Jay and Nathan stood frozen in place, the air around them thick with the stench of blood and rotting flesh. The shattered remnants of the fleshy egg twitched slightly, still oozing dark fluid that sizzled against the cracked concrete.
But their eyes weren't on the corpse.
They were on the fog—the unnatural mist that had begun to spread from the center of the explosion, dense and cold, obscuring their vision like a curtain between them and whatever had just been born.
And in that mist, something… breathed.
Jay gripped the bar he'd used earlier, knuckles white, sweat beading on his forehead. Nathan was beside him, daggers drawn again, his shadow beginning to twitch beneath him like it was alive.
Then… slowly, the fog began to clear.
From the heart of it, a silhouette emerged.
Human.
Tall. Still. Watching.
Jay squinted. "Is that… a person?"
But before either of them could move, the figure vanished—completely, as if the mist had swallowed it again.
"What the hell?!" Nathan stepped forward. "Where did it—"
Jay sniffed sharply. That same disgusting stench, but now… it was moving.
He turned toward the tunnel's mouth, eyes widening.
"He's outside," Jay said grimly.
Without hesitation, the two sprinted out from beneath the ruined bridge. Their footsteps echoed in the hollow space, their breath ragged as the pressure in the air shifted.
They emerged into the open—and froze.
There, standing at the edge of the broken district, was the demon.
It had taken the form of a man, but no one could mistake it for human.
Its skin was pale, like it hadn't seen sunlight in decades. White hair cascaded down its back in wild, matted waves. It wore nothing on its upper body, revealing lean, scarred muscle—almost elegant, in a monstrous way. Its pants were tattered, worn like they belonged to someone long dead.
But it was the face that chilled them.
Eyes with black sclera and crimson pupils stared blankly at the sky. Emotionless.
Unblinking.
Then… the demon lifted both arms toward the sky. Slowly. Gracefully.
As if in prayer.
As if welcoming something.
"What is he doing…?" Nathan whispered.
"I don't know," Jay replied, his voice low. "But I don't like it."
They watched in confusion, unsure whether to attack or flee. There was no aura of aggression from the creature, only… stillness.
Then—
Plink.
A single drop of water landed on Jay's forehead.
He looked up.
Plink. Plink. Plink.
More drops followed. Within seconds, the sky opened up—a violent downpour crashed over the entire street like a waterfall being unleashed.
Thunder rumbled far above, and the clouds churned with unnatural speed.
It wasn't just rain.
It was as if the world itself was being washed clean—by force.
The water soaked through their clothes instantly, cold and harsh. Jay wiped his face, blinking against the flood.
"This wasn't forecasted," he said, almost to himself.
Nathan stared, jaw clenched. "This is no normal rain."
They looked back at the demon.
He was still there—arms wide open, head tilted to the heavens, welcoming the storm he'd seemingly summoned.
Then, as if sensing their gaze, he slowly turned his head toward them.
His face was still impassive.
Until a smile began to creep across his lips.
Not a human smile.
A twisted, malicious grin that stretched too wide, revealing sharp, discolored teeth. Eyes glowing faintly in the stormlight.
Jay took a step back, heart pounding. "We need to move. Now."
Nathan nodded, gripping his daggers tighter. "That smile… he's not just here to watch."
The demon lowered his arms.
And took one step forward.
Jay barely had time to shout before it happened.
The rainwater on the ground began to tremble.
Then—shift.
With a sharp, unnatural sound, the puddles surrounding them rose, twisting into narrow, glimmering spikes, their tips razor-sharp.
"Move!" Jay yelled, hurling himself backward.
Nathan dove to the side just as a spike stabbed into where his chest had been a moment earlier. The rain didn't stop. In fact, it seemed to feed the attack—more spikes followed, erupting from the ground like a blooming forest of death.
Had they reacted even a second later, they would've been impaled on the spot.
Landing hard on the wet pavement, Nathan rolled and came to a crouch. "He can control water?!"
Jay got to his feet, breathing hard. "Rainwater… it's his element."
The demon still stood on the ruined street, arms slowly lowering to his sides. That same smug smile on his face.
"Interesting," he said, his voice calm, deep, and smooth. "You dodged. Most don't."
Then he was gone.
No sound. No signal. One blink—and he vanished.
Jay barely had time to raise his bar-weapon when the demon reappeared behind him, a sharp claw slicing through the air. Metal clanged as Jay spun and blocked just in time, skidding across the slick ground.
Nathan didn't hesitate. Shadow surged beneath him like a liquid beast. He flicked his hands and summoned two daggers of hardened shadow, then lunged toward the demon.
The creature met his charge head-on, blocking Nathan's first dagger with its forearm and twisting to kick him aside. But Nathan melted into the rain mist, his body flickering like smoke before reforming behind the demon.
Jay came in from the side, thrusting his bar-turned-spear forward.
[Weapon Mastery: Activated]
The demon ducked. Too slow.
Jay's weapon sliced clean through the demon's left arm, severing it just below the shoulder. The limb hit the ground with a wet thud.
The demon jumped back, calm, as if it hadn't just lost a limb.
He landed on the bridge above, a single graceful leap placing him far from them in an instant. The rain poured harder now, obscuring his silhouette as it stood framed against the gray sky.
He looked down at the two boys below.
Then he began to laugh.
A smooth, amused laugh with no panic or pain behind it. Just… enjoyment.
"Hahaha…" he chuckled, holding his side where the arm had been.
"To think," he said, his voice rising over the roar of the storm, "that a pair of unawakened insects could sever one of my limbs."
He stared down at the arm on the ground, then up at them.
"Truly… you've earned my respect."
The smile dropped.
A heavy pressure suddenly filled the air.
His face turned dead serious. His eyes no longer playful—just pure, focused murder.
"Now," he said coldly, "let's move on to the next level."
The rain around him shifted.
Then, before their eyes, his shoulder began to twist and morph. Muscles rewove themselves like threads of rope. Bone cracked and snapped as it pushed out of the stump. Flesh followed. Veins. Tendons. Skin.
In less than five seconds, the demon's arm had completely regenerated, as if it had never been cut.
Jay and Nathan could only watch in stunned silence.
That wound… meant nothing to him.
And now, he was just getting started.