The shockwave generated by the demonic mana explosion struck Kaiser, forcing him to plant his katana into the ground so as not to be carried away.

The dust fell slowly, revealing an abomination where his brother once stood. Isaak’s body had stretched in a supernatural way, his skin now had prominent black veins that pulsed. His eyes, of absolute blackness, no longer reflected any humanity, only the insatiable hunger of the Archdemon of Midnight.

Kaiser straightened up, spitting blood. A few meters away, Diavolo remained seated on a column debris, adjusting his cowboy hat.

" Tell me, fucking cowboy, are you planning to stay seated there without helping me? " asked Kaiser while throwing him a look as blood flowed from the corner of his lips.

Diavolo let out an eccentric laugh.

" I told you, baby boy. This is a family matter. I have absolutely no intention of intervening. If you cannot kill this demon, then you just have to die here..."

Kaiser swore between his teeth, tightened the handle of his katana then took a deep breath.

Grimory who possessed Isaak let out a roar and threw himself at him. The speed of the attack was such that the air tore with a sharp whistle.

< Mystic Art: Thought Acceleration >

< Eye of Predation >

Instantly, his field of vision slowed down while his mind functioned much faster. He saw the flows of corruption mana wrapping around the demon’s limbs, identifying the point of tension in his left shoulder a fraction of a second before the impact. Kaiser pivoted on himself, letting the attack pass which sent a wave of air.

< Sundering Eclipse >

< First Movement: Crescent Moon >

With a fluid movement, Kaiser released a blade of white and pure aura. The crescent of energy split the darkness, cleanly slicing the demon’s outstretched arm. The limb fell to the ground, instantly dissolving into corrosive black smoke, but the demon did not even seem to notice the loss. A new mass of black and viscous flesh burst from the stump, reforming an even more massive limb.

The demon pivoted on itself, delivering a backhand punch toward Kaiser’s abdomen.

< Mystic Art: Barrier >

A violent air compression formed in front of him, intercepting the punch loaded with demonic mana that crashed against it. The impact sent Kaiser flying far away.

Not giving Kaiser any respite, Grimory rushed at him at lightning speed. Seeing that it would be impossible to block the attack, Kaiser used his Dash technique to reappear ten meters from the demon but, against all expectations, the latter used Isaak’s teleportation technique to find himself behind Kaiser, who was surprised.

Immediately, the demon delivered a downward blow but, reacting thanks to Thought Acceleration, Kaiser made an air ball appear that propelled the demon far away. Seizing the situation, Kaiser shouted:

< Mystic Art: Lightning Descent >

Using mudras he attracted lightning from the sky...

At the same moment, lightning descended to strike the demon in mid-air, causing an explosion that made the rocky walls tremble.

Kaiser was out of breath, the overload of Thought Acceleration was much too strong.

He clearly felt the dizziness but he could not lower his guard. Judging by Diavolo’s behavior, he really had no intention of helping him for the moment; if he had wanted to, he could have killed this demon with a snap of his fingers.

As the dust dispersed, the demon was revealed: his body was already beginning to regenerate from the attack. Seeing this, Kaiser let out an ironic laugh then took a guard stance while a smile drew on his lips.

" Come on, come, I’m waiting for you " said Kaiser while signaling the demon with his other hand.

" Grrhhhh " roared the demon in mad rage then launched himself at Kaiser.

" It looks like he has not totally taken possession of Isaak’s body."

He covered the distance in a fraction of a second then delivered a quick attack with his hands in the shape of claws, aiming at Kaiser’s throat, who leaned to the side letting his hand pass a few millimeters from his face. Seizing the opportunity, he slammed his hand on the demon’s right flank:

< Mystic Art: Ignition >

Immediately, flames came out of his palms to engulf the entire demon in an explosion. But against all expectations, the demon’s hand came out of the flames and grabbed Kaiser by the neck. He lifted him quite high then slammed him to the ground. The impact was such that Kaiser spat saliva and blood. The demon raised his fists to bring them down on Kaiser, who rolled on the ground avoiding the attack that formed a small crater in the ground.

Getting up with a backward jump, Kaiser formed mudras with his hands while the demon had already launched himself at him.

< Mystic Art: Lightning Coating >

Crackling lightning suddenly burst from Kaiser’s hand, wrapping around his katana.

< Second Movement: Quarter Moon >

As he struck, trails of residual aura mixed with lightning remained suspended in the air, vibrating and sharp. The demon tried to parry the direct blow with his claws, but the aura residues struck him full in the face.

