If I summoned Senior Brother Arang, I could likely resolve the immediate crisis. Even if the demon king was an unfathomable monster, my stance remained unchanged.
Of course, the being before me was a creature on par with Eldest Senior Brother.
Senior Brother Arang had claimed that Senior Brother He Lou's strength was unparalleled, but who could truly know?
Senior Brother Arang was the humblest among my seniors, so I found it difficult to take everything he said at face value.
Excluding the risk of death, though, this could be a rare opportunity.
It was impossible to engage with a demon king in the usual manner. The very fact that even the church members—who knew the demon kings best—risked their lives in each descent ritual spoke volumes.
I glanced at Tantata again.
He wriggled his fingers as if troubled. "Um... Oh, I guess you're not happy with my proposal."
Should I flatter him to make myself seem agreeable? I immediately dismissed that thought.
Somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that this monster wouldn't be swayed by human standards. If such a tactic worked, Juan wouldn't have died.
The more easygoing someone appears, the more careful I should be.
I couldn't be deceived by his absurd appearance and awkward speech. Perhaps Tantata was the most dangerous demon king of all.
"I-it can't be helped. Ohoho... E-every person has their own differences..."
I spoke slowly, my gaze fixed on him. "Forget about being partners. How about a deal instead?"
I adjusted my approach. A deal was different from a conversation. I didn't need to understand him; I only needed to weigh the pros and cons. Maybe the relationship between the gods of disaster and the church was based on such calculations.
"A deal...?"
"It looks like you don't have enough toys, so let me entertain you for a while," I offered.
" H-hohoho...! "Tantata clapped in delight.
Unexpectedly, he added, "O-okay...! T-then... you play tag with me...!"
Tag?
"T-then staaaaart...!"Tantata clapped again and immediately extended a hand toward me.
I narrowly dodged it. Though I had avoided his grasp, goosebumps prickled along my forearms.
Tantata laughed, reaching for me again.
In that moment, I recalled my master's capturing technique. The tension I felt now was on par with what I experienced back then—the kind that made it feel like my flesh and bones would be torn apart if I were caught.
What the hell is this movement?
Tantata's movements weren't particularly fast, though they were swift for his large body. Yet, each time I sensed his attack, I felt my physical and mental energy drain.
Was it the pressure of Tantata's unique aura that made me feel as though I would collapse at any moment?
It almost seemed as if he was unintentionally releasing this oppressive aura.
" Ohohoho...! Y-you are good at dodging! T-then how about this...?"
Tantata's green face flushed red. It was a ridiculous sight, yet I watched him seriously.
Then I saw it—beads of fluid forming on his jelly-like skin. I couldn't even tell if it was sweat or saliva. Tantata whipped his head around like a windmill gone berserk.The recoil sent red fluids splattering in all directions.
I couldn't tell what it was, but I knew that even a single drop would be dangerous. Instinctively, I pulled back, widening the gap between us.
Chiiiik!
Anything the fluids touched immediately corroded, the acid far more potent than the green tongue Juan had wielded.
This wasn't the real problem, however. Evading had been the right choice, but it wasn't enough. I hadn't been hit, not even a drop, yet a momentary dizziness swept over me, and my body tingled, making me stagger.
Don't tell me... Could it be the poisonous smoke from the corrosion?
The realization hit, and I immediately held my breath, but it was too late. I had already inhaled a trace.
" O-ohoho...! You can't run away any longer...!"
Bang!
I hurled a Fire Wheel straight at Tantata's face.
Tantata, now engulfed in flames, tilted his head in confusion. "U-um...? I am now the tagger...?"
"Is there a rule that says I can't attack the tagger?"
" Hmm... "Tantata pondered momentarily before nodding blankly. "I-I haven't really decided...?"
As he babbled, I released the full force of my internal energy.
I wouldn't be surprised if my molars had fractured. That's how much force I used, circulating my internal energy to heat my body from the inside out.
The poisonous smoke within my body evaporated instantly, as if touched by fire. Of course, it only prevented my condition from worsening. It couldn't restore my sluggish physical abilities.
I narrowly avoided Tantata's next strike using Thunder Stomp Footwork.
Can I attack him directly?
Corrosive liquid dripped from his greasy face, making the idea of physical contact unappealing. The only options left were to strike through his clothes or retaliate with the Seven Sins Sword.
What if I infuse my fist with potent Qi?
Honestly, I had no idea what the outcome would be. It was completely uncertain whether it would work.
Then a thought struck me. If the demon king I encountered before my regression had been Tantata instead of Ahop, I likely would've focused on training my defense, not my evasion.
" Ho, ho, ho...! "
Then the green pig moved again. He started to clap, but not in a normal way. With each applause, my ears felt as though they were being torn apart.
