Impressive. He’s the only human who has ever broken out of my Phantasmadiástasi with sheer willpower, Asmodeus thought to herself.
Suddenly, a deep, rumbling voice spoke in her mind.
“What the hell are you doing, Asmodeus? I thought you were going to seduce the brat?”
Asmodeus clicked her tongue and communicated back telepathically, “Shut up, Leviathan. How can I do that? I’ve seen a glimpse of his memories. I doubt I can seduce someone who was deeply traumatized during his childhood. Not to mention, he thinks highly of women.”
Another voice cut through, buzzing with static.
“HAHAHA! So much for your boasting~”
Asmodeus gritted her teeth. “Shut your trap, Beelzebub. I’ll make sure to feed you your own tail when I get back.”
“Oh, scary~” Beelzebub mocked.
Arthur maintained his rigid stance, seemingly blocking Asmodeus from reaching the four.
Then, a deep, authoritative voice spoke next.
“Asmodeus, it’s too dangerous. Retreat now—that’s an order.”
“I need to get more information from him before retreating, Your Majesty. I’ve gathered so much from simply invading his mind,” Asmodeus replied.
“You are opening Pandora’s Box, Asmodeus,” he warned.
“Put your faith in me, Your Majesty. I want to return with sufficient information on who we are dealing with,” she replied back, never breaking eye contact with Arthur.
Asmodeus raised her arm above her head and opened her hand. Suddenly, a large, neon pink scythe with a pitch-black handle materialized directly over her palm. She grabbed the weapon, whirling it around with fluid precision until it rested against her back. Settling into an elegant fighting stance, she stood ready to charge at any moment.
She smirked, pointing a slender finger directly at Arthur, and sent the horde of demons charging forward.
A feminine voice spoke clearly in Arthur’s mind.
“Arthur, can you buy me some time?”
Aunt Alice? He glanced back at her, giving a sharp nod.
Alice nodded back and flicked her wrist, instantly teleporting herself, Matilda, Connor, and the unconscious prince up into the spectator stands to safety.
Looking down at the chaos on the arena floor, Alice turned to Matilda and Connor. “Can you two handle explaining the situation to the royals and nobles?” she asked.
Connor swung the unconscious prince over one of his shoulders. The two of them nodded and replied in unison, “Leave it to us, Big Sis.”
Alice snapped her fingers, creating a shimmering portal that led directly into the secure pocket dimension where she had already evacuated the rest of the nobility. Without a shred of hesitation, the two stepped through the rift before it vanished into thin air.
Arthur waved his sword above his head in a wide, circular motion, creating a swirling hurricane of golden flames. The inferno engulfed every demon that dared to draw near, while simultaneously incinerating the elemental spells thrown his way.
As the demons were vaporized wave by wave, Asmodeus stood back, calmly observing the carnage. No wonder His Highness is so wary of this boy, she thought to herself. Seeing him in action… it completely changes how I view him.
But before she could think any further, Arthur suddenly vanished, reappearing directly in front of her. He swung his blazing sword in a heavy, downward arc. Asmodeus barely managed to bring her scythe up to parry the blow.
She gritted her teeth, straining to hold him back, but the raw momentum overpowered her. The sheer force sent her flying backward across the arena. Digging deep, she planted her feet firmly into the ground, her high heels scraping violently through the sand and kicking up a dense cloud of dust as she fought to stick her landing.
The absolute millisecond her momentum stopped, she lunged forward, exchanging a flurry of lightning-fast blows with Arthur. Powerful shockwaves ripped through the stadium with every single impact of blade against scythe.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
With a final, explosive clash, the two broke apart, leaping backward to create distance between themselves.
The remaining demon horde refused to relent, continuing to charge straight toward Arthur. He responded instantly by lifting his sword and thrusting it violently into the earth. The impact detonated a massive shockwave of golden fire, disintegrating hundreds of demons around him in a devastating, wide-area explosion.
Asmodeus slammed her scythe violently into the earth, forcing thousands of thorny vines to erupt from the arena floor. Arthur reacted instantly, leaping high into the air.
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As the massive mass of vines surged straight toward him in midair, Arthur spun his body with incredible torque, creating yet another raging hurricane of golden flames. The inferno incinerated the thorns the exact millisecond they drew near.
The moment Arthur stopped spinning, Asmodeus was already right in front of him. They both swung their weapons with everything they had. The colossal impact unleashed a massive shockwave that sent the remaining demon horde stumbling backward, making the entire Sideropyr arena shudder violently.
They began exchanging blows at blinding speeds in midair, constantly blurring and changing positions across the sky.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
“Tired yet?” Asmodeus smirked, her voice laced with amusement.
“No. You?” Arthur smirked back, never breaking his rhythm.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Their final, explosive collision sent them both hurtling downward. They impacted the arena floor with a loud, resounding thud, kicking up a dense cloud of dust that blanked out the center of the ring.
Before the smoke could even begin to dissipate, both Arthur and Asmodeus lunged forward through the haze. Their sword and scythe locked together in a shower of sparks, their eyes meeting in a deadly, unwavering stare.
“You are by far the strongest human I have ever faced, Arthur,” Asmodeus laughed softly, though her muscles strained against his blade.
“I wasn’t asking, but I’m flattered,” Arthur retorted.
Asmodeus shoved Arthur back before leaping away, allowing the relentless demon horde to swarm him once again.
Arthur sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. “These guys are relentless.”
He closed his eyes, letting go of his sword. The blade hovered vertically in the air in front of him. Arthur began moving his hands with fluid precision, as if he were calmly conducting a symphony.
