Chapter 29
The last one is a kind-looking human old man, with a long, rope-like white beard that reaches his belly. His body is lean, more bones visible than muscles. He has purple eyes, white hair on his head, and you could mistake him for a good old grandpa who loves to play with his grandchildren.
But that would be a big mistake because he is the "Universe Level 4 Fighter."
Ark thinks, 'A wolf in sheep's clothing.' The old man also looks at Ark and smiles, no worry, anger, sadness, or anything else on his face, only nothingness.
Then Ark looks towards the "Devil Royalty," and the Devil also looks back at him and smiles.
The Devil is 7 meters tall, with a black shiny body, and long arms just beneath the knees. His body is also completely covered in a steel-like exoskeleton, but soft like rubber. Only his saw-like teeth are visible, and his hair is like a long black helmet that reaches his middle. His body is extra muscular, especially his legs, which are twice the size of a normal human body when put next to each other.
All around him, black lightning crackles. He is a speedster, he moves faster than Kyle, much faster.
That's why the others have such a hard time hitting him; he is too fast for them. Every time they think they've managed to hit him, he increases his speed even more.
The only way to kill him would be to trap him somehow, or to slow down time, but unfortunately, the only one with the power of time is already dead—killed first by the 'Speed Devil.'
Then the Devil puts both his hands in front of him and charges a big ball of lightning. When he lets go of the ball, it flies towards them with the speed of light. It looks like it just appeared in front of them, then explodes with the power of supernovas, destroying even more of the already destroyed city. But the attack is more like an area attack, and it's weaker than what the Devil threw at them earlier.
It is not concentrated lightning; it looks like it was made in a hurry and is not as powerful—more like a lie. Of course, even an attack like that is more powerful than anything the city can withstand.
The three fighters are using their auras to make a shield around them, and then they pull back from the center of the explosion, not really taking much damage from this attack.
But when they look around, the Devil is no more. It's like he vanished into thin air, not even a sound made.
Then they see Ark coming towards them.
"Hello, I am the reinforcement sent by the Third Empire. My name is Ark Ember. It seems the Devil is pretty fast at running, but I have a feeling he will be back soon."
Then the old guy steps forward and says:
"Hello, I am the Ruler of the Fifth Empire. My name is Ryker Valor."
"And these are my most trusted and powerful fighters I have, and the last ones. The big blue guy is 'Almog Orroth,' and the beastman there is 'Claw Maugur.'"
Then the guys nod at Ark, and then they start to look around, searching for the Devil, protecting their Ruler.
Ark also nods at them. Then he hears Ryker saying,
"How do you know the Devil will be back?"
Ark turns his head back to him and answers,
"I put a barrier around this city. If he wants to get out, he needs to kill me."
Then he remembers he heard the name Valor, so he asks Ryker,
"Do you know a girl named Valory Valor?"
When Ryker hears the name, an emotion appears on his face. He seems happy for a moment, then immediately turns to his nothingness face.
He answers,
"Yes, she is my granddaughter, but I haven't seen her in the last year at all. How do you know her?"
"She is my dorm manager. When I saw her last time, she was helping people find their families and taking the injured to the hospital. She was a little bit injured, but all in all, she was fine."
Then a smile and a relieved look appear on Ryker's face.
He looks all around him and says,
"I am glad that at least she is fine. Unfortunately, the rest of our clan is... dead."
When Ryker says the word "dead," it's like he got ten years older. And his aura is like it's not even there anymore; it's like he is just a normal old man with no power anymore.
Now he is just an empty husk. He is no "Ruler" anymore.
Ark looks at him and knows what is in his mind and soul without needing to read them.
So he says:
"Don't give up, old man. You still have a mission left. Keep your granddaughter safe. What do you think will happen to her if you leave her alone in this cruel world, with your enemies still alive?"
Ryker looks at Ark with piercing eyes. But before he manages to say something, a black bolt of lightning appears before them.
The Black Devil stops about 100 meters away from them and says,
"It seems it's your doing, this barrier, isn't it?"
"The 'High One' said to avoid you, but since that is not possible anymore, I want to see how powerful you really are."
But Almog and Claw go to him first, without missing a heartbeat. Almog reaches him first and swings his sword towards his middle, planning to cut him in two. And Claw buffs him from behind, with more power and speed, and he takes a bow out from his space ring and starts to shoot while he runs around them in a circle.
Almog's sword starts to make a sound like when a meteor enters the atmosphere because the sword's weight is becoming heavier and heavier. The stones from the center of the sword are raising and lowering the sword's weight at will. So if that strike, which weighs more than a mountain, hits the Devil's body, then he would be sent flying while his body would be made into a pancake. That's why the fight lasted until now—the Devil knows that if that sword hits, it's game over for him.
So he bends his body like rubber, in a really awkward way, and manages to slip under the sword while he sends his nails, like knives, towards his heart. But before he manages to strike him, an arrow appears just at the right time and forces him to change course, again losing the chance to kill the Demon.
The entire fight was like that—no one managing to best the other. The Devil is too fast for them to really hit him with a fatal wound, and the Devil doesn't manage to kill one of them because their teamwork is too good. And always someone is there to save the other one. The Devil is frustrated over his head. He would rather fight with Ark and lose, than to continue like this.
So he speeds away from them and says,
"Ark, I want to challenge you to a fight. I want to see if you're really that powerful. Do you dare to take my challenge?"
Ark looks at him and knows what he thinks. But the Devil doesn't have any idea with whom he is messing.
But Almog looks at Ark and says,
"Don't listen to him. He knows he doesn't have a chance against all of us. So he is trying to find a way to run."
Claw also says something:
"Mister Ark, don't let your pride take control of you. We need to kill him and avenge our families, our clansmen, our people, our city. He is NOT ALLOWED to escape."
Ark looks at both of them and sees the pain and guilt behind their eyes. He says:
"Don't worry, he won't be able to leave this place with his life."
Then he turns toward the Devil and asks,
"What is your name? And it seems you know a little bit more about the 'High One' than Ariach."
The Devil looks at him with an angry look and asks,
"What happened with Ariach? Is she dead?"
Ark just looks at him and smiles. Then he turns his body a little bit to one side and puts one hand behind his back and one hand in front of him, and says with his fingers, 'Come to me.'
The Devil starts to get even angrier than before. He starts to slowly walk towards Ark while saying something:
"I am Urrokon Vol'gan, The Black Lightning, Ruler of Speed."
"Don't blink, because then you will miss your own death."
But before he manages to do something, his two old friends appear next to him, one on his right, one on his left.
Claw tries on his right to trap him in a barrier, prepared while Urrokon was talking with Ark.
And Almog to his left tries to cut him in two pieces from his head down.
But Urrokon is already starting to disappear. They only trapped his afterimage. His speed rising to another level.
He appears in front of Ark, like he was always there.