Chapter 169: Anika’s Fall

"Your main movement skill is spatial, which is why you could instantly appear in any given location... While my castle is here to block out all space movement, which is why you could only rely on your speed." Darion said, his hand still stretched at her, the dark energy surrounding his frame crackling like broken lightning:

​"Now, accept your punishment, and die."

​"Human!! If I die do you think you’ll survive this?!! His space sealing castle also affects your escape route, the same route those two Humans with you took!! If you don’t work with me, we will both die here." She turned towards Asher, desperate, her pride as an Elite Demon completely shattered under the weight of an entity far beyond her rank.

​No matter how powerful Anika was, before this Boss, she was nothing but an ant. She regretted it, regretted everything! If she hadn’t followed Asher down here, she wouldn’t be in this situation, trapped inside a spatial death-cage with a absolute monster.

​’Fuck it!!’ She smashed her fist into the ground, cracking the ancient tile beneath her, staring at Asher with bloodshot eyes:

​"This is your only option!!!"

​"Not exactly."

".....?!"

​Asher crossed his arms on his chest, his words stunning Anika, while Darion paused, turning his glowing red eyes to the young human Awakened, as he continued:

​"You see, the reason I am not teaming up with you is because you’re a demon, a being who isn’t even my race... But that guy over there is a human. Why would I join a demon and fight someone from my own race?" He asked, his expression flat, presenting an impenetrable wall of stoic defiance.

​’What the hell am I saying?!! I came to this dungeon to clear it, and I can only clear it by killing the Boss! Then all this nonsense I am saying is completely useless!’ Asher thought inwardly, his heart hammering in his ribs, but his expression still remained completely flat.

​"...?!"

​His words stunned Anika, leaving her speechlessly enraged, while Darion raised the corner of his lips into a cold, amused smirk: "Interesting." He muttered to himself, intrigued by the sheer nerve of the young intruder.

​"Then! I will have to kill you first!!!"

​BOOM!

​Anika instantly went crazy, her long blood-red hair flying wild as she lunged towards Asher with pure bloodlust, throwing her razor-sharp claws forward directly towards his head.

​"I didn’t ask you to attack him."

​"....?!!"

​Anika froze midair, feeling an overwhelming surge of sheer danger moving towards her. She quickly turned around, seeing five glowing crimson stones tearing through the atmosphere.

​"Damn it!! Damn you all!!!" She screamed in pure, unbridled rage, as massive bone spikes burst out all over her body, shooting towards the five stones in a desperate volley.

​BOOOOM!!!!

​The whole five stones shattered all her spike defenses effortlessly, and smashed right into her chest and torso, sending her flying across the massive hall and slamming heavily into the fortified castle wall.

​"...?!"

​Asher blinked, stunned speechless by the sheer casually destructive force. He turned his eyes toward Darion, seeing a brilliant white gem glowing rhythmically behind him, set directly right into the throne’s stone surface.

​’What is that?’ He thought in confusion, his keen perception locking onto the strange artifact.

​"Cough!!"

​Anika coughed up a huge mouthful of black demonic blood, falling out from the spiderweb cracks on the wall. A staggering 50 million of her health was instantly wiped out from the impact:

​’If I had defended against that attack properly, I wouldn’t be in this state! But that human just made me so angry.’ She thought, her blood-soaked gaze shifting away from Darion to Asher, who was currently staring at the throne with a deeply confused expression.

​She followed his line of sight, and spotted the white gem which was merged seamlessly into the structural heart of the throne.

​’Is that...! Yes! That must be it!’ She clenched her fists until her claws cut into her palms, and shot forward with every remaining drop of her agility.

​Seeing her violent movement, Asher turned his attention back to the frantic struggle between Anika and Darion.

​"I will eat you!!" She screamed, moving at her absolute fastest speed, blurring across the field and instantly appearing five meters before Darion. But instead of attempting to attack his body, a huge bone spike materialized in her right hand, and she threw it with all her strength directly at the white gem behind him.

​BOOOOM!!!!

​".....?!"

​They both stared as the dust and smoke cleared, revealing the massive hand floating in front of the throne, casually blocking the spike with its palm.

​"This?" Anika was stunned, her eyes wide as she rapidly leaped backward to create distance from Darion.

​"What an annoying thing." Darion said softly. And before anyone could process his words, he vanished from his position entirely, instantly reappearing directly in front of Anika.

​"Such speed!!"

​Both Anika and Asher were stunned. The acceleration bypassed physical observation entirely.

​"I won’t back down---"

​BAM!!!!

​"PFFFT!!!!"

​"...?!"

​Asher froze in place, staring at the two standing a mere five meters apart. A gigantic, red spear was currently piercing right through the center of Anika’s chest, bursting out violently from her back.

​The spear was constructed from the same pure, indestructible material as the stones, and it had actually erupted directly from the ground beneath her, tearing a gaping hole in the demon general’s body.

​"You...!" Anika spurted out another heavy mouthful of blood, staring at Darion in sheer shock and disbelief as her vision began to darken.

​Asher watched in silent horror as her gigantic health bar rapidly depleted from 50 million to twenty... Then ten... Then five thousand... And right before his eyes, hit absolute zero.

​Just like that, the formidable Ex-Rank Elite Demon General Anika was killed, her thick blood pooling on the cold stone floor and spreading rapidly across the grand hall.

​"The intruder has been dealt with." Darion said calmly, stretching his fair hand towards her corpse. The next moment, the red spear sprouted countless microscopic branches, completely shattering and obliterating Anika’s physical body from the inside out. Before Asher’s stunned gaze, the spear dissolved, and her remaining bloodied fragments fell silently to the floor.

​’This... I thought she was a special Boss?!! She should have had five different phase transformations, right?’ He muttered to himself, still completely stunned speechless by how abruptly an Ex-Rank threat had been erased.

​Then, Darion turned his cold, red-eyed gaze away from the pool of blood, fixing his absolute attention entirely on Asher.

"....?!!"