Chapter 249
“TAKE THIS!” His fist morphed into sharp silver claws as he slashed at Oliver.
Boom!
A cloud of dust rose as Drul clenched his fist, but there was nothing left but rugged ground where Oliver had been standing.
Drul’s eyes narrowed, a flash of irritation darkening his face as he realized he’d missed his mark. He turned to see that Oliver had already moved some distance away.
“Human, why struggle? You’re about to become my prey. Just stay still and take my punch.”
Drul showed his sharp teeth, his yellow eyes shining brightly.
Oliver met his gaze, and for a split second, he felt a strange dizziness wash over him. His vision blurred momentarily, as if the yellow, sandy eyes were swirling in his consciousness.
He felt those eyes invading his mind.
A cold, insidious presence seemed to seep into his thoughts, as though Drul were trying to sink hooks into his very soul. Drul recognized the opportunity and seized it.
Bang!
Drul’s iron-tough fist slammed into Oliver’s gut, the force blasting through him like a sledgehammer. The impact threw him back, crashing him into the wall behind.
The wall cracked from the impact.
“Ugh-!” Oliver gritted his teeth, his body shaking from the force. A sharp pain radiated through his ribs, each breath sending a fiery ache through his chest. He felt the blow directly in his ribs, as if they had cracked from the force.
The strength of this demon was terrifying.
If he let himself be hit a few more times, he might not be able to endure it.
And something was even more concerning than that brute strength.
It was those yellow eyes. They were not average eyes. While not one of the four special types, they held a lower-level ability; there were many eye techniques and unique bloodlines, and this demon inquisitor clearly had a special one.
The eyes seemed to possess properties of hypnosis or obstruction.
“You’re tough for a kid,” Drul said, tilting his head with a creepy expression, his lips stretching into a grin that showed far too many teeth.
A sword appeared in Oliver’s hand.
“A sword? Well, it won’t change anything. Let’s see how long it lasts against my fists.”
Drul’s figure blurred as he appeared before Oliver, his hand moving forward as Oliver raised his sword to block the incoming strike.
Bang!
The clang echoed sharply as Drul’s fist collided with the metal blade, the force of the impact reverberating through Oliver’s arm. Despite the sword being made of tough metal, it rang as Drul’s fist collided with it.
Drul was definitely fast and strong—a proper mid-level demon—while Oliver had only just entered Rank-2.
And unlike heretics with fake strength, Drul wielded true potent dark espera.
Even from a single punch, Oliver could feel dark espera seeping into his body, trying to consume his pure espera.
A cold, sickly energy slithered through his veins, threatening to corrupt him from the inside. He channeled his own espera and purified it within.
“Usually, one punch is enough to corrupt an exorcist. But you… you did nothing but flinch slightly,” Drul said in a quiet voice, his eyes gleaming with a dark curiosity.
“Moreover, I sense little espera in you, but the traces of my dark espera were completely erased just now. You’re clearly hiding your true power, but what irks me is that…”
Drul paused dramatically, locking eyes with Oliver in a frenzy.
“…I can’t sense its depth.”
Although Drul’s voice was calm and sober, his expression was filled with intense rage, his bloodshot eyes wide, his sharp teeth visible.
A pulsing black energy enveloped both his arms.
Sensing the energy, Oliver frowned, feeling an odd disgust. It was as if something holy had been rolled in dirt and sewage, tainting its purity.
‘Is this what exorcists feel when facing demons?’
Oliver grinned and said, “If you can’t sense my espera, then that means you’re only so-so.”
Despite knowing that Abyss energy was potent enough to evade even Ophelia’s perception, he taunted Drul just to enrage him further.
The words had an immediate effect on his enemy.
Drul snarled, his face twisting with fury, and in an instant, he almost vanished from sight, reappearing inches from Oliver.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One punch after another rained down on Oliver.
But Oliver countered them all, his sword moving in a flowing pattern—from right to left, up and down—blocking from every angle.
Each strike sent shockwaves up his arms, the relentless force of Drul’s blows threatening to shake the sword right out of his grip. Despite his rage, Drul aimed for precise points, constantly targeting Oliver’s vitals. Dark espera was leaking more and more from Drul’s body.
The air grew thick with malevolent energy, a suffocating darkness pressing down on everything around them.
Holy Flames of Nightmare
Just as Drul was pushing Oliver back, a torrent of pitch-black flames engulfed Oliver’s sword, causing Drul to instinctively jerk back at the sudden burst of heat.
Oliver didn’t miss the demon’s momentary lapse and lunged forward, slashing at Drul’s face.
“Bastard!”
Drul roared as the flames burned him, his dark espera corroded by those strange flames.
Despite the flames’ ominous appearance, they seemed to hold an element of holiness—corroding his body and dark espera.
A sizzling sound filled the air, and Drul’s skin bubbled and blistered where the flames touched. He hissed in agony, his face contorted in rage.
Drul recognized the danger. He had never encountered flames like these before. The mysterious origins of this human boy… He had to kill this kid before he grew stronger and became a threat to the demons.
Drul’s demeanor shifted, his eyes swirling faster as he fixed his gaze on Oliver.
‘Again? You think I’m easy to push around?’
But Oliver was ready this time. He felt slightly ashamed for having been affected by such a low-level eye technique before.
[Cosmic Void Gaze]
Oliver stared directly back into Drul’s yellow, sandy eyes.
“Ack!” Drul instantly shut his eyes, clutching his head as if in intense pain.
“FUCK! WHAT DID YOU DO!?”
He roared as blood began to ooze from his eyes, filling his hands with it.
Red rivulets leaked between his fingers, staining his cheeks and dripping onto the ground. Oliver, on the other hand, was surprised himself; this was the first time the [Cosmic Void Gaze] hadn’t had a more significant effect on his opponent.