Chapter 41: The Evil Descends (5)

Aquaz’s eyes widened. “What...?”

The headless body of Ashetiaar staggered and then collapsed. Ketal glanced at his fist and gave a small nod. “She’s not as resilient as I expected.”

“Huh...?” Aquaz muttered blankly. Ketal’s attack was so fast that it was completely invisible to her naked eye.

The last thing she remembered was Ashetiaar’s hammer descending toward Ketal’s head. Yet in the blink of an eye, Ashetiaar’s head had been destroyed. Ketal was brushing off his fist casually.

Did he crush her head with his fist?

Aquaz wondered. At a speed beyond her perception, he had smashed a demon’s head with nothing more than his bare hand.

How is that even possible?

Her thoughts swirled in a chaotic mix of confusion and horror. Meanwhile, Ketal calmly observed the headless body. Suddenly, the fallen body began to fade, the ground darkened, and shadows rose from a distance.

Ashetiaar emerged from the darkness, intact once more.

“Hm, so, even if your head is destroyed, you regenerate. You’re quite different from those skeleton monsters,” Ketal mused, clearly intrigued.

Ashetiaar’s expression mirrored Aquaz’s confusion.

W-what just happened?

She couldn’t see Ketal’s attack either. She’d thought her hammer was about to strike, yet it was her head that had been obliterated.

“You... what are you?” Ashetiaar asked.

“I’m just a simple barbarian,” Ketal replied nonchalantly.

“Don’t lie to me!” Ashetiaar narrowed her eyes. The dark energy around her seemed to fixate on Ketal.

I don’t see any trace of magic or Aura...

Ketal wasn’t using any magic, Aura, or any other discernible energy. That realization only deepened her frustration. Determined to get answers, she pushed her doubts aside, grabbed her hammer, and vanished into the shadows.

Clang!

She reappeared right beside Ketal, her hammer swinging fiercely as she gouged the earth.

Ketal watched her silently, almost leisurely.

Her human form is a bit unnerving.

She was a striking beauty, not quite on the level of the elf queen, but still captivating enough to turn heads.

But then again...,

Ketal thought.

She’s still a demon. There is no reason for me to hold back.

Crack.

A massive hole appeared in her chest. Unable to withstand the impact, Ashetiaar was flung backward, colliding with her own barrier.

“Ugh!” Ashetiaar staggered to her feet, the gaping hole in her chest rapidly filling with darkness.

Ketal let out a soft whistle of intrigue. “You’re regenerating immediately. That’s interesting. I wonder how it works.”

Ashetiaar fell silent. The shock was evident in her eyes. It was nothing but a punch—no Aura, no magical enhancement. It was just a raw, physical punch. It was simply so fast and so powerful that she couldn’t even perceive it.

“Hm.” Ketal stroked his chin thoughtfully, then nodded as if he had made a decision. He moved, and his figure vanished.

When he reappeared, he was directly in front of Ashetiaar.

“You—!” Ashetiaar attempted to raise her hammer in panic, but Ketal was faster. His hand shot out.

“Ahhh!” she shouted.

Ketal grabbed her arm and slammed her into the ground, the earth shattering with a deafening crash. Before she could react, Ketal raised his foot and stomped her head. Her head was severed from her body.

Ashetiaar’s form dissolved into shadows once again, reforming at a distance.

“So, if your head is destroyed or severed, you regenerate completely. Otherwise, you simply heal. I’m assuming the core is located in your head,” Ketal muttered, his tone analytical.

“You... you... YOU!” Ashetiaar’s face twisted in rage at his detached analysis. She felt like nothing more than a plaything under his scrutiny. “You think brute strength is enough to defeat me?!”

This barbarian didn’t use Aura, magic, or any special powers. He was simply fast and overwhelmingly strong. That was all there was to him, and that fact enraged her even more.

“I am Ashetiaar, Demon of Oppression! Do you think mere human strength can defy me?”

“Even so,” Ketal shrugged indifferently. “You don’t seem particularly impressive.”

“You...!” Overwhelmed with fury, Ashetiaar raised her hammer, dark energy coalescing around it, growing denser and heavier. She charged directly at him.

