Return of the Youngest Son with SSS-Rank Talent-Chapter 198: Demon

Kael reacted immediately as the creature finished emerging from the ground.

The earth cracked, and fragments of molten rock flew in all directions, as if the ground itself had been unable to contain what lay dormant within it.

A grotesque figure appeared before him. Its face was a twisted, empty, burning skull, and its magma-red body radiated suffocating heat.

Every movement left incandescent cracks in its wake. In its hand, it held a gigantic flaming sword, whose blade seemed to be forged with living fire, crackling with a constant roar.

"If I kill you, I will finally be free," said the creature, in a deep, scorching voice, as if each word came from a hellish furnace.

Kael narrowed his eyes. That surprised him a little. He hadn’t expected the creature sealed in that ruin to be a low-ranking demon.

That was a surprise.

Kael knew well that numerous races coexisted in this world: elves, dwarves, and many others. Demons were no exception.

However, finding one in the inheritance of a demigod was not common. That meant the sealing had not been accidental, but deliberate.

Interesting... So even a demon ended up trapped here.

The creature raised its sword, and the flames intensified, illuminating the ruins with an infernal glow.

"Once I am free," he continued, thick hatred permeating his voice, "I will kill all those arrogant brothers of mine who remain in hell with my flames..."

His words were laden with resentment and madness. He was not just a sealed demon; he was a demon who had been abandoned, betrayed by his own kind.

Kael remained motionless, watching him. In his mind, he no longer saw the creature as a mere enemy. It was a potential resource, a measurable threat, or perhaps... an instrument.

At that moment, the ruin ceased to be just a test.

It had become a field of negotiation... or extermination.

"And you, human, will be the first sacrifice."

The creature’s head slowly turned until it fixed on Kael. Its eye sockets burned with an intense fire, charged with expectation.

Compared to that infernal giant, Kael seemed as small as a mouse. Such an absurd difference in size would have meant immediate despair for anyone else.

"What’s wrong with you, demon?" Kael said in a flat voice. "Why are you so excited? Stop talking so much."

He gave him a cold stare. There was no fear in it, just a heavy, dense, murderous aura that spread like an invisible blade.

"You..."

The demon lowered his head and looked at him more closely. As his eyes focused on Kael, something changed. The arrogance cracked for a moment, replaced by surprise.

"You have the same eyes as him."

Kael frowned slightly. He didn’t ask who "him" was. He didn’t need to.

The demon smiled maliciously, crookedly, as if an unpleasant memory had emerged from the depths of his sealed existence.

"I wonder..." he said in a tone laden with mockery. "How would you kill someone of the same origin as that bastard?"

RUMBLE!

The ground shook violently. The stone rose and magma spewed forth, molding itself to the demon’s will.

In a matter of seconds, a gigantic flaming throne was formed. The demon sat down with complete comfort, as if the battle that was about to begin was nothing more than a spectacle intended to entertain him.

Once settled, he raised his flaming sword high.

Swoosh.

Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!

From every corner of the ruin, skeletons began to stir. Their bones creaked as they advanced toward Kael, forming a tight circle.

And when they were close enough...

Cut!

Kael moved. In a single gesture, his Coin Sword flashed and split the skull of one of the skeletons.

And simultaneously...

BOOM!

The skeleton’s body exploded. A black flame erupted violently, engulfing Kael completely.

"Impressive..." commented the demon from his throne, "Just as expected from someone with the same origin."

The thick smoke from the explosion began to dissipate. The black flames gradually died down.

Then Kael emerged from the dark clouds. Unharmed.

His clothes barely fluttered in the residual heat. His expression remained the same: calm, indifferent.

Kael looked around. Skeletons surrounded him, awaiting a command that would never come. Then he looked up and fixed his eyes on the demon, who watched him from atop his flaming throne.

Kael began to slowly rotate his ankles as he stared at the gigantic horde of skulls stretching out before him. There was no haste in his movements—only calculation.

Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!

The bones collided with each other, producing a monotonous, constant noise. For Kael, that sound was no longer a threat; it was simply a signal, a confirmation that the next step was inevitable.

He jumped.

Kael propelled himself upward and landed directly in the center of the horde, like a stone thrown into a sea of bones. He didn’t hesitate for a moment.

He spun.

His body rotated with absolute precision. Using the tip of his sword as an axis, he swung it around him, tracing a perfect arc. The Coin Sword transformed into a lethal, cold, and ruthless whirlwind.

In a single instant, six skulls were cleanly split open.

Boom, boom, boom!

The explosions followed immediately. One after another. The impact shook the air, and once again, thick smoke completely enveloped Kael, hiding him from view.

BOOM!

From inside the smoke, only a pair of black eyes could be distinguished. They moved from side to side with precise, almost methodical movements. Each time they stopped, a new explosion shook the interior of the black cloud.

"Ugh..."

Kael let out a deep sigh. The gesture barely relieved the pressure in his chest.

He had been breathing hot, ash-laden air for over two hours; although his body could withstand it, the discomfort persisted.

Although the skulls did not launch potent attacks, their explosions after death were problematic. Not because they inflicted lethal damage, but because they were unavoidable.

Each casualty brought with it an explosion; each advance meant going through fire and smoke.

"This is starting to get boring," Kael muttered from inside the smoke.

His voice was calm. Almost indifferent.

In the last two hours, Kael had eliminated nearly a thousand skeletons. And the most surprising thing was not the number.

It was that he was not tired yet.

His breathing remained steady. His posture is firm. His gaze, as cold as it had been at the beginning.

For Kael, this was not a battle. It was a process. And like any process... it just needed time to conclude.

"Hey, demon!"

As he watched the now greatly reduced horde of skeletons, Kael spoke to the demon for the first time in over two hours. His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly across the room, laden with an almost insulting indifference.

"Why don’t you come down already? And let go of these skeletons. I’m getting bored with this."

His words fell like an invisible slap.

The red vein on the demon’s forehead convulsed violently. The fire in his eye sockets burned with greater intensity. Kael had not only provoked him; he had gone too far.

Too close for the demon to ignore the fact that, at any moment, Kael could stand in front of him unimpeded.

The demon finally stopped resting his chin on his arm. The flaming throne creaked as he straightened up.

"Actually... you’re just as impatient as he is."

The tone was low, laden with an unpleasant memory. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

In the next instant, the demon leapt to its feet. Its gigantic body descended like a burning meteorite and landed violently in front of Kael.

The ground shook. Cracks spread like glowing spider webs. The air vibrated from the impact.

After stepping down from the throne, the demon rested his giant sword on his shoulder. The flames on the blade flickered with a deep roar, as if celebrating the proximity of blood.

"Honestly..." he said with a cruel smile, "I’m very curious to know with what force I will devour your blood again."

Kael did not back down. He did not tense his muscles. He showed no reaction whatsoever.

His golden eyes fixed on the demon, calm and analytical. He did not see Surtur as an ancient calamity, but as a variable that was finally active.

The testing phase was over. Now the phase of direct confrontation began.

And Kael had already decided: if he had to kill a demon to move forward, then he would do so without hesitation.

As always.