Chapter 168 Satan's Nightmare - 04
Satan felt as though a torrent of molten lead coursed through his veins, an excruciating burn radiating from his heart to every extremity. It mirrored the searing torment he had experienced when Daniel had wrested dominion over this very dimension from his grasp.
"Leaving already, Satan?" Daniel's voice, cool and unyielding, sliced through the air. Even though his physical form remained ensconced within the heart of the Hecatonchires Avatar, his right hand clenched a sapphire orb – a tangible embodiment of the authority once commanded by Satan over this disintegrating infernal plane.
"Impossible..." Satan's voice quavered with disbelief, his visage contorting in shock. The unfolding tableau shattered the very conventions that governed the knowledge within the Curtained World.
Authority, the bedrock upon which dominion rested, was a fortress impervious to tampering, an unassailable pillar of the natural order. Yet, in an audacious transgression, Daniel had forcibly stripped Satan of this mantle of control, appropriating it for himself despite lacking inherent entitlement.
Since delving into the forbidden annals of the Archmage's wisdom, Daniel had mastered enigmatic rituals and the cryptic lore of mages, unraveling the threads that wove magic's tapestry. His profound grasp of these foundational principles granted him the audacity to reshape and shatter their boundaries, forging pathways previously deemed inviolable. This audacious mastery was starkly evident as he seized dominion over the dimension from Satan.
To an outsider, it might appear as though Daniel had effortlessly seized command from Satan's hands. In reality, he'd followed the threads of authority that ran through Satan, crafting a method to control the dimension by using Satan as an intermediary.
Picture it like this: Satan served as a host, while Daniel remotely operated this authority through him. This was why Satan felt the searing pain, as if his veins were aflame. Daniel exerted forceful control over the authority within Satan's soul, with the control panel firmly held in Daniel's hands.
Now, Satan's eyes started to waver as an unknown feeling of dread crept up from his heart. He realized that Daniel was a force beyond his reckoning, a foe he couldn't hope to defeat. Perhaps, if he could fully regain his 100% power, he might stand a chance against this monstrous human.
Unbeknownst to Satan, Daniel was aware of this thought, as their minds were still connected. However, Daniel concealed his own thoughts, carefully controlling the flow of mana in the link to prevent Satan from reading his intentions. He had no intention of letting Satan escape this place, not if he could help it.
Suddenly, Satan's thoughts shifted to a decisive determination. He burned all the remaining power within his body, including the origin power that had fueled his berserk state. This sacrifice granted Satan an unimaginable surge of power, but it came at the cost of never being able to use the berserk state again in the future.
Magical and demonic energy sparked and enveloped Satan's body as he used this newfound power to wrest control of his authority from Daniel.
Not willing to injure himself to entertain Satan's crazy idea, Daniel relinquished control over the seemingly worthless dimension. Seizing the opportunity, Satan swiftly collapsed the dimension as he had planned, hoping to delay Daniel. However, Daniel could anticipate Satan's intentions and quickly traced the energy signature left by Satan, pursuing him without hesitation.
— Outside Tessia Kingdom, Small Desolate Island —
The moon hung low in the ink-black sky, casting an eerie pallor over the desolate island that lay just off the Tessia Kingdom's coastline. Waves whispered mournfully as they caressed the island's shores, their gentle touch belying the secrets that lay hidden within its haunted terrain.
The air itself seemed heavy with a malevolent energy, as if the very atmosphere bore the weight of the island's grim history. Long ago, during a time marred by the merciless grip of cholera, this forsaken land had been transformed into a mass grave. The souls of the afflicted had found their final resting place here, their bodies interred beneath the soil in an attempt to contain the horrors of the disease.
Amidst the heavy mist that clung to the air, Satan materialized on the desolate island, his form battered and tattered from his recent escape from Daniel's relentless onslaught.
"Sigh…" Satan let out a sigh of relief, his plan had worked, and Daniel was unable to follow him. Now, he needed to regain his lost power, surveying the eerie scene before his eyes with a sense of urgency.
Unseen eyes, brimming with otherworldly hunger, fixated upon the intruder. The malevolent spirits that roamed this haunted isle sensed an unfamiliar presence, an interloper in their realm. With a collective hiss that seemed to emanate from the very shadows themselves, they converged upon Satan, their spectral forms intertwining with the mist that shrouded the land.
