Chapter 130: The Dragonslayer and the Demon

"Fight! My blood is roaring, and my fists yearn to crush every enemy!" Waves of killing intent surged through Venigo, blending with the violent, fiery glow to erupt into a pillar of demonic flames. He lunged forward, delivering a crushing strike—a Skull-Cracker!

Lysik didn't hesitate to meet the blow head-on. His greatsword swept up in a desperate arc, aiming to sever Venigo’s right hand at the wrist. He failed. The greatsword, for all its power, lacked the fluidity and speed of a bare hand.

Venigo’s right hand shifted slightly, striking the spine of the greatsword. The blade shuddered, emitting a sharp, resonant chime. Both men recoiled half a step, only to roar and charge at each other once more.

As it happened, Lysik was a warrior of pure offensive instinct, just like him.

Against an opponent of this caliber, Venigo had little opportunity to employ his Hadouken. He had no intention of using such containment techniques anyway; instead, he engaged in a brutal exchange of iron fists, slashes, and kicks against Lysik’s heavy steel blade.

Flesh and bone against a greatsword? It sounded like a losing battle for Venigo, but both combatants knew it was a fair match.

Akuma’s martial arts and Lysik’s greatsword were their only trusted weapons—their strongest. In a duel at this level, the nature of the weapon mattered little; only raw power would decide the victor.

Both sides fully exploited their respective advantages. Venigo’s iron palms and kicks constantly targeted the spine of Lysik’s blade and the gaps in his armor, while Lysik utilized the weight and reach of his greatsword to suppress the speed and agility of Venigo’s strikes.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been a stalemate.

But this was a real battle, not a tournament.

Behind Venigo, Hida emerged from the demonic flames with an excited, high-pitched cackle. She adored Venigo—she loved his endless repertoire of fresh abilities, and even his appearance.

Like this demonic fire, infused with the power of the killing intent!

As a pyronymph, Hida was a fire elemental who could assimilate herself into these flames. However, Venigo’s fire was not ordinary; it was fueled by divine power and saturated with the surge of killing intent. Within it, Hida could undeniably feel the raw, predatory power of that killing intent.

Powerful, savage, violent, and difficult to master—but purely, undeniably strong!

Hida was captivated. She tried to weave this power into her own flames.

If it were merely the killing intent, Hida could never have succeeded. But Venigo was currently in a state where the killing intent and fire were fused by divine power into demonic flames.

Thus, Hida assimilated a spark of the demonic fire, using it as a seed to transform the nature of her own flames.

In an instant, Venigo had created a monster.

Boom! The violent flames scattered. Hida appeared from the blaze, her form noticeably leaner and more elongated, her features maturing as if she had suddenly grown into an adult. Her body was now wreathed in subtle, violet demonic flames!

"Hahahaha! Now that’s my pet!" Unfortunately, Venigo was currently thinking in the mindset of Akuma. He disengaged from Lysik’s blade, laughing wildly as he reached out to high-five Hida with his broad palm.

It sounded marvelous—a familiar possessed of the killing intent.

Hida reached out, pressing downward, and a volley of violet fire-bolts rained down upon Lysik.

*Messatsu-Goshoryu?*

A violet light flickered over Lysik’s armor. It seemed his armor possessed a unique enchantment capable of converting his stamina into fuel for its internal magic arrays.

"A shield?" Venigo scoffed. "The Killing Wave shatters all shields. This is nothing."

*Gohadoken!*

While Lysik was distracted by Hida, Venigo’s fire-infused Hadouken slammed into the knight’s shield with a thunderous roar.

Hida’s attacks remained primarily elemental fire, which Lysik’s elemental-nullification shield handled well. But Venigo’s Gohadoken was a manifestation of pure, destructive *Ki*.

Not wind element, but the *Ki* of a martial artist.

Flames splashed and vanished against the shield, yet the impact of the Gohadoken still sent a tremor through Lysik’s frame.

It was working!

Venigo laughed maniacally. *Ashura Senku*... As he closed the distance in a blur, he brought his hand down in a brutal Skull-Cracker.

*Clang!*

Lysik’s sturdy helmet did its job, but the piercing force of the palm strike still left him dazed. At that moment, Hida’s follow-up assault struck with relentless intensity.

She seemed particularly fond of the *Messatsu-Goshoryu* style.

"Hida, follow my lead!" Venigo shouted. He lunged at Lysik, parried the descending greatsword with both palms, and spun his body with tremendous force.

*Tatsumaki Zankukyaku!*

The kick sent Lysik reeling backward. Had his armor not been so heavy, Venigo would have sent him flying.