However, it was pointless. The hammer stopped, caught by Ketal’s fingers. A massive shockwave rippled outward, yet Ketal’s stance didn’t waver.

“Oh,” Ketal nodded, impressed. “It’s quite heavy.”

Crash!

Ketal tightened his grip, and Ashetiaar’s hammer shattered into fragments. Before she could react, his fist slammed into her face, obliterating her head once more.

As her head regenerated, she ground her teeth in fury. “This is absurd! How is this even possible?!”

She was the Demon of Oppression. The darkness she commanded was imbued with a weight that defied the limits of matter and physical laws.

In her domain—though not as powerful as in Hell—she could still draw significant strength. At full power, she could infuse her hammer with the weight of an entire fortress.

And yet, this barbarian had stopped her hammer with his bare fingers. He was just a mere human without even a trace of Myst.

“This is impossible!” she screamed in denial.

Ketal simply smiled and raised his fist. The darkness swirled and trembled around him, but his fist tore through it all, shattering everything in its path.

Boom!

The battle was one-sided. It remained completely in Ketal’s favor. Aquaz watched the scene in stunned silence.

What am I even witnessing right now?

Ashetiaar was a demon who, centuries ago, had single-handedly brought down an entire kingdom. Even Aquaz, empowered by divine scriptures, had struggled just to hold her at bay.

Yet here was Ahsetiaar, being pummeled by nothing more than Ketal’s fists. A demon of Ashetiaar’s caliber, whose power embodied crushing physical force, was being physically overpowered.

The fight was surreal, as if she were watching a human playing with an ant.

Boom!

Ketal tore Ashetiaar’s limbs apart, but she reappeared moments later, fully regenerated.

“You really don’t die,” Ketal remarked. He crushed her neck, broke her spine, tore her limbs, and punctured her torso. And still, she returned unscathed.

There were beings in the White Snowfield that could not be killed either, but they were fundamentally different. The White Snowfield’s immortals existed because the concept of death was twisted for them. This demon, however, seemed to exist beyond the reach of death itself.

“So, pure physical force can’t kill you,” Ketal murmured. It felt like facing an endlessly respawning monster. “Still, it’s not a big deal.”

An endlessly respawning ant was still just an ant.

Aquaz, who had been watching in disbelief, snapped out of her daze. She couldn’t afford to stand idle any longer. No matter how strong Ketal was, his strength was purely physical. He couldn’t defeat a demon. She knew that her divine miracle was needed.

She began to pray quietly, and a small flicker of divine light started gathering within her.

Crack.

Meanwhile, Ashetiaar continued to be destroyed, over and over again. At some point, she began laughing. It was a hollow, defeated laugh.

“Haha... Hahaha!” The fury she had felt earlier had vanished entirely. Being treated like a mere plaything left her with nothing but laughter. She couldn’t deny it anymore. The barbarian before her was overwhelmingly strong, far stronger than her. And with that realization came a single, burning question.

“What... what are you?” she asked. Her disbelief and curiosity burned in her eyes as she stared at Ketal. As the Demon of Oppression, she was being utterly crushed by pure strength. It felt as though she were up against a god of power.

“I’m just a barbarian,” Ketal answered simply.

“Ridiculous,” she muttered, narrowing her eyes. But then, a twisted smile spread across her face. Her eyes gleamed as she spoke. “Well, this is refreshing. There’s just one thing I want to try. I will test you... with my full power.”

The darkness of her domain trembled ominously. It grew denser, compressing into a thin, deadly barrier.

Aquaz, still gathering divine energy, froze. The suffocating darkness was terrifyingly thick, far more concentrated than anything she had seen before.

This is dangerous,

she thought. Realizing the severity of the situation, she hastened her prayer, accelerating the recovery of her divine strength.

Ketal, on the other hand, looked intrigued. “So, this is a demon’s full power?”

As if accepting the challenge, he lifted his axe. The compressed darkness erupted with force as Ashetiaar unleashed her power.

“Pierce him! Impale him!” she screamed.

Crack!

The barrier exploded, releasing thousands upon thousands of razor-sharp spikes that shot toward Ketal. Each spike carried the destructive power of a ballista. Even the sturdiest fortress walls would crumble before this onslaught.

