Chapter 343: Above Demon Lord Part 2
THUD!
Red suddenly crumpled to the ground, a look of confusion and pain on his face.
'What's happening?' he groaned, trying to figure out was going on.
He looked at his hand and saw it starting to darken. The color was changing from his fingertips and spreading up.
His strength, which had felt so powerful a moment ago, was now slipping away.
Even though he had been so confident before, a deep sense of worry was taking over his mind.
'Did he poison me?' He wondered, his mind racing to understand.
Reign smirked inwardly, watching his enemy struggle with satisfaction and amusement.
He had used his trump card, "True Death," in that last wave of attacks.
This was his secret weapon, and unlike when he fought Juggernaut, he didn't have to worry about the skill bouncing back and harming him.
"Idiot, you're too confident. You underestimate me just because you got a power-up?" he chuckled aloud.
"What did you do?" Red's voice trembled, and his calm expression before was replaced by visible distress.
Reign's smile widened. "Oh, the mighty attitude is gone already? That was quick," he taunted. "Where's that Self discovery of yours now?"
"You…" Red's face showed annoyance.
"That's right. That's a better expression. You really didn't have to act so cool, you know. I can smell bullshit from miles away."
"YOU'RE DEAD!!! "Red roared.
In a fit of rage, he tore off his own left hand. As he did, energy exploded from his body, making the entire domain shake.
His aura continued to intensified, and the wounds on his arm began to close up. But, he didn't grow a new hand; he just managed to stop the bleeding and recover from the damage.
'He can't regenerate, but I can't believe he's still this powerful even after taking on True Death,' Reign mused inwardly, impressed by the meta-human's tenacity.
'But I still don't see myself losing,' he added with a confident smirk. If this was all the meta-human could offer, there was no need to worry.
SWOOOSH!
Without wasting any time, Red launched his attack . He now understood that the demon lord in front of him had too many secrets and couldn't afford to be complacent.
Although his speed had increased, he was still slower, especially within the domain where Reign controlled everything
Before he could land a hit, Reign twisted his neck at an odd angle and fired at point-blank range.
ZZZZZ!
The projectile fired from the barrel and, due to the short distance, hit its target immediately.
However, Red quickly reacted by using his aura to shield himself. He had learned from his earlier mistake .
Fearing another shot, he decided to create some distance between them.
However, he was so accustomed to fighting up close that he found himself unsure of how to handle the situation. His usual tactics and abilities were still too limited despite the power up.
Seeing the meta-human momentarily pause, Reign quickly seized the chance. He used his superior range and versatility to his advantage.
"Don't run. I'm not done yet!" Reign called out as he materialized three more rail guns, bringing the total to four.
Two were on each hands, while the other two were mounted on his shoulders.
The air buzzed with the humming sound of the barrel charging, then a series of rapid shots followed.
ZZZZZZZZZ!
ZZZZZZZZZ!
ZZZZZZZZZ!
Each blast was accompanied by a loud, buzzing noise, but not all the shots carried death energy; using it was too draining.
However—
Reign knew that his opponent would assume every attacks has it.
As a result, Red was forced to use his aura to deflect the incoming fire or dodge the attacks altogether.
"Come on, stop dodging!" Reign shouted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Red's frustration was clear as he struggled to keep up with the barrage of attacks.
In reality, he could have ignored the projectiles and focused on attacking, but his anxiety clouded his judgment.
He didn't realize that he was playing right into his enemy's hands.
This was the difference between them.
He might have an impressive amount of raw power and energy, but his approach was too straightforward and lacked creativity. He relied solely on his immense strength, without much strategy.
In contrast, Reign was not only powerful but also very smart in how he fought.
He combined his power with clever strategies, making him a dangerous opponent who knew how to use both to his advantage.
Comparing them was like comparing two hypercars: one was driven by someone with no experience, while the other was handled by a veteran racer.
No matter how impressive the specs of the car, the experienced driver would always come out on top.
As the fight continued, it became clearer how big the difference was between their battle IQ.
"DAMN IT!" Red roared in frustration. He accelerated, dodging the projectiles, and charged forward, aiming to land a powerful blow. He was betting on ending it with a single, decisive strike.
"That's not good enough," Reign said, shaking his head in disappointment.
He dodged the attack with a long side-step, using the distance between them to his advantage.
As soon as he was clear, he resumed his bombardment, firing again without break.
Once again, Red was forced to dodge, his fear of the death energy limited his movements.
"Hey, did you know I'm barely trying?" Reign taunted with a loud, mocking laugh. "This is too easy for me. You're not even worth my full effort."
Red's eyes widened, a mix of disbelief and frustration crossing his face.
"You're bluffing," he said, forcing his voice to stay steady as he darted from place to place, dodging the incoming attacks.
But deep down, his heart pounded as he processed the possibility. The idea that his opponent was still holding back while he struggled to keep up was infuriating.
"It's pathetic how hard you're struggling when I'm barely breaking a sweat." Reign taunted with a smirk
"Fuck you! I'm not using my full power either!" Red snapped, his aura bursting up.
He was driven to prove that he could match, or even surpass his opponent.
'Got you,' Reign thought with a chuckle.
His rude comments were meant to mislead his opponent, making him focus on the firepower gap and ignore the fact that Red was simply too predictable and lacked strategy.
"Sure, sure, I really believe someone who can't even land a hit," Reign added, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"BASTARD!" Red screamed in frustration. But every time he charged, his attacks missed.
His opponent seemed to know exactly what he was going to do and moved out of the way at the last second.
The more he tried to hit him, the more Reign laughed and taunted, making his frustration even worse.
Reign, on the other hand, remained calm, carefully analyzing and manipulating his opponent. He could sense that the meta-human was growing stronger, though not as fast as before.
Right now, Red was already stronger in terms of energy reserves and output.
However, the system indicated that he was still far from reaching the Demon King Rank, highlighting the vast gap between the two levels.
'How far can he really go?' he wondered to himself.