Dungeon Diver: Stealing A Monster’s Power

Chapter 710

As green threads assimilate with my core and body, with these newfound stats increasing all of my being, the gravity pressing down around me lessens just slightly; and the process of healing speeds up faster than my deterioration.

–

Simultaneously, high up above in the Citadel, Ember reaps the benefits of my rewards as well.

We share levels, stats, and worlds.

The green glowing [1] on his palm, blocking the Demon's Ether-infused blade, ticks up to a [167], and his whole body erupts with an aura of mana control and strength far surpassing what it was moments prior.

All of the vibrating silver threads holding the body of this dragon together retract even further back closer to his core, and far less Ether is needed to conceal them from outsiders.

Ember laughs out loud, doing nothing more than pushing his palm forward, and a hand-shaped blast of white light pushes the Demon's curved blade back.

While the red-haired human slips out of the way, Myron's eyes widen as he's pushed back several dozen meters, only skidding to a halt when he uses his second curved Soul Sword to press back against the strange palm-shaped Ether attack.

It yells out and slices forward, cutting through the white hand with an X formation, making it explode and disperse; but in doing so, its attention elsewhere opens up its side for Ember to land a punch.

The automatic defensive features activate to block this blow, but the force is too great to absorb entirely.

Ripples of Ether flow through the Demon's Premium Grade Avatar with the Full Guard Upgrade package.

Over 90% of the Ether used in this attack is handled properly, spreading out the impact all over the Demon's body and dispersing the dangerous energy through its feet.

However, the attack was followed through with such precision, and so quickly, that some Ether slipped through the barriers, surpassing the limits a 1st Grade Demon's Premium Avatar commands.

Its side grows hot, with a pain that stings like fire, unlike any Ether attack its ever felt before.

Next, Tingling pain bursts through its left side deep into its avatar, and a demonic roar escapes the monster's toothy mouth while it's sent flying across the Dueling Room hopelessly, slamming against the back wall.

Backup protocols in its Full Guard Avatar activate, and a second shield of mental defenses is placed up once the first barrier is breached.

None of Ember's concentrated mental attacks reach the Demon's psyche, but that's not to say when it stands back on its feet and stares the puny human down across the room, it doesn't feel embarrassed; it knows the world and its Noble Citadel Lord are watching.

A furious roar and waves of demonic energy course out from the massive 100-meter-tall unsealed avatar as it activates its supreme-grade demonic energy manipulation and shadow step skills to disappear into thin air.

Ember grins, turning to his right as he senses the two demonic blades appear out of nowhere, sending Ether-infused demonic crescents his way.

–

The crowds that fill the tower erupt in roars of surprise, fear, and excitement all bundled together.

"That human... he just landed a hit on that Demon..."

"No way. Are there humans that are actually strong? I've never met one."

"Ha! I told you this would be good!"

"Quick, send out more transmissions. The fight isn't going to be over in less than a second like I thought!"

"See! I told you it was going to be good. I was here a few days ago when they first fought. This human is an odd one..."

"Just a lucky shot! He's dead in the next move, I'm calling it here."

"Wanna bet? I think this human's going to last at least a full round!"

Chatter fills the air, and tens of thousands of transmissions are sent out from the Volterra District, even reaching small human and goblin factions on the far edges of the Citadel.

Almost every Lord is aware of the news, and more and more fast-travel orbs fill the streets.

Other local shopping centers tap into the public transmission feed, and Red Ogre sales workers begin licensing out the fight visuals to play in their shops too; as a critical mass for the number of Lords in one place is nearing its limit outside the trading palace.

–

In the center of the Citadel, Andras, the only Noble Bloodline Demon around for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, curses at the holograms playing in front of his eyes.

From the moment it happened, he's been playing a small section of video on repeat, zoomed in.

It shows Ember's world token shift from 1 to 167 instantly.

"He has outside help... Who could have transferred him worlds of high enough caliber to make up the difference in strength? They must all be 1st Class to give the avatar that much of a boost all at once... Not even the Ogre Conglomeration has that many left..."

The Noble Demon looks away from his screens and begins pacing about with three sleeping dragons behind him in the penthouse suite.