And yet, Ketal just stood there, smiling. The spikes shattered and scattered as they struck him, failing to leave even the smallest scratch on his body. With a mighty swing of his axe and a powerful stomp, he sent the shattered fragments flying into the air like confetti.

“Hah...,” Ashetiaar let out a breathless, incredulous sigh. “What kind of monster are you?”

Boom!

Ketal appeared in front of Ashetiaar in an instant. Behind him, Aquaz’s voice rang out. “Material, Chapter 5, Verse 59! Its radiance burned all that was impure!”

A brilliant golden light enveloped Ketal’s axe. His eyes glimmered with excitement.

“Oh!” Ketal exclaimed. Even he could sense the sacred power emanating from the light. “So, this is the power of the Sun God!”

“What are you waiting for? Strike her down!” Aquaz shouted urgently at Ketal, who was gazing silently at his axe, not attacking the demon in front of him.

Ketal shrugged, finally gripping the axe tightly. “I’d like to observe a little longer, but I suppose this is enough. It’s been fun, demon.”

Crunch!

The axe buried itself deep into Ashetiaar’s chest. Divine energy surged into her, invading her core. Darkness evaporated under the holy light, and Ashetiaar’s presence began to rapidly fade.

“I’ve lost...,” she murmured softly.

“Well, that was fun, haha,” Ketal said, his laugh hearty and carefree. It had been a deeply satisfying experience—witnessing a fight between a demon and an inquisitor, battling the demon himself, and even wielding divine power in his axe. He couldn’t have asked for more.

Curiously, Ashetiaar’s expression also seemed strangely content.

“Being banished back to Hell is disappointing, but this hasn’t been without its rewards. At least I’ve confirmed that someone as powerful as you exists in the Mortal Realm,” Ashetiaar remarked. Her pale, pupil-less eyes fixed on Ketal. “Still, this wasn’t the best match-up for me. A different demon would have put up a better fight against you.”

Her abilities were rooted in absolute dominance through overwhelming force—this was her nature. However, this time, it had been different. Ketal was an opponent she could never overpower.

“What is your name, barbarian?” Ashetiaar asked.

“Ketal. Just Ketal, a simple barbarian.”

“No, don’t—!” Aquaz shouted, frantic with alarm. She thought the fight was over, but she forgot about the most important thing. However, her cry came too late.

Ashetiaar grinned, baring her sharp teeth.

“Ketal... good. Hear me, all who dwell in Hell!” her voice boomed, shaking the space around them. It wasn’t a shout directed at the Mortal Realm, but a proclamation to her homeland—the abyss of Hell itself. “There is a barbarian named Ketal in the Mortal Realm! Let all beings of Hell remember the name Ketal! Feast upon my memories and know him! Engrave the existence of Ketal in your minds!”

“No! No!” Aquaz cried out in despair.

At the same moment, tendrils of darkness surged toward Ketal. The shadows coiled around him, reaching deep within, attempting to brand his very soul.

Ashetiaar laughed maniacally. “Hahaha! Barbarian! Now you are ours! We will make good use of your corpse later!”

The darkness raced across Ketal, seeking to engulf him entirely—a suffocating, all-consuming force that would have utterly corrupted any ordinary human.

However, it did not affect Ketal at all.

“What... did you do?” Ketal asked, his tone calm and unbothered.

Nothing had happened. The darkness writhed and twisted across his form, unable to find purchase. It stopped short, failing to touch his soul.

Ashetiaar’s expression froze. “What...?”

The darkness had indeed tried to mark the barbarian, to etch his name into the abyss, but it had achieved nothing.

“Ah, I understand now.” Realization dawned on Ketal’s face. He nodded to himself, as if piecing together a puzzle. “So this is what a demon’s lie looks like? A decent trick for buying time, but it seems there’s no one left to save you.”

“W-wait—”

Crunch.

Ketal’s axe came down mercilessly. Ashetiaar’s body dissolved into shadows, scattering into the void, leaving nothing behind.

Silence fell. Left behind were Aquaz, staring at Ketal with wide eyes, and Ketal himself, stretching as if he had just finished a refreshing workout.