From a glance, Violet could see it clearly—
"He has more than seventy-five percent Kendra…" Her eyes narrowed. "That's beyond human. If he truly is a demon, then the old books were right—his appearance is a sign of the world's end."
She calmed herself, exhaling slowly. No… let's not assume. If he is a demon, why would he be Dan's pet?
All around them came the thud, thud of boots as assassins closed in, surrounding the houses.
"Hehehe… hahahaha!" Dan screamed with manic laughter. "Checkmate, Violet! Just give up and die by my hands—I'll even kill you with less pain!"
Violet's expression didn't change. She looked around, unbothered.
"The village is surrounded," Dan spat. "And the kids you left behind? Already dead! I sent a squad after them the moment you turned your back. Yes, yes—they must be corpses by now. Fate isn't on your side, Violet!"
Her face stayed calm, cold, unflinching.
"Heartless bitch," Dan growled, fury twisting his bloodied face. "Don't even have a heart for kids…"
Violet finally raised her hand, pointing straight at the Demon Monk.
"The only thing I care about right now… is that."
The monk smiled faintly, as if amused.
"…She sees me as a threat. Perhaps she isn't wrong. For her country… I may truly be one."
Violet smirked. "And as for those kids—you don't need to worry. They're not weaklings. They've already beaten your man."
Her gaze flicked toward the rooftop where Derius, Duke, and Samaira were peeking.
"Tch… Miss Violet found us," Samaira whispered, wide-eyed.
"Aren't you three going to say something?" Violet asked, her tone sharp.
"No, ma'am! It was his idea!" Samaira quickly pointed at Derius.
"Stop lying! It was her plan—I opposed it!" Derius snapped.
"It was me," Duke admitted, stepping forward. "I was worried."
"I told you to stay put," Violet said coldly. "You'll all be punished after this. Now stay there… and watch."
Dan's eyes widened. "What?! Those brats defeated Tom?! He was my right hand!" He spat blood, shaking with rage. "Tch… impossible!"
"I'll kill those brats with my own hands," Dan snarled.
"Enough," Violet said at last—her voice colder than steel. For the first time, her face turned serious. Chains coiled around her arm, wrapping tight up to her shoulder.
"Let's see… if you're really a demon," she said, her hand glowing bright blue with Kendra energy.
The monk kept his same eerie smile. "Friend, step aside. Let me handle this." His tone was calm, almost gentle.
Dan chuckled, licking the blood from his lips. "Alright… but remember, the killing blow is mine."
"Of course," the monk replied simply.
Dan leapt onto the rooftop, crouching above like a predator, while the monk remained below, standing with eerie stillness.
One of the assassins whispered in awe, "It's the first time I've seen him stand on the ground with both feet… She must've piqued his interest."
The monk raised his head, voice calm but cutting.
"No one has ever survived my slashes. Two weeks ago ,I killed ten men. None lasted past a single strike."
Violet's eyes narrowed. So… they're dead.
Dark blood oozed from the monk's wounds, the color shifting into a strange, ominous blue. Slowly, he sank into a stance—his body relaxed, his torn smile unchanging.
Dark Kendra energy flowed into his hands like a living shadow. The air around him warped, heavy and suffocating.
For a heartbeat, silence.
Then—both charged.
"The speed—!" Duke gasped.
Even Derius and Samaira stood frozen in shock as Violet and the monk's fists slammed together. A deafening boom shook the air, a shockwave tearing outward. Their powers clashed evenly, neither side giving way.
The monk's bloody smile widened. "Impressive…" he muttered.
In an instant, the battle erupted—punches, kicks, blocks, strikes so fast the eye could barely follow.
Derius' jaw tightened as he analyzed every movement. "The monk clearly has stronger, denser Kendra energy… it's unfair. But Miss Violet—she's nullifying his energy with her own, forcing them to match. That's… incredible."
Duke glanced at him, then focused back on the clash, his heart pounding. Samaira did the same, eyes wide.
Violet's fist grazed the monk's face, leaving a thin cut across his cheek. The monk only smiled wider. Her speed… remarkable.
Violet pressed forward, a flurry of rapid punches. The monk raised his arms in a cross-guard, each impact splitting open his skin. His hands bled… then instantly healed.
"Hey!" Dan screamed from above, fury dripping in his voice. "Aren't you supposed to be a demon?! How the hell is that bitch keeping up with you?!"
"Boss, calm down," one of the assassins muttered nervously.
All of a sudden, Violet's fist drove forward.
The monk raised his guard, blocking as usual—but this time, the impact shook him. His arms trembled, and he was forced a step back, confusion flashing across his face.
He looked up. Violet's hand blazed with blue Kendra energy, chains coiling around it like living steel. On her lips was a calm, confident smile.
Without hesitation, she leapt, fist cocked back, descending with full force—Kendra and chain fused into one devastating strike.
The monk twisted aside, barely dodging.
BOOM! Her fist smashed into the earth. The ground split open, cracks spiderwebbing outward as dust and stone erupted.