Seeing the demon’s body tear into a thousand pieces, a smile drew on his lips. Although its regeneration was already beginning to occur.

He launched himself toward the demon then delivered a diagonal blow coming from below, charged with lightning. Sensing the danger, the demon shifted to the right letting the attack pass which sent a wave of electric energy, but Kaiser did not waste time. Turning on himself, he delivered a kick that sent him flying far away.

"I’m going to find a way to get you out of there, Isaak..."

Kaiser launched himself at him but was forced to shift, letting a crescent of demonic energy pass. When he turned his head toward the demon, the latter was holding between his hands the sword that Isaak possessed.

Quickly, the latter teleported, appearing behind Kaiser, and delivered a downward blow that Kaiser managed to block by quickly turning around. The impact sent sparks flying. Immediately, Kaiser used Gust to propel the demon far away, but the latter reacted in time, teleporting once more behind Kaiser who, for his part, used Dash to create distance. Quickly, he formed mudras with his hands.

< Mystic Art: Lightning Rain >

Crackling lightning in various places fell simultaneously on the demon, who managed to avoid them by using continuous teleportation. Seizing the opportunity, Kaiser got into position and made mudras with his hand.

< Mystic Art: Mudra of Perception >

While the lightning rain continued to fall, forcing the demon to move, Kaiser closed his eyes then raised the hand holding the katana. By concentrating, he could see the fluctuations of space at each teleportation.

As the lightning rain stopped, twenty meters from Kaiser the space fluctuated. Lowering his hand in a straight line, Kaiser muttered:

< Third Movement: New Moon >

Becoming a blade himself, Kaiser had concentrated all his energy reinforced by the mystic art Lightning Coating.

This sent a crescent of pure white crackling energy, going to strike the demon, leaving a gash in its path.

When Kaiser opened his eyes, he saw the demon half split in two, regenerating as best it could. From its wounds, lightning crackled.

Suddenly, the demon’s face tensed. The black pupils wavered, allowing for a brief instant the gleam of Isaak’s original eyes to be glimpsed.

" Kaiser... argh... kill me... " stammered Isaak, his voice becoming his own again, broken by unspeakable agony. " I can no longer... hold it back... it is devouring... everything... Kill me before it opens... Grrhh... "

Kaiser froze for a second, his katana still crackling with lightning.

" Fuck... "

His lips tightened until they bled.

" Isaak... you piece of shit... " murmured Kaiser.

" Quick! " screamed Isaak as the black veins began to invade his face again. " Kaiser! Do it! "

" It’s now or never, baby boy. "

Looking at Isaak struggling to contain the demon, Kaiser’s face was marked by an expression of sadness. Although he and Isaak were not very close, he still considered him as his family. That is why he had decided to end his suffering. Adopting the same posture as before, he lowered the katana while murmuring:

< Fourth Movement: Full Moon >

"Spiritual Fission..."

The katana coated with aura described a colossal crescent of energy. The movement was not fast. The blade passed through the demonic mana, through the corrupted flesh and through the spiritual link binding the demon to its host.

A line of white light crossed Isaak’s body...

*BOOM!!!*

When the dust had flown away, Isaak was lying on the ground, the lower part of his body disintegrating little by little. Blood flowed along his lips. As he tried to breathe, he spat blood, his breath ragged. Isaak sketched a fragile laugh, almost inaudible, which broke in his throat in a coughing fit.

" I’m sorry that our reunion is like this... ", he breathed, his voice trembling. " It’s crazy... how much you have grown. I would have loved so much for us to meet again... differently. " He spat a trickle of blood. His gaze was already wavering. " Above all, be careful with Pandora... " he added, his voice strangled by a spasm. Then, in a final breath: " Take care of yourself, you piece of shit little brother... "

Hearing these words, Kaiser felt his heart tighten. Losing his family once again put him in an impossible state. At the same moment, the rain began to fall. He took a cigarette out of his pocket then brought it to his mouth, lit it, took a puff of smoke before spitting it out.

Diavolo, who was witnessing all this, no longer displayed his previous smile. Slowly advancing toward Kaiser, he patted his shoulder.

" We have to go " he said while adjusting his hat to hide his face that had suddenly become serious, then he left leaving Kaiser alone.

After waiting a good moment until Isaak’s body was completely disintegrated, Kaiser raised his head, letting the rain wash his face, before turning around.

" I hope your soul can find peace, my brother " murmured Kaiser in a low voice.