Lima’s final strike descended like divine judgment of fire. The instant Agni Destroyer erupted, the world around her vanished beneath a storm of fire.

A deafening explosion swallowed the battlefield with flames spiraling skyward, devouring everything within nearly two hundred meters.

Buildings collapsed into burning rubble, and the streets split apart under the unbearable heat. Even the air itself seemed to scream from the heat.

At the center of that destruction, a single blazing line carved through the land.

The monstrous History Tree stood frozen for one brief second before its massive body split cleanly in two. Both halves crashed to opposite sides with a thunderous impact, their interiors scorched black from the inferno.

And in the middle of that scorched wasteland, Lima lay motionless on the ground.

Her breathing was faint with blurred vision. Only the tiniest fragment of consciousness remained inside her exhausted body.

’CRRRK...’

The sound of debris shifting echoed through the silence. Chunks of broken concrete slowly rolled aside as a figure emerged from beneath the wreckage.

It was the cult member.

His massive werewolf form had already reverted to its human state, but nearly every inch of his body was covered in horrific burn wounds. Blood streamed relentlessly from the torn flesh.

The grey clothes he once wore were almost completely shredded, hanging from his body in blackened, charred strips.

Yet despite resembling a corpse dragged straight out of the seventh layer of hell, he was still alive.

Slowly, he straightened his body and lifted his head toward Lima, a twisted grin spreading across his bloodstained face.

"Didn’t know you were hiding a move like that in your arsenal. For a moment... I actually thought that attack might kill me."

He began walking toward her without the slightest hurry, his boots crunching against the scorched earth beneath him.

Stopping before her helpless body, he looked down at her with cold amusement glinting in his eyes.

"You ruined our plan."

"We were going to drown this entire city in emotional corruption, turn people against one another until blood flowed through the streets like rivers."

He glanced at the destroyed tree behind him and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Just like you said... you really are a party pooper, aren’t you?"

Lima weakly turned her head toward him, struggling just to keep her eyes open. The cultist crouched slightly, the cruelty in his expression deepening.

"Now I’ve got two options." He casually raised two fingers.

"The emotional orb from the tree has already affected you. If I leave you alive, your humanity will eventually rot away, and you’ll wander like a beast consumed by endless lust." His grin widened.

"I’ll watch you suffer as that hunger tears you apart from not having to relive your heat. And when you finally hit your lowest point... I’ll take my time breaking you, tormenting every inch of your body before putting an end to you myself all the while fucking you senseless."

He paused for a moment before letting out a disappointed sigh.

"But unfortunately... the moment an A-rank monster dies, the lower-ranked monsters regain their consciousness and would return to the portals. Which means it won’t take long before the association’s dogs come sniffing around."

He slowly extended his hand and long, razor-sharp claws pushed out from his fingertips once more.

"So I’ll go with the second option. I’ll carve you with my claws so that your buddies can have you as a souvenir from our cult." Dark energy pulsed around his claws as he raised his arm.

"Maybe destroying the city failed..." he continued with a manic chuckle, "but at least I got the chance to kill a promising Variant like you."

His claw shot toward Lima’s throat.

BOOOOM!!

Lightning exploded across the battlefield.

Before the cultist could even react, a figure wrapped in violent arcs of electricity blitzed into the field at terrifying speed.

A kick slammed directly into the side of his body, and the impact detonated like thunder.

Caught completely off guard, the cultist absorbed the full force head-on. His body twisted violently before being sent flying across the ruins, rolling through broken concrete for several meters.

Lima’s fading eyes widened slightly; through her blurred vision, she slowly looked up at the familiar back. Lightning crackled wildly around him, illuminating the burning battlefield in flashes of blue.

"Zac."

The cultist slowly pushed himself back to his feet.

Blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, yet the grin on his face only widened further. It was the kind of smile that belonged to someone completely detached from sanity.

He rolled his shoulder once before turning toward Zac. "Hah... I was expecting the rescue to be another A-Ranker."

His crimson eyes slowly scanned Zac from head to toe. "But judging by your aura..." His lips curled into a mocking smile. "You’re just a newly awakened variant, aren’t you?"

Violent arcs of electricity crackled around Zac’s body, illuminating the ruined battlefield in flashes of blue-white light.

The cultist tilted his head slightly. "Well... maybe not just any newly awakened," he admitted. "You’re a little stronger than the average trash. But it doesn’t change anything. You’re going to die alongside her."

His claws extended once again with a metallic shrrrk.

Behind Zac, Lima weakly stared at him through half-open eyes, her dazed mind struggling to process the situation.

Why... is he here...?

"What was that?" Zac asked her without turning.

"Huh..."

"The last attack you pulled off. Going completely nuclear, seriously, I have to hide inside a fridge to not get fried or blasted."

[Collateral damage.]

"... You have to run..." she whispered painfully. "He’s not someone... you can fight..."

Zac glanced back at her. "Trust me, I would’ve run if it were someone else. But I’m not pathetic enough to stand by while someone close to me gets killed."

