Without pausing, he lashed out with his Razor Claw Wrist Guard. The steel cable shot forward, embedding itself into the far wall of the throne room. The line zipped taut, and Kaito used it to propel himself across the chamber. He swung past the Queen's neck, the cable slicing the air dangerously close to her head as he reeled himself in.
The Queen reacted instantly, her abyssal arm surging forward with a brutal punch aimed straight for his chest. But this time, Kaito twisted midair, narrowly evading the blow. The wind from the strike tore through his cloak, but he was already past her guard.
As he closed in, his blades lit with fury. The Solstice Blade gleamed with fiery arcs, while the Dragon Fang shimmered with faint lightning. With both swords in hand, he slashed relentlessly at her body.
Each strike was aimed at her vital points the crimson eye, the exposed veins, the joints where her human flesh met abyssal muscle. Sparks and black mist flew as his blades tore through her defenses.
The Mist Queen Demon reeled. Even after devouring the Abyssal Demons earlier, which had once again restored her HP to forty percent, the sheer ferocity of Kaito's assault carved through her health bar like fire through dry wood.
Her body jerked backward under the relentless barrage. The earlier explosion might not have harmed her directly, but the residual damage had left cracks in her stability, and Kaito exploited every weakness.
Critical hit.
Critical hit.
The system prompts flashed one after another, every slash biting deeper than the last.
The Queen snarled and tried to summon a spell, but her focus was split. She had been distracted by the Cyro Core Orbs, and Kaito had pressed that advantage mercilessly. She had no time to complete her chants.
Kaito's arms blurred, his blades becoming shadows. Sword phantoms crisscrossed through the mist, carving glowing lines across the Queen's body. Each blow drove her further back, gouging the marble floor with her heels.
Her health plummeted thirty-five percent, then thirty, then down to twenty-five.
With one final upward slash, sparks flew and her HP dropped to 20%.
Panting, Kaito prepared to follow up with another combo. But before he could, the Queen roared and spread her monstrous wing. With one sudden sweep, the massive right wing slammed into him like a battering ram.
The impact sent him flying across the hall. His body crashed into the wall with devastating force, the marble shattering outward in a web of cracks. Dust and stone fragments rained down as his body slumped against the broken surface.
Even through the haze of pain, Kaito forced himself upright. Once again after downing the Minor Regeneration Potion,
Kaito steadied himself against the cracked wall, his eyes fixed on the Mist Queen Demon. His body screamed in pain, but he bent his knees low and, with a sharp motion, fired the Razor Claw Wrist Guard once again. The metal claw embedded into the stone far across the throne room, and the wire pulled taut. With explosive force, he shot forward, his figure blurring toward the Queen like a launched spear.
But the Mist Queen Demon had already learned her lesson from before. She knew what it meant to let Kaito come close, and she would not allow it again. Raising her staff, she poured abyssal energy into the air.
A storm of Abyssal Arcane Missiles materialized, each one far larger and darker than the ones she had cast earlier. They filled the hall, twisting with black and red light. Their sheer number and size made dodging in midair impossible.
Kaito's instincts screamed. In an instant, he cut the wire of the wrist guard and dropped hard back to the floor. The missiles followed, their trajectories curving as if guided by malice.
The moment his boots hit the cracked marble, Kaito pushed off, activating Wind Veil Steps and Mana Steps in combination. His body flickered left, then right, weaving narrowly between the incoming missiles. Each one crashed into the floor behind him with devastating explosions.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The throne room shook, rubble flying in every direction. Though Kaito evaded the direct strikes, the shockwaves slammed into him repeatedly, tossing him sideways across the floor like a ragdoll. Dust filled his lungs, his health bar dipping with every blast. But he never stopped moving.
Finally, after the last missile detonated, he rolled to his feet, blood trickling down his cheek, His HP at a critical point. His eyes once again locked on the Queen. I can't waste any more time, He thought.
He launched forward again, blades raised. Without hesitation, he unleashed Flame Arc Slash, the arc of fire roaring toward her. The Queen narrowed her eyes and countered, sweeping her staff to release an Abyssal Wind Slash. Black wind collided with crimson flame in the middle of the chamber, both attacks tearing into each other before cancelling out in a blast of sparks and smoke.
But before the Queen could regain her stance, several other attacks struck her from behind.
A Frozen Lance pierced into her back, exploding in shards of white frost. A Thunder Spear followed, tearing through the mist with silver lightning. Lucien's Infernal Arrow struck next, exploding in a burst of fire. Daichi's Anchor Shot slammed into her side, shaking her balance. Almost at the same time, Suzune and Raven blade appeared from the shadows, their blades flashing with a deadly sequence Backstab, Eviscerate, Shadow Severe carving into her exposed flesh.
Light burst across the chamber as Aika cast Radiant Light, searing against the Queen's corrupted form. Hiroto charged in with a mighty Twin Blade Slash, his shield slamming forward, while Mei rin loosed three arrows at once using her Twisting Arrow technique. The arrows spiraled midair before embedding deep into the Queen's back, right where her massive wing sprouted.
Only then did Kaito realize what had happened. While he was focusing on the Queen His team had already finished off the Abyssal Wraith Royal Guards. The roar earlier had weakened them, and the team had pushed through to finish the job. Now they had turned their full strength on the Queen.
The Mist Queen Demon staggered forward under the onslaught. Her health bar dropped again, from twenty percent down to fifteen percent.
Her eyes widened in fury. She turned to glance at her guards and froze. Their corpses lay sprawled across the ground. She had been so focused on Kaito, the "insect" before her, that she hadn't even realized her precious Royal Guards had been slain.
Her fury boiled over. She raised her staff, beginning the chant for a Revive spell. Abyssal energy swirled at her feet, gathering toward the fallen guards.
But she never finished the incantation.
Three slashes cut across her body in a blur the deadly arcs of Kaito's Aerial Claw Slash. She cried out, stumbling backward. Before she could recover, Kaito lunged behind her. His blades rose high, and with a single mighty swing, he unleashed Cross Slash, striking directly at her wings.
The massive wings, already battered by Nina, Lucien, Kaede, and the others' earlier attacks, could not withstand the blow. They tore apart under the force, severed cleanly.
The Mist Queen Demon shrieked, her scream echoing like a beast in agony. Her crimson and black eyes blazed as she reeled forward, the pain of losing her wings tearing through her body as though her very spine had been ripped out.
"You damn human insect!" she howled, voice thick with wrath and pain.
Her HP bar plummeted with the critical hit, dropping to ten percent.
Ignoring the others entirely, she then lunged towards Kaito with pure hatred. But now, wingless, her movement speed had plummeted. The once-majestic Queen staggered, dragging her monstrous form with abyssal strength alone, her fury carrying her body toward Kaito.