Hatred towards someone heād not even met, resentment towards something he hadnāt done.
All the hatred and resentment in the world was fuming inside him. The thirst for blood encroached his body.
While a normal person wouldāve gone mad, Juan didnāt.
Rather, he enjoyed the madness.
Time to hunt, Taltere.
Like an owner instructing his hunting dog, Juan let madness sweep over him. Taltereās blood flowed over Juanās entire body, blazing in heat.
Juan slammed his foot on the Golemās head whoād tried stepping on him. Stone fragments flew wide as a crack started to appear on the Golemās head.
Suddenly realising Juan was the itās biggest threat, the Golem shook its body vigorously.
Turning its body 360 degrees, it managed to fling Juan off its body. After finding himself hurled into open air, Juan gathered himself and sped his way back towards the Golem.
Juan rooted Taltereās dagger deeply into Golemās head made of solid stone. Slow to retaliate, Juan used this time to stab the Golem in quick succession. With each stab, pieces of stone broke from its head.
A splintered stone cut Juan in the cheek as it flew away. The blood from the cut went up in flames and disappeared as smoke.
Again, the Golem attacked. The charge misses Juan and it runs past him.
Even when the Golem grabbed Juan and threw him into a wall, Juan persisted and simply bounced back ready to fight once more. Juan continuously charged again and again. The Golem felt as if it was fighting an undying, unrelenting wasp. It looked for a moment, the Golemās limbs floundered in fear.
When swatted away, Juan simply charged back and caused damage. Then he was struck back. The cycle repeated in a constant pattern.
In a last desperate attempt, the Golem tried converging the Gray tower to limit the space Juan had to work with but in doing so, itās own space was reduced as well.
Then later on, it devoted its energy in trying to crush Juan against the wall, but had no luck.
It was to the point where Huksel, who was looking on from the side, almost had sympathy for the Golem.
āGood god, what is thatā¦.ā
āā¦ā¦..Is that a human, boss?ā
Huksel didnāt know what to reply. Neither god nor human. If he had to say, a demon.
He then suddenly recalled, Juan was named as the demon of Tantil. Now, he was sure Juan was indeed the person behind the rumour.
āWhat is that child trying to do?ā
Anya murmured from aside. Hearing her words, Huksel realised Juan wasnāt simply attacking the Golem randomly. Fooled from the extravagant movements, Huksel only now understood that Juanās attacks were concentrated on the Golemās head.
As if it was all part of the greater plan, the movements focused on breaking deeper into the Golemās body. The Golem knew this, but couldnāt stop it from happening.
āMaybeā¦..a surgical operation?ā
Magicians were known to often do this. As the church pressed strict limitations on the use of magic, they had to find alternative ways to study magic. But of course, it wasnāt the most optimal way to study.
Juan was doing an operation on the Golem.
He was making an incision at the tip of its head.
Suddenly, Juanās eyes turned bright red. He had consumed the second lot of Taltereās blood.
Juan turned Taltereās mana into blood and had separated into ten lots. He had never consumed it willingly before, so he was surprised when a surge of power beyond his expectation flowed into his body.
His physical attributes improved double the amount when heād improved using his own mana.
āOne use lasts about three minutes huhā¦ā
This level of enhancement would be useful in dire situations.
Juan once again concentrated his attack on the Golemās head. Dodging a pair of hands that tried swatting him away, heād moved past the gaps, between the fingers and stabbed the dagger deep into his head.
As itās head continued to break, beyond the bits of fragmented rocks, he could slowly see what heād been looking for.
A rune burning in blue.
As soon as he saw the rune, instinctively he wanted to make a grab for it.
But right at that moment, the Golemās hand appeared over Juan. Having difficulty catching him, the Golem had made a third arm.
Amongst the sound of rocks clashing, Juan disappeared into the cloud of dust.
Huksel and his crew let out a gasp. But before they could even finish their gasp, they saw bits of rock crumbling down from the dust. It was the fragments of the Golemās hand.
Inside the cloud of dust, Juan was pushing himself up. He looked down with an annoyed pair of eyes.
āI was too emotional.ā
His head had gotten heated the moment heād located his objective. While Taltereās blood stimulated his instinct to hunt, it also numbed his sense of logic.
But, by consuming Taltereās blood for the second time, he was able to break Golemās hand. Heād gotten one problem out of the way.
āWell at least I got what I wanted.ā
Having its attack stifled, the Golem made another attempt at Juan. Both his arms rushed towards him from the sides.
Digging his way past the broken rocks, Juan placed his hand over the blue rune and poured his mana into it.
āHalt.ā
Uh du dukk. Sound of two rocks scraping to a stop echoed. When the Golem halted, an eerie silence filled the tower. After being so raucous, the sudden silence was a little disturbing.
Juan again whispered.
āStand.ā
With a ponderous sound, the Golem followed his command. The tower that once looked as if it would collapse at any moment, also stopped moving.
Because the Golem wasnāt recognising his mana, Juan needed to make contact with its nucleus.
Now that authority was established, there was no chance of it attacking him again.
