Chapter 460: Ancient Demon Blood
Deiora’s breath came in ragged, labored gasps. His body trembled under the weight of his injuries, dark veins still pulsing across his skin where Adam’s venom had taken root. His aura flickered weakly, the golden light dimming like a dying ember.
’What... what is this...?’ His internal voice was strained, sharp with disbelief. ’His attacks are piercing through all my defenses... I’ve already used Celestial Breaker... If this keeps up... I could actually die...’
Before he could finish the thought, Adam’s foot connected with the side of his head.
"UWAGH!"
Deiora’s massive body was hurled sideways, crashing through a cluster of ancient trees. Wood splintered and shattered, the trunks snapping like twigs under the force of the impact. He skidded across the ground, carving a deep trench through the earth before finally coming to a halt in a heap of rubble and broken branches.
Adam lowered his leg, his expression cold and impassive.
"Did you not hear me?" Adam said.
He walked toward Deiora’s crumpled form with casual ease.
"I said again."
Deiora’s body lay crumpled in the rubble, his chest rising and falling in shallow, ragged gasps. His aura had all but faded, the golden light that had once blazed around him now reduced to faint, flickering embers. Blood pooled beneath him, dark and thick, staining the broken earth.
Adam’s hand rose, and Deiora’s massive form lifted from the ground, suspended in the air by an invisible force. His limbs hung limp, his head lolling forward, his consciousness flickering at the edges of darkness.
"Is this all the strength you have?" Adam asked coldly.
Deiora’s lips moved, but no sound came out. His eyes, half-lidded and glazed, struggled to focus on the figure before him. He couldn’t answer. He couldn’t even summon the strength to form a single word.
Adam’s fist drove into Deiora’s stomach.
"GHAHG—!"
Blood sprayed from Deiora’s mouth, dark and thick, splattering across Adam’s arm. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through Deiora’s body, and his form convulsed, a choked gasp escaping his throat.
Adam didn’t stop.
His fist drove into Deiora’s stomach again and again. Each blow landed with brutal precision, the sound of flesh meeting bone echoing through the clearing like a drumbeat of judgment.
In one decisive movement, Adam released his telekinetic grip, and Deiora’s body crumpled to the ground. Before he could even try to rise, Adam’s fist descended, driving into the side of his head with devastating force.
CRACK!
The ground beneath Deiora’s skull fractured, cracks splintering outward from the point of impact. Adam’s fist rose and fell again, and again, each blow carving deeper into the demon’s battered form. Blood splattered across the earth, painting the shattered stones in shades of crimson.
Deiora’s face was a ruin of torn flesh and broken bone, his features barely recognizable beneath the mask of blood. His breathing was shallow, wet, each exhale a struggle against the darkness creeping at the edges of his vision.
Adam’s fist paused, hovering above Deiora’s broken form. His voice was cold, carrying no trace of satisfaction or triumph.
"Not so impressive now, are you?"
Adam’s fist hovered in the air, ready to strike again when the blood beneath Deiora’s broken form began to glow.
It was faint at first, a dull crimson shimmer that spread across the pooled blood like ripples on a dark lake. Then it grew brighter, pulsing with an eerie, rhythmic light that seemed to beat in time with a heart that should have already stopped.
Adam’s eyes narrowed. His fist lowered, his gaze fixed on the shifting crimson tide.
"Isolde...? No, this isn’t blood magic."
The blood surged. It rose from the earth like a living tide, coiling around Deiora’s battered form, wrapping him in a cocoon of pulsing red light. The wounds on his face began to seal with violent speed, flesh knitting together as if time itself was reversing.
Adam retreated a step, then another, his body positioning itself between the rising blood and his companions. He could feel it, a presence stirring within the blood pressing against his senses like a predator waking from a long slumber.
Adam’s voice was low, directed at Isolde without turning his gaze from the unfolding spectacle.
"What is that?"
Isolde’s arms tightened around Lilith.
"It’s a trait possessed by high-ranking demons like us. Some of us can activate our traits consciously, but for others..." She paused, her gaze fixed on the cocoon of blood. "It only awakens at the brink of death. Deiora has never been pushed this far before. He’s never been forced to the edge so he never knew he had this."
Adam’s eyes narrowed.
"And you called this a ’trait’? What do you call it?"
"[Acient Demon Blood]."
Adam’s lips curved into a faint, cold smile as he studied the cocoon of blood pulsing with ancient power.
"Ancient Demon Blood huh... That’s an interesting name."
Isolde’s voice came from behind him, tight with warning.
"Be careful, Adam. That trait sometimes changes the user’s nature and behavior, depending on the strength of the bloodline. He won’t be the same Deiora you were just fighting."
"Even if he gets stronger, I’ll still beat him to death." Adam said calmly.
The cocoon shattered.
Blood exploded outward in a crimson wave, but instead of scattering, it coiled around Deiora’s form like a second skin, sinking into his flesh. His body had grown larger, denser, his muscles swelling with raw, unbridled power. Intricate black tattoos now covered his torso, his arms, his face, pulsing with a faint, crimson light.
He clenched his fists, testing his new strength, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"This is incredible! Truly incredible! I am magnificent!!"
Adam’s voice cut through Deiora’s self-congratulation, calm and cold.
"Done admiring yourself?"
Deiora’s gaze snapped toward Adam, his grin widening.
"I’m going to enjoy killing you."
Adam’s lips curved into a thin, cold smile.
"Then stop talking and try."
Deiora rolled his shoulders, savoring the surge of power coursing through his veins.
"But before that, I want to thank you! Because of you, I’ve become stronger. You pushed me to the brink, and now I’ve awakened something far greater."
Adam, who didn’t care about Deidora’s rambling, said. "Are your ears deaf? I already told you. Stop talking and try to kill me."