Barbarian's Adventure in a Fantasy World-Chapter 257: The Demon of the Flower (3)

The survivors had finally made it far enough from the battlefield. They dared not look back, driven by fear and awe of the unimaginable forces clashing behind them. The Mercenary King collapsed onto the earth, legs giving out beneath the weight of exhaustion and defeat. He coughed harshly, blood tinging his breath.

“Are you all right?” the Archbishop asked him, rushing to his side.

“I’ll be fine,” the Mercenary King groaned, though his voice shook.

It was just one attack. That was all it had taken. A mere flick of the demon’s finger, and the mighty Mercenary King had been rendered powerless. If not for pure instinct making him throw up his arms to protect his neck, his head would have twisted and snapped on the spot. He shuddered at the realization, feeling a deep sense of inadequacy and shame at the vast gulf between his strength and the powers at play in that accursed field. However, there was no time for self-pity—not now.

A distant rumble vibrated through the ground as an ominous, oppressive power that made the very air tremble and left every survivor on edge. Their bodies tensed, their hearts hammering in their chests. The source of that dreadful pressure was clear: Ketal was still fighting. Somewhere in that chaos, he was risking everything.

The Archbishop, voice quivering, said, “We... we have to do something. We have to help him, somehow...”

“There’s nothing we can do,” the Mercenary King said grimly, grabbing the Archbishop’s arm to steady him. “If we go back, we’ll just get in the way.”

In a battle of Heroes, anyone below that level was useless. They would only be a burden to Ketal. All they could do was watch and pray, helpless onlookers to a fight far beyond their reach.

The Archbishop clenched his fists in frustration, knuckles white. “It’s not right... We can only stand here and watch, while Ketal risks his life for us.”

Helplessness washed over him, swallowing his spirit.

“How is Ketal’s command of Myst?” The Mercenary King turned to Kain, his expression serious.

“I would say he has reached an adequate level,” Kain answered quietly. “He can strengthen and protect his body with Myst. There’s a delay of a few seconds, but it’s a clear advantage in battle.”

But would it be enough? Is Ketal’s mastery of Myst truly sufficient to take on a Hero demon? the Mercenary King thought as he bit his lip.

He had seen Ketal go up against the Elder Dragon and emerge unscathed. That should mean he possessed more than enough power. However, this opponent was no ordinary demon. This was a demon with a rank and a title.

Suddenly, the Archbishop dropped to his knees and lifted his arms skyward, his voice breaking with reverence. “O great Earth Goddess, protect Ketal, who sacrifices himself for our sake!”

“Sacrifice?” the Mercenary King repeated.

“Of course! He was cast out of sight by Carbarax, yet in less than five minutes, he returned!”

Ketal could have chosen not to return. He could have walked away, fully aware that a demon had descended and that joining the battle would place him in mortal danger. The wise decision would have been to call for reinforcements and play it safe. Instead, he came back. He sent the others away and faced the demon alone, risking his life by his own choice.

“You’re right.” A flicker of realization crossed the Mercenary King’s face. The Archbishop clasped his hands together, trembling with emotion. “What a noble sacrifice. O great Earth Goddess, please watch over him. Let his courage and selflessness not go unrewarded...”

The other survivors joined in, murmuring prayers, each quietly hoping that the mysterious barbarian who had saved them would not fall to the demon’s wrath.

However, Kain alone wore a strange expression, silent and thoughtful.

Sacrifice? he wondered. He was one of the few who truly understood Ketal’s nature. No... knowing him, he’s probably enjoying himself right now.

***

Kain’s suspicions were correct. Back on the battlefield, Ketal was fighting with the widest grin across his face. His axe crashed into the spear made of twisting floral vines, sending Floris skidding backward across the ruined ground.

“Hahaha! Strong! So strong! This is fun!” Ketal’s laughter rang out, a sound both joyful and mad.

“Insane... He really is a madman,” Floris muttered, bracing herself. She narrowed her eyes, thoughts racing as she rapidly assessed Ketal’s strength and their ongoing battle.

I think I can win, Floris thought.

It would not be easy, but she had blocked Ketal’s attacks. And Ketal, for all his power, had managed to withstand and deflect her own. If either of them landed a true, direct hit, the result would be devastating. The odds were not hopeless. It was just a matter of timing, of opportunity.

However, there was one issue that troubled her most.

