Chapter 34: Devil

Basking in the flames around him, Giovanni stood in the centre of a world of carnage. His eyes were locked on Kelz and Zagon. He took a step forward and vanished. 

"So I can move hundreds of meters just like that?" 

"?!" 

Zyna and Xeroi's eyes widened. They turned their heads to see Giovanni standing between them. They instantly distanced themselves and readied to attack. 

(Impossible! He can move that fast?! Who the hell is he?!) 

Zyna's body was tense. Her instincts were screaming at her to avoid the thing in front of her. 

(What the hell, Feng?! What is this?!) 

Xeroi was the same. The sense of dread he was getting from this entity was unbelievable. Without even fighting it, he was certain. This being was on another level. 

"...." 

Giovanni turned to Zyna and then to Xeroi. 

"I don't really have interest in the two of you, so you don't need to be so alarmed." 

Despite his words, the two didn't relax and focused on his every move. 

"No way…" 

Meanwhile, Raphael was out of his state of madness. Yet, he was wondering if he was still hallucinating. He stared blankly at Giovanni who was looking in Zagon's direction. 

"Raphael!" 

He was forced out of his daze by Roxanne's voice. She and the rest of his siblings and allies came running. His siblings blocked off Julius from Raphael. 

"...." 

However, Julius wasn't paying Raphael any attention. He was staring at Giovanni's back. Fear stained his expression and his body was visibly trembling. 

"Dammit, Feng!" 

Julius growled Feng's name with bloodshot eyes. This caught Raphael's attention. 

"Is that guy Feng?" 

Gina mumbled. 

"He kinda looks familiar." 

Chul added. Raphael gently moved Roxanne out of the way and walked forward. 

"Julius, answer me honestly. Is that Gustav Fernandez?" 

"?!" 

Raphael's question sent shock through the battlefield. Even Kelz, who was a distance away, was visibly shocked. 

"I was with him the longest, so I'm familiar with his younger features. I've also seen one of the few pictures of when he was young and they look identical to him." 

"Raphael, what are you talking—" 

"My Lord!" 

Julius cut Roxanne off with a shout. 

"I'm begging you, please keep your promise!" 

Zagon looked at Julius' frantic expression and then at Giovanni. He opened his mouth to speak but— 

"What promise?" 

Before he could speak, Giovanni popped up in front of Julius. He looked into Julius's eyes as if trying to suck the life of them. 

"From your tone and body language it's clear you're hostile. So I'll ask again, what—" 

"Ahhhh!" 

Julius roared and punched Giovanni in the face with all of his strength. A loud thud resounded as the fist hit his face. Yet, Giovanni didn't flinch. He didn't even blink, his eyes never moved from looking into Julius's. 

"Dammit!" 

Julius leaped back and pulled out several syringes from a box. 

"Don't do it, Julius!" 

Xeroi shouted. Zagon prepared to move but he was blocked by Kelz. Julius stabbed the syringes in his arm and injected the fluid. His skin reddened as his body became rapidly bulkier and vascular. His eyes became bloodshot until the point of bleeding and his hair and nails lengthened. 

"OOOOHHHHHH!!" 

Julius let out a beastly roar into the night sky. 

"You're too noisy." 

Giovanni swung his hand to the side. A blue light flashed and Julius's roar was silenced. Julius's torso slowly slid off his body and hit the ground. The lower body quietly tumbled over. 

"......" 

Silence covered the battlefield once again. Julius, who was exhibiting unmatched ferocity, was killed with a simple swing of his hand. 

"Julius…." 

Zagon mumbled Julius's name. He started grinding his teeth as his whole body tensed up. He blasted off the ground with such force, Kelz wasn't able to stop him. She quickly followed behind him. 

"I don't know if that's really Gustav, but I can't allow him to be killed again! Especially when it seems he's not on their side!" 

She and Zagon flew across the battlefield and charged at Giovanni, who turned towards them. In that instant, the world slowed for the two of them. Giovanni vanished from their sight. He popped up in front of the charging Zagon. Giovanni slammed his fist in the center of Zagon's face. 

*BOOOOM!* 

A deafening noise erupted as Zagon's body was blown away with devastating force. The earth burst open and shockwaves spread out. A trench was ripped open in the earth as Zagon's body flew. He flew outside of the district and crashed through several buildings in the distance. 

"...…" 

Kelz froze in place with shock staining her face. She wanted to look behind her but couldn't look away from the person in front of her. 

Cold green eyes that looked at her with pure apathy. Everyone around her was the same. Nobody could look away. Giovanni's existence had commanded their attention with a single action. 

(Huh? What just happened? Zagon was blown away? Huh? With one hit? Huh? How?) 

Kelz's mind was in chaos. She couldn't process what she had witnessed or what was happening. 

"Zagon, I know that isn't enough to kill you so get back up already." 

Giovanni spoke while clenching his fist. That's when everyone saw it. Giovanni smiled. He flashed a smile overflowing with malice. This smile made all who saw it skin crawl. 

"Goddammit!" 

An explosion erupted with the sound of Zagon's roar. Debris was reduced to dust as he charged back into the district. He stopped some distance away from Giovanni. He had a glare filled with hatred. 

"Giovanni Delgado. Gustav Fernandez. Giovanni Fernandez." 

