System's POV
chapter-563-4

The bolt imbued with Wind Magic pierced Orochi's main body, and even passed through to the other side, sticking out like a nail.

But instead of screaming in pain, the Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent turned silent.

All its eight heads stared in the direction where the bolt came from for a few seconds before it charged straight in Thirteen's direction, not caring about the reinforced steel bolt still embedded in its body.

As a Majin King, Orochi's instinct was telling it that as long as it dealt with the person who was attacking it from a distance, this battle would soon come to an end.

It didn't matter how much damage its body took, for it was certain that its wounds would heal and regenerate without fail.

Even the Steel Bolt that was still sticking out from its back was ignored completely due to its confidence that no one below the rank of Majin King could stop it.

The Earth Dragons decisively created walls of Earth to block the Majin King's path, but Orochi simply rammed into it, breaking it by force.

Cranky, who was about to finish eating the serpent head in its claws, threw it at the side and screeched in anger.

The Honey Badger decisively charged in the direction of the Majin King, understanding that Orochi was going all out to take down the teenage boy, who was commanding them from afar.

Thirteen, who also understood what his enemy was planning to do, summoned Rocky by his side and ordered him to take Sherry, the two Ogres, the Troll Shamans, and the Grand Ballista inside his Mobile Fortress.

The teenage boy knew that the Majin King wasn't stupid, so he had already expected that it would target him once it got fed up by being sniped from afar.

Thirteen then climbed on Blacky's back, believing that the latter was fast enough to outrun the Majin King, especially since the Earth Dragons and Cranky were doing their best to get in its way.

It was then the situation suddenly changed.

Cranky, who was fighting the Majin King, suddenly found itself flying backward as it was hit by Orochi's tail, catching it by surprise.

The Majin King's strength had risen once more, even managing to break down the Earth Dragon's Earth Walls with just one strike of its tail.

'This is bad,' Camazotz thought as he zigzagged in the air and punched the serpent heads that it had decided to target. 'It's becoming stronger with each passing minute.'

Orochi's body was now emanating a reddish aura, making it look like a glowing, blood-red snake in the darkness.

Cranky, enraged that it got flung away, screeched and once again charged at the serpent with a vengeance.

Four serpent heads lunged at the approaching Honey Badger, and this time, its fangs managed to pierce through Cranky's defenses, making the Honey Badger roar in pain and anger.

Camazotz was quick to kick and punch away the serpent heads, allowing the Honey Badger to break free from its grasps.

Just like most high-ranking monsters, Cranky also had a regeneration ability of its own.

However, the Majin King's corrosive venom prevented its wounds from healing.

Fortunately, Cranky was very resistant to all kinds of venoms because of its race.

The only downside was that its injuries were not healing as fast as it normally did, lowering its fighting prowess.

Even so, Cranky didn't back down and once again lunged at its opponent with the intention of fighting it to the death.

"Oi! Stop, you stupid Honey Badger!" Camazotz shouted. "You're not a match for it in direct confrontation!"

The Death Bat gritted its teeth and descended from the skies, alongside Zed and Erica, who both understood that Cranky was in danger.

Their enemy was now way stronger than it was when the battle started. Even Camazotz understood that this was the true power of a Majin King.

An existence that transcended his own Rank.

Cranky, who was now blinded by rage and anger, wasn't able to stop itself from charging straight up to its enemy.

Due to the mutation of its bloodline after becoming a Devil-Horned Honey Badger, its aggressiveness and ferocity drastically increased. It got even worse after it mutated for a second time into a Savage Colossal Honey Badger.

As if wanting to prove that he was not afraid to fight against the Majin King, Cranky's body suddenly increased in size, becoming a hundred-meter tall Honey Badger.

But it didn't end there.

Its size continued to increase until it was a hundred and forty meters tall, towering over the Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent, who was momentarily dazed by the sudden change in its opponent's size.

With a screech that spread for miles, Cranky slashed down, cutting one of the Serpent's heads in front of him, while biting another and tearing it off from its body.

The Honey Badger's eyes were glowing crimson as it entered a berserk state, increasing its strength further.

For a moment, it looked like Cranky was winning, but everyone knew that it was far from the truth.

It had simply managed to take its opponent by surprise. After the Majin King recovered its senses, it once again attacked the Honey Badger, not losing to the ferocity that Cranky was exuding.

Due to its increased mass, Cranky's every strike was strong enough to cut off one of the serpent's heads in one strike.

But those same severed heads would regrow in less than a minute due to Orochi's powerful regeneration abilities.

The Honey Badger's injuries, on the other hand, were steadily increasing and getting worse as the serpent heads coiled around Cranky's body, sinking their fangs on the places that were already injured, earlier.

The Earth Dragons, who were simply blocking Orochi's attacks earlier, had also decided to join the fray, using their bodies to ram the Ancient Eight-Headed Serpent from different directions, hoping that their attacks would allow their allies to gain a breather.

Thirteen, who was currently rushing to the battlefield, knew that even if he ordered for the Honey Badger to retreat, it would not listen to him due to its current state.

"Faster, Blacky," Thirteen ordered. "Before it's too late."

Blacky growled and increased its speed further, pushing ever close to where everyone was fighting with their lives.

Meanwhile, within the Domain of the Apocalypse…

"A futile struggle," one of the Majin Princes said in an amused tone. "But a struggle, nevertheless."

"It's just as you predicted, Beelzebub," another Majin Prince commented. "It's impossible to beat Orochi unless they can get a Majin King to join their side."

Beelzebub would have agreed with them right away, but his gaze was currently fixed on the teenage boy, who was rushing towards the battlefield while riding on the Nightmare Blackhound's back.

Despite the current situation, Thirteen's gaze was still firm as if there were still an opportunity to turn the situation around.

"Let's continue to observe," Beelzebub replied. "Maybe we can see a miracle."

The members of the Order of the Apocalypse, with the exception of Kamrusepa, chuckled and nodded their heads in agreement.

It was very rare for them to see an entertaining battle like this, so they decided to enjoy the show and watch the youngest member of their organization struggle right in front of their eyes.