Ketal charged, axe in hand, his blows crashing down like a mountain splitting open. Floris met him strike for strike, her spear weaving a barrier of petals and thorns. The sound of shattering air and splitting wood echoed in rapid succession.

However, the pressure was immense. Cracks appeared along Floris’s spear, unable to withstand the force behind Ketal’s attacks. He sensed her weapon’s weakening and pressed even harder.

Finally, with a thunderous crack, her spear shattered. Floris had anticipated this. She had already ducked, allowing Ketal’s next swing to sweep just above her head, missing by the slimmest of margins.

She pressed her hand to the ground, whispering, “Bloom and devour.”

Instantly, dozens of flowers sprang up all around Ketal, blossoming with wild, explosive energy. The blossoms surged upward, attempting to engulf him, to consume him as nutrients for Floris herself. In the blink of an eye, his form vanished beneath the riot of petals and vines.

Floris poured even more power into her spell. Even an Elder Dragon would struggle to escape from such a prison. She gritted her teeth, focusing on tightening the trap. Just then, a fissure appeared among the blossoms. Through the gap, a shimmering aura of Myst could be seen.

With a detonation that shook the earth, the flower prison exploded apart. The resulting shockwave flung Floris backward, and she clicked her tongue in frustration.

That Myst again, she thought.

Ketal was using Myst to strengthen and protect his body, breaking through all her attacks. There was a delay in his use of it, but the strength was overwhelming, easily enough to smash through her best techniques.

How can he use Myst? she wondered.

He was supposed to be one of the Oldest Ones—something that should have prevented him from accessing such power. Yet, here he was, wielding it with ease.

And why does he only use Myst and his physical power? she wondered.

If he truly was an Oldest One, he should be able to unravel her very existence, destroy her at her core. That was what Floris feared most. However, no matter how much she waited or watched, he showed no sign of such power.

He isn’t suppressing himself... He simply chooses not to use it? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

That made things easier for her. If Ketal refused to tap into that ultimate strength, then the path to victory was clear. Floris’s eyes sharpened with resolve. Her first step was to seal away his Myst. She flicked her fingers almost carelessly. Ketal’s face changed at once, and he quickly leapt back.

Floris muttered in surprise, “You can sense something invisible and intangible so quickly? Impressive.”

Ketal’s eyes narrowed. He felt something strange drifting through the air—tiny, almost weightless particles, like dandelion seeds. Thousands of them, unseen, drifting on the wind.

What is that? he wondered.

There was no time to analyze. Floris charged at him, conjuring a new spear of flowers and lunging. The spear whistled as it flew. Ketal dodged and swung his axe, creating a blast of wind that blew aside some of the invisible seeds. However, there were too many. They now filled the entire space.

Eventually, some of the invisible seeds touched his skin. Instantly, blossoms began sprouting from his flesh.

“Oh?” Ketal stared in surprise. The flowers continued to bloom from his body, and he tore them out, one by one.“Seeds, huh?”

“That’s right,” Floris replied coolly. “There’s no way you could avoid them all.”

Flowers kept blooming along Ketal’s skin, but he studied the effect with a curious calm.

So... she’s trying to use my own body as fuel for her flowers? Ketal analyzed.

It felt almost like a parasitic plant, similar to the trial flowers he had once seen in the elven sacred ground. Ketal plucked another bloom from his arm, almost amused by the novelty.

It only pierced the skin..., she thought, speechless.

The seeds she’d scattered were supposed to consume their target, rapidly blooming into deadly flowers. It was how she had instantly banished Fiego and slaughtered countless others on the field. Even a Hero had to take the seeds seriously. However, Ketal treated them as a minor annoyance, nothing more. Her seeds couldn’t pierce his muscles at all.

Also, somehow, flowers still managed to bloom just from breaking his skin.

What kind of power is hidden in that body? she thought. Floris was growing dizzy with confusion and frustration.

“This is getting tedious,” Ketal said, stroking his chin.

He wasn’t truly hurt, but the constant blooming was bothersome. There were so many seeds, it was impossible to keep up by hand. He wrapped himself in a protective layer of Myst. Now, the seeds could no longer penetrate his skin.

“This should do it,” Ketal muttered.

It was a thin, energy-saving barrier. He could maintain it for the rest of the fight without much trouble, though the downside was that he wouldn’t be able to use Myst offensively as long as he kept it up.

“Perfect,” Floris said, smiling sweetly. She had succeeded in sealing away Ketal’s more versatile use of Myst. Now he could only use it for defense, not for attack. As long as he couldn’t land a hit, she was safe.

