Chapter 132: The King of Eldoris Takes the Lead

The previous exchange had changed the battle. Tanaka could feel it in every movement of his body. The energy he had devoured from Demonic Erasure was still being processed by Endless Abyss, it had not made him overwhelmingly strong but it had changed the way Tanaka’s body and Magic Core reacted to Rhazek’s power.

Every attack now felt more familiar. The darkness in Rhazek’s magic no longer carried the same mystery. Tanaka understood its weight, its flow and the way Rhazek shaped it before releasing it. Rhazek noticed the change as well. Tanaka had stopped being the one reacting to the Demon Lord. He was beginning to dictate the fight.

Rhazek lunged forward. Tanaka immediately disappeared. A burst of wind exploded beneath his feet and launched him upward, Rhazek’s claws tore through the space where his chest had been but Tanaka twisted in midair and released Wind Breath directly beneath him. The force pushed him higher while sending Rhazek crashing toward the ground. Rhazek twisted his body and landed on all fours. Before he could rise completely the ground beneath him broke apart.

"Earth Impact."

The earth erupted. Stone pillars slammed upward around Rhazek forcing him to leap from one unstable surface to another. Tanaka followed. His Wyvern wings beat once carrying him forward with enough force to shake the surrounding air, he crossed the distance and brought one claw down.

Rhazek raised his arm. Claw met claw. The impact sent a shockwave across the battlefield. Rhazek’s feet dug into the earth. Tanaka was pushed backward. The Demon Lord was still physically stronger. But Tanaka no longer tried to overcome him through raw strength. He changed his body before Rhazek could follow. His arm stretched. The claws became a spear-like point. Rhazek’s eyes narrowed.

Tanaka drove the transformed limb toward his throat. Rhazek tilted his head and avoided the strike by a fraction, the claw passed beside his neck cutting a deep line through his fur. Blood sprayed. Rhazek answered with a heavy punch. Tanaka raised both arms. The blow still sent him flying. He crashed through a large stone formation and rolled across the ground. His body hurt. His scales had cracked. But he stood almost immediately. Pain Tolerance kept his thoughts clear. More importantly, Endless Abyss was still working. Tanaka looked at the blood dripping from his claws. He smiled faintly. He was learning.

Rhazek charged again. This time Tanaka did not retreat. He moved forward. Wind gathered around his body wrapping his limbs in a rotating current, his speed suddenly increased. Rhazek swung. Tanaka slipped beneath the attack. A second swing came from the opposite side. Tanaka changed direction without slowing using Wind Movement to carry his body around Rhazek’s flank. His tail struck first. Rhazek staggered. Tanaka followed with a claw through the Demon Lord’s side. Blood spilled across the battlefield. Rhazek snarled and released a wave of demonic energy. Tanaka raised a hand. "Water Movement." A wall of water formed between them. The demonic energy tore through it. But the delay was enough. Tanaka had already moved. He appeared above Rhazek.

"Storm Lord."

The sky answered. Lightning descended. Rhazek crossed his arms and endured the strike. The battlefield shook. Smoke covered the Demon Lord. Tanaka landed several meters away and waited. Rhazek emerged from the smoke with blood running down his arm. His crimson eyes remained fixed on Tanaka.

"You’ve changed."

Tanaka did not deny it. "So have you." ℴℴ𝘮

Rhazek rushed forward. This time Tanaka’s attack came first. He slammed his palm against the ground. "Earth Impact." The entire area beneath Rhazek collapsed. The Demon Lord jumped. Tanaka was already waiting. He struck Rhazek in the chest with enough force to send him through several trees. The Demon Lord crashed into the forest.

Tanaka followed without hesitation. He had taken control of the battle. Not because Rhazek had become weaker. Because Tanaka had finally understood how to fight someone stronger than himself. Every attack Rhazek made gave him information. Every spell he used gave Endless Abyss something to process. Every exchange pushed Tanaka’s body closer to adapting.

Then something changed inside him. A familiar sensation spread through his Magic Core. Tanaka stopped. The energy he had absorbed from Demonic Erasure was no longer simply being digested. It was becoming part of him. His Magic Core pulsed. A new understanding entered his mind.

[Skill acquired.]

Tanaka’s eyes widened slightly. The change continued.

[Extra Skill acquired.]

Another pulse.

[Magic Resistance has evolved.]

