Chapter 185: Sword Heart
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Clang!!
Sparks flew as Cedric's sword clashed with the Capra Demon Lord's cleavers. He could feel the impact of the clash diffusing on his entire body. It felt uncomfortable but not the worst, his muscles just pulsed to offload the impact to his surroundings, reducing the pain and preventing him from being injured.
Solaris Edge - the name of Cedric's sword, billowed with Cedric's Sword Intent and bright orange flames. The sharp energy left deep gashes on the cleaver and some shallow wounds on the demon's body while the flames burned with ferocious intensity.
Capra Demon Lords aren't weak to fire, the Demon Lord version is the same. That said, Cedric's flames burned too hot to be ignored. Even with the enhancement it received upon ascending as a Demon Lord, the temperature of Cedric's flames remained a threat to the Capra Demon.
Knowing this, the Capra Demon can't engage in close quarters with Cedric for too long, or else, it will be swallowed up by the flames.
Of course, there's no way that a proud hunter like this Capra Demon could ever accept the fact that it couldn't match its target. So, it began thinking of different ways to approach this situation with the end goal being the same; kill this human and turn his skull into a trophy.
Roar!
The more determined the Capra Demon was, the more it displayed its innate talents.
It retreated some distance before stomping hard enough to cause webs of cracks to spread all over the domed area. It then plunged both of its swords to the ground and dug up a massive boulder which it then launched into the air.
The Capra Demon Lord followed it and sliced the boulder into pieces. Then, it kicked the smaller boulders toward Cedric, and the rest scattered everywhere.
Using its speed, it caught up to the other pieces of rubble, similarly launching it to Cedric using the same method. Then, the Capra Demon kicked up its speed, essentially disappearing from the naked eye with how fast it was moving.
The billowing flames on Cedric's sword concentrated and turned into a torch, its heat was concentrated and became more destructive through this. With a grunt, Cedric swung his sword widely, leaving a sharp gash around him.
Because of the sheer heat and sharpness his sword was releasing, Cedric quite literally sliced space in front of him, causing the surrounding environment to warp and twist.
All the rubble heading his way veered in different directions and was swallowed up into nothingness due to the sheer heat that Cedric released. Additionally, the Capra Demon Lord who's moving at its top speed was forced to slow down to evade the impact of Cedric's attack.
It nearly couldn't because of the unexpected effect of Cedric's attack on their environment. The Demon Lord was still alive but it was injured, a large scar was left on its torso, cauterized by the residual heat contained within.
The injury was hurt even more because Cedric's sword intent was mixed with it. His valiant spirit and deep desire to kill demons made this energy extremely harmful to Demonkind, and the Capra Demon wasn't an exception.
Within the Capra Demon's mind, fear and uncertainty started to sprout.
This wasn't the first time it had hunted a human. However, this was the first time that Human wasn't scared upon seeing it. This was also the first the that a Human bravely crossed swords with it and also the first time it sustained an injury caused by a Human.
What usually happens is a chase; long or short, doesn't matter. Whenever the Capra Demon shows its face to Humans, the latter will always do something to distract it before running.
A foolish decision, really. Capra Demons are terrifying hunters and they never shied away from a chase, in fact, a large number of their kinds love the chase.
This Capra Demon Lord only knew about chasing after fleeing humans. This was the first time it encountered a Human that was clearly weaker than itself that, instead of running away, stayed and fought despite being weaker.
The Human even trapped both of them in a prison, forcing this confrontation within this zone.
Yet not only did this Human still live to this point, he's even fighting back evenly and winning. Just how was this possible?
But despite sustaining injuries, the Capra Demon Lord was a creature of pride. It will not accept the idea of submitting or being killed by weaker prey.
ROAR!!!
The Capra Demon Lord entered a berserk state. Its muscles bulged and turned dark crimson, pulsing with foul corruption. It reached 10 meters tall and practically doubled its weight. A bloodthirsty aura erupted from the depths of its body, truly and utterly demonic in nature.
