The Demon King Who Draws

Chapter 92

Eckelart, whose magical power had been sealed by the strange force unleashed by the demon Ipos, was pushed back.

“What a peculiar power….”

In Solaria, there were various types of powers.

Death Aura, Divine Power, Fighting Spirit, and Magic, among others.

Among them, the most universally used power was Magic. This Magic was a force that existed both in the sky and the deep sea, and the typical usage involved either processing it within the body or combining it externally to trigger phenomena.

The witches Eckelart had faced in the past did not deviate much from this framework.

However, this power was different.

It was not merely a variation of Magic.

It was as if this power embodied the very principles of the world itself. No matter how strong one’s Magic was, even the might of a transcendent being would be forced to comply with the rules before this power.

“This is interesting… very interesting.”

His curiosity was piqued.

Eckelart was slowly learning about the world.

And, he wanted it.

‘I want… to possess the demon.’

In his previous life, he had been a shaman who led the powerful tribes of the frozen lands. However, that alone had been insufficient to fend off the witches of that time, and Eckelart, having failed to reach the transcendent state, had been sealed by the ancestor of the witches.

In this life, Eckelart wanted to gather capable individuals by his side.

‘Is the Dungeon Keeper of this place… commanding such beings?’

He would take them.

Just as the witch had taken his land.

Whooooong…

The Magic, which had long been stagnant due to the seal, began to slowly circulate. Ipos’s struggle seemed quite pitiful, but to Eckelart, it was merely a warm-up.

‘Is it… finally beginning?’

Over there, a conversation between the soul and the demon was still ongoing.

“Say, penguinsh are shtrong, right?”

— That’s right! Penguins are invincible!

“Then, if you’re shtrong, why did you fall like this?”

— …Of course. I’ve been in far worse situations. I’ve lost friends, family, and even my kin! I’ve always lost, because that’s what it means to be weak!

“Uung….”

— I’ve been hurt more often than not, and the festering wounds never healed. It was always desperate, always a struggle to survive. The hard-fought defeats I managed to secure….

A murderous intent glimmered in the Emperor Penguin’s eyes.

— Are what brought me here.

The Emperor Penguin’s soul warned Ipos.

— Girl, if you enter the ring this time, your body will die. Do you understand?

“I don’t care. Penguing, can you do it?”

— Of course! I’ll show you a champion’s fight. Your tearful plea must be fulfilled.

Paang!

Ipos slammed both of her gloves together.

[The strategy time has ended.]

[“All to the Ring!” has been activated.]

[The three-minute battle begins.]

“I can’t understand.”

— What can’t you understand?

“No matter how hard you try, don’t you realize you can’t reach me?”

– Confidence is a good thing! It’s always better to have it than to lack it.

Bang bang!

Ipos shook his head as he spoke.

“Pengin, Apija Angboyeo.”

– That’s how it usually is at this point. Unnecessary things disappear from your sight. And that…

The Emperor Penguin smiled.

– That is the vision of a champion.

Huuuuung…

[Ipos uses the ‘Unstoppable Steps’ of the Emperor Penguin.]

[Until downed, his steps will not stop. He is immune to movement speed reduction and movement impairing effects.]

[A small amount of health is continuously consumed.]

Pat…

Pat…

Ipos bounced as he moved.

Paaaaaat-!

Ipos surged forward, trying to close the distance with Eckelart once more.

“The outcome is already decided.”

Around Eckelart, sharp ice pillars shot up in a snowflake pattern.

[Eckelart uses the Glacier Sorcery: Pandemonium.]

[It causes ice pillars to surge up in a snowflake pattern.]

[The ice pillars deal cold damage.]

Kwagagagagagagagak-!

The ice pillars seemed to chase after Ipos as if targeting him.

Papat-!

Though Ipos avoided the rising pillars, the ones occupying the ground appeared to be obstacles he couldn’t avoid; he either had to break through them or trample over them.