Devoid of physical form yet driven by an insatiable craving for power, the spirits surged toward Satan with an eerie swiftness. Their ethereal claws and gnashing teeth sought to latch onto his battered body, driven by an instinctual need to consume and assimilate.
However, Satan was no ordinary entity, even in his injured state. He was a leader among the damned, being steeped in the darkest malevolence. With a wave of his hand Satan drew out all of the evil energy from the evil spirit that dared provoke him, all of their energy was sucked dry and even their souls were amongst them. All of their being was absorbed into Satan's hand and became an eerie green and red orb before Satan swallowed it whole.
A faint surge of power trickled into Satan's body, a mere trickle compared to the substantial loss he had experienced. Not even 1% of his former might was restored through the devouring of these malevolent spirits.
"Are you satisfied now? If your appetite is sated, you can die with a full belly," a cold voice taunted from behind Satan. He instinctively retreated, pivoting towards the source of the voice. What met his gaze was a sight straight from his darkest nightmares – Daniel, emerging from a portal that had followed him to this accursed place.
"Damn it!" Satan cursed, abandoning his usual penchant for trash talk and provocations. As if seeing a natural predator, an entity he couldn't afford to face heedlessly. With grim determination, Satan opted for swift escape, tearing open a rift to another location [Spell disruption? But this knowledge should have been lost with the end of the Middle Age, along with Ancient Magic!] Awe and through space itself.
"What's the hurry? How about staying for a chat?" Daniel's words dripped with mockery as he ruthlessly disrupted Satan's demonic incantation once more.
Cracking!!
"Argh!" Satan recoiled as the magical and demonic energies he had been channeling convulsed into a wild surge of electric current, searing his hand.
[Spell disruption? But this knowledge should have been lost with the end of the Middle Age, along with Ancient Magic!] Awe and dread mingled within Satan's thoughts, an ancient primal fear – the fear of the unknown – gripping even this demonic being in its insidious hold.
"Don't underestimate me, human!!" Satan's roar echoed with wrath, channeling his anger to quell the fear that had gripped his heart. With unwavering determination, he sacrificed another 5% of his core energy, forcibly amplifying his power in a desperate bid to overpower Daniel's spell disruption.
However, this decision came with a heavy cost – a future where Satan's power would never exceed 95% of its full potential, regardless of his efforts. Coupled with the loss of his berserk state, he could foresee himself toppling from the peak of the pyramid of power. Even some ambitious fiends might entertain the idea of challenging him. But that was a concern for another time; for now, his priority was to escape from this relentless monster in human form!
Observing this, Daniel was momentarily taken aback. The audacity of Satan to expend his core energy to escape his grasp was unexpected, showcasing an admirably resolute resolve even in an adversary.
Satan swiftly tore through the fabric of space, vanishing to another location. Yet, Daniel responded swiftly, seizing the spatial coordinates and elongating the portal's closing time, determinedly pursuing Satan's fleeting escape.
Amidst this relentless pursuit, an unsettling realization took root within Satan's heart. Fear, akin to a creeping darkness, burrowed deeper into his core. With each teleportation, evasion, and confrontation, the disconcerting notion that he might not elude Daniel's unyielding grip started to coil around his consciousness.
Materializing on the freighter ship's deck, the salt-tinged breeze assaulting his senses, an oppressive dread settled upon Satan. The Holy bullets, propelled with unprecedented velocity, had left an indelible mark. They etched into his awareness a keen understanding of his vulnerability. The searing agony left in their wake was more than just physical; it was a stark reminder of Daniel's pervasive might, a power that had pierced even through the defenses of one as mighty as Satan.
Upon the lofty heights of a skyscraper, the crescendo of fear surged. The Holy bullets, akin to wrathful phantoms of divine justice, pursued him ceaselessly. They whispered of his inability to evade Daniel's relentless pursuit. A throbbing pain in his side persisted, an echoing emblem of his susceptibility in the face of this unrelenting adversary.
Within the heart of the urban sprawl, as the shotgun's silver pellets scorched the pavement beneath him, Satan's pulse quickened. The realization was unmistakable – he was hunted, every attempt at evasion met with resistance, every retreat countered. The figure of Daniel loomed omnipresent, unyielding and unstoppable, embodying his deepest fears, a living manifestation of inescapable retribution.
With every teleportation and desperate dodge, Satan's fear deepened, its talons sinking further into his heart. The once-arrogant demon lord now grappled with the unsettling certainty that his invincibility was a facade, shattered by a force that pursued him relentlessly, unyielding across time and space.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