Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos

As Seiya crashed the demon's head into the ground, he willed it within him, 'ruin,' and his staff that was seized in place in front of the demon's chest, pushed through with unrelenting force—bursting through the demon's chest and shattering not one, but three of his hearts—leaving a gaping hole.

Unyielding and unable to wrench free his broken arm from Seiya's grip, the demon whipped his other arm over his buried head, and grabbed onto Seiya's face who didn't see the hand coming due to his eye condition.

The demon's grip closed around Seiya's face like a vice, wrenching him upward before hurling him aside with ruthless force. He hurtled through the air, only to crash down, skidding across the ground on one knee.

The demon rose, blood spilling from the open wound in his chest. But within seconds, the torn flesh wove itself back together—fibers, muscle, and bone knitting seamlessly until not a trace of the injury remained.

His other wounds and broken arm also healed in no time, whipping back to its normal state as Seiya had twisted it beyond recognition.

Super fast regeneration, Seiya thought to himself as he watched the demon—noting his regeneration ability was faster than the previous demons'. With his hand raised, his staff hurtled back into his grasp.

The demon's silky hair flared violently yet again, enraged that Seiya's brutal attack had not only broken his skull but had taken along three of his hearts.

He took a step forward but before he could take another, Seiya's voice cut through.

"What are you doing right now?" Seiya asked, gaze piercing the demon from the distance. "Did you not say you wouldn't move from your spot for a mere rat like me?"

"You do not have to move an inch—for I, will come to you."

Seiya lunged forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. In an instant, he was upon the demon, leaping into the air with his staff poised to strike.

As his weapon carved a deadly arc toward the demon's neck, a net-like barrier of woven fibers materialized over the demon's shoulder. But knowing that Seiya's staff could shatter through anything, the demon wasted no time relying on defense. Instead, he seized Seiya from behind by his tattered clothes, intending to fling him away before the strike could land.

But Seiya, ever aware, abandoned his staff mid-air, grasping the demon's arm to anchor himself. Using the demon's hold to his advantage, he twisted fluidly, his body spinning like a coiled spring before delivering a brutal back kick to the demon's head.

The force of the blow snapped the demon's neck, leaving his head lolling unnaturally at odd angles. But Seiya did not relent. Still gripping the demon's arm, he thrusted downward, dragging his opponent with him as he landed. With a fierce downward kick, he aimed to shatter the demon's arm against the ground.

Before the strike could connect, the demon's broken neck mended in an instant. Thick vines of woven rattan erupted from the ground, coiling around Seiya and locking him in place with an unyielding grip.

Wasting no time, the demon crafted a sheath of interwoven strands around Seiya's fallen staff, the casing molding seamlessly to its shape before he flung it far beyond Seiya's reach.

With his foe bound, the demon exercised his advantage. The woven vines slammed Seiya to the ground, pinning him on his back. Without hesitation, the demon forged a spear of woven, razor-sharp rattan, and in one swift motion, he drove it downward—plunging it straight into Seiya's chest.

"With your staff sealed away, what remains for you now but defeat?" the demon taunted, his elongated neck curving as he peered down at Seiya, his hair spilling forward like a curtain.

"I guess I shouldn't have gone straight for the heart, to see how much more you would've entertained me."

{I'm fine,} Ibyu chimed from within.

I didn't ask, Seiya fired back.

Had Ibyu been outside, the bulging veins of anger, pulsing across its face wouldn't had gone unnoticed.

The demon's gaze remained fixed on Seiya, eager to witness the exact moment life slipped away from him. Yet, Seiya lay still—calm, unshaken, his breath steady, with not a trace of death creeping upon him.

A furrow deepened on the demon's brow, confusion and ire flickering across his face. His narrowed eyes, hidden beneath the dark cascade of his hair, peered downward, shadowed as he studied Seiya in silent disbelief.

He yanked out the woven spear, drawing blood, then thrust it down the same gaping wound, plunging it into Seiya's torn flesh. He twisted the spear, widening the gaping wound.

Despite this, not a single sound escaped Seiya. He remained calm and unbothered, held down by the vines that had ensnared him in a tight grip.

"Why?" the demon growled, his voice a low, grating rasp—scraping and cracking like shattered stone grinding together.

"Why are you not dying? Is it that you don't have a heart, or you have more than one?" He questioned. His eyes lingered on Seiya silently for a while before he spoke again. "Are you a demon pretending to be a human?"

Seiya gave no reply, his focus set on wrenching himself free from the constricting vines.

Watching him struggle against his bindings, the demon spoke once more. "You cannot break free from those," he declared. "Unlike the ones before, these are sealing vines. Only I can undo them."

At this, Seiya exhaled a long, exasperated sigh—resignation settling over him.

"So, will you provide answers to my questions or not?" The demon asked, gaze still cast down on Seiya.

Seiya, however, remained silent and unmoving on the floor, disregarding both the demon's presence and his questions.

I see," the demon mused, raising a hand. "Then you should die. Even a demon with multiple hearts cannot survive if every one of them is pierced."

At his command, spears of woven rattan materialized in midair, their razor-sharp tips poised to strike. With a swift downward motion of his hand, they descended in a merciless rain, plunging through Seiya's body, impaling him from every angle and embedding deep into the ground beneath him.

Blood surged into Seiya's mouth, but before he could cough it out, a desperate voice rang within him.

{Sei, don't!}

Seiya clenched his lips shut, cheeks swelling as he forced the blood to remain contained.

{I'm in your mouth, so please—don't spill me out,} Ibyu pleaded, his voice trembling. {If I'm exposed, he'll get me for sure!}

Seiya's body had been completely pierced, every inch of him skewered, leaving no space for Ibyu to hide—except his mouth, where he had liquefied to stay concealed.

With a slow, deliberate motion, the demon raised his hand, commanding the woven vines to hoist Seiya upward. His body was dragged upward, sliding along the full length of the impaling spears. The jagged shafts tore through his wounds anew, fresh blood spilling as his ravaged flesh scraped against their merciless edges.

Still bound, the demon flung Seiya aside, his body hurtling through the air before slamming into the woven net he had erected earlier to trap both him and Kaeliyus.

The impact sent a violent shock through Seiya's body, forcing him to cough out the blood he had held back. It splattered to the ground as he slipped downward, his wounds scraping against the rough knots of the net, the jagged fibers digging into his already tattered flesh.

The demon's eyes shifted to the blood Seiya had spat on the ground, a bit far from where he had collapsed. The blood was thick and darker than the rest of his blood. Despite being on the bare ground, it didn't appear to be soaking the ground. If anything, it looked more like a slime.

"What is that?" The demon inquired, eyes piercing the thick lump of blood.

Ibyu shivered slightly, feeling the oppressing gaze of the demon.

Intrigued by the blood, the demon prepared to walk toward it but Seiya cut in, drawing his attention back to him.

"This may seem unfair, and I apologize, but…" From where his arms were bound tightly to his side by the vines, Seiya managed to wriggle his fingers—the only part of his body still free.

With great effort, he shifted slightly on the floor, positioning his fingers to point directly at the demon. His palm opened, and with a subtle curve of his wrist, Seiya whispered softly, "Come."

In that instant, the demon's chest buckled outward as if struck by a heavy hammer from within. The pressure exploded violently a moment later, hurling his remaining hearts toward Seiya with brutal speed.

Blood poured from the demon's mouth as he gasped, his eyes widening beneath the cascade of his hair as he muttered in disbelief. "Denga's ability."