The metallic clang of clashing steel echoed across the shattered, ruined street. The cultist attacked relentlessly, unleashing a barrage of strikes, but Leo calmly deflected every blow with his katana. Yet, under the cultist's oppressive speed and power, Leo was slowly forced to step back.
Suddenly, the cultist's movements faltered. A flash of surprise crossed his face as he sensed the environment around them—the presence of his two companions had completely vanished.
He leaped backward, his eyes narrowing into a cold, irritated glare.
"Tsk tsk tsk... My two companions are dead?" he said, his tone dripping with annoyance. "That's unfortunate. You two are much stronger than we anticipated..."
From the rubble and rising dust of the broken houses, a figure stumbled forward. It was Chris. He was in terrible shape—clutching his broken, badly injured arm while blood dripped continuously from his mouth, staining the dirt below.
The cultist glanced at Chris and let out a twisted smirk. "Man, I really thought they'd leave you in a state where you couldn't even walk. Yet here you are, still standing. That's troublesome... You guys are really ruining our plans."
Fury ignited in Chris's eyes. Gathering every ounce of strength left in his battered body, he yelled, "SHUT UP! All of you are completely insane! You're sacrificing everything to prepare for the return of some demon, but do you even know if that demon will spare your lives?! Has that demon ever given you anything?! You worship it blindly and take innocent lives for nothing! Look around you... look at how many homes you've destroyed—homes people worked their entire lives to build!"
The cultist stood completely still, like a statue. There was no remorse on his face—only a cold, unfeeling gaze fixed on Chris.
Then... he burst into laughter.
His chaotic laughter echoed through the desolate ruins. He even wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye with his finger.
"Are you trying to manipulate me?" the cultist asked, his tone instantly shifting from amusement to malice.
SWOOSH!
The cultist lunged at Chris with terrifying speed. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his broken arm, Chris threw a desperate punch straight at the cultist's face. But the cultist caught Chris's broken hand mid-air.
"I caught you," the cultist whispered with a twisted smile, before slamming a heavy fist directly into Chris's shattered arm!
"AAAHHHH!"
Chris's agonizing scream pierced the air. Darkness swept over his vision as he staggered backward in unbearable pain.
The cultist stepped closer, poking him mockingly. "What's wrong? Does it hurt?"
Before he could finish his taunt, a deadly killer intent erupted behind him.
SLASH!
Leo struck from behind at blinding speed! His katana carved a deep, brutal gash across the cultist's shoulder. Flesh tore open, and blood spurted onto the ground.
"Why did you attack me from behind?!" the cultist snarled, whipping his head around.
Leo gripped his katana tightly, his voice icy and calm. "I am your opponent. Who gave you permission to switch opponents?"
Instead of anger, a slow, psychotic grin spread across the cultist's face. He licked his own blood off his finger. "It's been a long time since someone made me taste my own blood. Impressive..."
What happened next made even Chris hold his breath in horror. Without hesitation, the cultist plunged his own fingers deep into his stomach! Blood erupted from the wound, and he frantically began licking the blood dripping from his own body.
A horrific, distorted smile stretched across his face. Joining his blood-stained hands together, he looked up toward the sky.
"Demon King... Thank you for deeming me worthy of this form."
With those words, he collapsed onto his knees, coughing up pools of blood. Standing behind, Chris instantly realized what was happening—the cultist was transforming into a demon!
Chris rushed forward to land a devastating kick to his head before the process could finish, but—
BOOM!
A wave of violent, dark purple aura exploded from the cultist's body. The sudden burst of demonic pressure was so immense that Chris was forced to jump back.
When the dust and purple energy finally settled, the creature standing before them was no longer human.
His right arm had completely mutated into a monstrous demonic limb—corrupted black flesh, bone-like spikes, glowing purple cracks, and razor-sharp claws. His left arm remained normal, but his robes were torn to shreds. His chest was covered in deep scars, burn marks, and pulsing black veins. The cloth hiding his face was gone, revealing a half-burnt visage with one normal eye and one milky-white, lifeless eye.
In his demonic right hand, he held a massive, spiky sword forged from bone.
