Meanwhile, Duke Yukimarus McTair strode confidently towards the Wolf God, ignoring the Sword Saint of Azarus Nawazaki, whose gaze was fixed upon the Serpent God with intense anger and hatred.
A tyrannical, reddish-black aura emanated from his body, causing the Wolf God to flinch momentarily before howling at the top of his lungs, "Whoosh!"
He bared his fangs as he glared at Yukimarus, nicknamed the Demon Assassin, with fury and undisguised murderous intent.
However, he paid no heed and continued on his way. The Ork God was currently facing the Magic Emperor Aster Guilford and the Magic Master of Belgorod Kethali, while the Serpent God was confronting the Sword Saint of Azarus Nawazaki.
The Goblin God was surrounded by academy students, aided by Kaito Ishikawa, Usober, Akathryn Yoshika, Kyotowa, Leo Vanessa, Callista Julian, and the headmaster, who had initially opposed the idea of professors helping students. Until he finally accepted.
They exchanged glances for several seconds before Yukimarus spoke coldly and defiantly, "Duke of Wolf, it's good to meet you, isn't it?"
A smile, brimming with fangs as sharp as sword blades, flashed across his face, brimming with enthusiasm. "Certainly, the Ice Wolf family, the Duchy of Kethali."
The atmosphere between them was so charged that the ground seemed to tremble beneath the sheer force of their respective presences, and they charged towards each other.
A powerful explosion erupted as Yukimarus's fist collided with the Wolf King's claw.
Boom!
Inside a pit 15 meters deep and 27 meters wide, their gazes were locked on each other, their auras emanating from their bodies.
"Yukimarus McTair, you are incredibly strong. You deserve the title of Duke of every wall, but it won't do you any good when you die," the Wolf King spoke as he circled around him, maintaining a distance of 23 meters.
So as not to ambush him with any attack. It was a surprise. Yukimarus was, after all, the head of a family of assassins, and letting your guard down would only lead to a gruesome death. Nevertheless, he decided to attack first.
"Whoosh!" The ruler unleashed a sonic boom so powerful that reality shook for several seconds before settling.
Yukimarus deflected the powerful sonic boom, sustaining several injuries. His clothes were ripped off, revealing his upper torso. He pulled his arms away from his face, looking at him with annoyance.
If he hadn't protected his body with an aura, he would have been dead. This made him realize that his opponent would do anything to win, and the same applied to him.
A chilling smile spread across Yukimarus's face as he looked at the wolf ruler, who appeared confused, and a warm sensation rose in his stomach.
"What...how...cough cough cough cough," the wolf ruler gasped in shock as crimson blood gushed from his throat. From his stomach and mouth
He noticed lingering shadows on a wound and realized he had been tricked by Yukimarus. Moreover, he had been injured in a vital area.
Despite this, he felt no danger. He had suffered far more serious damage in battles fought over thousands of years, and this was merely a scratch.
"It seems you haven't lost your skill yet. A daunting escape from assassination," the Wolf God's voice was filled with admiration as he looked at him.
He launched himself without waiting for Yukimarus's reply. Each of them wanted the other's head, not to be polite to one another.
Yukimarus, in turn, charged at the Wolf God, each aiming his weapon at the other: the Wolf God's claws, Yukimarus's sword.
The impact was so powerful that it obliterated the surrounding rocks and earth, enlarging a crater even larger than before.
Each was propelled at the speed of light, embedded in the crater's edges, yet their auras still dominated the area. Their stance
"Wow, Duke Yukimarus McTair is incredibly strong to fight the Wolf God on equal footing."
"He's the second strongest human after Reinhardt. How could he not be able to match him?"
"Even though the battle only started recently, many things have happened on the other side. The special monsters of Yuta made things easier for them. Their only opponent is... the Gods."
"Yuta Cassiral is just a lucky guy. It's impossible for him to reach the level of the Beast God and the pillars of the human Empire."
