Kaito's blades struck true. The Solstice Blade carved across the Mist Queen Demon's torso, while the Dragon Fang pierced the side of her arm. Her chanting cut off mid-word, the healing spell collapsing in a burst of black sparks. A roar of fury erupted from her throat, the sound shaking the marble floor beneath them.
She whipped her staff around, the crimson light in her eyes burning hotter than ever. Abyssal energy surged into the weapon, and she unleashed a barrage of silver-red lightning bolts, each one hissing with unstable power. The floor shattered under their impact, leaving deep craters and jagged cracks.
Kaito darted forward through the storm, his Wind veil Steps and Mana Steps carrying him like a blur of fire and steel. Lightning grazed his armor, sending sparks across his body, but his blades never stopped moving. He lunged beneath her guard and slashed upward, sparks flying as his blades met the staff in a violent clash.
The Queen snarled and swung her wings forward, sending a blast of compressed mist like a cannon. The shockwave hurled Kaito across the hall. He spun mid-air, dragging Dragon Fang into the floor to stop his momentum. Sparks flew across the marble as he skidded backward, then pushed off the ground with renewed force.
"Cross Slash!"
Both blades cut in an X-shaped strike, glowing with power. The attack tore across her body, leaving black mist pouring from the wound.
–2,004
The Queen howled and lifted her staff high. This time, the abyssal energy condensed into long black spears of frost, ten of them materializing at once in the air. With a flick of her hand, they shot down toward Kaito like a storm of lances.
Kaito crossed his blades, activating Elemental Guard. A translucent barrier of elements formed around him, absorbing the first three spears. But the rest struck with crushing force, shattering the guard and blasting him backward again.
–1,287
He staggered, coughing blood, but his eyes burned with resolve. Before the Queen could press her advantage, he roared and spun his blades.
"Blazing Thunderclash!"
The explosion of fire and lightning radiated outward, engulfing the Queen in a storm. The ground beneath her cracked and scorched, pillars shattering from the force. She stumbled back, her HP bar dipping further.
–2,946
Kaito lunged in the same instant, pressing his advantage. Sword shadows erupted from his dual blades, each strike aimed at her vitals. The Solstice Blade blazed with flame, Dragon Fang shimmered with cold steel, and every cut landed heavy.
–1,124
–1,310
–1,452
The Queen shrieked and beat her wings, launching herself high into the air. From above, she spread her arms and called forth a storm of black water. The liquid fell like rain, but wherever it touched, it corroded the marble into nothing. The throne room floor sizzled as holes opened one after another.
Kaito gritted his teeth. Using Aerial Claw Slash, he leapt upward, his blades forming three arcs of sword light. The attacks cut straight through her wings and torso, tearing feathers and drawing more mist-like blood.
–1,536
–1,672
–1,748
She staggered mid-air and retaliated with a massive downward swing of her staff. Abyssal fire, blue and hungry, erupted from the strike like a tidal wave.
Kaito's body blurred. He twisted, parried the edge of the staff, and answered with a Flame Arc Slash. His blade burned scarlet, the arc cutting directly across her abdomen.
–2,231
The Mist Queen Demon crashed back to the ground, gouging the marble floor with her impact. Her HP bar dipped again, sliding steadily toward 30%.
Kaito landed a moment later, panting, his armor scorched and his health dropping, but his aura still blazing with the berserk strength of Overlord's Rage. He dashed forward again, blades glowing.
The Queen, furious beyond reason, unleashed a last desperate wave of silver-red lightning and black fire, the two elements swirling together into a chaotic storm. The throne room quaked as the storm surged forward.
Kaito raised his blades, eyes blazing. He tore straight through the chaos, flames and thunder exploding around him, and struck. Both blades plunged into the Queen's torso, one through her chest and one through her side.
–3,142
Her HP bar fell sharply, plunging all the way down to 30%. The Mist Queen Demon shrieked, her wings flaring violently, abyssal energy flooding the chamber as her fury reached its peak.
The Mist Queen Demon's furious howl echoed through the throne room, the sound carrying deep into the walls. Kaito's eyes narrowed. He knew this sound well. It was her signal to call upon more Abyssal power. If she succeeded, the fight would become harder, and with his Overlord's Rage timer already running, he couldn't afford to let her drag the battle out.
Without hesitation, Kaito surged forward. His blades cut arcs of light through the mist, striking again and again. He moved like a shadow wrapping tightly around her body, never giving her space to breathe. Each strike targeted her vitals, forcing her to block with her staff. Sparks burst with every impact.
He knew that sorceresses, no matter how powerful their magic, were weak in close combat against melee fighters. If he could keep her from creating distance, he could suppress her completely.
But the Queen was cunning. With a sudden beat of her crimson wings, she shot backward, her robes swirling as she retreated across the hall. Abyssal power surged into her staff, and she unleashed a barrage of Abyssal Arcane Missiles. They whistled through the air at different angles, each carrying a trace of corruption that twisted the air itself.
Kaito ducked, spun, and leapt through the storm, his Wind Veil Steps and Mana Steps pushing his speed to its limit. The missiles exploded wherever they struck, leaving pits and cracks across the marble. Still, Kaito pressed on.
The Queen's voice then rose in a guttural chant, her hands weaving complex runes of shadow. Abyssal mist poured from the ground, spreading in a wide circle around her. The mist thickened until it formed two massive shapes.
From the black fog, hulking figures emerged.
They were Abyssal Demons. Their twisted bodies loomed more than twice Kaito's height, their skin a dull black and their armor covered with jagged purple light. Their faces were void of intelligence, only hollow eyes glowing faintly. They roared, shaking the chamber as they stepped forward, the air vibrating from their heavy frames.
Kaito's observation skill flickered:
…
[Abyssal Demon] (Mysterious Iron)
Level: 16
HP: 100,000
Attack Power: 1000+
…
Even though they were only Mysterious Iron Rank, their strength far outstripped ordinary monsters. They had a special trait, their wounds healed almost instantly, and given enough time, they could restore themselves to full health without outside help.
Kaito's jaw tightened. These weren't ordinary spawns. They were cannon fodder personally granted by the Succubus Queen of the 777th Floor, cannon fodders she used in her wars against other worlds. Even among the lowest demons, these ones were feared for their endless endurance.
But Kaito also knew their flaw. Their speed was sluggish, their movements lumbering compared to agile fighters. And their minds were nearly gone, corroded by the Abyssal energy that had twisted them. They were slaves, nothing more, created only to fight and die.
The two demons roared and lumbered toward him, their heavy weapons raised. Their steps cracked the marble beneath them as they swung wide arcs meant to crush him whole.
Kaito didn't slow. He bent low and burst forward, his feet blurring as he activated Wind Wheel Steps and Mana Steps together. His body streaked like a phantom, weaving between their massive legs before their weapons could even land. The demons roared in frustration, their hulking bodies turning too slowly to follow him.
In the next heartbeat, Kaito had already bypassed them. Their frames were still turning when his blades struck again this time not at them, but at the Mist Queen Demon herself.
The Solstice Blade and Dragon Fang cut forward like twin storms, flames and lightning sparking across her body. The Queen shrieked as the blades tore through her robes and black blood sprayed across the cracked marble.
The Abyssal Demons continued to bellow, their arms swinging clumsily, but Kaito ignored them completely. He knew their trait well: if the summoner died, so too would they vanish back into the Abyss. Wasting time on them was foolish. The only path forward was to kill the Queen before his strength ran out.
And so, once again, his blades flashed relentlessly once again towards the Mist Queen.