The Price of Vengeance

“剑来!” Wawalde roared.

His voice reverberated throughout the chamber, shaking its very foundations.

He thrust his newly regenerated right arm skyward. From a shimmering rift that tore open in the air, a longsword emerged, entirely crimson and intricately etched with bronze runes along its blade.

It flew swiftly, settling firmly into his outstretched palm.

The searing heat emanating from the sword’s hilt threatened to burn through his flesh, yet Wawalde’s grip only tightened.

Dark, obsidian scales began to spread, creeping from his knuckles and across his hand.

Black trails of flame, leaving eerie arcs in the air, began to trace his movements.

They bypassed the shattered stone pillars, soared over the collapsed throne, and circled the very spot where Sovenia lay unconscious.

Wawalde’s form blurred, leaving an afterimage in his wake.

His sword became a relentless storm, a deluge of strikes.

Every piece of rubble in the throne room trembled under the assault.

A gaping, blood-red fissure ripped open in the void.

His crimson blade carved through the air, each swing producing a piercing, ear-splitting shriek.

An incoming arrow was bisected by his diagonal slash.

The second and third arrows were swiftly intercepted, exploding into charred fragments upon impact.

A fourth, strangely elusive arrow approached. Without even turning his head, Wawalde executed a backhanded sweep, his sword tip striking the arrow precisely.

It pierced the arrow, embedding it deep into a crack in the floor.

The tracking arrows, like moths drawn to a destructive flame, continued their relentless assault, yet few could penetrate the impenetrable web of his sword.

Each collision sparked violently, filling the air with the acrid scent of burnt sulfur.

The very instant the last arrow shattered beneath his blade, the Demon Queen’s presence was upon him.

A ten-meter-long black energy blade, born from her own power, tore through the air.

It created an impenetrable net of strikes, each one slicing incoming projectiles in two, sending black flames scattering.

An arrow, shot down and stuck mid-air, was struck from behind. Wawalde, without turning his head, precisely impaled its shaft, pinning it to the ground.

The relentless volley of arrows, like a cascade of fire, continued to launch themselves forward, yet none could breach his defense.

Every collision ignited sparks, saturating the air with their fiery aftermath.

The moment the last arrow was pulverized, the Demon Queen’s Decapitating Greatblade swept in from the side.

Its immense speed rendered its trajectory almost invisible, leaving only a dark, arcing distortion in its wake.

The air itself seemed to ripple and tear where it passed.

Wawalde met the strike head-on.

His crimson sword clashed against the monstrous greatblade with a deafening roar.

An immense shockwave erupted outwards, pulverizing all surrounding rubble into fine dust.

Beneath Wawalde’s feet, the ground fractured, a spiderweb of cracks spreading rapidly in every direction.

The concussive force even lifted Sovenia’s unconscious form slightly.

“Holy Slash!” Wawalde bellowed.

A deafening roar erupted as the throne room itself visibly twisted under the sheer force of his attack.

All that could be seen was a pitch-black arc of death, obliterating everything in its path.

Within a ten-meter radius, all debris was pulverized, leaving a deep, crater-like pit in the ground, from which spiderweb cracks radiated outwards.

Sovenia’s silver hair, lifted by the chaotic energies, writhed like a tempest of silver strands.

But the sheer, explosive power emanating from his sword seemed capable of tearing apart the very fabric of existence.

Faced with this overwhelming force, the Decapitating Greatblade’s meticulously constructed energy structure shattered instantly.

The Demon Queen’s defenses were ripped open, leaving her utterly exposed.

Wawalde afforded her no time to react.

He launched himself forward like a cannonball, covering twenty meters in a flash.

Each thunderous step left deep imprints in the floor, causing the very foundations of the throne room to groan under the strain.

The demonic energy coalescing around him, particularly in his golden eyes, seemed to materialize into a tangible, menacing aura.

A torrent of pure black-red demonic energy, imbued with a tyrannical aura of destruction, surged from his blade.

It brutally forced the Demon Queen’s Decapitating Greatblade aside, causing its energy structure to unravel and leaving her without a moment to react.

Wawalde, moving with the force of a projectile, traversed the twenty-meter distance instantly.

Each of his thunderous footsteps shook the throne room’s very foundations as he drove his sword straight towards the Demon Queen’s chest.

The sword tip plunged directly into her.

In a desperate attempt, the Demon Queen hastily summoned three layers of energy shields, yet they proved utterly useless.

The first shield layer, upon contact with the sword tip, shattered like fragile paper.

The second barely held for a fraction of a second before disintegrating, and the third didn’t even have time to fully materialize before being overwhelmed by the rampant demonic energy.