A faint grin appeared on his face. "And besides... you still owe me that bet, remember?" He turned back toward the cultist and began walking forward.

"Wait... when did I become close to him...?"

Zac’s aura surged violently. The lightning surrounding his body exploded outward with terrifying intensity.

"System, allocate all my attribute points."

His eyes locked onto the cultist with killing intent sharp enough to split the atmosphere itself.

"I’m going to kill this bastard."

Then,

His body vanished.

BOOOOM!!

The ground exploded where he had been standing. Lightning exploded across the ruined battlefield as Zac reappeared directly in front of the cultist. His sword was tearing through the air.

CLANG!

The cultist crossed his claws at the last instant, sparks and lightning bursting outward upon impact. The shockwave shattered the broken asphalt beneath them.

Zac twisted his body and unleashed another slash infused with crackling electricity. Blue currents wrapped around his blade like living serpents, tearing through the air with violent speed.

The cultist leaned back just enough for the blade to miss his throat by mere centimeters.

"Hah!" A savage grin spread across his face. "For a D-Rank... you’re fast."

His claws lashed forward instantly.

SHRRKK!

Zac barely twisted his body aside in time. The razor-sharp claws tore across his shoulder, ripping flesh apart and spraying blood into the air.

But Zac retaliated immediately. Lightning erupted from his left palm in a violent burst. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

BOOM!

The electric blast slammed into the cultist’s chest, forcing him several steps backward through the shattered rubble.

Zac seized the opening without hesitation. His body flashed forward once again in an explosion of lightning.

A storm of electrified sword strikes rained toward the cultist from every angle. The ruined street lit up blue with each movement.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Despite his injuries, the cultist blocked every strike using only his claws. His monstrous physical strength sent numbing vibrations through Zac’s arms on every collision.

Suddenly the cultist grabbed Zac’s blade mid-swing.

Zac’s eyes widened slightly in surprise; the man’s burned palm smoked from the lightning coating the sword, yet his grip didn’t loosen even a little.

"You’ve got great potential, kid. So why throw your life away protecting that half-dead woman?"

Before Zac could react.

BOOOOM!!

The cultist’s fist crashed into his stomach like a cannonball. The impact blasted Zac backward through a broken wall.

Zac coughed violently as blood spilled from his mouth as pain surged through his ribs.

"Damn..."

Before he could fully recover, the cultist was already in front of him.

Zac raised his sword just in time.

CLAAANG!!

The force behind the strike bent his knees instantly, with the ground beneath him cracking apart. "You really think," the cultist snarled, pushing harder, "that a meager D-rank can fight an A-rank variant?"

"I may be weakened after that woman’s attack...But it’s still not enough for a D-rank no-name brat like you to kill me."

With a monstrous roar, he kicked Zac directly in the chest.

BOOM!

He flew across the battlefield, rolling violently across shattered concrete before crashing into the remains of a collapsed building.

Zac slowly pushed himself up from the debris. Blood dripping from the countless cuts scattered across his body. His breathing had turned ragged, and one of his arms trembled violently from repeated impacts.

The cultist let out a low chuckle as he slowly approached him.

"You know what I don’t understand?" he asked mockingly. "Why play the hero? Is it because she’s a woman? or do you have hero syndrome?"

"Join us instead." The cultist spread his arms slightly, as though offering salvation.

"With talent like yours, the cult would value you far more than this rotten association ever could. You could have power, wealth, women... everything this world has to offer."

He pointed one claw toward Lima’s unconscious body. "But instead...You’re risking your life for some useless woman."

The moment those words left his mouth, Zac vanished again and appeared above him midair, electricity exploding wildly around his sword.

"Thunder Slash!"

[Thunder slash? where did that came from.]

His blade descended with a flash of lightning. The cultist crossed both claws to block.

KRAAAAAAASH!!

"Hahaha...! Now this is getting interesting."

In the next instant, his body blurred from sight.

SHRRKKK!

A claw ripped across Zac’s side. Before he could even recover, another strike tore into his thigh, followed by another and another. The cultist became a storm of savage brutality, every blow carrying monstrous force capable of crushing flesh and bone alike.

Zac desperately defended with his sword while retaliating with lightning-coated slashes and violent bursts of electricity. But the gap in combat experience between them was overwhelming.

CLANG!

BOOM!

SHRRK!

Blood sprayed repeatedly across the battlefield as punches came one after another.

Finally...

BOOM!

The cultist’s kick slammed into Zac’s ribs and launched him across the ruins one final time. Zac crashed hard against a broken concrete slab. His sword slipped from his grasp before clattering nearby.

Blood dripped steadily onto the cracked earth beneath him. His entire body felt like it was being ripped apart from the inside.

The cultist slowly walked toward him, amused. "You fought well. But this is where talent meets reality."

Zac gritted his teeth, and his trembling fingers slowly reached toward his sword. Zac slowly lowered his head and muttered under his breath.

"...It’s time to use 8x Overdrive."