Are young people these days so lacking in martial virtue?
That was what Be'lakor, the First Daemon Prince, thought.
That Sun King was indeed strong, incredibly strong. Be'lakor could confidently say that, at the peak of the Saint-tier, no mortal could surpass him.
What level was Be'lakor at? A demigod, and once the foremost Daemon Prince beneath the Chaos Gods, the mightiest of daemons. Be'lakor's combat experience and mastery of countless spells were as vast as an ocean. Not only did Ryan, with his mere few decades of psychic experience, pale in comparison, but even the Emperor's 48,000 years of accumulated knowledge were far from enough in Be'lakor's eyes.
Far from it.
Yes, Be'lakor had been weakened by Tzeentch's curse and the dilution of its power by other Daemon Princes, but no matter what, its immense combat experience and skills could not be taken away.
However, this duel with Ryan left both sides feeling deeply frustrated.
Ryan's frustration stemmed from the fact that his unique psychic abilities, which had always given him the element of surprise against any enemy, were now ineffective. His specialization in combating Chaos and his psychic prowess, which gave him a significant advantage against any Chaos creature, were of little use against Be'lakor, who had only recently regained its physical form by crowning the Everchosen and partially breaking its curse.
In reality, Ryan found the fight against Be'lakor extremely difficult. Every skill the Grey Knight Primarch possessed was not only well-known to Be'lakor but also easily countered. In combat, Ryan not only failed to gain any advantage but was nearly countered. To make matters worse, Ryan's power was still at the peak of the Saint-tier, and in terms of the purity and reserves of his magic, he was no match for Be'lakor, a demigod.
Be'lakor, on the other hand, was also deeply frustrated. As mentioned earlier, Ryan's magic resistance was incredibly high. This human's resistance to magic was second only to the Everchosen, who was clad in a full set of Chaos artifacts. Various corrosive and continuous damage spells had little effect on him. During the battle, Be'lakor had secretly cast over a dozen Chaos curses on Ryan, but none of these debuffs lasted more than a minute.
The answer was clear: only direct damage spells with a physical component and melee combat could defeat Ryan.
Be'lakor knew full well that, compared to its endless array of spells and casting experience, its melee combat skills were not as formidable. Perhaps due to its obsession with schemes and long periods spent in shadow form, Be'lakor's melee abilities were not as refined as its magical prowess.
One-on-one, Be'lakor had the upper hand against Ryan, whether in melee or magic. Ryan could only manage to hold it off.
One-on-two, Be'lakor could still maintain a slight advantage in magic, but in melee combat, facing Ryan's ferocity and Olica's cunning, Be'lakor could no longer claim superiority.
And now, it was one against three?
Fine, bring it on! Let the storm rage against my chest!
Be'lakor slapped the Chaos star mark on its chest, arrogantly accepting the challenge.
On the other side, the Lady of the Lake, Lileath, descended beside Ryan. The goddess's figure descended from the sky, her radiance dispelling the fog and rain of Albion. With a few effortless incantations, she cast a massive area-of-effect healing spell, "Tranquil Rain," covering the entire battlefield.
"Ahhhh!" Chaos Warriors and daemons screamed as the rain hit them like acid, their skin blistering and wounds festering. They retreated in agony.
Meanwhile, the human forces felt rejuvenated by the rain. Wounds healed, and their stamina was greatly restored. The Bretonnian army witnessed their Lady's timely arrival, and the knights couldn't help but sing hymns of praise to the goddess. The peasants were overwhelmed with emotion.
"It's the Lady! The Lady has come!"
"The Lady is here to aid us!"
"The Lady hasn't abandoned us. She fights alongside us."
The Bretonnian army's morale soared. Just as the barbarians felt honored to fight alongside Chaos daemons, the knights were ecstatic that their war had gained the attention of their goddess.
Only Ryan's expression was less than pleased. The Lady of the Lake was still borrowing his psychic energy! She was being generous with someone else's resources!
However, after confirming something, Ryan's expression grew even darker. He realized that the Lady of the Lake had descended in her true form!
Wasn't she afraid of being killed, utterly destroyed, or captured by Chaos daemons and taken to the Realm of Chaos to become a plaything for the Dark Gods?
"My Lady, you really... have no fear," Ryan said, looking at Be'lakor in the distance. The Sun King couldn't help but complain to Lileath. "Don't you know the consequences of descending in your true form?"
