Struggling as a Villain

The atmosphere came to a standstill. The very air seemed to have frozen in that moment when the Demon appeared.

White flaming hair that defied gravity and flowed above its head like a crown. A greyish-white body which was only covered with a loose garment on its lower body. A pair of gauntlets covered its hands up to his forearms and a sword could be seen resting behind his back.

The entity had dark raven eyes that seemed to be reflecting the abyss itself. A presence that exceeded any expectation and the weight of the energy it was radiating was dense enough to make Ethan feel breathless.

Standing under a deity class entity were two humans, one of them from the side of Light and one of them carrying the mark of evil.

The Demon stared down at Richard with indifference, seemingly assessing him.

Richard couldn't deny the fact that he was taken aback by the Aembr this being was radiating, however, stepping back and surrendering was never an option.

Stepping forward, Richard asked, "You have inflicted that curse on my mother, Scarlette Bellarine, and as a reward for summoning you, I desire you liberate her."

The demon tilted its head...in amusement?!

A face-splitting grin extended its dark lips as the demon flapped its wings and asked, "You are 'his' heir? The almighty one chose you? Aren't you just a toddler?"

His voice held an evident sense of amusement and ridicule.

Ethan frowned about who this being was talking about.

However, Richard didn't have the same question since he knew the person it just spoke of was none other than Zulcriz.

The demon lowered itself and descended to the surface, making Ethan flinch; however, before he could move even an inch, his whole body was encased in a thick layer of ice, rendering him motionless.

Richard frowned as he instantly raised his hand to free Ethan, only to be interrupted by the General, "Don't worry about him, he won't get hurt much in there."

Despite those words, Richard didn't stop and used his flames to melt the ice

"Che, how boring. You are now looking for help from these holy children of blah blah." The demon looked disgruntled with Richard helping Ethan, but the flame user didn't care about what it thought and continued to melt the ice…which seemed to be melting at an awfully slow rate.

"You know I have frozen time, right? So there is no point how long you try, you won't succeed."

Richard paused before turning towards the Demon, "You don't have the power to manipulate time. I know it."

The demon snarled, "As I said, I froze the time knucklehead. Now leave that snow white there and come attack me. I am veeeeeery bored and unless I get to see some action, I won't be forgiving that woman."

While pointing toward the mansion, Vornyx stated.

Richard took a deep breath. So it was going to be like this.

Stepping away from Ethan he asked, "Why do you guys always have to be battle hungry?" Richard sighs as he throws away the cloak and cracks his neck.

Vornyx shrugged, "There is nothing we can do on the Dark Star because of our dear Sovereign's presence. It gets tiresome."

Richard snickered, "You seemed to be quite scared of your master. Unexpectedly, it is."

"Hahah, isn't it? But what can I do? Nothing can dominate Death itself but surely, " With the demon's eyes turning frosty and voice deeper, it added, "I can shred his apostle into cubes, right?"

Richard's gaze turned solemn, as he summoned Hell Blaze in both of his hands and wordlessly launched it towards the annoying demon.

However, as one could expect, the demon wasn't affected by the flames at all. The flames deflected once they hit the demon's chest plate.

"Haa…man, you are boring, you know? I know you can do better, so just get on with it."

Richard heaved a sigh before stepping back and summoning his staff. The golden staff materialized in his hand, gleaming with a faint ethereal glow

The demon smirked, "Nice toy you got there. But I bet you still haven't reached its core~"

Richard didn't feel the obligation to answer the inhumane before he launched into the air, his body turning lighter like a feather.

Twirling the staff, he allowed the purplish electricity to crackle around the staff, like pieces of pearls around a thread completing an ornament.

Taking a deep breath, he coated the staff with Hell Blaze and increased the size of the staff.

Air became denser, and Richard remained hanging in the air like a God descended from the heavens, holding the legendary Ruyi in a tight grip. His target locked on, waiting for Richard to get done with his preparation.

