Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 126: The end?

Chapter 126: The end?

Without hesitation, Emerald lunged to meet them.

Her blade flashed with white mana, trailing arcs of light through the air as she struck at the approaching figures. The formless shadow soldiers were relentless, moving like ink in water—slippery, fast, and nearly untouchable.

With three heretics already dead, only two remained.

But the shadow soldiers... they were still the real threat.

One of them lashed out with a clawed arm, and Emerald deflected it with the flat of her sword, twisting to the side and countering with a downward slash.

The blade passed through the creature’s neck.

It split in two—only to re-form an instant later, hissing silently as it retaliated with another swipe.

Emerald spun back, narrowly avoiding the hit, her boots scraping across the stone floor.

Just then—

A flicker of movement behind her.

She turned her head—and her heart skipped.

One of the remaining heretics had broken away from the fight.

He was crouched low, shadow energy pooling around his feet, sneaking toward the three girls huddled behind the ruined pillar.

Cynthia saw him and opened her mouth to shout—but the heretic was already raising his weapon, black energy coating its jagged edge.

Emerald didn’t think.

She raised her blade with both hands, forced a surge of mana into it, and slashed through the air.

A brilliant wave of white energy erupted from the weapon, roaring across the field like a storm.

It struck the heretic in the chest.

The blow cleaved through his entire torso—splitting him clean in half.

Blood and shadow energy burst from the corpse as the two halves dropped to the ground with wet thuds.

The girls gasped.

But before Emerald could turn fully back around, the shadow soldier she’d been clashing with struck.

A tendril of shadow shot from its chest, piercing the air like a spear and slamming into her ribs.

"Ghk—!"

She was hurled backward, skidding across the floor in a messy tumble. Her back slammed against a low stone outcrop, the impact rattling her bones.

Pain exploded through her side. Her breath caught in her throat.

She clutched at her ribs, eyes squeezing shut for a moment.

But there was no time to rest.

No time to breathe.

Two more shadow soldiers were already rushing at her, their bodies rippling with unstable dark energy. One twisted its arms into curved blades, while the other flattened itself into a shadowy disc, gliding low across the floor like a snake.

Emerald pushed herself up, sword trembling in her hand.

Her chest heaved. Her side throbbed. Her arms ached.

But she still stood.

’I can’t fall... I can’t... not yet...’

The two shadows struck.

She leapt backward, barely avoiding the first swipe. Her blade met the second one mid-spin, redirecting its path and sending a spark of light through the air.

But even as she fought, her eyes flicked toward the last heretic.

He hadn’t moved.

He stood there—tense, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his face.

His hands trembled.

Emerald could see the panic in his eyes. The way he shifted his weight from foot to foot. The way he looked around—like he was debating whether to attack or run.

His companions were dead.

Four of them, cut down in minutes.

By one girl with a glowing sword and raw, unfiltered mana flowing through her veins.

He didn’t want to end up like them.

He took one cautious step back.

Then another.

He raised his hands slowly, mouth parting.

"I-I didn’t sign up for this—"

BOOM!

His head suddenly exploded, blood splattering in every direction.

The spray of blood coated the walls and floor, and the pungent smell of blood soon filled the room.

A sharp chunk of bone whizzed past Emerald’s face and embedded itself into the stone nearby.

The remaining shadow soldiers froze for a second, as if reacting to a command.

Lela and Cynthia screamed, her eyes widening in shock.

Elsa simply started on, her face frozen in horror.

Never in their lives had they seen something, having been limited to the four walls of the academy.

Even Emerald’s eyes widened.

She looked past the crumpled, headless body... and saw the man in shadows lowering his raised hand.

The same one he’d used to snap his fingers earlier.

Smoke still curled from his fingertips.

He hadn’t used a weapon.

He hadn’t used a spell.

Just a thought. A flick.

And the heretic had died.

Blood continued to drip from the ruined corpse. Its legs twitched once... then went still.

The man spoke again, voice cold and matter-of-fact.

"Those who falter do not deserve to live."