Looking up at the sky, the cultist spoke in a hauntingly calm voice, "Look... My King has granted me this form. He has accepted me... He has given me his power!"
He released a suffocating surge of demonic aura. Leo showed no fear. Closing his eyes for a split second, Leo unleashed his own Red Aura, which instantly wrapped around the sharp blade of his katana.
CRASH!
The two collided! Their blades clashed, sending shockwaves through the air. The cultist was vastly faster now, throwing a violent flurry of attacks. Leo was forced completely on the defensive, blocking blow after blow, though a few stray strikes managed to cut his body.
Capitalizing on an opening, the cultist grabbed the hand Leo used to hold his katana.
Raising his demonic right arm, intense demonic mana compressed over his hand, forming a glowing Purple Aether Sphere . The cultist prepared to drive the sphere shot directly into Leo's chest!
"AAARRGHHH!"
Leo roared, bursting his Red Aura to its absolute limit, and landed a brutal kick straight into the cultist's blind white eye!
The cultist's grip slipped, freeing Leo. Losing his balance, the cultist accidentally fired the Purple Aether Sphere backward, sending it flying into a nearby building.
BOOM!
The moment the purple Aether Sphere touched the structure, the entire building disintegrated into dust within seconds.
Leo took a quick, heavy breath. "Dodged it just in time..."
Without wasting a single millisecond, Leo lunged forward to sever the cultist's head. But the cultist simply smirked, easily deflecting the strike mid-air with his bone sword. Reading the movement, Leo swiftly thrust his katana deep into the cultist's demonic right arm instead!
Enraged, the cultist grabbed Leo by the face and slammed him violently into a brick wall, shattering the masonry. Without mercy, the cultist ripped the katana out of his own arm and hurled it back at Leo!
Leo sensed the attack, but it was too fast. The katana pierced straight into his shoulder, tearing through muscle and bone.
As the cultist approached, his eyes caught sight of a grand church nearby with a massive golden bell hanging from its tower. Raising his demonic hand toward the church, the cultist unleashed a massive Aether Sphere.
The projectile tore through every house and obstacle in its path before obliterating the church's upper structure. EXPLOSION! The heavy golden bell crashed down to the earth with a deafening thud.
Leo's eyes burned with rage. He gripped the katana stuck in his shoulder and yanked it out. Blood poured from the wound, but he took a deep breath, channeling his anger into absolute focus.
The cultist smirked. "You cut my shoulder, I pierced yours. Now we're even."
Leo didn't say a word. His Red Aura enveloped his entire body, and then—a roaring Blazing Fire ignited along his katana's edge!
Leo had achieved complete Elemental Mastery.
Seeing Leo swing his flaming blade toward his neck, the cultist tried to charge another Purple Aether Sphere, but Leo was faster—he fired a Fire Aether Sphere Shot straight from his hand!
The Fire Aether Sphere hit the cultist's demonic right hand directly, incinerating it!
While the cultist was distracted by his burning arm, Leo executed a flash-step and drove his burning katana clean through the cultist's chest!
"AAGHH...!" The cultist spewed a mouthful of blood.
Leo pulled his blade out and stepped back. The cultist was utterly exhausted; the demonic aura was rapidly leaking from his body as if fleeing its host.
"You're just a human," Leo said in a cold, detached voice. "How long did you think you could handle a demon's power? You're spent... Exhausting you was my plan all along."
Driven mad by desperation, the cultist lunged forward with a scream, but Leo cleanly whipped his katana through the air—SLASH! The cultist's remaining left arm was sliced into three pieces!
The cultist froze in agony. Leo stepped forward to finish him by taking his head, but in one final, desperate act, the cultist thrust his bone sword straight into the palm of Leo's hand!
Blood dripped down from Leo's pierced palm.
The moment the cultist's eyes landed on Leo's blood... his soul trembled in sheer terror.
He swallowed hard, his eyes widening with a primal fear he had never felt before. His trembling lips parted to say something... but before he could utter a single word:
SWOOSH!
Chris appeared behind him, swinging his blade with everything he had left, severing the cultist's head in a single, clean arc.
The headless body collapsed lifelessly to the ground, plunging the ruined battlefield into absolute silence