Book Eater

Chapter 375: Advent of the Heavenly Demon (5)

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

The heavenly demon glared as he changed his stance. The power of aura, magic, and sacred creatures had united, forming an unprecedented danger. When the Absorption Star Method was activated, the heavenly demon would be difficult to overcome with a transcendent’s power alone.

Therefore, Theo had to prepare a trump card.

“Let’s see?” When he felt the power rising behind him, Theo playfully said to the astonished heavenly demon, “I brought you your brother. Isn’t it your duty to thank me?”

Theo had brought a miko with no battle experience onto a dangerous battlefield for a reason. Although he felt sorry for her, it couldn’t be helped. He wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to borrow the power of a transcendent, Abe no Seimei.

“The old gods of Takama-ga-hara, Suzuka who keeps the legitimacy of the heavenly deities is here―”

The heavenly demon realized it was already too late to interrupt. A ceremony of such power couldn’t be completed in seconds. It would’ve taken at least a few minutes. The chanting would’ve started the moment the heavenly demon was tied down by the joint attacks of the Dao Yuan Nine Palace Troops. Moreover, with Theo in front of him, it was impossible to kill Suzuka in the few seconds that were left.

“Great Founder Seimei! I give you my body today!” Suzuka, miko of Japan, completed the ceremony.

[I’m sorry for bringing you to such a rough place, my child.]

The Possession Ceremony was much less advanced than obtaining a divinity, but it became much more difficult if the subject was a transcendent like Abe no Seimei. Fortunately, Suzuka was Seimei’s distant kin and was able to easily succeed because Seimei cooperated.

Flash!

A translucent glowing figure appeared behind Suzuka. It was the soul fragment of Abe no Seimei from the Eight Jade Magatamas.

“No? That aura, that power! You are…!”

The heavenly demon was aghast when he recognized Seimei. However, Abe no Seimei and Theo spoke like the heavenly demon wasn’t there.

[There is only one chance. Don’t make a mistake.]

Theo replied, “Of course. I’m aware.”

There was a limit to using Suzuka’s body as a vessel. Only one technique could be used against the heavenly demon. If Seimei exerted more than that, Suzuka’s body and soul would be crushed. Therefore, his move had to hit.

Kiiing.

There was a sharp ringing sound, and the whole world turned black and white as Time Stop activated! However, the heavenly demon scoffed.

He had already fully adapted to Time Stop. “Ha! Are you stupid enough to try to use this to tie my feet for a few minutes?”

“That’s my line. Don’t you know after seeing it already?” However, Theo laughed at the unexpected situation. “I didn’t stop time in order to tie you down!”

“What?”

Inside Suzuka’s body, Seimei completed the chant.

[Taboo, Soul Incantation Killing.]

Chill.

It was very dangerous. Despite his sky-high pride, the heavenly demon felt a moment of crisis and moved. He couldn’t allow the other party to finish this incantation. The heavenly demon had to kill them before it could be cast, and avoid it if he couldn’t kill the caster. Wings of fire rose in a world where time had stopped. It was the power of the sacred creature, Karura. The heavenly demon was going to control the fire and leave this place.

“Hold on, Immortal Rope!”

At that moment, ropes flew at the speed of light and tied themselves around the limbs of the heavenly demon. It was one of the three treasures Theo had received from the supreme monk, a rope that could even hold a sacred creature.

“Eek! This crude thing…! Kuk, why?”

Theo grinned. “Now who’s the stupid one?”

The heavenly demon tried to activate the Absorption Star Method, but it wouldn’t work in an area that time was stopped. Even mana wouldn’t flow in an area where time was stopped. The heavenly demon grasped the situation too late and struggled.

[For a full day, I will seal your spirituality predation.]

Seimei proclaimed as he held his two fingers in front of him like a blade as the shape of a sword formed. The most powerful sealing taboo was a magic blade that could sever the soul of a god. This was one of Abe no Seimei’s ultimate techniques, which could seal even an immortal heart.

Puk!

Despite the heavenly demon’s desperation, the sword leaped from Seimei’s fingertips and into his heart. The heavenly demon’s hard skin was meaningless in the face of metaphysical attack. It was a sword blocking the soul. From now on, the heavenly demon couldn’t use the Absorption Star Method. His body had fully recovered from what he had absorbed a short while ago, but the attack power of the heavenly demon had been halved now that he could no longer use the Absorption Star Method.

Seimei, from now on I will fight alone.

[Can you win? He is a monster, even without that absorption method.]

The Absorption Star Method was a trick that relied on external force. But the scariest thing about the heavenly demon was his infinite resilience and recovery. The combat power of the heavenly demon got stronger with every minute that passed. This meant Theo needed to defeat the heavenly demon as soon as possible, before he could fully embrace his power.

Man proposes but God disposes. The heavens will stand by me.

There was an emblem on Theo’s right hand, a sign that stood for the guardian of the world. As long as the Absorption Star Method was sealed, he could use the material world as backup. Theo estimated his chances as seventy to thirty in his favor. Seimei read Theo’s will and sent Suzuka off the mountain. Only two monsters were left on the mountainside.

Duduk.Duk!Tududuk!

The heavenly demon broke through the Immortal Rope tying him. It wasn’t with any spell or technique, just simple strength.