Kwaaaang-!

So, Ipos trampled over them.

Naturally, shards of ice scattered everywhere, cutting into his body and leaving blood splattered.

“You’re quite stubborn.”

Tssaaaaak-!

[Eckelart uses the Half-Hearted Guardian.]

[A massive guardian is summoned to the battlefield, which absorbs a portion of the damage Eckelart receives.]

[The guardian’s maximum health is equal to Eckelart’s maximum health.]

Kugugugugugugugu-!

Tssaaaaaak-!

[Eckelart uses the Guardian of the Mantle.]

[A massive guardian is summoned to the battlefield, and as long as the guardian remains intact, Eckelart can layer the same defensive spell. However, the efficiency decreases with each layer.]

Kugugugugugu-!

Two massive totems were scattered far across the battlefield. These totems had the effect of controlling Ipos’s movements.

As long as the totems remained, Ipos wouldn’t be able to break through Eckelart. To defeat Eckelart, Ipos needed to retreat to the periphery and target the totems first.

“From now on….”

Paaaang-!

However, Ipos charged forward.

Those swollen eyes seemed to ignore the totems, focusing only on Eckelart.

No, it wasn’t that he couldn’t see them.

He simply chose not to look.

Huuuuuup-!

Eckelart, preparing for close combat, also initiated Glacier Sorcery.

Tssaaaaaak-!

[Eckelart uses the Glacier Sorcery: Art of Drift Ice.]

[Like floating drift ice, attacks slide off. Evasion rate increases by 30%, and even if hit, the effect is nullified, reducing the damage received by 20%.]

Ipos, as before, led with a barrage of attacks.

[Ipos uses the Emperor Penguin: Barrage.]

[Unleashes indiscriminate strikes on enemies within close range. While receiving 10% more damage, the damage dealt is also increased by 20%.]

Papapapak-!

A white glove flashed before Eckelart’s eyes, continuing the onslaught.

Puuuuung-!

Puuuuuuung-!

Eckelart attempted to counterattack here and there, but Ipos deflected most of them. Nevertheless, Eckelart’s attacks were still powerful enough to steadily accumulate damage.

If this battle continued in the same way, the victory would surely belong to Eckelart.

‘However…’

Paaat-!

Paaa-aat!

Something about Ipos’s legs, which never ceased moving for even a moment, felt unsettling.

Spinning around, Ipos attacked from various angles and with various techniques, as if putting Eckelart through a rigorous training.

Eckelart managed to block some of the attacks and let others slide past.

“Huff… Huff…”

Ipos was panting heavily.

At this point, it seemed like Eckelart would gain the upper hand.

But then, the Emperor Penguin’s spirit suddenly spoke.

– You did well, girl… enduring for such a long time.

“Pengin…”

Ipos’s eyes were barely open, and blood was constantly flowing from her mouth.

Her body had reached its limit.

Even a demon’s body, fragile as it is, can only withstand so much.

– I needed time. Since this isn’t my body, I had to get used to the spacing, the breathing, the strength needed to push off the ground, and even the opponent’s habits.

At that moment, Eckelart felt as if time slowed down. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he was overwhelmed by a chilling dread that almost made him faint.

Paaat-!

Ipos’s steps were suddenly clear and audible.

The girl, with her eyes closed, charged unpredictably at Eckelart.

With just that first step, Eckelart knew he had to retract his previous assessment.

This was not a battle to win.

It was a fight where, in a single moment, either you break through or get broken.

There was still, still a way.

‘I need to strengthen my defense…’

Tssaaaaak-!

The Art of Drift Ice once again enveloped his body.

Tssaaaak-!

[Eckelart uses Glacier Sorcery: The Vision of the Stranded.]

[A powerful snowstorm is unleashed around Eckelart, obscuring the area.]

Paaat-!

The second step.

It felt as though a voice echoed with that step.

It’s useless. You’re right there.