–

As excitement grows for Ember's match, equally interested eyes watch a black-horned Demon's unsealed form clash with the greater energy form of a three-time ranked-up Blue Ogre.

The massive longsword and club of both monsters clash together, sending waves of hot Ether to collide against the walls of the room, making Leonard speak up.

"Impossible. We ran simulations of your max strength during your duel with the Citadel Lord... Where is this power coming from?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Torvak smirks, channeling large amounts of the newly refined Ether from his dormant stores that he hasn't tapped into since he was a Citadel Lord back in the day.

The Vermillion Family Head personally subjugated many of the citadels around the Grand Citadel and appointed strong leaders to each of them.

While losing hundreds of 1st Class worlds over the millennia has weakened the stat gains granted by his Avatar, his real power—his Ether—faded with time as it wasn't simulated or refined with high-grade elixirs.

The strength being shown today is a peek into the past, and even Andras Vermillion sees the readings in the holographic replays now, showing secretive techniques he has only ever seen the Family Head use.

Leonard is oblivious to this fact: that he is fighting an ancient Blue Ogre with fighting knowledge far surpassing anything he's ever seen before. To him, he is just a gang leader that their Citadel Lord stole worlds from every once in a while.

He activates his Divine Grade Body Double skill in response, making five copies of his Avatar with equal strength surround the Blue Ogre, yelling through all of them.

"No matter! You've pulled a few tricks of your own when you see your life is on the line. I will bring you to your knees and make you understand that the Vermillions are not to be messed with."

The main body of the demon releases its sword from the standstill they've been locked in and uses the body-swapping perk to rotate between all of the doubles now closing in on Torvak from all sides.

While this Blue Ogre can launch very powerful attacks and imbue his Soul Weapon with enough Ether to block this Demon's blade, it is still true that his Avatar is far weaker than a 1st Class unsealed Demon with over 20x more worlds in its possession.

However, Torvak's grin doesn't leave his face.

He whispers as all six blades get within a meter of piercing his vitals on all sides.

"That is a very nice technique. It might have worked on me 50,000 years ago..."

Then, static forms all over the Ogre's Avatar, and Torvak releases the full power of his Supreme Grade Lightning Summoning, infused with dense green threads of Divine energy. At the core of each arc of electricity are dense, compact mental attacks, each capable of melting this Demon's mind.

The whole Dueling Room erupts with electricity, and it keeps flowing out with no stop in sight.

The bright green arcs of light bounce off the walls, disintegrating the five doubles in milliseconds and causing the remaining real Avatar of the 1st Class Demon to yell out in agony.

Hundreds of miniature Ether barriers are formed all over its Full Guard Avatar, sending pulses of Ether into the ground to disperse.

The first few happen easily, and backup mental walls are formed all over the Demon's psyche, managing to keep out the electrically charged compact Ether attacks.

However, it doesn't stop.

A few turn into a few dozen, and that turns into hundreds.

In a matter of seconds, over a thousand highly concentrated lightning strikes collide with this Demon; and a single zap finally seeps through the backup mental barrier.

This turns its screams into mindless roaring agony, as one attack slipping through opens the floodgates for more.

–

The crowds of Lords outside don't stop growing, and words of this exciting second match fill the public discourse.

"That's the Leader of the Ogre Conglomeration, isn't it?"

"I didn't know he ever showed his face in this District..."

"I heard he used to be the Citadel Lord."

"Yeah, no wonder! Did these Demons really think they would've stood a chance...?"

"He's like a lightning god... That's a really rare affinity, isn't it?"

"So cool!!!"

"That's our boss! I knew he wouldn't lose to a mere 1st Class Demon!"

"Yeah! Their Noble Lord got way too cocky, to think the Ogre Conglomeration head would roll over and take it! Ha!"

Everyone begins rooting for the electrified Blue Ogre, and the fear of the Demons in this Citadel begins to waver as they feel maybe they've been manipulated into believing these creatures are stronger than they are.

–

These thoughts are even more heavily reinforced when the purple-horned Demon facing Ember changes its tone from arrogance to fear.

"W-What? What is happening? What did you just do?"

These words come out just after Ember easily dodges the two incoming demonic slashes cloaked in its shadow step, and the Demon feels a horrible burning sensation in its side, right where it was hit moments ago by Ember's fist.

