Cucking The Demon King
Chapter 127: Surviving

Chapter 127: Surviving

But before the blow could land—

Thwip!

A soft sound split the air.

Then another.

And another.

Three streaks of light flashed past Emerald’s eyes, cutting through the dim battlefield like rays of hope.

The first arrow embedded itself in the shadow soldier’s head. The second and third followed immediately, striking the same target.

For a brief second, the creature paused.

Its form flickered.

And then—without warning—its entire body began to unravel. Like a thread being pulled from a cloth, the shadow soldier unraveled into wisps of smoke and vanished into nothing.

The other creature that had been holding her released its grip and pulled away, tendrils of shadow unraveling as it retreated.

Emerald hit the ground on one knee, gasping as her lungs filled with precious air again.

She raised her gaze.

Behind her, standing tall with her hands still stretched forward, was Elsa.

Light shimmered from her palms, faint trails of mana still glowing around her fingertips. Her face was flushed, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths—but her expression was resolute.

"I figured I might as well help," Elsa said quietly, her tone carrying a hint of defiance.

Emerald blinked.

And then she smirked.

"Nice timing," she muttered, snatching her sword from the ground and standing back up.

The remaining shadow soldiers paused, their formless faces turning toward Elsa.

Elsa’s eyes narrowed.

She raised her hands again, light arrows already beginning to form at her fingertips.

From behind her, Lela and Grace watched in awe—shocked not only by Elsa’s attack but also by the fact that it worked.

"They can be hurt..." Cynthia murmured.

Elsa gave a short nod. "Yeah, they have a ’core’ in their heads, while the rest of their bodies are just shadow. As long as you hit the core, you can kill them easily."

Emerald’s eyes narrowed at the place where the shadow soldier previously stood, and a strange glint flashed through her eyes.

’As expected, they are weak to light.’ She thought.

The reason he attacks didn’t work was because she was using only mana.

Light and Darkness were known to never mix, and both acted as weakness to one another.

However, something felt off about how the shadow creature died. It was easy, too easy.

Based on what she felt from the strength, there was no way it would die just like that.

Emerald exhaled sharply. "They’re weak to light. I’ll hold them down, while the rest of you strike their cores."

"And note... be careful, there’s something off about this." She said.

Cynthia and Lela nodded, while Elsa simply scoffed.

"There’s nothing to worry about, all we have to do is snipe their heads." Elsa said, summoning three light swords around her.

She faced the remaining soldiers, her face squeezing into a frown.

’I was pathetic then, but not anymore. Imagine Liam was here, and he sees you like that...’ She thought, gnashing her teeth.

There were four shadow soldiers left.

And now, they knew how to fight them.

"Stick close," Emerald ordered, glancing back. "Elsa, you cover me. If any of them try to flank me, take the shot."

Elsa nodded immediately.

Emerald charged forward once more, adrenaline numbing the pain in her limbs.

Though she still had her suspicious about everything, she was determined to at least protect the girls, while trying to locate the artifact binding her.

One of the shadow soldiers darted toward her, a spear-like limb forming from its smoky body. It lunged with precision, but Emerald was already mid-dodge, pivoting on her heel and swinging upward.

The slash missed—again—but she didn’t stop.

The moment the creature realigned, a light arrow flew past her and pierced through its chest.

This time, it dissolved instantly, just like the other one.

Three left.

Emerald allowed herself a small breath.

’Remain focused.’ She reminded herself, her eyes narrowing.

The remaining shadow soldiers didn’t falter. If anything, they moved faster, more aggressively, as if enraged by the deaths of their companions.

Two of them attacked from opposite sides, while the third looped around toward Elsa.

Emerald moved to intercept—deflecting one blow and narrowly dodging another. She lashed out, pushing one of the creatures away with a wave of mana.

But the third shadow soldier was already closing in on Elsa.

Elsa raised her hands, but her body stiffened.

The strain from earlier had caught up to her.

She couldn’t move fast enough.

The shadow soldier’s claw formed into a long blade, aiming straight for her head.

"Elsa!" Cynthia screamed.

