Past Life Returner

Chapter 378

The lightning bolts that emanated from the tip of the thunderstorm spear were swifter than Doom Caso could react. It belatedly attempted to raise its entire body, which was locked in the wall.

[You have used Odin’s Wrath.]

[Subject: Zeus’s Thunder Spear]

If Doom Caso had been able to move at a comparable pace to my movements with such a huge body, then it would have been ranked in a higher position among Dooms. Simultaneously, the heaps of soil from above crumbled while lightning dispersed in every direction while it squirmed. Since it wasn’t a Graf, I had no intention of digging through the underground soil and fighting with it.

I ascended high up, covering a considerable distance to reach the outside. The smell of damp earth trailed me, and as the clumped soil burst out like a fountain, I merged onto the surface.

Hwak-!

I knew that there would be no residential area here as soon as I stretched out the boundary. I was in a forest under the daylight. The nearby giant trees had been knocked down by the movement that had taken place underground. Therefore, the area above was open and no leaves covered me. However, the sun was hidden by the boundaries of the absolute warzone. Instead, the entire area was engulfed by a white radiance.

Meanwhile, the spot I broke through to emerge on the surface settled down in silence. Doom Caso appeared to have no desire to engage me in combat, but that was just an illusion. This was a time for discipline, not fighting.

As soon as I wrapped my fingers around the spear, I sent a blow down toward the ground.

Swak-!

Ziiiiing-

It was accompanied by a heavy tremor. The debris scattering on the ground was only a very small part that could be witnessed. A large lightning bolt dug through the ground like a Lightning Dragon, and in fact, it was weaker than the bolts that were reinforced by Odin’s Thunderstorm.

Nevertheless, the number of debris that penetrated the outside of the ground increased because the bolts couldn’t control the force. Lightning sprouted everywhere and suddenly acted like flowers in full bloom.

The earth was covered with mini thunderstorms, and they swayed for a long time. As the plants on the ground began to disintegrate into ashes, Doom Caso emerged abruptly, unable to endure the lightning any longer.

One of its hands tore through the ground while the other used the contact surface as support. As the ground crumbled under its weight, a massive crater formed, resembling the size of a meteorite impact.

Then, its head appeared. A copious amount of soil trickled down its facial contours, evoking the image of a mythical creature awakening from the depths of the earth due to my lightning strike.

With the help of lightning, I forcefully made it come out up to its chest level and had to tilt my head back to view its entire countenance. A cascade of soil mixed with fine dust rained down, and its two crimson eyes gazed down at me, displaying its resilience despite being struck by my lightning spear.

Yes, your resilience is unbelievable. That’s why the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues struggled a lot in the past.

“Is it because of what happened on your mainland? That was only because of the command…!”

Doom Caso appeared to have realized that it couldn’t change my mind. It had been avoiding the fight but now stopped trying to dodge me. Then, it swung its fist that was hanging on the ground. Its attack was powerful, but it was so slow that even an Awakened in the diamond section would have been able to avoid it.

However, the wind pressure was difficult to resist, and that was why the named Awakened couldn’t even approach it. The Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues who had reached S-class in the past were the only ones who could confront it.

The pressure exerted by the giant fist gnawed away at my defensive shield and caused my chest and pupils to feel weighed down. As the fist drew closer, the wind pressure intensified twofold. Just as the fist was about to strike me, a vision of the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues falling like autumn leaves flashed through my mind.

Not only its fist, but its arm was also huge. Therefore, it felt like a storm surging in the pitch black night. It felt more like that as its fur was dark colored. The black color was especially concentrated on its fist, and I was waiting for it to fill my sight.

Thud!

This occurred because I concentrated the lightning energy at the tip of my spear instead of releasing it immediately. As the spearhead was just a single point while the giant fist had a much larger surface area, the outcome of their collision was uncertain and unpredictable.

I just slightly turned the end of the spear at the moment of the collision.

“Gah…”

Its fist had also twisted. The maneuver appeared to warp the black void, which was previously filled with its fists.

