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Haru and the demon stared at each other in silence.
The demon then hopped down from the pile of demon corpses it had been sitting on.
And suddenly, something clicked in Haru's mind. His memories came rushing back.
This was his second reincarnation.
Why had he forgotten that until now?
He had died once on Earth, before reincarnating again during Japan's Heian period, as the third son of the head of the Minamoto clan. That explained why his soul was so large and powerful.
The demon standing before him now â Haru recognized him from memory. This was the same one who would later be embarrassed by Diablo multiple times when Diablo came to the Underworld to glaze Rimuru and recruit some subordinates for him.
But make no mistake â Venom was by no means weak. Diablo was just⊠a monster.
Venom would later go on to receive that very name â Venom â from Rimuru himself and serve as Masayuki's bodyguard.
"Tensura, huhâŠ" Haru muttered under his breath. "To think I've been reborn in that world."
What bad luck.
He had been thinking about becoming the strongest in this world, but now that he knew where he was, that dream seemed insane. With monsters like Rimuru, Velzard, Milim, Guy, Feldway⊠the list went on and on.
"What the hellâŠ" he sighed.
Venom stood a few meters in front of him, his golden eyes narrowing as he observed Haru. It felt as though Venom was studying him carefully, like a predator sizing up unfamiliar prey.
Haru crossed his arms and broke the silence.
"Can I help you with anything?"
Venom blinked in surprise. A Lesser Demon that could speak? That was unheard of.
"A Lesser Demon⊠with speech?" he said slowly. "How surprising. What are you?"
Haru tilted his head. "What do you mean, what am I? I'm just an ordinary demon."
Venom smirked, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
"A Lesser Demon with speech and possibly intelligence. You must have quite the powerful soul."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Haru replied casually, though internally, he was already running through possible outcomes.
Venom didn't seem convinced.
"I'll give you two options, Lesser Demon," he said coldly. "First â you submit to me and become my subordinate. Or second â I kill you and use your essence to advance my evolution. You choose."
Haru went quiet, thinking carefully.
He definitely did not want to become Venom's subordinate. If anything, he'd rather serve Testarossa, just for the chance to see that goddess-like woman every day.
But now wasn't the time to be hasty.
He tried to recall everything he knew about Venom. The demon before him was a close-quarters combat fighter â strong, fast, and brutal. He possessed three unique skills, which explained why he once dared to challenge Diablo for the title of "Strongest in the Underworld."
The most troublesome among them was [Divider], a skill that allowed him to break through anything with a single touch.
The second was [Regenerator], which granted him absurd regeneration â even from total destruction. He could recover from almost anything, including damage to his very soul.
Haru remembered how Diablo had one-shotted Venom multiple times, occasionally choosing to erase him completely â and yet Venom always came back, again and again, challenging Diablo with relentless determination. Even Diablo had been surprised by his persistence.
The third unique skill, [Integrator], wasn't particularly combat-focused, so Haru decided he didn't need to worry about that one for now.
"Now then⊠what do we do?" Haru thought, his mind sharpening as he considered his next move.
Finally, he smiled and looked Venom dead in the eye.
"Why don't you submit to me instead, scruffy boy?"
Venom froze. Then, his expression darkened.
"A Lesser Demon dares to ask me to submit? I hope you're ready to back up those words."
[Cue: Lady Gaga - Judas "Sped Up"]
Venom disappeared from his spot in an instant and reappeared beside Haru, attempting to land a powerful blow. Haru barely managed to dodge, skipping three steps back before charging toward Venom to strike in return.
But before he could land a hit, Venom raised a barrier that completely nullified Haru's attack.
Haru quickly backstepped, increasing his distance, and began moving backward at speed. Venom shot five rapid fireballs in quick succession, each homing in on him.
Haru, ever the showman, decided to aura farm â wanting to look cool â and backflipped, dodging each fireball with precision. Left, right, right, left â each dodge seamless as the fireballs flew past him.
After the last one passed harmlessly, Haru came to a standstill. Some distance now separated them, and both looked at each other.
Venom scratched his head and smiled.
"Man, it seems magic really isn't for me. I just can't seem to get it right."
Haru responded casually,
"Yeah⊠you're right. Those fireballs were insanely slow. Maybe you should stick to hand-to-hand combat."
Internally, Yuzuki pleaded silently: PleaseâŠ
Haru knew he had fire resistance, but Venom's flames were far stronger than the ones from lower-level demons. They couldn't hurt him immediately, but if the fight dragged on, they could pose a serious problem.
And that damn barrier⊠Haru cursed silently. He had completely forgotten about barriers.
Could I break through it with enough force? he wondered. Venom probably had a higher magicule count than him. It's pointless. I need a way to make him drop that barrier.
He thought carefully. Diablo's descendants aren't as dense as Guy's⊠so I can't just use something like Warrior's Pride, can I?
Tired of the standoff, Venom said, "I'm coming," and rushed toward Haru.
A relentless back-and-forth ensued. Venom's punches came fast and hard, and Haru dodged with precise timing. Every strike Haru tried to land was blocked by the impenetrable barrier.
Eventually, Venom managed a clean hit, sending Haru rolling across the sand. He came to his feet, dragging himself back with both feet marking lines in the ground, and returned to a standstill.
It hurts, Haru admitted internally. What the hell⊠he can bypass my Pain Resistance.
It didn't hurt as much as it would have without his resistance, but the fact remained: Venom could harm him. And Haru couldn't touch him because of the barrier.
If this keeps up, I'm doomed to lose.
He gritted his teeth. Damn it all. I have to at least tryâŠ
Haru analyzed the situation internally.
Throughout this brief exchange, he had determined two things.
First, his movement speed was faster than Venom's, but Venom's reaction speed was superior. In practical terms, they canceled each other out. One might argue that reaction speed was more important than movement speed, but to Haru, they held equal weight.
Second, and far more unsettling â Venom was far stronger than him.
This might be a shot in the dark, but I'll at least try, he thought.
Haru addressed Venom with a smirk.
"What a Greater Demon you are," he scoffed. "Huh, using barriers against a mere Lesser Demon? Are all demons from the Black Lineage this cowardly?"
Venom's gaze sharpened.
"I'm not stupid. I see what you're trying to do. Pretty cunning, aren't you?"
Haru muttered under his breath,
"Tchh⊠curse Diablo for being born smart."
Venom's expression softened slightly, almost amused.
"Fine. I'll dispel the barrier. It really does seem cowardly for a Greater Demon such as myself to use a barrier against you. It's most definitely overkill. But before that⊠I do have a question for you."
Haru looked at him with annoyance. Internally, he seethed: Talking down to me like this⊠it's really terrible, man. It's fine when I make fun of myself, but when someone else does it, it just doesn't feel right.
He replied, slightly gritted-teeth annoyed,
"What is it? What do you want to know?"
Venom's golden eyes scanned him carefully.
"Which lineage do you belong to? I've never seen a maroon sclera before. I don't think any of the Primordials have it."
Haru shrugged.
"I don't know either. I was born like this."
Venom nodded slowly.
"I see," he said, and then readied himself. Without warning, he prepared to attack again.________________________________________
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