Through the buzzing tinnitus, Tantata's joyful voice echoed. "It is so interesting...!"
Rotten bastard... I swallowed the curse before it could escape my lips and tried to use Thunder Stomp Footwork again. But my feet tangled, and I almost fell.
Each clap sent a shockwave through the air, and I realized this was the cause of my difficulty. The situation was graver than I'd anticipated.
I had used Thunder Stomp Footwork freely atop the storm-swept cliff, amidst thunder, wind, and rain. Now, I was being hindered by the residual force of applause.
This is the power of a demon king.
How was I supposed to counter this? Simply strengthening my body and mind wouldn't be enough.
So, are blessings the only answer?
I knew what my blessing was, but it wasn't something that could be trained. And refining it likely wouldn't increase my resistance to Dark Qi.
"D-don't break...! Don't breeeak!" Tantata, who had been rambling incoherently, started to smash everything around him as if in a seizure.
The difference in power was undeniable. If he had truly intended to kill me, I would have been dead long ago.
As I set aside my pride and accepted the reality of the situation, a new question arose: Why was I still alive?
He thinks this is a game.
Since all games had rules, what were the ones that Tantata was following?
I darted around him, studying his oversized green body. It didn't take long to notice one thing.
He isn't moving.
Could that be the rule he had chosen to follow? Come to think of it, even when he first reached for me, he hadn't moved a step.
If that's the case, this could work.
I switched from Thunder Stomp Footwork to Scorching Dash, scattering Fire Qi in all directions as I ran. The path was simple. I spun around Tantata like a spinning wheel.
Tantata's laughter continued, even as the buildings burned around us.
I resumed breathing just as the poisonous smoke began to mix with the fumes.
The dark green city was now ablaze.
Then I slowed from Scorching Dash to a walking pace, returning to Thunder Stomp Footwork.
The moment a faint current pulsed beneath my feet, a realization hit me. Unexpectedly, the compatibility's pretty good.
The transition between Scorching Dash and Thunder Stomp Footwork was more fluid than I'd anticipated, as if the two had been designed to link from the beginning. Oddly, I sensed that transitioning from Thunder Stomp to Scorching Dash would feel even more natural.
Was it because shifting from walking to running felt more instinctive than the reverse?
Something about it felt different. Thunder Stomp Footwork drew its power from lightning, while White Sun Eclipse was born from flames. Though this was just my impression, I felt that flames were a more expansive concept than lightning.
Maybe that was why Scorching Dash could embrace Thunder Stomp Footwork. Of course, this was only a theory, but it made sense in the moment.
A sudden idea took shape, and I immediately acted on it. I engaged Thunder Stomp Footwork, closing the distance between me and Tantata until we were just two steps apart. The corrosive fluid still unsettled me, but I couldn't shake the image that had flashed through my mind.
The punch I threw while using Thunder Stomp Footwork was shaped by Scorching, White Sun Style's 1st Move, but its power was different this time.
This was White Sun Style's Supplementary Move, Thunder Fist.
The moment it connected, Tantata's face burst like a balloon.
" Huh? " The result was so far beyond my expectations that my brain froze for a moment.
I quickly backed away, watching what unfolded next.
Tantata's body remained still, but his face had vanished. Yet, it didn't feel like he was dead. The suffocating pressure from his bulky form hadn't disappeared.
Tantata's body suddenly turned toward me, making strange gestures, as though trying to communicate.
After a while, green flesh bubbled up from his neck like a waterfall. " H-hohoho...! "
Then his face regenerated.
I was proud to say that I had witnessed many strange things in my life, but my jaw dropped in disbelief. This was the first time I had seen a face regenerate.
"T-that was i-interesting...! Thrilling! Hohohoho...! T-then... should I make it more interesting...?" Tantata's voice deepened slightly.
I'm screwed. This was no longer a situation I could predict. I immediately thrust my hand into my pocket, reaching for the coin.
Craaaaaaack—!
Suddenly, a halberd plummeted from the sky like a thunderbolt. With a tremendous roar, it pulverized Tantata into dust. Wind and lightning surged outward, instantly quenching the flames I had ignited.
That halberd! When I saw it, wrapped in crackling electric currents, I recognized. It was the Wind and Thunder Halberd, a divine artifact that commanded thunder and wind.
I knew its wielder.
At that moment, a dark figure plummeted from the sky and landed silently. Even in the bleak, desolate landscape of Hell, an aura reminiscent of ancient trees lingered around him.
The martial artist who had left the deepest impression on me after my master grasped the halberd with his bare hands, undeterred by the electric currents.
Senior Brother He Lou turned his gaze toward me.