Deviant: No Longer Human

Chapter 231: Dragon Canyon (5)

'His body is unbelievably strong,' Wang Xiao acknowledged internally, his gaze fixed on the chaotic scene before him.

Despite his efforts to dismantle Asmodeous, all he had managed was to strip away the his outer layers, revealing a monstrous, battered form beneath.

Yet, Asmodeous's core seemed untouched, his strength undiminished.

In the midst of Wang Xiao's strategizing, a ghostly figure, battered and bleeding yet unbowed, surged through the water with supernatural speed, its sights set on Wang Xiao.

"Hm?" Wang Xiao's surprise was fleeting, replaced quickly by resolve as he braced himself for the impact, his fist poised for a counterstrike.

Booom!

Their collision sent shockwaves radiating through the water, powerful enough to reverberate against the very foundations of the surrounding mountain.

Gasp!

On the surface, Seraphine and Ericka watched in horror as the ice around them fractured, giant sheets splintering and falling away into the abyss below.

Whoooh!

The battle had escalated, with Asmodeous seizing Wang Xiao and propelling them both into the air, relentlessly driving him back while Wang Xiao's fists hammered down upon Asmodeous's skull, each blow aimed with desperate intensity.

Boooom! Booom! Booooom!

The sounds of Wang Xiao's punches echoed like thunder, a furious attempt to breach Asmodeous's seemingly impenetrable defense.

Yet, Asmodeous, his demeanor as twisted as his form, met each strike with sinister laughter, the sound chilling against the icy expanse.

"Hahahaha!" His maniacal laughter, mocking Wang Xiao's efforts as he drove him back against the icy walls encasing the volcano, Beerenburg.

!!

A surge of pain ignited Wang Xiao's resolve into a blazing fury. With a fierce grip, he seized Asmodeous's wrists, locking eyes with him as the mad laughter continued to spill from Asmodeous's lips.

The ice beneath them began to crack and groan, an evidence to the immense forces at play between the two combatants.

Splurt!

In a moment of ruthless determination, Wang Xiao exerted all his might against the limbs that felt as unyielding as steel.

Splurt!

With a gruesome effort, he detached Asmodeous's arms from his body, a move that should have been decisive.

Yet, Asmodeous's reaction was far from defeated; he grinned, a wicked smile spreading across his face before—

Boooom!

He lunged forward, headbutting Wang Xiao with such force that the world turned momentarily dark for him, blood trickling down his forehead.

Buzzzzzzzzzzzz!

A disorienting buzz filled Wang Xiao's ears, his vision blurred and his head throbbing from the impact.

Seraphine and Ericka watched in horror, gasping as Asmodeous, now handless, stood proudly.

Blood oozed from his shoulders where his arms had been, and his facial skin, torn away to reveal the bone beneath, did nothing to stifle his laughter.

Whoooosh!

Suddenly, the air itself seemed to conspire with Asmodeous, as debris and matter from the surroundings began to swirl and converge on him.

Ericka and Seraphine looked on in terror as Wang Xiao, shaking off the disorientation, witnessed an unbelievable sight.

"He can absorb things!?" Wang Xiao exclaimed, his voice laced with shock. Before their eyes, Asmodeous's body underwent a transformation.

The swirling matter clung to him, granting his skin an icy, muddy texture. His wounds knit together in a disturbing display of rapid healing, and even more unsettling was the regeneration of his limbs.

His appearance morphed, becoming something akin to a golem, his features rough and jagged, a far cry from any semblance of humanity.

"Prince, you've made a catastrophic error by challenging me in my own realm!" Asmodeous's eyes bore into Wang Xiao like fiery daggers as he spoke, his voice now a deep growl, carrying a mix of amusement and simmering frustration.

Wang Xiao found himself outmatched.

He had already expended the lion's share of his strength, tearing at Asmodeous's hands and rending his flesh.

But as Asmodeous effortlessly regenerated, a sense of futility washed over him.

Was there even a glimmer of hope left?

The questions swirled in Wang Xiao's mind, but they were swiftly drowned out by the sound of Asmodeous launching himself at him once more.

This time, the demon lord moved with a terrifying speed, dragging Wang Xiao around like a ragdoll and raining blows upon his bloodied visage.

Wang Xiao struggled to retaliate, but it was as though Asmodeous, who had initially toyed with him, had now unleashed his full wrath.

"No...." Ericka's voice, filled with dread, pierced the cold air as she and Seraphine bore witness to the sudden, drastic turn in the battle's dynamics.

The disparity in power between Wang Xiao and Asmodeous was as vast as the heavens and the earth.

Booom!

In a desperate bid for leverage, Wang Xiao unleashed a burst of psychokinetic energy, momentarily disfiguring Asmodeous's face into fragmented chaos.

Yet, before the satisfaction of the attack could even settle, the damaged flesh reformed, as if time itself reversed at Asmodeous's whim.

"Hahaha!" Asmodeous's laughter echoed ominously as he pinned Wang Xiao against a towering sheet of ice, his voice dripping with mockery. "Did you really think my prowess is limited to mere physical strength? Let me enlighten you, I, Asmodeous, am capable of absorbing anything!"

"I consumed the essence of thousands women to sculpt this impeccable form, and you, you dare sully it!"

"Do you think I would let such humiliation go unpunished?" Asmodeous taunted, his tone darkening. "Behold the doom that befalls those who cross the mighty Asmodeous!"

"Face my wrath!"

In a display of terrifying power, Asmodeous's fist began to swell monstrously, drawing in matter from the surroundings, growing larger and more menacing by the second.

'Not good,' Wang Xiao realized, his expression hardening. Catching sight of Seraphine and Ericka, their faces etched with terror as they witnessed the unfolding spectacle, he sighed, the weight of the moment pressing down on him.

But the die was cast. Wang Xiao hadn't anticipated the Guardians' swift intervention, nor had he expected a confrontation so direct and so soon.

As Asmodeous's fist grew, a monolith of destruction, Wang Xiao realized the gravity of his miscalculation.

Now, he can only relinquish the connections he's forged and single-mindedly prioritize survival.

In this moment, whether Ericka and Serphine perish or face uncertain fates, his own survival reigns supreme.

Right then, Asmodeous's voice boomed, filled with a sinister glee as he prepared to announce Wang Xiao's demise to the world. "This is the end, Prince! Witness the moment your life is extinguished by the great Asmodeous!"