Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 122: Dawn of the World

The woman let out a soft hum and sensually dragged her fingers along the dagger’s hilt, her touch slow and teasing as if savoring the moment.

Airi’s eyes flared with rage, teeth clenched tight, and with a growl, she twisted her body, her sword swinging up in a sharp slash toward the woman.

But in the same breath, with a graceful flick, the woman twisted the dagger savagely in the opposite direction, driving the blade deeper and wrenching it sideways inside the wound.

A horrible crunching sound echoed as the blade wrenched her flesh apart.

"AAAGH!" Airi’s scream tore through the air.

She shoved herself forward, staggering away, her body shaking hard. The dagger slipped free, left behind in the woman’s hand, dripping red.

The New Horizon members gasped, eyes wide with horror.

"AIRI!" Crest shouted, starting to run toward her.

Ronan cursed, already rushing forward.

"Move!"

Lyraen’s face went pale.

"We have to get her out of there, NOW!"

But before they could take another step, Airi snapped, her voice cracking like a whip.

"STAY BACK! Don’t come any closer!"

They froze mid-step, eyes locked on her in stunned silence.

Airi stood tall, though her body was shaking. One hand pressed hard against her chest where blood oozed between her fingers, her breaths ragged and shallow. freewebnoveℓ.com

[Blessing: Hemostasis]

Another flash.

[Blessing: Venom Purge]

She winced and groaned, gripping her sword tightly, glaring at the woman through bloodied teeth.

The woman tilted her head slightly, watching with a calm, curious smile.

"Mh? My, my... impressive. You’re really something, aren’t you?" Her voice was light, like she was complimenting a friend’s new dress. She glanced down at Vezalia and tilted her head.

"Well now, darling, I think for once you might’ve bitten off a little more than you can chew, hmm?"

Vezalia got to her feet slowly, her grin fading, her eyes sharpening with irritation. Her voice dropped, more serious now.

"Tch. You. What are you even doing here? This is my prey. Don’t overstep."

The woman laughed, the sound smooth.

"Oh, come now. You should know by now... these people aren’t just toys for you to mess around with. Especially this one," she purred, raising the bloodied dagger, eyes locked on Airi. "She’s not like the others. The longer you fight her, the worse it’s going to get for you. Every move you make just helps her become your perfect counter."

She brought the dagger to her lips slowly, eyes gleaming.

"It takes more than a single swing to fell this tree. Better sharpen many blades, and only one might be the one to land true and silence her for good." She dragged her tongue over the blade, savoring the blood.

Airi groaned loudly, her chest rising and falling, her face twisted in frustration. Her grip tightened on her sword, knuckles trembling, her eyes blazing.

"You think you’ve got what it takes to stop me? Don’t make me laugh, you fucking sacks of shit! Useless fucking trash, every damn one of you! All bark, no bite—hell, you don’t even have teeth! I don’t give a damn how strong YOU think you are—I’m not stopping until your damn heads are crushed into the dirt and your filthy guts are splattered everywhere! I’ll mount your sorry asses on my sword! COME ON! BRING IT ON!!!"

The woman’s grin curled wider. She began clapping her hands.

"Oh? That’s the spirit! Come on, show me that rage! I want to see you really mount us on that sword of yours, make it nice and messy! Mmm, just imagining Vezalia like that is giving me chills."

Vezalia snarled furiously, stepping forward.

"Shut your damn mouth! If you start losing I’ll make sure you don’t get out of here alive! Now get back to work you talkative pig!"

That was all it took. Airi snapped.

With a roar of pure rage, she lunged, her sword blazing with intense light.

She swung with brutal force, sending a sweeping arc of blinding energy toward them.

The entire area was bathed in searing light, and a split second later, a massive explosion rocked the city, the shockwave blasting through streets and buildings, rattling windows far away.

Rubble flew in every direction as the ground trembled violently.

Kardrax turned his head lazily toward the direction of the explosion, smirking as the shockwave echoed faintly through the air.

"Oi, girl... you really shouldn’t be going all out in a place like this," he muttered. "You’re gonna get yourself in deep shit if you rack up casualties."

He tilted his head and glanced at Akedios with a grin.

"What do you think? You agree, yeah?"

Akedios, completely unfazed, raised his hand once again, his fingers twitching lazily as if bored of the whole thing.