Lightning tendrils penetrated through its protective barrier. As they dispersed into multiple streaks and debris, the movement became even more pronounced with blue flashes. Nevertheless, it was apparent that the shield was still working despite the previous attack. If this had been translated into our system, then Doom Caso’s Health would be classified under the Ender category.

At that time, I activated a trait.

[Forerunner has been activated.]

An oval-shaped Mana field appeared, and the gusts within it started to spiral rapidly, coinciding with the pendulum’s swift motion.

***

The speed of Doom Caso colliding with the ground was also slow. While its lower body remained embedded in the ground, only the upper portion toppled over with a resounding crash.

Soil tangled with ash powder was falling down like hail. I wrapped my arms around one of its fingers and lifted it upwards. Its dense hair, tough skin, and sturdy bones were palpable. The noise produced by the forced movement of the joints was deafening. It also sounded like something was breaking loudly.

Just like that, I pulled out its entire body from the ground. As I flung it backward, it collided with the boundary and shook its head before regaining balance. Doom Caso might have perceived me as being upside down since its waist bent, despite standing upright.

“Is it fair now?” I asked.

“Doom Kaos will never tolerate this.”

I pointed behind it, but we couldn’t see the outside as it was blocked by the boundary. I was telling Doom Caso to look at the boundary itself.

“We had a quarrel because you were rude to a superior monarch. That’s why I tried to scold you, but your resistance was so strong…so I had no choice but to kill you, maybe?”

“Maybe…? Are you not afraid of Doom Kaos? Other Demon Kings are going to be…”

“I am, but even if it’s Doom Kaos, it won’t be able to see through here.”

After all, this was a boundary made by the old power of the Old One. Even the great Doom Kaos couldn’t interfere unless it broke the boundary and came in here itself.

“And I think Doom Kaos will tolerate it. I think it’s better for him to make a vacancy for a new, strong Doom instead of someone who is just a bit stronger than Dragorin.”

“What…what the hell are you talking about?! You don’t even know much about me because you weren’t on the battlefield!”

I retorted, “I know that you were beaten by Saint Jayden. It looks like you have recovered, but the fact that you are still holding your breath and staying quiet is because you are scared of his bloodline, right? You are a disgrace to all Dooms.”

“You joined late, and you don’t even know what you are talking about! How would you be able to know the ferocity of that moment? Those on the higher ranks also had a difficult time. You weren’t even there, and it wasn’t a war where someone like you could jump to conclusions.”

I interrupted, “Have you seen the ‘Main Body’ of a Doom?”

“...What?”

“I have seen one from Doom Dejire. Doom Kaos was invading its thought process. You must have felt something during the procedure of getting your current position. That’s why I’m telling you. I killed Doom Dejire even when he was in his ‘Main Body’ even though I wasn’t even Doom then.”

“...”

“If you want to take it out, feel free to do so. Do as much as you can, and realize how helpleless you are.”

“I am telling you again, but I have no intention to challenge…!”

“Let’s see how far you can resist!”

“You are actually doing this!”

[You have used Odin’s Ethereal Animal.]

Embers appeared and flared up. I flapped my wings as I leapt along with extreme heat. The speed at which the air heated up or the flames soared up couldn’t catch up with my pace. They only caught up after I stabbed the thunderstorm spear, getting stuck in its face. The lightning power struck him first, then the flames swept its face.

The whole place quickly became messy as the fire burned and the lightning power splashed everywhere. When Shiva’s Sword exploded in its face after my third consecutive attack, it lost its balance as it stood up. There was a boundary connected to the sky in the back, and its posture was bent naturally.

My three tails, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma weren’t long enough to wrap fu;ly around its limbs, so I was using them like weapons at the top of its head. Eventually, a part of its shield dissipated. I pierced my tails through its rough and thick fun, then stabbed them into its skin..com

“Kwaaaaaaak-”

Despite shaking its head, I could only feel the force of wind pressing against me. Each time it tried to swat me away like a mosquito, lightning dragons persisted in emerging from the tip of the spear. They coiled around its fingers and wrists, seemingly determined to constrict and slice them.