The nonchalance didn't make him falter, as Richard increased his weight by several folds and launched himself through the air, piercing the mist and darting towards his target with every ounce of strength he possessed.

Under this assault, not even an S-ranked beast could have survived unless they had teleportation in possession.

**BOOOOOOM**

Richard's staff slammed down, aiming for the demon's head, leaving a trail of fire and thunder in its wake. A thunderous explosion roared, obliterating the frost that clung to the ground, hurling Ethan away like a ragdoll, and erasing the houses nearby in a single, devastating sweep. The mansion's barriers shattered as the shockwave rolled through the area.

A web of cracks spread beneath the demon's feet as the violent storm of flame and lightning descended, setting the surroundings ablaze. But instead of the staff smashing down on the demon's crown as Richard intended, the demon raised its forearm, catching the blow in the nick of time. The force still seared its skin, but it held fast, smoke rising from its charred arm.

Its dark eyes looked at Richard with excitement as it growled, "Now that's what I am talking about!"

A sudden surge of Aembr burst from the Demon, making Richard recoil from the force as he was propelled back.

Richard didn't have time to let gravity pull him down as the white flames of the demon arrived before his eyes and launched a left punch right in the middle of Richard's chest, which the latter barely blocked with his left arm.

**BOOOOM**

Richard was planted on the ground with his left hand completely shattered. A crater formed around him as his golden eyes parted wide upon the realisation.

This enemy… was crazy strong!

"Hahah! Don't die on me!" Suddenly, Vornyx appeared behind Richard and picked him up with his collar.

Richard launched a fireball right before the Demon's face using his usable hand. However, that was futile as Vornyx simply swatted it away and repeated the action by throwing Richard like he was some kind of pest.

Richard twirled in the air and called his bo staff back to him.

"Heh~" Vornyx smirked before it jumped forward and held the staff with its left hand.

*Ssss*

"Hmm?" Vornyx tilted its head upon finding its hand burning because of the weapon.

He felt annoyed; no weapon shall show such arrogance.

Before Vornyx could snap the Ruyi Ban in half, the staff shattered into fragments, vanishing from its grasp, only to reappear firmly in Richard's hand.

Without hesitation, Richard lunged, his staff crackling with energy, ready to unleash another torrent of raw power. His eyes were locked onto Vornyx, every movement precise, every strike carrying lethal intent.

But Vornyx wasn't going to take the hit again. Anticipating the attack, it twisted its massive body, dodging just as it seized Richard's wrist with crushing force. In a swift, brutal motion, it grabbed his throat, lifting him effortlessly before slamming him into the ground with a bone-jarring thud.

"Khak!" There was no time for Richard to react before he was pinned down.

"Aghhhh!" He cried in pain as his arm was plucked out of its socket.

Blood sprayed from his shoulder as the Demon threw away the arm and along with it, the bo staff was thrown away.

"Tehehehe~this is-*thwak* oddly-*dhak* satisfying!" While punching Richard with his hand covered with ice, the Demon laughed maniacally.

Richard's face was beaten black and blue, eyes bleeding and his previous features no longer visible.

Vornyx has nearly forgotten how much he hated Zulcriz. The deep loathing he carried for that damned being who always controls everything around him! How can he forget that aversion?!

Taking a rest, Vornyx stated, "Sorry kid, but this isn't personal."

Cocking its fist, it was about to drive another blow into Richard when, without warning, the same arm it had torn off earlier seized the demon's fist in midair.

Vornyx's eyes widened. The boy's arm now engulfed in roaring flames, moved as though the severed limb lying nearby was never his. His gaze flicked back to Richard, only to find those once-fading eyes blazing with a searing intensity, hotter than molten steel.

With a low growl, Richard's fist closed, and the demon's gauntlet crumbled in his grasp. Through gritted teeth, Richard spoke, his voice like a furnace ready to burst:

"Now... burn."

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Drop some reviews if you have read the story until now.

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