Demon Lord's Reincarnation

"Enough about that, this time I'll be going all out, be sure to keep up with this lady!" Tsukiko's eight tales burned with an even brighter shade of blue as she roared happily at her opponent. Nyarlom who was in a dumbfounded state was shaken awake by the charging Tsukiko. 

It only took Tsukiko two steps to bridge the gap between her and Nyarlom. Her fingernails became sharp claws which she used to attack and swiped towards Nyarlom's face. Nyarlom evaded the continuous attacks and found the new way Tsukiko fought, quite strange. A moment ago she was fighting with tricks and lies but now she shifted her style into a more direct approach.

While Nyarlom was distracted by his own thoughts Tsukiko's eight tails started burning brighter than before. The blue flames grew larger making her eight tails look longer. From Tsukiko's foxtails, eight orbs made out of the blue flames floated above her head. 

The blue flames darted towards Nyarlom who evaded each and every one. In Nyarlom's mind, these things weren't that much of a threat even if he were hit it should be alright. The blue flames danced alongside Nyarlom and Tsukiko.

One of the blue flames had grazed Nyarlom and as he expected the blue flame didn't do much. At first, Nyarlom continued to dodge Tsukiko's attacks without any worry but after a while, he noticed that the blue flame which had hit his left arm started burning even hotter than before. The blue flame was spreading towards his body. 

The more it was able to spread the hotter it became. Nyarlom quickly pulled off his left hand and tossed it at Tsukiko. After pulling his arm off it once again regrew as if nothing had happened. Knowing what the blue flame was capable of, Nyarlom no longer took things at a leisurely pace. 

Nyarlom stopped dodging and allowed Tsukiko to strike him with her claws. Tsukiko's right hand sunk into Nyarlom's chest. Since Nyarlom was using a humanoid shape Tsukiko assumed that was where his heart was, but the moment her hand pierced through she knew it wasn't there at all. 

"You don't have a heart?" Tsukiko spoke as she tried pulling her hand out of Nyarlom's chest. Yet no matter how hard she tried her hand wouldn't budge. 

"That's a very bad assumption to make my lady. I do have a heart but it's hidden for only a special someone to find." Nyarlom's wound started to close and suck in Tsukiko. 

"So you haven't fallen for my seductive charm." Even though she was in a dire situation Tsukiko still found time to make a joke as she tried pulling on her hand even harder, she even started to use different spells using her right hand but it was to no avail. Being this close to one another Tsukiko also couldn't use her blue flames since if she did she would also get burnt by them. 

"Sorry my lady, but you're just not my type. How about let's just be friends that have a physical relationship." Nyarlom answered with a snicker. 

"Sorry but I'm not that cheap of a person!" Tsukiko used her free claw to slice through Nyarlom's neck. To her surprise, Nyarlom's neck was easily cut clean. The decapitated head of Nyarlom hit the ground. 

When the people saw what happened they all started to cheer in victory. They were happy that the evil demon was finally killed. With this, they should be free. Yet their moment of happiness was only short-lived as the people noticed that the black dome was still in place. 

Tsukiko on the other hand, frowned as her hand was still stuck on Nyarlom's chest. Not only that the absorption was getting faster. She no longer had a choice, Tsukiko cut off her own arm. She then took some distance from Nyarlom's body while stopping herself from bleeding. 

"Now that's not a nice thing to do my lady." Tsukiko looked at the headless body of Nyarlom as she heard his voice. The head that was detached suddenly emitted a black aura that connected to the neck of Nyarlom's body. The head then floated towards the body and once again reattached itself to the neck. 

'So his head doesn't regrow but needs to be reattached. Still, a primordial demon in his original body is quite the monster. A heart that cannot be spotted, a body that can regrow limbs, and a head that can function despite being decapitated. If he were in spirit form I would have a lot of ways to deal with him, but in his original body as I expected I'm no match.' Tsukiko then looked at her right hand that was being absorbed into Nyarlom's body. 

'Tsk, since I'm so far away from the tree of life, I can't use its regenerative power to regrow my hand. As I expected fighting a primordial demon was not something I can do in my current state... Kretos, where are you?...' 

Tsukiko no longer attacked as she wanted to switch into a more defensive style. She had lost too much mana and her right hand was now gone making it harder to fight in close quarters. Tsukiko tried to use her elemental clones to confuse Nyarlom to give her some time. Yet the moment she activated her spell Nyarlom yawned. 

"Using the same trick?" The elemental clones were engulfed into the darkness of Nyarlom's aura. "So is that all you have to offer my lady?" 

"That's not it at all." 

"Then will you allow this unworthy Nyarlom to witness more of your skills?" 

"Hmph, a lady needs to have a few secrets. Asking to see everything I have on a first date how crass of you." 

"I see... Very well my lady, allow me to see you out." Nyarlom emitted a heavy level of malice and gathered it into his palm creating a sword of pure malice. Nyarlom decided that there was no more fun to be had with this protector of the tree, so it was better to finish her off now. 

As Nyarlom was approaching Tsukiko, the people who were watching were once again plunged into the depths of despair. The savior that came for them was about to be killed, they were given hope for a brief moment only to be pulled down by the hands of despair. 

Nyarlom felt the enticing malice the people in the arena were once again producing and was elated. 'I guess playing around with this little fox was not a waste of time at all.' 

...

Tsukiko looked at the approaching Nyarlom and sighed. Just looking at the blade of malice made Tsukiko understand that there was no evading or defending against the next strike. 

'I guess we won't be able to see each other again... I really wanted to see you, to touch you, to have those lazy afternoons napping beside you... Kretos... I hope if there's a next life, I'll be able to meet you again and when that time comes I want to fall in love with you all over again.'

As Tsukiko was about ready to die, Nyarlom stopped as he felt something strange. He didn't understand why but at this moment his entire existence was telling him to flee. 

Not only him but everyone in the stadium suddenly felt cold and started shivering as an intense fear had overwhelmed them. A raging unbearable bloodlust had enveloped the entire capital of the Serbek Kingdom. 

If that wasn't enough a sudden burst of mana flooded the place. The mana being emitted was so powerful, so overbearing it was as if it wanted to devour everyone. It was a suffocating feeling as if they were drowning, unable to breathe, unable to speak. 

This was a terrifying presence much more horrifying than Nyarlom. This powerful bloodlust and mana had overwritten everything, the despair, the anger, the sorrow, everything was blown away and what remained was pure fear. 

Nyarlom felt his power growing because of the extreme fear that the people were experiencing, but they weren't the only ones having that feeling, even he, a primordial who lives from the malice of others actually felt a tiny bit of fear within himself.

'What the heck is happening! Me, afraid? Me a primordial demon having an emotion such as fear?' Nyarlom couldn't understand what was happening to him, but there were people in the arena that knew. 

...

'This overwhelming presence.' Natasha looked above. 

'This suffocating bloodlust.' Afeus and Henrietta smiled as they felt relieved. This bloodlust might be fearful to others, but to them, it was the warmth of his protection. 

'So you have come.' Valdel felt relieved as he looked beyond the black dome. 

'...' Lara looked above as a torrent of emotions started assaulting her. She couldn't describe what she was feeling right now, relieved, happy, excited, it was a multitude of emotions. 

...

'It's been so long, so very long... You have finally arrived, and this time you weren't that late.' Tsukiko raised her head in the direction where the bloodlust and mana were coming from. She couldn't but smile as tears fell from her face. 

It was at that moment a blade made out of mana and something else entirely descended from above and sliced the black dome into two, destroying it completely.