Chapter 174 Part 2: The Demon King’s End
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"{Blood Burst}!"
BOOOMMM!!!
Heisenberg blew up from the inside; the pressure of his insides exploding with the crimson blood Scarlet conjured was enough to fracture most of his bones, while his arms flew off into pieces, revealing a bright red crystal hiding beneath his ribs, which had gained a couple of cracks.
"That's… It must be his Demon King's Heart?"
Demon King's Heart is a crystallization of a Demon King's powers hidden inside their chest. The reason why Heisenberg could become undead without needing flesh or internal organs anymore was simple: with this core, he could take any form, anybody, any shape, no matter what.
To truly kill a Demon King, you had to shatter their heart and destroy their Soul Inside.
"Jeremias!"
Without wasting a single second, Anna summoned the weakened Jeremias, who, with a simple mental command, shifted space between her and Heisenberg, cutting the space between her, Jack, and the skeleton in less than a split second, virtually teleporting her to his side before he could react in time.
FLASH!
"Now, Jack!"
"You don't have to tell me!"
Jack harnessed all his power into his corrupted Gram, the sword gaining a few cracks over the overuse he had put it through. A pillar of black and swirling crimson colors surged, piercing the skies, and then descending towards the Demon King's Heart.
SLAAASH!
At the same time, Anna combined her {Radiance}'s Traits effects together, greatly boosting all her capabilities as a ferocious crimson snake surged from her sword's slice, swiftly combining with Thousand Blades, and multiplying into hundreds, biting and draining the energy of the spherical core.
BOOOM!
Both attacks blew off a few more of Heisenberg's bones, while his core gained even more cracks! But it had yet to explode. The shadows and phantasmal flames he vomited quickly transformed into a giant skeletal claw, attempting to rip both siblings to shreds.
"If you won't pity me, then I don't need you at my side!"
With a scream of both sorrow and frustration, Heisenberg attacked. Both siblings defended with barriers made out of their Radiances and their skills. An explosive strike shattered most of their defenses, but they survived somewhat.
CRAAASH!
"Shit, he's tough as bricks even after we ate like half of Uroboros!" Fenrir complained. "Well, not like we can use even half of what we got out of that damn worm! Dammit, alright, Jack, fuck it!"
"We're doing it?!" Jack asked.
"Yeah! Let me enter the damn fight! I won't let your world be engulfed by any monster other than myself." Fenrir laughed.
His shadows surged out of the wounded Jack. Anna noticed the demon wolf completely devour her brother and then change him. His werewolf form swiftly transformed into an even more beast-like appearance; a second pair of arms emerged, all of them materializing giant black claws; his size was tripling; he now possessed three heads instead of one, with six eyes, three brains, and lots of processing power.
"W-What is that form?!" Anna thought, not in all the novels she ever read of Jack taking on such a transformation before. "Was this form created not through forcing Jack to grow stronger, but through his bond with Fenrir?! It's so strong, yet... it doesn't even feel like it's draining his soul away."
"RAAAHHH!"
With a mighty roar, the protagonist kicked the sky, and an enormous explosion of shadows was released from his steps into the air, his claws rushing down towards Heisenberg, whose soul started leaking out of his cracked core.
"Leave me alone!"
While screaming, the Demon King attacked Jack with his soul, which transformed into a red titan of demonic flames, punching Jack's entire body, only for the three-headed and six-armed werewolf to attack back.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Three powerful claw slashes were enough to cut through the blazing demonic soul manifestation, followed by Jack's only sword-wielding arm swinging down at Heisenberg.
"DIE!"
With a mighty roar, an explosion of shadows was released the moment the sword clashed against the skeleton, only to reveal three enormous skeletal arms, stopping his attack!
"Mother, oh mother, you're back."
Heisenberg's voice was filled with joy, as Jack quickly noticed with one of his heads that Scarlet was about to get impaled by hundreds of bone spears falling from the skies. Henrietta was constantly fighting the other three arms, aiming to destroy them, but only leaving a few cracks.
"FUCK!"
With a roar of frustration, he ignored his foes, rushing down for Scarlet's aid! Anna was left even more speechless. In the story, Jack would have never done this. To go take care of a wounded friend instead of attacking the foe right in front of them.
"He has truly changed."
Anna's entire body suddenly disappeared out of thin air. Heisenberg and his "mother" senses were heightened, yet they were unable to see where she went. Anna used her gauntlet's power, {Void Veil}, to completely disappear without leaving any tracks behind. She emanated no sound, no odor, and no presence. It was true invisibility!
"Where did she…?!"
Heisenberg panicked for a split second before Anna reappeared right behind him, his mother reacting in that mere moment, her giant skeletal claws rushing towards her.
FLASH!
However, Anna disappeared again, leaving behind an explosion of Abyssal Flames covering Heisenberg's entire body. It burned with such intensity that it started melting his bones completely.
"Gryyaagh!"
As the man screamed in agony, Anna reappeared above him again. His mother attacked, but she disappeared right before she could hit her. Anna left behind a sphere of blood energy, which swiftly exploded in front of Heisenberg's skeleton face.
BOOOMM!!
"Urgghh…! W-Where did she?!"
FLASH!
As his skull started falling apart, Anna appeared again, below him, harnessing her Mana and Cosmic Energy into her Nameless Axe-Sword. One of the First Labors activated, and the roar of a lion surged from the weapon. The crimson lightning erupted out of the weapon, transforming into a mighty Nemean Lion.
[You have unsealed the {First Labor: Nemean Lion's Wrath}!]
[The might of the Nemean Lion engulfs your foes in a barrage of attacks that deal up to +1000% damage and ignore -50% of their defenses.]
CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!
