System: "All stats of Ortho Serfend increased by 50×."
Silence. The air itself froze.
The High Demon stared at Ortho, his grin faltering.The boy's aura had changed — no, it had broken reality.
Ortho's eyes turned pitch-black, glowing veins of red spreading down his face like cracks of magma. His expression twisted — grief, rage, and despair fused into something monstrous.
Behind him, Aeth lay motionless, blood pooling beneath his body.
Ortho (trembling): "Ors… Raika… use your remaining mana… to heal him… I'll handle this guy. Don't worry — none of us will die today."
Raika let out a weak cry of lightning before collapsing. Ors gave a low growl, pressing his paw to Aeth's chest. Their bodies glowed — one with storm-light, the other with dark flame — transferring every last drop of mana into Aeth.
The light slowly sealed his wound; his breathing turned faint but steady.
Then both familiars fell limp — unconscious, drained of life.
System: "Mana transfer complete. Target 'Aetheria Serfend' — stable."
System: "Familiars — unable to move until mana regenerates."
Ortho's hands shook. His mind cracked.A horrifying, distorted laugh escaped his lips.
Ortho (deranged): "Heh… hehehe… hahahahAHAHAHAHA—!"
The High Demon flinched. His instincts screamed run.
Ortho's aura erupted like a storm of shadows. The ground caved, trees bent, and the sky turned crimson.
System: "Berserk Mode engaged."
System: "Ultimate Skill — Sin of Ultimate Despair — fully unleashed."
The world darkened.Black lightning spiraled around Ortho as blood-red mist formed a massive sigil beneath his feet.
Monstrous leaking from Ortho was looking like Dark Hole with Endless Pain, screams was coming out from that Mana
High Demon (backing away, trembling): "What… what are you?! That mana— It's not human!"
Ortho didn't answer.He vanished.
A flash — then the demon screamed.A slash of pure despair carved across his chest, black flames devouring his flesh.
High Demon (roaring): "GRAAAHHH! You dare—!"
He swung wildly, casting Mana Rift Slash and Soul Piercer, but the attacks dissolved before touching Ortho — devoured by his aura.
Ortho appeared behind him, whispering.
Ortho (distorted voice): "You like pain, right? Then feel it."
He grabbed the demon's arm — and crushed it.Bones shattered like glass, dark blood splattering the ground.
High Demon (screaming): "AAAAHHHH— STOP—!!"
Ortho slammed his knee into the demon's stomach, breaking his ribs, then hurled him into the ground.The impact created a crater; shockwaves ripped through the forest.
System: "Sin of Ultimate Despair — Stage II Activated: Pain Reflection."
Every injury the demon had ever inflicted on others began appearing on his own body.Cuts, burns, and slashes materialized across his skin.
He howled in terror.
High Demon: "S-Stop this! PLEASE— STOP! I BEG YOU!!"
Ortho floated above him, black lightning cracking across his body.
Ortho (cold, emotionless): "Don't beg for mercy from me… because—"(His voice boomed, monstrous)
"I AM NOT THE ONE WHO FORGIVES!"
He extended his hand. A black sphere of condensed mana formed — pulsing like a beating heart.
System: "Skill: Abyss Implosion."
The sphere sank into the demon's chest.For a moment — silence.
Then—
BOOOOOM!
The explosion of black energy erased the demon's body, leaving nothing but a burning mark on the earth.
System: "Threat eliminated."
Ortho (angrily): "No! No! No! Not yet! I Don't Want to Give You Death Yet!"
System: "Sin of Ultimate Despair — Stage III activating."
System: "Target Has Revived Again."
System: "User unable to move — initiating High-Level Barrier for party. Teleporting demon to Ultimate Despair space."
The storm faded.The air grew still again.
The battlefield was silent — only the wind whispering through the ruined forest.