"Using force, just like your father, huh?" A Demon riding a giant wolf and holding a snake looked at Aurea when she broke the door open. "I heard that you killed that cunning Demon King and said something about the age of Demon King is over," He jumped down and showed his scaled arms and legs like a dragon. He showed off his scaled red wings, but the edges were feathers like angels.
Although he had amazing feats on his body, he hid his face in a golden helmet and big shiny crown because he believed his face wasn't the best feat he had. All the demons thought that Astaroth wore a helmet because of the fight with Leviathan, but the truth was that he was just ugly. All the Demon Kings and Princesses knew about it.
"Long time no see, and I see that you're still as ugly as ever, even uglier than my father. Are you really envious of my father's ugliness that you have to try and become uglier?" Aurea chuckled.
Rozan and the others covered their mouths, but they all snorted because they never thought someone could mock a Demon King like that. It was out of nowhere and caught them off guard even though they didn't know what he looked like. They then pursed their lips because they could feel the killing intent from Astaroth. He was furious, and Aurea just rubbed the wound with a grain of salt.
"He's short tempered, use it and take advantage of it. You know what I'm talking about, right? Rozan?" Aurea looked over her shoulder and looked at Rozan. "Be careful with the wolf and the serpent in his hand. Also, when you see a breath from his mouth, you deal with it. It's so powerful so you have to stop him at all costs," Aurea explained.
Rozan nodded and used [Telekinesis] to take the full helmet off Astaroth's head. He was purposely tried to make Astaroth lose his cool since it was the best way to handle someone with unstable emotions.
When he managed to steal the helmet, they were all speechless because of how ugly he was. His head and face weren't proportional compared to Asmodeus, Azrael, and Samael that looked either handsome, dignified, or scary.
"That's one ugly bastard," Vincze said as he tried not to smile.
"It's time, to go and kill him," Jeanne said as she activated [Maestro].
All of them nodded and immediately activated [Harmony] skill and drank the poison vials. Edith didn't join them, instead, she cast [Guardian Spirit] and boosted Gunnar and the others while simultaneously giving them protection.
The moment Rozan activated the [Anti-magic Barrier], Astaroth lost his ability to use magic. Gunnar and Nagy dealt with the wolf. Lillith and Sven dealt with the huge serpent that was as big as an anaconda. Vincze, Rozan, and Gerrard were distracting Astaroth from interfering.
Knowing how strong they were, Astaroth took a deep breath and then exhaled deeply. A green foul breath was coming out of his mouth, and Rozan immediately cast [Dispell] because he believed it was something dangerous. The accumulated breath that Astaroth had prepared in his lungs, all of them gone into normal air.
It was Astaroth's powerful skill called the [Foul-breath of Death], and whoever inhaled his breath would die instantly. It was too powerful that he could only use it once in a while because he could die from inhaling it as well.
"Now go and beat him up!" Rozan pointed his staff at Astaroth.
Gerrard dashed forward and moved so smoothly that Astaroth couldn't even land a single hit on him even though Gerrard was right in front of him. Gerrard then climbed up to Astaroth's left knee and jumped to his hand. He ended up on top of Astaroth's head and shot four arrows at once and pierced through his skull.
Of course, a Demon King wouldn't die from a few arrows that pierced his skull. Gerrard then shot a few more arrows before he bit his bow and drew his daggers and cut Astaroth's neck from behind and all the way to the front without getting caught by him.
Gerrard pulled Astaroth's head off and carried it in his hand, but he was startled when the head tried to bite his wrist. He then threw the head away and shot more arrows at it and ended up making the head stick to the wall.
Jeanne and Aurea were surprised by how agile and smooth Gerrard's movements were as if he knew where to go. They had never seen Gerrard, not even once to see him taking an opponent in close combat since he didn't like it. They were curious if it was because of his [Whisper] skill since he could hear Astaroth's thoughts and unconsciousness. It was different from Lillith's [Telepathic] skill since her skill couldn't read demon's mind while [Whisper] could hear everyone's thought.
"He's still moving even though his head is off his head," Vincze said as he looked at the head on the wall, but then he realized his eyes were still moving as if he guided his body. "Can you blind him, Gerrard?" Vincze asked as he pointed at the head.
Gerrard sheathed his daggers and removed the bow from his mouth. He grabbed two arrows and shot them at the head instantly. He blinded Astaroth's eyes like it was nothing to him.
"What skill did you wish for again, Gerrard? I think I want it as well," Vincze was amazed by Gerrard's ability to handle everything as if he could read them like it was the back of his hand.
"Hmm? That's just my archery skill," Gerrard answered.
"You! I see you're trying to hide it after you're sure that nobody remembered the skill you got!" Vincze said.
Gerrard chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as he walked past Vincze.
"Hey, it's your turn to deal with him though. Are you seriously going to chit chat in here?" Rozan asked with his eyes squinted.
Gerrard sighed and dashed forward with his spear ready in his hands. He thrust Astaroth's chest and lifted him up like it was nothing. He then threw Astaroth's body away and threw his spear right into Astaroth's heart and pushed him further away. They were surprised when the [Foul-Breath of Death] started leaking out from Astaroth's chest and neck.
"You know, you almost put all of us in danger because you took his head off," Vincze said as he looked at Gerrard. "That body of him is no longer in the control of Astaroth's mind. He's now moving using muscle memory," Vincze explained, and it was all thanks to his instinct and his [Thread and Needle] skill that always put him away from danger.
"What should we do now? His head should regenerate by now," Gerrard asked.
"Well. Since getting close to him is dangerous. I guess we have no other option," Rozan said as he looked at the wolf and the serpent already dead in Sven and Nagy's hands. "It was a shame that I couldn't fight the strongest mage in the demon world, but now I should at least fight him fairly," Rozan continued and deactivated his [Anti-magic Barrier] skill.
As soon as the [Anti-magic Barrier] disappeared, Astaroth got up and didn't hesitate to use all types of magic. He tried to kill Sven and the others, but Rozan fended off the magic by using [Counter Magic] which allowed him to send the spells back to the caster.
"Are you seriously going to let that ugly bastard use magic? We don't even know what kind of magic he possesses," Sven asked as soon as everyone regrouped with Rozan since he was the only one that could protect them.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to fight him with magic. I'll protect you guys with magic and do everything I can to make you all untouchable from his magic. It's more challenging and fun," Rozan answered as he beat his palm with the top of his staff.
"Hah?! You want us to get close to that ugly bastard even though his breath is dangerous? What are you thinking?" Gunnar asked and he looked nervous.
"Since he should be the second best mage in the demon world, I want to prove to myself I'm better," Rozan said as he patted Sven and Gunnar's shoulders. "Relax, all of you. I can promise you that nothing bad will happen to you, so just trust me on this one," Rozan smiled as his eyes were set on Astaroth's eyes.
Gunnar and Sven looked at each other and then sighed.
"Alright..." Sven readied his stance and the others as well. "I'm sick of looking at that ugly bastard anyway," Sven continued.