“Then it’s a contest of strength,” she announced.

“That’s fine by me.” Ketal laughed heartily.

The ground shook as Floris launched herself forward, summoning flowers all around. The battlefield transformed into a grotesquely beautiful garden, petals swirling through the air. But the aura they radiated was almost toxic, thick with demonic energy. This was on another level entirely—no more testing the waters, no more holding back. Floris was pouring everything into killing Ketal.

Among the dazzling flowers, the two collided.

“Bloom,” Floris cried. A brilliant blossom erupted at her command, but she did not stop there. “Bloom. Bloom. Bloom. Bloom!”

Giant flowers kept bursting into existence all around, dozens upon dozens. Ketal moved to destroy them, but each one was infused with the full power of a Hero demon. Without the offensive use of Myst, he couldn’t crush them instantly.

The flowers closed in, suffocating him, pressing down with a force that warped the air itself. Ketal grunted, shoving at the blooms. Some wavered, cracks appearing, but he couldn’t break through.

Finally, he was overwhelmed. Flowers closed over him from all sides, pinning him in place, locking his limbs in a vise of petals and vines. He could not move.

“Looks like I can’t move,” he muttered, still with a smile on his face.

Floris raised her hand. Another flower bloomed above him, then another, and another still; flowers blooming atop flowers, layer upon layer, until dozens were piled on top of each other. She clenched her fist. The layered flowers twisted and compressed, spiraling tighter and tighter until they formed a massive, barbed arrow.

“Die,” Floris said coldly. She hurled the arrow, sending it plunging into the mound of blossoms that held Ketal trapped.

A tremendous explosion rocked the plains. The earth heaved, the sky seemed to ripple. Even the survivors, far away and deep in prayer, were knocked off their feet by the shockwave. Floris did not stop. She balled her fist and twisted violently.

“Twist and bloom!” she commanded.

With a shrill, metallic screech, the arrow exploded into a monstrous, hideous flower, blooming in jagged, unnatural forms. The flower was so enormous, it could be seen from the far edge of the plain.

Panting for breath, Floris finally dropped to her knees, utterly drained. Her chest rose and fell in ragged gasps. She had poured every ounce of power into this attack. Her body trembled, fingers numb.

She had done it. She had won. A weary smile spread across her lips. The barbarian was dead—he had to be. Not even an Elder Dragon could have survived that attack. Especially with his offensive Myst sealed away and no room left to dodge.

“I did it!” she cried. “Mother! I’ve won! I followed your command!”

She closed her eyes in joy, an innocent, childlike happiness radiating from her exhausted form.

Then a terrible sound rang out. Cracks spread through the monstrous flower she had just birthed.

“What?” She stared in disbelief as the cracks widened, then shattered.

With a triumphant laugh, Ketal burst forth, his grin wider than ever.

“Ha! Hahaha!”

He balled his fist and swung at her. Floris threw up her arms to defend herself, but his fist smashed through her guard and landed squarely in her chest.

“Urgh!” She coughed, struggling to breathe. Blood sprayed from Floris’s lips as she was sent flying.

“Oh! Finally, a clean hit! So it is possible to injure a Hero demon! This is valuable information!” Ketal shouted, delighted.

“What... What are you?” Floris whispered, eyes wide with shock. She had hit him with her full strength. No one in this world should have survived her twisted, monstrous flower.

However, Ketal stood unscathed, Myst swirling protectively around his body without a single crack.

“Your attack was incredible! I mean it! That was a true masterpiece! If I hadn’t used every last bit of Myst to protect myself, it could have been dangerous!” Ketal said, face shining with admiration.

“First, you restrain me with flowers and then launch a powerful, charged attack. Then you cause the flowers to bloom in resonance, amplifying their strength. For a moment, I could barely move. If I hadn’t been careful, I really could have been crushed. Amazing! Absolutely amazing!”

Floris staggered back, terror now plain in her eyes. It was the first time fear had entered her expression.

Ketal’s smile only grew. “But this isn’t the end, is it? You’re not just any demon. You’re one of the highest, the ones with rank and title. Aren’t you?”

It wasn’t enough. He wanted more—needed more.

Please, he thought, give me everything you’ve got. Let me feel it. Let me fight.

With a gleeful laugh, Ketal charged forward again. This time, Floris’s eyes were filled with pure, desperate fear.