Chapter 499 – Public Exposition

Asterios couldn’t believe his eyes as he stared at the pink-skinned demon man laughing boisterously while proudly puffing his chest out. That faith was questioned even further when his gaze moved past his opponent and wandered up to the VIP sector of the audience. Out there, he found the seat he was looking for, and surely, a familiar figure of the Demon King sat atop the temporary throne with legs crossed and cheek resting against his fist, wearing his usual cocky grin.

Things simply didn’t add up.

Sensing that something was off, Asterios squinted slightly and strained his sharp sight. His pupils widened when he noticed what was wrong. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss, but after sparing a bit more attention to the guy watching the show from the safety of the VIP section, it became painfully clear that… he wasn’t real.

It was just a lifelike doll.

Made of extremely realistic material, the mannequin could easily be mistaken for a person from a distance. Especially thanks to the spiritually-sensitive wire threaded through its body, which allowed the handsome men gathered around the seat to manipulate the fake’s movements, further increasing its legitimacy. The Demon King’s harem was clearly clued in.

Shaking his head with a heavy sigh, Asterios turned to the masked warrior. “Really? How did you even…? No, actually, how did they manage not to recognize you?”

“Hahahaha! Of course they did!” The man flexed his muscles to show them off. “Otherwise, how would they have approached one of the strongest demon adventurers, Noigez the Tenderizer!”

A snort escaped Asterios, which he attempted to cover with a cough. “That right? Is Zegion the Pulverizer perhaps one of your brothers?”

Noigez huffed to the side, waving his hand. “Everyone knows the Demon King is an only child. I don’t know what you are trying to insinuate. But I do understand your position. People not from the Demon Continent often struggle to differentiate between us demons, as we all appear to be the same. Pretty racist if you would ask me.”

Asterios rolled his eyes with a faint smirk. “Are you calling the ruler of this nation racist?”

That made the man pause and narrow his eyes. “If so, what are you gonna do about it? Send your Dragon Guard to lock me up in jail for such an offense?”

“Not how we resolve personal issues here.” Asterios allowed himself a small grin. “It’s allowed to confront your adversary on your own, as long as it doesn’t put anyone at risk, especially yourself. And I don’t think I have anything to worry about in this case.”

“Hoh. Bold assumption there, youngster.” The undercover Demon King stroked his chin. “I heard you dueled King Zegion in the past and had some troubles making it on top. You should know that we are not that far apart in terms of power and ability. And neither of us ever stops improving.”

“Do you think you are the only one who has changed?” Asterios chuckled amusedly. “Very well. Let’s raise the bar a little, shall we?”

He turned around and spread his arms, bringing a confused frown onto the mask of his opponent. Clearing his throat, he amplified his voice to reach everyone around and the artifacts wielded by Viona or the other staff members.

“People of my beloved Dragon Valley!” Asterios began, dragging his eyes all around. “I hope you are enjoying the festivities we have prepared for you! Especially all the draconic themes displayed everywhere and in everything! My loyal aides and assistants tend to go out of their way to step up their game at every possible occasion, don’t they?”

A wave of pleasant snickers and giggles passed through the crowd.

“You might have seen me detach myself from their machinations just as often, haven’t you? In the end, I didn’t think it was wise to further add oil to the fire that is all the rumors about my peculiar identity.” He ran his fingers through his hair while closing his eyes and turning his face to the sky. “But, I realized I have been running upstream this entire time, fighting against the current, and where’s the fun in that? So, from this jovial day, I’ll happily go with the flow and embrace the picture everyone paints of me. To do that, I have been working long hours with my subordinates on a technique perfectly fitting this matter. I have faith that it won’t disappoint you. Thus, without further ado…”

Finishing with a drawl, Asterios faced off against Zegion once more. Meeting the man’s curious eyes, he grasped his chest and tore off his upper garments in one motion, their fragments disappearing into the air amidst tongues of crimson fire. The Demon King’s gaze instantly snapped to his athletic chest, getting heavily distracted by the unexpected display.

Now, they were both just in their pants.

But that wasn’t the end.

