Infernal Entity: Evolving With My Demonic System-Chapter 35: Infernal Overload

The first round was over.

Axel lay on his back near the edge of the circle, staring up at the ceiling lights while the sound of voices blurred together around him. His chest rose and fell heavily, and every muscle in his body ached.

He had lost. Nile Reed had defeated him almost effortlessly.

’Just how strong is she?’

Axel realized that he had a new skill now called Identify and he could see for himself. It worked on people right?

He decided to use the ID skill on Nile and it worked.

[Name: Nile Reed]

[Age: 16]

[Race: Human-Mutant]

[Ability: Elecrtokinesis ¡]

[HP: 10/10]

[Level: Spectra 2]

[Prominent skill: 3 step strike]

Axel knew she was a Spectra but he had hoped there was something that made her stronger that he could identify and exploit.

Nile stood a few steps away, barely breathing hard as if the fight had been nothing more than a warm up.

Axel pushed himself up slowly, wincing as his hands pressed against the floor.

’I underestimated her,’ he admitted to himself.

Hand to hand combat had been the easy part, the next part... not so much. That much was painfully clear now.

But this wasn’t over yet. Axel clenched his fists as he stood fully upright.

’This was only the first round.’

The system hadn’t failed his mission. The objective still stood. Defeat Nile Reed. Fifty EXP was still on the table.

But the second round was where things became dangerous.

Abilities.

He still remembered what it felt like when her electricity hit him during the test. The pain. The way his muscles locked up. The way his body refused to respond. That had been before he gained Infernal Slash, but that didn’t mean things would suddenly be easy.

’What if my ability isn’t enough?’ he thought.

Infernal Slash was powerful in its own way but some things surpassed it. Dane’s venom was one of them. Nile was fast, experienced, and dangerous. He had already seen how easily she overwhelmed him without even using her powers.

’What if she just dodges it?’ ’What if she blocks it?’ ’What if it cannot break through her defense?’

For the first time since the fight started, doubt crept in.

In the crowd, Kinsey folded her arms, staring at Axel.

"He is not the same anymore," she said quietly to no one in particular.

A student beside her glanced at her in surprise.

"What do you mean?"

"What?" She asked breaking her contact with Axel.

"I mean he has changed," Kinsey replied. "He’s stronger than he was during the test. I know because I took it with him and I know If he took it again now, he would probably rank as a Spectra One."

"Wow!" The student exclaimed. "You really think so?"

Kinsey nodded. "I know so."

’That red wave ability is not normal. If he uses it properly, he might actually win.’ She thought to herself.

Across the circle, Ares clicked his tongue in irritation.

"This is stupid," he muttered.

Rick turned toward him. "What is?"

"I should be the one fighting her," Ares said, crossing his arms. "I beat Lady Thor once already. I can do it again."

"This is different," Rick said. "She is not holding back. And Axel is the one in there now."

"Yeah... That is exactly the problem."

Rick swallowed. "I am just worried about him."

Back inside the circle, Marc stepped forward once more.

"The first round is concluded," he announced. "Both participants are still standing, which means we proceed to the second round."

A ripple of excitement spread through the students.

Marc raised one hand.

"This round allows the use of abilities and weapons of your choosing."

Somewhere in the crowd, a loud whistle came from the crowd.

"Well, that’s pretty convenient," a green haired boy muttered.

"Nile does not even need a weapon. She can just summon Mjollnir, right?" He laughed and others joined him.

The moment the words left his mouth, Nile turned her head slowly.

Her eyes locked onto the speaker. The smile on his face dwindled until it disappeared completely.

Her gaze alone was enough to make his breath catch in his throat. He immediately looked away, shrinking back into the crowd.

As beautiful as Nile Reed was, she was pretty scary.

"You are to go all out," Marc continued. "This session is not just about winning. It will determine several things going forward. Your growth, your potential, and how you handle real combat."

"A healer will be standing by if necessary."

Axel adjusted his grip on the Necrosword, feeling its weight settle naturally in his hand. Nile rolled her shoulders once and electricity snapped faintly around her wrists.

Marc stepped back and pressed a button on the panel beside him, then the ground trembled.

From beneath the floor, thick reinforced glass rose upward, forming a wide dome around Axel and Nile. The barrier sealed shut, cutting off the crowd’s noise and leaving only silence inside.

Now it was just him and her.

"Begin!"

___

[Infernal Core: 90%]

Axel had moved first.

The moment Marc’s command settled into silence, Axel tightened his grip on the Godrend sword and swung with everything he had, fusing the Infernal Slash with the sword.

A red wave tore through the air.