Spikes grew on its back, tracing its spine and extending all the way to its tail. The bone skull and crown it wore grew large and looked far more sinister.
The transformed Demon Lord snarled at Cedric, seeing nothing but him. Its eyes were consumed with so much rage that whatever was left of its intelligence promptly disappeared.
It then disappears from its position. Next, Cedric felt as if a meteor slammed at him from the side. He spat out blood and flew several meters back from the attack.
His eyes narrowed as he muttered: 'Faster than light, huh?'
Right, the Capra Demon Lord moved faster than light in its berserk state. If it weren't for his evolved physique, that attack alone could've killed him twice in a row.
'Alright, you. Let's play this game.'
Cedric stopped attempting to follow the Capra Demon's movement through his senses because he already knew it was not going to work. He stood still and closed his eyes, he planned to predict its next move, instead.
Clang!!!
This time, he's ready for that. He's a bit slower, which was to be expected, but he managed to move fast enough to deflect the blow.
Since the Capra Demon Lord's raw strength doubled in this berserk state, Cedric couldn't casually receive its blows anymore. The force it generates was too much for his current physique to handle so he could only deflect it.
Clang!
The third time it happened, Cedric parried it perfectly. He already discovered the rhythm and could accurately guess when it was happening next. His hand shook greatly after parrying the heavy force but he still did it anyway.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The 4th, 5th, 6th...and all of the attacks that happened after that, Cedric parried all the same. The Capra Demon was fast, feral, and obscenely strong, yes. But it has lost all sense of intelligence. Therefore, it became predictable.
It was too easy even, Cedric barely even had to try. Even though he couldn't see his enemy clearly with his senses, he could predict what it's gonna do next.
The more he clashed with the demon, the more easier it got for Cedric. Since he couldn't see it, he placed all of his faith in himself and his sword. He listened to his instincts and allowed his sword to point the way.
As their clash continued, a profound change occurred within Cedric.
Solaris Edge thrummed in his hands, releasing an unusual hum that did not escape Cedric's senses. The sharpness it exudes seemingly turned muted. It didn't disappear, it just became more...controlled.
All of a sudden, Cedric's eyes flashed, and his pupils blew wide open before turning somewhat blank.
Something within him blossomed and swayed. It released a pulse that flooded Cedric's entire body with a profound mysticism. As this energy reached the part where Cedric's hand met the sword's handle, it caused a profound transformation that caused a certain phenomenon around Cedric.
Within the dome of flames, a flood of sharpness suddenly erupted from Cedric's body. It was overwhelming and staggering, so much so that even the maddened state of the Capra Demon was disturbed - which should've been impossible.
That sensation only appeared in an instant before disappearing. That said, it doesn't mean that it was completely gone.
The Capra Demon Lord paused on its tracks. It released a small whine which was highly uncharacteristic of it, and there's a good reason for that.
Light returned to Cedric's eyes as if he just returned to reality after daydreaming briefly. An astonished look could be seen on his face as he felt the deeper connection between him and his sword, which also extends to the world around him.
The Capra Demon Lord saw that he was distracted so it took that opportunity to land a killing blow. But instead of making Cedric pay for being distracted during their battle by taking a few of his limbs off, the opposite happened instead.
Roar!!!
It roared in pain and anguish, clutching the stump that used to be its left hand. It glared hatefully at Cedric, but more than hate, it was also afraid.
Afraid because it didn't even see Cedric move at all. How was this possible?
Unfortunately, Cedric saw no benefit in explaining nor prolonging this fight any more than necessary.
"Game over, Bud. Thanks for your help, because of you, I have a Sword Heart now. Let me send you on your way."
With a casual swing of his sword, a thin line flew past the Capra Demon Lord's body before it could even react, causing it to freeze on its spot.
Cedric walked away and retrieved the flames around them, not even turning around to see the Demon Lord's body getting split evenly in half and dissolving into nothingness.