Nyzzor dragged Moon-Light into the collapsing pocket dimension as the space around them folded violently inward.
The ruined battlefield vanished instantly.
Gravity twisted sideways hard enough to distort their balance before snapping back without warning. Colors smeared across the darkness around them while fractured layers of space rotated endlessly in every direction.
Moon-Light hit the ground first. Eyes narrowed trying to make sense of his surroundings.
His boots scraped harshly across solid nothingness as the dimension stabilized around them. The surface beneath him looked like shattered black glass stretching endlessly into the distance, reflecting broken fragments of light underneath his feet.
The sky above was wrong.
Layers of darkness flickered constantly between static, crimson storms, and fractured stars that blinked in and out of existence. Massive cracks drifted overhead like wounds splitting through reality itself.
Nyzzor attacked immediately.
He twisted midair and drove both feet forward with violent force.
The kick slammed directly into Moon-Light's face.
Moon-Light's head snapped backward as his body skidded across the distorted ground. His boots carved long trenches behind him before he planted one hand against the surface and forced himself to stop. Broken fragments of warped space scattered underneath his palm like shattered mirrors.
Nyzzor landed several meters away in a low crouch.
His chest rose unevenly while dark blood continued leaking from the hole torn through his torso earlier. Tendrils shifted violently behind him while his glowing eyes stayed locked onto Moon-Light without blinking once.
"This human is dangerous," Nyzzor thought.
His claws flexed slowly.
"I attacked from his blind spot and he still countered me instantly."
His breathing became rougher.
"Even after evolving… even after obtaining two horns… my strength should be far beyond human limits."
Moon-Light slowly straightened himself upright. Blood dripped from the corner of his nose before rolling across his lip. He wiped it away lazily with his thumb, glanced at the smear briefly, then smirked.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
He cracked his neck once while staring directly at Nyzzor.
"You didn't just slip out of my grip but you actually managed to land a clean hit."
Nyzzor floated upward slowly until his feet hovered above the fractured ground beneath him. He spread both arms outward while black mist spiraled around his body.
"Welcome to my domain," he announced confidently.
The darkness surrounding them pulsed in response to his voice.
"In this place, I control everything."
A distorted grin spread across his face.
"You have no chance of defeating me here."
Moon-Light stared at him for a second.
Then laughed once under his breath.
"Is that so?"
He took a slow step forward.
"You are not the only one who can move through dimensions."
His grin widened.
"I saw what you were doing earlier. Slipping your body through fractured layers of space to avoid damage."
He pointed casually toward Nyzzor.
"Cute trick."
Nyzzor's expression twitched violently. He immediately dropped back toward the ground, claws curling inward aggressively.
"Bullshit, that is impossible," he snapped.
Dark mist burst outward around him.
"You are lying, you're trying to intimidate me."
Moon-Light rolled one shoulder before pointing at himself with his thumb.
"Too bad for you, asshole."
His voice carried calmly through the distorted dimension.
"You picked the worst possible person to fight."
Silver-black energy pulsed faintly around his body.
"I am the third strongest hero on Earth."
He grinned wider.
"In this situation?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"I am your worst fucking nightmare."
Nyzzor screeched violently.
The sound ripped through the dimension hard enough to distort the fractured sky above them. Dark mist poured continuously from the hole inside his torso, spilling down his body before evaporating into the surrounding void.
He spread his arms outward again.
The dimension answered immediately.
Black fog flooded across the battlefield from every direction, swallowing the broken ground beneath them while gravity warped unpredictably around their bodies. Pressure pushed inward from all sides hard enough to crack the distorted surface underneath Moon-Light's boots.
Nyzzor's voice rose into a furious scream.
"How?!"
His claws shook visibly.
"How can a mere human possess transcendent power like this?!"
The dark mist surged harder around him.
"I am a Demon Peer!"
His face twisted with rage.
"I stand one step away from becoming a Demon Lord!"
He pointed violently toward Moon-Light.