"Alright, alright, you jealous one. The fight isn't over yet, and the students haven't even reached the level of fighting the Goblin God. So we should watch a fight; maybe we'll learn something."
........…
….......
......
The murmurs of the soldiers and mercenaries who were fighting the Beast God and his followers were all around until it was the turn of the elite who filled the rooftops of the fortresses of Euspecers City.
Inside a pit, both Yukimarus and the God Wolves emerged from underground as Yukimarus's ominous red aura and the wolf ruler's cool silver aura exerted a powerful pressure on the area.
They leaped out of a pit with terrifying smiles, their faces covered in blood.
Yukimarus spoke with excessive fervor, gripping his sword tightly. A burning desire for battle raged within him. Centuries had passed since his last fight against that individual.
He had witnessed death before his eyes, fueling his desire to live stronger, like a white wolf, dwelling in ice, expertly camouflaged, and silently killing his prey.
But he found himself fighting a wolf like himself, where mercy and compassion were absent. Survival of the fittest; victory was his only option to continue living another day.
"He is incredibly powerful, and that makes me eager to fight him." These words barely captured his feelings as a calm wolf who didn't reveal his thoughts, but in battle, he became a demon, obliterating everything in his path.
Yukimarus McTair wasn't called a demonic assassin for nothing. He combined the calm and composure of an assassin with the savagery and lust of a demon.
A lust for battle and the killing of his enemies on Earth. The battle was the reason he had longed for it for centuries. Living in his office for years was tiresome to him.
But to feel the thrill of power, the freedom to do as he pleased, and this frightened the Wolf King. Yukimarus's gaze was that of a bloodthirsty madman, indifferent to his own injuries.
It only fueled his desire to kill. As the saying goes, "Don't make a calm man angry," and this applied to him. Awakening the passion for fighting and killing within Yukimarus was like awakening a catastrophe.
"What in the world is happening? How did his power increase to this extent? He awakens his dormant power deep inside during combat. You demon!" the Wolf King thought to himself as he dodged his attack, but he sustained minor damage.
His chest and his heart
Yukimarus paused, gazing at the Wolf King, his body covered in jars and blood. The same fate befell him, yet he cared for nothing else but the killing of the Wolf King.
But one thing he didn't want to remember at a time like this was the incident that had changed his perception of the world and of power itself: the fight against that man known as the Venerable Shatterer of Heavens and founder of the Scorpion Order.
He looked at his bloodied hands, a faint smile on his face. On this very day, Friday, May 29, 675, he had his first encounter with the most wanted man in the world, the world of fantasy in which he lived.
In the McAteer family mansion, a former Duke, Zelfderas McAteer, was looking at papers on his desk for several minutes, which made the 34-year-old Yukimarus wonder why he had been summoned.
"What is it, Duke Zelfderas McAteer? Is there a mission?" Yukimarus's voice was as calm and respectful as possible.
A cold sigh escaped Zelfderas McAteer as he placed the papers on his desk. Turning his gaze towards him, his cold stare was enough to send shivers down his spine.
Then he spoke calmly, his eyes scrutinizing every part of Yukimarus. "There's someone in the Zandhable district who must be assassinated for his involvement in the slave trade, including children as young as six."
Yukimarus's face reflected shock and disbelief. He then headed out of his father's office. "Okay, I'll go there, Father Zilvidras McAteer."
Zilvidras disregarded his son's disrespectful behavior and turned his attention back to the papers and documents surrounding him.
Several hours later, Yukimarus was looking at a nearly ruined training ground with an old-fashioned architectural style.
This puzzled him. The location of that person was there, but the space above was empty and open, offering no way to sneak in and launch a surprise attack.
As he searched for a key to a secret hiding place, a figure appeared a few meters behind him.
He was wearing A white man with light blue stripes covered his entire body. He carried two black double-bladed swords, each 1.85 meters long. His face was covered by a simple, snow-white mask.
