Chapter 237: The Bedeviled vs The Demons
On the bank of a large flowing river a bloody Zoro stood before an army of demons, many of whom were riddled with injuries. Behind him was the Black Reaper Corps who had continuously gathered, and they too were injured. A defiant smile sat on his face, giving off a cruel and evil presence because of the dark devilish ki that wrapped around his body along with an intense murderous intent.
The army of demons on the other side paled when they saw his expression. A half-butchered Mortal Lord demon knelt on one knee further back, while another Mortal Lord demonic cultivator surveyed his own not-so-dire injuries as a lingering devilish ki burned the wounds on his body like a toxic poison.
"Fuhuhuhu this is truly quite an interesting spectacle. A Golden Lord with so much power that two Early Stage Mortal Lords are having a hard time dealing with him. Not only that but prior to this encounter you have even killed two other Mortal Lords. Not to mention that army behind you being similarly difficult to handle. This is where it all ends! Back up is already on the way and you all will be slaughtered today!" the demonic cultivator sneered as he prepared his blade to attack.
Zoro only sneered as his ki began to swell while unleashing a mass of suffocating killing aura.
"It does not matter. Regardless, for the sake of our sect I will slaughter as many of you as I can." Zoro declared with a booming voice as his eyes glinted.
Directly behind him Kuroha and Kageha no longer looked human. They appeared to be complete devils with katana in hand and black chains of ki wrapping tightly around their bodies.
Zoro's black scarf moved with a strange tremble as both ends appeared to transform into hands, creating a bizarre sight. The rest of the Black Reaper Corps experts roared with bloodlust as they readied their attacks.
Naturally all of the demon and demonic cultivator enemies on the opposing side prepared their own attacks. A great pressure from both parties rattled the area and caused the river to constantly explode as water mist rose high and the cracked ground trembled.
Without warning or care for anything else Zoro stepped forward and unleashed a fierce attack.
—Shitōryū: Ma no Kuroi Rasen Harikēn—
(4 Swords Style: Devil's Black Spiraling Hurricane)
Zoro moved with explosive speed as he leapt into the air charging directly toward the demonic army. In midair he spun like a cyclone as waves of black ki shot from his body, and his two katanas cut viciously through the air. The two hands formed from the black scarf unleashed storms of black flames as they seemed to transform into sharp weapons of their own.
The demonic cultivator was caught off guard by the abrupt attack and the incredible speed, as sharp blows rained down across the battlefield.
With a roar the demonic cultivator unleashed torrents of demonic ki and threw a violent wave of punches toward Zoro's spiraling storm of flaming black sword winds. The splash damage was immense. These were two continuous waves of Mortal Lord level attacks after all.
The badly injured demon Mortal Lord chanted and created five powerful midair magic circles that unleashed beams of green light which shot toward Zoro and everything within range. The devastation amid the chaos forced many demons into becoming collateral damage as they charged toward the Black Reaper Corps, who also risked everything to counterattack.
Zoro's hurricane of black flaming swords became more and more intense. It generated a half-mile radius of deadly winds as it clashed against the storm of ki and magic from the two Mortal Lords.
"Die already you Devil!!!" the magic-using Mortal Lord shouted as he attacked relentlessly.
Zoro abruptly stopped his spiraling assault as his feet landed on the ground. He instantly shifted into a sword stance.
The demonic cultivator stumbled slightly from the sudden stop in Zoro's attack, and bombardments of his ki exploded wildly across the shattered terrain. The riverbed was already in ruins while dust clouds and fiery mist from the boiling water clouded the battlefield.
The magic using demon Mortal Lord refused to pause. He shifted the beams of light from his magic circles and repeatedly bombarded Zoro's general location with merciless intent.
—Maō Ryōiki: Genzan—
(Devil's Dominion Illusory Slash)
The injured and charging demons directly within Zoro's line of sight suddenly shuddered as they froze before being knocked over by those behind them. The primary target of the attack, the magic using demon Mortal Lord, shuddered in horror as it appeared to him that Zoro had suddenly appeared directly before him preparing to cut him down.
"NO!" he shouted.
Waves of green and black magic erupted from his body. A multitude of magic circles enveloped the air and unleashed a storm of exploding beams that wiped out everything within the surrounding space.
"What the hell are you doing?! Damnit!!" the demonic cultivator roared furiously at the magic user.
He suddenly shuddered as he leapt away to defend himself from a powerful attack after lowering his guard for a moment.
—Nitōryū: Sokuzanshi—
(2 swords Style: Instant Cutting Death)
Riiiiiiiiiiiiinnnggg!!!
A sharp ringing sound echoed as Zoro suddenly appeared beside the demonic cultivator like a shadow. Time seemed to freeze for an instant. His right arm and one end of the scarf were already spread out horizontally as if the attack had already been unleashed.
A long deep black flaming gash appeared on the demonic cultivator's abdomen, nearly bisecting him. The sword he had attempted to defend with was completely destroyed. Blood violently spilled from his wound as horror and disbelief overtook his face. With desperate speed he leapt back and unleashed a wild bombardment of black ki toward Zoro, who turned with a smile and charged once more.
"Hahaha earlier what that idiot saw was only an illusion of what should have happened to him. Congratulations, you just received the attack in his stead." Zoro said with a bedeviled grin filled with disdain.
The demonic cultivator's expression hardened as he continued to unleash torrents of attacks while fear crawled up his spine. The magic using demon Mortal Lord looked around the devastated battlefield and saw the corpses of his own forces. His new injuries grew worse as the earlier illusion had tricked him into overdrafting his own power. Rage, humiliation, and regret twisted violently inside him as he screamed in madness and continued to unleash attacks without restraint.
As more time passed the damages only grew worse. Reinforcements arrived for the demons with another Early Stage Mortal Lord joining the fight. By this time the magic using Mortal Lord was nearly dead from overdrafting his magic while injured. The demonic cultivator was also in terrible condition because the -Instant Cutting Death- had left a spreading rot within his body.
Multiple Golden Lord demons had been fighting as well but they were also struggling. With the addition of the new Mortal Lord the tide of battle finally began to shift.
Zoro himself continued to accumulate more injuries and eventually he would no longer be able to continue at this pace. Even so he still stood tall. His katanas continued to cut and kill while devouring the blood and ki of their victims. His body continued transforming as he became more and more like a dangerous devilish entity.
By this time a certain event was already taking place somewhere else that would completely change the dynamics of the overall war effort.