Crackle!
Above the black mist, dense dark-violet arcs of lightning crackled wildly as an ancient magic circle slowly rotated, pouring out cold, surging energy.
At a certain moment, this surging energy exploded violently, kicking up a tornado that scattered the black mist and obliterated the surrounding trees and houses.
Black, tattered wings slowly flapped as the three-meter-tall Demon King stepped forward, his dark violet vertical pupils deep and malevolent.
The cold wind gusted. With his arrival, one could clearly feel the surrounding temperature drop significantly.
"So this guy has a third form?!" Lucy's face turned pale.
Although the physical pressure wasn't as intense as the giant monster from before, the moment she met those eerie pupils, she began trembling instinctively, and the magic power inside her suddenly became restless.
"Even so, he still looks really ugly."
Dark Magician Girl's face was full of disgust as she pouted. "I thought the legendary Demon King was supposed to be a tall, handsome, dashing guy."
"Hey, hey, have you read too many fantasy adventure novels—"
Lucy pointed at the Demon King in the distance and shouted, "That's the Demon King, you know! Demon King!"
"As for tall, handsome, dashing guys, isn't there one right here?" Chase shamelessly stepped forward.
He didn't look surprised at all that the Demon King had a third form or rather, he had suspected it as much from the start.
Whether in terms of physical strength or destructive power, the big-bodied Demon King's performance had been quite strong, far beyond ordinary demons.
But according to the intelligence Ultear had provided, the two special abilities this guy possessed—Demonized Creatures and Energy Absorption—hadn't manifested at all.
Also, that black magic circle just now...
Chase's eyes narrowed. There was a strangely familiar sense of déjà vu—yes, it looked just like when Mirajane had gone berserk after her magic seal was undone!
Perhaps the joke he'd made back on Galuna Island might actually come true this time: take the Demon King away as a gift for Mirajane!
I wonder what Demon King Mirajane would look like?
At that thought, the corners of Chase's mouth turned up slightly, a hint of anticipation in his expression.
"Chase, you're not only narcissistic, but your smile is also super creepy!"
Lucy noticed his grin and somehow felt a twinge of pity for the Demon King in the distance. "Why do I suddenly get the feeling that guy is about to have a really bad day?"
Compared to Chase's evil smile, the third-form Demon King didn't seem so impressive after all!
On the battlefield, the "newly awakened" Demon King had no idea he had already been labeled as a gift. He raised his eyes and looked at Buster Blader.
"To force... me... into revealing my true form... not bad, you..."
He spoke slowly, his raspy voice carrying the arrogance of a higher species, along with a deep-seated rage.
To a certain extent, he also possessed the trait of immortality and indestructibility.
However, unlike his mortal enemy the Phoenix, who could be reborn from the flames, the Demon King's "rebirth" required five stages: Stone Egg, Magic Seed (Egg), Black Goblin, Demon Shell, and True Form—repeating this cycle over and over.
The first four stages were charging phases. The more energy accumulated, the more perfect the final awakened True Form would be.
That was precisely the main reason the Black Goblin had been running in panic from ordinary villagers: he wanted to find a safe place to continue hiding.
When he realized he couldn't escape, he activated the more easily exposed Demon Shell form.
But even then, Buster Blader had sliced him into pieces, forcing the still-developing True Form to descend ahead of schedule!
"A dragon once praised me like that too. Too bad..." Buster Blader raised his Dragon Fang Greatsword again, battle spirit radiating from him as he grinned arrogantly. "...they all ended up as nourishment for this greatsword!"
Without wasting words, he exploded with power from his legs, kicking up a gale as he charged at the Demon King.
"Hah... you're nothing more... than a lowly human..."
The Demon King sneered, curled his five fingers to form a dense, pitch-black orb of light, then hurled his arm forward, flinging it at Buster Blader.
The orb shot forward. Even the residual waves it leaked were enough to rip open the ground along its path, turning countless rocks into powder.