A reverberating growl fled Ast’s throat as those dark red flames snaked all over his skin, partially obstructing him from view. However, they weren’t covering enough to hide the ongoing changes. Ast’s entire frame grew and expanded, his arms and legs turning thicker with muscle, their surface morphing from skin to something else. Bit by bit, more pronounced features made an appearance, and his whole head was replaced by a much sharper, snout-bearing version.

In a matter of seconds, Asterios stood there in the full glory of his draconic Battle Form, filling the arena with utter silence. He cracked his neck while his wings unfurled to the sides, stretching themselves to their limits. Next, he smacked his fist into his palm and cracked his knuckles, setting his hands at his sides afterwards.

A wisp of black smoke puffed out of his draconic nostrils as he looked down at the demon man, now a head or more taller than his opponent. “Still want to fight?”

Zegion blinked a few times before his lips twisted in a manic grin. “Every grand tournament needs a prime show of the good old violence on the main stage. Let our fists do the talking, Dragon!”

“Don’t forget your royal harem can’t save you this time.” Asterios matched his grin and directed his snout to the sky, releasing a booming roar into the coliseum.

The audience exploded in cheers, finally breaking the tense silence, and the second round truly began.

The Demon King flapped his leathery wings and shot forward, kicking up a small cloud of dust at his previous spot. He crossed the distance between them in a blink, appearing before Asterios with his fist cocked back, aimed at Ast’s stomach, taking advantage of their slight height difference. His knuckles connected with a loud smack, a small shockwave sent outwards from their position.

But, they hadn’t found their initial target. Instead, Ast’s scaly palm was what had received the force of the punch, stopping it dead in its tracks, his draconic fingers holding onto the other man’s angry fist. He didn’t even flinch, not to mention moving from where he had stood since the beginning of this bout.

“Seriously?” Asterios raised a brow at his adversary. “The same trick as the last time? You should have known that those moves aren’t going to work on me anymore. I’m not holding back anything compared to that day.”

Not giving Zegion any time to answer, he pulled the demon man’s wrist in while delivering his own punch with his other hand, twisting his arm with the full power of his beastly muscles. It hit the mark faster than most could perceive, launching the Demon King back with an unbelievable blow to the face. If he hadn’t let go of Zegion’s knuckles, this much force could have possibly torn an arm out of the demon’s socket.

The invisible barrier flickered to life as the pink-skinned monarch slammed into it before falling to the ground, landing on his knees and supporting himself on his fist, a trickle of blood trailing down the side of his head. That tiny detail proved just how much had changed since their initial spar in the throne room. It had taken Asterios a long time to make a scratch in the other man’s durable body back then. Now, he might actually have to be careful.

It would do no good if he let himself get provoked again. The consequences of losing his composure would be magnitudes greater.

However, King Zegion wasn’t a wimp. Laughing excitedly, he stood up, spitting onto the bricks and wiping his bloodied lips. His tribal tattoos glowed slightly, and he seemed rejuvenated a tad. The bleeding had stopped.

“I didn’t come here empty-handed either.” He waggled his brows. “I admit, I didn’t expect you to get even sexier, but gods, that is such a perfect form. So thick, chunky, tall, and lean where it needs to be. Tell me, did all of you grow bigger during this shift?”

It was obvious where his gaze was focused.

“Actually, don’t answer that.” The Demon King licked his lips. “Let it be a surprise. I love surprises. Especially those I can uncover myself! Ahahahahaha!”

A slight shudder raced down Ast’s spine, and the next time he blinked, Zegion was in front of him again. Asterios readied a counter, but his challenger dove low, the swing passing above his head. The man slammed into Ast’s waist, forcing him to take a step back.

The kid’s gloves were fully off now.

Then, Asterios felt something latch onto his belt, and his pupils narrowed into thin slits.

“You perverted old man!” He shouted, raising his knee with all he had.

“Oomph!” The impact completely emptied Zegion’s lungs, bumping his form off the ground, loosening the grip he had on Ast’s waistband.

