Demon Lord's Reincarnation

pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ

Even though his arms were pretty much useless, and he could not circulate his mana in his current condition, Ren continued to smile that vicious smile of his as he bit down on his sword Snertal. The Goddess of Light did not charge in despite her overwhelming advantage, as a wounded beast was dangerous.

The Goddess of Light no longer had a shield so she changed her stance into a more offense-orientated one. As she faced Ren who was weakened and nearly out of breath she suddenly remembered the time when she was still human, as the Saintess of the old God of Light. Back then she had been in many situations such as this. Yet despite always facing overwhelming odds she always somehow won in the end. Still, her opponent this time was also someone who had survived even more life and death situations than her.

The two locked eyes with each other, and Ren sense that there was some change in the aura of the Goddess of Light. He didn't really bother with that as he got excited all the same. Ren and Snertal roared from deep within their souls and charged forward. Snertal was created by the bones of a dragon the most powerful living creature in existence. Even the true Gods themselves do not take dragons lightly, especially ancient dragons.

Even though it was just a sword now and only had a little spirit of a dragon, Snertal was nevertheless a dragon. It roared in joy and pride as it faced the world deity, in glorious combat.

Ren swung Snertal using his mouth, the Goddess of Light stepped back to evade the strike and at that moment Ren spun and was about to kick her. The Goddess of Light no longer stepped back and instead stepped forward and slashed at Ren's leg.

Ren stuck Snertal onto the ground and flung his body away before the Goddess of Light's slash was able to hit. Ren then used this momentum to initiate another strike. Now that the Goddess of Light had slashed downward Ren found the opening he needed. Yet before Ren's strike could reach her the Goddess of Light let go of her sword and evaded the strike.

As the sword was falling to the ground, the Goddess of Light kicked it back upward forcing Ren to step back. The Goddess of Light then grabbed her sword and pierced forward. Ren shifted his head a little to the side evading the attack and countering.

The two continued to exchange blows like this, and same as before the longer they continued the sharper Ren became. Still, even as he was improving he was still in a very disadvantageous situation as he now had many wounds on his body and each one wasn't healing as the Divine Energy that invaded his body disrupted his mana flow.

The exchange between the two was less flashy than before, but unlike before each strike they made depleted their opponent's stamina. It was now a contest of endurance, the one who endured the longest would win.

Ren despite his arms dangling lifelessly as he swung his sword using his mouth, was smiling from ear to ear. On the other hand, the Goddess of Light who had fought Ren to this point was reminded of long-forgotten things. This battle had helped her remember some feelings she had back when she was still mortal.

She remembered her origin. On that sad battlefield, as her family, friends, and fellow believers were dying by the hundreds, she wished for a world where she and all like her would no longer need to fight. A world where you can believe in whatever religion you want, and you won't be judged because of it. She had once dreamt of a world where every child was smiling happily no matter their race.

Yet at some point, she had forgotten about that dream due to her rage. Though the rage has long been gone, that memory had disappeared with it. She had pushed it aside and grew more distant to it as each day passed by. Now she became the ruler of the very place she hated back when she was still mortal. The moment those memories and feelings returned to her in this crucial moment made the Goddess of Light, Jeniffer chuckle lightly.

"What are you doing?!" Ren shouted as the Goddess of Light no longer lifted her sword and allowed Ren to strike her. Yet before Ren's blade had cut off her neck, he stopped.

"I'm tired, very tired, as you reminded me of something I have long forgotten. So I decided that maybe it's time for me to rest. Who better to lay me down to my eternal rest than the Strongest Mortal Soul himself."

"No, no, no! This is not how it is supposed to be! What happened to your fervor, what happened to your anger? Aren't you insulted that a mortal such as I had pushed you to this state?"

"What's the point, the dream I had before was crushed by my very own hands. I have forced thousands to their deaths, and had become something I never wished to be." When Ren saw the lifeless look the Goddess of Life gave him, he grew angrier.

"So what?! So you realized that you have become evil, then so what?! Do you think dying like this would absolve your sins?! Then what of your believers that died believing that you would win, will you forsake those wishes of theirs?! If you finally acknowledge your mistakes, then the more reason to try and live. I know it might sound weird coming from the guy that is literally trying to erase your existence, but is this really the way you want to die?"

The Goddess of Light looked at Ren who no longer had a smile on his face. In fact, unlike the time he was being sliced and battered he looked more hurt now more than ever. It was at that moment the Goddess of Light finally understood the hidden layer within the Stronger Mortal Soul. She smiled gently at the Strongest Mortal Soul and raised her sword once more.

"Then let's end this in a more fitting way."

"... Alright, then." Ren bit onto Senrtal's handle again and bent his neck to the side raising Snertal upward. The Goddess of Light charged at Ren at full power, and Ren slashed downward at the same timing. The Goddess of Light was confused as to the timing of Ren's attack. At her current speed, she wouldn't reach the range of the sword strike, and Ren would miss. Yet despite that, she unconsciously lifted her sword to block. Ren's sword that was a meter away from her made a full arc downward and at that moment the Goddess of Light's sword and her body were sliced in half.

That was Ren's new sword technique, a technique that ignored distance and defense. It was a nearly unblockable strike. If he had performed that technique before the Goddess of Light would've easily dodged. Yet now that she was tired and was caught by surprise she wasn't able to do anything at all.

"Thank you for the battle." As those words entered the ears of the fading Goddess of Light she looked at the man who continued smiling. Yet she knew that there was more hidden within that smile of his. She then whispered to herself.

"O kind, gentle, Strongest Mortal Soul, I hope that you too find your rest someday."