"It was clearly you who wanted to protect your granddaughter but lacked the confidence to do it alone, so you came to me. Seeing your pitiful state, I kindly decided to accompany you," Deimos said, shifting the blame for his presence entirely onto Arudiba. There was no way he would admit that he had come specifically to ensure his grandson's safety.
"Me? Lacking confidence?" Arudiba chuckled coldly, his expression a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "All I did was casually ask if you were interested in coming. You didn't hesitate for even a second before agreeing. When it was time to leave, you waited by the World Transfer Hall as if I'd abandon you!"
"Nonsense! I was merely resting there." Deimos, unwilling to let his "cool and aloof" reputation crumble, tried to defend his actions.
"Resting? In a place like that? How convenient," Arudiba said, giving Deimos a sideways glance filled with disdain.
The tension between the two elders escalated. Deimos's attempt to maintain his dignified "dragon persona" and Arudiba's refusal to cooperate in downplaying their involvement had created a rather awkward situation.
Muria and Mikaela exchanged helpless glances. Their shared frustration with their elders was clear. It didn't take much to piece together how the two had ended up here.
Arudiba, doting on Mikaela, must have decided to intervene after learning she intended to fight an Evil God. But since Mikaela insisted on doing it herself, he likely took a roundabout approach to ensure her safety.
Deimos, on the other hand, was equally protective of Muria. Yet, unwilling to appear soft, he had come up with an excuse to justify his presence.
"Ahem, Grandfather, shouldn't we focus on dealing with the Evil God first before discussing other matters?"
Muria, noticing that the two elders were on the verge of clashing, interjected to diffuse the tension. He offered them a convenient excuse to redirect their focus: the still-escaping Thorned Evil God.
Both elders, eager for an exit from their verbal sparring, immediately seized the opportunity.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The Thorned Evil God, realizing that the conflict between Deimos and Arudiba was about to end, prepared to flee once more. However, his attempt to escape was met with the combined scrutiny of the two elder figures.
"Get out of my way!"
The Thorned Evil God let out a roar, his voice filled with anger born of fear. It wasn't the injuries he'd suffered from their earlier attacks that terrified him but what these two represented.
The energies radiating from Arudiba and Mikaela were strikingly similar, indicating a powerful lineage. Meanwhile, Deimos carried a power similar to Muria's, albeit mixed with his unique traits as a Dragon King.
If these two beings were part of distinct yet equally terrifying races, the implications were dire. Facing one was already a nightmare. Facing both was a disaster beyond reckoning.
Despite his fear, the Thorned Evil God didn't back down. Knowing escape was no longer an option, he unleashed his full power. Black mist surged around him, and the twisted visages of anguished souls emerged, their expressions filled with hatred and despair.
"Impressive display," Deimos remarked, a note of amusement in his voice. "Too bad it won't help."
As the Thorned Evil God lashed out with thorn-covered tendrils, Deimos nonchalantly extended a single claw. With a swift motion, he grabbed the largest tendrils and tore them clean from their source.
Deimos's casual dominance was a testament to his immense strength. Though he had only recently ascended to his current level, his deep reserves of energy and physical enhancements placed him far beyond most of his peers.
Much of his power came from his mate, Arlesta, the wealthiest Dragon King in Erathia. Her accumulation of epic energy—an unimaginable resource for ordinary beings—had allowed Deimos to fortify his dragon body to unparalleled levels.
His enhancements were particularly geared toward physical combat, as he often found himself in close quarters with beings like Titan elder Archimonde, whose martial prowess was unmatched. While Deimos couldn't match Archimonde's skill, his overwhelming physical strength ensured he could hold his own.
"Grandfather, enough. Let's seal him," Muria said, shaking his head. While the Thorned Evil God's earlier state might have been suitable for a proper fight, he was now too broken to be a worthy opponent. His focus would likely remain on escape rather than battle.
"Seal him, then," Deimos agreed, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
Arudiba nodded as well. His twelve wings unfurled, creating a massive domain in the void. "Agreed."
For beings of their level, sealing a foe was often easier than outright killing them. The immense vitality and regenerative abilities of epic beings made them extraordinarily difficult to destroy completely.
Even if their bodies and souls were obliterated, epic beings could potentially return if even a fragment of their essence remained. Sealing, on the other hand, was a more practical and less risky solution.
"You'll never take me alive!"
The Thorned Evil God roared in defiance, fully aware of what awaited him if he were captured. He knew all too well the fate of sealed epic beings: they became resources. Their nearly infinite vitality could be harvested to produce epic-level materials.
Such materials, derived from their bodies, were invaluable for crafting weapons, armor, and countless other artifacts. The prospect of becoming a "semi-permanent epic material donor" was horrifying.
"Don't resist. Just accept your fate. We won't harm your life essence, and you might even regain your freedom one day," Deimos said, his voice dripping with mockery.
The Dragon King's enormous golden form emerged fully from the void, his long and sinewy body radiating power. His wings, vast enough to shadow a world, beat down with oppressive force.
Pinned under this overwhelming presence, the Thorned Evil God struggled in vain as Deimos moved in, delivering blow after crushing blow with his enhanced dragon physique.
As the sealing process began, Arudiba and Deimos worked in unison, their combined might ensuring that this once-terrifying entity would trouble the void no more.
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