Demon King of Tyranny Anos Voldigoad in The Eminence in Shadow

Chapter 20 - Brothers in Chaos

"Hmm, I've only recovered 17% thus far. As I thought, I need a strong stimulus to accelerate my recovery—"

"Oh, so you're like a smartphone charger? Only functional with an original plug? Then how about I stick this 'original' plug into your fucking ass–!"

"...Cid, what's the meaning of this?" Anos asked calmly, his hand darting out to effortlessly intercept Cid's assault.

In an unanticipated deviation from the standard assassin's lethal trajectory for the head, Cid's punch was inexplicably targeted towards Anos's posterior.

As Cid's punch, powered with unearthly force, was abruptly halted, an echo of the collision resounded around the room, making the walls shiver. A visible shockwave rippled out from their interlocked hands, distorting the air and pushing back the dust particles. The floor beneath them trembled, mirroring the remarkable display of power. Despite the intense force, Anos held his ground, unaffected.

The floor beneath them not only quivered in response to this staggering show of might but also began to fissure. Shadow channeled more power into his halted fist. The persistent pressure applied on his fist acted like a potent hammer, and the once unyielding floor started to crack under the relentless onslaught, fracturing like a spiderweb radiating out from their point of contact.

Despite being in the path of such a fearsome kinetic onslaught, Anos remained steadfast, seated and as unmoving as a timeless monolith. With a serene countenance and an air of invincibility, he faced down Cid's formidable power from the comfort of his chair, giving the impression of being entirely unaffected by the display of superhuman strength.

Following the failed, and somewhat 'questionable', assault, the face of Anos's human brother, concealed beneath the shroud of a black hood, contorted in fury. His forehead was etched with throbbing veins, visibly surfacing as symbols of his simmering rage.

"Meaning?!" Cid bellowed, yanking his gloved hand free from Anos's grasp. "The meaning is, you royal pain in the ass, we're royally screwed! Literally!"

Anos maintained his composed demeanor, his poker face unchanging. "Royally screwed, you say?" he repeated in a bemused tone.

"Yes, damn it!" Cid snapped, huffing like a bull ready to charge and turn Anos into a puddle on the floor. "You and me, we're both betrothed!"

Anos blinked. "Betrothed?" The Demon King of Tyranny blinked again, a little confused. "To whom, exactly?"

"To princesses, you smartass. Fucking princesses! What in the world have you done?!" Cid screeched, tugging at his hair like a madman in despair. "I'm engaged to the second princess, Alexia. And you, you wretched, mushroom-smelling son of a peacock, you're engaged to the first princess Iris!"

"..."

A thick pall of silence fell over them.

"...what're you looking at?" Cid's voice was filled with contempt and provocation as he brought his face closer to Anos's, his magically transformed red eyes gleaming with a mixture of accusation and anger.

"..."

The silence was nearly palpable. Anos remained absolutely unfazed, his expression unchanged as he met Cid's gaze, his calm composure unshaken.

"What the hell?! You wanna throw down, huh?! You're nothing but an overused Anus! Come at me, you cheeky piece of shit! I'm gonna beat your ass so bad, you'll change your name to fucking Assos!" Cid's greatly offensive words hung in the air, desperately attempting to provoke a reaction from Anos. However, the Demon King of Tyranny simply regarded him with a cool indifference, his power emanating from his very presence.