The crimson blade pierced her left shoulder, burying itself deep into her flesh.

Vicious black-red demonic energy surged through the wound, rampaging within her body.

The Demon Queen shrieked, her form recoiling violently.

The stench of burning flesh filled the air, acrid and nauseating.

Though grievously wounded, she still possessed other means of defense.

However, Wawalde granted her no respite. His face contorted, his entire being moved like a relentless shadow, leaving a dense trail of afterimages in the air.

Her Decapitating Greatblade transformed, splitting into dozens of energy whips.

These ethereal whips lashed out from all directions, coiling around Wawalde’s limbs. While they couldn’t truly harm him, they succeeded in hindering his relentless speed.

A wicked, mocking smile twisted on her lips. “You fell for it!” she cried. “Maiden Guard, shoot that elite!”

Simultaneously, a new ten-meter-long Decapitating Greatblade coalesced in her hand, its black blade burning with the very flames of her life force.

Her gaze was fixed on Wawalde’s face. If he dared to turn, even for a fraction of a second, this strike would cleave his spine in two.

In a battle of this caliber, even a fleeting 0.1-second exposure of one’s back could offer the Demon Queen a fatal opening.

But Wawalde did not turn. He didn’t even falter in his speed.

The crimson longsword in his hand became a furious storm, its blade-shadows so dense they seemed to shred the very air.

“Holy Slash!” Wawalde roared once more.

A black-red sword beam, thick with destructive power, cleaved down from above.

The Demon Queen barely managed to parry with her greatblade, the impact leaving her arms numb and trembling.

The second, third, and fourth swords followed in relentless succession. Each strike was faster, fiercer, and more brutal than the last.

Wawalde fought with a primal, beast-like fury, yet his movements were imbued with a terrifying, calculated precision. The Demon Queen found herself utterly unable to find an opening for a counterattack.

She was driven backward, step by agonizing step.

Cracks began to appear on her greatblade by the seventieth strike, and by the ninetieth, it shattered completely.

She hastily conjured a new weapon, but it couldn’t withstand Wawalde’s furious assault for even half a second.

Black-red sword light carved wound after wound into her body, blood mixing with the stench of charred flesh.

She became a live target, capable only of futile defense.

A chunk of the Demon Queen’s left arm was cleanly severed, and a deep, bone-exposing gash marred her right leg.

Even her face had suffered a heavy blow from a sword hilt, leaving half of it grotesquely swollen. She resembled nothing so much as a pathetic, cornered beast.

Yet, even as she stumbled backward, the Demon Queen laughed maniacally. “You cannot defeat me within mere seconds!”

Her voice, however, betrayed an undeniable weakness. “I am merely feigning retreat!”

“No,” Wawalde stated flatly.

Suddenly, Wawalde’s main assault shifted, and she heard a series of explosions echoing from high above.

Flames of burning life splattered across the air.

The Demon Queen’s initial confusion quickly turned to horror.

She witnessed a black shadow erupt from the ground, moving with such speed that it left a trail of afterimages.

The shadow shot sixty to seventy meters into the air, seizing a Succubus Archer mid-aim.

The succubus didn’t even have time to scream before the shadow delivered a single, devastating punch.

The Succubus Archer from the Maiden Guard exploded into a crimson mist in the shadow’s grasp, her organs and bone fragments scattering.

Using the force of the impact, the black shadow flipped in mid-air, hurtling towards its next target.

The second succubus attempted to flee, but the shadow snatched her by a wing, twisting her spine with the brutal ease of wringing a wet cloth.

The third and fourth succubi met similar fates.

A gruesome rain of blood, severed limbs, and broken bows began to fall from the sky.

The Demon Queen’s laughter died in her throat as she whirled around.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

A series of crimson explosions blossomed in the air. The elite Maiden Guard, who struck terror into the Demon Realm, were utterly annihilated within mere seconds.

They became nothing more than lumps of falling, pulped flesh.

The black shadow drifted down, landing lightly on the ground. It was none other than the clone Wawalde had summoned earlier.

Covered in fresh blood and scattered gore, it stood there, utterly expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

The Demon Queen’s expression finally contorted into one of genuine fear.

“You—” she began, but Wawalde cut her off.

“I want to kill you now.”

The black scales that had begun to sprout on his body had now spread to his neck, almost completely covering half of his face.

These scales shimmered with an eerie luster under the burning firelight.

He resembled a demon that had clawed its way out of the deepest abyss.

His voice had deepened, growing ragged and hoarse, each word seeming to be torn from the very depths of his throat.

Yet, his eyes remained terrifyingly clear, sharp with an unnerving lucidity.

