(Chapter title at the end of the chapter)
When at his lowest, Demonmir seized the opportunity, observing Eliza's momentary distraction upon Eren's achievement of Grandmaster Rank.
Always cunning, Demonmir aimed to launch a sneak attack on the Witch of the Enderflames while she seemed to have her attention divided to deal a devastating blow.
His plan succeeded, but not without a cost.
Demonmir managed to sever Eliza's left arm and inflict heavy damage to her right leg and waist using his Dual Axe Arts. Yet, he underestimated the resilience of an experienced draconic Ranker. Even caught off guard, Eliza managed to turn the tide with her Soul Spells alone.
Ultimately, although suffering severe injuries and the side effects of the bloodline ignition, Eliza overcame Demonmir. It was at this moment that she realized the secondary Birdcage Barrier had dispersed around her.
'Heh! Just in time.'
Eren mumbled to himself upon witnessing the outcome of Eliza and Demonmir's battle. With Demonmir's back turned towards Eren and his attention focused on Eliza, he remained oblivious to the disappearance of the secondary Birdcage Barrier, allowing Eren to approach him from behind.
In contrast, Eliza could clearly perceive Eren's approach as he strolled, instilling a sense of apprehension in her heart, sensing his newfound capability to pose a threat.
"Aaaargh! You—"
Demonmir cursed Eliza in agony, attempting to escape. However, Eliza's sword had shattered his heart, an injury even a Grandmaster Ranker with draconic and demonic abilities would struggle to recover from.
"Aaaaah! GET… GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!"
Demonmir eventually utilized his Spiritual Force and invoked his Draconic Tongue, compelling Eliza to step back and provide him with some breathing space. He hadn't anticipated that his Draconic Tongue would affect someone like Eliza, who also possessed access to her draconic lineage.
Eliza had already made a strategic decision to create distance between herself and Eren to observe his next move. Yielding to the influence of Demonmir's draconic Ability, she moved back and swiftly reached Layla and Leela, leaving Eren and Demonmir to face each other.
Layla had potions that could help to some extent in healing Eliza. Though her soul was still recuperating from the aftereffects of the backlash, there was little Layla could do immediately. However, her potions could significantly aid in healing Eliza's physical injuries.
Byuuuuk! Cough. Cough. Cough.
Demonmir coughed up blood and clutched his heart in disbelief at Eliza's formidable strength, despite her unstable mana core and the injuries in her Soul Space.
"I won't be killed like this easily, you whore! I'll fucking kill—"
Demonmir was fixated on Eliza, who had retreated to where Layla and Leela were, unaware of the approach of a certain someone from behind.
"How's it going, Demonmir?"
Recognizing a voice he despised, Demonmir screamed, "Grimdawn!" trying to resist Eren's control.
With a swift motion, Eren exploited the wound inflicted by Eliza, letting his hand get lodged inside Demonmir's chest wound from behind. He broke his rib cage, crushed his already pierced heart, and seized his kidneys, extracting them through the same wound.
A moment of surprise and agitation of emotions was all that was needed to create an opening.
Eren's action made Demonmir get pushed forward. Demonmir turned around to see Eren's bloody hand holding onto the bean-shaped organs that he had pulled out from his mortal injury along with several major arteries.
"You…" *cough* *cough* *cough*
Demonmir felt his vision getting blurred when Eren's mana started damaging his remaining internal organs even further. This was a vicious blow. A blow from which Demonmir could not backtrack to safety.
"You coward, you… you set me up," he said while looking at Eren hatefully.
"That I did. How do you feel?" Eren asked in a grim tone while looking into Demonmir's eyes.
"You won't get away from this, Eren." Demonmir's bloody mouth managed to flash a smile as he continued. "You are the inheritor of the Elder Ichor bloodline that Samael told me about. Even if you kill me now, I will make sure that you are targeted by Samael for the rest of your short life."
