The wind howled as the rain fell harder, slamming into the ground like thousands of needles. Jay's shirt clung to his skin, soaked through, and Nathan's breath came out in misty huffs.
The demon stood atop the bridge, fully regenerated, rain dancing off his pale skin.
Then—he moved.
"Jay!" Nathan shouted, too late.
The demon was a blur, descending from the bridge like a thunderbolt. His foot struck the ground between the two friends, shattering the concrete beneath him and blasting out a wave of pressurized water.
Jay flew backward, slamming into a metal beam with a grunt.
Nathan barely caught his footing, summoning a wall of thick shadow mist just in time to block the demon's follow-up strike. But the wall was instantly pierced by thin, needle-like streams of water that hissed through, one of them grazing Nathan's side.
"Tch—!"
Nathan gritted his teeth. "He's faster… stronger… he's holding back less now."
Jay pushed himself up, wiping blood from his lip. "No—he's just starting."
The demon's body shimmered slightly, rainwater moving around him like living armor. Then he raised a hand, palm open.
Dozens of water droplets lifted from the ground around them.
Jay's eyes widened. "Nathan—MOVE!"
In a split second, each droplet stretched into a thin, spinning disc—razor blades of condensed water.
They shot forward.
Jay dove to the side. One disc sliced through the air beside his neck, cutting a strand of hair.
Nathan didn't dodge—he melted. Shadow enveloped him, pulling him below the surface like a phantom.
The demon blinked, surprised. "Hmm…"
A blade of hardened shadow erupted from the ground beneath him.
The demon sidestepped it effortlessly.
Then Nathan appeared mid-air, above the demon, two curved daggers drawn. He slashed downward.
The demon blocked with a pillar of swirling water that rose to meet the blow. The blades sliced through halfway before losing momentum.
He grabbed Nathan by the ankle mid-air and slammed him into the ground.
"Nathan!" Jay shouted, surging forward.
[Weapon Mastery: Activated]
He thrust his makeshift spear at the demon's exposed back.
A wall of water exploded outward, catching Jay's strike and sending him flying again, this time into a crumbling support beam. The wind was knocked from his lungs.
Jay gasped, coughing, his ribs screaming. "Damn it… he's toying with us."
The demon stepped forward, dragging Nathan's limp body up by his collar. "Is this all?" he asked calmly, tilting his head. "You humans... you amuse me. You crawl, you fight, but you're already broken."
But Nathan's eyes flashed.
"Wrong."
BOOM.
A wave of solid shadow burst from his chest, blasting the demon away for just an instant.
Jay stood again, panting. "We can't beat him like this. Not head-on."
Nathan rolled onto his knees. "I can buy time. You try to flank him."
Jay's grip tightened around the metal rod. "Got it."
Rain poured.
The demon wiped his mouth, annoyed now. "So. Still breathing, are we?"
He began walking slowly toward them, the puddles around his feet rippling unnaturally.
Jay and Nathan stared him down, backs straight despite the pain, despite the blood.
They wouldn't fall yet.
Flesh met bone.
Jay's face twisted as the demon's fist collided with his stomach, sending him hurtling backward like a ragdoll. His back struck a rusted metal pillar with a sickening clang, the shock reverberating through his spine.
"GAAH!"
Nathan didn't have time to check on him. The demon appeared before him in the blink of an eye—no warning, no motion, just there. A palm slammed into his chest, sending him flying through the air and crashing into the concrete ground, coughing blood.
The world blurred around them.
Jay pushed himself up, blood trailing down his chin. "Nathan…?"
But the demon didn't wait.
He grabbed Jay by the collar, yanked him up like he weighed nothing, and smashed his face into the ground—once, twice, three times—before hurling him like trash.
Jay slid several meters, coughing violently, vision shaking. "I… I can't… move."
Nathan tried to form a blade with his shadows—but a spike of water shot from the demon's hand, piercing straight through his thigh.
"AAAAH!"
He collapsed, gripping his bleeding leg, shadow energy flickering out of control.
The demon stood over them, expressionless, rain cascading down his body like armor. He looked… bored.
"This was disappointing," he said simply. "I expected more."
He turned away. "But no matter. You two will serve as nourriture for the lesser ones."
He raised one hand.
RIIIIIP.
Portals opened in the wet ground—twisted, rotting holes of pulsing flesh.
From them, monstrous figures crawled out—twenty in total. All lesser demons, hunched, skeletal things with stretched limbs and snapping jaws. Their eyes glowed with unnatural hunger.
They snarled, sniffed the blood-soaked air, and began to approach.
Jay watched helplessly from the ground, body trembling. "No… Not like this…"
The demon gave one last glance over his shoulder. "You'll die slowly. Enjoy it."
With that, he leapt into the stormy sky—his form dissolving into mist.
Nathan gasped for air, still clutching his thigh. "Jay… Jay—get up…"
Jay couldn't move. His vision blurred.
But then—
[Inventory]
A window blinked into existence above his broken body.
[Potion ×10]
His fingers twitched. Slowly, painfully, he reached out.
He grabbed one vial with trembling fingers and popped the cork. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, and—
[You have consumed a Potion]
His muscles knit back together. His ribs shifted with a sickening crack—and then realigned. His wounds closed.
"...I'm not dying here."
Across the field, Nathan's shadow flickered. A black tendril reached into the space beneath him—and pulled out a shimmering vial.
With one gulp, his pain vanished.
He stood, limping slightly but upright.
"Let's finish what we started," he muttered, shadow blades forming again, sharper than ever.
Jay wiped blood from his face, rage burning in his eyes.
They looked at each other.
Then ahead—twenty lesser demons, snarling and charging straight for them.
Jay spun his spear and nodded. "No more running."
Nathan's shadow pulsed with power.
Together, they stood their ground.