Demon Lord's Reincarnation

When Julius's spell finished he saw a naked Nero still standing upright. It seems that his strongest spell only peeled off a little bit of Nero's skin and destroyed his clothes.

'That was dangerous if I didn't react on time and focused my Origin energy to shield myself I would have disintegrated.' Nero thought to himself as he checked his current state.

'As expected that wasn't enough to win. If Nero wasn't this good then there won't be any point in winning if it wasn't this difficult.'

Julius who was nearly empty took out a few more bottles that could replenish his strength, he then tossed a few bottles to Nero.

"Take them, those will restore your strength."

"You truly are as I expected you to be." Nero caught the bottles that were tossed to him and was about to drink them.

"Also if you have an extra pair of clothes I can wait for you to change before we continue."

"This is rather inconvenient. Harold can you get me some clothes."

Harold sighed as he went out to bring back Nero's clothes, Nero wore his new pair of clothes and started drinking the potion given to him.

After the two drank the potions their bodies and energies returned to their optimal states. Nero did not waste any time once he was back in full health he started aggressively attacking Julius.

Nero knew that if he gave Julius any space the other party would take out something else from his sub-space. Julius had already expected this reaction from Nero so he was quick to react and took out a shield from his sub-space.

Nero thought that Julius was going to use the large kite shield like a normal shield but of course, the other party did something entirely different from what was expected. Julius threw the kite shield.

Nero's sight was blocked by the kite shield he was going to push it away but the very second he was about to touch the kite shield it started changing form. The kite shield transformed into a blade with no handle. Nero who already had his hand out was cut by the blade and felt something had entered his system.

"Alchemists aren't just good at making potions and enhancing things, we are also good at transforming matter and creation. So how is it the poison I created to defeat Gods?"

Nero could hear Julius's voice but it sounded so distant, it was so far away that it was like an echo in his ear. Nero who had increased his poison resistance to an incredible level knelt on the ground his sight was becoming blurry his thoughts becoming hazy.

Not only that but the pain Nero was feeling was incredibly intense it was as if he was being stabbed by thousands of swords from the inside of his body, Nero was now breathing heavily as he once again heard Julius's voice.

"So Nero what do you say, do you surrender? If you surrender I will give you the antidote." Nero lifted his head and looked at the blurry face of Julius who was smiling at him.

'Is this it, is this how far I can go, does my martial path only reach this level?...'

Nero who had full confidence in himself was surprised by how much he was suppressed in this battle. Despite saying he was alright with Julius winning he didn't expect to lose in such a way. The battle he imagined was quite the opposite of what was happening right now, in the battle in his imagination he was the one testing Julius who would use any means possible to win.

'I see, so that how it was... I was looking at this battle wrong. I was looking at Julius as if he was beneath me as if he was a challenger. How incredibly arrogant of me to think like that. Heh, I was always praised as the second coming of the Ancestor, but I'm not him. I'm not some absurd existence as the Strongest Mortal Soul...

I need to surpass my own limits in my own way.'

...

Julius waited patiently for Nero to surrender and ask for the antidote. Still, it was surprising the poison he created should have killed Nero already but the other party was still kneeling conscious, and mumbling something to himself. Nero then stared at Julius for several seconds and then seems like he was about to say something.

"Are you finally going to surrender?"

"Surrender? No, I want to thank you, Julius."

"Thank me?" Julius could not understand what was going on in Nero's mind. "Are you unable to think clearly now because of the poison?"

"No, in fact, I'm finally thinking more clearly than ever before, which is why I wanted to thank you, Julius. You opened my eyes and made me look at myself properly." Nero who was kneeling was slowly getting up which surprised Julius.

Nero's aura was rising to a terrifying degree his spiritual energy was bursting out of his body, and black liquid came out of his pores and scattered on the ground. Nero's eyes which were covered by a haze suddenly became clearer his azure eyes were now like a clear blue sky. Julius noticing the changes in Nero was not discouraged but instead, he got even more excited.

"I don't know how you did it but you were able to not only withstand my poison but even expel it out of your body. Still, that just wants me to win against you more! I will prove today that I'm not a waste and that I'm worthy of the name Loder!"

Hearing Julius's declaration made many of the members of the Loder Clan feel ashamed, especially those who had looked down on Julius over the years. Despite being an elder of the clan some of them didn't really respect him.

"Then show it to all of us, Julius! Show us the path to the truth that you have sought after! I too will show you the path that I have walked. The truth of my martial way!"

The presence of the two on stage seemed to have grown bigger to the eyes of those who were watching. The entire arena became eerily quiet after the declaration of the two. No one could even blink as they did not want to miss a single action of what was to happen next.