[Third Person's PoV]
The Oni's towering figure burst through the dense fog like a monstrous silhouette from a nightmare, its hulking mass crackling with energy. It stood poised, shoulders squared, Kanabo raised like a baseball bat, hellfire wreathing the iron spikes. The moment hung suspended—then the Oni swung.
The spike-studded club cleaved through the air with a howling shriek, leaving a trail of burning crimson in its wake. Clark leaned forward with inhuman precision, the weapon missing him by inches. The air above his head howled from the near-miss, the sheer force of the swing sending pressure waves rippling around them.
With a feral snarl, the Oni launched into a flurry of swings, faster than any beast its size had the right to move. Its attacks blurred in a hurricane of spiked metal and roaring fire. But Clark was faster. His body bent, dipped, and twisted, leaving flickering after-images in his wake as he wove between strikes, untouchable, eyes locked on the monster with laser focus.
Then, Clark stomped his foot into the earth.
A shockwave cracked outward like thunder, splintering the ground beneath their feet. The terrain crumbled in a ripple of upheaval, throwing the Oni off-balance for just a moment—but that moment was all Clark needed. He surged forward and seized the Kanabo mid-swing. The weapon ripped from the Oni's grasp, tumbling away like a discarded toy.
Enraged, the Oni snarled and lifted a massive leg, aiming to crush Clark beneath it. But Clark took a step back, caught the incoming limb—larger than his entire torso—and pivoted on his heel. With a monstrous shout, he turned the demon around in circles, before flinging it like a sack of flesh and bone across the battlefield.
The Oni tumbled through the air, contorting mid-spin before planting both feet into the dirt, skidding to a stop and carving deep trenches in the earth. It squatted low, steam rising from its mouth as it prepared for another release of hellfire.
But before it could recover—before it could even blink—Clark was already there.
A crimson and gold blur shot forward. Clark's glowing eyes burned with fury, his foot drawn back like a spring before he rocketed it forward into the Oni's face. The impact was explosive—its tusks cracked like brittle wood, and blood sprayed into the sky as the beast was launched backwards.
Clark chased after the airborne Oni, surpassing it and appearing behind it. His arms wrapped around its waist and, using all the momentum it carried, Clark leaned back with a roar, suplexing the Oni with earth-shattering force. Its skull struck the ground with such violence that dirt and rock exploded upward, and blood erupted from its head like a broken dam.
The Oni bared its fangs, gritting them in agony, but its will refused to shatter. Desperation overtook it. Its massive hands latched onto Clark's legs and, with a sudden jerk, the creature surged to its feet, flipping Clark up into the air. The tables turned—now it was Clark being slammed into the ground again and again, crater after crater forming beneath his body.
But Clark was far from done.
On the final slam, he landed with both arms braced behind him. His muscles coiled, and in an instant, he launched himself upward, meeting the Oni eye-to-eye. He clapped his hands with explosive force against the sides of its head.
"ARRRGHHHHH!!!" the Oni screamed in agony as blood burst from its ears, geysering from the pressure. The beast fell to one knee, howling in pain, its equilibrium destroyed, the world around it spinning violently.
Clark somersaulted mid-air and launched forward again before even touching the ground. His bracers began to glow, molten lava flowing across them, reshaping and expanding until thick, jagged spikes protruded from his knuckles—each one gleaming with burning heat.
With a roar, Clark smashed his fist into the Oni's chest. The spikes punched into its body, searing flesh and bone as they erupted through the other side. The Oni was launched back, but Clark wasn't finished. His cape morphed in midair, transforming into glowing, molten chains that lashed out like snakes.
The chains wrapped around the Oni mid-flight, sizzling as they burned into its skin. Clark yanked hard, pulling the demon back toward him with tremendous force—then struck it again. And again. And again. The Oni was caught in a brutal rhythm, a yo-yo of agony as the chains rattled with each slam.
Its body was riddled with wounds—deep, gaping punctures where the spikes had pierced it, many too close together, each one cauterized by the lava heat radiating from Clark's strikes.
With a final heave, Clark unraveled the chains in a sweeping motion. The Oni spun uncontrollably, a giant top of chaos and blood. At that moment, the Kanabo, flung far earlier, came soaring back through the air—clearly a sneak attack, guided by the Oni's last desperate will.
But it was too slow.
Clark reached out with calm precision, catching the weapon mid-spin. The heavy club came to an abrupt stop in his grasp. He held it up and examined the massive spiked weapon for a moment. Then a menacing grin tugged at his lips.
"Thanks for the new toy~," he murmured darkly, his eyes gleaming.
The Oni, still spinning in place, stumbled to a halt, blinking rapidly, dizzy and disoriented. Its vision swam as it tried to get a sense of direction. But by the time it registered Clark charging toward it—with its own Kanabo, no less—it was far too late.
Clark was already charging toward him—eyes blazing, armed with a weapon far too big for even his own frame.
Clark slammed the Kanabo across the Oni's torso, a thunderous crack echoing through the air as the impact unleashed a shockwave that rippled outward, shaking the ground and sending the hulking demon hurtling through the sky like a ragdoll. Dust and debris spiraled in his wake, trailing destruction.
Without hesitation, Clark launched himself after the airborne Oni, a red blur slicing through the sky. As he caught up, he noticed the creature's eyes fluttering shut, unconscious from the sheer force of the blow.
