The Demon Monarch System

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Despite Valac's sudden revelation of shocking spearmanship, Tirasha's superior strength and speed allowed her to counteract most of Valac's advancements. As a result, her initial fear of Valac's current form dissipated greatly.

However, one thing that left her shocked was Valac's stamina. Even though he unleashes upwards of a thousand strikes, he showed zero signs of fatigue. Since all of his attacks consisted of compound movements, not consuming a substantial amount of energy was impossible.

Thus, Tirasha could only question what she saw.

'Is this really the stamina of a Greater Demon? Something is wrong here. I couldn't even do half of what he's doing at that level. To me, he seems like an Archdemon who has spent decades mastering their art of the spear,' Tirasha thought.

Their last caused a faint numbness in her right arm, but she wasn't willing to concede just yet. Even if it wasn't apparent right now, Tirasha was sure that an opening in Valac's attack would surface. Once that happened, all she needed was one strike to turn the tides.

Meanwhile, Valac continued to roll his shoulder while glancing at his spear. Although it looked like he possessed the upper hand in this fight, his body was rapidly accumulating fatigue that he did his best to suppress.

Unfortunately, the sudden explosive movement was too much for his body to handle. Even activating his stigmata didn't absorb enough of the insane momentum. Thus, the joints in his shoulder, elbows, and fingers felt as if they were on the verge of tearing.

'I truly need to evolve again… but this damn seal is so annoying,' Valac thought. Unlike the rest, 95% of all Sin and Anima he absorbed was sapped by the seal placed on his body. So, whereas the others advanced at a steady pace, Valac's progress moved at a snail's pace.

However, this slow progress allowed him the needed time to refine his mechanical skill, such as spearmanship and extracting every ounce of effect from his attributes. This was also why despite having a lower evolution stage than the others, he was still able to become one of the higher-ranked members of the Dominus Household.

Nevertheless, Valac estimated he had no more than fifty moves left before his arm was entirely out of commission based on how much paid was accumulating in his spear-wielding arm. But, he wasn't sure if this was enough to emerge victoriously.

After all, Tirasha managed to withstand hundreds of blows and had yet to fall. In fact, the golden armor surrounding her body was extremely stable. 

'Who made this item? Its weak points are difficult to determine, almost as if they're constantly moving,' Valac thought. Initially, Valac focused on the weak spots in the fight, intending to end the battle as soon as possible.

However, after experiencing a few strikes in a certain area, the weak spot on the armor shifted. In a sense, Valac felt the armor was partially alive. If not, how could an item possibly change its weak spot?

"This armor protecting you is quite the item. You should probably give it to me," Valac chuckled. However, a mischievous gleam circulated in his eyes as he gazed at the armor. Though his armor was nearly identical in worth, it didn't possess this unique ability.

"As if. This is a treasured heirloom of the royal faction. Only those who wish to succeed the head seat are worthy of wearing this item," Tirasha scoffed. Afterward, both her hands tightened around the shaft of her spear, causing a golden spark to flicker at its tipping.

It gradually became larger until the entire spearhead was covered in a raging golden flame. According to the vibrant fluctuations, Valac could sense that Tirasha was growing impatient.

"Are you trying to end this now?" Valac questioned.

"I believe so. This fight has gone on long enough. It's time to decide a clear winner once and for all," Tirasha responded. Besides her waning reserves, there was another reason Tirasha was another reason she wished to end the battle soon.

While her grey hair hid it well, there was a black bruise on her neck spreading at an alarming rate. A sign that the armor was drawing far too much Anima and Sin Energy from her body at a rapid rate. Not to mention, all of the excess resources were sent back into her body.

The clash of the two opposing flows of energy produced a raging tide in her body. Although it wasn't dangerous if it went on for a few moments, it would undoubtedly lead to extensive damage once prolonged.

"Fine by me," Valac nodded. 

Suddenly, a savage look appeared on Valac's face as all the muscles in his body tensed, causing a surge of turbulent dark air to surface around him. A moment later, faint azure sparks crackled around his body as two wicked shadows appeared to his left and right.

