"Take your respect."
Verc inched closer to Morcant as the crimson demon said that.
Morcant laid his arm bare to Verc with a smile on his face, he even pulled back his sleeve.
"You’re agreeing rather fast to this."
Verc said, looking at Morcant’s arm.
"Haha, you think so?"
Morcant replied with a carefree smile. Though, behind that smile was a wicked personality.
Of course he finds it suspicious that Verc accepted his invitation easily, but he’s just confident.
Confident that even if Verc tried to launch an unexpected attack—he wouldn’t lose.
’I felt the mana he released earlier... He’s strong, but he’s below me. Even if he hit me with an unexpected attack, I will regenerate in a matter of seconds.’
He thought to himself.
Morcant let himself be caught in Verc’s trap, if Verc tried to attack him—then he’ll just put him in place.
Morcant was using this as an opportunity to show Verc who’s stronger between them, and in doing so—he believes that he will fully submit to him with this.
"Will you open up a wound yourself, or should I just bite directly at your arm?"
Verc asked Morcant.
"HAHAHAHA—Bite directly at it, we’re monsters, aren’t we?"
And Morcant answered with a wicked smile on his face. Verc just ignored that, then leaning in closer to the crimson demon’s arm—PSHK.
Verc sank his fangs onto Morcant, and slowly... he started drinking his blood.
"..."
Morcant just watched Verc with a smile on his face, waiting for him to attack.
But seconds passed, and Verc was just kneeling in front on him; drinking his blood, showing no sign of him attacking.
"...?"
This confused Morcant, and it made him think that maybe Verc really did already submitted to him, and is just doing a tradition just like what he said he would.
He looked at his arm that Verc was drinking blood from, he doesn’t feel anything weird from it.
’Is this guy serious? He’s just going to drink as much blood as he can from me?’
Morcant asked in his head.
And Verc—that was his actual plan.
Every drop of blood that enters his system; he felt himself getting stronger and stronger. Morcant’s blood was the best he had consumed, and that was no surprise because he’s a demon king himself as well.
The dark, potent life force of the thirteenth demon king surged directly into Verc’s veins, burning like molten fire as it mixed with his own power. It was a massive wave of pure, concentrated energy, far surpassing the blood of any ordinary monster or warrior he had consumed before.
Verc kept his eyes closed, focusing entirely on the absorption process. He could feel his inner mana reserves expanding at an alarming speed, his depleted strength from earlier completely rushing back to its peak and pushing even further beyond. His body was hungrily devouring every single ounce of essence Morcant offered.
’Keep drinking... take everything...’
Verc thought to himself, his grip on Morcant’s wrist remaining steady and motionless.
’He thinks he’s granting me a favor... He has no idea what my true ability is.’
Meanwhile, Morcant stood there with his arms crossed lazily behind his back with his free hand. He was still waiting for the sudden strike, the sneaky stab, or the sudden burst of hostile mana that a proud leader would naturally throw out when backed into a corner. He expected Verc to try and rip his arm off, or perhaps cast a point-blank spell while his guard was lowered.
Yet, nothing happened...
The young, fledgling demon king just remained kneeling in a completely submissive posture, drinking quietly like a hungry pup.
Morcant tilted his head, his black eyes scanning Verc’s posture.
’Is this really all there is to it? Has he completely lost his spirit after seeing his subordinates pinned to the floor?’
Morcant thought, a hint of disappointment creeping into his mind.
’I expected a fledgling demon king to have a bit more bite to him... But I guess the gap in our presence was just too overwhelming for him to even attempt a ambush. How boring.’
He let out a short, quiet breath, letting his guard drop even lower than before. If the boy was truly submitting out of pure fear and ancient traditions, then Morcant was more than happy to let him have his fill of blood. After all, a stronger subordinate would only prove to be more useful when he eventually brought him along to face the other demon kings.
Verc slowly drank Morcant’s blood, and because of this—the crimson demon didn’t notice anything strange. He just let Verc continue.
Seconds turned into a whole minute, and the quiet sound of swallowing echoed softly through the silent, destroyed hall.
’His blood... it’s rapidly refining my mana.’
Verc thought, feeling his heart beat wildly against his ribs.
’Just a little more... I need more of it.’
He kept his fangs deeply embedded in the tough, red flesh of Morcant’s forearm. The sheer density of the demon king’s blood was making Verc’s mind buzz with incredible sensation, but he maintained complete, absolute control over his facial muscles, making sure not a single twitch betrayed his rising power.
