Chapter 245

I am Nijilki the Scorch Tail.
Ever since Barzas the Tulei defeated me, I’ve helped him keep order among the soldiers as his subordinate.

And while I had always planned to challenge him to Gekokujyo, forty years had now passed.
I had experienced many battlefields and survived up until this day. My mana had increased so much that I was nearly a different person.

And so I had thought that I was no longer inferior to Barzas. That meant it was time that I finally challenge him.
I was terribly wrong.

Why had I become so delusional?
Yes, I was stronger. However, Barzas had become stronger as well.

A fool had come to our camp. All alone.
And then he single-handedly killed many of our men.

This was someone who shouldn’t be underestimated.
And so I had gone out to deal with him myself, but Barzas stopped me.

“All of you, stand back!”

I didn’t think he would. But Barzas had decided to fight the fool himself.

“Well, he’s dead.”
The others muttered. I nodded.
Barzas was strong. That was the only reason I was obeying him.

However, what about the results?
The fool went into some strange stance, but in the next instant, he closed in on Barzas in the blink of an eye, and then he unleashed mana from his fist.

“That’s a much better view.”
He looked through the big hole in Barza’s stomach and laughed.

Had Barzas really been defeated?
I could hardly believe it. I was stunned.

“Ahh… Could it be!?”
“Sir Barzas!!”

I could hear the screams of his subordinates. But there was no reaction.
Barzas just stood there with a gaping hole in his stomach.

This was bad.
Who would fight next? Barzas had been taken out in just a single hit.

The results would be the same no matter who went out. They would just be defeated.
The soldiers were consumed by fear, and they started to retreat.

I should have scolded them for abandoning their position and returning to the camp.
But what would I do after that? Who would fight?

“—Stop your howling!”

Silence fell over the scene.
It was Barzas who had shouted.

The hole in his stomach…had already closed up.
He had healed.

The Tulei were said to be immortal. However, I had never seen proof that this was true.
That is, until this very moment.

It had been said that due to their immortality, they had rested on their laurels. Well, that was a long time ago.
The Tulei fought even as their numbers started to dwindle.

And then their numbers dropped so low that they were now a rare sight.
When I had fought Barzas all those years ago, had he seemed half so immortal?

Had he been so threatening?
The answer was no.

“Ahh… Why had I allowed myself to get carried away?”

The battle in front of me was on a different level.

It was no wonder that he was considered to be the strongest.
However, this was no time to be dwelling on such things.
Shockwaves from the battle alone were causing the deaths of soldiers. This place was dangerous.

The impact of the enemy’s fists created the shock waves that attacked us.
It was the same with Barzas.

We were just spectators, and yet we were afraid of being there.

That’s how fierce the battle between them was.
Every blow struck like lightning from heaven, and the earth shook.

They hit, hit and hit.
And we could not interfere.

It was impossible to come between them.
It didn’t matter how many of us tried.

The earth tore open, and there was no longer any smooth ground below their feet.

From what I could tell, they appeared to be evenly matched.
I had no idea that Barzas had so much power within him.

And this fool who had come here all alone. Who would have thought that he could match that power?

“The Demon World is a big place.”

I hated myself for thinking that I could beat him in Gekokujyo.
It was so ridiculous as the gap between us had only widened through the years.

“ARRGGHHH!”
“GAARRRRHH!”

Their blows were landing more regularly now.
Clearly neither side cared to dodge.

They hit and were hit. Kicked and were kicked.
Immense attack power was unleashed, and unbelievable defense ability stopped it.

However, things would end soon.
It appeared that both were running out of energy.

The enemy seemed to be saving what he had left now.
And Barzas realized this, and moved quickly.

Both of their attacks landed.

And in the end…the one who remained standing was…

○ Lesser Demon King Kyuka’s Main Camp – Golan

“That was close.”
Things had gone well up until I used my special ability to launch the mana spear.

A great hole appeared in his stomach, and I was sure that I had won.
However, the wound closed up immediately.

His restoration ability was similar to that of a Vampire.
It must have been one of his special abilities. This was bad.

If he could continue to heal himself as long as his mana lasted, then I would likely run out of mana first.
After all, ‘Bottomless’ used an incredible amount of mana.

After that, we talked with our fists.

This Barzas guy, he clearly had no martial arts training, and yet he was surprisingly strong.
Not only was he tough, but he could heal. And he would have had a lot of experience in battle.

It would take time to defeat him.
…It was as I was thinking this, that I realized that my mana was running low.

I was using a lot for both attacks and defense.
If this continued, he would just gain the upperhand.

But if I tried to save up on mana, the damage would remain even if his attacks didn’t land.
And it would build up.

If I concentrate on saving energy while fighting, it would gradually become more difficult to move my body.

We were in a stalemate, and my brain understood the danger.
There were warning bells telling me to defeat him quickly.

From what I could tell, the enemy’s mana was also depleting.
In that case, maybe I should just use ‘Bottomless’ to inflict a great amount of damage.
I started to wonder about that.

“GAAAA!”

I attacked with all of the strength within me, and then moved back.
And then I quickly charged my fist with mana.

This would likely be my last attack.

The enemy realized this as well and attacked. He would try and stop me.
He was frantic.

Perhaps that meant he didn’t have enough mana left to heal again.

“Eat this! ‘Heavy Strike’!”

I charged my fist with mana, hardened it over and over, and then fired.
How much had I hardened it? My intention was to make it as heavy as a depleted uranium bullet.

The heavier something was, the more damage it did.
Same with its piercing ability.

Had Barzas expected to take me down with him?
But I was saved by a hair’s breadth. His fist just scraped my ear, while my fist slammed into his chest.

In the next instant, his back exploded like a blooming flower. Red blood and pieces of organs flew into the air.
A great hole had appeared in his chest. This time, he could not close it.

“Now it’s finished. That was a good fight.”
I muttered as my enemy crumbled to the ground.

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Makai Hongi