The Red Hand

Chapter 182 – Demon Versus Demon Lord.

"T-They really are here." Superbia said nervously as she stared down the two most formidable foes she'd ever faced. Her entire body clenched, and she started sweating profusely, as did everyone else. "I mean, I didn't doubt you when you told us, but..."

"Calm down, little Oni." Akagi put her hand on Superbia's shoulder. "Take a deep breath and focus. It's gonna be fine, you've got this." She walked forward toward the two World Bosses, changing into her Demon Lord mode as she did.

"Welcome, both of you, to my world." Akagi let out a demonic laugh. "I take it that the two of you are not here for a social call."

"We have been ordered by our masters to destroy the one called Akagi." Rivenshaft raised his massive black sword and pointed it at her. "I shall endeavor to make your death as painful as possible." His voiced boomed with the same kind of demonic fury that Akagi's did, though it was noticeably less distorted.

{Well, I guess that quashes any doubts that Akagi really is a Demon...} (Hishya)

Akagi began laughing in an eerie fashion. "I'd love to see you try, Demon." The Demon snapped her fingers, and both she and Rivenshaft disappeared into her shadow.

{She really did have the power to just take him away...} Hishya shook away her thoughts. Right now, she had a Dragon to destroy. "Everyone, take up positions!" She called out as Serval roared, and their battle began. One that would cause Hishya to realize several truths that she'd been willfully ignoring.

_________________________________________________________________________

<Akagi POV>

Akagi and Rivenshaft appeared within her shadow, and Akagi quickly got to work converting their battlefield into a literal hellscape complete with lava, volcanoes, and all sorts of sights one usually associated with Demons.

"Oh yeah, before I forget." Akagi snapped her fingers. "That's better. I don't want to fight a charmed opponent. That would be boring." She removed the Council's brainwashing power placed on Rivenshaft.

{I figured they tried something like that. But I'm surprised that it worked. Though the one on Serval seems to be quite weak. I doubt he'd stay loyal much longer at this rate.} (Akagi)

"Hmmmmmm." Rivenshaft mulled things for a moment as he inspected his own body. "Interesting. Those mortals dared to use such magic to make a fool out of me." He laughed. "I shall repay their humiliation with blood." His eyes turned to Akagi. "And you, I have never come across a Demon such as yourself. As a reward for freeing me from that wretched magic, I would offer you a place as my right hand. Such position is fitting for a Demon of your power, and I think it is more than a generous reward for lifting the spell placed upon me."

Akagi laughed demonically. "I'm sorry, Rivenshaft. I'm a Demon Lord, and my kind does not take kindly to playing second fiddle to anyone. The only thing that has the right to call me an equal is another member of my kind, something you are not." She summoned World Breaker and prepared for battle.

"A pity." Rivenshaft readied his blade. "Then I shall destroy you before exterminating those foolish mortals who dared chain me. But at the very least, I shall try to make your death as quick and painless as possible to show my gratitude."

"I implore you to try, but know you shall fail in that endeavor, as all who came before you have, and all that come after you will." Akagi laughed as flurished her blade. "But out of respect, I shall humor you. My name is Akagi Dumetor, the Demon Lord. And this shall be your final resting place, Rivenshaft." As she said this, a huge burst of lava went off in the background.

"Demon Lord?" Rivenshaft got angry at the use of that term. "You are not the Demon Lord, and I will not allow anyone to insult my master by claiming that title for themselves. I am Rivenshaft, the first Demon Prince and the one crowed as Lord of All Demons by the true Demon Lord." Black energy began to pour from his body. "And I will show you just how weak you are!"

The two Demons stared each other down, not moving from their spots for what seemed like hours until.

*FLASH* *CLANG*

They zipped forward at unbelievable speed as their blades collided together.

*BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM*

Shock waves erupted around the volcanic fields as explosions of lava shot into the air, only to be tossed aside by the sheer force of the combatants' strikes.

Akagi expected Rivenshaft to be good, but this was beyond her expectations, something that made her feel excited.