Buster Blader's eyes narrowed. Even though he could tell the power of the pitch-black orb was extraordinary, he had no intention of avoiding its edge.
Instead, he accelerated his charge, leaping into the air with both hands gripping the Dragon Fang Greatsword high above his head, and roared: "A little toy like this? I can slice it open in seconds!"
CRACKLE!!
The holy light-infused blade struck the pitch-black orb. The collision produced wildly crackling electric sparks.
The explosive shockwave swept in all directions, destroying everything around them.
After several seconds of stalemate, Buster Blader's strength ultimately proved superior. With a swing of his sword, he cleaved the orb into scattered, chaotic fragments of light.
But in that instant, the black wings whipped up a frenzied wind, and a dark shadow came screaming toward him.
The Demon King seized the moment, flying in with a kick that slammed into Buster Blader's chest, sinking deep into flesh and muscle!
The enormous weight instantly shattered the armor. Amid the flurry of flying fragments, Buster Blader spat a mouthful of blood and went flying backwards, crashing into the forest hundreds of meters away.
BOOM!
The explosion ranges out. Giant trees along the way were snapped in half, and countless birds took flight in terror, flapping their wings to escape.
"Human... so fragile..."
The Demon King stood in place, making no attempt to pursue Buster Blader. His cold eyes shifted slightly, looking toward the position where Chase and the others stood.
His perception of dangerous presence was keen. He knew the man standing at the front of the group was the one who could truly threaten him.
Also drawing his focused attention was Éclair, with the Phoenix Stone pendant hanging around her neck.
That all-too-familiar aura made the Demon King's fists clench involuntarily. Deep within his eyes, hatred and killing intent flickered. He wanted nothing more than to grind the one bearing the blood of his mortal enemy the Phoenix into dust, to settle the grudge of life and death from over four hundred years ago!
"Eep! He's looking this way!" Lucy, lacking any dignity, shoved Chase in front of her as a shield.
The old village chief and the villagers were even more exaggerated. They immediately pulled back several dozen meters, hiding behind walls and fences, ready to bolt at any moment.
It was a bit cowardly, sure, but compared to those idiots who flocked to danger and lost their lives, at least they wouldn't cause Chase any extra trouble.
"Now this... is starting to feel like the kind of difficulty an SS-Class Quest should have."
Chase calmly met the Demon King's gaze. Magic circles spun around his arms, covering the Sealed Left and Right Wrists as his magic power began to rise.
From that casual kick just now, it wasn't hard to tell that the True Form of the Demon King possessed power far beyond an S-Class mage's level.
Buster Blader's strength lies in his anti-dragon specialization. Limited by his stat profile, he was indeed somewhat outmatched against a non-dragon opponent like this.
Although his deck contained two Dragon-type monsters—Curse of Dragon and Guardian of the Fortress—he had already tested it before. Both dragons were his allies, not falling under the "opponent's field" category, so they couldn't boost Buster Blader's attack stat.
A shame, really. But in this situation, it looked like he'd have to step up himself.
ROOOAR!!
Just as Chase was thinking this, the Demon King across from him suddenly opened his mouth and let out a roar infused with sinister energy.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Tangible black rings spread outward in all directions. The first to be affected were the large birds flying wildly through the air.
Thick black mist erupted from their flapping bodies. Their colorful feathers rapidly darkened, and long, dense, sharp fangs grew from their mouths.
In the blink of an eye, they had transformed into evil-natured Demon Birds!
Then, black fumes began emerging from all directions deep within the forest, and roaring sounds rang out continuously.
The lurking magical beasts were also affected, turning into jet-black demonic creatures that advanced toward the village under the Demon King's command.
Among them, besides the cyclops Lucy had previously shaved bald and the giant long-legged spiders, there were massive giant beasts like giant crocodiles, demon bears, and strange birds!
Whether out of cautious probing or sheer contempt for humanity, the Demon King had activated his unique special ability—Biological Demonization!
The earth trembled violently. The tiny village was now surrounded by a dense horde of demonized creatures!
***
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