Subscriber of the Gods Chapter 446 - Demon Emperor

Clash! Clash!

It was undoubtedly a one-sided battle.

At first, it seemed like an evenly matched fight, but the difference quickly became apparent. Roditon was a versatile adventurer skilled in various fields, not someone who had invested everything in sheer combat prowess.

On the other hand, the Demon Emperor had focused his entire life on honing his fighting abilities.

Especially while ruling the Demon Empire, he had engaged in countless battles.

He had refined himself relentlessly, day after day, without fail.

It was the only way he could bear the heavy crown of the Demon Emperor of the Demon Empire.

“I’ve lost count of how many there were. Anyone in the Demon Empire renowned for their strength inevitably challenged me. And without exception, every single one of them died by my hand. At first, I welcomed their challenges. It was even enjoyable. Each possessed their own unique brand of strength.”

Those who challenged the Demon Emperor truly showcased their distinct powers.

The Demon Emperor reveled in their strengths.

But as time passed, the challengers dwindled.

Those who did dare to challenge him were all lacking in some way.

“I suppose I was acknowledged. As the undisputed Emperor of the Demon Empire. But who would have thought that would become my downfall?”

Ironically, the years he spent seeking acknowledgment began to strangle him.

A lifetime chasing stimulation, pursuing strength. A life without stimulation held no meaning for him.

A Demon Empire without challenges no longer piqued his interest.

“Being an absolute ruler is terribly boring. So I started doing something quite absurd.”

That something was extending a hand.

He reached out to the Holy Empire, his long-standing enemy.

It wasn’t to wage war. Even war was woefully inadequate to quench his thirst.

What the Demon Emperor desired was entertainment, so he extended an olive branch instead.

“The Emperor of the Holy Empire was truly an intriguing individual. He accepted my proposal, and thus the Demon Empire and Holy Empire came to declare a truce.”

The Holy Emperor was an exceptionally intriguing man in the Demon Emperor’s eyes.

After the truce declaration, while there wasn’t exactly an exchange between the two countries, they no longer treated each other as mortal enemies.

“There was a condition to the truce. It was an exchange. Not between our nations, but between the Holy Emperor and myself.”

Roditon, now covered in blood, gasped for breath. A deep wound on his shoulder had rendered one of his arms useless.

The Demon Emperor glanced at Roditon before continuing.

“We had our exchanges. For someone like me, thirsting for strength, the Holy Emperor was an incredible stimulant. He was strong. Insanely strong!”

The Demon Emperor laughed.

Roditon, too, had heard of the Holy Emperor’s strength.

He had even met him once, before he became the Holy Emperor.

“Our duels always ended in a draw. But you see, I thought it was because we were of similar caliber. However, that wasn’t the case. While I was content with our exchanges, the Holy Emperor kept feeling his own inadequacies. And as a result, I was eventually defeated by the Holy Emperor.”

Grr-.

Perhaps recalling that moment, the Demon Emperor gritted his teeth.

“I thought I was searching for my equal, but that wasn’t it. I wanted to achieve victory against someone strong.”

His life had been a series of victories, so defeat brought him an enormous shock.

“That’s why I made this choice. I can no longer become stronger through normal means.”

“…Why are you suddenly telling me all this?”

“Roditon, you deserve to know. Why you’re dying, that is. Saving you by chance in Death Valley was truly an interesting turn of events.”

That was when the debt between the Demon Emperor and Roditon was formed.

“Thank you for finding the Saintess.”

“…So you followed my trail and entered this city of the gods.”

Roditon gritted his teeth. To think that he had been the one to bring the Demon Emperor here.

To have been used by the Demon Emperor like this.

The Demon Emperor raised his sword.

Mary had already fallen to the ground.

Roditon clenched his fists, ready to face the Demon Emperor’s sword.

He had no regrets. He had lived for the noble ideals he had set for himself.

“Admirable.”

The Demon Emperor’s massive sword came down to cleave Roditon in half.

Thud-!

No, the sword stopped just before slicing through.

“Huff… huff…”

Ethan, breathing heavily as if exhausted, was walking towards them from the entrance.

“I’m sorry, Teacher Ethan… I tried my best… but things turned out like this…”

Roditon’s ego sword, Bloody Mary, lying on the ground, showed no movement as if it had already fallen asleep.

The exhausted Roditon fell to his knees. His life force was also fading away.

Ethan’s eyes moved.

The Demon Emperor holding the great sword. Roditon beside him. And over in the corner, he could see the Saintess.

“Ah…”

The Saintess’s once pure white attire was now soaked in blood, making it impossible to tell if she was alive or dead.

“Ethan Whiskers, the Holy One of the continent! You must have had a hard journey coming all the way to the Demon Empire. The Holy Emperor said to take good care of the Holy Empire’s finest talent who crossed over to the Demon Empire.”

