Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest
Chapter 431: The Marvellous God Slayers Assemble

Chapter 431: The Marvellous God Slayers Assemble

Achilles watched as the dust-laden sky shifted from grey to blinding. The light seared his eyes, and divine mana crackled like a physical blow to his ears. He lowered his face, shielding his eyes. But the heat pounded at his throat with each breath he took, agonising pangs throbbed in his lungs as the scent of evaporating tiles, wood, and thatch suffocated him.

Cataclysms capable of rewriting realms—that was why mortals never defeated gods.

But his side wasn’t unprepared either. They just needed a few more minutes to prove it—to their citizens, to the realms: mortals were not the slaves of artificial fates shaped by gods. They could live their own lives, make their own choices, and ultimately, rise above them.

But the spheres of divine mana and the divine breath swelling in Bahamut’s throat... They had no chance to resist the blast. Someone, anyone, had to stop him before he shot. But who could? Not him, that was certain. Bahamut was too high, where frost chilled matter and oxygen became sparse enough to be as good as absent.

RUMBLE

As his knuckles whitened around his dark spear, the ground shifted a few steps in front of him. Bloating while turning orange, it dripped melted stones as a groan thundered.

"You bunch of mad fools forgot we were on the plaza with your beams and blasts? I swear on my name—on the lord’s name—I want to beat some sense into your brains, then lock you up for a year in my court’s dungeon!"

Another voice followed the first, more guttural, draconic. "Just say the word and I’ll cuff these lunatics."

The silhouette of a bulky demon gripping another by the collar and carrying two crying kids under his arm appeared through the dust as his voice cracked. "We should have let your broken body rot underground. My children!" Pure rage scalded his dry throat. "They almost died because you forgot to evacuate us. Answer, Garduck, what went through your mad minds when you planned this attack?"

"Is it my fault if you lingered to watch?" Garduck slapped Bart’s hands away, his eyes narrowing. "The portal is right there. You had more than enough time to evacuate yourselves, fools."

Ifrit, who had spoken first, scratched his head. "I’m afraid the defendant’s argument is rock solid."

Maven glanced sideways. "I guess I could have flown you away..."

"Catoblepas shit!" Bart’s fists trembled. But before the unholy insults clawing at his throat could burst out, Achilles rushed at them.

In the blink of an eye, he snatched Noah and Mariah from under Bart’s arm, startling the demon. "I’ll drop them on the other side of the portal. Enough of your senseless arguing! Don’t you see the annihilating lights above?"

"Now that you mention it, the sky does indeed look brighter." Ifrit glared at the giant spheres, his lips curving like a knife. "Is he trying to blind me by any chance?"

Achilles’ eyes widened beneath the palm that shielded them. Even now, he could barely raise his gaze at the demons’ torsos. Yet, they seemed unaffected.

Could they? The thought faded as soon as it appeared in his mind. Bart had been stuck as an oni for over a decade now. He was the weakest, but to make matters worse, he and Ifrit had been looking for Maven for the past year. Their equipment was obsolete—their chances of delaying Bahamut, nonexistent.

He turned toward Garduck, a sliver of hope preventing him from biting his lip. "Try to stop Bahamut." Without waiting for the answer, he charged at the portal, vanishing from the trio’s vision in a heartbeat.

Ifrit immediately frowned. "I don’t like how he gazed at us." Fire crackled on his skin, his size increasing to match Maven’s. He grabbed Bart, who gasped in shock, in his giant palm, his ember eyes blazing. "I don’t need a new hair color or the toothpick he calls a spear to feel strong."

He mounted on Maven’s back, who shuddered in disbelief, his arm raised toward Bahamut. "Go, my dear captain of the guards. We’ll kill Bahamut ourselves!"

"I didn’t become a dragon to serve as a mount!" Maven gritted his teeth as his wings unfurled. They blasted dust against the shattered ground with each flap, his voice growing somber. "Hop up, Garduck. This is the first and last time."

"I don’t need to." Garduck pushed a button on his pauldron. With a click, a complex mechanism came to life. Timber bars shifted on his back, forming the frames of two wings before brown feathers erupted from miniaturised compartments. Rustling, they covered the structure, reviving an ancient artifact of doom and dreams.

"Adam gave me Icarus’ wings. Of course, we changed that fool’s wax, but that doesn’t matter right now." He smirked at Maven. "Let’s up the ante. The first to reach Bahamut wins. Or will you cower behind excuses like you’re not used to your draconic body?"

Ifrit’s legs tightened around Maven’s sides, while the dragon himself glared at Garduck. "You’ve become too full of yourself in my absence. A race? Very well. Let me show you the difference between an artifact and my ancestor’s wing!"

"Humph. We’ll kill Bahamut before you even make it halfway." Ifrit snorted as the ground faded beneath his feet and the wind whipped his fiery hair back.

Brightness was all they could see alongside its source—Bahamut. But reaching the colossal dragon proved a challenge of its own. Waves of frosty air battered their bodies, frost spreading on Maven’s bronze scales, crawling beneath his skin, numbing his limbs.

Jaw clenched, he pushed forward. Yet, Garduck overtook him with a playful wink.

"Not under my watch!" Ifrit slammed his palm on Maven’s back, fire spreading from the point of contact into a blazing barrier that deflected the chilly winds. "The three marvellous god slayers won’t lose to anyone, not even you, Garduck!"

Fiery jets ignited at the bony edges of Maven’s wings, launching him forward at blistering speed.

But Bart was anything but impressed. Instead, he clenched his jaw inside Ifrit’s palm. "What in the demon realm are you doing? I’m too weak and the three marvellous god slayers were a joke!"

"We’ll make it an undeniable truth, then." Ifrit’s voice echoed like judgment, his giant incarnation blazing brighter than ever. "We don’t fight alone. We protect each other. And we’ll reach the end together."

Maven nodded as Ifrit repeated Adam’s motto. "Together."

"You guys..." Bart’s throat choked his voice before his eyes widened. They had no time for emotions, speaking, or thinking. "Above!"

Bahamut moved his arms and leaned back, pillars of scalding lights bursting through his teeth. Annihilation surged toward them... and they were still out of range.