The demon stared at me.

Not vaguely.

Not generally in my direction.

Its glowing crimson eyes locked directly onto me through the destruction like I was the only thing in existence worth noticing.

The ruined underground base trembled beneath its aura while chunks of broken stone floated around its body under the pressure of its mana. Dark energy spiraled endlessly around the creature, twisting the air itself into distorted ripples.

Then it smiled.

Every instinct in my body screamed danger.

I turned and ran immediately.

The shattered remains of the Velvet Gang base blurred past me as I sprinted through collapsing corridors and burning debris. Explosions echoed in the distance while the city above continued descending into chaos. The underground tournament had transformed into a massacre, and now the demon had evolved beyond what the original storyline had described.

"It grew too quickly," I thought, forcing mana through my legs as I leapt over fallen rubble. "Devouring all those souls accelerated its evolution far faster than the game version."

Behind me—

BOOOOM!!!

The ground exploded apart.

I flash stepped instantly.

The familiar compression of mana surged through my legs as my body vanished sideways barely in time for a massive beam of dark mana to annihilate the space where I had been standing moments earlier.

The demon had fired directly from its mouth.

The blast tore through the underground structure like divine punishment, vaporizing entire hallways while molten stone sprayed everywhere.

Even after dodging, the shockwave still hit me.

Hard.

My body flew uncontrollably through the air before slamming violently against a pile of shattered concrete.

CRACK.

Agony exploded through my chest.

I coughed blood instantly.

Most of my ribs cracked from the impact.

My vision blurred for several seconds while pain spread through my body in violent pulses.

"Damn it..."

The demon slowly descended from above, hovering several meters away while staring at me with clear amusement in its glowing eyes.

It wasn’t rushing anymore.

It knew I couldn’t escape.

"I need one more soul," the demon said calmly.

Its voice sounded deeper now compared to earlier.

More stable.

More intelligent.

"One more... and I grow stronger."

Dark mana leaked from its body continuously, corroding the broken stone around its feet. The pressure alone made breathing difficult.

I forced myself upright slowly despite the pain screaming through my chest.

Running wasn’t an option anymore.

Even with Flash Step, the demon’s speed vastly exceeded mine. The only reason I was still alive was because it wanted to play with me before killing me.

My eyes scanned the battlefield quickly.

Then I spotted it.

A sword.

Half buried beneath rubble several meters away.

Not a special weapon.

Not an artifact.

Just steel.

But right now—

It was enough.

I staggered toward it while the demon watched calmly, almost curiously. The creature tilted its head slightly as though observing an insect trying to bare its fangs.

I gripped the sword tightly.

The weight felt unfamiliar compared to the academy practice blades.

Heavier.

Rougher.

Real.

I slowly lowered my stance despite the pain tearing through my body.

If escape wasn’t possible—

Then I’d fight.

The demon grinned wider.

Dark mana began gathering inside its mouth again.

Then suddenly—

A gigantic magic circle appeared beneath the demon’s feet.

Chains erupted instantly.

Massive glowing chains wrapped around the demon’s body, arms, and legs before slamming it violently into the ground.

BOOOOM!!!

The creature roared furiously as the earth collapsed beneath the force.

"What—?!"

I looked upward.

A figure stood above the battlefield calmly.

Simon.

The Slayer.

The Executive of the Creed.

The moment the demon was restrained, Simon moved.

No wasted motion.

No hesitation.

He vanished.

A black streak crossed the battlefield instantly.

SHRIIING!!!

Both of the demon’s wings separated from its back simultaneously.

Dark blood sprayed across the ruined corridor while the severed wings crashed heavily onto the rubble.

The demon roared in rage.

Simon landed several meters away calmly, spinning one of his curved blades once before resting it against his shoulder.

"Troublesome thing," he muttered.

Then—

The wings began regenerating.

I narrowed my eyes immediately.

"Its regeneration evolved too."

The demon laughed despite its injuries.

"You insects think chains can stop me?!"

Dark mana exploded outward violently.

The glowing restraints cracked instantly.

