Desgarion realized that it was too late to stop the self-sufficient arrow of energy.

The surrounding Miasma wasn’t dense enough to combat the raging power of the Spell. His best hope was none other than retreat.

‘I have to get away!’

He wasn’t conceited enough to attempt risking it all by tanking such an attack.

Sure, he loved violence, but Desgarion was averse to recklessness.

He had a long way to go, and a peak to attain. Certainly, he wasn’t planning on killing himself.

“What are you thinking?” The human’s voice caused Desgarion to flinch a bit.

He was floating above, but Desgarion felt like their distance was further than what normal sight could perceive.

Which was why he had to live and become stronger.

“I already set a barrier around this place while calculating the area of impact. You can’t escape.”

Desgarion heard those words but did not pay them any heed.

If there was truly a barrier, he would shatter it and make his escape.

His speed rose as his survival instincts kicked in, and Desgarion shot through the sky in flight speed.

“You don’t get it, do you?”

>SNAP<

With the snap of his fingers, Jared warped space and caused a portal to swallow the fleeing Demon, returning him to the location he previously was.

“U-uh?!”

“You can’t escape. Simply accept it and hope you survive.”

Desgarion’s surprised eyes watched as the spinning arrow aimed at his location.

‘N-no!’

“Vermillion Rupture”

Beyond the speed he could conceive, the arrow shot to the earth, rending even the air in its path.

Everything burned, and that included the residues of the Demon Lord’s Miasma.

And then, as soon as it reached Desgarion—

‘I have to… I have to take it!’

—The Spell gloriously erupted.

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

Even though Desgarion coated himself with layers upon layers of Miasma, he could feel all of them fade away.

The arrow drilled through everything, and the heat it brought burned them into nothingness.

The dense black armor was no exception.

Soon, he found himself completely naked, having only his dense body as a source of protection.

But, even that couldn’t resist the power that assailed him.

“GUARK!”

To survive, Desgarion kept activating his Original Magic, causing him to evolve the more the energy kept damaging him.

As he acclimated, his body was destroyed further.

The process was painful, but he gritted his teeth and endured the agony, and focused on survival.

Degeneration and Regeneration occurred at a fast rate as the Vermillion Rupture’s explosion scarred everything in the coastal region.

“It’s even more amazing than I thought. What a guy.” Jared muttered, watching the scene from above.

“But, as expected… it won’t be long now.”

Desgarion couldn’t hear or see anything beyond the redness that surrounded him. Even with his power, his strength, he found himself struggling against a higher one.

He hadn’t felt this overwhelmed in his life, even when he fought Abellion.

That time, he had lost due to the difference in skill.

Magic was the deciding factor.

However, this round was different.

If they possessed power at a similar range, then it would have been a foregone conclusion that Desgarion would win.

But, that wasn’t what happened.

His opponent was simply in a realm beyond his grasp.

It was his mistake for underestimating his foe. But—

‘I can do this! I can survive!’

His body was already slowly getting used to the pain of being completely rendered into nothing. He was slowly transcending the point of death.

If he endured for a little while longer, then perhaps he would be able to make it out of the vermillion hell he was stuck in.

‘Just a little mor—!’

Suddenly, the unexpected—or rather, undesirable—happened.

Desgarion… ran out of Miasma.

“E-eh…?”

>BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!<

The moment that happened, his death was already a foregone conclusion.

The Crimson Demon Lord’s demise was quick, and his whole body was turned to fine dust—and then burned beyond recovery.

***********************

“I wonder what would have happened if he didn’t run out.”

As I witnessed the devastated ground, I pondered on the potential fate of the opponent I just defeated.

He wasn’t a bad challenger, and his Original Magic was definitely going to be a pain in the long run.

I dragged the fight out to learn the structure of his Original Magic. Once the scan was complete, I ended things quickly.

‘To think he resisted that long…’ I was in luck that he ran out of Miasma.

If he didn’t… If he had survived that…

“I would have had to resort to Anti-Magic.'”

Fortunately, the threat was extinguished, and I got to learn something new.

There was also the option of blasting him to smithereens with a far more powerful Spell, so the situation wasn’t extremely dire.

“Alright, then. Let’s return to business.”

*************************

I utilized my Magic Coat’s Unknowable function, allowing me to be undetectable, while traversing the land of the Demons.

My goal was the large castle that stood magnificently erect, at the center of the continent—surrounded by six pillars.

It was the Demon Castle.

My goal was to meet up with someone, and also to obtain something.

Whether I was able to achieve either, neither, or both, were probable. Still, it was in my best interest to act accordingly.

In some moments, I arrived at the Castle, meeting it desolate—as expected.

Other than a few Demon Captains and some fodder that patrolled the area, the place was practically empty.

I invited myself into the Palace and walked down the empty hallway.

I bypassed the security functions since I could not be detected anyway.

Arriving at the Throne room, memories flooded my head, and I strained a smile.

It was just as I remembered it. The Demons never even thought of renovating it or anything.

Other than myself, there was one other presence within the room.

Despite my expectations—or lack thereof—I met someone seated on the large, black throne.

His hair was grey, and his horn was twisted. He had a wrinkled face and a shriveled body.

He was clad in ceremonial garb, and the dignity he exuded would make anyone know of the Royal bloodline in his veins.

The grey-colored Demon tiredly looked at me as I dispelled the Unknowable Spell and approached the throne.

“Demon King Aries… it’s been a while.”