Suddenly, massive, swirling columns of golden fire erupted around him, rapidly morphing into four colossal, blazing dragon heads. The fiery beasts slammed down onto the arena floor and surged forward, instantly vaporizing the demon horde the exact millisecond they drew near.
The moment the army was entirely wiped out, the dragon heads dissolved into thin air. Standing in the epicenter of the ash, Arthur slowly reached out, grasped the hilt of his hovering sword, and pointed it toward the ground, his gaze locked onto Asmodeus.
Asmodeus bit her lower lip nervously. No wonder he defeated Ba’al so easily… This boy is even crazier than that blonde mage back at the academy.
Well, my minions are gone. I have nothing left to distract him with… She let out a tense inner chuckle. Heh… I got all the information I need anyway. Time to get out of here.
She raised her hand to escape. But before her fingers could snap, her entire body locked up.
What…? Her eyes widened in utter disbelief. I can’t move…? What is happening?
Panic flooded her mind. Wait… That silver-haired mage… Could it be…?
Struggling to even shift her eyeballs, Asmodeus slowly strained her gaze away from Arthur, looking up toward the spectator stands.
The moment her eyes landed on Alice, a shockwave of terror hit her. Alice was staring right back down at her, wearing a soft, serene smile while calmly clasping her hands together.
A feminine voice spoke clearly inside Asmodeus’s mind.
“Checkmate.”
Asmodeus gritted her teeth in fury. This is her doing? Damn it!
“Look below you,” Alice's calm voice echoed telepathically in Asmodeus’s mind.
Asmodeus slowly strained her eyes, struggling against the paralysis to look down. The moment her gaze hit the dirt, she saw it—a massive, brilliantly glowing magic circle with an incredibly intricate design pulsing right beneath her feet.
This is— Asmodeus thought, her panic spiking, but Alice’s serene mental voice cut her off.
“Yes. It is an anti-demon sealing circle.”
Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! This can’t be happening! I’ve been outsmarted by humans?! Asmodeus roared internally, glaring helplessly at the radiant geometric lines binding her.
Alice then conjured a portal right next to herself in the stands and another directly beside the battlefield. Stepping through the rift, she instantly appeared right next to the completely immobilized Demon Lord.
With the sealing circle active, Asmodeus’s neon pink scythe began to flicker, slowly dissipating into nothingness. From the smoke of the battlefield, Arthur walked forward with slow, deliberate steps, his hand still firmly gripping his blazing sword as his eyes locked onto their captive.
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The moment Arthur reached the paralyzed Demon Lord and his aunt, he lowered his blade slightly. The raging flames in his hair extinguished, and his eyes gradually faded back to normal. “So… what happens now, Aunt Alice?”
“I can’t seal her inside an object,” Alice explained, pausing briefly as she looked down at the glowing glyphs. “Objects can easily be stolen or broken, which would render the seal completely useless.” She let out a soft scoff. “I’ll be sealing her within myself, then.”
“But wouldn’t that make you the prime target for every other Demon Lord, Aunt Alice?” Arthur asked, his voice thick with concern.
Alice smiled softly, her expression melting. “Don’t worry, Arthu—”
“I’m sorry, but no,” Arthur interrupted firmly, his tone leaving absolutely zero room for argument.
“But Arthur, if we don’t seal her inside of me, she will eventually find a way to escape,” Alice reasoned, her eyebrows knitting together.
“Then seal her inside of me instead,” Arthur countered without a shred of hesitation.
“What…?” Alice stared at him, her eyes wide with utter disbelief.
“What if she suddenly tries to take control of you? What if every Demon Lord comes hunting for your head?” Arthur pressed relentlessly, stepping closer.
Alice stared at her nephew for a long moment, then let out a soft chuckle that faded into a weary sigh. “Well… you did just fight her and her entire army all by yourself…” She looked down at the dirt, then glanced back up into his determined eyes. “Okay, Arthur. I trust you completely.”
Arthur let out a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank you, Aunt Alice.”
No! No! You can't do this to me! NO! Asmodeus screamed furiously inside her own mind, her consciousness thrashing against the spatial lock.
Ignoring the internal screaming, Alice traced a series of elegant, fluid gestures through the air. The massive sealing circle flared with blinding light, compressing Asmodeus's physical form until she morphed into a tiny, pulsing sphere of neon-pink energy.
Gently guiding the glowing orb, Alice pressed it directly against Arthur’s chest. The sphere sank smoothly into his skin. Arthur grimaced, his muscles locking tight as a sharp jolt of foreign demonic energy flooded his core, before his shoulders finally relaxed.
“What happened to everyone else?” Arthur asked, looking around the empty stadium.
“Don’t worry about them. I’ve kept them completely safe inside a pocket dimension,” Alice replied smoothly.
Arthur let out a weary sigh, followed by a faint, self-deprecating chuckle. “Sorry… I feel like it’s all my fault that the demons are suddenly attacking like this. First Beelzebub, then Leviathan, and now Asmodeus.”
Alice offered him a warm, reassuring smile and shook her head. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. You’ve protected everyone today…” She stepped closer, her voice softening. “You’ve protected me.”
Arthur’s eyes widened slightly. Before he could stop it, a single tear escaped his left eye and traced down his cheek. He gave a quiet, emotional nod. “Yeah.”
Alice walked the rest of the distance to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and standing high on her toes despite already wearing high heels. Arthur responded instantly, enveloping her in a tight, protective embrace.
The two held onto each other for a long, quiet moment before finally letting go. Arthur quickly wiped the stray tear from his cheek, clearing his throat as his composure returned.
“So… what do we do next?” Arthur asked, looking down at Alice.
To Be Continued…