Rise of the Rejected Deity from Chaos-Chapter 80 - 79: Reunion….?

Seiya’s breath went still, taken aback by what had just transpired. His gaze slowly turned toward the hollow remains of his shoulder, steam rising from the wound.

"That’s one," the demon murmured, his sneer widening in delight.

Again, the demon singled out a feather from the air and sent it down. It landed upon the very arm that had just lost part of its shoulder. Upon contact, the skin erupted in decay—purple and putrid. Seiya felt his arm go limp, paralyzed.

"That’s two," the demon yet again, murmured, counting in a voice steeped in mockery.

He sneered down at Seiya. "Do you understand now, or do you need me to spell it out for you?"

Seiya remained silent, unmoving, his expression concealed behind his blindfold.

Ignoring Seiya’s silence, the demon continued, his tone almost gleeful. "Each feather above…" He let the words hang in the air, savoring the moment. "…carries its own plague." A wicked smile curled across his lips, delight dancing in his voice.

Seiya slowly lifted his head, taking in the countless feathers hovering in the air.

"Exactly!" the demon exclaimed, his laughter sharp and brittle. "Just imagine them all falling on you at once… each one unleashing its plague upon you." He cackled, as if he could already imagine it happening.

"And you won’t be able to move because you are trapped inside the barrier… unable to escape," he taunted with a cracking laugh that pierced the cavern.

From the side, Hayne watched, his breaths had grown so shallow that his chest barely moved. His body, wracked with exhaustion, lay still, but his face was carved with deep, unrelenting worry. Sweat slicked his pale face—tired from over exerting himself using his ability to slow the progression of his condition.

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He should have surrendered to the pull of death long ago—he had long wanted to. But his fear and worry for Seiya kept him anchored to the edge of consciousness, clinging to life with sheer desperation.

Hayne couldn’t bring himself to shut his eyes no matter how heavy his eyelids felt. No matter how tempting the sleep proved, he fought with his might to keep his eyes peering open at his friend—fearing. His helplessness pressed upon him like a weight he could not shake, and so he did the only thing left to him—he prayed. He hoped.

Once again, the demon repeated the same gesture, bringing down a feather on Seiya. This time, the quill—hard as iron—pierced straight into Seiya’s forehead, embedding itself deep into his flesh.

Seiya didn’t even utter any words or show any reaction, but the demon spoke as if responding to him.

"Oh my! Did you think all the feathers were soft?" he mused, feigning astonishment. Then, in the next breath, his expression twisted into a sneer. "Of course not. I decide everything, after all."

With a slow gesture of his hand, the feather lodged in Seiya’s forehead, began slicing downward, carving a straight line through Seiya’s skin. Blood welled up as it moved, creeping slowly down his face and threatening to cut down in a straight continuous line.

Seiya’s hand shot up, grasping the feather, intent on tearing it free. But the moment he pulled, it was as if he was trying to move a mountain—immovable.

"Of course, that also means you cannot fight against them while inside the barrier," the demon revealed enthusiastically.

There was delight in his voice, pleasure drawn from Seiya’s silent struggle.

Realizing his resistance was futile, Seiya reached up, grasping the fabric of his blindfold. With a sharp tug, he pulled it away. He needed time to slow—needed to be faster than the demon. His eyes were not yet fully recovered, but he could still use them.

The demon grinned at the sight. "Ah, finally revealing your face?" he jeered. "Is it that you want to show me how sad you are behind that blindfold before you die? Or is it pity you yearn, thinking I’ll pardon you if I saw how distraught you look?" He teased in a voice dipped in mockery, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement.

He laughed, shaking his head.

"Not to brag but I’m not one to be easily swayed by looks or things of the flesh," he remarked teasingly." "Though I might show some leniency and finish you off without a lot of torture since I’m merciful." The demon kept blabbering on and on, his head swaying in feigned pity for Seiya.

"To grant me such a sight…gracing me with your face when I’ll stil—"

His words died in his throat the instant Seiya’s eyes fluttered open.

He went still on his spot like his blood had run cold—congealed. His taunting expression wiped off his face, his eyes spreading wide.

"Those eyes," he muttered lowly, his voice quivering—still frozen on his spot.

Seiya’s eyes were still quite red but his white pupils were quite distinct.

Letting out a breath of hot steam, Seiya muttered softly. "Come."

A moments later, Seiya’s staff came blasting through the cavern walls with fierce intensity, pulverizing the walls to make way for itself. It shot through the air, stopping right in front of Seiya, outside the barrier where the feathers didn’t reach.

Face to face with his staff, Seiya muttered. "Break through."

The staff immediately shot backward at an intense speed, gaining momentum before hurtling forward and breaking through the flurry of feathers, dispersing them all over the cavern like ash before floating to Seiya’s side.

The demon stumbled back, his body trembling with his breath hanging . "That staff…" he muttered, his voice uneven, pupils shaking within their sockets.

Before he could even process the situation, Seiya appeared right in front of him, blasting him aside with the strike of his staff. The demon crashed into the wall. The impact so severe it shattered the wall, exposing the other side. Blood spattered from the demon’s lips as he crumpled into the wreckage.

Clenching his uninjured arm tight around his staff, Seiya hunched forward. In a flash, he was in front of the demon again, leaving him no chance to recover.

With his sandal-clad foot on the demon’s chest, he pressed him down on the pile of rubble. Seiya’s face was alight with anger, enraged that the demon had toyed with him.

Raising his staff high, its tip pointing down on the demon, Seiya prepared to bring it down in a fit of rage.

The demon’s body trembled as Seiya stood tall above him, trapped beneath his foot and cold bloodied glare—blood dripped from Seiya’s wounds onto him. His breath came in ragged gasps, his expression a tangled mess of emotions—shock, disbelief, something far more profound lurking beneath.

His eyes were struck wide open, shaking as he breathed out, barely above a whisper. "My Lord."