Chapter 187 Disciple
"Uh, hello there."
When Dorian had stepped into that portal, he felt an odd, twisting sensation. The world around him seemed to stretch while he stood absolutely still, unmoving. Energy began to swarm around him chaotically.
'Choosing my Balance Demon form was a good idea.' He noted as he felt the distorted energy knock against him. His physique was a very tough one, able to shrug off such buffets without injury. This was partly because he had maintained his Perfect Body Ability, his caution raised to the maximum.
As Dorian looked at them, his powerful eyes were able to pierce the veil of shadows that swarmed each figure.
The woman was quite tall, a Shade that stood just a little below 2 meters of height. She was also absolutely gorgeous. A perfect, feminine face with warm red lips and gorgeous brown eyes, a button nose, and small ears. Her brown hair was tied up haphazardly, adding to her beautiful appearance. Her figure matched her beauty, with a sensual dress clinging tightly to her large chest and curvaceous figure.
A single glance at her, however, drove an incredibly odd feeling into Dorian's soul.
'We… I can sense that we study the same Law! She studies the Law of Lust!' As he realized this, her extremely attractive, almost seductive appearance, made even more sense. She virtually personified the Law.
'Not just studies… She's mastered it. She's King Class!'
–
Species: Demonic Shade
Class – King Class (Late)
Maximum Energy Level: 2,803,771
–
The other figure was male, an elderly Shade that was reedy and very thin. He had a heavily wrinkled face that was spotted with age. The Shade wore a fine, silk robe that was covered in patterns of a snake circling around a shield.
'He studies a Demonic Law too, but one I haven't studied!' Dorian instinctively could feel this as he looked at the elderly Shade. Demonic Law practitioners could sense other Demonic Law practitioners.
'And he's King Class too…'
–
Species: Demonic Shade
Class – King Class (Late)
Maximum Energy Level: 2,832,500
–
'Damn, they're both freakishly strong.' Dorian cursed his luck. How could he have known he would immediately be greeted by powerful Demonic practitioners as soon as he arrived.
'Are they Demonic remnants? Part of the planet's defense force? They aren't attacking me… Who are they?' He was full of questions, with few answers.
"Wha-who-how-huh?!" The tall woman stuttered, temporarily unable to come up with a response, as she looked at him in astonishment.
"It…it uses the Law of Lust?" She stared.
"It's a Demonic remnant! Quick, strike it before it attacks! It must be related to the weird state of the world and why you didn't return to the Castle of Lust!" Almost immediately, the elderly man prepared to attack, without giving Dorian a chance to say anything else.
Dorian felt mildly offended at being called a Demonic remnant.
WHOOSH
Bright green energy wrapped around the elderly man, energy that covered him from head to toe in a protective barrier. This energy was powerful and gave off a unique Aura, one that Dorian was faintly able to recognize as it resonated with his soul.
An Aura that seemed to swallow all the energy in the air, powering itself. An Aura that gave off a feeling of indulgence and satisfaction.
If he had to describe it one word, it would be… Gluttonous.
The barrier coated the elderly man and was at least 5 inches (13 centimes) thick.
"Hold on-" Before Dorian could finish speaking, the elderly Shade's body blurred as he attacked.
"Hiya!" The elderly man appeared right next to Dorian, his movements fast and sure. A powerful, rippling King Class Aura emanated from him, causing the air to fluctuate.
He punched out, a blurringly fast punch aimed at Dorian's chest.
"Hup!" Dorian crossed his arms in front of him, his eyes completely serious as he focused. At the same time, he drew upon the Law of Valor, trying to enhance his physique.
As soon as he tried, however, he noticed something.
While the section of the world he had just been at had the connection to the Laws of the Universe greatly restored, to a point where around it was back to 40%-50% normal, this location did not.
It wasn't as bad as it had initially been. Dorian felt like his connection to the Laws here was at about 25%, much stronger than it had initially been. But still a weak pittance when compared to normal.
The Shade's fist collided with Dorian's crossed arms.
THUD
Dorian didn't move. A blast of wind shook the air in the closed off room, causing the shadowy darkness that partially hid the appearance of each Shade to fall away, not that it obstructed Dorian in the first place.
'I blocked it?' Dorian's mind raced ahead of him as he managed to fully block the brunt of the attack, his body flexing as he pulled upon his powerful physique and Perfect Body, as well as the Law of Valor.
He had managed to completely nullify the attack without any negative effects to himself. He hadn't even needed his Mystic Armored Body Ability to kick in.
'But… ah, it must be the Laws! At only around 25% strength, the strength of these two Demonic Shades is greatly weakened, while my powerful physique and Perfect Body greatly boosts me!' He instantly reached a conclusion, his eyes flashing.
Two screens appeared as he had Ausra adjust the values of the two foes he was facing based on the power of the Laws of the Universe in this area.
–
Species: Demonic Shade
Class – King Class (Late)
Maximum Energy Level: 700,943
–
Species: Demonic Shade
Class – King Class (Late)
Maximum Energy Level: 708,125
–
When he saw the figures, all of this taking place in a split second, he couldn't help but grin.
