Alex stood frozen as Kars charged toward him, each step faster than the last.
Time seemed to stretch, seconds dragging out into an eternity.
“HEART OF CALAMITY?” Alex called out desperately in his mind, hoping for its intervention.
[The Heart of Calamity is taking a break from saving you.]
The message rang cold and unfeeling. Panic surged through him.
“ALPHOX?” He reached out mentally for his primordial dragon ally.
If Alphox had gained strength from killg those dragons and absorbing the Dragonheart Essence, maybe, just maybe, he could turn the tide.
“I can’t beat him, human,” Alphox’s voice growled in response. “And I refuse to lose my wings again.”
“DAMN IT!” Alex cursed aloud, frustration clawing at his chest.
Kars loomed before him now, his clawed hand raised high.
The demonic aura surrounding it pulsed, promising devastation.
‘This is it. I can’t win.’ Alex’s mind raced as he braced himself.
Even with the [Demon Hater Curse] that he received back when he completed the [Dark Dungeon] and that doubled his attack and defense; it still wouldn’t be enough.
Fighting monsters at level 750 had pushed his limits, but Kars was level 1,000.
That gap was a chasm he couldn’t cross.
Kars’s claws glowed faintly, signaling a soul attack.
Unlike physical damage, soul attacks bypassed health entirely, leaving their victim at one health point, their body intact but their soul vulnerable to annihilation.
SLASH!
The impact sent Alex flying. His health bar dropped to its absolute minimum.
-7,362,894!
[Health: 1/263,690]
He crashed through a series of [Fate Gift Boxes], making many more to the ground.
Pain shot through him, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
His body was hurt, that was true, but his soul trembled with each breath.
[The Heart of Calamity reassures the host that such attacks cannot kill us. However, prolonged exposure will result in soul collapse,] the artifact chimed in, its tone almost indifferent.
“Shit!” Alex growled, his frustration mounting.
Kars was relentless.
The demon lunged forward, landing blow after blow.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Each strike tore at Alex’s soul, splintering it further.
Though his health stayed at one, the mental and emotional toll of each hit left him gasping for air.
The Heart of Calamity’s strength had bolstered his soul, but even that had limits.
Kars stepped back, his claws glowing with raw demonic energy.
A massive beam of concentrated destruction began to form between his palms.
Alex’s instincts screamed.
If that attack hit, there would be no coming back. His body, soul, everything would be obliterated.
“Need help?”
The voice came from above.
Alex looked up to see the towering figure of the Undead King descending, his hollow eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
“You—!” Alex gasped.
He hadn’t even used [Death Call], assuming it would be useless in this fight, yet the king had still appeared.
The Undead King snapped his bony fingers.
From the ground, dozens of skeletal arms erupted, forming an impenetrable wall that absorbed the demonic beam entirely.
“What the—” Alex blinked, stunned. “Just how strong are you?”
“Meditation is the best way to level up,” the king said with a grin, his skeletal jaw clacking as he spoke.
[Undead King – Level 950]
Alex’s eyes widened. The king had indeed grown stronger, though still shy of Kars’s level.
The battle between the two titans began.
The Undead King’s hollow pupils locked onto Kars, their intensity sending shivers through the demon.
Kars snarled, charging forward with his claws extended.
“Petty tricks again, I see!” he laughed, “A cheater should just stay down and let himself get killed!”
But the king was ready.
Bone-like tendrils erupted from the ground, whipping toward Kars.
The demon dodged nimbly, his claws slicing through some of the skeletal appendages.
However, the king retaliated just as swiftly, summoning a massive spectral blade to parry Kars’s attacks.
“The hell?!”
“You are nothing,” the undead king said, looking down on the human, who felt the ominous aura of the king press on him.
Even with the level difference, he was still much stronger.
Their clash echoed through the void, each blow shaking the very air.
Alex could only watch as the Undead King managed to hold his ground against Kars.
The demon, realizing that he couldn’t really harm the skeleton, instead tried to strike at Alex to definitely kill him.
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“Your opponent is me, weakling,” the undead king announced as he slammed Kars back to his original position.
Slash! Slash! Clang!
Skeletal hands burst from the ground, clawing at the demon’s legs and arms, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Finally, the king snapped his fingers again.
A dozen skeletal arms shot up from the ground, binding Kars tightly.
The demon struggled, but the grip of the dead was unyielding.
“Game over,” the king hissed, his bony hands glowing with an ominous energy.
The skeletal arms around Kars began to darken, pulsing with destructive power
“Bye bye.”
Kars’s eyes widened.
He could feel his strength draining as the energy seeped into him.
Desperation flickered across his face as he flexed every muscle in his body.
“Not yet!” Kars roared, activating the [Demonic Domination] buff skill.
His muscles bulged, his aura flared, and with a deafening roar, he shattered the skeletal arms binding him.
The Undead King stepped forward, ready to summon another wave of attacks to definitely finish off the demon this time, but Kars smirked and snapped his fingers.
“I admit defeat, I can’t beat you.”
“At least you realized your place in the end,” the king laughed, “That won’t save you though.”
Yet, when Kars snapped his fingers, the air distorted around Alex.
[You are being kicked out of the carriage.]
“Huh?”
A flash of light enveloped Alex, and in the next moment, he found himself sprawled on the ground outside the carriage.
“Coward,” Alex muttered, wiping the blood from his lip as he sat up.
The Undead King went back to his space as well, not even speaking to the man.
Kars felt that he would die if he stayed there, and he knew the undead king wouldn’t disappear, so instead he just ejected Alex, and thus the king as he was etched to Alex’s soul.
He had been pushed to his limits.
“I survived but…” Alex was about to complain that he paid but didn’t receive any boxes, but right as he was about to finish, he noticed that the two [Fate Gift Boxes] he selected were beside him.
Alex immediately inspected their content with the [Cursed Eyes of the King].
[Fate Gift Box: Legendary Item Inside]
Even after all that, Kars had honored the transaction. Despite the deadly battle, the demon hadn’t cheated him out of his reward.
Alex chuckled bitterly. “Guess even demons have standards.”
He picked up the boxes and dusted himself off before returning to where Alice and Aurelia waited.
To them, no time had passed.
Everything that had transpired in the carriage took place in a fraction of a second in the real world.
Alice’s eyes widened as she saw him approach. “Why are you panting so hard?”
“What happened to you?!” Aurelia exclaimed, her gaze darting to his battered armor and the streaks of blood across his face.
Alex waved them off with a tired smile, “Nothing. Go pick your boxes.”
He didn’t tell them the information he wanted because he feared that Kars would attack them both if they “cheated” as well.
They exchanged worried glances but said nothing, heading toward the carriage.
Alex kept watch, wary of Kars’s next move.
Sure enough, when he glanced at the front of the carriage, Kars was there, leaning against the frame, his glowing eyes locked onto Alex.
A knowing smile played on the demon’s lips.
Alice and Aurelia soon returned with their boxes, and Alex wasted no time. “Let’s go.”
He didn’t want to linger.
Whatever had happened inside that carriage was over, but he wasn’t about to push his luck by staying any longer.