The ruined arena trembled beneath the weight of two overwhelming forces.
Broken stone littered the battlefield. Cracks stretched through the once-pristine colosseum while countless eyes remained fixed upon the center of the arena.
Damian and Quan stood opposite one another. Neither moved.
Then they disappeared. A deafening explosion erupted as both fighters collided in the middle once again.
Their fists, elbows, knees, and feet struck with terrifying precision, every exchange producing violent shockwaves that tore apart the shattered arena.
Quan's movements became increasingly refined. Every strike flowed seamlessly into another, forcing Damian to defend without pause.
For several minutes, the battle remained dead even. Then Quan noticed something. Damian wasn't merely blocking.
He was learning in every exchange, rhythm, feint and breathing pattern…Damian's body absorbed them all.
Quan's crimson eyes narrowed.
"…you're adapting."
Damian remained silent. Quan clicked his tongue.
"So that's your talent."
He smiled.
"Since it's come to this…I'll go all out and hit you with something you can't adapt to so easily."
Without warning, Quan completely changed the rhythm of the battle.
Instead of following the pattern Damian had already memorized, he created an entirely new sequence.
He lunged forward. His leg shot upward toward Damian's head. Damian calmly raised his arm to block.
At the very last instant Quan twisted his hips. His kick shifted trajectory. Instead of Damian's head…It slammed into Damian's ribs.
CRACK! Damian's right arm shattered from the impact.
His body was launched across the arena before crashing into the barrier surrounding the battlefield.
Stone exploded outward. The spectators roared. Quan didn't allow him a single moment to recover. He vanished.
The next instant he was already before Damian. His fist blasted toward Damian's face. Damian tilted his head just enough. Quan's punch missed.
BOOOOOOM! The wall of the colosseum exploded.
A massive hole several meters wide appeared where his fist landed. Dust poured into the arena. Damian pushed himself forward, attempting to counterattack.
Quan smiled.
"Shadow Lock."
Darkness beneath Damian's feet instantly expanded.
His own shadow wrapped around his legs. It hardened. Locked. Damian couldn't move. Quan leapt into the air. His heel descended toward Damian's skull.
Inside Damian's consciousness, Sophie opened her eyes.
"Damian."
Damian inhaled.
"High Spirit Illumination."
A brilliant white radiance erupted from his body.
The shadow restraints dissolved instantly beneath the overwhelming spiritual light. The explosion of light flooded the battlefield.
Quan instinctively shielded his eyes.
"My eyes—!"
Damian wasted no opportunity. He spun and his heel smashed directly into Quan's jaw. The force launched Quan across the arena. He crashed into the barrier.
The barrier shattered beneath the impact. Quan rolled across the ground before stopping.
Silence. Then he slowly stood. Rubbing blood from the corner of his mouth, he chuckled.
"That power…sure is annoying."
His vision gradually returned. He lowered his hand. Then spread both arms.
"I summon the Lord of Shadows to be my will."
The shadows around the entire arena suddenly trembled.
Darkness gathered from every direction. It surged toward Quan like an endless ocean before swallowing him whole.
The spectators erupted.
"He's using it! The Lord of Shadows! Quan's ultimate form!"
High above the arena, one of the Demon Lords watched with narrowed eyes.
"The Will of the Lord of Shadows…It is an incredible power. The strength of the host determines how much power can be borrowed. If the vessel is powerful enough…that form becomes nearly unstoppable."
He looked down toward Quan.
"But according to the ranks of Hell…Quan is merely an Apostle."
A nearby demon gasped.
"No wonder he's so strong…"
Another leaned forward with excitement.
"Will the Devourer be devoured…or will he survive? I can't wait to find out."
Back inside the arena…the darkness peeled away from Quan's body like smoke.
Two black horns emerged from his forehead. His eyes became completely black. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire colosseum.
Even seasoned demons instinctively stepped backward. Quan slowly lifted his head. His gaze settled upon Damian.
"Now…you can die properly, human."
He vanished. Damian's pupils contracted.
Too fast. Before he could react Quan was already in front of him.
BOOM! His fist crashed into Damian's face. Damian's body blasted into the wall once again.
The impact shook the entire arena. Quan refused to stop. He grabbed Damian by the front of his shirt. With monstrous strength he hurled him high into the sky.
Then appeared above him. His foot slammed into Damian's stomach. Damian crashed straight down.
The center of the arena collapsed beneath him. A massive crater formed. Blood escaped Damian's lips.
Inside his consciousness, Sophie looked at him with worry.
"Damian…You are not yet strong enough to wield my full power. Spirit Embodiment won't be enough to defeat him and…He's an Apostle of the Lord of Shadows. When an Apostle fights in Hell…their full strength isn't restricted."
Quan descended into the crater. He stepped directly onto Damian's chest.
Looking down with absolute confidence, he spoke.
"This is your end, mortal."
His fists descended…Again, Again,Again and Again.
Each strike shattered more of Damian's body.
Blood splattered across the broken stone.
The white glow surrounding Damian gradually faded. Spirit Embodiment ended. Inside the abyss of Damian's consciousness Sophie lowered her head.
"If you die again…you'll lose the little humanity you have left and if you're going to revive Isabell…you'll need that remaining piece."
She slowly turned toward Achlys, who sat beneath the endless darkness.
"…But…If you let Achlys take over for a time…you won't lose your humanity. You'll simply risk becoming more like him. His personality and his instincts…They may begin affecting yours."
Achlys sighed dramatically.
"You don't have to make it sound so bad."
Damian slowly lifted his head. Blood ran down his face.
"Achlys…I'll let you take over. Defeat him but don't go overboard."
A grin slowly spread across Achlys' face.
"Fine. If anything happens to you…it affects me too. So I don't exactly have a choice."
Outside Quan continued raining punches onto Damian. Blood dripped from his knuckles. The spectators stared in silence.
One demon clenched his fists.
"So…This is it for the Devourer…"
Quan pulled back his right fist.
"This is it."
Darkness gathered around his arm. The shadows compressed until they became almost solid.
He smiled.
"Shadow Amplification Punch."
His fist descended. It stopped. Only inches away from Damian's face.
Then BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!! An unimaginable explosion erupted.
The arena disappeared beneath a cloud of dust. The shockwave spread across the entire colosseum. Even the Demon Lords instinctively stood.
When the dust settled Quan blinked. Damian…was gone.
A strange warmth dripped from his shoulder. He slowly looked downward.
His right arm…was missing. Completely severed. Blood poured endlessly from the wound.
The crowd gasped. Every Demon Lord immediately rose from their seats.
Something had entered the battlefield.
Something…Ancient, predatory and wrong. Quan instinctively turned.
Several meters behind him a lone figure stood with his back facing the arena.
Two curved black horns rose from his head. Two immense black wings of primordial mist spread silently behind him.
Crimson slit pupils glowed beneath long black hair.
In his left hand he held Quan's severed arm.
The being slowly turned around. Without emotion and mercy. He tossed the arm casually toward Quan.
It landed before him with a wet thud.
"I believe this belongs to you."
Quan stared at the figure.
The aura…The demeanor…Even the pressure…Nothing resembled Damian anymore.
His voice trembled.
"…Who are you?"
The being smiled faintly.
"You are not worthy to know my name."
Quan's expression darkened. The surrounding shadows gathered once more. They wrapped around his severed shoulder.
Within seconds a new shadow arm formed. The being watched quietly.
"The power of the shadows…It's been a while."
His crimson eyes narrowed with unmistakable excitement.
"I hope…you don't die too quickly."