Bringing his hands above his head, Asterios interlaced his fingers and brought them down in a joint effort to crash into the demon’s back. The force behind the motion caused an outburst of pressure in all directions as his assailant hit the floor with a resounding smack, a shallow crater appearing beneath them. With his legs free, Asterios lifted his foot and slammed his heel down.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, it met nothing but bricks, sending jagged pieces into the air as they broke, the Demon King rolling away in time. To be perfectly honest, it was a shock that Zegion’s spine had survived the earlier strike. But, jumping to his feet, the rosy man looked only faintly roughed up and in no way chastised for his actions.

“What’s wrong? Are you really that shy about showing off your body? It’s a tradition in the Demon Continent to fight naked during the most important festivities. It brings people together.” The masked fighter tilted his head. “Or… is all this height perhaps compensating for something?”

Asterios could feel the desire to rip the fucker’s head off and shove it up his ass growing in the corner of his mind, but it wasn’t difficult to recognize that it wasn’t exactly his feelings. A certain someone was getting very offended on his behalf. One particular lady who had witnessed his draconic glory firsthand, most likely. Which also shared her race with the vulgar offender.

~No one gets to talk dirty to him like that but me!~ Furious thoughts echoed in Ast’s mind. ~And I’m the only one who can forcefully undress him, bastard!~

A light smirk snuck onto Ast’s lips as he saw Zegion stiffen, undoubtedly hearing Grea’s voice too through the connection they all shared, possibly regretting his choice of provocative words.

But it was too late.

A woman scorned knew no boundaries, king or not.

Swallowing heavily, the demon man fixed his stance. Since he had already fucked up and was in for more than just an earful, he might as well go all out. It couldn’t get any worse for him, could it?

He would expose Ast’s dirty secrets at all costs.

Yet, the third time wasn’t a charm as Asterios ceased being passive. He rushed ahead to start the next bout on his own terms. Zegion barely swung his arms up to cross them in front of his chest before a scaly fist descended upon them like a falling boulder. His back crashed into the edge of the arena once more. He had no time to compose himself, though, as a barrage of follow-up blows rained upon him mercilessly.

Punch after punch, Asterios barraged the shorter man with air-blasting strikes that shook the nearby ground. To his credit, the Demon King blocked every single one of them, moving and angling his guard just enough to intercept all attacks. None passed through his defenses and reached his body. Still, the waves of force were a different topic. His pink skin rippled, and his muscles twitched from the powerful aftershocks. The real blows he might have stopped, but it still felt like they bore right into his flesh and organs.

He knew things wouldn’t last long this way. Ast’s raw strength was leaps and bounds ahead of what it had been in the past. A different approach was necessary. His forearms were quickly turning red, purple, and even bordering on black. For someone with a highly enhanced physique, that was quite insane.

Thus, he bided his time and waited for a good opportunity. Or rather, tried to calculate the trajectories of Ast’s wild swings. Thankfully, he succeeded and shifted his balance.

Asterios frowned when his fist didn’t meet the usual resistance, instead choosing to glide ahead. His knuckles grazed Zegion’s skin along the man’s arm as the Demon King slid his palm over his scales. It might have looked like they had missed each other with an attempted punch, but then, fingers wrapped tightly around Ast’s bicep, followed by an insistent tug.

Somehow, his adversary absorbed the kinetic energy of the strike and used it against him, entering a twirl while pulling Ast’s arm along his path. Zegion passed his side, ended up back to back with him, and finished the combination of motions with a powerful yank. Not an inkling of initial force had been lost, and to his surprise, Asterios was flung backwards before getting shoulder-checked into the bricks.

What followed was a chaotic tangle of limbs, during which the Demon King tried every move he knew to keep Asterios grappled and under his control. He certainly had lots of experience in such techniques, and it showed. But he was going against a much bigger, bulkier, and taller guy with an additional layer of scaly protection. Most grabs, holds, and leverages slipped over the smooth plates with barely any effect.

Kicks, punches, and jabs flew everywhere. Sometimes they missed the mark completely and struck the ground. Wherever they landed, small holes were left behind, pieces of decorative stones bursting into the air. It was a spectacle of its own, even if not exactly an honorable and tournament-worthy display. But it wasn’t just a friendly competition. There were things at stake here.

