped as if it wasn’t there.

Before Gederick could slam him down a second time, Arnold used his whole body to twist Gederick’s arm out of its socket. So much for his fancy armour.

Gederick roared. Arnold used the opportunity to go on the offensive.

He gave one left hand punch and two more right hand punches to Gederick’s face. The next blow was an uppercut which sent Gederick flying back.

Arnold moved behind Gederick and put his arms around his waist. He jumped in the air with Gederick, with the intention of slamming Gederick head-first into the ground.

Gederick closed one fist and hit Arnold square in the face. The damage wasn’t significant since he was wearing his helmet. However, Gederick punched again, this time twice as hard.

A piece of Arnold helmet cracked and the shards burst into his right eye. Blood pooled in his eye and a sharp pain went through his head.

“Guh!” Arnold changed his hold on Gederick, putting his right arm over the arm Gederick used to punch Arnold, locking it in place. He cupped his arms behind Gederick’s neck.

Even for a stronger opponent, a grapple technique like this is lethal since all of your limbs, besides one arm, is immobilized. The aura being transferred to one’s arms makes it even harder to escape since it strengthens your grip.

Sebas taught Arnold this technique since he can use it to his advantage against slower opponents. Due to Arnold’s speed, he can take his opponent’s rear in a blink of an eye and grapple them. Of course, this technique isn’t exactly used for dealing damage, only exhausting the opponent—like a snake does with its prey.

But at the height he and Gederick were at now, neither of them would survive the fall if both crashed.

Knowing this, Arnold teleport away just before Gederick hit the group.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Gederick crashed into the ground, shaking the whole area like an earthquake.

Arnold, now higher up in the air, pulled back both arms and shot two [Flame Gauntlets] onto the ground.

This caused several explosions. Some of the vegetation that was out of the blast radius caught on fire due to the embers that flew from the explosion.

‘No XP notification? That means he’s not dead.’

Well, Arnold would be surprised if that was enough to kill a level 66 demigod who surpassed a level 99 common warrior in both raw strength and health pool.

‘Should I use two water dragons? No, that will only drain a significant amount of aura for no reason. Then should I engage in close-combat with Gederick again? I’m faster than he is so using hit and run tactics seems like a good idea.’

Gederick jumped into the air just when Arnold was about to land, leaving a crater behind on the ground.

‘What the…’

Arnold landed and looked up at the sky.

Gederick, now levitating in mid-air held up one of his arms.

“Tch. He’s going to do a big move. I need to get Rafaela to safety before she ends up in the blast.” Arnold sped through the trees, heading back to the place where the portal was.

He could spot Rafaela hiding behind a large rock. She was trying to make herself small as if not to attract a predator.

‘Hmm, I can sense some monsters in the area now. Did our fight bring them closer?’

“Rafaela.” Arnold approached her.

“A-Arnold? What’s going on? Did you beat them yet?” Rafaela got up and checked his body, “You don’t look hurt.”

“I’m fine. That old guy flew into the air. I have no idea what he’s up to. I’m worried it might be an AoE attack of some kind. You need to get out of here.”

Arnold looked back at the portal.

“…It’s risky to let you go through the portal on your own. We don’t know what’s on the other side.”

Considering the fact that it’s the 99th floor, nothing good could be lurking on the other end of that portal. Rafaela would need to find the Path on her own without Arnold there to protect her.

Arnold looked up.

‘He’s even higher up now.’

he could see a golden light high in the sky. No doubt it was Gederick getting ready for some ridiculously powerful attack.

He also noticed a gigantic bird with golden feathers flying near Gederick.

That was a clear indication that Gederick’s attack will completely obliterate this forest.

Arnold looked down at Rafaela. It seems she also noticed the golden light in the sky.

“I don’t know how powerful the attack is going to be but I’ll try to stop it with an attack of my own.”

“W-Wait,” Rafaela grabbed Arnold’s hand when he was about to walk away, “Can’t we just run instead? Lord Gederick won’t be an easy opponent.”

“Even if we walk away right now, the bastard will continue to follow us until he finds the artifact. Remember that I promised to go to Siana’s new place once I leave the dungeon. He’ll probably find us in my city and kill us both right there anyway.”

“…Right…”

“Hmm, I expected you to say ‘It’s your funeral, foolish mortal’ in that monotonous tone of yours. But to my surprise you’re actually worried about me.”

“N-No I’m not.” Rafaela turned her head away and harrumphed.

Arnold put his hand on her head. He could hear a small “eek”.

“I’ll be back soon.” His hand left her head.

“….”

Arnold walked out into the open while looking up.

‘Whatever you’re up to, I’ll have to stop it.’

Arnold coated Luxtivin in his aura. He activated one of the multiplier runes on Gergois.

A surge of power rushed through him, increasing the amount of aura surrounding his sword.

He suddenly noticed how the falling leaves stopped in mid-air and the nearby birds stopped chirping. He felt a familiar feeling wash over him—time stop.

· Warning! Warning! System is facing interference from unknown source—

-You truly believe you can take on an attack from a demigod, alone?

A deep and powerful voice spoke when the system went silent.

‘…Are you… Oriel?’

-No, I am just an imaginary voice in your head, foolish human.

‘Very funny. Why speak to me now of all times? Couldn’t you have done that before?’

-Chatting with a human is below me.

‘….’

-Enough with the questions. I can feel that you have many. What you are about to face is an attack so powerful that it can strip the flesh of a demon’s bones through exposure to its energy alone. You are part-demon so you should know that your fate will be the same if that attack hits you.

‘And what do you suggest, Demon?’

-While I would like nothing more than to watch a human die for my entertainment, I would rather avoid the entertainment being my new body.

‘Fuck off.’