The Lady of the Lake's emerald eyes glanced at Ryan, her voice cold. "So what?"
"So... what?" Ryan began to understand something.
"Ryan, you are my husband, my lover, and the key to all my plans now," the goddess said, gripping her Yggdrasil Heartwood Staff. She spoke as if it were a trivial matter. "You need to understand one thing, Ryan. If you die here, what meaning do all my preparations and plans have?"
Ryan fell silent.
"Understand this, my dear. If you die, everything is over. My plans, my love, my everything—it all ends," the Lady of the Lake began to chant a spell, her voice icy. "Even if I die, I will die with you, because you are my everything!"
"You think I would lose to Be'lakor?" Ryan finally smiled. He understood.
"If you could defeat Be'lakor, you would have already won," the Lady of the Lake said no more. "Go! My love, your wife stands with you!"
"How touching," Be'lakor sneered, its greedy eyes fixed on Lileath. "Sun King, how many goddess girlfriends do you have?"
Ah, it was drooling.
A goddess!
An elven goddess!
An elven goddess whose entire being exuded an alluring fragrance!
Before Be'lakor stood the Moon Goddess, renowned as the most beautiful and pure among the elves. Her soul, so pure and beautiful, made Be'lakor greedily inhale the fragrant air. It wasn't that the First Daemon Prince had any lustful desires for Lileath, but Be'lakor was certain that if it could offer this soul to Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure would grant it the highest rewards and help break Tzeentch's curse!
Moreover, Be'lakor knew that, compared to other elven gods, Lileath was not a goddess skilled in combat.
Yes, perhaps many mortals viewed the Lady of the Lake as a powerful goddess, and from a certain perspective, they weren't wrong. But the Lady of the Lake was still not a goddess adept at battle.
Almost without thinking, Be'lakor transformed into a shadow and lunged at Lileath. The dark purple shadow left a long trail in the air, its speed so fast that the goddess had no time to react.
But Ryan quickly stepped between them. The Sun King raised his hammer, Ghal Maraz flashing with light. "Dispel!"
"Ugh!" Be'lakor was forced back into its physical form. Its Chaos blade swung around, aiming for Ryan's throat. The Sword of Justice clashed with the Chaos blade, and Ryan grunted as he blocked the strike. The Primarch stepped back, wielding both sword and hammer to push Be'lakor back.
As the Daemon Prince prepared to attack again, Olica appeared behind it. The dagger "Omen of Sorrow" tore through Be'lakor's flesh, and the Daemon Prince howled in pain. Chaos energy erupted, sending Olica flying. Be'lakor spread its wings, attempting to take flight, but Ryan teleported above it. The Sword of Justice, wielded with both hands, plunged down with immense force!
Black blood sprayed!
The blade pierced Be'lakor's back. Before the Daemon Prince could scream, Lileath's white arrow of light pierced its right shoulder. With Ryan's sword impaling it, Be'lakor could no longer revert to shadow form to escape. Olica seized the opportunity, driving "Omen of Sorrow" into its chest, aiming for its heart—if Be'lakor even had one.
Unfortunately, Olica miscalculated. Be'lakor's body was composed of pure energy. While "Omen of Sorrow" dealt a severe blow, it was not fatal. Be'lakor seized the moment, its claws reaching out.
It grabbed Ryan, who was on its back, and used its black blood to fuel a burst of Chaos energy. Ryan's back armor was torn apart like paper, four deep gashes bleeding profusely. Be'lakor grabbed the Sword of Justice and hurled Ryan away. The Sun King crashed into a boulder, shattering it and sending dust flying.
With the enemy on its back dealt with, the Dark Master opened its maw, firing three shadow bolts at Olica. The dark elf was blasted away, landing in the mud, gasping in pain. The attack left Olica's left arm and leg severely injured, and her abdomen was also wounded. She spat blood, nearly passing out, unable to rise.
Now, only one enemy remained! Be'lakor transformed into a shadow again, charging at the Lady of the Lake.
The goddess's expression changed. She quickly altered her incantation, weaving strands of light into a powerful spell. Under the goddess's divine radiance, a net of light enveloped Be'lakor.
Be'lakor's movements slowed for a moment but quickly resumed.
"Banishment Light!" The goddess unleashed her second spell, a vortex of blinding light engulfing the Daemon Prince.
