Chapter 621: Night Demon’s Dragon-Slaying Curse
Although Origen could shatter massive meteorites with his bare hands, having a suitable weapon made all the difference for a warrior.
When Origen had previously leaped to shatter a meteorite, he was merely a blur. But now, as he charged towards the earth wielding his weapon, he transformed into a fierce and dangerous deep blue lightning bolt!
“Thank you, Your Excellency!”
Upon landing, Origen took a deep breath and looked up, speaking with a clear voice.
He gripped the Thunderstrike Halberd tightly in his hands, cherishing it immensely. As a warrior proficient in polearms, he possessed the “Weapon Mastery: Polearm” ability. The moment he held this weapon, he instantly grasped all of its capabilities. It was as if Origen had wielded this weapon countless times on innumerable battlefields in the past; all the techniques and secrets of its use flooded his mind in an instant.
“What a powerful halberd!” he exclaimed loudly. “Not only does it possess such potent storm and lightning power, but it also carries the power to punish demons!”
It was akin to a Sword Saint, who had been using mere iron ore, finally obtaining a Holy Sword capable of supporting his swordsmanship. Previously, he could fight evenly with the giant, even surpassing him in skill, yet he was at a disadvantage due to his inferior weapon. This made Origen incredibly indignant.
But now…
“With this… I might be able to defeat that giant!”
Such a thought emerged in Origen’s mind. He was a rather reserved and cautious person. When he could entertain such a thought, it meant he was almost certain of success!
He closely followed Eivass, who was flying in the sky, transforming into a nimble bolt of lightning. He weaved through the still-burning and smoking dense forest, charging into the central battlefield where meteorites were continuously bombarding the ground, causing it to vibrate violently like a trampoline!
At this moment, the Night Demon had just received Utgarðar-Loki’s charging slash and was sent flying backward. A crimson lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck the Wildfire Giant Utgarðar-Loki. Utgarðar-Loki let out a pained yet satisfying low groan, and his entire body expanded further.
His height of over ten meters already made him quite tall among giants. Now, his height rapidly increased by at least four to five meters, reaching nearly twenty meters. For the giant race, whose height was equivalent to their strength, this was akin to increasing their base stats by about a third. The dark red flames burning on his body grew even more vigorous, now resembling a world-ending demon king—a humanoid monster nearly twenty meters tall, burning with dark red flames capable of melting metal, with bulging muscles all over his body.
Let alone defeating him… even attacking him seemed impossible. Merely approaching him to a certain extent would result in burns from the high temperature. And if one touched the layer of “wildfire” flowing on his skin, any spell, curse, or metal would disintegrate.
Only in the instant of mutual attacks between the Night Demon and Utgarðar-Loki—
When Utgarðar-Loki’s attack landed on the Night Demon, the Night Demon’s curse also closed in to a range where it wouldn’t be incinerated by the wildfire. Because of this, the Night Demon’s curse successfully hit him at that moment.
—It was an advanced curse called [Internal Explosion Curse]! It was known as the “Dragon-Slaying Curse” because it was a curse used against large creatures like dragons. It placed a cluster of curses inside a large target, and every time the creature received an effective attack and felt pain, the curse within would absorb the pain, grow larger, and simultaneously make the target’s exterior more fragile.
Eventually, when the curse’s scale expanded to a certain point, it would continuously draw power from within, rapidly expand, and then explode!
Just as Utgarðar-Loki, who had received the divine art’s boost, was about to pursue the Night Demon, whose wings were bent and was flying backward—
A wild arc of lightning rolled across the ground—
“…It’s you?”
Utgarðar-Loki keenly recognized Origen, whose aura had completely changed. He extended his hand, reaching out to grab Origen. Origen’s heart tightened instantly.
—The giant’s movements were agile, swift, and his stance was profound, completely different from the clumsiness he displayed when previously wielding his great battle-axe. It was only then that Origen realized why Utgarðar-Loki had discarded the extraordinary great axe that could withstand his flames and match his size.
Did the giant specialize in unarmed combat?
Origen’s charge abruptly halted. He forcefully planted the tip of his halberd into the ground, interrupting his momentum. The instant he slowed down, he narrowly evaded Utgarðar-Loki’s grab. Subsequently, Origen twisted his body, leaping with momentum, and delivered a fierce strike! His blade descended sharply, accompanied by the smell of scorching odors and electrical sparks, heavily slashing towards Utgarðar-Loki’s outstretched right hand!
In a flash, Origen’s figure, like a bizarre phantom, gracefully drifted away from his full-speed charge in the blink of an eye, separating from Utgarðar-Loki upon contact!
* crackle—
When the halberd blade met Utgarðar-Loki’s fingers, there was no tearing sound but rather a loud noise like an electric cutter. Neither of them had expected that Utgarðar-Loki’s ordinarily tough exterior would prove as fragile as butter against the Thunderstrike Halberd! Lightning surged and spread from within Utgarðar-Loki’s skin. Blood splattered, and two of Utgarðar-Loki’s fingers flew high into the air—
Under the pressure of the blood flow, the wounds sprayed scorching poisonous fire outwards like a high-pressure water hose. Not only Utgarðar-Loki—even Origen was astonished his attack could be so effective. Both of them froze for a moment.
Eivass, however, understood why. He remembered how the future Utgarðar-Loki became Cardinal Loki—
After repenting for his sins, the Candlemaster gave him a chance. He was to transform his sins into “Sin Thorns” and ignite them with his own wildfire. The Sin Thorns were so dense and numerous that they continuously erupted for a full three hours, causing Utgarðar-Loki to burn himself to death over ten thousand times. If one death were considered “one portion of Sin Thorns,” then Utgarðar-Loki bore the sins of over ten thousand sinners.
Utgarðar-Loki, who was still the Patriarch of Supreme Heaven at this time, would not actively transform his sins into Sin Thorns… but the immense “Power of Sin” was still accumulated within him!
—The “Punish Sin” characteristic of the Thunderstrike Halberd was a direct counter to this kind of power!
Although he didn’t understand why this weapon was so effective against Utgarðar-Loki, Origen didn’t miss the opportune moment. In an instant, Origen split into six illusory figures, and along with his main body, he slashed towards the giant’s torso from seven different directions!
—Seven-Stage Slash!
In a flash, six arcs of lightning streaked past from different directions, heading straight for the sky! Utgarðar-Loki’s body swayed, struck again and again by unseen heavy blows, and blood erupted like a waterfall! The curse from the Night Demon caused Utgarðar-Loki’s body to become increasingly fragile the more it was damaged.
As the sixth blow landed, Utgarðar-Loki’s face contorted suddenly. His abdomen bulged as if he were ten months pregnant.
“Ah…” he cried out in pain. But he could barely even utter a cry. His body swelled as if being inflated, making it difficult to move.
Utgarðar-Loki keenly sensed the source of the curse. He looked towards the Night Demon. He saw the Night Demon staring at him with a cold smile. Before her was a disc that seemed to absorb all light like a black hole, and the Night Demon’s left hand rested within it, continuously injecting her cursed power into it. And the other end…
Utgarðar-Loki suddenly understood.
…Surely, the other end must be connected to his own body! The moment she was sent flying back, the Night Demon had left a brand within him. Now, the Night Demon didn’t need to get close to him again; she could continuously catalyze the curse within Utgarðar-Loki!
It was as if he had been continuously cursed by the Night Demon at close range since the battle began.
“A mere demon…”
…Just a born Phantom Demon. How could she possess such combat awareness?! Utgarðar-Loki found it somewhat incomprehensible.
(End of Chapter)