'They're stronger than my base strength… but with my powerful Balance Demon form and Perfect Body, I'm at least equal to them!'
With that thought in mind, Dorian punched back with a blow of his own. He didn't use the power of the Law of Valor anymore, instead switching over to the Law of Wrath. It was the Law he was most adept with and great for frontal attacks.
"Hiya!" Dorian's Balance Demon fist smashed into the green energy that covered the attacker.
THUD
The blow sent the elderly Demonic Shade back a single step, but otherwise left him unharmed. Small cracks appeared on the man's green energy barrier, cracks that instantly healed. The elderly Shade frowned when he saw this, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
"Mistress! Attack it quickly! Its physical strength is too high for me to easily deal with, all I can do is block it!" The Shade's voice boomed out.
"Sigh."
Out of the corner of Dorian's eye, he just barely made out the tall female Shade shrug, her face emotionless. An instant later, her body blurred and she vanished, moving so quickly she appeared to telepo-
WHAM
Before Dorian could even finish the thought, a heavy blow slammed into the right side of his face, jerking his body and neck to the side. The blow sent reverberations through his skull, pain swarming over him and then quickly leaving as his Balance Demon form recovered.
Dorian's Mystic Armored Body had kicked in, blocking a large part of the impact. Despite that, the blow was a truly powerful one and a large portion of it got through the inborn barrier Ability.
CRACK
Dorian cracked his neck casually as he turned to face the woman.
Immediately he jumped forward, punching out with his right hand while imbuing it with the Law of Wrath. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the elderly Shade barreling forward, charging at him. This time, the elderly Shade had brought out what looked like a very long sword, swinging it at him.
WHOOSH
Dorian's punch missed.
SHKKK
Before he could think about doing anything else, the elderly Shade slammed into him, swinging a long sword at his face. Dorian held his armored arms up to block, causing the blade to stop.
thudthudthud
Unfortunately, as a result of his blocking the sharp edge of the attack with his body, a great deal of force made it past his Mystic Armored Body, forcing him to take several steps backward to avoid falling.
WHAM
Another blow slammed into Dorian's head as the female Shade moved faster than he could react to, yet again rattling his skull.
It was at this point, with his eyes bloodshot, that Dorian almost lost it.
'YOU MOTHERF-!' He mentally cut himself off as he clenched his clawed fists.
'Peace. Balance.' His eyes grew cool as he glared at his enemies.
'Don't just attack blindly like an idiot. What have I been training for this whole time?' He took a breath.
'Hyperion Beams! Activate!'
WHOOSH
Not even a full second later… 10 black orbs formed in the air, crackling with power.
Dorian smiled nefariously.
"Mistress, watch out!" The elderly Shade yelled out loud as he seemed to instinctively sense the danger he was in, kneeling down on the ground and putting his hands in front of him. An amulet on his chest began to glow weakly with light, seemingly enhancing the defensive strength of the green barrier of energy that surrounded him.
"Hmph." The quick-moving female Shade merely sniffed, her body blurring.
WHOOOSH
An instant later…
10 laser beams blasted forward, shot at precise angles.
The beams of energy melted through the air, full of potent power. The stronger Dorian's soul got, the more dangerous his Hyperion Beams would become. It was an extremely useful Ability, one that he could use to make up for his mediocre skill when it came to close combat.
BOOM
5 of the beams shot off towards the crouching elderly Shade, slamming into the green barrier that surrounded him.
The other 5 all cut through the air towards the blurringly fast female Shade. Dorian had aimed one at where the woman had been standing, and four more at locations she was liable to move to, to try to dodge the fast-moving attack.
Four of those lasers missed… but the last one slammed into her as she was fleeing, knocking her backwards in a miniature explosion that shook the air.
'Sending out 10 Hyperion Beams is already enough to help me pin down these experts with ease, though they are only able to use 25% of their strength. If I can keep increasing that number as well as the strength of each individual laser…' The thought flashed through his mind as he watched the female Shade fly through the air, her body knocking hard against the wall of the room.
Meanwhile, 5 of his Hyperion Beams had slammed directly into the unmoving old Shade, exploding forth with energy. Crackles of power and sparks of light flipped into the air, temporarily obscuring the old Shade out of sight.
When the obstruction settled, however, Dorian found himself shocked, by both the elderly man and the attacking woman.
"Not so eager now, huh?" Dorian's voice was cool as he walked forward, crossing his arms. Internally, however, he could barely control his surprise.
'That old Shade's defensive power… it's extremely high, even with his ability to draw upon the power of Law weakened! And that woman, she must be using the Law of Lust to enhance her speed to a super high degree, my attack almost missed her! How powerful would she be if the restraints on the Laws of the Universe were removed?!'
His Hyperion Beams had badly damaged the old Shade's bright green energy barrier, but not broken it. Those cracks slowly healed before his eyes, the barrier returning to normal.
The female Shade, in the meanwhile, was shrugging off Dorian's attack as she got up, her eyes alert, if a bit pained. Blood could be seen dripping from her face and shoulder.