The heavenly demon turned to face Theo. “Are you done?”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

The heavenly demon snorted. “Are you done with all your tricks?”

A bloody-colored aura overflowed from the heavenly demon, who held a sword and spear as Karura appeared as a translucent shape behind him. No, it wasn’t Karura. His body was surrounded by lightning, and his two legs, which had grown hazy, looked like power from a sacred creature. The practical experience of fighting Theo and his group made the heavenly demon even more advanced.

I’m glad.

However, Theo raised both hands instead of retreating.

I am still stronger.

Eight jewels started moving. The Eight Jade Magatamas was one of the three divine artifacts that could create separate bodies. The Eight Jade Magatamas recognized their owner’s will and shone.

Flash!

One, two, three… Theo’s clones appeared in the air, lined up at regular intervals. Magic power flowed out of his body into the ground, building up enormous pressure. There were nine forms standing around the heavenly demon. They couldn’t copy the main body’s defense and Gluttony’s power, but the magic power of nine Circles was terrible enough.

The pupils of the heavenly demon trembled for a moment. .

“I couldn’t use this feature due to the Absorption Star Method… but things have changed a bit. Isn’t that right?” Theo said half seriously, half as a bluff.

There might be nine bodies, but that didn’t mean Theo was nine times stronger. After all, the clones were created using ultimate magic. Once the ultimate spell was complete, the body of the clone would be reclaimed. A body that disappeared could only be summoned again in seven days, so it couldn’t be used again in this fight.

Well, I have no intention of telling him that.

Theo flew into the air, and his eight clones followed him in a semicircle. The eyes of nine Theos and the enemy of the world, the heavenly demon met…

Theo smirked. “How do you feel about your death day being the same as your birthday, monster?”

“―You!”

The next generation was marked by the end of a great battle.

***

Simply put, Hwang Mountain collapsed. If he wanted to express the landscape in words, he would need dozens of pieces of paper. The lowest mountain peak was three kilometers high, which was high in comparison to any famous mountain on the East Continent. A swordmaster’s aura blade or ultimate magic, which could burn thousands of people, wouldn’t be able to shatter even a tenth of Hwang Mountain.

Flash!

However, a flash of light eradicated Hwang Mountain instantly, causing a major earthquake.

Kukukukukung!

The surface of the ground was peeled away like skin, and some of the rocks were sent flying sky high. It was like a volcano had erupted as the dark night sky was covered by thousands of boulders. The catastrophe that was already beyond the realm of a mortal crashed into Hwang Mountain.

“Kuaaaaahhhhh!”

Lightning storms, fire pillars, and other spells were fired at the heavenly demon, who held both hands in response. In addition to the power of the two beings—the power of the sacred creature, Karura, and the evil dragon’s steel storm—he called on the dao king.

Thunder Hegemon Dao Final Skill. One Dao Precipice.

The original skill had broken down a cliff with a human body, but the heavenly demon literally carved the heavens and earth. The laws of the world, heat, pressure, and gravity were all arbitrarily twisted. Dirt disappeared, and light and sound collapsed. It was a destructive power that shook the laws of physics of the world.

Theo, who opposed him, didn’t look human either.

「 Absolute Shield. 」「 Reflection. 」「 Void Wall. 」

The ultimate defense magic of eight magicians coalesced on one point, blocking a destructive power that could tear the world apart. The material world screamed as the two traded blows. The landscape and ecosystem of the area had long collapsed. Even the forest and mountain animals hundreds of kilometers away were fleeing as far as possible.

Number 7 didn’t escape. There are four left.

It had gone on like this for an hour. Theo frowned as another clone disappeared. He didn’t have enough mental power to control all nine bodies perfectly. Goetia controlled two clones, but every time a discrepancy arose, one clone fell. As such, there were only four of the eight clones left.

The speed of his improvement is too fast. Fourteen types of great spells and Supercell no longer work, and neither do the lightning acceleration and Time Stop. More than anything, he’s trying to steal my magic while we’re battling!’

The two presences crossed nearly a thousand times in one minute and one second.

“Kuoh…!”

“Hu!”

If the battle lasted for another hour or even thirty minutes, Theo might lose his life. In fact, if his preparations had been lacking the slightest bit or he was missing even one colleague, it was likely he would already be dead.

But…

He had won. Two swords of light sprang from Theo’s two hands and crossed in front of his chest; the Heavenly Sword and Soul Caliber. Theo poured out all the magic power supplied by the material world and grabbed the swords of light. Was it because he had sunken into a state of enlightenment as the bloody struggle continued? It seemed the horizon was flickering.

The Fairy Dance technique that was only passed on to the head of the family.

Four Major Hidden Techniques. Boundary of Heaven and Earth.

He didn’t know the technique, but his body still remembered. It was the skill of a man who had conveyed his will to Theo before disappearing.

Great spell Abraxas (ΑΒΡΑΞΑΣ) Final Chapter. Elemental Buster.

Two swords, one as the peak of magic, and the other as the peak of martial arts. Theo forgot his own existence and as he drew a cross shape. A sword technique that could cut the heavenly demon’s heart into four pieces. This technique was unique to Theo. It was the sum of magic and martial arts that no one else had reached.

“Transcendent.”

Grand Cross.

The two rays of light passed through the flesh of the heavenly demon, and a fountain of blood gushed out.