On it were three phrases: "Kill, kill," "Torture, torture," and "Have mercy, receive mercy." Each phrase was written in a different color. "Kill, kill" was in red, symbolizing the blood spilled in murder. "Torture, torture" was in purple, signifying fear, terror, and pain inflicted. "Have mercy, receive mercy" was in a white gold, representing life, purity, forgiveness, and peace. The gold symbolized the preciousness of a life taken, while the white represented peace and security. Therefore, the phrase "Have mercy" had two colors. "Have mercy."
The Heaven-Breaker Muqir remained staring at Yukimarus without saying a word, for his mere presence was enough to instill terror and shatter the very core of his being.
Yukimarus then drew his charcoal-black dagger, 30 centimeters long and 15 centimeters wide, riddled with numerous protrusions.
As he looked at him with cold eyes and a dark, red aura emanating from his body, he demanded, "Who are you?"
The Heaven-Breaker Muqir remained silent for a fraction of a second before charging at Yukimarus with frantic speed.
After some time, Yukimarus awoke, staggering, looking at the Heaven-Breaker Muqir, who had not suffered a single scratch.
He couldn't discern what he was thinking because of the mask, but he knew that the gaze held a burning contempt directed at him. Yet, he said nothing; he was weak.
Breaking the silence after a full hour, the Heaven-Breaker Muqir spoke, "Yukimarus McTair, you are weak." "Being truly ignorant of power, when you reach the Lord of Rulers, you will realize that you held the key to power in your hands, but you were unable to use it."
Upon hearing the words of the Venerable Heaven-Breaker, Yukimarus collapsed unconscious from his injuries and the immense depletion of his strength.
A deep sigh escaped Yukimarus's lips as he returned his sword to his dimensional space and summoned the Demon Assassin's Dagger, forged from an Etheric Gem and a Mana Gem extracted from the corpse of a former Demon King.
He glanced towards the Wolf King, who was severely injured but still stood, his gaze filled with defiance and determination.
In the end, neither had played all their cards yet. The fight was still in its early stages for both of them, and defeat was something neither desired, no matter the cost of victory.
They began charging at each other with the utmost speed they possessed.
The Demon Assassin's Dagger struck the Wolf King's claw. Sacred
The force of the impact propelled each of them several meters.
Both were panting heavily, glaring at each other without showing any intention of pausing for a moment.
"I want to win... I want to win... I want to win... I want to win..." The Wolf King kept repeating the word as he charged at Yukimarus, tears welling in his right eye.
Their tears betrayed his inner turmoil: one part of him wanted to surrender and escape with his life, while the other wanted to fight to the last breath.
"I don't want to escape. I want to fight. How can I surrender? How can I do that?"
"I will fight to the end, no matter the cost. I fled and retreated all my life, before I became a ruler, and after I became who I am today."
"Cowardice, fear, desire, surrender—they have pursued me all my life, but today I will fight, no matter what means I use." The Wolf King spoke to himself through gritted teeth.
Then he heard a voice in his head that surprised him: "You want power." "The one that will make you defeat your opponent, Yukimarus McTair. I admire your determination to fight," the voice of that person was filled with admiration as he looked towards the Wolf King.
The Wolf King was confused, for the person was indistinct. A mist surrounded his entire body, only his mouth was visible. Even so, he realized that the voice wasn't real.
He spoke in a tone of disbelief as he looked at him. "Will you grant me the power to defeat Duke Yukimarus McTair?"
A faint smile appeared on the person's lips before he spoke. "Yes, I can grant you the power to defeat that person called Yukimarus McTair, but you must give me something in return, or what is called the law of reciprocity. Give me your soul."
A look of hesitation appeared on the Wolf King's face, and this made the person's smile widen as he pointed a hand, hidden in the mist, towards him. He spoke in a loud voice, "Just as you expected."
