Chapter 298 - Dragonification
Han Wu opened his Void Jaw weakly and didn’t even bother with skinning the Inferior demons. He shoved them all into his Dark Locust Stomach. Thanks to his Dark Locust Stomach and the Supercells trait from his Cockroach Cells, he digested them almost instantly.
He regained a fraction of his consciousness as his energy returned, but it wasn’t enough. He needed something far more potent. Activating Detection, he located every demon within a ten-kilometer radius. He singled out the most powerful ones and ordered Xun to hunt them down.
While Xun carried out the hunt, Han Wu checked his interface. Xun had signed a Spiritual Blood Contract and become his slave, removing his name from the list of Demon Lords. Han Wu now counted as his subjugator. That meant he had already slain four Demon Lords. Furthermore, all the Demonic Origin from the demons that Xun killed was transferred to him. In effect, Xun functioned as a bot, farming experience and wealth for Han Wu.
As he devoured more demons, Han Wu’s body regenerated rapidly, each meal simultaneously enhancing his body parts. It took time and effort, but he finally enhanced his strongest set—the Dragon Scales, Dragon Claws, and Dragon Wings—to Stage 3 at once.
He couldn’t tell precisely how much Demonic Origin the five body parts had absorbed, but he had succeeded. Now he faced a critical choice. He could select one trait, which would apply simultaneously to all five body parts.
[Option 1: Dragon Fear – Exudes the authority of a dragon, causing weaker foes to cower and stronger enemies to approach with caution. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
[Option 2: Dragon Breath – Condenses Dark Energy into a devastating breath attack that melts defenses and inflicts massive dark-attribute damage. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
[Option 3: Dragonification – Temporarily transforms the user into a Black Dragon, granting the strength and defense of a Great Dragon. Becomes stronger with each stage.]
The three traits were the culmination of the five different parts. Any of them would make him stronger, but he needed one suited to his current situation.
He considered the raw close-range power of the Abomination and the Steel Demon and realized he was still too weak. That weakness explained why he had failed to match the Abomination in combat and why the Steel Demon had landed such a punishing blow.
He needed a stronger body, and Dragonification offered the best chance. As the trait fused with him, his scales thickened, his wings swelled with power, and his claws sharpened to deadly precision. Even so, he sensed he was still far from matching the Steel Demon or the Abomination. He had to grow stronger.
“I’m still weak compared to the Twelve Demons, but escaping them should be easier now,” he muttered.
Bolstered by his new strength, Han Wu prepared to return to the Steel Demon’s territory to claim the remaining arm. He had only consumed part of it and wanted the rest, certain it would enhance all his body parts by a full stage. He decided to act now and flew high into the air.
With Xun guiding him, they soon soared over the Steel Demon’s territory. Han Wu hadn’t paid it much attention before, but now he could survey it fully. The land looked like a realm designed for torment. Massive ores, twisted by the Steel Demon’s power, rose like jagged steel blades, cutting through the ground and threatening to pierce the heavens. It was a brutal hellscape even demons avoided.
Despite the dangers, Han Wu refused to abandon his mission. He activated Detection and finally located the remaining arm. The good news was that it remained intact, untouched by any demon. The bad news was that the Steel Demon stood guard beside it.
“Such misfortune!” Han Wu blurted out Xun’s signature phrase without thinking when he realized the Steel Demon had not left the area.
Confusion immediately followed. Why was it standing there without devouring the arm? Was it waiting for the flesh to rot and soften further?
Han Wu exhaled and decided to wait. He would take the arm only after the Steel Demon left.
He waited through the long hours until night finally fell. The Steel Demon remained motionless beside the severed arm until the Abomination arrived. The towering demon had tracked its missing limb, following the trail all the way into the Steel Demon’s territory. Naturally, the Steel Demon would not allow the Abomination to reclaim it.
Their power was formidable, and their territories lay close enough to clash repeatedly. The Steel Demon would gain nothing if it allowed the Abomination to recover its lost strength.
Without a word, the two demons collided, trading violent blows that shook the land. The aftershocks of their strikes rippled far and wide, cracking countless metal mountains and revealing the precious ores hidden within.
Han Wu’s attention never wavered. He even used Detect to assess their injuries. He did not expect to reclaim the arm now. His goal was far simpler: he wanted the demons badly wounded so he could finish them both and claim a massive reward.
Xun shared the same thoughts; as Han Wu’s slave, he would earn a small cut of the reward. That alone was enough as long as Han Wu reaped a fortune.
The clash stretched through the night and into the next day. Han Wu and Xun were both stunned by the demons’ relentless energy, as if neither ever tired.
Yet the Abomination, missing an arm, had clearly lost some strength. After hours of fighting, it finally revealed an opening. The Steel Demon seized it, launching like a javelin and driving its horns deep into the Abomination.
Blood and filth sprayed across the battlefield. Most of the blood sizzled harmlessly against the Steel Demon’s iron-like body, leaving only minor scratches, while the Abomination reeled from the devastating strike and collapsed helplessly. The Steel Demon pressed its advantage, transformed its arms into massive blades, and carved chunks of flesh from its opponent.
Han Wu could not help but admire the Steel Demon’s brutality and silently thanked it. The dismemberment would make the Abomination easier to digest later. He also hoped the Steel Demon would tire itself with the relentless attacks and leave both demons vulnerable to a single decisive strike.
The Steel Demon worked relentlessly until the Abomination lay in ten severed pieces. Even then, it clung to life and was using its traits to reattach its body.
Han Wu saw his opportunity. The Steel Demon was clearly exhausted from the prolonged battle, and the Abomination, dismembered and weakened, could not mount a proper defense. This was his chance to eliminate them both.
If he executed it perfectly, he could kill two of the Twelve Demons and gain a lot.
“Time to do it!” He moved, driven by the lure of the potentially enormous reward waiting for him.