His senses sharpened. The pressure of Rhazek’s aura no longer felt as oppressive. Tanaka moved his fingers. He could feel the difference. His body was becoming more efficient at handling magical energy. He had not merely gained power. He had gained compatibility.

Rhazek emerged from the trees. Tanaka looked at him. Rhazek looked back. Then Tanaka vanished.

The next exchange lasted only seconds. Tanaka moved through the battlefield like a storm. A claw strike. A kick. A burst of wind. A sudden change in body shape. A lightning strike. A stone spike. Rhazek defended against the attacks but Tanaka no longer gave him enough time to establish control. Whenever Rhazek tried to overpower him Tanaka redirected the battle. Whenever Rhazek attempted to create distance Tanaka closed it. Whenever Rhazek prepared a spell Tanaka attacked the terrain beneath him.

The Demon Lord was being forced backward. Rhazek blocked a claw. Tanaka immediately changed the shape of his arm and struck again. Rhazek twisted away. Tanaka’s tail slammed into his legs. The Demon Lord lost balance for a moment. That moment was enough. Tanaka struck his chest with both hands. Rhazek flew backward. He crashed into the ground hard enough to create a crater. Tanaka landed at the edge. His breathing was heavier now. His Magic Core was still under pressure. But the battle had reached a point where Rhazek was the one struggling to keep up.

More changes followed.

[Skill evolved.]

[Wind Breath - Greater Wind Breath.]

[Skill evolved.]

[Mana Reinforcement - Greater Mana Reinforcement.]

Tanaka felt the wind around him become denser. His reinforcement became more efficient. His movements became sharper. The changes were not finished. A dark presence remained inside his body. The corruption. Tanaka could feel it. He had encountered corrupted mana repeatedly throughout the war, it had nearly cracked his Magic Core once and his Corruption Resistance had kept evolving under pressure, slowly learning how to withstand something that should have destroyed him. But now it was facing something different.

The corruption in his body was no longer attacking him. It was being understood. Tanaka closed his eyes. For a moment the battlefield disappeared. He sensed every trace of corruption remaining within himself. It was twisted energy. Aggressive. Hungry. It attempted to distort everything it touched. Tanaka’s Endless Abyss responded. Instead of resisting the corruption blindly, Tanaka’s body began breaking down its structure. His resistance changed. It was no longer simply enduring corruption. It was recognizing it. Separating it. Destroying what could harm him. Absorbing what could be used.

Tanaka opened his eyes. Something inside his Magic Core cracked. Rhazek saw it. Tanaka’s entire body shuddered. The Demon Lord prepared to attack. Then the world stopped. A voice unlike any other echoed across the battlefield. It did not come from Tanaka. It did not come from Rhazek. It came from the world itself.

[Unique Skill Evolution Conditions fulfilled.]

Tanaka’s pupils contracted. Rhazek froze. The voice continued.

[Unique Skill: Corruption Resistance is evolving.]

The pressure surrounding Tanaka changed. Black energy gathered around his body. For an instant it looked like the same corruption that had once threatened to destroy him. Then the darkness collapsed inward. Tanaka’s Magic Core absorbed it. The world trembled.

[Unique Skill acquired.]

[Unique Skill: Abyssal Purification.]

[The evolved skill grants complete recognition of corrupted energy.]

[Corruption can no longer forcibly invade the user’s Magic Core.]

[Corrupted energy may be purified, neutralized, or processed through the user’s abilities.]

Tanaka stood silently. The pain vanished. Not because his body had become immune to everything. Because the corruption itself no longer had the ability to overwhelm him. A final message appeared within his mind.

[Unique Skill: Abyssal Purification has synchronized with Unique Skill: Endless Abyss.]

Tanaka’s eyes widened. He could feel the difference immediately. Endless Abyss had always devoured. Now it had something capable of determining exactly what the corruption was before consuming it. The two abilities complemented each other perfectly. Rhazek stared at him. His expression had finally changed. The amusement was gone. Tanaka slowly raised his head. His wounds were still visible. His scales were cracked. Blood covered his body. He was exhausted. Yet the pressure surrounding him had become heavier than before.

Rhazek grinned. "So that’s your answer."

Tanaka did not respond. He took one step forward. The ground beneath his foot cracked. A second step. The wind around him began to swirl. Rhazek tightened his claws. Tanaka stopped several meters away. For the first time since their battle began, Rhazek was the one standing on the defensive. Tanaka stared directly into the Demon Lord’s crimson eyes. Then he spoke.

"Do you have any last words?"