Chapter 1543 Lazarus: “We Meet Again, Demon”
The tumultuous battlefield abruptly fell into a chilling silence as Eren's life slipped away within Garos' grasp.
A shroud of fear and intimidation enveloped the entire scene, rendering most bystanders speechless. Garos's aura was so oppressive that it stifled any attempts at utterance. One could hear their suppressed breaths and heartbeats under such a suffocating silence.
Following the release of his vice-like grip on Eren's throat, the lifeless body crumpled to the ground, bereft of its head, which had seemingly vanished into thin air. This mystical disappearance seemed a consequence of Garos' extraordinary water-based Elemental Attainments.
The corpse had endured such extreme torment in such a brief span that it no longer resembled a human form. From every conceivable angle, Garos' water-elemental powers crushed Eren, reducing his once vibrant body to a slimy amalgamation of blood, bones, and viscous liquid flesh.
Garos, far from lessening the oppressive atmosphere, expanded his dominance. He shifted his gaze towards Argo, who stood a mere few paces away.
Argo, still bewildered by Eren's demise, was abruptly hoisted off the ground in a manner eerily similar to Eren's final moments. Garos tightened his grip around Argo's neck, enveloping him in the full weight of his Sage-ranked might.
"We meet again, demon. You must have known by now that I'm not scared of you. Even if that entity known as Demon Prince were to be 10,000 times stronger than me, so what?
In the Land of the Faithless, neither you nor the Demon Prince supporting you wields any power. Or rather, you shouldn't be allowed to. I am not going to play around with you this time, I'm afraid. There's no use. We have concluded that you can't be turned into a valuable asset anymore."
Garos declared coldly as he advanced towards his opponent. Fixing his gaze on Argo's bewildered expression, Garos discerned a connection between Argo's schemes and the late Demonmir, but the precise motives remained unclear.
"I see it now. Those restaurant chains, Billy's, were your doing, weren't they? This is how you managed to attain S-Rank. Am I right? After all, you are the incarnation of Beelzebub.
What a mess. What a slip up. You're even more dangerous than Demonmir," Garos surmised aloud, studying Argo with an intense, dark glare.
As the Sage pondered the mysterious connection between Eren and Argo and the true objective behind the battlefield chaos, his anxiety intensified. His restless heart urged him to extract answers from the newly ascended S-Ranked demon before him.
"Here's your one and only chance to redeem yourself," Garos spoke sternly, making Argo meet his unwavering gaze.
"Answer truthfully and plainly: Why did you attack the City of Lancelot? What's your relationship with the Witch of the Enderflames? Did you orchestrate all this for her revival? Is she here?
Who else are your accomplices? Start answering any of these questions and then I'll think about sparing your life."
Garos' cold query, coupled with his piercing scrutiny, sought to uncover the secrets harbored by the captive demon beast.
***
Returning to the Edinburgh army base, Garos learned that Eren and Argo had appeared on the battlefield, causing harm to both sides.
Garos had initially agreed to the Anfang Alliance's conditions of non-participation in the conflict between the two kingdoms. However, the situation had taken a distinct and unexpected turn.
He was confident that the Alliance would appreciate the gravity of the situation, considering it revolved around Eliza Samael. Still, he decided to neutralize the threat while minimizing the casualty he would cause on the Rankers of both sides. He had decided to leave Anfang after the war, after all. He did not want the Alliance to hold him here because of his careless moves.
Garos' intervention in the battle stemmed from Rodrick's revelation that the Witch of Enderflames might materialize here. The news was so astonishing and unconventional that Garos couldn't dismiss it.
Eliza Samael remained an unknown figure in the present era for the most part, with even the preceding generation of Sages lacking knowledge of her title as the Witch of the Enderflames. As such, Garos was sure that there was nobody apart from him who could understand the gravity of the situation.
In the context of Eliza Samael, Argo and Eren appeared the most dubious to Garos. He believed that immediate action was necessary before anything untoward occurred.
Thus, he decided to act swiftly, culminating in Grimdawn's death.
***
Argo initially seemed shocked and dazed. It took him some time to process Garos' questions. When he did, he fixed a menacing gaze on Garos and started to respond, "I ain't tellin you shit, big man. Do you think you..."
Before Argo could finish his sentence, Garos sprang into action. He initiated a deadly attack on Argo in the same manner as he had with Eren. First, he snapped Argo's neck, and then, using his free hand, he attempted to crush Argo's head.
It could be said that Garos was exceptionally ruthless in his actions. He seemed indifferent to gathering information from Eren or Argo. His inquiries to Argo appeared almost ceremonial. As soon as he concluded that there was no value in conversing with the demon beast, he resolved to eliminate him.
Just before Garos could crush Argo's head, he experienced a powerful repelling force emanating from Argo. Argo's demonic aura grew stronger, dispelling the ethereal pressure that Garos had created with his Way of the Water.
Argo sprouted wings and seized Garos' arm, the same arm that had been used to lift him by the neck. Argo's fingers resembled eagle-like talons as he gripped Garos.
It seemed as if he intended to send Garos soaring into the skies to settle their confrontation once and for all.
However, Garos anticipated Argo's actions and escalated the ethereal pressure generated by his Way of the Water, anchoring both himself and Argo to the ground. He knew about Argo's powers firsthand after battling with him.
He knew that if Argo was allowed to enter the skies, he would become a much larger threat for him and everyone else.
As such, Garos had decided that he would not let the Lord of the Skies escape to his familiar domain.
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