The Demon Emperor’s bright smile suddenly hardened.

“Living in peace must have made you quite interesting. We declared a truce, not an end to the war.”

The Demon Emperor slowly approached Ethan.

“The peace is over now.”

“Teacher…Ethan! The Demon Emperor is trying to… hand over the Perfect Divine Body to those apostles!”

“Are you saying he’s being deceived by the 1st and 2nd Apostles?”

Ethan’s voice was extremely tired. Roditon frowned as soon as he realized this fact.

Something had happened to Ethan as well.

Which meant Ethan alone couldn’t clean up this mess.

“Deceived? Well, you could say I’m playing along. The Moon Mother won’t be resurrected anyway. What I wanted was the immense power they would inject into this Perfect Divine Body.”

It was simply a case of mutual exploitation.

What the Demon Emperor needed was the enormous and powerful force they would use to summon the Moon Mother.

He intended to devour that power along with the Perfect Divine Body.

“You mean… to transfer bodies?”

The Demon Emperor grinned amusedly at Ethan’s question.

“As expected of a holy one. You catch on quick, don’t you?”

The Demon Emperor lowered his sword, looking somewhat disappointed.

“This has become quite boring. I wanted to experience that amazing holy power, but you’re all on the brink of death.”

With every second precious, Ethan had minimized the time as much as possible.

Nevertheless, by the time he returned to the fortress, it was well past the 5 minutes he had promised the Saintess.

“Isn’t it enough to kill you?”

“How convincing. That bravado of yours.”

The Demon Emperor lightly swung his sword.

Clash-!

Ethan deflected the Demon Emperor’s sword and rushed forward simultaneously.

“Isn’t it too awkward? You don’t usually focus so much on raw power. It must be because of Extinction, right? The Extinction you’ve fully opened for treatment.”

Boom-!

The Demon Emperor’s speed was similar to the 3rd Apostle’s ultra-acceleration. (+) ^[1] TLN: I think the author made a mistake here, they write 초신속 instead of 초가속 (super speed) vs (ultra-acceleration).

In other words, it was comparable to Ethan’s speed when using ultra-acceleration. (+) ^[2] TLN: Here too

In a situation where speeds are similar, the more flexible and quick-thinking person has the advantage.

Ethan couldn’t think or act flexibly due to the opened Extinction.

So.

Whack-!

He had no choice but to take the attack head-on.

“Oh.”

But Ethan still had many defensive techniques left.

-Moonlight Defense is activated!

-Remaining uses: 3

As he rebuilt Moonforce’s temple, gathered believers… and obtained Moonforce’s equipment, Moonlight Defense had already increased to 4 uses.

“Absolute defense? Right, with that body, you’d die instantly if injured. It was wise to equip yourself with an absolute defense artifact.”

Boom-!

The Demon Emperor’s attack style using the great sword was quite impressive. He slashes at his opponent with tremendous force.

It was the swordsmanship of a conqueror, infusing every attack with intense power, forcing the opponent’s movements and choices.

-Moonlight Defense is activated!

-Remaining uses: 2

Although Ethan was helplessly taking the Demon Emperor’s attacks, he had suffered no damage so far.

Nevertheless, the Demon Emperor continued his assault on Ethan, unfazed.

“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Just as the Demon Emperor was about to swing his sword with power once again.

Boom-!

Ethan’s sword clashed precisely with the Demon Emperor’s.

“Twice. I’ve seen it clearly now, Demon Emperor.”

The Demon Emperor’s swordsmanship using the great sword. Ethan had firmly etched its characteristics into his eyes.

Seeing Ethan’s eyes blazing with madness, the Demon Emperor properly took his stance.

Even on the brink of death, those eyes burned with a desire for life.

If he wasn’t careful, he might end up being devoured instead.

Grin-.

The Demon Emperor unconsciously broke into a wide smile.

“I was disappointed thinking you couldn’t fight properly, but I was wrong. Did you intentionally take those first two attacks? Even that Holy Emperor never willingly took my attacks. This is a first for me.”

If Ethan couldn’t overcome the Demon Emperor now, he would die.

Ethan further loosened the restrictions on Extinction. Now Extinction could freely ravage Ethan’s body without any constraints.

‘Whether I die by Extinction or by the Demon Emperor’s hand. If I’m going to die anyway.’

Dying by Extinction was far preferable to dying at the hands of the Demon Emperor.

‘I decide how I live, and I decide how I die.’

He was choosing to die by Extinction’s hand.

“That’s what I’ve decided.”

“So you’ve chosen to be consumed by Extinction and die.”

At those words, Ethan readjusted his stance.

“Let’s see who dies first.”

• 1. TLN: I think the author made a mistake here, they write 초신속 instead of 초가속 (super speed) vs (ultra-acceleration).
• 2. TLN: Here too