"No, no, no, no..."

"Giving up so quickly?"

"You will all..."

"Watch your loved ones suffer, die, and be tortured in various ways..."

"This was never a war between you and us."

"It was a massive playground for us to play and have fun with our toys."

"And so we shall."

"So get up and fight."

"SCREAM AS YOU GO THROUGH THE SEVEN STAGES OF HELL!"

"Humans... aren’t playthings."

Nuk was suddenly cut off as a calm voice rang out.

Pah.

Pah.

Pah.

Steady footsteps echoed across the battlefield as a human nearly two and a half meters tall walked forward.

His head was bald and shining. He wore heavy traditional attire and carried a giant halberd.

The axe blade glinted beneath the sun. The spear tip shone gold, while the hook at the back was pitch black.

The handle was almost four meters long, nearly twice the size of the man wielding it, yet he carried it with ease.

"Humans didn’t become the apex predators of this world for no reason."

"I’ll be damned if I allow you to spit on my ancestors’ graves."

"So what if you’re an extraterritorial being?"

"You still bleed."

"You still feel pain."

The human paused and looked up.

He walked past the kneeling humans, his shadow looming over them like a mountain as hope reignited within their hearts.

"Which means..."

"You can die."

The human finished speaking as his foot touched the ground.

The instant it did, he was already standing inches away from Nuk.

A powerful force erupted between them and blasted Nuk backward as he slid nearly five meters away.

The moment this happened, a sharp tearing sound filled the air.

Nuk’s body instinctively shifted to the left as the halberd crashed into the ground.

BOOM!

Dust exploded outward.

Nuk immediately stepped forward, shortening the distance between them.

His tail lashed out at extreme speed, creating a small shockwave as it wrapped around the human’s arm.

The human’s skin turned red at a visible speed.

Then the tail pulled him forward.

At the same time, the human raised the halberd with his left hand.

Nuk stretched out his palm.

Grabbing the handle, he pushed it backward, causing the hook at the rear to descend rapidly toward the human.

Seeing this, the human bent backward, dodging as much as possible.

Nuk grinned and pushed harder.

Only when the hook was inches away from the human’s eyes did he suddenly pull backward.

His hand grabbed more of Nuk’s tail and yanked it, causing Nuk to lose balance.

Then the halberd came crashing down.

Nuk crossed his arms as the weapon struck him with enough force to instantly shatter several scales.

Bang!

Nuk sank a meter into the ground, creating a crater five meters wide.

"I am Hajun."

"And I stand for humanity."

The man spoke as the dust settled, revealing the crater.

Hearing this, Nuk chuckled as he rose from it.

He was genuinely surprised.

Even among these humans, there were martial warriors capable of hurting him.

Unbeknownst to Nuk, most of those living in Section Five were not merely poor citizens.

Many were retired mercenaries, criminals, and fugitives lying low.

Those powerful martial warriors had known that Section Five was essentially discarded by the city.

Apart from the massive stores of food and resources gathered there, the rest of the city had largely abandoned it.

It had been the perfect place to hide from enemies.

But now, pushed into danger, there was nowhere left to run.

They had no choice but to stand their ground and fight.

Of course, this also meant exposing themselves to old enemies.

But as long as there was life, there was hope.

"And I really couldn’t care less."

Nuk’s scales healed as he moved.

PAAAHHH!

The air was torn apart as shockwaves erupted.

The humans around them scattered and fled.

Those too slow were instantly vaporized.

Their bodies trembled as Nuk and Hajun entered a stalemate.

Muscles groaned under pressure.

Heat constantly radiated from Nuk’s body.

Then...

Hajun took a step forward.

The ground sank several inches beneath him.

He spun the halberd, creating a vacuum that pulled Nuk upward.

Then he aimed the spear tip directly at Nuk’s chest.

SHIA!

The blade pierced through Nuk’s flesh.

But Nuk grinned.

He grabbed the handle as he landed on the ground.

Hajun pulled, attempting to free the weapon.

But Nuk’s hands were like iron clamps.

Hajun watched as Nuk’s grin slowly widened.

Then Nuk deliberately pulled the halberd deeper into his own body.

The wound expanded.

The hook and axe blade tore through him, creating a massive hole.

Hajun watched as Nuk moved closer and closer through the length of the weapon.

Meanwhile, the giant wound began closing.

Flesh connected to flesh.

Muscles stitched themselves together.

One layer after another.

Once Nuk was close enough...

BANG!

A shockwave erupted.

Pebbles and rocks nearby disintegrated.

Removing his hand, Hajun revealed a hole blasted through part of Nuk’s face.

Yet it healed almost instantly.

And Nuk continued advancing.

Bang!

Bang!

Blows landed on his face, neck, and body in rapid succession, but Nuk seemed not to feel the pain as he inched closer and closer.

By the time he was only a meter away, Hajun’s expression had changed.

Worse still, Nuk had already healed, except for the hole still protruding through his chest.

The nearby humans all stepped back in horror.

They were witnessing something that sent chills down their spines.

Their skin crawled, and their expressions changed.

No, it wasn’t shock.

It was outright horror.

"And what might you be?" Nuk asked.

"A savior?"

"A defender of humanity?"

"A protector?"

Nuk spoke as he finally stopped inches away from Hajun.

This time, Hajun’s body was tense as he stared at the monster before him.

He swallowed slowly.

His fists were covered in blood, yet he wasn’t happy.

Yes, he could injure this being.

But could he kill it?

"It’s over," Nuk said slowly.

His expression was that of a victor.

But before he could savor his victory, Hajun suddenly laughed wildly.

"You demons are really something..."

"But you’re damn wrong if you think this is the full extent of my power."

Hajun spoke as his eyes gleamed.

Crack.

Crack.

Crack.

Nuk felt his demon heart pound wildly.

His body instinctively moved backward.

But it was too late.

A massive palm grabbed Nuk by the face and ripped him away from the halberd’s handle.

"It is over..."

"For you."