Emerald’s breath caught in her throat.

He hadn’t hesitated. Not even for a second.

The heretic had been one of his own—part of this ambush, this twisted group trying to capture or kill them.

And he’d ended him without blinking.

The silence that followed was deafening.

Cynthia looked like she was about to be sick. Cynthia was shaking all over. Even Elsa’s normally composed expression had cracked, horror creeping across her features.

They had assumed these people were allies—twisted and cruel, sure—but united in purpose.

But this...

This was something else.

Emerald’s hand gripped the hilt of her sword tighter.

The pain in her side flared, but she ignored it.

Her gaze locked on the shadowy figure.

And for the first time, a chill ran down her spine.

This wasn’t just about capturing them.

This man didn’t care about loyalty or plans or even casualties.

He just wanted results.

Even if it meant killing his own.

And Emerald... she had a feeling he wouldn’t stop until every one of them was either broken—

—or dead.

’As expected of a disgusting heretic, they have no value for life.’ She thought, clicking her tongue.

Emerald wiped the blood trickling from her lips with the back of her hand, eyes locked on the shadowy man.

"You’re disgusting," she spat, forcing herself back up despite the stinging pain across her side.

The man didn’t react with anger or offense. Instead, he chuckled, as if she’d complimented him.

"There’s a way things must be done," he said casually, like he was reciting a mundane fact. "Even if they’re disgusting."

Emerald narrowed her eyes. That made no sense. But what could she expect from someone who’d just exploded his own comrade’s head?

She didn’t bother replying.

There was no point wasting words on him.

With a snap of his fingers, the battlefield stirred again.

The shadow soldiers lunged forward like hounds set loose, their wispy forms twisting midair as they surged toward her with silent intensity.

Their figures shimmered faintly under the dim light, shadows coiling like smoke given form.

Emerald raised her blade, heart hammering.

Her arms trembled slightly from fatigue, but she refused to give in. Her body was running on grit and sheer stubbornness now, the flow of mana through her veins making her entire being feel like a strained wire on the verge of snapping.

The first shadow soldier reached her, claws forming from its smoky limbs as it slashed down.

She sidestepped and retaliated with a swift upward arc of her glowing sword—but once again, the attack simply passed through the creature. No resistance. No impact. Like cutting mist.

’Again...!’ she growled internally.

Another soldier flanked her from the right, swinging a blade formed of writhing black tendrils.

She ducked under the strike, rolled forward, and slashed at its waist—only for the same result.

Her blade passed through.

’What are these things?!’ she thought, panting.

The shadows moved like ghosts, relentless and impossible to pin down. Her sword, despite glowing with mana, had no effect on them.

She danced between them, blocking the few physical heretic attacks that came close, while desperately trying to keep the shadow creatures from reaching the girls behind her.

She struck again and again. Her movements were fast, graceful even, but it was all in vain. No matter how precise her swings were, the shadow beings were unfazed.

Then one of them managed to get behind her.

She spun around, reacting instantly, but not fast enough. The shadow soldier released a black wave of mana from its palm—a blast of pressurized darkness energy.

It slammed into her side, sending her skidding backward across the rough ground, her boots dragging long lines in the dirt.

Her shoulder cracked against a rock, and she coughed, breath escaping her lungs in a sharp gasp.

She tried to get up immediately—but before she could fully steady herself, two of the shadow soldiers closed in.

One darted toward her and swung a heavy, jagged claw made of solid shadow. Emerald brought her sword up to block, only for another to come from her flank.

The second shadow soldier moved like a blur, weaving around her defense and grabbing her from behind.

Its smoky limbs wrapped around her arms, pinning them down as its companion raised its claw for the finishing blow.

Her eyes widened in alarm.

’Damn it!’

She struggled, thrashing against the formless limbs binding her—but the pressure increased. Her sword dropped from her hand, clattering uselessly to the ground.

The claws came closer, the air around her vibrating with the concentrated dark mana of the incoming strike.

She clenched her teeth, refusing to look away.

If this was the end, she’d face it head-on.