Chapter 123: Demon General Hosy II

Zephyr gave him no answer.

He simply advanced again.

This time, Hosy abandoned all pretense of holding back. Dark mana erupted around him with such ferocity that the air itself seemed to shudder. Crimson-black markings spread across his skin as he activated his strongest suppression ability, unleashing a wave of oppressive mana meant to crush his opponent’s strength and force his body into submission.

At the same time, he summoned his main weapon—the blade he only ever used in war.

A long, wickedly curved sword materialized in his hand, its dark edge gleaming with a sinister light. Dried blood stained its surface, a grim testament to the countless lives it had claimed. Hosy tightened his grip and swung it in a vicious arc, sending a crescent of concentrated dark mana hurtling toward Zephyr.

Before the first attack could reach its target, he followed with another slash, then another, each strike faster and more forceful than the last. Waves of dark mana tore through the grand hall, carving deep gashes into the stone floor and sending fragments of shattered pillars scattering in every direction.

For a moment, the entire hall seemed to tremble beneath the force of his assault.

Yet Zephyr remained unfazed.

He activated his psychokinesis skill.

An invisible force instantly spread through the surrounding space, and Hosy felt something wrap around his body. It wasn’t painful, nor did it crush his bones, but it clung to his limbs with unnatural persistence, interfering with every movement he tried to make.

More alarming still, the moment Zephyr’s psychokinesis took hold, Hosy’s suppression ability collapsed.

The oppressive dark mana he had unleashed vanished as though it had never existed.

Hosy’s expression changed drastically.

He tried to reinforce his ability, pouring more power into it, but the result was the same. His suppression was rendered completely useless, leaving him unable to weaken Zephyr or force him into submission. Even his movements had become sluggish, as though invisible chains were dragging against his arms and legs.

"What—?!"

He barely had time to utter the word.

Zephyr closed the distance and drove his fist straight into Hosy’s stomach.

The impact was devastating.

Hosy’s body folded around the blow before he was hurled backward, slamming into the Rebound Dome with enough force to make the barrier ripple. A strangled cough tore from his throat, and a mouthful of blood spilled from his lips as he crumpled forward.

For several moments, he could do nothing but gasp for breath.

Then he looked down.

A dent had appeared in his abdomen.

Just like his arm, the flesh had vanished without a trace. The damage was horrifying, yet something about it made even less sense than the injury itself.

His vital organs remained untouched.

Zephyr had somehow avoided them, leaving him grievously injured but alive.

The realization sent a fresh wave of terror through Hosy’s body.

This human wasn’t trying to kill him immediately!

He was doing this on purpose!

For the first time since becoming a Demon General, Hosy found himself desperately regretting a decision.

Why had he returned to the castle?

He should have stayed with Drak. The other Demon General had been cursing him, furious that Hosy had come solely to mock him for being beaten by the Demon Lord twice in a row. Yet despite his irritation, Drak had still asked Hosy to remain a little longer and help him with the task the Demon Lord had assigned him.

Hosy had refused with a smirk, far too pleased with himself to bother helping.

If only he had stayed.

If only he had delayed his return by even a little while.

Perhaps he wouldn’t be trapped in this nightmare, facing a blind human whose strength made no sense and whose power could erase his body with a single touch.

But regret was useless now.

Zephyr was already approaching him again.

Hosy struggled to raise his blade, channeling what remained of his dark mana into its edge. With a desperate roar, he swung at Zephyr’s head, then twisted his wrist and redirected the blade toward his opponent’s side, attempting to catch him off guard with a second strike. Even with his body restrained and his injuries threatening to overwhelm him, his combat instincts remained sharp.

Zephyr evaded the first slash with a slight shift of his body and caught Hosy’s wrist before the second could reach him.

The demon’s eyes widened.

A moment later, Zephyr twisted his arm aside and struck him across the face.

This time, Zephyr didn’t use his Corrosive skill.

The blow was meant to hurt, not erase.

Hosy crashed to the floor, his head snapping to the side as pain exploded across his face. His blade clattered from his grasp, skidding across the stone until it struck the dome.

Before he could scramble toward it, Zephyr seized him by the collar and hauled him upright, only to drive another fist into his ribs.

A scream burst from Hosy’s throat.

Desperate to break free, he released a wild burst of dark mana, forcing it outward in an attempt to throw Zephyr off. The blast shook the hall and sent debris flying, but Zephyr barely moved. His psychokinesis held Hosy in place long enough for him to deliver another merciless punch.

Then another.

And another.

The grand hall, which had once echoed with the arrogance of its master, soon filled with the sounds of violence. Hosy’s roars of defiance gradually gave way to pained cries, then frantic curses, and finally desperate pleas for mercy.

Yet Zephyr never struck his vital organs.

No matter how badly he injured the demon, he always stopped short of delivering a fatal blow. His attacks were precise, almost unnervingly so, each one inflicting another measure of suffering without allowing Hosy the escape of unconsciousness or death.

Even when portions of Hosy’s body were erased by the terrifying Corrosive skill Zephyr used from time to time, he remained alive, clinging to consciousness through the remnants of his demonic vitality.

By then, Hosy had long since abandoned his pride.

"Stop! Please, stop!"

Zephyr ignored him.

"Wait! I’ll tell you anything! Whatever you want to know, I’ll tell you! Maybe I wasn’t the one who destroyed your realm!"

Another blow silenced him.

"Please! I don’t want to die! I’ll give you everything! My treasures, my territory, anything you want!"

Zephyr remained unmoved.

Hosy’s voice grew hoarse as he continued to beg. Trembling and barely able to speak, he could do nothing but plead for his life.

"Please... please, have mercy..."

Zephyr paused.

For one fleeting moment, Hosy thought his pleas might finally have reached the human.

Then Zephyr spoke in the same cold, indifferent voice he had used from the beginning.

"Stop shouting so much. My lover is sleeping."

Hosy froze.

Then he coughed out another mouthful of blood.

He was dying here, and this bastard was telling him to stop screaming because his lover was sleeping?!

Was this human even sane?

Hosy wanted to curse him, to scream at him, to demand how someone could be so utterly indifferent while beating another person to death. But the words barely made it past his bloodied lips before Zephyr struck him again.

Whatever remained of his pride crumbled.

By the time Zephyr finally stopped, Hosy had been reduced to a pitiful, broken state.

Only after making the Demon General endure what felt like an eternity of hell did Zephyr finally decide to end it.

Zephyr activated his Corrosive skill.

The eerie darkness spread over Hosy’s remaining body, consuming it without leaving so much as a trace. Within moments, the Demon General who had once ruled the castle vanished into tiny particles, leaving behind only silence.

Zephyr stood still for a moment, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

Then, from somewhere nearby, a choked laugh broke through the silence.

Onicus had watched the entire battle without saying a word. Now, as Hosy’s remaining body disappeared, the little dragon could no longer contain himself. His laughter came out broken and breathless, caught between disbelief, rage, and a relief so overwhelming that it hurt.

"Good! Good! Hahaha!"

His voice trembled.

"Finally! One of those bastards who killed my race is dead! And he died such a terrifying death that he even begged for mercy! Finally!"

The laughter continued, but beneath it lay years of grief and hatred—pain that had nowhere to go until this very moment.