[B3]Chapter 188: Fighting the Impossible

"Ah, he's fast," Theo muttered through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed as he struggled to keep pace with the shadowy figure’s lightning movements.

Not far away, Linwe glanced at the scene, a sneer twisting his lips. "Did you really think I’d leave the key element of this ritual unguarded? How foolish," he chuckled, arrogance dripping from every word. His gaze lingered on Theo’s efforts, amusement flickering in his cold eyes.

Theo had anticipated something like this. Linwe would never leave such a critical part of his plan unprotected. That was why Theo hadn’t hesitated when he beheaded the first ten white-robed figures.

His goal was simple: enter the massive gray dome, break the formation, and execute his plan. But before eliminating the white-robed figures, he had attempted to teleport directly inside. It didn’t work.

The dome’s defenses were too strong. Even his magic nullification ability couldn’t breach it, as it was reinforced by both physical structures and a magical barrier.

Then, he noticed the towering pillars---massive structures connected by thick wires that reached high into the sky. Their presence hadn’t been there before he and Liliana had entered the Deathwhisper Realm.

He thought of attacking the pillars directly to bring them down, but after a quick assessment, he realized they were made of a material too strong to break with his bare hands, or even his blades.

The height of the pillars, their sheer size, struck him as suspicious. Strangely, the number of feet they stretched into the air seemed to match the number of people encircling them.

A formation, or perhaps an artifact, was controlling the dome and barrier, but Theo couldn’t be certain what kind of sorcery was at play.

To test his theory, he had gone straight for the white-robed figures, beheading as many as possible in one swift strike.

To his surprise, the towering pillars shrank by nearly ten feet with all the kill, and the glow of the barrier noticeably dimmed.

His hunch was correct---these people were connected to the dome’s strength. But just as he was about to eliminate more, a new threat had emerged.

Now, standing before him, a figure cloaked in shadows towered at seven feet. Horns curved sharply from its head, and the dark aura surrounding it seemed to ripple, almost alive, as if the shadows themselves were drawn to the creature.

The creature’s presence was suffocating, the seven glowing rings adorning its right wrist pulsed with dark energy. Its intense yellow eyes locked onto Theo’s, cold and sharp, like daggers poised to pierce his very soul.

This wasn’t just any demon---it had the power of a Monarch-rank warrior, faster than anything Theo had ever faced.

Theo yanked the dagger from his hand, tossing it aside with a grimace. His rank was only forty, far below this demon's towering strength.

While he knew he could hold his own against a sixty-rank opponent, facing a seventy-rank warrior was beyond reason. But he had no choice. He couldn't back down now.

Before he could catch his breath, the shadow moved again, vanishing from sight. Theo's heart raced as he tried to track the blur that was now behind him.

Just as the demon's dagger slashed toward his back, Theo twisted, his sword meeting the blow.

Clank!

Sparks flew as metal collided, the impact jarring Theo’s bones.

The demon’s relentless assault came with unmatched speed. In mere seconds, Theo's sword clashed with the demon's blade dozens of times, each hit sending painful vibrations up his arms. Every parry felt like a hammer blow, the sheer force pushing him farther back with every strike.

Seeing Theo still standing, resisting, and not falling as expected, the demon’s eyes narrowed with frustration. It gritted its teeth, fury igniting in its cold, yellow eyes.

"You’re more stubborn than I thought," the demon snarled.

Dark energy began to coil around its dagger, crackling as the blade became a blur of shadow.

The demon moved again, vanishing into the shadows before reappearing right in front of Theo with lightning speed.

Clank!

Their blades met, but this time something changed. Tiny, glass-like blades materialized out of thin air, slicing into Theo from all directions. The shimmering shards were too many, too fast---he barely had time to register their appearance before they were cutting through his skin.

Theo’s eyes widened in surprise, pain searing through his body. He could feel the sharp edges tearing into him, blood dripping from fresh wounds.

I have to get away...

Desperate to create distance, Theo teleported a short distance away. Reappearing just out of the demon’s reach, he panted, sweat dripping down his face.