{Finally! Something worth getting excited for! HAHAHAAHAHAH!} Akagi laughed in her mind as she clashed with Rivenshaft. His massive blade, whose name roughly translated to Omega from his Demon tongue, proved to be quite a formidable weapon. Allegedly it was forged from the remnants of the Ancient Demon Lord's personal weapon, and it contained shards of that very blade.

Akagi was more than capable of deflecting his blows, and World Breaker was as good as if not better than Rivenshaft's own sword. The two continued to clash, with neither letting the other gain a single inch until they backed off, hovering in the air over the raging lava fields.

"I'm impressed." Rivenshaft laughed. "I've seen few creatures which can handle going toe to toe with me for that length of time, yet you seem completely unfazed by my power. I suppose that's a testament to your power. You have earned my respect Lady Akagi."

"I'd say the same to you. There are few who can move that like, and even fewer who can handle my skill with the blade." "Akagi smirked. "But what do you say we skip the warm-up? I haven't been this excited about a fight in quite some time, and I don't want to wait anymore!" She laughed demonically.

"You are truly strange!" Rivenshaft joined in the laughter. "But I must admit I like that about you!" He channeled additional power. "Then, in honor of your bravery, I shall show you everything that I am and why I was the favorite of the true Demon Lord!" He stuck out his off-hand and channeled a massive amount of Demonic power before shooting an incredible barrage of black energy blasts toward Akagi.

{Oh?} Akagi grinned. "Now that's what I'm talking about!" She laughed as millions of blasts careened toward her. With World Breaker in her hand, she began to carve through them, hopping between blasts as she maneuvered towards Rivenshaft.

"If you're enjoying that." Rivenshaft lifted up Omega. "Then allow me to add a bit more to your fun." He slashed downwards several times, each seeming to tear reality apart as massive slashes of energy hurled toward Akagi.

Seeing his attacks coming, Akagi expertly timed her jumps to barely scrape by each one, some missing her by less than an inch, all while she continued to deflect and destroy the other blasts.

{I see. Then more will be necessary.} Rivenshaft channeled even more power into his attacks, increasing the number of attacks to an insane level. The blackness of the sky above them was illuminated by the explosions and the lava fields continued to erupt as his awesome power was unleashed.

Akagi's form vanished under the torrent of attacks, and Rivenshaft was quite pleased with himself, confident that she was destroyed. After a few minutes, he stopped channeling his power and allowed things to settle down. Akagi was nowhere to be seen, and he smirked as he gloated in his triumph. "See, this is why you are no Demon Lord. My master wouldn't have even been phased by such a weak-" He stopped speaking as he sensed danger and pulled back. A split second later, World Breaker sliced across his chest, causing a large quantity of black blood to come flying out from a slash wound.

"I'm surprised you managed to dodge that." Akagi hummed as she floated behind him. "I suppose that means I need to use a bit more power to overwhelm your danger senses."

Rivenshaft spun around, letting out a massive blast of power from his hand, which completely engulfed Akagi. "Grrrr."

"Over here." Akagi waved at him from off to the side.

"Do you think this is a game?!?" Rivenshaft roared as he lunged forward and sliced where Akagi was.

"I'd say so." Akagi was now behind him again, his attack having connected with nothing.

{How is she doing this? Some kind of illusion?} (Rivenshaft)

"You're an annoying Demon. I'll give you that." Rivenshaft flashed forward, but the same thing happened again.

{This is getting ridiculous!} Getting irritated, he decided to use his full speed. Jetting toward Akagi at maximum speed, he found that he was still unable to make contact with her. The two flew around the battlefield, much as they did before. But rather than having an epic clash of blades, Akagi opted for a game of tag, one that Rivenshaft was unable to win.

{Interesting, it would seem that this level of speed is too much for him.} (Akagi)

"Your tricks will fail you eventually, and once they do, I shall make you suffer for humiliating me." Rivenshaft pointed at her angrily.

"I fail to see how my speed is some kind of trick." Akagi's voice came from right next to him, and he felt pain in his right side as she dug her blade into him.