The Demon Queen suddenly understood. He had chosen to unleash this power, to kill her, no matter the cost.

“The flames around you are burning your very life force!” the Demon Queen shrieked. “You cannot defeat me! How dare you challenge me head-on?”

Before her words could fully register, the air around her twisted violently. The World Scroll, which had been hovering nearby, suddenly flew into her outstretched hand.

Its pages automatically unfurled, emitting a blinding, piercing light.

The Demon Queen’s voice, now laced with a desperate madness, echoed through the chamber:

“By the power of the World Scroll, I establish these rules! Within this throne room, the movement speed of all living beings shall be reduced!”

“All damage taken by all living beings shall be increased! And the potency of all my abilities shall be amplified!”

Her rule-bound power instantly took effect.

The air grew thick and viscous, making even a simple breath a struggle.

Yet, Wawalde merely bared his teeth in a grin.

It was a smile as hideous and feral as a demon’s.

Black-red demonic energy, thick and almost tangible, surged from his body, forming a tempestuous protective aura around him.

The Demon Queen’s low growl was distorted by the sheer force of his power.

“Very well,” Wawalde uttered, each word slow and deliberate. “Let us see whose rules are more potent, or whose sword is swifter.”

Only one thought consumed his mind: to kill her.

As for succumbing to corruption? As for the price? He cared not.

So long as he could slay this Demon Queen, who had orchestrated the deaths of all his comrades and endangered Sovenia, he would gladly pay any cost.

Black-red demonic energy erupted from his very core, forming a violent, protective aura around him. The sheer magnitude of this power caused the air itself to crack and distort.

His scales grew wildly, covering most of his body, as if something monstrous was striving to burst forth from within him.

Yet, his eyes, far from losing their focus, sharpened further. Wawalde roared, charging at the Demon Queen, this time forsaking all defense.

He ignored the wounds, letting black-red blood spray from his mouth.

The crimson longsword plunged straight towards the Demon Queen’s back. She recoiled in terror, scrambling backward.

Wawalde, with a single strike, shattered her first layer of defense, then, with a swift counter-swing, cleaved through the third shield and her body. The Demon Queen coughed up a mouthful of blood as she was sent flying, but Wawalde, relentless, pursued her.

“Holy Slash!” Wawalde bellowed, and a black-red sword beam descended from above.

The sword beam struck the ground, exploding into a crater ten meters in diameter, the rock at its bottom vitrified by the intense heat.

She had barely regained her footing when Wawalde’s second sword strike arrived. Unable to evade, she could only block it with her newly conjured greatblade.

The clash of forces sent shattered rock and a powerful shockwave outwards, cracking even the walls of the throne room. The Demon Queen was sent hurtling backward, tumbling several times across the floor before finally stopping.

Before she could even attempt to rise, Wawalde was already upon her, his foot pressing down on her shoulder, pinning her firmly to the ground.

The Demon Queen shrieked, “You didn’t fall?! I never imagined a fallen hero could unleash such terrifying power, not even a Heavenly King at their peak could manage this kind of furious assault. What about your future? How can you be so decisive?”

Wawalde raised his sword, preparing to cleave her head from her shoulders. “I care nothing for my future!”

In a desperate move, the Demon Queen thrust out her hand. The World Scroll, which had flown back to her, began to furiously flip its pages, emitting a light ten times more intense than before.

“I retract all rules of enslavement!” the Demon Queen shrieked. “I want the most supreme, powerful force!”

The World Scroll emitted an ear-splitting shriek of shattering. The pages, inscribed with countless rules of enslavement, disintegrated one by one, transforming into pure energy that surged into the Demon Queen’s body.

The flames of life burning around her instantly surged, engulfing her entire form in dazzling black fire. This was her final, ultimate trump card.

The World Scroll, a treasure she had spent centuries to acquire, capable of dictating rules and enslaving beings, including Heavenly Kings, was the very foundation of her dominion over the demon race. And now, she chose to sacrifice this precious artifact for a brief surge of power beyond her limits. Once the World Scroll shattered, she would be unable to use it for a long time. But if she didn’t, she would surely die here today.

Her figure suddenly swelled, and her aura expanded to a terrifying degree, unleashing a ferocious energy wave that pushed Wawalde back several meters.

The Demon Queen rose, her entire body ablaze. “You think you’ve won? I haven’t lost yet!”

Wawalde wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a savage grin spreading across his face. “Then let’s continue.”

They clashed once more. This time, it was a true head-on confrontation, each sword strike a desperate exchange of life for life.