Zagon gritted his teeth as he spoke the names as if spitting them out. 

"I don't care what your name is. I'm going to eradicate every one of them!" 

"Enough talk. Come, God!" 

The two kicked off the ground with overwhelming force. Zagon threw a punch carrying the force of a speeding truck. Giovanni stopped. He parried the punch with one arm and countered with a palm strike to the chin with the other. 

"?!" 

Shocked, Zagon threw a hook on reflex. Giovanni stepped back and evaded the hook. He stepped in and kicked Zagon in the stomach. Zagon bent over holding his stomach. Giovanni kicked him in the face so hard it straightened his body. He followed up with a kick to his temple and floored him. 

This exchange happened in less than 5 seconds. 

"…..Huh?" 

Everyone was once again shocked. They blinked a couple times and Zagon was lying out on the ground. None was more surprised than Kelz. Unlike everyone else, she was able to see every movement. 

"How is he able to keep up with Zagon, a Lord?" 

Zagon sprung to his feet and looked at Giovanni with more shock than anger. He was genuinely confused about what was happening. 

"From your expression, I take it you thought me sending you flying was some kind of fluke. A miracle born from me catching you off guard and you losing yourself in anger." 

Zagon didn't reply but that was an answer in itself. 

"Hehehe…" 

Giovanni put his hand over his mouth in an attempt to suppress his laughter. 

"Pfft! Hahahahaha!" 

He failed. He burst out laughing without holding back. 

"My apologies. It's just I can't get over seeing that look on people's face." 

He wiped a tear from his eye. 

"The look of confusion before the fear sets." 

"What?" 

The veins in Zagon's body started bulging. 

"Zagon, let me tell you a little secret." 

Giovanni flew at Zagon. Zagon rushed at him with a kick. Giovanni changed directions with a jump to the side. The kick missed. He pounced at Zagon and punched him in the liver. 

"You're still stronger than me." 

Giovanni whispered in Zagon's ear. Zagon tried to swing his elbow. Giovanni caught the elbow before it could gather momentum. He punched Zagon in the back of the head. Zagon's brain rattled. 

"Despite this, you'll never defeat me." 

Giovanni stepped on the back of his knee and forced him to kneel. 

"Do you know why?" 

He grabbed Zagon's hair and flung him to his back. He then stepped on his throat crushing his windpipe. 

"You people gave me God Essence and returned my body to peak condition." 

Giovanni showed Zagon a gentle smile as he dug his heel in his throat. 

"You shouldn't have done that." 

Giovanni moved back when Zagon grabbed at his ankle. Zagon sprung to his feet holding his throat. In a few seconds it healed completely. 

"You bastard…." 

Zagon's eyes were completely bloodshot as he growled. 

"Zagon, let's say someone was born with stronger and more flexible muscles than the average person. Their bones were also denser and their five senses are top notch. In other words, they were born a physical superior human." 

A smirk appeared on Giovanni's face. 

"Now what if their father trained them to be the ultimate soldier to kill all of his enemies, and as a result they discovered their talent for warfare and martial arts?" 

He started chuckling as he spoke. 

"Now what do you think would happen if you gave that person otherworldly powers? What if that person was already trained to control their body to the fullest? What if that person was able to control the source of their new powers and focus it wherever they wished? Add the fact they were given data on the capabilities of their new power. What would you get?" 

Giovanni spread his arms. 

"A being that has the potential to oppose the so-called Gods." 

"This still doesn't make sense." 

"A lot of things don't make sense when it comes to me. You'll learn to live with it." 

A devilish grin appeared on Giovanni's face. 

"Or maybe you won't be living at all." 

"Don't get cocky! I'm a Lord!" 

"And I'm someone who defies Gods." 

Giovanni wore a small smirk. 

"I guess that makes me the Devil." 

The two moved at the same time. Zagon punched Giovanni in the face. His face burst open and blood gushed. Zagon's eyes light up but his mood quickly plummeted. Giovanni's wounds healed in an instant. Giovanni hit him with an uppercut to the chin. Zagon stumbled back. 

"As you can see, I'm still not on your level. I can't afford to take too many hits from you. But—" 

Giovanni leaped over a sweeping kick. He kicked Zagon in the face and floored him. 

"I can make up for the difference with experience and technique. After all, people strong as you normally end fights in an instant. You don't have experience brawling or fighting with everything you got." 

Zagon got up and gathered essence around his fist. Giovanni popped up in front of him. He chopped Zagon in the throat. Zagon started choking. He grabbed Zagon's arm and broke it at the elbow. 

"Ahhhh!" 

Zagon's scream was silenced with a boot to the temple, but he held his ground. This caused Giovanni to frown. He hit him again with swift kicks aiming at the temples. Zagon collapsed to his knees. 

"Ah, there it is. The one emotion you lacked." 

Zagon looked up and saw a pair of cold green eyes looking down on him. He could see his expression reflecting in these eyes. It was an expression he never saw on himself before. 

It was— 

"Fear." 

Giovanni displayed a merciless smile while looking down on Zagon. 

"You are in the presence of the Devil." 

Zagon's body trembled as Giovanni leaned over and looked into his eyes. He watched helplessly as Giovanni said the one word that would shatter his world. 

"Little God, Kneel."