'Hmm? Is this Baleful Step or something else?' Typhir wondered. After all, the appearance was too similar to the Triple Mirage that Apollo used. But, there were also slight differences because the two shadows didn't have a form as of yet.

Immediately after appearing, the shadows shifted to Valac's back, taking on the form of a colossal shadowy figure. However, even Typhir felt a slight bit of fear while witnessing this unknown shadow.

Evidently, Valac's actions went beyond a simple technique. Since they agreed to settle for one last attack, he condensed everything he had into a single strike, resulting in a manifestation of something disastrous.

Shockingly, Tirasha didn't present much of a reaction as a fearless expression crept upon her face. In the next moment, a golden storm was kicked up around her body as the golden sparks condensed into a rigid orb that emitted an unusually sharp aura.

A turbulent atmosphere formed as a result of both sides putting everything they had on the line. In fact, anyone who neared the battle vacated the premises because of the horrifying emissions of energy. 

Just advancing too close to the battle put their safety in jeopardy. So, while witnessing the battle was entertaining, it was too dangerous for anyone weaker than an Archdemon.

Although Tirasha was the first to gather her energy for the last strike, Valac was the first to move. It was unknown if his gathering speed was faster than Tirasha, but he was the first to release his strike.

The manifestation behind his back surged into the spear, turning all of Valac's momentum into a shadowy spear. However, amidst his shocking rush, he coughed up a glob of coagulated black blood.

'Damn it… not now! Just three seconds longer,' Valac snarled internally. Because he was pushing his body to his limits, the seal placed upon his body activated, which caused an adverse reaction to his internals. The unsightly blood was the result of him resisting the seal's suppression.

In the meantime, Tirasha's expression grew calm as she watched the incoming spear attack. Although the image evoked a cluster of fear in the pit of her stomach, the golden orb cut through the emotion, allowing her to keep a sound mind.

Tirasha remained in place for a few breaths longer, waiting until Valac advanced at least one hundred meters. Once that happened, Tirasha reigned in all of her aura and took a step forward. 

Everything around her turned quiet before being submerged by a flash of golden light. In the next moment, Tirasha accelerated a speed that caused both Sapphyr and Typhir's eyes to widen.

Aside from a streak of energy, they couldn't even sense her body!

'What a dangerous attack! Exploding one's energy to experience a spontaneous increase to one's acceleration? If Valac gets hit by that, there's no telling the outcome. Her attack is just as fearsome as his,' Sapphyr thought.

She extended her wings in preparation for the collision, but Typhir lifted his arm and shook his head. "I'll protect you."

At first, Sapphyr was taken aback by his claim, but she ultimately nodded because she was curious about Typhir's method to overcome the aftershock.

Finally, the collision between Tirasha and Valac took place. As expected, the initial crash resulted in a standstill. Tirasha's golden smashed against the Valac's dark spear.

However, cracks started spreading throughout the golden orb. The sight made Valac grin triumphantly. "I guess this is my win!"

Even the others felt it was the case because Valac's aura seemed to swallow Tirasha. But, the focused look didn't disappear from Tirasha's face. A slight grin even accentuated it!

"Is that what you believe? Have you forgotten your greatest tactic in the past? Deceive your opponent by appearing weak yet emerging stronger!"

Crrrrrrrck!

Suddenly, the shattering orb broke completely, turning into a cloud of golden mist. But, it consolidated into a beam in the next moment and tore through Valac's strike in one go. A clean hole shone through his attack as Valac stared at Tirasha blankly.

All he saw was a flash of golden light, and in the next moment, his attack was eviscerated. However, while a trickster, if he made a deal, he abided by it. Therefore, Valac bowed and looked down, "It appears it's your win. Allow me to apologize for your misdeeds."

"Rather than your words, I prefer repayment through your actions. I'll only accept your apology after you've proven that you're a changed demon," Tirasha said.

Surprisingly, Valac agreed. Not only was his answer because of her win, but it was also because of her actions during the last strike. Tirasha changed the trajectory of her attack after breaking his attack.

Otherwise, her attack was more than strong enough to pierce his body directly.. In other words, Tirasha chose to be merciful with his life.