A molten iron scorched Yuto's consciousness as it slowly eroded his humanity.
The power of the previous Heavenly Demon was too early for him to use. But in a critical situation like this, he had no choice but to entrust himself to the goddess of luck.
He didn't know the scenario would be written like this.
With the arrival of a surprise element, he had to fight for his own survival even if it meant burning away all the emotions within him.
Yuto gritted his teeth as he parried the cat's attack, which sent him flying to hit a tree.
"Gahak!"
He coughed up blood, caused by an internal injury from his own power. His vision flickered like a light bulb about to run out.
The muscles in his body were tearing, and the sound of cracking bones continued to echo like a death tune in his ears.
On the verge of despair, the blue Qi that seemed to have disappeared awoke from its slumber.
The flame of life began to rise in his eyes. A cold sensation started to permeate all his major meridians, providing a little sense of security and repairing the damage.
Even so, it could not match the speed at which his body was being destroyed.
"Rawr!"
'Damn cat!'
Yuto cursed in his heart and crouched to dodge a claw slash.
A black wind exhaled an invisible attack that sliced through the trees behind him. A rumble occurred from the falling trees, kicking up a thick dust into the air and covering Yuto.
Inside the cover, Yuto did not stay still. He didn't think that would easily fool the cat.
Sure enough, a jaw filled with sharp teeth came at him from the side. Yuto dodged, barely avoiding the deadly attack.
'I have no chance.'
Bound by his limitations, Yuto narrowed his eyes, trying to ram his brain for a solution.
'What should I do?'
In this battle, he realized how weak and helpless he was, like his old self, as Yuto or Elias.
Everything was meaningless in the face of absolute power.
Many people said great techniques could parry it, but reality didn't work like that.
The only thing that could save him from absolute power was luck, nothing else.
Yuto's body tensed, seeing the cat lunge with its sharp claws and wide-open mouth. Using his trembling body, the boy raised his black sword and tried to deflect the enemy's attack, which sent him flying.
The world spun with a bitter taste of sand entering his mouth. Yuto scowled.
'This doesn't work either! What can I even do!'
The self-directed question felt like a spear stabbing his own heart.
"Rawr!"
Yuto snapped out of his daze. He looked to the side and saw the cat standing still, showing no signs of movement.
His brow raised, confused as to why the one lunging at him nonstop was now choosing to be still.
'No, he's watching my every move.'
He gripped the sword hilt tightly and stood up, feeling tremendous humiliation when another looked down on him.
A second passed like a minute. Yuto's head throbbed violently, feeling as if it would explode. His mind accelerated, thinking of a way to deal with this situation.
Yuto looked at the feet of the monster in front of him; the cat's feet seemed to be floating, not touching the ground, but merging with the shadow itself.
This theory came from their previous encounter, explaining why a cat hundreds of meters away could catch up to him in an instant.
Then, when it appeared suddenly, its body dissolved and emerged from the shadow next to him.
It was undeniable that the monster had a connection with shadows. But how could Yuto deal with that? Seeing that the shadows themselves surrounded him.
This place screamed a grave for him.
'If there is no way out, then...'
Yuto took a deep breath, and his expression twisted with resolve.
'I'll make my own!'
Seeing Yuto about to do something, the cat immediately disappeared.
His brows furrowed because the burden his brain received was enormous, separating his consciousness for fighting and thinking.
He managed to evade the cat's attacks, which seemed to be not giving its all in this fight.
Yet every attack that came was like a fierce wind tearing his body apart.
With extreme perseverance, Yuto barely followed his enemy's movements. Blood spurted on the battlefield, marked by red lines on Yuto's chest, who was coughing up the red fluid that soaked his body.
One by one, wounds began to appear on his body, but Yuto remained persistent in his choice and dared to bet his life on the line.
'Shadows and what I'm lacking...'
Yuto kept muttering those words like a mantra.
The two energies in his dantian were stirred by his host's strong desire to live. He raised his sword with both hands, then, 'clank!' A punch from the cat sent his body flying back dozens of meters.
But his feet refused to give up, creating lines on the ground's surface.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he saw a transparent ghost-like figure of himself whispering something.
'Mobility art!'
Yuto's eyes widened when he received enlightenment.
From what he knew, mobility art was a technique that focuses on body movements, speed, agility, and evasion.
At that time, the book taught him only breathing and sword techniques. But now, adding this technique, Yuto was sure he could progress further in his cultivation.
Yuto glanced at the cat that had stopped, as the burning embers in his eyes set ablaze.
He grinned as he combined all the knowledge from his old world and the current one to create his own technique.
His head shook violently until blood started coming out of his seven orifices. Yuto glared at the cat before him and couldn't help but laugh.
"Ahahaha, thank you, you bastard cat, thanks to you, I can improve!"
Hearing the loud voice of malice echoing in its ears, the cat growled and lunged forward with killing intent.
Yuto was silent, watching the monster's arrival with open arms.
The monster's sharp claws split Yuto's body, but instead of blood coming out of it, he disappeared like a ghost and appeared beside the cat, raising his sword.
"This is my revenge!"
A thick red aura wrapped around his sword, and then he swung with all his might.
The air vibrated, and even the space distorted, receiving the attack from Yuto's Heavenly Severance First Chapter.
Blue blood spurted into the air, accompanied by a guttural howl from the cat.
"Take that!"
An oppressive aura condemned Yuto's body; his breath stopped momentarily after the cat displayed its jet-black aura.
Let alone the atmosphere, the ground, and the world seemed to scream in fear in the face of its might, which was labelled a harbinger of disaster.
His body tensed and moved instinctively, following his gut feeling, and 'boom!', a massive explosion shook his body through the sword in his two hands.
Yuto shot backwards, feeling a relentless blow on his back. Unconsciously, he was inside a pile of large logs that swallowed him in darkness.
His face twisted into a frown when he felt the excruciating pain in his body.
'No, it's not over yet!'
Crimson Qi burst from his skin, wrapping him in utter ferocity.
With one breath of his aura, the wood that buried him was sent flying, revealing a black curtain covering a sky filled with sparkling dust.
Yuto stood up, pointing his sword at the monster staring at him from afar.
"I'm not done yet!"
However, a strange thing happened. A moment after Yuto saw the slash wound in the cat's eye, the cat dispersed like fog.
"It's gone!?"
"Yuto?"
His body jolted sideways, and he saw the three brothers calling him in surprise. Then his eyes widened, seeing the other assassins still standing not far from him.
The red aura began to take over his emotions. Yuto grinned with his bloody and battered appearance.
'They're dead!'
"You're still alive!?"
A voice thick with malice spilt from the male assassin's mouth, attracting his attention.
Without a second thought, he vanished from where he stood, and a red flash, followed by a spray of blood, danced in the air.
"Two!"
Seeing another head fall, the other assassin immediately jumped back, gnashing her teeth while looking at Yuto's figure, who blurred.
"Where are you going?"
A whisper of death entered the assassin's ear. She turned while raising her dagger.
But Yuto moved faster, and with one swing, the woman's body was split from her right shoulder to her left chest.
At the end of her life, the female assassin accidentally mumbled someone's name.
"...Dahlia."
Yuto's brow twitched, hearing the unexpected name come out of his enemy's mouth. His body began to tremble, and his laughter immediately resonated in the silent forest.
"Ahahaha, first my family, and now you, Dahlia."
He shifted his gaze to the horizon, burying their names and faces deep in his heart.
'You all will pay for this!'
Suddenly, the tension and damage in his body took a toll on his soul. Yuto's consciousness flickered until it finally blackened out.