Kardrax chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Really? Only got one move? Is that all you know?"

Akedios’s gaze stayed cold.

"It’s all I need for ants like you."

The tension snapped tight. Kardrax’s eyes flared as he suddenly flicked his wrist, firing a barrage of blazing red beams.

They streaked toward Akedios, but instead of reaching him, they collided with an invisible force, bursting into sharp explosions mid-air.

Kardrax’s smile sharpened.

"All you need, huh? Tch. Like... paralyzing all my power? Heh. That settles it." He flexed his fingers, eyes narrowing. "It’s exactly what I thought."

Akedios frowned, a bit of irritation crossing his usually blank face.

Kardrax tilted his head, voice dropping as he taunted.

"That’s the trick that killed the old man, isn’t it?"

Akedios didn’t move.

Kardrax smirked, raising a clawed finger as he laid it out.

"See, I’ve been watching. Back there with the guild master. When he was crying like a bitch, he had power left. But the second you lost your grip, his power started crawling back. Obvious, ain’t it? Your trick’s simple: you hijack their body, suppress all their power, then you can kill them slowly. Makes sense now how you wiped out someone like Darwin without breaking a sweat."

From the side, Logan groaned weakly, his battered body trembling.

’That’s what I was suspecting too,’ he thought grimly, wincing as another wave of pain hit him. A small, bitter smile on his lips. ’Smart bastard... Kardrax figured it out way faster than I did.’

Kardrax’s eyes glittered as he pointed his clawed finger at Akedios, his nail sharpening like a dagger.

"The thing is, pal... that kinda power? Perfect for sneaky bastards. But once you’re exposed, once your cute little trick’s out in the open, you’re just another coward with a useless scare tactic. Honestly? Your power’s as dangerous as a baby sneezing."

A heavy silence fell between them, thick and sharp.

Then the ground rumbled.

"Such arrogance... Pathetic creatures, crawling around with your few fleeting cycles of existence... You really think you’ve figured it all out?" Akedios’s voice cut through the stillness, but this time, it was deeper.

Kardrax’s smile faltered, his eyes narrowing.

The ground split slightly as Akedios’s dark aura surged up, thick shadow swirling around him, growing larger and heavier by the second.

"You underestimate the depths of Sloth," Akedios rumbled. "We might put in a little effort here to match your pitiful struggles, but don’t fool yourself. We could just as easily stay asleep and end this entire war without even waking up."

Kardrax stayed rooted, watching, cautious now, his stance shifting as the darkness began to seep wider, covering the ground like a rising tide.

Akedios’s lips curled into a slow, thin smile, eyes gleaming white.

"So, Sacred... if you really want to test your luck against the will of the Slumbering King... How about you give it a try... and perish?"

His aura exploded outward, a wave of black energy flooding the space, swallowing light.

Airi fought like a storm. A hurricane of rage and madness, slashing through the city like she had no soul left to lose.

Her sword swung wildly, each strike stronger than the last, every blow ripping buildings apart, turning streets to rubble.

Her body was a masterpiece of wounds, cuts, gashes, suffering fresh injuries with every second that passed.

She swung, again, and again, and again, and again. Destroying everything in her path.

The woman, caught in the chaos, was torn apart, her body exploding into a mist of blood and gore.

But through the purple haze, something shimmered, a twist of purple.

She reappeared, face twisted in a wicked grin.

A sharp wave of blood sliced across Airi, cutting deep.

Airi roared, twisting to retaliate, her sword flashing with lethal fury, but Vezalia’s aura surged in that moment, swallowing Airi’s own aura like a black hole, leaving her next slash empty, powerless.

It was a brutal 2v1, and Airi fought like an animal backed into a corner.

She was drenched in blood, hers, theirs, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the fight.

She charged the woman, her eyes blazing, and grabbed her face with both hands, screaming in pure rage.

With a savage roar, she crushed the woman’s skull in her grip, blood and bone exploding outward in a shower of gore.

But before she could even catch her breath, Vezalia appeared behind her like a shadow, her umbrella stabbing straight through Airi’s side, piercing deep.

Airi gasped, frozen for a split second, then Vezalia’s eyes gleamed wickedly as a surge of darkness erupted not from inside Airi’s body, twisting and tearing her apart from within.