Ember doesn't bother to answer, kicking off the wall and spinning to land a kick against the Demon's opposite side.

This kick sends the Demon flying backward again, with eyes full of fear and worry as it catches a glimpse of the nearly translucent flames flickering on Ember's hands and feet.

Then, as a resounding thud vibrates through the Demon's body when it hits the wall, it looks down at the two wounds on either side of its torso and sees these same barely visible clear flames burning into its body.

Plumes of Demonic Energy and Ether healing commands surge into the affected areas, but the Demon's heartbeat speeds up and its stomach twists, making it unable to speak.

The translucent flames aren't going out, and they're only spreading faster the more it tries to heal them.

Ember grins and yells while running toward the terrified Demon.

"What? You thought I didn't have a skill or two of my own? Demons sure are simple-minded creatures. How'd a group of amateurs like you ever take charge of a Citadel?"

The Demon attempts to dodge and block as Ember jumps upward, covered in translucent flames.

A loud twang echoes through the room as the red-haired human collides with the intersection of Myron's crossed blades.

Ember lets his supreme-grade fire summoning, melded with his soul energy and pure Ether, loose, spreading the corroding waves of fire over both of the soul weapons tight in the Demon's grasp.

They melt away, creating an open pathway for Ember to strike the Demon directly in the chest where its Divine Core and Demon Lord's Core lie.

Another shockwave of Ether-infused soul energy flames collides with the Full Guard defenses.

The Demon attempts to slash at Ember, but its blades are gone, down to their handles, and the Demon is frightened even more.

Its throat is shut with fear, and it tries to run away with its shadow step technique, but Ember follows, sending fists and kicks at the Demon to corrode more and more of its upgraded Avatar's special defenses.

–

Sometimes being the strongest isn't always a good thing for one's life progression.

Being given worlds, nurtured by unbeaten Demonic Lords, and trained to believe that there are no stronger races than the Demons does, in fact, breed self-confidence to the highest degree.

However, the result of this reality being shattered makes it seem as though a veil of lies is being lifted away from this Demon's eyes.

–

Its words finally muster out a weak, "A... human? Impossible. How are you this strong? You are our slaves—all of you—you're a means to the end goal... where we can make the Family Head proud... and one day... meet the Overseer... It was a lie..."

Ember's calm expression, with a slight grin, doesn't change at all as he beats this Demon senseless.

Its broken soul weapons fall to the ground of the dueling room, and patches of its Avatar melt away to become defenseless. This is more than enough open space for Ember to send pulses of his compact mental attacks inward.

With far more refined Ether than their first duel, sending multiple of these attacks per second does not take the same toll of mental and physical fatigue that it did before.

The Demon disgraces the Vermillion Family name by running from a battle, and its final wall of mental defenses is mercilessly attacked by Ember's onslaught.

The Full Guard Avatars are quite strong, gifted to Andras Vermillion by the Family Head over 10,000 years ago in case of emergencies. However, they are no match for the abuse being put on them now.

After over 300 highly targeted mental attacks, finally, one breaks through; and just like Torvak's lightning, this allows a clear path for Ember's next strike.

Myron's mind goes white, and Ember does not stop or slow his brutal onslaught for a second.

–

Both of the Dueling Rooms are lit up by two Demons' Avatars slowly being torn apart by fire and lightning.

The minds of the Demons within both, long gone, stare into a white abyss, unable to feel their bodies or know what they even are anymore.

Their limbs dissolve, and their soul weapons are melted away by flames and shattered to pieces by thousands of lightning strikes.

Nothing remains of the two Demons other than a faint green glow of their World Tokens, their cores in their chests that are being battered and on the verge of collapse, and the scrambled minds within their skulls.

–

However, at the peak of excitement rolling through all of the nearby districts, and the ear-piercing roars and cheers around the trading palace, an odd action takes place...

Both the Human and Ogre cease their attacks just seconds before killing their opponents.

The shattered and fried avatars fall to the dueling room floors, and the obliterated minds of both Demons see nothing but white.

The crowds watching all go silent, unable to understand why this duel was cut off right before the grand finale.

However, the Noble Demon Lord watching from the center of the Citadel grits its teeth in anger as it knows exactly why...