"You pathetic coward! You say things you can't do. You're truly pathetic."
"Just a moment ago you said you'd do anything to win, but I see something else."
"But I didn't mean it like that. How..."
"How what? You're still that pathetic, crybaby coward. Fine, I'm leaving."
The Wolf King's expression was unreadable as he stared at the ground, his memories of being a puppy flooding back.
"Run! There's no time to argue!" the Wolf King's father roared as he and his wife faced a group of humans.
"But... but you'll both die if you keep fighting. I don't want to lose my family. Why don't we run? Don't we have a right to live? Humans eat cows, sheep, pigs, and all sorts of creatures they call the life cycle."
"But when they become our meal, we become monsters and filthy, evil creatures. Humans are hypocrites. You two must run!"
His father gritted his teeth as he flung the mercenary leader several meters toward Yulfin. "Yolfin, run! We won't live much longer. This is a sacrificial death, a man giving his life for the highest purpose, which is to save or achieve something. This isn't weakness. Run!"
He grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him towards a forest a few meters from the fighting area. He was certain he wouldn't die, especially since he was sure he'd landed in a lake near where they were.
Yolfin struggled to get out of the lake's depths. Several minutes passed before he surfaced, tears streaming down his face.
"My father and mother are going to die! Why am I so weak? Why...? I have to fight and face them to save them!"
After swimming for fifteen minutes to reach the shore, Yolfin, despite his despair, decided to head towards his parents' location.
He searched for them for some time until he found them dead, with a large gash from their chests to their navels.
This shocked him deeply. He let out a loud howl as tears streamed down his face. "Whoosh!"
He went straight to his parents, gathered them together, and fell asleep between them, murmuring weakly, "I will take revenge on those humans. Our lives are not tools they use to gain money, wealth, and power."
The Wolf King cleared his mind of that memory as he looked towards the spot where the figure had been standing and shouted, "I stand at your command! Grant me the power I need to win, and I will give you my soul without hesitation!"
Several minutes passed without a response, which disappointed him. But the situation didn't last long, as the figure reappeared with a slight smile on his face. "An excellent choice," he said.
He then snapped his fingers, releasing a wave of energy from the Wolf King's body that boosted his power level, making him stronger than Yukimarus.
This brought a smile of satisfaction to his face as he spoke gratefully, "Thank you, my lord. My soul will be a small price to pay for what you have given me."
Then he vanished. His time in this world was over.
A figure chuckled mockingly as he looked at where Yolfin stood. "We'll see, Yolfin the Wolf King, soon enough, whether your body can withstand that power or not. Yet, he's more determined than the Lion King, Ashurin."
On the battlefield, Yolfin looked at Yukimarus, shocked by the sudden surge in his power. A smug smile spread across his face.
However, he sensed that Yukimarus had also regained his strength.
His intuition was correct, as Yukimarus had taken advantage of the Wolf King's distraction to drink several doses of legendary potion to restore his power—something Yolfin the Wolf King was unaware of.
"Someone is helping them in a fight, but his power hasn't increased dangerously enough for the Wargi Rabeh to work against him."
"Moreover, his body is still seriously injured and won't withstand that power for long. But who the hell is helping him?" Yukimarus thought to himself. He looked towards Yulfin without saying anything.
On the other side, perched on the back of the largest beast, Yuta watched the Yukimarus battle with narrowed eyes, his hand resting on his chin. "That person has returned. Could it be that the last patch-wielding lord, Ping Tao Xin, is the only one left after the venerable Lotus Flower Jihao Yuchuan?" Yuta thought to himself, trying to uncover the identity of the person sabotaging his plan. However, he decided to let things stand, having discovered that the current situation was working in his favor more than it was harming him.
"We'll see who this villain is who's manipulating the strongest characters in this fantasy world. This will be quite entertaining." A wicked smile played on Yuta's face as he watched his beasts battle the henchmen of the Goblin Ruler.