The shadows slithered through her veins, bursting out in waves, choking her aura and crushing her from the inside out.

Airi’s left eye twitched, her breath shuddering out raggedly, blood pouring from her mouth.

She snarled and grabbed Vezalia’s hair with one hand, without even turning, yanking hard, teeth bared.

But then, right in her face. She stared straight into the bloody, grinning skull of the demon woman, who had reformed.

"Mmm, got you," the woman purred, and before Airi could react, she sank her teeth deep into Airi’s shoulder while her clawed hand rammed through Airi’s chest, piercing her again.

Crest’s scream tore through the chaos.

"AIRI!!"

Lyraen put a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with horror.

The entire New Horizon crew froze, unable to move, too terrified, too helpless, as they watched Airi crushed between the two demons, a nightmare in the flesh.

Airi gasped, drowning in her own blood, her body shaking violently. But then, pure rage.

She clenched her jaw, her sword trembling in her grip, and in a roar of agony, she rammed her blade straight through the demon woman’s chest, pinning her against her.

At the same time, she pulled harder on Vezalia’s hair, dragging her closer with a growl.

"GRAAAAAHHH!!" Airi’s aura exploded, black electricity crackling across her body, mixing with her blood, turning it a flashing mess of purple and black.

From the bite mark on her shoulder, something new bloomed, a massive, jagged mark spreading fast across her skin.

[Blessing of Demonic Blood Resistance]

[Blessing of Curse Immunity]

[Blessing of Aura Suppression Resistance]

But even as she received blessing after blessing, her enemies kept striking.

Her heart, skewered and shattered, beat erratically, fluttering weakly as her body shook harder. She started losing sight of the world...

[Blessing of Consciousness Retention]

Her breathing hitched, ragged and broken. Her heart spasmed, trying to hold on, her vision flickering. She lost her breath, her sight dimmed...

[Blessing of Sight Recovery]

Her heart thudded, blood pouring, and then... it stopped.

Her muscles tensed, her whole body convulsed, and she let out one final, guttural scream that echoed through the broken city.

The people watching, New Horizon, adventurers, citizens, cried, some screaming, some falling to their knees, powerless to do anything but watch her bleed and break.

Her heart beat one last time, loud, painful, echoing, and then...

A blinding flash ripped through the battlefield.

Out of the light, two warriors shot forward, arms clashing hard, forcing Vezalia and the demon woman to retreat, pushing them violently away from Airi.

New Horizon gasped in disbelief, eyes wide, watching these unknown saviors.

Airi, barely conscious, gasped, her eyes flicking weakly to the sky.

As she started to fall, arms caught her.

The golden-haired fighter and the girl with pale hair and sharp elf ears.

Vezalia and the demon woman regenerated fast, blood dripping.

The woman licked Airi’s blood off her lips and shivered, purring.

"Mmm, what a drill."

Vezalia licked her finger and scoffed.

"I get the value of the meal, but coming from you, it’s utterly disturbing."

The woman giggled, pressing her hands to her cheeks dreamily.

"Oh please, we’re the same. You see meat, I see art. It’s not about purity... it’s the struggle that sweetens the flavor. And this one... I adore her."

"Weirdo," Vezalia muttered, eyeing the new warriors. "And now thanks to them, we missed the chance to finish that nuisance."

Airi, barely breathing, twitched. Her veins glowed black, purple blood flashing dark lightning along her wounds.

The man holding her glanced at the elf girl.

"We can’t heal this on our own, but... she can do it herself."

"We let her body handle it, stall for time?" the girl asked.

He nodded simply. They both turned, eyes locking on Vezalia and the demon woman as their aura flared higher, tension building, ready for the next clash.

Then suddenly, all four of them froze, eyes wide.

Elsewhere, Kardrax and Akedios both jerked to a halt, their faces stiffening.

Even in the royal castle, Aurus stood dead still, his breath catching.

"...What?" he whispered.

The King frowned, noticing his reaction.

"What’s wrong?"

Aurus stayed silent, eyes slowly shifting to the horizon.

And like a chain reaction, every strong fighter across the capital turned to stare in the same direction.

Beyond the capital, beyond the forests and mountains... the sky trembled as the vortex of the Trial of Ascension cracked wide open, unleashing a catastrophic wave of dark energy.

The final curse flooding the world stepped out.

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