Demon Lord's Reincarnation

The moment Kir acknowledged his challenge, Kretos immediately attacked Kir. Kretos didn't use any weapon since Kir wasn't using anything as well and was still in his human form.

'No need to hold back with this one!' Kretos jumped upward and did a somersault kick from above. Kir evaded the strike by sidestepping. Kretos who missed his target hit the ground which shattered upon contact with his leg.

Even though the ground shattered and this move would've unbalanced most opponents, Kir wasn't most opponents. Even with the ground cracking and shaking Kir's stance was steady as a mountain. He then countered with a punch and an explosive mana burst happened which ignited the surrounding air.

Before the punch was able to hit Kretos, he was able to divert it but the explosion of mana was something he didn't expect. When the mana burst happened, Kretos was quick enough to block it with his mana barrier. He then used the opportunity to do a low sweeping kick, in which Kir evaded by jumping upward.

After dodging the attack Kir was ready to unleash another mana beam downward towards Kretos. The punch that unleashed a mana beam came down on Kretos as fast as lightning, but even with that kind of speed, Kretos was still able to evade. The mana beam penetrated the ground and dug dip underground.

In an awkward position, Kir who was in mid-air was unable to dodge Kretos's next attack. Kretos got a hold of Kir's leg and flipped the Lycan to the ground creating another crater. Even in such a situation, Kir was able to unleash another mana beam, and this time Kretos was unable to fully dodge it. Kretos right arm was slightly burnt by the mana beam and he loosened his grip on Kir's leg allowing the Lycan to escape.

The two combatants then charged at each other and started punching and kicking while blocking and evading. Each strike Kir threw was loaded with a lot of mana which upon release devastated a large area. On the other hand, while Kretos was busy counterattacking and completely ignoring defense, he was able to understand the basics behind Kir's mana ignition and mana beams.

Kretos was able to copy the technique and used it in battle. Kir couldn't help but be surprised that his technique was stolen just like that. Yet despite his surprise, he was also excited. The two of them were now smiling so much it made them look like friends, instead of enemies trying to kill each other.

...

The power of each of their strikes made the ground shake and each time their fists collided a crater was formed. The simple shockwaves of their attacks had uprooted the nearby trees. The demons who were waiting outside the middle lands could feel the vibrations of the battle from such a distance.

The whole middle lands were approximately 92, 000 sq mi, and even with that distance, their battle could still be felt far beyond. The demons couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear knowing how powerful these two demons were.

...

After exchanging attacks for half a day the two finally separated. The environment they were fighting in was no longer the same as before. The trees were gone, the ground had many craters and cracks, the stone throne was no more.

The two who fought were now full of bruises and wounds but they continued to smile at each other. They stood up straight looked at each other and started laughing. The two who have sought battle for different reasons have finally found a kindred soul.

"Hahaha, that was a great warm-up. It has been a few centuries since I last fought like this." Kir spoke with joy in his face. While he was talking the injuries he sustained were healing at a rapid pace.

"That was fun for me too, Demon Lord Kir. It's highly possible that you would be the one to fulfill my wish." Kretos's vicious smile was looking more menacing than ever. He was circulating his mana in such a fast pace the wounds he received were healing in a way that the naked eye could see.

"Oh, so what is this wish of yours?"

"To fight a glorious battle! To have a battle that will exhaust everything I have, and no matter what I do, I will fail. I want a desperate battle that would ignite my very soul!" Kretos spoke with such passion that his mana momentarily burst out of his body.

"Heh, the same yet different from my dream..."

"What's your dream old man? Seeing as this would be the last time we talk to each other I want to hear your dream." Kir was surprised to hear what Kretos said and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"I guess I am indeed an old man now. You're right this will be the last time we get to talk to each other, no matter who wins, so why not tell you my dream."

Kir sat down on the ground and Kretos sat down in front of him. Kretos then took out a bottle of wine from his shadow and tossed it to Kir. The two then started to drink before Kir spoke.

"So where should I start... When I was your age, I too sought battle but for different reasons. At that time the Lycan tribe was being looked down upon by the other demon tribes, simply because we were unable to use our mana properly. We were a tribe that had difficulty using spells. As demons at the time were known for their powerful mana and spells, the demons that relied on brute strength were called weaklings."

"So to change their opinions I sought to fight the strongest of demons, like what you are doing now. I fought the demon lords of that era. The first time I fought a demon lord was a horrible experience. I lost so badly that it was by sheer luck I was able to escape."

"After that loss, I continued to train and train and I fought weaker opponents first. During those days I met Darius and Elaine. The two of them became my best friends, and we had many adventurers together. When Elaine died me and Darius drifted apart, and I was once again alone."

"After a decade of training, I once again challenged the demon lords. This time I was able to defeat them. Not only that I was able to defeat any and everybody that came my way. As I was about to defeat the final demon lord of that era, Darius got ahead of me and killed that demon lord."

"Not wanting to fight Darius I headed back to my tribe where I was crowned chieftain and then I became a demon lord. I declared the area where we are now sitting on as my territory. As long as nobody messes with my territory I won't mess with them."

"Of course many demons didn't listen to me and many had challenged me over the centuries, but as you can see no one had succeeded. I have fought and fought until the joy of fighting was no more."

When Kir said those words his eyes, his facial expression, his aura, everything felt both sad and lonely. When Kretos saw Kir's face distorted with a bit of melancholy, Kretos felt something as well. It was as if he could sympathize with Kir.

"As you may know once your mana capacity reaches a certain degree as a demon, lifespan becomes nearly irrelevant. For as long as you do not get gravely injured, a demon who's that strong can live for as long as eternity."

"I have long reached that stage, and based on the mana you emitted earlier you have also reached that stage... Having a long life is quite boring, especially if you're as strong as me."

"The challengers that used to bother me, became my only entertainment. Fighting those challengers from different tribes had quelled my boredom a bit. But those times ended as well, there had been no challengers to come for three centuries. You are the only one who came, and for that I am grateful."

"This might sound weird since I have warned everyone not to come to my territory, but the truth is my dream is to once again taste defeat. The only reason I keep the act of not wanting people invading my territory is for my people and also to cull the weaklings that wish to challenge me. Those that run away from such a threat will never be able to give me defeat."

"Why do you want to be defeated?" Kretos finally spoke after listening to Kir's story.

"I want to taste defeat again since that was the last time I have ever felt truly alive. Right now I am but a hollowed shell of my past self. When you're at the top it becomes lonely and boring. If you're able to defeat me, sometime in the future you will understand what I'm saying."

"I see... Thank you for telling me this."

"Alright, now that we have nothing more to say, let's get back to what we were doing." The two looked at each other and smiled. They then took some distance from each other. Kir transformed into his Wolf form, were he becomes a bipedal wolf. Kretos summoned all of his weapons from his shadow. He was now surrounded by spears, swords, halberds, maces, and numerous other weapons.

"Kir of the Lycan tribe, ready for battle!"

"Kretos of the Shadow Clan, ready for battle!"