In the next instant, the enemy’s blow would come. Could he block it?

No, he had to block it.

Huuuuung-!

Eckelart’s hands turned icy blue as he positioned them toward Ipos’s abdomen, who was charging at him.

Kwadududuk-!

Ice spears shot from his hands, piercing through Ipos’s body.

‘Killed!’

He had killed it. Killed the creature.

So… it should stop now.

But there was no way it would stop.

The girl’s face was already that of the dead. When had she died, exactly?

The fist of the dead slowly approached.

[Ipos’s Emperor Penguin: The Reason for a Champion activates.]

[If she begins an attack before death, the attack is executed no matter what.]

[This attack deals fixed damage.]

[Ipos’s Emperor Penguin: Cross-Counter of Wrath activates.]

[If she received critical damage just before, she counterattacks. Deals 300% of attack power as physical damage, plus additional damage equal to 100% of lost health.]

Ipos’s body had fallen, but the Emperor Penguin’s spirit still swung its fist.

It was the punch of a champion.

Kwaaaaaaang!

Eckelart reflexively created an ice wall in front of him.

It shattered.

Next, the Half-Hearted Guardian in the distance exploded.

And then, the upper half of Eckelart’s body, which had been protected by layers of the Art of Drift Ice…

…was blown away without a trace.

– “Is this… the limit…?”

Kwaaaaang!

Kwaaaang…

The attack that obliterated Eckelart’s upper body left a massive hole in the wall and shook the entire 4th layer of the dungeon.

Kuuuuung…

[The Boss Battle has concluded.]

Fssss…

The soul of the Emperor Penguin.

Among the ten frozen souls that Ipos had sealed, this was the most infamous in all of Hell.

Had this soul not occupied her right hand, keeping the souls in her left hand in check, Ipos’s body would have been overtaken by the souls in her left hand.

The reason the soul of the Emperor Penguin had gained such notoriety was that, during its time in Hell, it had defeated two of the 72 Demons, forcing them to pass on their names to the next generation.

Thud…

Thud… Thud…

Crack… Crack… Crack…

Eckelart’s obliterated body began to reform, starting as fragments of ice that gradually formed veins and bones, before finally turning back into flesh.

Crack… Crack…

Kwachijik-!

As the ice shattered, Eckelart emerged, revived once more.

“Huff… Huff…”

He had used the White Witch’s Key.

It was a desperate measure, forcibly breaking the seal that had held his potential, his future power, to bring himself back to life.

A Transcendent, in a battle against another Transcendent, reveals a power beyond their species. Though Eckelart had once been human, he was no longer confined by human limits.

But now, one of his extra lives had been lost in vain.

‘Was it carelessness…? No.’

After his resurrection, Eckelart reviewed the battle with Ipos—or rather, the Emperor Penguin—and realized that he couldn’t have fought any better.

It was simply that the opponent had been too powerful.

This showed why the ones challenging the dungeon were at a disadvantage. The defending side was promised resurrection by the Dungeon Core, but the challengers had to preserve their lives.

There was an inherent difference in the combat power between those who were prepared to sacrifice their lives and those who were not.

“…A precious seal has been wasted.”

Eckelart dusted himself off and headed towards the upper layers.

He solidified two plans in his mind.

The first was to reach the end of this dungeon, kill the Dungeon Keeper, and absorb the power of the Dungeon Core.

The second was to seize control of the demons residing here.

He could accomplish both if he managed to clear the dungeon. But first….

“Another… demon.”

He had to defeat the demon standing in his way on the 3rd layer.

Fwoooosh…

The demon that Faust had invested the most resources in for growth, one ranked among the strongest in duels within the 72 Demons.

“Hello?”

The boss of the 3rd layer was the Demon of Resurrection, Phenex.

[The Boss Battle begins.]

[The Demon of Resurrection, Phenex, blocks your retreat with flames.]

[Phenex’s unique trait 【Indomitable】 is active.]

…