Hida’s *Messatsu-Goshoryu* rained down again, drumming a rapid-fire beat against Lysik’s shield. Venigo laughed, reappearing behind Lysik via *Ashura Senku*, grabbing his shoulders, and heaving with all his might.

A throw—the Backbreaker!

One had to understand that being thrown while wearing heavy armor was an agonizing experience.

It truly hurt! One look at Lysik’s helmet was enough to tell.

Before Venigo could move again, Hida descended beside Lysik, mimicking his movements with her small arms and legs to execute a pixie-sized *Tatsumaki Zankukyaku*.

Her flames burned brighter, her movements faster. With a whistle, her spinning figure whipped up a distinct pillar of fire.

"Hey, hey, isn't that a Shoryuken?" Venigo scratched his messy hair, complaining.

The pillar of fire surged skyward. The pixie instinctively shifted her technique, using a Shoryuken to launch Lysik into the air, where he exploded in a burst of flame.

"He’s done for..." Venigo muttered carelessly, turning his gaze toward his companions.

Sophie was nearly finished as well. The Ultimate Knight was being forced back step by step under the pressure of her Competition Blade. His offensive momentum had been completely infected by Sophie’s swordplay; every move was mercilessly intercepted before it could even be fully realized.

*Forty-Second Form: Cancer!*

Sophie simply repeated this single move, leaving the dignified Ultimate Knight unable to counter.

Sophie appeared simple-minded, but Venigo knew well the depth of wisdom held by his taciturn companion. At the very least, in martial arts, Sophie possessed talent beyond compare.

After a few exchanges, Sophie had keenly identified the flaws in her opponent’s technique. She used only the *Fourth Form: Interception* and its derivative strikes to ensure the opponent’s swordplay could never fully unfold.

Eventually, Sophie found that the *Cancer* move alone sufficed. The Ultimate Knight was on the verge of madness, yet his formidable heavy sword was repeatedly struck by Sophie at the root—the point of least leverage—mercilessly shattering his rhythm.

The opponent was completely unhinged. This was Sophie’s opening.

And when an opening presented itself, Sophie never let it pass.

It only took one strike.

*Thirty-Ninth Form: Ocean-Splitter!*

With a momentum as if parting the great seas, the Ultimate Knight was struck head-on. His faceplate splintered, the jagged steel shards piercing his face and drawing a steady stream of blood. Under the mountain-cleaving, ocean-parting force of the blow, the unbuffered faceplate could not protect the knight’s skull—it cracked.

Skull fractured, brain traumatized—a fatal blow.

This was Sophie’s finishing sword, a slash worthy of the name Ocean-Splitter.

"Too slow," the little wolf-girl hopped over, unable to hide her smugness.

The little wolf-girl had taken out most of the squire-knights single-handedly; after all, Sona’s speed couldn't match hers, and her attack power was a notch weaker.

Venigo shot the little wolf-girl a sidelong glance. For some reason, she felt a chill run down her spine, and the fur on her tail stood on end involuntarily.

The killing intent... even the stray wisps of it were enough to make the little wolf-girl tremble.

"Don't scare her," Sophie said, stepping in front of the wolf-girl and glaring at Venigo.

"We’re going straight to the Galilin Ironworks," Venigo said, changing the subject. "Sona, you go ahead and scout. See how many are guarding the perimeter. Akana, sharpen your claws; there’s plenty more fighting to be done."

"I love it," the little wolf-girl replied enthusiastically.

"Big Cat, you support Sona. Hani, you stay with Sophie. Wait for Sona’s signal by the shore," Venigo ordered.

Sophie nodded. Hani looked unhappy, having been unable to contribute much thus far.

"Ilu, put on the Type-I Thundercloak, stay hidden, and wait for my command. Sherry, you’re skilled in water elemental magic; walking on water shouldn't be an issue, right?" Venigo asked.

"I only play with ice," Sherry replied coldly. "I can build an ice bridge if needed."

"A bit wasteful..." Venigo mused. "Hanwell, find me a fast boat."

"Who are you..." Hanwell clearly didn't recognize this fierce, red-haired man, nor did he know of Venigo’s capabilities.

"Enough talk." The murderous aura around Venigo intensified. "I’ll give you fifteen minutes."

Fine. Considering this demon had saved his life... Hanwell ignored the fact that he was being threatened by Venigo and called his men to prepare.

He suddenly noticed a familiar-looking little red creature behind the red-haired demon—wait, wasn't that the brat’s familiar?

It seemed a bit different. Hanwell shook his head, not daring to dwell on it.

A short while later, on the shore at the edge of New Sorpigal, a smuggled speedboat was ready for departure.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, awaiting only Venigo’s next move.