-Kukuku, it is true, is it not? Your future is inevitable. You will become a vessel for this great me! You should be elated because a King shall be born with the help of your useless body. We shall march to the hells together and kill all those who opposed my rule.

‘Either you get to the point or you get out of my head. I’m not interested in your revenge plan.’

-Both of us want to live. You want to be able to mate with the Elf again. I want to be able to take over your body. Both of us want the same thing. Why not accept my help? Only luck will help you survive if you reject my offer.

‘You have some nerve…’

-For your sake and mine, I will allow you to use my demon energy without the need to activate the Factor.

‘What? That’s possible?’

-Indeed. The influence on your soul has spread enough for you to be able to extract energy from the Factor. The demon energy can be used to improve your chances against the demigod’s attack. Use it to corrupt his divine energy. It will render the attack harmless. Of course, harmless as in it won’t immediately kill you but will still hurt a lot.

Arnold suddenly felt something foreign surrounding his sword that was covered in aura. He looked down at the sword.

Some black slime-like goo drifted around in his aura. Slowly, they burst into particles, slowly turning his bluish aura black.

-Do not mistake this as me helping you.

‘I know. Don’t expect me to thank you either. If things went south I would’ve used [Speed of Sound] to get as far away as possible from this place.’

-You truly believe you are faster than the skill of a demigod? Such arrogance. I suppose that is something both you and that Plesidux Orburom have in common.

The time stop ended, with the world returning back to normal.

‘Plesidux Orburom? Why did he bring up the Black Dragon Lord all of a sudden as if he knows him?’

They might’ve met somewhere in the past. If that was the case, their meeting wouldn’t have been friendly since dragons abhor demons. They probably fought.

· Warning – Gederick, the Silver Majestic is preparing a level 20 skill!

· Chances of Arnold’s survival – 40%

· Chances of NPC Rafaela’s survival – 10%

“….” Arnold glanced back at Rafaela. She was silently sitting on the ground and watching the sky blankly.

It’s as if she lost the will to live. Why is that? Isn’t her top priority right now to get back to her master?

Whatever the reason, he had to do something about Gederick’s skill.

“Storm of the Water Dragon it is then…”

· Skill has been activated!

· Due the status of demon energy being applied to aura, attack power has been increased by 53%.

A large blob of black aura was released out of his sword. It slowly transformed into the form of a dragon.

This one wasn’t blue and white like its usual self. It was now black, with red scales all over its body and red eyes. It also had two heads now.

Arnold pointed the sword up, prompting the creature to turn its focus to the sky.

‘Ugh, the pressure feels heavier than usual. This must be due to the corruption of demon energy that my normal body can’t control as easily as when the factor is active.’

His current stats couldn’t compare to his demon lord form but the amount of strength he now possessed and the fact that he isn’t risking the corruption spreading further is a win in his eyes.

Of course, it’s highly likely that Oriel was just lying to Arnold about the factor being the determiner in whether or not his factor corrupts Arnold’s soul.

Whether that’s really the case, he doesn’t know at the moment. An analysis will need to be made once this fight is over. Hopefully the system can determine how far the corruption has spread.

Arnold was still standing with his right arm raised to the sky, waiting for Gederick to throw his attack.

He ignored all the system’s warning bells going off inside his head.

‘He’s not making a move so I’ll have to attack first!’ the ground beneath Arnold caved in when he bent his knees.

A crater, a few meters in diameter, was left in the ground when he jumped.

He could hear a bird’s caw. He could see the Mimic Beast flying towards him.

Before its talons could sink into him, he teleported with [God’s Step] and arrived closer to Gederick.

“!?” Gederick, caught off-guard by Arnold’s sudden appearance, tried to flee.

‘So, he fears the demon energy…’

Arnold smirked.

‘It doesn’t matter if you flee, you bastard. You’ll die by my hands today.’ He pointed the sword straight at Gederick, prompting the dragon to turn its attention to Gederick as well.

· [Storm of The Demon Dragon]

The dragon, now even larger than before, shot out of the sword like a cannonball fired from a warship.

It zigzagged across the sky and flew at Gederick with breakneck speeds. Its thunderous roar could probably be heard from a long distance away.

“Kuh! Taste the power that felled hundreds of thousands in battle - [Sanctified Spearstorm]!”

The divine energy enveloped Gederick in a radiant embrace, its light now even brighter than before. The moment he shouted, the energy manifested into a tempestuous vortex, one that he could control at will, almost as if it were an extension of his very being.

Even in Arnold’s amateurish eyes when it comes to judging divine power mastery, it was as if Gederick had harnessed the very essence of the divine, channelling its power through his weapon with unmatched mastery.

This spectacle might be a testament of his years of service as a god fighting for the gods in the divine realm.

How many years had he honed this level of skill? 100 years? 1000 years?

Arnold’s fingertips trembled at the thought of killing a demigod. Something like this should be beyond the feat of a mere mortal.

No, at this point he is no mere mortal.

He’s the vessel of a Demon Lord, a being with absolute power.

The vortex of divine energy and the Demon Dragon made out of pure demon aura met with equal force.

Arnold could only hold onto the sword as it was the only thing keeping him afloat.

The powerful shockwave from the opposite energies almost caused him to let go of his sword. For some strange reason, the sword hilt coiled around his wrist also not letting go as if it was alive.

The sky turned an eerie black as both skills sought dominance over each other.

A second shockwave and its powerful winds caused most of the trees to blow away and uproot out of the ground.

The vortex and dragon was no more, now only a white light and black energy took over the sky.

The uninformed would think that an eclipse was the reason for the world being robbed of its sunlight. It was just the might of a Demon Lord and a Demigod fighting for victory.

Both Arnold and Gederick’s roars soared through the sky.