Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest-Chapter 360: Not Savior, Executioner

After a walk that lasted much longer than Adam had expected, he halted before the Titan and gazed at his features.

Wrinkles deeper than canyons dug intricate mazes on his sunken cheeks and weary forehead. Like unruly vines, a white beard and hair cascaded down his severely atrophied muscles. He could tell they had once been powerful, but only a shallow echo of their grandeur remained—just like his time-worn toga. The color on what remained of it had faded, and time had gnawed on the divine fabric, leaving just enough to cover his lower body for a century more, perhaps two.

As he observed him, the Titan did the same. His hazel eyes narrowed, but the golden chains prevented him from moving. Instead, his bluish-pale lips parted to let a hoarse voice out. "You’ve finally come."

Adam tilted his head, frowning. "Were you perhaps waiting for me?"

The Titan glared at the Hecatonchires, the only things big enough for him to see, before he sighed. "We all were. Coeus prophesied long ago, even before our imprisonment, that a mortal who’ll escape fate would free us. I didn’t lose the Titanomachy. I’ve been waiting, enduring patiently for this day." His ancient voice rumbled with newfound strength. "And now I’ll reclaim my righteous place in the cosmic order. Free me, mortal. We’ll dethrone Zeus together!"

Adam’s lips curled, and his shoulders shook before a booming laugh reverberated through Tartus. Cronus had been relying on a prophecy for countless ages? If true, the irony was delightfully cruel.

"Hahaha! I’m sorry, I’m sorry." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "You see, that’s the problem with all these prophecies—they’re like ponds reflecting a future scene. But a single ripple is all it takes to distort it into something unrecognisable."

His scarlet and azure eyes narrowed, plasma and saltwater wafting from them as his grip tightened around his god slayer and Oath Keeper’s Wrath. "I’m not the savior you’ve been waiting for. If anything, I’m your executioner."

"What? Wait, mortal!"

He didn’t. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he lunged like a blazing meteor. The god slayer sizzled into a thrust that landed straight on the Titan’s chest.

Yet, the parched skin only caved in slightly. Not even a burn mark appeared on the trembling Titan’s chest. And instead of agony, he roared in laughter. "Pathetic mortal. I’m the king of Titans, a cosmic force you can’t understand. You might not be the one we’ve been waiting for, but we can still make a deal. I’ll bestow cosmic authority upon you and wealth beyond anything Olympus has ever seen." His voice grew overbearing. "So, cease this folly at once!"

"I know very well who you are—or was it were? Cronus, a pitiful child who castrated his father with the excuse of freeing the Hecatonchires, yet they’re locked behind me, still in Tartarus. You’re just a clown who devoured his children without ensuring he had done the work well. You rank slightly better than Zeus in my book, but you’re nothing more than a festering relic I’ll dispose of."

He swung his hammer against the blade’s hilt with all his strength.

CLANG

Lightning arcs danced everywhere as the clangor rocked the red sky. The blade pierced the unbreachable skin, but not enough to draw blood.

Yet, Adam grinned. As if a single failure would deter him when his goal was at arm’s length!

BOOM

The hammer released a second shockwave of divine energy, pushing the roaring plasma deeper. His strikes worked, and he was far from over.

Remembering every humiliation he had suffered because of the gods, every time they had cheated to kill him, and every citizen he had lost because of them, he turned into a vengeful sculptor. Using the blade as a blazing chisel, he swung the hammer with wrathful abandon, his veins throbbing on his distorted face.

The golden chains tying Cronus rattled, and sparks brightened the dark sky. A slight discomfort, like a mosquito’s bite, made him clench his jaw as his voice pierced through the deafening clangs.

"Zeus couldn’t kill me. No matter what you do, you can’t either. I’m above mortality, a concept that’ll last as long as time exists. What you see is just a shell that’ll recover even if you manage to destroy it by some miracle. Now listen to me, mortal! I’m still giving you a chance to negotiate."

However, a drop of divine blood trailed down his chest and with it, an ominous feeling clawed at his guts. He sensed his defense lower and Adam’s strength increase with each blow. Worse, something dug into him, biting and tearing a chunk of his energy out. "What is this power? What are you doing?!"

Meanwhile, a notification burst before Adam’s eyes.

[The god slayer’s Gluttony’s Maw enhancement has stolen 25.000.000 units of primordial essence from Cronus, the King of Titans.]

He grinned from ear to ear. ’500.000.000 to steal from. I’ll shatter Zeus and Baal’s kneecaps and make them beg soon.’

However, another notification almost made him halt his swings.

[Body over-saturated with energy. The excess will disperse into the surroundings.]

He struck with twice the rage, gritting his teeth. ’It makes sense, but it’s so infuriating!’ He glanced at his essence—he had assimilated around 800.000. ’Only a million in total?! Shit! Am I limited because I’m still mortal, or do I need more time to digest it?’

He didn’t know the answer and was too pissed to think about it. "What concept, you ancient bastard? Treachery? Lies? Kin slaying? Watch me erase you after I’m done dispersing your essence!"

More notifications flooded his ears as his blade dug deeper and deeper. The Drop of blood turned into a stream, then a waterfall that washed the Tartarus’ arid ground.

But even chained, Cronus wouldn’t let a mere mortal have his ways. With a grunt, he decisively gave up on his body.

His soul emerged like a ghost, his looks sharing nothing in common with the old man. Bulging muscles, taut ethereal skin, and sharp eyes glaring at Adam. Before he could move, the golden chains snapped to coil around him, sealing his strength again. But in this form, his essence was safe from the thieving mortal.

Still, he sealed it just in case and smirked. "I told you: immortal. If not for these chains..." He clenched his jaw. "I would have erased any trace of your miserable existence from the flow of time." freewёbnoνel.com

However, Adam’s voice, icy and dripping with mockery, reverberated before his words faded.

"That’s the most stupid thing you could have done!"