The Demon Queen’s energy blade slashed across Wawalde’s body, tearing a deep, bone-exposing gash in his shoulder, carving away a large chunk of flesh. Wawalde, in turn, landed a blow on the Demon Queen’s mouth with his sword.

Both were bleeding, both were wounded, both were burning their life force. But neither would yield an inch. The Demon Queen grew increasingly frantic. Her left arm was injured. Those wounds, which would have been fatal to an ordinary person, were like mere scratches on Wawalde.

He simply didn’t care. His will was unwavering. Even more terrifying was that with every strike, he grew stronger. Each swing was faster, each blow more powerful than the last. The corrupting power within him surged wildly, yet he seemed to fully embrace it, transforming it into his own weapon.

The Demon Queen finally reached her limit. Her left arm was severed, her right leg had a gaping hole carved into it, and black flames flickered weakly in the wound on her abdomen. Her life force was nearly extinguished.

She stumbled backward like a cannonball, her voice barely a whisper. “You can at most kill me… but you too… will die… your girl… left unprotected…”

This was her final psychological ploy.

Wawalde’s battered body, however, was far from succumbing; it was a miracle of life, or perhaps, a miracle of the abyss.

Wawalde let out a cold snort.

The Demon Queen, horrified, shrieked, using all her remaining strength to summon an energy shield.

But Wawalde’s target was not her.

He abruptly veered before the shield, covering fifty meters in a few strides, and reached Skullcrusher’s corpse. The body was long cold, its massive limbs twisted and lying in a pool of blood, dozens of arrows still embedded in it.

Wawalde’s mouth opened to an impossible, almost dislocated angle, stretching back to his ears.

He began to perform ‘Energy Reclamation’ on Skullcrusher’s corpse.

The Demon Queen’s eyes widened. “You… you said you wouldn’t fall?! How could you accept it again? You shouldn’t be killed by me in hesitation and struggle? How can you be so decisive?!”

She had never imagined Wawalde would perform Energy Reclamation to recover from his injuries. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have retreated so decisively. This was clearly an exclusive skill of their demon race, so how could Wawalde, who had only recently fallen, be using it?

She had originally thought that no matter how strong Wawalde became, he would refuse to do such a thing due to human moral boundaries, or at least he wouldn’t think of it.

But she was wrong.

Wawalde cared nothing for moral boundaries. He only cared about one thing – killing her.

For that, what did eating an enemy’s corpse even matter?

He reclaimed energy a few times.

His wounds healed at a visible rate. Broken ribs reconnected, torn muscles restored, and even the scorched skin grew back as black scales.

In just a few seconds, his injuries had recovered by half.

He stood up, casually picking up the pillar-like, massive spiked hammer from beside Skullcrusher’s corpse. This weapon, ridiculously heavy for ordinary beings, felt as light as a feather in his hand.

He hoisted the hammer handle onto his shoulder and strode towards the Demon Queen.

“I want to kill you now,” Wawalde repeated, word for word.

The Demon Queen looked at him, then suddenly laughed. Her laughter was as desolate as a night owl’s shriek, laced with despair and madness. “Good… very good… then come! Let me see if you can kill me before I completely fall!”

She burned the last of her life force, conjuring a Decapitating Greatblade even larger than before. It was fifteen meters long, entirely black, and exuded an aura of utter destruction.

Wawalde raised his spiked hammer, his eyes now completely blood-red, his last vestige of emerald color gone. He took a deep breath, then roared, “Holy Slash!”

But what erupted from him was pure black-red demonic energy.

The spiked hammer, enveloped in demonic energy, turned pitch black, and twisted, blood-red runes floated across its head.

This strike filled even the Demon Queen with dread.

She watched the black spiked hammer descend upon her, the energy condensed on its head seeming to annihilate the entire world. Space twisted, and time itself seemed to slow.

She could clearly see every rune on the hammerhead, feel that destructive power rapidly approaching.

She wanted to dodge.

But she couldn’t.

She wanted to block.

But she couldn’t.

The spiked hammer smashed onto the greatblade.

The greatblade instantly shattered.

The Demon Queen watched the hammer’s shadow fill her vision. At that moment, the ruler of the demon realm for centuries had only one thought:

‘This is also called a Holy Slash?!’

The Demon Queen’s barely raised arms snapped. Her entire body was slammed into the ground, creating a crater five meters in radius.

Wawalde stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at the bloody, mangled flesh.

His eyes had turned completely blood-red, and black scales now covered his entire body. Even a pair of incomplete black wings had sprouted from his back.

He looked like a demon that had crawled out of the abyss.

“It’s over,” Wawalde said, yet he raised the pillar-thick spiked hammer again! He smashed it down with all his might, again and again.