His hand moved into the spatial space, pulling out a healing potion and downing it through his throat. But as the liquid coursed through him, dread filled his chest.

Nothing happened.

His wounds remained, the searing agony running unrelentingly through him. His eyes flickered with confusion.

Why isn’t it working?

He looked back at the demon, whose lips curled into a wicked grin. “Did you really think a simple potion could heal what my blades leave behind?”

Theo's heart sank as he realized the truth. Whatever poison coated the demon’s blades was preventing him from healing, trapping him in this agonizing state.

Theo’s gaze flickered toward the dome where Liliana was trapped, and that brief glance was all it took for him to ignore the searing pain ripping through his body.

With renewed resolve, he dashed toward the demon again, his mind focused on one thing---breaking the barrier and freeing her.

Just as their blades were about to meet, Theo’s figure vanished. His dual swords blurred through the air, and before the Demon could notice, twelve more heads rolled to the ground.

The Demon reacted immediately, its speed almost incomprehensible as it moved to intercept Theo.

As Theo swung at his next target, the demon appeared in front of him, their blades meeting with overwhelming force once more.

Clank!

But, something unexpected happened. As their blades clashed, the demon’s dagger seemed to phase through Theo’s sword, disappearing for a split second before reappearing---plunging deep into Theo’s chest.

Theo gasped, his breath stolen by the sharp pain as blood spilled from his lips. He stared at the dagger lodged in his chest, just inches from his heart, disbelief flickering in his wide eyes.

The demon twisted the blade, a cruel smile curling its lips. “You never had a chance,” it hissed.

Theo’s knees buckled, his body trembling as the pain surged through him. His vision blurred, and for a moment, it felt like the ground beneath him was slipping away.

His hands shook violently, and the sword in his grip felt impossibly heavy, like it might slip from his grasp at any moment. Every breath was a battle, every second felt like the weight of the world was crashing down on him. He was on the brink of losing consciousness, his legs quivering as if they would give out at any second.

But even as darkness threatened to take him, Theo refused to fall.

Summoning the last fragments of his strength, he gritted his teeth and vanished, reappearing twenty meters away near the remaining white-robed figures.

His chest burned with unbearable pain, reminding him of the dagger still lodged deep within him. His breath came in shallow, ragged gasps, but he pushed through the agony. His vision flickered, but his swords still flashed.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Three more heads hit the ground.

The towering pillar shrank further, now down to just eleven feet, and the dome’s protective glow dimmed significantly. The once impenetrable barrier had turned translucent, with only a faint grayish hue remaining.

“Persistent insect!” the Monarch demon snarled, fury blazing in its yellow eyes.

With a snarl of rage, the demon conjured a storm of daggers, thousands of them materializing in the air before shooting toward Theo with terrifying speed.

Theo, his body moving almost mechanically, swung his sword as if it were instinct alone that guided him.

Thud!

His blade severed the fourth robed figure’s head, but the effort was hollow. He had no strength left to react as the storm of blades engulfed him.

The daggers pierced his flesh, embedding themselves like needles into cloth. Even his Magic Nullification couldn’t protect him from the physical attack, which was purely made of sharp-lethal daggers.

Theo’s body jolted as the pain surged through him all at once, blood spraying across the ground. His arms faltered, and his legs staggered under the overwhelming weight of the assault.

His vision darkened, the edges of his world turning to shadow. Blood poured from countless wounds, his body screaming in agony, every nerve aflame as he swayed, on the verge of collapse.

Yet, before he could fall, the Monarch Demon caught him mid-air, grabbing him by the hair and lifting him effortlessly.

A venomous smile appeared on the demon’s black face. "All this struggle, just to stop the ritual by destroying the dome? How fitting... you’ll become part of the sacrifice instead." With an ominous laugh, the Monarch Demon hurled Theo through the air.

Theo crashed into the dome’s barrier, which flickered before allowing him to pass through. His body tumbled across the ground inside like a rag doll.