There was a reason the Seven Great Laws of the Demonic Race were called the 'Seven Great.' Each Law, when mastered and wielded properly, could propel a user to greatness, allowing them to draw upon fantastic powers. Even at 25% power, the mastery these two experts had over their Laws meant they were considerably strong.
"W-wait. It's speaking to us?" The elderly Shade froze as he looked at Dorian, stuttering.
"I spoke from the start, fool! How dare you attack me so randomly!" Dorian pulled back his chest as he spoke, his voice booming with the authority he was so used to faking now.
"It, no, he is talking… and HE'S able to use multiple Demonic Laws… MULTIPLE LAWS!" The elderly Shade's voice shook as he came to a certain realization, going over the events of the fast-paced fight. Fervor appearing in his tone as he stared at Dorian and then spun around to address the female Shade.
"Mistress, the fallen prophecies state the chosen redeemer of the Demon Race shall bear that burden! After so many years, it must be he!" The elderly Demonic Shade zeroed in on Dorian,
"What is your name?! Who are you?!"
"Hold on, Radishow. How do we know he is anything but another Demonic practitioner? Just becau-" The woman that the elderly Shade called 'Mistress' cut herself off as Dorian held out his hand, deciding to seize the moment.
Over the course of a few seconds, Dorian cycled through the Law of Wrath, the Law of Greed, the Law of Lust, the distinctive energy of each rippling in the air.
"Just because… huh. That really is multiple Demonic Laws…" The female Shade seemed to be at a loss, her voice trailing off.
Dorian looked back at the duo mysteriously, his eyes calm and collected, as if he hadn't just been in a fierce battle. He took full advantage of whatever misunderstanding they were having, attributing it to his lucky soul status as an Anomaly. He began to speak,
"Who am I? … I am the last disciple of the Demon Emperor." He did look the part, all Demon-ey. He directly began to make up convincing sounding lies, his mind racing ahead of him.
"While you foolishly attacked me, I will not hold it against you should you aid me in the completion of my mission." As he spoke, his voice gained volume,
"I am here on a mission to resurrect the Demon Emperor himself! I have returned to the land of my birth, to carry out the will of the ultimate protector of the Demonic Race!" His words echoed in the air as he lied through his teeth.
"My name…" He paused for a brief moment, trying to think up an intimidating name. An instant later, his eyes flashed as inspiration struck,
"My name is Obelisk."
"The Tormentor."
WHOOOOOOOSH
As he spoke his name, he twisted upon Fate, giving himself an awe-inspiring Aura. The air around him whipped back and forth as he struck an epic pose, his eyes glowing with untold power and light. He felt a large amount of energy leave his soul as he twisted Fate, changing the future itself.
This energy and Fate change seemed to be directly related to the situation at hand. Specifically, to the two Demonic Shades he was talking to.
The elderly Shade seemed to waver for a moment before falling to one knee,
"Great Demon Disciple!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
On the top of a random tree that overlooked the Castle of Lust, a small, armored figure could be seen, crouching down. Blue light glimmered around the arms of this figure, hidden behind a set of dark vambraces. The eyes of this figure glowed a cool blue behind a mask as Hallow stared at what was in front of him.
"They are… retreating." Hallow stuttered, his voice incredulous.
Right in front of him, a long line of soldiers could be seen filing out of the Castle of Lust. All of them looked cheerful and happy, celebrating as they journeyed away. No Demonic remnants attacked them, any nearby ones in the area apparently already cleared out.
Indeed, after making so much progress and somehow changing Moria itself…
The Moria Liberation Force, as he learned they called themselves, were, for all intents and purposes, giving up.
"But? They? Huh?!" Hallow's hands fell to his waist as he watched the army retreat, taken completely by surprise.
'Wait… wait…. WAIT.' Hallow smacked his forehead, forcing himself to push back his shock.
'You're up against an evil genius, Hallow. A cretin of such diabolic intelligence. He would never simply give up here, not after he managed to damage the Great Emperor's world.' His eyes flashed as he scanned the retreating army. After a long moment, he chuckled darkly.
"Lord Inigo… I don't see you among those leaving…" He smiled grimly as he talked out loud,
"He must be heading to the other Castles! He is why the world changed so much! I don't understand what he's doing, but it's doubtlessly something that will harm us Demons! I've finally gotten a step ahead of you, bastard." Hallow's smile widened, his fists clenched,
"The entire Demon Council is already lying in wait. Go on and charge towards those hallowed castles, my friend, and be prepared to meet the strongest living Demons in existence!" His grin hardened,
"They will stop you or die trying!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"We would never dream of stopping you, Great Demon Disciple!"
"Please, Great Demon Disciple, do whatever you please."
Dorian smiled sharply as he looked at the two powerful Demonic Shades, his eyes glinting.
"Good. Be on guard in case that vile hero of the Shade Race attacks. He is wily and strong, able to disguise himself as anyone! His intelligence and good looks- cough, I mean his power cannot be underestimated." Dorian's voice boomed.
"He will do anything to stop this Godly Demon." His eyes flashed as he walked up to the Sealing Tube, the ominous Aura that came off it, Sealing the power of Law from this world and leaving it as a Demonic ruin.
"The Demon Emperor must be revived!"
.