But before the blade landed, Lela dashed forward.

Mana surged into her legs, and in a blink, she was between Elsa and the shadow creature.

A streak of light burst from her foot, slamming into the ground.

She spun, delivering a powerful kick to the creature’s midsection. Though the attack didn’t do much damage, it staggered the creature enough to throw off its aim.

Elsa took the chance, raised her hands, and fired an arrow directly into the shadow soldier’s core.

Another explosion of light.

The shadow creature disappeared, its form unraveling into nothing.

Only two remained now.

Emerald faced them, sword ready. Her eyes burned with a mixture of fury and resolve.

"You’ve lost your numbers," she said under her breath. "And now you’re next."

The two remaining shadow soldiers hesitated.

And for the first time, they didn’t charge.

They hovered mid-air, watching her.

Behind them, the shadowy man finally stepped forward again.

The amusement never left his face.

But now, there was something else in his eyes.

Interest.

"Impressive," he said with a low hum. "Truly impressive."

Emerald ignored him.

There was no telling what he would do next—but for now, the playing field was more even.

She was still in pain. Her veins still throbbed with every movement, and her vision swam at the edges from the mana overuse.

But she wasn’t going down.

Not yet.

Not when the others were counting on her.

Not when they had finally found a way to fight back.

And not when that bastard was still standing there like he owned the world.

The battlefield settled into a tense silence.

Then suddenly, the shadowy man burst into laughter.

It wasn’t a soft chuckle or a sarcastic scoff—it was a full, deranged laugh. His shoulders shook, and his head tilted back as he clapped his hands like a madman witnessing a grand performance.

"Oh, this is fun," he howled. "I haven’t enjoyed myself like this in a long time!"

The girls didn’t respond. Emerald narrowed her eyes, her grip tightening on her sword, while the others watched him warily.

Then his laughter stopped.

He lowered his hands, his wide grin still painted across his face.

"But let’s not kid ourselves," he said smoothly, brushing invisible dust off his robe. "There was never a way for you to win this."

His voice dropped a note, calm but laced with deadly arrogance. "I’ve been playing with you all this time."

Emerald’s brow furrowed.

She didn’t respond.

No witty remark.

No taunt.

Just quiet fury building in her chest.

Elsa, standing behind her, didn’t share the same silence. Her eyes narrowed, and mana flared in her palms. Five glowing swords of light formed above her, each humming with radiant energy.

Without hesitation, she launched them toward the shadowy man.

The blades sailed across the air with deadly precision.

But the two remaining shadow soldiers blurred into motion, intercepting the glowing swords mid-air. Each sword was deflected or shattered with ease, sparks of light bursting like fireworks in the dark sky.

Elsa hissed through clenched teeth.

"Tch..."

She conjured ten more swords this time, doubling the force. They hovered in the air for a brief second—then fired off like comets.

Again, the shadow soldiers moved like smoke in a storm. Their limbs stretched and morphed, shielding the man with uncanny precision. Not a single blade reached him.

The shadowy man chuckled, hands folded neatly behind his back.

"Oh? Did you really think you had me on the ropes?"

His voice was almost childlike in amusement.

"I’ve been toying with you. All of this? It’s fun. That’s all it is to me."

He took a slow step forward.

"And the more you struggle," he said with a soft grin, "the more interesting it gets."

His gaze shifted to Emerald now, his tone becoming mocking.

"Tell me, little knight," he said, voice coated in false concern. "Have you figured it out yet? Have you found a way to get your precious blessing back?"

Emerald raised her sword again, the veins on her neck pulsing faintly with mana.

"No," she said simply.

The man’s smirk widened.

She took a step forward.

"But it doesn’t matter."

Her voice was firm. Steady.

"I’ll crush you either way."

That wiped the grin from his face.

Only for a second.

Then his eyes gleamed, and that smile curled back onto his lips.

"Oh?" he said with a tilt of his head. "That’s the spirit."

Emerald didn’t respond.

Because this wasn’t about proving anything to him.

It was about surviving.

And protecting the ones behind her.

No matter what it took.