Countless attacks battered down Heisenberg, who defended with his shadows and phantasmal flames. His mother tried to catch the lion made of red lightning, only for her claws to never reach him. And Anna appeared yet again, behind Heisenberg.
"YOU…?!"
The skeleton's empty eyes flared with blue flames again, his powers releasing from his cracked core in the form of a gigantic crimson hand. He tried to swiftly stop her before she became an even greater threat! However, Anna simply smiled. All the attacks she took head-on were not for nothing; her Armor was condensing with tremendous quantities of blood energy even now.
"{Maddening Scream}!"
It was now or never; Maria's crimson armor glowed bright red. And then a scream reverberated from within it. A scream so loud, maddening, and painfully agonizing that it made even Heisenberg's own self-loathing feel like absolutely nothing. The scream instantly paralyzed him and his summons, giving everyone a chance to strike. And not only that.
"I can't move?!"
Heisenberg's skull kept falling apart as he noticed his strength had been completely halved, his stats had decreased by as much as -50%, and the power effect of the {Maddening Scream} was one of paralysis, maddening, and stat debuff. The damage it dealt was minuscule, but that didn't really matter.
"BASTARD!"
A mighty howl echoed behind Heisenberg. Jack appeared like a titan of darkness looming behind him, with Scarlet right behind him, riding his enormous back. Her wounds were healed by Jack's last Healing Potion, and her Aura combined with his body.
"Take all my power, Jack! Slay him; do it! {Blood Berserker Aura}!"
FLUOSH!
Scarlet imbued all her magic inside of Jack's body, which further enhanced his muscular strength and stats. all of her Mana, and half her health went into this technique, her eyes becoming completely red as she started to bleed through all her orifices as a penalty for spending all her Mana at once.
"M-Mother, stop him!"
Heisenberg cried in desperation. His "mother" moved, piercing through the scream's effects in that split second and trying to stop Jack. But he had had enough of his damn summons. Swiftly spinning around the air and then kicking her with both of his legs at once into her chest.
CRAAASH!
Her entire body trembled. Golden runes left behind within her wounds caused by Henrietta conveniently activated, as if the herald of the Archangel had waited for this moment. Her smile surged above the skeleton.
"Did you think I was just stupidly distracting her?!"
So many things were happening while he could do nothing that Heisenberg felt truly lost. However, his confusing thoughts were quickly interrupted by his "mother" blowing up into pieces by both Jack's powerful kick and Henrietta's {Celestial Runes}, which purified her undead body and weakened it enough for Jack to finish her off.
BOOOMM!!
As she blew up into pieces, Heisenberg's last defenses were taken away. In a desperate fit of rage and frustration, his demonic heart shook, and more cracks surged from it. His soul emerged and quickly released a shockwave. He tried to stop them from approaching and barely managed until something that ignored his demonic power appeared above him.
"BROTHEEERRR!!!"
It was nobody else but Annabelle, her entire body having completely changed. She knew she was weak; she knew she couldn't make a change. But Fenrir had included her because he knew she had another power. An ability she was suppressing. But right now, she couldn't afford that luxury. She had to embrace it. Her aberrant self, her monstrous form.
"Annabelle?!"
Heisenberg gasped as he saw a gigantic, monstrous spider of black and purple exoskeletons loom over his head, clashing over his skeletal figure and destroying his demonic soul manifestation. Her giant mandibles began to bite through his body, leaving behind giant cracks. Her enormous legs wrapped around him, restraining him even further from releasing his powers!
"Now… Please finish him off. PLEASE END THIS!"
"Stop…! STOOOP!"
As Heisenberg struggled to free himself with his Demonic Soul Aura, Anna smiled, rushing towards Heisenberg with Jack and Henrietta at the same time. Their weapons pointed at the skeleton's crystal heart. The skeleton roared, struggled, and fought, but his sister, with all her love for him, wanted his suffering to finally end.
And it did.
Three swords pierced his demonic heart at the same time. Cracks spread out everywhere, and the accumulated powers of all three blades released enough energy to bloat his core with so much energy that it exploded like a balloon.
"N-No… S-Stop… I… My… dream…"
Between his groans, Heisenberg's empty gaze was directed at Annabelle's big, spider-like eyes. Tears flowed from them as she said her last farewell.
"Annabelle…! Help… me!"
"Goodbye, big brother."
BOOOMMM!!
Heisenberg exploded into pieces, his soul fading away, as his hand slowly caressed Annabelle before falling from the skies. The Demon Gate above the skies closed as if it had never been there, and the Demons fell into distress as they witnessed the swift death of their new King.
"They did it." The chairman smiled faintly, blood coming from his mouth, as he quickly fell to his knees. Surrounding him were thousands of demonic beast corpses. "Ugh… I sure overdid it now, hahah…"
"Mister Jonathan!" Leo barely managed to catch him and heal him before he passed out, as he slowly glanced into the skies. The dark clouds dissipated, opening up to the brightness of the sun. "Is this nightmare finally over?"
It felt like an eternity, but the Demon Castle Raid was officially over. And with it, immense changes were coming to the world as well. Administrators gathered in a meeting and made a decision.
"Humanity has progressed more than we imagined."
"The previously programmed challenges will not be enough for their growth."
"It is decided. The Second Awakening shall begin in 90 Days."
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Can't wait to see what's next? You can join my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/pancakeswitch
and gain access to all these Advanced Chapters:
55 Advanced Chapters of
The Protagonist's Sister Is Actually The Strongest
35 Advanced Chapters of
The Heavenly Martial Empress Returns
17 Advanced Chapters of
Fantasy Story Online: The Crippled Vampire Prince Walks The Heavenly Demon Path