Very valuable things.

After some struggle, Asterios found a gap and slipped his knee between them, sending his opponent flying to the back as he straightened his leg. They both landed on all fours, their gazes locked firmly, equally savage grins twisting their lips. Neither waited too long, and they both surged forward to clash again and give the audience what it was there for.

The undercover king whipped his fist to the back, and so did the draconic ruler of Glimmervale. Their blows met in the middle, causing a big shockwave all around them, knocking their arms away. A few more attempts were made, resulting in the same effect. The spectators watched as the pair exchanged punches almost faster than humanly perceivable, and listened to the thunder-like noise of each impact.

Then, Asterios whirled around, mirrored by his challenger. When they were turned away from each other, their tails crossed paths in the air between them with a powerful snap. They started including their wings in the fight too, and soon, pretty much every appendage contented for the final blow that would knock the other person out cold.

Yet, it was obvious which fighter was suffering more from that beatdown.

The next time their fists met and were blown away, Zegion tensed his legs and lunged forward. Asterios expected another simple grappling attempt, but the way the man’s wings suddenly flapped in opposite directions caught him off guard. The Demon King entered a spinning motion during his charge, putting his head first, flying forward like a drill from hell, clearly aiming to skewer his opponent.

Gritting his teeth, Asterios flooded his senses with more draconic mana. In any other situation, he could have chosen to resolve this issue with a plethora of magical and draconic means, but they had both silently agreed for this challenge to remain a battle of physical might. Even if Zegion had gained a few supportive techniques, the pink-skinned martial artist was still limited to his overbearing strength. Especially without his aides present on the battlefield.

Therefore, picking the most fortunate time, Asterios jumped forward instead of backing up. The rotating horns grazed his side as they passed under his armpit, carving a deep gash in his torso. But the man’s neck was now perfectly where Asterios wanted it to be. Setting his feet firmly on the ground, he grabbed his right wrist and tugged it to the left, effectively locking Zegion’s neck in a chokehold between his side and his bent elbow, stopping the spinning completely. They slid a few meters to the back with the remaining force of the initial rush, but otherwise, the situation was under control.

At least until Asterios felt two sets of fingers slip behind his belt from the front, latching onto it tightly.

“Oh no, you don’t!” He growled, realizing that the other man had never abandoned his shameful goal, only acting like it.

Hastily, Asterios spun himself around while retaining his hold on his adversary and threw them both down. At the same time as his back smacked into the ground, the Demon King wasn’t as lucky, and he crashed face-first into the bricks with a crunchy noise, his grappling technique turned against him.

Eye for an eye, nose for a nose, or something like that.

But, even while suffering a strong concussion, Zegion certainly wasn’t yet done, and Asterios could feel that much. So, he rolled over the rosy demon’s chiseled back, digging his elbow into his waist to keep him painfully pinned with applied pressure to his kidney, and caught the man’s ankle. Retaining momentum, he swung his sly friend’s body like a two-handed weapon and smashed the poor fellow into the floor once more, this time with the back of his head.

A few more slams followed before the Demon King started getting limp, which was when Asterios took hold of his other leg and began spinning around his own axis like a cyclone. Not soon after, his captive unexpectedly slipped out of his grasp and was hurled away in a wide arc.

Surprised a tad, Asterios came to a stop with a small frown. Bringing his hands up, he found his fingers grasping the ends of a pair of white martial pants. His brows rising in mild understanding, he threw a glance over his shoulder, where he sensed his unconscious opponent should be found.

And there he was, a short distance away, face down in the ground, ass up in the air, flashing his pink, muscular cheeks to the world.

It looked like Noigez the Tenderizer managed to achieve his goal of full exposure.

Just not in the way he had been hoping for.

“That’s what you get for playing with fire… and Dragons…” Asterios snorted lightly. “Again.”

Then, he marched to the naked man and threw a sheet over his backside before a certain group of demon males jumped down and accidentally exposed his true identity too, wondering if the Demon King always went commando, even the first time they had met.

As if things couldn’t get any weirder.