The Demon Wolf (Book 1 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 66

As he said this, Balder stood up from his throne and threw his cup of wine down while walking towards Julius and Harald. He then pulls out his greatsword and has plenty of will and ability just to end it all in seconds. Julius gazed upon the blade of Balder and noticed that it carried the souls of those who are slashed open by it. He could hear the cries and whimpers of the victims who died by Balder's sword, and he could only just stand there and watch. Julius and Harald could not immediately attack the demon king without coming up with a kind of plan that might work.

"You cannot kill me. You will all die in vain, just like they all did. Those who stand against me will feel my blade run deep in their chests. Their souls are mine and mine alone," Balder said.

"We'll see about that now, won't we?" Julius asked. He was thinking of a plan to make the demon king fall to his knees and put an end to Midland's curse.

He stared at Balder, slowly walking towards him and the earl as his blade was upon his shoulder and ready for a duel. But before he could think of a plan, Harald had much anger and contempt crawl inside of his mind. He was angrier than he has ever been before, and his soul became full of rage against the demon king. And so, Harald lifts his greatsword and runs to Balder to cut him down and end his suffering.

"No! Harald!!" Julius shouted. He tries to run to the earl to stop him before he could land a fatal blow upon the face of the demon king.

But Balder proved himself to be too powerful against the demon slayers; the earl raised his sword and sliced the creature on his chest. The demon king fell on the floor and did not expect Harald to attack him so suddenly. Harald tries so hard to slice open the body of Balder and watch him bathe in his blood and gasp for air. Little did he know that Lancelot's sword could not penetrate the soul of the demon king, even though his sword was made of nordic steel. Only metallic silver can kill a demon with higher strength and durability; nordic steel could only kill an ordinary monster that is not within the same caliber.

Then, Balder uses two fingers to snap Harald away from him with a force of power; he watched as the earl fell on his back but still held onto his sword. A few seconds later, Julius rushes towards the demon king and stabs him in the back after getting up from the ground. He did not care how much pain he could endure; he would allow no one to walk away after laying their hands on his earl. Then Julius pulled the sword back and ran to the front side of Balder's body to hand him a decisive blow. He watched as the demon king was slowly regenerating himself to be prepared to fight back against him and Harald.

Then Julius raises his greatsword and slices Balder on his stomach, which resulted in more blood falling from his body. The demon king fell again and felt even more pain from the demon hunter's sword. Balder recognized Julius for what he is, and he knew all about the one who has the power of darkness but still appeared to be a human. Julius backs away from him as he gets up from the floor again and tries to reason with the two demon slayers. But convincing them led only to more bloodshed and more hatred between himself and the earl.

Harald dashed towards Balder and raised his greatsword, and he tried to land another attack on the demon king. Balder swung his greatsword, and the swing was powerful enough to make Harald's sword fall. The earl had seen no one throw him off balance before and never made his sword fall from such a powerful swing. Then, Balder pushes Harald aside as he tries to take hold of his blade during the night. The demon king was so fast and powerful that he gave up anyone trying to take their weapon from the floor.

Harald and Balder stared at each other for a long while as Julius tried to find a weakness in Balder's body.

"Witless man. Do you know who I am? Do you know of the one who now sits on the throne of Midland?" Balder asked.

"I've always known who you are. You killed my father and took his head for your own. My father, King Lancelot, is the one you killed. I know everything about you!" Harald answered.

Then the demon king said to him, "I am Balder. The king of all kings. This power is mine to give! The people of this world obey my voice! I have power. Powers you've never seen! You will taste no victory here!"

"You will taste my wrath, demon! God is with me, and you will suffer for your transgressions!" The earl shouted. Before Balder raises his blade to kill Harald, Julius charges at the demon king's back and starts squeezing him and running at the same time.

A short moment later, the demon hunter throws Balder to the ground and raises his greatsword to slice off his head. The demonic beast also proved to be very powerful against Julius as he knocked him to the ground and teleported back to his throne. He stared at the two men who were in the castle as their reason for being there was simply to put him out of his misery. He then lifts his right hand and uses sorcery to summon six hellish servants to his aid. All of them wore large masks that covered their faces and mouths, and they wore black-plated armor and carried gigantic swords.

"Now witness my dominant power tonight. Do not be afraid. For tonight, you will be the first to witness me to come into the world and fulfill my destiny. No, I bid you all welcome to the new era I shall bring," Balder said. Julius and Harald stared at the demon king with shock and surprise, and they did not know if Balder was going to be seen as a hero or a villain.

They could not think of a second clue of going towards the demon king because of how many servants the creature has summoned.

"I sense much strength in you, Earl Harald. Darkness rises, and light to meet it. You have been our foe for decades, but the man who stands next to you has the power of darkness. You are the only son of King Lancelot, aren't you?" Balder asked. Then, he raises his left hand, and force pulls Harald closer to him to make the earl give him what he wants.

There was nothing Harald could do to push himself away from the mighty power of the demon king.

"You underestimate Julius and me. I know what you're trying to do... and it won't work. Your fate is sealed," Harald said.

Then Balder said to him, "Fate? I had sealed my fate years ago when I killed the king and took his crown. Why have you come other than to avenge your father? It was I who cast the spell that forced the demons upon the earth. It was I who cast the spell that separated the world from the heavens. Your sword cannot kill my servants nor me.

"I knew Lancelot was not strong enough to face me in combat. And that you weren't wise enough to rule as mighty as he did."

As he said this, Balder pushed Harald with his sorcery and made him float in the air as Julius watched from below.

"I have almost everything I want. Almost. So now... now you will give me the sword of King Lancelot," the demon king said. He had all kinds of power with his hands and proved to be useful against many of his opponents.

"Give... me... everything," Balder said. The sorcery from his left hand forced him to enter Harald's mind, which made the earl feel painful.

Then, he drops the earl on the floor and had many opportunities to kill him where he lay. But he noticed Julius still being with Harald.

"Well, well. I did not expect Lancelot's son to be so convoluted. I will exterminate his lineage one by one. We will go to the far reaches of the earth and hunt them down before they can hunt us," the demon king said.

"Come down from that throne and fight me! You're not worthy to sit on my father's chair!" Harald shouted. The anger of his voice was enough to have Balder rise from the throne to duel against the demon slayers.