Near the back of the hall, Diyael remained completely still in the shadows, his heavy war axe held low against his side. His sharp eyes flicked between Verc kneeling on the ground and Morcant standing over him. He held his breath, waiting for the signal, his hooves ready to push off the stone floor the second chaos broke out.
’Lord Verc... what are you planning?’
Diyael thought, his chest tight with anxiety as he watched his master consume the enemy’s blood without moving an inch.
However, as more time dragged on, the relaxed atmosphere around Morcant began to subtly shift.
Two minutes passed. Then three.
Verc still hadn’t stopped drinking his blood!
Morcant’s smile slowly faded, replaced by a slight frown. He felt a strange, localized coldness starting to creep up from his right wrist toward his elbow. It wasn’t painful, but it was an odd, hollow sensation that he had never experienced before in his entire life as a demon king.
’What is taking him so long? How much blood can his body even hold?’
Morcant asked himself, his black eyes narrowing as he looked down at the back of Verc’s head.
Morcant’s arm was feeling a bit numb, he asked Verc if how much blood of his was he going to drink, but Verc just continued and didn’t say anything.
"Hey. Fledgling."
Morcant spoke up, his voice dropping its lighthearted tone.
"Isn’t that enough already? You’ve been at it for a while now. A few gulps should have been more than enough to satisfy your little tradition."
Verc did not answer. He didn’t even pause his swallowing. His fangs remained locked tight, pulling in the crimson life force even faster than before.
Morcant scoffed, shaking his head.
"Don’t get greedy now. I offered you a taste, not a full meal. Release my arm."
Again, Verc said nothing. He acted as if he was completely deaf to the demon king’s words, his mind focused entirely on the massive stream of power flowing into his core.
Morcant’s brow furrowed further. The numb sensation in his right arm was growing stronger, reaching all the way up to his shoulder. It felt as if his very strength was being continuously siphoned through a massive, unyielding drain.
’This is getting ridiculous.’
Morcant thought, a surge of irritation flaring up in his chest.
Morcant found this strange, he grabbed Verc’s shoulders to try and stop him, but when he did—FWIP.
The moment Morcant’s left hand reached down and gripped Verc’s shoulder to forcefully pull him off, Verc’s eyes snapped open, glowing with a fierce, terrifying crimson light!
Verc grabbed Morcant’s arm tighter, locking his fingers into the demon’s wrist like vice grips, and in a single burst—SLURRRK!!!
HE SUCKED AS MUCH BLOOD AS HE CAN ON MORCANT!
IT WAS SO FAST AND STRONG THAT MORCANT’S WHOLE RIGHT ARM DRIED UP IN AN INSTANT!
The muscle, flesh, and skin of Morcant’s right arm shriveled rapidly, turning into a pale, gray, withered limb that looked like a piece of old, dried bark!
"WHAT—?!"
Morcant’s eyes widened in absolute shock and disbelief as an intense, excruciating pain finally shot through his nervous system! The sheer force of the suction didn’t just take his surface blood; it forcibly dragged out the vital essence deeply rooted within his arm’s cellular structure!
"Get off me!"
Morcant roared, his carefree demeanor completely vanishing in a split second.
A massive surge of violent, red mana erupted from Morcant’s body, blasting outward in all directions like a shockwave! He used his immense physical strength and pushed Verc away with stronger force, aiming a heavy, mana-infused knee directly at Verc’s chest to break the physical connection.
This time, Verc was pushed away.
Verc skidded backward across the stone floor, his boots carving deep grooves into the rock before he brought himself to a solid, stable halt a few meters away.
Verc wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, a trail of dark blood dripping out of the corner of his lips. The blood wasn’t his own; it belonged to the stunned demon king standing across from him.
Morcant stumbled back two steps, clutching his withered, completely dried-up right arm with his left hand.
His face was twisted in a mixture of rage, pain, and profound bewilderment. He looked at his ruined limb, then snapped his gaze back to Verc, unable to process how a simple bite could have completely drained the vital essence of a demon king in a mere fraction of a second.
"You... what did you just do to my arm?!"
Morcant shouted, his voice echoing furiously through the wide hall."
Verc stood tall, his posture completely relaxed despite the terrifying pressure still lingering in the room.
He looked at Morcant who was looking at him with wide eyes, and opening his mouth—
"What? I know you’re already aware that I wouldn’t give up without a fight. Why are you so surprised?"