For a moment, the Demon Lord shuddered. Was it fear? He could hardly believe it. Ein’s current form was far from elegant and boasted very little power—he was standing at death’s door. And yet, how could the Demon Lord fear such a frail person? With each of Ein’s attempted dodges, spurts of blood gushed out from new wounds. However, his eyes burned with a determination that never wavered as he faced the Demon Lord again and again. The Demon Lord quickly realized that he’d felt that rash of fear for a reason.
“You didn’t give birth to me for nothing...” he muttered. “I see now.”
Fresh blood trickled down his cheek and lips. As he tasted his own blood, the Demon Lord realized that he’d been unconsciously retreating. He was in awe, but he soon widened his eyes and smiled. Ein was too busy fighting to care and continued to swing his sword. I’ve gotta hurry! I don’t have much time!
His blade could still reach the Demon Lord—Ein had a much greater chance to prevail than before. Only after several more clashes did Ein notice the Demon Lord smiling and found it to be rather creepy.
“Why won’t you use your other powers?!” Ein demanded, hoping to shake himself free of this unease.
“Because it’s hardly effective against the hero king’s power!” the Demon Lord replied.
“Yeah? Then I wouldn’t mind if you gave it all back!”
“Unfortunately for you, I’ll have to decline that offer! I may not use them, but these powers are mine and mine alone! And if by some miracle, you happen to Absorb them from me, it’d be quite troublesome!”
“At least let your guard down a little!”
“Oh, give me a break. I know more than anyone that I can’t win if I hold back against a man like you! I’m no fool, as you can see!”
“Funny to hear you say that right after you gave words to your stupid wish!”
“Hah! If following my primal instincts makes me sinful, then mindless beasts would’ve sinned merely by existing!”
Ein was so engrossed in his fight that he failed to account for his surroundings. Swallowed up by darkness, his world began to ripple around the edges. It’d turned into a massive celestial orb that floated in the air. In fact, it was quite reminiscent of a solar eclipse.
“I’ve no plan to debate the mechanics of sin and justice with you!” Ein yelled.
The clangs of cold steel soon began to shift. No longer were the two men on equal footing. Gradually, Ein began to get a feeling for the Demon Lord’s movements and adapted accordingly. With his brain working at full capacity, the crown prince finally started to gain the upper hand.
“If you’re going to steal the world that I love so much, I just need to stop you then!” Ein shouted.
The world wavered. The blue skies were dyed in the deepest of black, and there was an inexplicable sense of sluggishness that fell upon Ein. He wasn’t sure if he’d become too hot or too cold, but he knew that he felt deeply uncomfortable. Just then, the Demon Lord stepped towards Ein and swung his black sword. The crown prince had very little left in him, and it wasn’t an understatement to say that he’d made it this far on sheer willpower alone. If he relaxed for even a millisecond, he knew that everything would come crashing down on him, and he refused to stop his arms.
“Huh?” Ein gasped.
Suddenly, his knees buckled as he fell lifelessly upon the blue fire roses. The roses’ thorns stabbed his thighs, mercilessly piercing through his skin in the process. The pain was less of an issue compared to the strength that had seemingly left his body. It took a few seconds for him to stand back up again, but he felt that his senses had dulled.
“Finally,” the Demon Lord said as he outstretched his arms with a flourish.
Annoyed by how heavy his body felt, Ein managed to grip his blade tightly once more. The fingers that wrapped around Ishtar were as feeble as a baby’s. Already?
“Finally! I’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment,” the Demon Lord said.
It pained Ein to even blink as the world in front of him rippled and shook. “No... Not yet!”
“You’ve done enough.”
The last bit of the blue sky was consumed by the void, and the entire world turned dark. A massive ball of light hung in the dark sky and only then did Ein finally notice it. The orb emanated a black light that was darker than the void above him. Hot white gases shimmered along its rim, and Ein felt a thick magic unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It was clear that he had very little time left.
“Rejoice,” the Demon Lord said. “The time has come for you to lose yourself and fuse with my being!”
From the ground around them, a fist-sized chunk of light floated up and zoomed towards the dark orb in the sky. Ein found himself pained to discover that every blue fire rose had rotted and wilted away.
“This will be an offering of sorts,” the Demon Lord said. “Your final farewell, since you won’t be coming back from this.”
When Ein peered into the Demon Lord’s eyes, there were several other eyeballs darting within. It made Ein’s hair stand on end in pure terror.
“I shall show you my gluttony and insatiable thirst,” the Demon Lord said.
Ein instinctively grabbed Ishtar and forced his body to advance. He thrust his blade forward and skewered the Demon Lord’s throat. The weapon glided through his flesh with no problem at all. This bastard...
The Demon Lord purposefully remained in place, with even more black blood gushing from the wound. Upon focusing his senses, Ein could hear the sounds of their hair brushing up against each other. His panting was deafening and he steadied his breathing as he quietly glared at the Demon Lord. The power vested in Ishtar glittered to defeat the Demon Lord, but the enemy was as calm as ever.
He drew Ein close and whispered in the crown prince’s ear. “This is your last chance.”
“What the—?!” Ein gasped.
As he was brought closer, Ishtar slid farther into Demon Lord’s wound. Black blood spurted from his mouth—this would’ve been a fatal blow to any normal person, but Ein was unable to shake the unease that gripped him. He tried to pull away, but the Demon Lord had wrapped his arm tightly around the prince’s body.
“This power can only be used here,” the Demon Lord said. “Why do you think that is so? It’s because you keep fighting me.”
“I don’t believe it!” Ein roared. “I’m still—”
“Still resisting? Are you sure about that?” the Demon Lord smiled. “Give up. You lack the power to fight back in your current state.”
Ein was spiritually resisting still, but it served little purpose at this point. The Demon Lord spoke eloquently despite the sword in his throat, and his voice was filled with a passionate tone.
“Let us sing. This is the power of the World Tree, born from you,” the Demon Lord said. He sounded like he was reciting a hymn within a cathedral. The solemn sound of a piano filled the air, enough to make Ein doubt his ears. “Indulge in the blessings within my arms and fall into an eternal slumber.”
The Demon Lord pulled Ein in for a passionate embrace as though he were bidding farewell to his beloved wife. The arms that enveloped the crown prince were powerful, refusing to let their prey wriggle out of their grasp.
“Stop!” Ein grunted. “I’m not gonna die with you!”
“Oh, you won’t,” the Demon Lord assured. “We’ll become a single being.”
The two couldn’t have been more different. The sound caused the black sphere in the sky to crack.
“May my blessings rain upon you,” the Demon Lord said.
It shone brightly while retaining its inherent darkness. The power within the dark sphere leaked from its cracks and dispersed. Rays of pure darkness penetrated the sky and gouged out the earth. They flew in a spiral, leaving scattered petals in their wake. Needless to say, one would hesitate to touch the rays—anything that unfortunately fell in its trajectory began to wilt. Their bodies began to turn black and shrivel up.
And then, with a gentle tap, Ein was released from the embrace. He fell to the ground, atop a pile of dark and wilted blue fire roses. Ishtar’s form had started to change as well, morphing into a clump of steel that had been left to the ravages of time. It wasn’t long before the blade fell beside the royal.
“Slumber for eternity. From here, let us sate our hunger, together,” the Demon Lord said.
Ein said not a word, and he couldn’t move a single finger. Only one other sign of life remained: a single blue fire rose by his feet that had managed to evade the cold clutches of death.