Chapter 112: The Master of the Demon Realm is Indeed Powerful
With a powerful strike against Subnock’s back, Rest was rebounded off the creature’s tough fur, landing on the ground.
“Too shallow…!”
Using High Accelerator, Rest caught up to Subnock and leaped onto its back, slamming down Star Eater. Although the Dark Star had the ability to consume everything and erase it from existence, it unfortunately did not deal a fatal blow to Subnock’s massive form. Despite the blood streaming from its back, Subnock stood tall, refusing to fall.
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!?”
It seemed the pain was indeed felt. Subnock halted, turning its gaze toward Rest. Its grotesquely distorted compound eyes loomed over Rest, radiating anger and murderous intent.
“Finally, you’re looking my way…!”
Rest swallowed hard, feeling the tension rise, but mustered all the bravado he could to glare back at Subnock. Locking eyes with the creature, he was reminded anew of just how monstrous it truly was. Its sheer size was staggering, but the magical power it contained was beyond comprehension. Even Rest, with his wellspring of Infinite Magic Power, could not hope to contain such a vast amount of magical energy within himself at once.
(That’s why it’s the Master of the Demon Realm… It’s no wonder it has never been defeated since the founding of this land.)
As sweat trickled down his back, Rest contemplated how to defeat the foe before him. The most powerful card in his hand was Star Eater, the spell that consumed all. However, as he had learned from his previous attack, even with Star Eater, a single or double strike would not be enough to pierce Subnock’s life force.
(If I could hit its brain or heart, it would be a different story… but that’s easier said than done.)
Rest had intended to slam Star Eater onto Subnock’s head just moments ago. However, the beast’s speed as it charged across the plain made it impossible to maintain his position after leaping onto its back. He managed to strike its back, but targeting its head was a near-impossible feat.
(Star Eater is a powerful spell. That’s why it can’t be used in conjunction with other spells…)
That was the weakness of Star Eater. Due to its nature of constantly absorbing vast amounts of magical power, it could not be combined with other spells. When Star Eater was invoked, all Body Enhancement Magic was forcibly canceled, leaving Rest vulnerable.
(Hitting it ten or twenty times might bring it down, but… are you kidding me?)
Would Rest even be able to control this giant beast long enough to do that?
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO！！！！！！”
“Ugh…!”
From its gaping maw, a scream erupted that surpassed the previous one. It was like a missile of sound. If not for magic to defend against it, Rest would have been blown away several dozen meters instead of merely risking a ruptured eardrum.
“GYAO!”
“……!”
Immediately after the deafening roar, Subnock slammed its foreleg down. For a fleeting moment, Rest considered countering with Star Eater to seize the foreleg, but quickly dismissed the reckless thought. He could not hope to absorb such a massive limb in an instant. While he could carve out a piece of its flesh, Rest himself would be crushed in the process.
“High Accelerator!”
Boosting his speed dramatically, Rest dodged Subnock’s foreleg. A moment later, a thunderous explosion echoed as a large cloud of dust erupted. A small crater formed where the foreleg had struck, leaving painful claw marks etched into the ground.
“Fireball, Amplify, Compress, Accelerate!”
Avoiding the foreleg’s attack, Rest activated his spells in a Quartet. He compressed and accelerated a massive fireball, launching it toward Subnock’s face. The fireball struck true, igniting a brilliant explosion of crimson flames.
“GYAO!”
“Ugh…!”
However, the damage was minimal. The creature’s facial fur merely singed. Even with a Quartet, it was clear that standard magic could not inflict significant harm on Subnock. The beast retaliated by unleashing a torrent of corrosive saliva like a water cannon. While other corrupted beasts had employed similar attacks, Subnock’s was on an entirely different level. It unleashed a deluge of saliva as if a dam had burst.
“Wind Shield, Water Wall, Earth Shield, Fire Wall!”
Rest erected four elemental barriers to shield himself from the onslaught of saliva. The ground around him was splattered with Subnock’s corrosive fluid.
“Gishaaaaaa…!”
A nearby monster was unfortunate enough to be caught in the spray. Its body began to dissolve under the corrosive saliva, quickly rotting away until nothing but bones remained.
“…What a terrifying creature.”
Rest thought again about the implications of unleashing such a monster upon the plains. If it were to reach the Royal Capital… a chill ran down his spine, and his face twisted in horror. Visions of a town melted away by saliva and its residents reduced to bones filled his mind.
“…I must stop it for sure. This is it; this is the deadly battle.”
With a steely resolve, Rest focused all his thoughts on how to hunt the monster before him.
(Subnock’s fur has an incredibly strong magical resistance. Fire, water, wind, earth, ice, lightning… none of them will work. As for poison… I haven’t tried it, but given that it spews corrosive saliva, I doubt it would be effective.)
That said, landing Star Eater in close combat was going to be difficult. While a surprise attack might work, hitting the enemy when it was fully alert would be nearly impossible.
(Using Star Eater cancels my Body Enhancement, and a mere graze from its attack could be fatal. I should consider another approach.)
“Then…!”
An idea struck him. It was a cumbersome method, one that would be impossible without Infinite Magic Power, making it a feat only Rest could attempt.
“Alright, let’s do this.”
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
As Subnock roared, Rest sprang into action.
In the plains of the Demon Realm, the battle to determine the new ruler was hurtling toward its climax.