Chapter 997  Demon... what? 

"I don"t want to save you again," said the man with a sigh, provoking the demon to bark at him in rage. Nevertheless, he teased her once more, stating, "If I keep saving you, I might never finish the tower!"

The Xelorian Army was taken aback by the appearance of another enemy, one capable of destroying their arrays with ease. Even as they tried to reconstruct them, the black lightning shot from his hands and shattered the lights effortlessly.

Standing beside the demon, the man seemed at ease. He chattered with the woman, who resembled a monster without fear, and even teased her about saving her. The demon flared, but did not attack him. Instead, she treated the man as her comrade.

Sir Jonathan rose from the ground and threw away his shattered sword. His hair seemed disheveled, and his face looked unsightly. Veins popped on his forehead as he seethed with anger after being thrown away so easily.

"Who are you?" the knight asked, trying to rein in his wrath. The man paused his conversation with the demon and turned toward Sir Jonathan, looking at him with an unimpressed expression.

"And why would I give my name to sc.u.m?" inquired the man, looking down on the knight. This seemed to enrage the Silver Rose Knight, making him summon his petals, still stained with blood. Then, he began to laugh.

"I don"t need a dead man"s name, either," said Sir Jonathan as his petals gathered around his hand. "I will show you the true might of Silver Rose Jonathan!"

The silver petals exploded from his hand as he struck forward, sending a gale of wind toward the two. As they pa.s.sed over the ground, the petals left deep gashes. Like a hurricane, they rushed toward the two, who made no attempt to dodge.

"Everyone in this tower likes to talk big, it seems," said the man with golden eyes before raising his hand. Black lightning crackled atop it before it condensed into a sphere of black flames. "No matter how powerful your ability is, it is futile against me."

The black flame exploded from his hand, sending a shockwave across the forest. It carried unbridled and terrifying wrath, making the hearts of those present shake as they watched the man in black. The shockwave slammed into the silver petals, turning them into mist that scattered in the wind.

Sir Jonathan coughed blood as his petals were destroyed before falling to the ground. The arrays were still being reconstructed when the black flames reached them, destroying them into nothingness too.

The entire Xelorian army was brought to their knees by the wrath of a single man. Their eyes could not meet his as the fury held within them was too much to stand against. Countless screams of rage echoed in their ears as if doomsday was here.

"If you want to talk with confidence, then do it in the presence of someone else," said the embodiment of wrath toward Jonathan. His heart shivered as he heard the enraged voice, feeling like his own rage was insignificant.

It was at this moment that the Knight of Silver Rose realized that he was in danger. Although dying in the tower was temporary, it somehow felt like the end of the world to stand in this man"s presence. Not even the demon made him feel such a thing. ????????.???

"You must be… the rumored Demon King…" said Jonathan as he tried to raise his head and look at the man, but found himself unable to raise his eyes past his shoes. "It was rumored… that the red tower was built to awaken the future demon king."

Jonathan had heard rumors from oracles and priests but never believed them. A single man should not be favored in such a way. Even if such a place existed, the G.o.ds would not allow it. However, every instinct he had told him that this man could not be defeated.

"Demon… what?" muttered the man before bursting out laughing. Sir Jonathan was confused as sweat rolled down his face. The wrath died down on the battlefield as the man"s laughter echoed, like melodies announcing the end of war. "How can you be so delusional to believe such a thing?"

At long last, Jonathan found himself able to face the man laughing at his words. Although the man himself seemed amused by the prospect, the expression of the demon beside him was anything but that. In her face, the knight saw conviction and unknown determination.

"Retreat!" roared the knight, despite his men still fighting the dragon. The entire battlefield shook at his voice. The soldiers fighting the dragon at a distance seemed confused but began to retreat in formation. "I know death in this tower is nothing but a punishment, but if this life of mine has any value, let me offer it in return for letting my men go!"

"What brought such a change?" asked the man with confusion. "You killed one of your own earlier just to make my friend join your army. Now, you want to offer your life just to save your men?"

"A single death is incomparable to a hundred. I know that if I killed my soldier, it would not weaken Xeloria. However, if we fought the demon, half of us would die! A leader needs to make difficult choices!"

Sir Jonathan unstrapped his armor, letting it fall to the ground. Then, he bowed down while offering his head. His intentions were clear. He did not hesitate to offer his life for those of his men!

"I feel like the villain now," said the man as he turned toward the demon. "Is this the fight that you wanted to have?"

"Hardly," said the demon before turning toward the distance. "But it seems that something else would provide me with enough entertainment. Something gigantic is coming!"

"I can feel it too," said the man with a smile. "Another dragon is coming over, and it is thrice the size of the wounded one. If I had to guess, they are family. That means… none of us will be leaving this place without risking our lives!"

Jonathan could feel his heart shake as he raised his head toward the distance. Even after hearing their words, he could not sense the presence of the incoming dragon. However, the forest began to shake.

The mission was to eliminate the dragon"s offspring before it returned to the nest. However, it seems that the battle against the great dragon was over, and it sensed the danger threatening its child. If that was the case, everyone was going to perish!

"I don"t desire your life, Knight of Silver Rose," said the man as he turned toward the distance. His black and golden robes fluttered in the wind as he faced the incoming threat. "Take your men and flee! This fight is not going to be an easy one!"

Sir Jonathan sensed no fear in the man"s voice, even though he knew that the dragon coming was powerful. It then struck the knight that this man never considered them to be a threat to him, and this made him lose interest in killing them!

"Let me know your great name, sir!" demanded Sir Jonathan with zeal. He could feel no shame about his change because the man before him was just too great! Hearing the request, the man paused as he turned toward him with a slight smile.

"My name is Seika. Make sure to tell your lord that I"m here," said the man named Seika before a dragon leapt from the trees in front of him. Its giant form covered the valley, creating night with its shadow. The mighty dragon

 gave a roar that shook the world as it glared at them.

Jonathan made sure to engrave the name Seika into his mind before rising from the ground. He needed to lead his men to safety from the dragon. The only escape was the forest behind them. After he shouted for his men to snap out of their fear, Jonathan gave the man one final look.

"I need to report back to Xeloria… that the Demon King has arrived," muttered the knight before the black lightning exploded from the ground, surrounding the man. The demon beside him leapt toward the dragon, her mist carrying her in the air to receive its fire.

If he managed to survive today, Jonathan would be the luckiest man alive. The dragon spewed its fire in the sky, dyeing it with inferno that covered all exits. The demon spread her arms as she turned into a meteor that raced toward the monster.

The meteor shot through the flames that descended into the ground. Seika received them with his lightning that crackled with rage around him. The lightning struck the flames, turning them into nothing. Jonathan witnessed the deadly attack vanish into thin air as if an illusion.

"Sir, we need to flee!" shouted one of his men, and Jonathan turned around and bolted. The entire army scattered into the forest, fleeing for their lives. Once the demon and dragon clashed, the 

northern valley shook and sank into the ground.