Leo turned back to the towering figure on the throne, his thoughts swirling like a storm. Then he stepped forward and asked, voice steady:
"What do you want from me?"
The Demon King raised his head, his eyes glowing faintly in the low light. His voice, deep and rumbling, held no hatred—only truth.
"I know you possess Void Reclaim," he said. "Lili has told me everything."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "So what do you want? My skill?"
The Demon King chuckled—tired, empty. "No. I want nothing from you... except to speak the truth."
He leaned back, his gaze distant, as if remembering something long gone.
"Your father… was a great man. Far greater than the so-called hero. He just help people who was burning because of me and hero."
Leo shocked for a moment "He knows my father"
Then Leo clenched his fists. "And now he's gone."
The Demon King's eyes darkened. "Because of her."
Lili stepped forward. "That's why I brought you here. He doesn't want to fight anymore. He just wants… someone strong enough to face her. To end the cycle."
Leo looked between them both. Then slowly, with fire behind his eyes, he nodded.
"Then I'll carry the will of my father… and yours. And together—"
He turned to the Demon King.
"—we'll kill a goddess."
Leo stood still, the air heavy with tension. The lights flickered gently in the ancient chamber as he gazed up at the Demon King, whose aura, though fading, still trembled with terrifying might.
"…Tell me," Leo said. "There's a reason you wanted to meet me, isn't there?"
The Demon King nodded solemnly. "Yes. I want you to absorb everything I have—my skills, mana, aura, spells, techniques—everything I've built over thousands of years. I want you to use Void Reclaim on me."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
The Demon King exhaled, his voice tinged with exhaustion and pain. "Because I'm dying."
He looked down at his own hands, dark veins pulsing with dimming energy.
"Demons are vulnerable to divine power. That hero—Kael—he used one. A divine strike... a technique forged by the goddess herself. It didn't kill me instantly, but it poisoned my very existence. Since that day, my mana has rotted, my aura withers, and my spells crumble."
He clenched a trembling fist, the strength in it long gone. "At first, I thought I would die a forgotten corpse… discarded by history. But then… Lili told me about you."
Leo glanced at her—she didn't speak, only nodded slightly.
"I asked her to watch over you," the Demon King continued. "To see if you had the potential… if you could truly become the one to stand against fate. Against her."
Leo's voice was quiet, but serious. "And what happens if I absorb your powers?"
The Demon King met his gaze directly. "Then you'll become strong. Strong enough to surpass Kael… strong enough to kill the goddess herself."
A silence stretched.
But Leo didn't look satisfied. He asked again, this time more directly. "I'm not asking about Kael or the goddess. I'm asking… what happens to you?"
The Demon King paused.
Then smiled.
A tired, accepting smile.
"Oh. Me?" he said, voice soft. "I'll die."
The chamber fell silent.
No wind. No sound.
Only the low hum of distant magic pulsing through old stone walls.
The Demon King raised his head, a faint glow in his fading eyes. "But I've made peace with it. I was never meant to survive. Not after what I've done, not after what I've become. But if my death gives you the strength to stop her, then it will not be meaningless."
He looked directly into Leo's eyes.
"Will you take it, Leo? My final gift—my sins, my strength, my soul?"
Leo didn't speak for a long moment.
His eyes locked with the Demon King's, searching for doubt, fear, hesitation—anything. But all he found was peace. A strange, tragic peace.
Slowly, Leo stepped forward.
"I will," he said, his voice steady. "I'll accept everything you are. Your power. Your pain. Even your sins."
Leo continued, "But I won't let them end as sins. I'll forge something better from them. With your strength, I'll fight not just for revenge… but for those who can't fight back. For the ones suffering in silence."
A tear slipped from the Demon King's eye. He smiled, a tired, worn thing, but real.
"Then… my death will not be a curse after all."
Leo raised his hand. Dark purple energy began to coil around his fingers, the air thick with the echo of ancient forces. The spell activated—Void Reclaim.
Black tendrils surged forward, wrapping around the Demon King like threads of fate being unwoven. His body started to shimmer, piece by piece dissolving into raw essence—mana, aura, technique, memories—flowing straight into Leo's core.
Leo gritted his teeth. The weight was unbearable. Every fiber of his being screamed. His veins lit up with unfamiliar energy. His heart pounded like it was trying to break free.
And still, he held on.
The Demon King's form flickered.
He moved, kneeling beside Leo, whose knees had buckled from the strain. With what little remained of his body, he gently placed a hand on Leo's head.
"You remind me of how I used to be… before everything broke," he whispered. "Thank you… for carrying the burden."
Then he turned to Lili, who stood silently, her hands clenched, eyes glistening.