"Wake the fuck up!" Clark snarled through gritted teeth, his voice a growl of fury. "You're gonna want to be awake for what's coming next!"
He swung the Kanabo downward, slamming it onto the Oni's chest midair, sending it rocketing downward like a meteor. The demon crashed through the forest canopy, snapping thick trees like twigs, its body carving a violent path as it was driven deeper and deeper into the wilderness. The forest was torn apart in its wake, a massive clearing forming behind its tumbling body.
Clark followed, relentless.
"Don't think I'm gonna let you sleep that easy," he spat as he descended after it. "I still have a promise to keep."
He raised the Kanabo once more and brought it down with devastating force. The Oni, now a twitching mass of broken limbs, was sent hurtling again—this time crashing into the side of a distant mountain with a deafening boom that shook the valley.
Clark dropped the Kanabo mid-air and dove like a missile, his fist glowing with energy. He smashed it deep into the Oni's gut, embedding the creature further into the stone. Blood exploded from its mouth as it gasped in pain, the force pinning it against the cliff face.
Clark's rage boiled over. His teeth clenched, eyes burning as vapor hissed from them like steam. His fists became blurs, hammering into the Oni's chest like a relentless machine gun. Each strike split the rock further, cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the mountain's surface.
The demon's eyes, barely conscious, glazed with pain and despair. Its mouth hung open, tears mingling with blood. As it attempted to lift a trembling hand, Clark caught it effortlessly and snarled. His eyes flared.
Then, with brutal efficiency, he grabbed the Oni's limb and tore it clean from its socket. Flesh and sinew ripped like wet paper, muscle snapping with a sickening crack.
"ARRRGHHHHH!!" the Oni roared, its eyes going wide, voice thick with blood and agony.
It thrashed wildly, trying to fight back, and swung its remaining arm toward Clark. But Clark blocked it with his forearm, then slapped the Oni across the face with its own severed arm. The force sent the demon flying backward once more, smashing it deeper into the cliffside.
Without pause, Clark grabbed the remaining arm and ripped it off too. Strings of bloody muscle twitched as the limb was wrenched free.
His cape unraveled and whipped forward on its own, wrapping around the Oni's bleeding stump before glowing red-hot and cauterizing the wound with a sizzling hiss so it wouldn't regenerate.
"ARRGGHHHH! IT HURTS! ARGH!! I'LL DEVOUR YOU!!" the Oni roared, its voice distorted and demonic, rage blazing in its crimson eyes.
Its mouth opened wide, gathering a swirling ball of hellfire deep in its throat.
Clark didn't flinch. His expression remained cold, devoid of pity or hesitation. He raised his foot and slammed it down onto the demon's throat with devastating precision. The Oni's neck collapsed with a sickening crunch, its mouth and throat exploding in a grotesque burst of blood and fire.
Its jaw now hung wide and broken, flesh dangling, blood cascading down like a waterfall.
"Look at that—perfect. Just what I had planned for you," Clark said, voice devoid of mercy. "Is the wittle cannibal still hungry?"
He held up the Oni's severed limb.
"'Cause here comes the choo-choo train."
Without ceremony, he shoved the limb into the demon's open mouth and began forcing it down its throat. Blood oozed around the edges as Clark continued, unfazed.
"Come on, don't choke now. Hurry up and regenerate. Don't tell me our little brawl's worn you out already."
"Regenerate," he ordered, voice low and primal, each word laced with dominance.
The Oni trembled beneath him, whimpering through a blood-soaked throat. It shook its head weakly in resistance, but its body betrayed it—survival instincts kicking in, the wounds not cauterized began to slowly heal, its jaw trembling back into place.
"Perfect," Clark muttered with a cold smile. "Good little obedient demon."
Then his expression darkened.
"But... what a shame. Looks like your throat isn't wide enough for seconds." He cracked his knuckles. "We'll need to make some room."
Clark grabbed the Oni's head and tilted it back. With one hand he took hold of its newly formed lower jaw. The severed limb still stuck halfway down the throat, fingers twitching.
"Now repeat after me… Aaaaah."
"AAAAAAAAAARRGGHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The Oni shrieked in agony as Clark tore its jaw wide open. The sound of splitting muscle and cracking bone echoed through the mountain range. Clark plunged the demon's own arm into the now-gaping maw, opening up the entire front of the demon's body like a grotesque zipper.
Blood sprayed across Clark, painting him in red. The Oni's chest cavity lay exposed, raw and trembling, wide enough now to fit not one, but both of his own arms inside.
"Aww, big boy must be getting full," Clark said mockingly, voice dripping with cruel amusement. He tilted his head with mock innocence, looking at the weeping demon as two severed limbs stretched grotesquely from its mouth.
He reached forward and placed the torn flaps of skin back together like a butcher dressing a carcass. With a quick blast of heat vision, he began fusing the skin back into place, sealing the gory front like a grotesque patchwork doll.
Once finished, Clark took a step back and admired his handiwork.
The Oni was now a limbless heap, slumped against the mountain wall. Two dismembered arms hung out of its mouth like grotesque trophies, twitching slightly, as if something was crawling out from within. Its face was locked in an expression of eternal torment, unable to move or scream.
Clark folded his arms, eyes smoldering, voice ice-cold.
"Art."
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