THE VILLAIN'S POV

Chapter 347: Maekar Valerion vs Astaroth (2)

A man who fought Astaroth, the high Demon , one-on-one—and shattered the heavens in their wake.

Both were terrifyingly fast, wielding lightning as their weapon of choice.

Astaroth punched with monstrous power. Maekar countered with divine precision.

”Lightning Unleashed.”

Furious, Astaroth released his full power, manifesting as a storm of gray lightning that swelled and surged around him.

”I told you before... you pathetic human.”

Raising both hands toward Maekar, the lightning morphed into a colossal storm—large enough to engulf an entire mountain.

”You’re nothing but an insect! More resilient than the rest, sure—but still just an insect!”

With a thunderous roar, Astaroth unleashed a blast of lightning that split the sky in two, swallowing Maekar whole.

The attack left everyone below stunned.

”If that had been aimed at us... we’d all be dead.”

Even while locked in combat with the deranged Pontiff Sulyvahn, Iris and his brother Gal—both peak SS rankers—managed to endure.

The difference in power between fighters like Maekar and Astaroth and someone like the Pontiff was overwhelming. Even if the Pontiff had already reached SS+, the gap between him and those who stood at the absolute pinnacle was terrifying.

Astaroth laughed wildly, admiring the destruction his attack had wrought.

But that grin vanished when Maekar emerged—still in one piece—his face covered by both hands.

The Emperor’s armor flared with a radiant aura of two colors: golden light, which shielded him from the infernal strike, and green energy that continuously healed his wounds.

”He blocked it?”

Astaroth stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Maekar had survived his ultimate attack unscathed.

Iris, watching from below, understood the reason.

”The Fume Knight’s Armor... the greatest defense ever worn by the first Emperor, Kazes Valerion...”

It was no ordinary gear. The Fume Knight’s Armor siphoned aura directly from the wearer to form a nearly impenetrable barrier .. and it housed a vast reserve of divine power that continuously regenerated its user.

A perfect suit for war.

When worn by Maekar Valerion, an SS+ powerhouse, alongside the Sunfire Spear, the Emperor became an unstoppable force.

”Where did all that confidence go, demon?”

Electricity swirled around Maekar, taking the shape of a new spear.

”A spear mightier than the tallest peaks!”

With a roar, he hurled the enormous weapon like a missile, striking Astaroth with such force that the demon was blasted away.

Maekar pursued him instantly, teleporting with a burst of lightning. Wielding the Sunfire Spear, he pierced Astaroth thousands of times in rapid succession, trying to tear through his thick hide.

The demon screamed in rage and retaliated by unleashing his own full power.

”I’ll kill you here and now!”

BOOM!

The two clashed violently, their auras entangled in a brilliant storm of gold and black, exchanging thunderous blows mid-air.

Lightning against lightning.

Only one of them would walk away as the true master of thunder.

After countless devastating clashes, wounds began to accumulate across Astaroth’s massive frame, while Maekar’s armor remained barely scratched.

”Damn that cursed armor!”

Astaroth snarled—but Maekar silenced him with a thunder-infused punch straight to the face.

”Your kind has always looked down on humanity... and you still do!”

BOOM!

Grabbing Astaroth by the face, Maekar drove him deep into the raging sea, slamming them both into the ocean floor. He roared as he surged lightning through every molecule in his body, preparing for a final, obliterating blow.

”Lightning Formation: Plasma Detonation!”

Maekar’s full power erupted, vaporizing the ocean water around them and forming a vast crater at the bottom of the sea.

Dragging Astaroth deeper and deeper, the Emperor buried the demon beneath sheer force.

”RAAAAAAAAGH!”

Astaroth, now bloodied and broken, screamed with madness as he unleashed the last of his energy. A colossal wave of lightning exploded from him, blasting Maekar upward until he crashed into a collapsing ocean current.

Maekar soared back into the sky, gasping for air.

Below him, Astaroth began charging a new, far deadlier attack.

This one could erase Maekar—and everything behind him.