Simon frowned slightly.

Then his eyes shifted toward me.

And for the first time since appearing—

He actually looked serious.

"Kid!" he shouted.

I immediately understood.

The demon’s regeneration was too fast.

Simon could damage it, restrain it, even overpower it temporarily—

But he couldn’t kill it quickly enough before it regenerated again.

The core.

The demon’s core was the problem.

Destroying the body meant nothing unless the core was shattered simultaneously.

And there was only one opening.

One chance.

I tightened my grip around the sword.

Then slowly lowered into stance.

The familiar position.

Left foot forward.

Body relaxed.

Breathing controlled.

The first form.

The technique Zion showed me.

The technique I copied.

The technique that changed everything.

"Celestial Star Technique..."

My injured muscles trembled violently from the strain as mana surged through my body. My cracked ribs screamed in protest immediately.

But I ignored it.

I forced my breathing steady.

I remembered Zion’s movement.

The angle.

The acceleration.

The compression of mana through the legs.

Every detail replayed perfectly inside my head.

My leg muscles clenched to the extreme.

Mana gathered around my body like compressed light.

Then quietly—

Almost like a whisper—

I muttered:

"Guiding Light."

The world slowed.

My body vanished instantly.

No.

Not vanished.

I became a straight line.

A streak of light crossing the battlefield faster than sound itself.

The demon’s eyes widened.

For the first time since appearing—

It looked shocked.

The world blurred around me while all my focus compressed toward one point.

The core.

I saw it.

Deep inside the demon’s skull.

A glowing crimson crystal pulsing with demonic energy.

The sword moved.

SHIIIIING!!!

I passed through the demon’s head completely.

The blade pierced directly through the core—

And shattered it.

CRACK!!!

A shockwave exploded outward from inside the demon’s skull.

Time resumed instantly.

My body continued forward uncontrollably before I crashed across the ground, tumbling violently through broken stone and debris.

Pain exploded through my body.

My vision spun wildly.

Then—

CRACK.

The back of my head slammed hard against a jagged stone.

Everything blurred.

But before blacking out—

I saw Simon move again.

The moment the demon froze from the destroyed core, Simon instantly capitalized on the opening.

His blades blurred repeatedly.

Both arms.

Both legs.

Completely severed.

The demon roared in agony while dark energy destabilized violently around its body.

Simon didn’t stop.

He stabbed the demon over and over again, curved blades tearing through its body relentlessly while the destroyed core prevented regeneration from stabilizing.

The creature convulsed violently.

Then—

BOOOOOOM!!!

The demon exploded apart into fragments of dark mana and burning crimson particles that scattered across the ruined battlefield like ash.

Silence followed.

For the first time since the ritual began—

The pressure vanished.

The demon was dead.

My vision faded rapidly.

I couldn’t move anymore.

The exhaustion from using Guiding Light at full capacity combined with my injuries had pushed my body completely beyond its limit.

Everything became distant.

The sounds.

The rubble.

The collapsing structure.

Even Simon’s footsteps approaching slowly.

The last thing I heard before darkness consumed me completely—

Was Simon sighing heavily.

"That was rough," he muttered.

I faintly felt him stop beside me.

"But that kid really bailed us out."

There was silence for a moment.

Then his tone shifted slightly.

Curious.

Suspicious.

"But now I’m curious..."

I could barely hear him anymore.

"Where exactly has he been this entire time?"

Darkness swallowed me completely.

Far above the destroyed underground base—

Lillith stood frozen atop the ruined ventilation platform overlooking the battlefield.

Her crimson eyes were wide.

Trembling.

Because she had seen everything.

Kael running from the demon.

Kael standing back up despite broken ribs.

Kael entering that stance.

And finally—

That impossible slash of light piercing directly through the demon’s skull.

Her breathing became uneven.

Because she understood something now.

The boy sitting beside her in class every day...

The quiet student everyone dismissed...

The person she had slowly begun caring about more than she wanted to admit—

Was becoming something terrifying.

And for some reason—

That realization only made her heart beat faster.