The forest didn’t warn them, neither did it shake or howl.

It simply shifted.

A pressure cut through the air above the ruined base, sharp and descending fast. Branches bent violently as something tore through the canopy, followed by a second, then a third—until the sky itself seemed to fracture under the force of incoming presences.

They had returned with speed and fury.

The first demon broke through the treeline like a falling blade, slamming into the ground at the edge of the destroyed base. The impact cratered the earth beneath it, sending splinters of root and soil outward.

Then another landed.

And another.

Within seconds, the entire strike group had arrived.

Twenty demons.

All high-grade.

All armed with deathly claws, fangs, and even razor sharp tails.

All radiating killing intent.

And at the center of them was their Captain. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

It didn’t land with force.

It descended slowly.

Its crimson eyes swept across the base, taking in the destruction in a single glance. The twisted structure was torn apart. The ground was soaked and the air... empty.

No life or presence.

Nothing. Everything was gone.

The Captain’s gaze shifted and locked onto Damien who remained standing calmly at the center of it all.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then the captain’s aura exploded. "You—"

The Captain’s voice cracked through the air, heavy with rage that had not yet reached its peak. "...did this."

It wasn’t a question.

Damien didn’t respond immediately.

He stood there, relaxed, Fenrir at his side, Luton nearby—both still, both ready.

Then he tilted his head slightly. "You took too long," he replied with a smirk.

That was enough.

The forest erupted.

"Kill him!"

The order didn’t even fully leave the Captain’s mouth before the demons moved.

They didn’t rush blindly.

They collapsed inward.

A coordinated assault from all directions.

Above.

Behind.

Flanks.

Weapons, claws, and raw demonic energy tore through the air at once, converging on a single point... Damien.

For a brief second it looked unavoidable.

Then the cause of everything, Damien moved.

Not away but through them.

His body blurred forward, slipping between two incoming strikes as if he had seen them before they happened. A blade passed where his head had been a moment earlier while his essence packed fist drove into the ribs of the demon to his right.

CRACK.

The body folded but he didn’t stop.

A second demon lunged from behind only to be intercepted Fenrir.

The wolf collided with it mid-air, jaws snapping shut around its arm before slamming it into the ground with crushing force. The impact shattered bone instantly.

Luton surged outward.

Not as wide as before.

Focused.

Targeted.

It wrapped around the legs of two advancing demons, pulling them off balance just long enough for Damien to close the distance.

His strikes were clean.

Precise.

Final.

He didn’t trade blows.

He ended them.

The battlefield fractured into chaos within seconds.

But this wasn’t the same as before.

These demons didn’t panic.

Didn’t scatter.

They adapted.

Quickly.

"Separate him from the wolf!"

"Suppress the slime!"

"Coordinate!"

Orders flew mid-combat, their movements shifting accordingly. Two demons peeled off, targeting Luton directly with wide, sweeping attacks meant to disrupt its form. Another three focused on Fenrir, attempting to pin the wolf down with overlapping strikes.

And the rest closed in on Damien.

The pressure increased.

Noticeably.

A blade grazed his shoulder.

Shallow.

But it landed.

Another strike forced him to pivot instead of advancing.

They were faster, stronger, and better.

Damien’s eyes sharpened. "...Good."

He stepped back.

Just once.

Creating space.

"Cancel Cerbe’s summon." He commanded his system and then he raised his hand.

Essence surged.

"Summon Cerbe."

The air distorted as a blue portal opened in the sky and from within the portal came and explosion.

BOOM.

Black flames erupted outward as the three-headed hellhound materialized behind him, its presence crashing into the battlefield like a burning storm.

Before the demons could react, he gave a second set of commands to the system. "Cancel the Summon on Aquila."

And then, "Summon Aquila."

A second portal.

Aquila descended from above, its massive wings cutting through the air as it let out a piercing screech.

The battlefield changed instantly.

Balance shifted.

Pressure reversed.

Cerbe didn’t wait.

It lunged forward, all three heads attacking different targets simultaneously. One unleashed a torrent of black fire, forcing a group of demons to scatter, while another clamped down on a fleeing target, crushing it instantly.

The third head went for the strongest nearby presence.

A direct challenge.

Aquila struck from above, diving at high speed, talons extended as it tore through a demon attempting to regroup. It didn’t land—it rose again immediately, maintaining aerial dominance.

Damien moved again.

Now it was different.

He wasn’t holding back space.

He was taking it.

A demon charged him head-on, empowered, aura flaring and Damien met it directly.

Their fists collided.

Booooooom!

The shockwave rippled outward but this time the demon lost.

Its arm shattered on impact.

Damien stepped in and ended it before it could react.

Fenrir broke free from its attackers, tearing through one and forcing the others back.

Luton expanded again, reclaiming control over the battlefield floor, making every step the demons took uncertain.

Cerbe burned through their formation.

Aquila shattered their coordination from above.

And Damien moved between all of it like the center of a storm.

The first half of the fight ended there.

Not with a pause.

But with a shift.

Because the demons realized something.

They were losing.

"...Captain!"

The leader hadn’t moved yet.

Not fully.

It had observed.

Measured.

Watched as half its force was dismantled in minutes.

It soon stepped forward.

And everything changed.

Its aura surged outward, heavier than anything else on the field. Not explosive—but dense. Controlled. Refined.

Grade Three.

High.

Close to peak.

Its eyes locked onto Damien.

"Enough."

It moved.

And unlike the others Damien felt it since he’d become accustomed to it.

The Captain didn’t charge blindly.

It appeared.

In front of him.

Their fists met instantly.

BOOM.

The ground beneath them collapsed.

For the first time in this battle, Damien was pushed back.

Not far.

But enough.

The Captain didn’t pause.

It pressed forward, each strike faster, heavier, more precise than the last. This wasn’t a beast.

This was a fighter.

Their clash tore through the battlefield, forcing even the other demons to pull back as shockwaves rippled outward.

Fenrir tried to intervene and got blocked.

Two demons intercepted it, buying time at the cost of their lives.

Cerbe turned but was forced to defend against multiple attackers.

Aquila dove only to be driven off by ranged attacks.

The battlefield split again.

Into two wars.

And the second half began.

It was worse.

Bloodier.

More violent.

Damien and the Captain tore through the ruins of the base, their movements too fast for the others to follow clearly. Every collision shattered what little remained of the structure, roots snapping, ground cracking under pressure.

The Captain adapted quickly.

Too quickly.

It began reading Damien’s movements.

Countering.

Matching.

A strike landed.

Another.

Damien’s breathing shifted slightly.

Not strained but engaged.

"Not bad," he muttered.

The Captain’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re dying here."

Damien smiled faintly.

"...You’ll have to try harder to kill me."

They clashed again.

Harder.

Faster.

Around them, the rest of the battlefield descended into brutal chaos.

Cerbe tore through two demons at once, its flames growing darker, hotter, more violent.

Fenrir moved like a blur, no longer holding back, its attacks becoming more savage, more direct.

Aquila controlled the sky completely now, picking off weakened targets with ruthless efficiency.

Luton consumed everything it could reach.

The number of demons dropped rapidly.

But so did control.

The battlefield wasn’t structured anymore.

It was destruction.

And at the center of it were two figures.

Still clashing.

Still pushing.

Still escalating.

Because neither of them had gone all out yet.

And both of them knew it.