White flames and the vortex surrounded Be'lakor, the goddess's carefully prepared spell dealing a heavy blow to the First Daemon Prince.
Be'lakor was left in a sorry state.
Its wings were scorched.
Its skin peeled away and disintegrated in the light.
Its claws melted in the radiance.
Even half of its face was melted by the goddess's power!
But Be'lakor was not yet defeated. As the First Daemon Prince, whose existence predated even the oldest elven gods, it would not be so easily vanquished by the goddess's spells!
Be'lakor continued its charge, its claws reaching for the Lady of the Lake's wrist. It could see the goddess's look of fear and panic, a source of its joy!
This goddess belongs to me!
"Not so fast!" At that moment, light flashed.
Ryan returned.
The Sun King spiraled through the air, spinning 720 degrees. One of his arms was broken, but with his other hand, he gripped the Sword of Justice in reverse. The blade, wreathed in white-gold flames, spun and pierced Be'lakor's neck.
Then, it went straight through.
For a moment, it seemed as if the world stood still.
A second later, Be'lakor realized it had lost. It had been defeated.
Once again, it had been bested by mortals.
The First Daemon Prince let out a cry of utter despair. Its wounded body could no longer fight, and it transformed into a shadow, fleeing into the void.
Ryan reached out to stop Be'lakor's escape, and he succeeded. The Primarch's psychic storm caught the tail end of Be'lakor's shadow, the burning force causing the Daemon Prince to writhe in agony. Finally, it spat out a large mass of shadowy substance to block Ryan and forcefully escaped.
Almost instantly, Ryan collapsed to the ground. He held the mass of shadowy substance in his hand, utterly exhausted but filled with joy.
This mass of shadow was a highly concentrated piece of warp essence!
This would play a crucial role in Ryan's ascension to demigodhood!
"Ha... ha... ha." Ryan gasped for breath, lying at the foot of the Beast Mountains.
They had won.
The First Daemon Prince, Be'lakor, had fled.
"Ha... ha... ha..." The Lady of the Lake also panted heavily, a mix of excitement and tension. The goddess knew all too well what would happen if Be'lakor, who excelled in close combat, got too close to her. She would be captured and offered to the Dark Gods as a plaything.
But Lileath had gambled and won again!
They had defeated Be'lakor! They had defeated the First Daemon Prince, the legendary Dark Master, Be'lakor!
"Ryan! We won! We won!" The Lady of the Lake immediately stood up, her dress untouched by dust or blood. The goddess excitedly hugged the fallen Ryan, planting a passionate kiss on his lips. After leaving the severely wounded Ryan breathless, the Lady of the Lake exclaimed, "We defeated Be'lakor! This battle is ours!"
"Mmm..." Ryan couldn't speak, only managing a muffled sound. The Sun King couldn't break free and could only use his good arm to wrap around the goddess's waist, his hand sneaking downward.
The Lady of the Lake's face flushed. She quickly stepped back, avoiding Ryan's wandering hand. The goddess glared at him, helping him to his feet, and then found Olica, who was unable to rise. The dark elf was severely injured, her magic depleted, with two broken bones and wounds on her chest, shoulder, and abdomen. Seeing the goddess supporting Ryan, Olica weakly said, "Master..."
"You've done well, Olica. We won!" Ryan said through gritted teeth, blood dripping from the wounds on his chest, arms, and back. He had given it his all.
"Master..." Olica nodded slightly before passing out, collapsing into Ryan's arms.
Be'lakor's defeat had a decisive impact on the battlefield. The First Daemon Prince's legion disintegrated.
Moreover, everyone on the battlefield heard a roar from the heavens. A dragon, soaring among the stars, let out a roar of satisfaction. Its body, at least a hundred meters long, loomed in the clouds.
It was then that everyone noticed that all seven stone circles had been lit.
The Serpent God, Sotek, was very pleased with the mortals' offering! Especially with the battle that had defeated the First Daemon Prince, Be'lakor.
Now, it was time to reward the sacrificers.
Sotek churned the clouds, and starlight illuminated the sky.
"Thud~ Thud~ Thud!"
A few minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed from the forest beyond the battlefield.
The most primal and ferocious roar from the jungle shook all of Castle Carcassonne and the surrounding battlefield!
A legendary ancient Carnosaur, "The Wanderer" Nakai, emerged from the jungle, summoned by the Serpent God, Sotek, to join the battle!
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.