"So how are you this damn strong?!"
His breathing turned ragged.
"Who the hell has access to dimensions besides us Demons and the Angels?!"
Moon-Light answered by rushing forward.
Nyzzor lunged at the exact same time.
Their fists collided head-on.
The entire dimension convulsed violently around them.
Shockwaves ripped outward hard enough to split both the ground and sky simultaneously. Massive fractures spread overhead while entire sections of reality peeled away into the screaming void beneath the battlefield. Gravity distorted wildly as chunks of broken space floated upward before exploding apart.
Moon-Light did not move an inch from the collision.
"Apparently I do," he answered calmly while forcing Nyzzor backward through pure strength alone.
"And for your information…"
He drove forward harder.
"There are a handful of humans on Earth capable of far worse."
Then his knee slammed directly into Nyzzor's face.
Bone cracked loudly underneath the hit.
Nyzzor's head snapped sideways while black blood sprayed across the fractured dimension. Before the demon could recover, Moon-Light vanished from sight entirely.
Nyzzor's eyes widened.
Moon-Light reappeared beside him instantly.
A brutal kick folded into Nyzzor's ribs hard enough to cave part of his chest inward.
Another punch buried itself deep into his stomach before the demon could react.
Black blood exploded from Nyzzor's mouth as his body bent around the impact.
Each strike destabilized the dimension further.
The ground beneath them split apart repeatedly while gravity twisted unpredictably across the battlefield. Nyzzor's own mist lashed back against him violently now, slicing into his flesh and ripping chunks from his arms and shoulders as his power spiraled out of control.
Moon-Light stayed on him relentlessly. Without any hesitation, he wasted no movement.
"From what I've seen so far, you demons keep making the same mistake," he said while driving another fist into Nyzzor's jaw.
The impact spun the demon sideways through the air.
"You underestimate humans."
Moon-Light appeared above him instantly and hammered another blow downward into his spine.
"And eventually…"
Nyzzor smashed violently into the fractured ground below.
"That mistake becomes your downfall."
Nyzzor staggered upright again, barely stable now. Entire chunks of his body were tearing away into drifting black ash as his power destabilized further.
Moon-Light grinned openly at the sight.
"That all you got?"
He tilted his head while wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand.
"All bark. No bite."
He clicked his tongue once.
"Tsk."
Then shook his head.
"How pathetic."
Power erupted from his body instantly.
Silver-black energy exploded outward hard enough to rupture the collapsing dimension itself. Light and pressure tore violently through the fractured space surrounding them while cracks spread endlessly across the broken sky.
Nyzzor stumbled backward in panic.
His claws scraped desperately against the unstable ground while pieces of reality crumbled apart around him.
"Shit, such overwhelming strength…"
Fear finally entered his voice.
"I cannot defeat him…"
He twisted sharply, attempting to sink into subspace and escape.
Moon-Light was already waiting there.
His hand clamped around Nyzzor's face mid-transition. Fingers dug directly into bone while the demon thrashed violently inside his grip.
Moon-Light stared at him calmly.
"Trying to run after all that trash talking?"
His grip tightened harder.
"Take this."
A beam of chaotic silver-black energy detonated point-blank into Nyzzor's skull.
There was no scream this time.
Nyzzor's body disintegrated instantly.
Flesh, bone, blood, and demonic energy shattered apart into fine ash before vanishing completely inside the beam.
The pocket dimension collapsed immediately afterward.
Massive fractures spread across reality before the entire space shattered inward like broken glass.
Then everything snapped back.
Moon-Light stumbled forward as solid ground returned beneath his feet. His boots skidded harshly across scorched asphalt while rubble shifted around him. Fires burned nearby. Sirens echoed faintly somewhere in the ruined city.
He blinked once while looking around.
"…I am back?"
He shrugged casually afterward.
"Wellp."
A slow breath escaped through his nose.
"That was easy."
Then his expression eased slightly.
"…Too easy."