This Infernal Slash looked different from before. It was wider and thicker. The edges burned brighter, and the force behind it bent the air as it traveled forward.

’It’s stronger!’

The sword was doing exactly what it promised. The damage output had increased. The attack carried more weight, more pressure, and more reach.

Someone from the audience couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Not just him, a lot of them couldn’t comprehend what they were looking at. Axel’s ability was a strange one, that’s for sure.

Back in the dome, Nile didn’t block it. Rather, she stepped aside and the red wave passed by her so cleanly that it struck the glass dome behind her and left a glowing scar before fading away.

Nile turned slowly, her expression no longer bored.

"That’s new," she said. "I have never seen you use an ability like that before."

Electricity snapped sharply around her arms as she raised her hands.

"But it changes nothing," she continued. "I am not losing to you."

"Let’s talk about that sword... Do you really need it?" She asked.

Lightning burst outward from her essence, not as a direct strike, but as a wide field of crackling energy that filled the space around Axel. The air itself felt heavy, charged, and hostile.

Axel tried to move forward but his body locked up.

A sharp pain tore through his muscles as electricity surged across his skin, forcing his limbs to stiffen. His fingers spasmed, and the Necrosword slipped from his hand and clattered across the floor.

"Nahh, you don’t need it." She said.

Axel gasped and staggered backward. ’Shit! She’s good!’

Before he could recover, the floor beneath his feet erupted with crackling arcs of lightning. His balance vanished instantly.

He tried to dash but the electricity chased him.

It wrapped around his legs, disrupted his footing, and sent pain shooting upward through his body. He stumbled and barely caught himself before falling.

"Damnit!"

Axel clenched his jaw, retrieved the Necrosword, and forced his body to move.

He swung it again and another Infernal Slash tore through the air, aimed directly at Nile.

This time, she did not dodge.

She raised one hand.

Electricity surged outward and collided with it. The attack didn’t vanish. Instead, it twisted. The red energy bent sharply to the side, tearing along the floor and slamming into the dome at an angle.

Nile took a single step back. Just one. She looked confused and Axel noticed it

He decided to stop attacking. She was too good a fighter to go toe to toe with. He needed to try something new.

Axel sprinted toward the edge of the dome and leapt, planting his foot against the glass and pushing off at an angle. He kept moving, using the curved walls to change direction rapidly.

Nile fired bolts of electricity again and again, filling the space with crackling sounds. Axel dodged narrowly, forcing his body to move even as pain lanced through him.

’I cannot beat her head on,’ he admitted. ’Not like this.’

He needed time so he made her chase him.

If he could force her to keep using her power, she might tire out. But Nile... let’s just say she was smart also.

"Are you trying to make me tire out?"

The playful edge in her voice was gone.

A massive surge of lightning erupted from her body and slammed into Axel before he could react.

The impact lifted him off his feet and he crashed hard into the glass dome, the force knocking the air from his lungs.

His health dropped.

[- 4 HP]

Axel groaned, forcing himself onto one knee as the smell of burned fabric and scorched skin filled his nose.

Nile walked toward him calmly.

"You are thinking too much," she said. "You do not have time for that in a real fight. It’ll get you killed."

Axel gritted his teeth.

’Is she mocking me,’ he wondered, ’or is she actually giving me advice?’

His body burned and his skin felt raw.

But as he tightened his grip around the Godrend sword, something changed.

His heart began to pound violently against his chest. His vision blurred in and out and it felt like his head was caving in.

"Ugh! The hell??" Axel groaned.

Something strange started spreading through his veins, surging upward like fire. It wasn’t pain...it was hot like lava.

It was his Infernal energy flooding his body. The system came to life before his eyes.

[Warning!]

[Your Infernal Core is unstable]

[Infernal Energy Output Increasing]

[Warning! Host body is not adapted to current energy flow]

’What... is this...?’

The system responded.

[You are forcing more power than your body can safely contain]

Whatever the system was talking about, Axel could feel it. His veins burned like molten iron. Every heartbeat sent another surge of infernal heat tearing through his muscles, his bones, his skin. It felt like something inside him was trying to claw its way out. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

[Further output will result in a significant increase in Infernal Slashes by 200% but also in severe backlash]

[Possible consequences:]

[Permanent nerve damage]

[Internal organ failure]

[Infernal corruption escalation]

[Host death]

[Do you want to proceed? Y/N]

[System Recommendation: Yield]

[Mission Failure Accepted]

[Host survival probability increases significantly]

[Do you want to proceed? Y/N]

Reality dawned on Axel. The Infernal Core was overloading. Any more attacks would be stronger and would potentially help him win, but it might also end his life.

Axel had officially just found himself in a dilemma.