”He still has this much power left?”

Maekar gritted his teeth. He had struck Astaroth thousands of times .. but the demon’s vitality was absurd, relentless.

Meanwhile, Maekar’s own strength had begun to drain. Were it not for the healing power of the Fume Knight’s Armor, he wouldn’t have lasted this long.

Astaroth let out a bone-rattling scream that threatened to rupture eardrums, compressing particles of lightning into one final, annihilating strike.

”Die!”

The gray lightning was so bright it erased everything from sight.

Inside the blinding light, Maekar raised the Sunfire Spear once again, clenching his teeth and drawing every last drop of aura from within...

The Emperor channeled his lightning aura with full force, merging it with the scorching Sunfire blaze—flames as hot as the sun itself. He wagered everything on this final strike.

Infusing all his remaining strength into the spear, now empowered by both fire and black lightning, Maekar’s rocket launcher mechanism activated one last time. With a thunderous scream, he hurled the spear straight toward Astaroth’s raging explosion.

Gray lightning clashed against the fiery spear—an unstoppable force against an immovable object.

The screams of Maekar and Astaroth merged into one, followed by a deafening explosion that shook the entire world. The impact caused a massive quake, silencing the battlefield as the ocean itself recoiled in awe, the waters pushed away by the sheer magnitude of their collision.

Through Astaroth’s storm, the Sunfire Spear pierced—its radiance shining like a dying star.

Seconds later, the blinding light began to fade.

The first to emerge was Maekar, gasping for breath beneath the Fume Knight’s helmet. Blood poured from his brow, leaking from his eyes, nose, and mouth, as his right arm—used to throw the spear—hung shattered and limp.

Still, his golden eyes were fixed on the figure below.

Astaroth, face darkened and stunned, reached toward his right side—only to find nothing.

Nothing but emptiness.

Blood gushed from his mangled body, pooling around the Sunfire Spear that had obliterated half his torso and severed his right arm.

Astaroth collapsed instantly, screaming as he realized he couldn’t regenerate.

”Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!!”

He refused to believe it.

Refused to accept that Maekar’s spear had pierced through his ultimate attack and erased half his body.

Falling into utter disarray, he crawled backward, still trying to deny what had happened.

And then he stopped.

Standing before him was Maekar—bleeding, battered, but victorious.

”I told you...” Maekar panted heavily. ”...You were the weakest link here.”

He raised his left hand, and the Sunfire Spear flew back into his grasp. Its flames reflected in Astaroth’s wide, trembling eyes.

”This is the end.”

”Curse you... filthy human!”

The flames surged around the spear, crackling violently.

At that moment, Astaroth finally understood.

He was going to die.

True fear twisted his face for the first time.

Death.

A mighty demon... about to fall to a single human.

He couldn’t accept it—yet it was real.

But just when Maekar thrust the spear forward to finish it ..

It stopped.

An invisible force halted the weapon inches from Astaroth’s face.

And from the void... a slender hand appeared, gently grabbing the tip of the Sunfire Spear and pushing it aside with ease.

”Apologies... but I can’t allow you to kill him.”

Maekar stared in disbelief.

She had come out of nowhere.

A strange woman with pale skin—much like Astaroth’s grayish hue—wearing a refined violet dress and a small hat perched atop her purple hair. Her eyes were jet black with glowing violet pupils.

With a single wave of her hand, she released a pulse that sent Maekar flying back several meters. He dug his heels into the ground, managing to stay upright but clearly strained.

Bracing himself, Maekar shouted:

”Who are you?!”

”Ah... forgive my rudeness.”

The mysterious woman curtsied with eerie elegance, lifting the hem of her skirt.

”Rank 17 among the High Demons—Beatrice sends her regards!”

Maekar stared at her, stunned.

”Rank... 17?”

The words struck like thunder. He had just finished battling Rank 19—Astaroth—and now, an even higher-ranked demon had appeared out of thin air.

”Shall we begin the real party?”

With a wicked smile, Beatrice drew her staff.

She was ready to play again.