The Golem functioned using the mana that flowed out from Grunvaldeās relic.
Contaminated by Grunvaldeās mana for so long, Juan had been concerned that Golem wouldnāt recognise his mana.
But it immediately acknowledged that Juan was the emperor.
It appeared to be working fine, following his orders to a tee.
Just like in the past.
Juan was a little apologetic about making a large dent on the faithful Golemās head.
āOā¦.Oi! You alright?ā
Hukselās voice came from below. Juan grinned at hearing the voice.
āSweep out the intruders.ā
The Golem lifted its two arms and slammed it down on the surface.
He could see Huksel and his crew scream out as they were hurled up into the air.
Then the Golem moved its arms sweeping aside anything it found.
The floor was a mess but was instantly cleaned up, as everything on the floor was swept aside.
The only bit of space untouched was where Huksel and his crew were standing.
Hukselās crew didnāt breathe as they mindlessly stared at the Golem clean up the floor.
As it swung its arms around, gray blood was splattered and sprayed over the ground. Dead or alive, the fog monsters were being cleaned up.
āI only need Golem to guard the tower. Donāt need any help from insects.ā
Juan felt refreshed after seeing the fog creatures being swiftly slaughtered.
Most intruders were killed from the fog creatures upon entering, but those who immediately ran away got to keep their lives intact.
Hukselās crew were the only group to be alive after encountering the Golem.
At this moment, they came about a realisation. It appeared Juan was controlling the Golem.
āWhat on earthā¦..ā
No one could have expected this. And yet, one person, Anya was staring at Juan with bright gleaming eyes.
*****
After sweeping the fog creatures aside, Juan used the Golem to make his way to the top floor.
Unlike the floors below, it was a room thickened in fog. Between the gaps on the walls and windows, fog was flowing out of the room.
In truth, this murky room was the source of the towerās fog and also contained the Golemās heart.
And in itās center, laid the reason behind why the tower was covered in fog.
The fog enveloped his body, as Juan made his way through. His sight was blinded.
A wet moisture smell entered his nose.
Juan closed his eyes. His mind recalled the city that was once entirely covered in fog.
The enveloped city. Vines and moss had filled the city, contaminating it.
Assimilating with the fog, the humans found within were wandering like shadows and appeared ghost-like.
Gaunt looking legs, were dragging along a pair of shoes on the ground from a lack of strength. A sound of weak footsteps stumbled into his ears.
Across the plaza, an old man sat on a bench.
āNo strength to run away anymore.ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦..ā
āMaybe I should have just fought back instead. I was planning to devour you when youād finally tireā¦ā¦ Rather it seems, I was trying to devour the sun.ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦..ā
āYouāre a silent one, yet powerfulā¦.. Thereās not many young folks like you left. Iām liking you even more. But all this doesnāt matter to you, right?ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
āHandshakes donāt exist so you can crush the other personās handā¦.. Young man, youāre lucky my body doesnāt have an entity. No one taught you any manners huh. But then again, arrogance is a charismatic part of being young.ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦.ā
āIāve heard about you. Apparently youāre a god devourer. Who would have thought someone like that would be born as a human. If youād come around a bit earlierā¦ā¦.never mind. I know I canāt escape death. But I want to offer you a proposition.ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
āI already lost our little hide and seek so I offer this. Do you think you have what it takes to be a noble great king?ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
āIād been a foolish king. With this power, I thought I could become someone who would be able to protect more of my people if I sold every bit of wealth Iād accumulated. But in the end, I was only left with this ruinā¦.. You think it will be any different for you?ā
āā¦ā¦ā¦ā¦ā
āIt seems like you believe everything you do and leave behind will be grand, perfect, forever. Why donāt we make a bet about this? The loser will become the winnerās slave.ā
Juan didnāt have a need for an elderly slave.
The old man giggled even as he was dragged away. Until heād been cremated to dust.
His laugh filled and echoed throughout the city. Once the fog lifted, the barren city was engulfed in flames like a dry log.
And the city that had been a demonās playground for so long, the city that had taken in a idiot king, perished without a trace.
In an attempt to crush the ashes of his remains, Juan grabbed a handful of the dust.
Then, something softly wrapped around his hand.
Juan opened his eyes. The thick fog that filled his surroundings was slowly fading.
Left in his hand, was not ash heād grabbed, but instead a dark gray cloak.
He could feel the vast power inside the cloak just by clutching it. And also the evil that was inside it.
Juan for a moment hesitated. Did he have the right to use the cloak for himself?
Didnāt he lose the bet with the old man?
His hesitation didnāt last long.
āHeās just a dead old man. I never accepted the bet in the first place. The one who lives on gets to decide whoās the winner and loser of the bet.ā
How could he accept a bet with an idiot that had sold out his people to a demonā¦.
And anyways, Juan still had chances to redeem himself.
āI didnāt lose. Grunvalde. My territory, myselfā¦..still lives on.ā
Juan murmured as he draped the cloak over his shoulders. The surrounding fog all rushed centrally towards Juan and swirled around him like a vortex.
āI think itās time the loser starts to serve like a slave.ā
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