"…Thank you, Lili. For seeing me. For saving me when I was already lost."
She nodded, unable to speak, her throat tight.
"I hope the world you two shape… is better than the one I ruined."
And with those words, he began to vanish—light fragments drifting upward like ashes caught in a gentle breeze. A soul unbound. A legacy passed on.
When it was over, only silence remained.
Leo lay unconscious, his breath shallow, body trembling. The floor cracked around him, scorched by the aftershock of immense magic.
Lili stepped forward, knelt beside him, and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.
"…You really didn't hesitate at all, huh?" she whispered, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Idiot."
The sun spilled golden light through the cave's entrance, warming the stone floor and casting a soft glow over everything inside. Leo stretched as he stepped out of the room, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Seems like I was sleeping since yesterday…" he muttered.
As he walked into the main chamber, he noticed Lili, dozing with her head resting on the table, a faint snore escaping her. He smiled to himself and tiptoed quietly, not wanting to disturb her.
But just as he neared the entrance—
"Where are you going, Leo?" Lili said without opening her eyes, a mischievous smirk curling on her lips. "You weren't that asleep."
Leo flinched and turned. "You were awake?!"
She sat up, yawning dramatically and giving him a lazy wave. "You think I'd sleep so deeply after you almost exploded from absorbing a Demon King?"
He chuckled. "Fair point."
Leo pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "So… was I really out since yesterday?"
Lili nodded. "Yep. You were out cold. Lyra came to check on you, by the way."
Leo's eyes widened. "Is she okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," Lili grinned, leaning on the table with her chin resting on her hand. "When she first saw you, she freaked out and asked me if you died or something. So I told her you just ate too much and knocked yourself out."
Leo blinked. "You what?"
"Well, it's better than 'Hey, your friend absorbed a dying Demon King's entire soul and power bank,' right?"
"…True. Thanks for that."
He went quiet for a moment. His face turned serious.
"So… how strong am I now?"
Lili raised an eyebrow. "First, you tell me. What did you get?"
Leo closed his eyes and reached inward, diving into the sea of energy surging within him. It was vast, endless—like a universe born inside him.
He took a breath and began to list off:
"I've got… full elemental manipulation. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, shadow, light."
Lili's expression shifted to one of growing disbelief.
"Poison resistance. Fire resistance. Gravity manipulation. Healing manipulation. Demon manipulation…"
He paused, eyes still closed.
"…and I've lost all limitations. All abilities I now have… they're infinite. No cooldown. No cost."
Lili's jaw dropped slightly, blinking fast. "Wait—what?"
"And…" he opened his eyes, a faint glow pulsing in them, "I have immortality."
For the first time in centuries, Lili was stunned speechless. Her mouth opened, closed, and opened again. "…You—you got that too?!"
Leo gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either."
"There's no way—immortality is rare, even among the ancient beings…"
"I know," he said, "but it's there. I can feel it."
She leaned back, eyes still wide. "You're sixteen. You've been here six years. And you already have enough power to shake the world."
Leo looked down at his hands. "There's more, I think. But these are the strongest I've seen so far."
Lili exhaled, loud and exaggerated, throwing her hands in the air. "I should've just let the Demon King teach you instead!"
He grinned. "But… one thing. If the Demon King had immortality, why was he dying?"
Lili blinked, then sighed. "Divine power, remember? Immortality doesn't protect against that. Divine attacks bypass everything—it's like rewriting your very existence."
Leo nodded slowly. "So if I get hit by one of those, I'd—"
"Not die," she interrupted, wagging a finger. "You're human. Divine power doesn't automatically break you. But if it's strong enough? You'd feel it. You'd bleed. But not instantly die."
"Phew. Good to know…"
She leaned closer, eyes gleaming. "Now that we've got that out of the way—listen, Leo. If you can control all of this, you might just beat me in raw strength. Hand-to-hand? You'll destroy me. But in ability use? We're probably even."
She smirked playfully. "Buuuut in terms of brainpower? You're still dumb as a rock."
"Hey!"
"I'm just saying!" she laughed, wagging her finger again. "You've got the power now. But without control, knowledge, and strategy, you're just a glowing meatball."
Leo groaned. "Fine, fine! So what now?"
"Now…" She stood and cracked her knuckles, her grin turning wicked. "From today, your life is gonna be training, knowledge, testing, and more training. You're not just a guy with power anymore. You're a storm waiting to happen."
He slumped in his chair. "Ugh. Why does becoming strong always mean more homework?"
"Because," Lili winked, "even immortals need lessons."
Leo sighed, but smiled.
"…Alright. Let's do it."