The Demon King of the Anime World

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"But man, we really went at it too long last night… I'm exhausted," Riku muttered, gently stroking Shuse Feiya's soft hair.

Since both of them were the kind who lived off their physical strength, it was like neither of them knew the meaning of fatigue. Their "battle" had gone on all night. He had almost lost his "manly dignity" by the end. Honestly, Feiya's physical stats were four or five times better than his, even when she wasn't trying.

In the end, to protect his pride as a man, Riku had to activate the Eight Gates Release Formation and open the third gate just to barely defeat Feiya. As for why he didn't open the fourth gate—well, that's because starting from the fourth gate, it starts to eat up a ton of stamina. The third gate, the "Gate of Life," was manageable—no side effects, minimal energy drain.

Of course, Feiya had thought about activating Blood Rage too—she's a pretty competitive girl. But Riku had already "tamed" her. This wasn't a battle—it was something to enjoy. What's the point of going into Blood Rage? Were they planning to wreck the place?

Ahem... fine, the real reason was if she went into Blood Rage, he'd have to open the fourth gate or beyond. He'd end up collapsing in exhaustion.

Still, the whole experience gave Riku a sense of urgency. Damn it. He managed to wing it this time, but there's no way he could get away with it a second time. He had to boost his body's strength again—his cute wife was a little too wild.

To be honest, what Riku really wanted to complain about was how that sly old beastman chief seemed to have expected all of this. He'd prepared a room built to last. Even after all that chaos, the place was still standing.

"Now that I think about it... I still haven't checked what I got from that platinum treasure chest," Riku suddenly remembered and felt a little awkward.

He'd been too busy doing… other things, and completely forgot the whole reason he came to the Beastmen's tribe in the first place.

"System, what did I get from the platinum chest again?" Riku shifted a little, still holding Feiya in his arms, adjusting to a more comfortable position, and silently asked in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations. You opened the platinum treasure chest and received the item: Life-and-Death Rebirth Pill."

Life-and-Death Rebirth Pill, from the world of Immortals and Demons. It can revive someone who just recently died. For someone still alive, it can fully heal any injury. With a bit of luck, it might even trigger a breakthrough, greatly increasing their power.

Apparently, the system had decided to repeat the message from yesterday.

"———!" When he heard the voice in his mind, Riku couldn't help but gasp, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

This was a real game-changer. It was basically a second life!

Even though he wasn't exactly sure what the upper limits of a platinum treasure chest were, judging from the gold chest he got earlier, this pill had to be top-tier—even among platinum-level rewards.

"System, if I activate the Eight Gates Release Formation, will I be able to recover fully with this pill?" Riku asked, eyes burning with curiosity.

The Eight Gates Release Formation—when Guy-sensei used it, he nearly ended the entire war with one kick, almost destroying Madara in his Six Paths Sage Mode. Insanely powerful.

But the price? Also insanely high. Using it meant certain death. Even though Naruto saved him with the power of the Yang Seal, Guy was still left crippled for life.

"Yes. Even more severe injuries than that could be healed. But here's a friendly reminder: if your soul is shattered, it can't fix that. At best, your body would survive." The system's voice echoed calmly.

"Heh, that's fine. I know that much already. Even so, this thing is incredible," Riku murmured with a smirk.

He wasn't planning to use the Eight Gates Formation unless it was a matter of life or death. But now, with the Rebirth Pill in hand, he had a get-out-of-jail-free card. It was a trump card—something to pull out at the last second.

Riku believed that if he unleashed the Eight Gates, even if he couldn't take down a War God, he definitely wouldn't go down instantly either.

Sure, a War God could destroy an entire planet with ease, and Guy couldn't. So technically, the gap was still huge. But Riku wasn't Guy. He believed his power boost from the Eight Gates would be even greater.

And he'd only just started getting stronger. He was going to keep growing. By then, who lived and who died would be anyone's guess.

"Phew… all done. Time to sleep," he muttered, storing the Rebirth Pill in the system's storage space. Riku moved his head slightly and snuggled in closer to Feiya, his breath gently brushing her soft, rosy cheeks.

As if sensing something, Feiya pouted a little in her sleep, mumbling softly in protest.

Riku chuckled and gave her a gentle kiss before closing his eyes too.

Soon, the only sounds in the room were the steady breathing of two people.

They didn't wake up again until dusk. The two of them had been completely wild the night before, but now that morning came, Feiya was suddenly shy again, clutching the bedsheet to cover herself.

Riku rolled his eyes. Really? After everything they'd done, they were married now—why the hell was she still acting embarrassed? Especially when she'd even helped him with her mo—ahem.

"....."