For the first time, the monk's eyes widened. His smile disappeared—if only for a moment.
Violet charged again, her chains rattling as she drew back her fist.
The monk's hands began to glow, his Kendra energy condensing—denser, darker than before. His familiar grin returned as he braced.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
Fist met fist, strike met strike—each blow heavy enough to crack the air itself. Shockwaves rippled outward with every clash, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
The assassins watching stood frozen, stunned by the sheer force of the battle.
The monk kept smiling, unnervingly calm even in the storm of blows—until Violet's fist connected squarely with his face.
CRACK!
The impact drove him back several steps. He staggered, blood running down from his lip—but he did not fall.
He wiped the blood with the back of his hand, still grinning… until his eyes dropped.
The hand he had just lifted—was bound.
Violet's Soulbind Chain coiled tight around his wrist, glowing faintly.
Her smirk deepened, eyes glinting cold.
"Got you."
She yanked the chain, pulling the monk straight toward her.
The monk lunged, fist glowing, aiming to crush her as she reeled him in.
But Violet slipped past his punch, her movements cold and precise. In the same breath, her second chain whipped forward, snaking around his neck.
His eyes widened. He realized it instantly—
If this tightens, I die.
The chain glowed, just an inch away from closing. Violet's grip pulled harder, her smirk sharpened—
"Too slow."
At the last heartbeat, the monk tore himself free, twisting violently. He ripped away, but not without cost—
CRACK!
His arm shredded under the force, bones snapping, flesh tearing. He stumbled back, blood pouring, his arm mangled and hanging useless at his side.
For the first time, the grinning demon monk stood at a distance… broken.
"What is he doing? He just barely saved his ass," Dan muttered, clenching his teeth.
Violet had completely destroyed him—one of the assassins whispered, trembling. "She's a monster… no wonder she has such a high bounty on the black market."
"Shut up," Dan snapped. His lips curled into a grin. "He hasn't used his ultimate technique yet."
"T-Those invisible slashes…" another assassin muttered, fear creeping into his voice.
Back with the students.
"What a monster," Derius said, watching wide-eyed.
"She almost killed him…" Samaira's voice was hushed.
Duke, however, smirked.
"The fight isn't over," Derius muttered. "He hasn't used the slash he showed earlier. If he does… things change."
Back to Violet and the monk.
"Tch… almost had him," Violet muttered, her chains rattling faintly.
The monk pressed a hand to his neck, feeling the faint burn of her Soulbind mark. Blood still dripped from his ruined arm.
"I… I haven't been this close to death," he whispered. Then, slowly, his grin widened. "This is the first time in years I've had an opponent… who can actually kill me."
His smile tore wider, madness flashing in his eyes.
Violet's gaze hardened, her stance tightening.
The monk's aura shifted—dark, sharp, suffocating. The air trembled as his fingers twitched, shaping invisible edges.
"Our actual fight starts now," he said.
The monk leapt into the air, then crossed his legs mid-flight—floating effortlessly. His ruined arm hung limp, yet his presence only grew heavier.
"Peace upon my soul."
"Pain upon your world."
"Let the true slaughter begin."
His voice was calm, yet each word echoed with dread.
"Demonic Meditation…" he muttered.
Kendra energy bled out of him, thick and suffocating. The ground quivered as if rejecting his existence. A chilling mist flooded the village, spilling through the streets and swallowing the battlefield whole.
Miss Violet's eyes widened, her usual calm breaking for the first time.
This is bad…
Without hesitation, she charged—chains whipping outward like fangs, glowing with blue fire.
"SWINGGG—!"
Her strike tore through the mist… hitting nothing.
The monk was gone.
The mist thickened, wrapping around the assassins, the houses, the rooftops. Shapes twisted in the fog—uncertain, shifting, vanishing.
From above, a faint whisper slid across Violet's ear.
"…Too slow."
A slow, eerie whistle drifted through the mist.
Her instincts screamed.
From above.
Violet rolled just in time—
SHHHRAKK!
The ground where she'd stood split open, a deep scar carved clean through the stone.
"Tch…" Violet clicked her tongue, sprinting low, chains coiling close.
From within the fog, came a mocking echo:
Tck… tck… I won't let you run…
Another whistle—closer.
"—!"
She twisted, but not fast enough. A searing pain tore across her back. Blood sprayed.
Her Kendra flared instantly, blue threads stitching the wound before it could deepen. Violet grit her teeth, forcing herself upright.
I need high ground… I can't track him in this mist.
Her legs coiled, then—BOOM!—she vaulted upward, landing atop a nearby roof.
But when she lifted her gaze—her stomach dropped.
The monk was already there. Floating in the air before her, wreathed in mist, his broken arm dangling uselessly while the other glowed with a monstrous aura.
His smile was wider than ever.
"…It's over."
Violet's eyes widened—
SLASHHHHH!
A blinding arc cut through the fog, racing straight for her.
To be continued