{Though in fairness, I'm also predicting every one of your strikes. So perhaps there is a bit of a trick to all this, oh well.} (Akagi)

"GRAAA!" Rivenshaft swiped at her, which caused Akagi to back off. "Damn, you!" He swung Omega at high speeds, sending a barrage of slashes toward Akagi, who deftly slipped between each and slashed him across his other side.

"GRAAA!" Rivenshaft roared in pain as he let out a massive blast of energy around him, which caused a huge explosion. Once the dust settled, Akagi was still floating off to his side, unharmed. "What the hell is going on?!?" Rivenshaft screamed at her. "How could you be dodging all my attacks like that?!?"

{This makes no sense! I'm using my full power, and I still can't hit her? We were fighting mere moments ago and it seemed we were roughly equal in power and speed.} He thought back to what Akagi said just after she sliced him the first time. {So she had more power? But how much? That can't be possible, if she survived my combination of Dark Barrage and Omega Slash, that should have taken everything she had...}

"You... what are you?" Rivenshaft asked. "No normal Demon could possibly have such power. To completely evade me at my full speed was something that only my master could do." He'd never seen another being with so much power, so it left him confused and angry.

"I told you already, didn't I?" Akagi's voice came from behind as she drove her blade through his chest.

"ACK!" Rivenshaft didn't even have time to think, that's how fast Akagi attacked.

{How?!? I didn't even see her move!} Rivenshaft spun around in an attempt to hit her, but Akagi evaded. However, this time, rather than simply zipping away, she ducked under his attack and slashed him across the chest before carving wounds across his entire body in a single flash.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Rivenshaft screamed as Akagi's blade sunk into his flesh. Black blood spurted from him like a fountain, and the overwhelming pain left him disoriented.

{What's going on?!? Nothing about this makes sense! I am the first Demon Prince created by my master! No mere Demon can defeat me!} (Rivenshaft)

The bloodied, and weakened Rivenshaft floated in mid-air as the lava raged around him. Akagi hovered off to the side, lava licking at her heels.

"You are a powerful Demon, Rivenshaft." Akagi lifted World Breaker. "However, I am a Demon Lord." She flashed forward, her blade sinking into Rivenshaft's head. "Thank you for the entertainment. This is a battle that I will never forget, but..." She dug her blade into him further, slicing him in half. "Playtime is over!"

Time seemed to slow down for Rivenshaft as Akagi's blade contacted him.

{Is... is this death? Am I dying? Heh-he. AHAHAHAHAHAHAH! This woman, I see it now. That darkness, that power, those eyes! What a fool I was for challenging her.} He smiled internally. {My master is most likely laughing at my folly as he looks down at me right now. I see now that he was not the only Demon Lord in existence, but it is too late for those thoughts now. My master, if I ever see you again, I would like to once again swear eternal loyalty to you. Perhaps this time, we can fulfill our dream together.......}

As soon as her blade cleaved through him, she began to slice him into a number of smaller pieces before finally unleashing a blast which made what Hishya did in Nagoya look small.

"[Consumption]" Unfortunately for Rivenshaft, Akagi had no intentions of letting his soul go, such a delicious morsel as it was.

"Hughuguuugug." Akagi shuddered as she ate Rivenshaft's soul. "That was the single best-tasting anything I've ever had!" She laughed. "I can only imagine what Serval's will taste like." She looked downwards and saw something glinting in the volcanic rock. Flying down, she found Rivenshaft's blade, Omega embedded in the hardened volcanic rock.

"Hmmmm." Akagi reached down and picked it up. The blade seemed to fight back for a brief moment, but once Akagi poured her power into it, it stopped resisting. "This blade..." Akagi's eyes widened as she realized something, her mouth curving into a twisted smile. "I never imagined I'd get to finish you..." She held up World Breaker and started into the glinting black blade, her reflection staring back at her. "With a few pieces of the true blade, I'll make sure that you become even more powerful than the original." Akagi began to laugh as she imagined the weapon she'd create with Imp's help. "Now then, I suppose I should get back. Don't want to miss the more entertaining fight." She slipped Omega and World Breaker into storage before returning to normal.

{And thanks to time dilation, I should arrive just after I left. That way I haven't missed a thing.} Akagi thought to herself as her form vanished.