Demonmir could see that his end was near. He had no energy left in him to ignite Samael's demon soul fragment anymore. Even if he could, he didn't think that someone like Eren would allow him to use his trump cards.
He was too battered and mentally exhausted to deal with Eren, who, although freshly ascended Grandmaster, was in complete control of his powers and practically unscathed.
"Hahahaha," Demonmir laughed as he looked mockingly at Eren.
"That's right. Kill me now. My soul had already been assimilated with Samael. I'll just possess a new body and get reborn. But I know everything about you. Our enmity will never end as long as you are not dead.
No matter how many times you kill me, I will come back. I will come back and haunt you forever," Demonmir said while his legs gave out and brought him down to his knees.
"That is indeed a good plan, Demonmir," Eren said while looking at Demonmir. He morphed his bloody hand into a slime-like mass and absorbed Demonmir's vital organ within it before speaking further.
"But who told you that I'm letting your soul get away?"
The butcher asked while producing a crystal. This was the same crystal he had used on Reva Rain to trap her demon soul fragment within it.
"I think you two lovebirds need some talking to do. So get in there and have a word with your ex."
Eren said before raising his hand in front of Demonmir. In the next moment, his Soul Sense Manifestation produced a spectral demonic snake that seemed to have been conjured using the Wrath Mana.
Hissss!
The snake sprouted from Eren's palm and attacked Demonmir before the guy had a chance to register his shock, grievance, and other emotions.
"Who… who dares trap this Prince," Demonmir spoke in a tone quite different from his normal self. He sounded as if he was still slumbering and speaking in his sleep.
Swoosh. Zoom. Pull.
Eren pulled out the soul fragment Demonmir had been harboring inside him for so long that it was practically inseparable from his own soul. Eren didn't care that the two souls were fused and stored the soul inside the crystal safely.
Demonmir's lifeless body fell to the ground when Eren yanked his soul from him. Eren took a step forward and raised his hand once again, creating a slime-like mass with his free hand, which covered Demonmir's entire body quickly. In the next moment, Eren's hand turned to normal, and Demonmir's body was nowhere to be found.
"I dare. Why shouldn't I?" Eren asked particularly to nobody as he raised the crystal in front of his face and looked at Eliza through it who was standing at a safe distance away from him. He couldn't help but like the look Eliza gave him as their eyes met.
In the end, Demonmir was defeated by Eliza but died at Eren's hands. His body and his soul both were claimed by his finisher.
His body was bound to be used by Eren to acquire Demonmir's Elemental Attainments, which Eren had been eyeing ever since the two fought in the Edinnica Arena.
His soul, on the other hand, or rather, Demon Prince Samael's demon soul fragment, was going to be used by Eren to create another artifact for himself. This was something he had been planning ever since he planted Sansara Sage's space-element runes on Demonmir.
It was just that the type of the targeted artifact had been changed from Hex Artifact to Elder Seed Artifact.
Every ounce of worth that Demonmir could provide to him was extracted by Eren at this point. And all this happened only within a few moments after his Ranking Breakthrough.
The butcher's next goal was to create two Elder Seed Artifacts– one for absolute offense while the other for absolute defense.
Of course, the fuel that would support the creation of these two Elder Seed Artifacts would be none other than the calamities caused in Anfang themselves.
The only obstacle in his path that has still remained standing was the Witch of the Enderflames– Eliza Samael.
***
Chapter title: Demonmir's Demise
AN: Eren used the crystal to trap the demon soul fragment within Reva Rain in chapter 1370. Demonmir first used Draconic Tongue in chapter 1376. Eren expressed his desire to claim Demonmir's Elemental Fusion for himself in chapter 1163.
Can be skipped.
Goodbye Ottoman de Montmorency AKA Demonmir. Even though you were hated by many readers, as your creator, I have nothing but applause as you step down from the grand stage. I merely created the mold but you came alive on your own, inciting wrath in one's mind who read about you. ;)
