The Demon King of the Anime World

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"To release that much spirit energy without even trying to hide it… should I call that confidence, or just plain arrogance?" Riku muttered, as if trying to pierce the distance with his gaze and see what kind of being was approaching.

This level of spirit energy was already way beyond Fia at her peak. It had to be a high-tier race—at the very least a Celestial Wing, maybe even a Dragonkin…

And on top of that, there was another terrifying energy signature near it. This one felt evil—the same kind of wicked energy he'd sensed from that elite Demonkind, Black Hawk.

Only this time, it was way stronger—far beyond what Black Hawk could do. This one had to be a high-tier mutated version of the second-ranked race, the Phantasmal Species. A Demon King.

With those two monsters going at it, the shockwaves alone would probably obliterate everything in a hundred-kilometer radius.

Even if the human village was some distance away, it wasn't exactly safe. Just like Zhu Bi said, they'd get caught in the crossfire.

"Zhu Bi, wait here. I'll be right back," Riku said seriously.

"Got it." Zhu Bi nodded obediently.

Riku patted her head, then immediately teleported back to his room using Shangri-La.

"Riku! Something's wrong! There's a massive spirit energy surge!" Korone burst into the room, looking panicked. She was holding a device that looked a bit like a compass.

It was the Spirit Compass—something Riku had made to detect and avoid spirit energy signatures.

And right now, the reading on Korone's compass was off the charts. Whatever was coming this time had to be seriously dangerous.

"Calm down, Korone," Riku said firmly, giving her shoulder a reassuring pat.

"Start evacuating everyone now. Head for the next settlement. Abandon anything that can't be carried. No hesitation."

"What about you?" Korone instantly picked up on the odd tone in his voice.

"I'll stay and try to block the fallout. Don't worry, I've got spatial powers—I'll be fine," Riku said with a serious face.

"Spatial powers…? Got it. Be careful, Riku. Don't do anything reckless," Korone said after a stunned pause, her voice steady.

Without wasting another second, she ran off to carry out his orders.

"Tch… I'm still not strong enough," Riku muttered, frowning. If he were just a bit stronger, they wouldn't even need to evacuate. He could've just taken those two monsters down himself.

Still, frustration or not, he had things to do. The next second, Riku used Shangri-La again to teleport back to Zhu Bi's side.

"Zhu Bi, I need you to do something for me. While my people are evacuating, if you run into any enemies, take them out if you can. If not, contact me immediately," he said, voice firm.

"…Got it." Zhu Bi hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "But per the contract—if Riku dies, Zhu Bi will self-destruct."

"Relax. I'm not dying," Riku said with a small smile.

And with that, he stopped talking, activated the Third Gate—Life Gate—from the Eight Inner Gates technique, and his body was instantly surrounded by a green aura of blazing energy.

He launched himself forward using Sky-Piercing Step, cracking the air beneath his feet and rocketing toward the battlefield.

"...!" Zhu Bi watched as Riku unleashed an even greater power. Her red eyes flickered, and his words echoed in her mind as she fell deep into thought.

Far away from the human settlement—tens of kilometers out—two giant beings finally clashed.

One was a majestic white dragon, its body covered in gleaming white scales, flying proudly through the sky. The other was a massive black dragon, its body riddled with decay, radiating pure evil.

They were the Dragonkin… and the Demon King.

"What a filthy form you've taken, Demon King," the white dragon said in a mocking tone, its massive eyes locked on the rotting black dragon that had just blocked its path midair.

"ROAAAAAR—!" the black dragon replied with a thunderous roar.

The roar shook the very fabric of space, the air rippling like water. Just that one roar cracked the earth and shattered the nearby rocky cliffs.

"RAAAAGH—!" The white dragon, provoked, roared back in rage, baring its fangs.

The shockwaves from their sonic clash alone were enough to bring mountains down, sending rocks flying and ripping the land apart. It was pure, devastating force.

This was the true horror of high-tier races. Even their leftover energy could wipe out everything in sight—whether human, beastkin, or forest spirits, everything would be flattened like ants.

As Riku raced toward the battlefield, he suddenly felt the pressure spike. A violent storm front, totally unnatural, came sweeping toward him.

He narrowed his eyes and punched forward, shattering the incoming wind.

And in that moment, he realized—whatever he was about to face… it was far more powerful than he'd expected.

"....."