Doom Caso was stomping its feet now. Instead of a meteor pouring out, fragments of the earth’s crust rose from below. However, even those were often scattered due to the wind pressure from his stomping, and my embers and lightning burned them down.

Its size was so immense that it resembled a volcano, with the debris floating in the air appearing like ash. Blood was boiling in the skin where I pierced, and when it soared, it looked as if a volcano erupted. Its blood even hit the ceiling of the boundary due to extreme pressure.

What I felt from it at the moment wasn’t Mana’s movement. There was something residing deeper inside it than Mana. I could barely sense its existence, but we both had the energy of Power, and it was bringing that out.

Had I been able to discern the type of flow it was using, similar to Mana, I could have replicated the Power it was attempting to wield. Unfortunately, I had yet to accomplish this skill.

It used its Power. A tinge of red was present, and in addition to its various hues, it differed from Mana in that it carried properties of fire, instilling a sense of eeriness simply by gazing upon it. I didn’t know in detail what it was in the past, but I knew now.

Originally, the Eight Evils and the Eight Virtues had been on the verge of getting annihilated in the past. During that time, the First Evil activated the Man Who Overcomes Adversity, and the battle that lasted for several days was nearing the end.

However, right now Doom Caso was taking out its last resort after merely being beaten a few times. It seemed to have determined to fight me with all its strength as it realized it couldn’t confront me without using its entire power.

I now had two choices. One was avoiding it somehow, and the other was fighting back against it. I chose the second option as I intended to subjugate it. I needed to show a stronger power than Doom Caso!

As I folded my wings, the flames rising from my tails engulfed them. The spinning trajectory of Devi’s Sword placed me at its center, causing the clashing sounds of fire and metal to reverberate. In unison with these actions, Doom Caso also activated its skills at once. Then, its thick hair transformed to a fiery red hue.

As the sole target of the attack, every strand of its fur was aimed directly at me. Therefore, my mission was to swiftly impale each one with my spear. I couldn’t permit any form of intrusion upon my being!

***

I was standing atop the fallen Doom Caso’s forehead and wielded the spear with lightning-like precision. Three blades slicing through the air. I was carving the ‘三’ symbol onto its forehead, and I shot embers from my wings whenever it attempted to move its limbs.

Although I had only unleashed embers, they transformed into a terrifying blaze upon impact with Doom Caso. Flames erupted from every direction, all stemming from the initial collision.

“S…stop!”

“Is this it? You are indeed a disgrace to all Dooms. I can tell why you are always getting beaten up.”

Expressing kindness, especially towards Doom Caso, wasn’t something that came easily to me. This was the best I could do after filtering my words.

“You lack Power to a great extent. I now understand how Doom Kaos thinks of you now because of your limitations.”

“Why are you…doing…this… If it’s because of your mainland…as you know…”

“You?” I guffawed.

I threw my spear at one of its eyes as soon as I pulled it out. Doom Caso screamed immediately. It tried floundering its limbs, but it soon realized that it would aggravate its pain. As I withdrew the spear from it, the lightning stem morphed into a hook, and with it, its eyeball also became dislodged. It barely managed to endure this. The time for it to maintain its form was short as it exploded.

Disgusting blood and fluid from the eyeball splattered in all directions.

“GAHHHHHH-! I am! I am so sorry! It’s all my fault, Doom… Doom Man…”

Finally, it called me in the right way while closing its remaining eye. It acted like it couldn’t bear to lose it.

“Let me ask you a question. How far do you think I will go up?” I asked.

“T…that is…”

“Fourth in rank, Doom Insectum. I am confident that I can go up to that far.”

“Of…of course… You deserve it.”

“But I’m not sure about from Doom Entegasto to Doom Kaos because they belong in a different realm than us. Then where should you be in the rank? How would you be able to survive in my grasp?”

“...”

“I am asking who can save you now.”

“Only you… Doom Man…”

“Then, there is only one thing left.”

“What is it?”

“I will instill a kind of fear into you, such that you won’t be able to even make eye contact with me ever again.”

“The higher-ups will never tolerate this…!”

“Yes, I will make sure that you will never say that again.”

From now on.