...

Meanwhile, the girls had continued through their own cavern pathway.

Aiysha narrowed her eyes while infusing mana into the torch she carried, allowing the light to spread farther into the darkness ahead.

"That tunnel over there..." she muttered while pointing deeper ahead, "It probably connects to where the boys came from."

Victoria also noticed their original entrance had collapsed behind them, though, unlike before, she could still faintly sense traces of magical circles lingering around the rocks.

Step. Step. Step.

The two women carefully continued forward while attempting to reach the opposite side of the cavern.

Then suddenly...

Rumble!

A section of the cavern ceiling several meters ahead violently collapsed, massive rocks crashing down toward the ground below.

...

Bang!

Victoria’s eyes widened instantly.

"What is this mana capacity?!" she shouted while immediately aiming her staff forward.

Something had moved past them at terrifying speed. Both girls felt an overwhelming pressure surge through the cavern as Victoria instantly cast a heavy defensive barrier around them.

Then a roar echoed outward.

Not human.

Not beastly either.

Something worse.

The saliva dripping from the creature’s mouth hissed against the ground while purple energy violently crackled around its body.

And once they finally looked upward clearly enough to see who stood before them...

Both girls froze.

It was Jameson Sparrow.

Or rather... what remained of him.

[The Third-Rate Villain] now stood before them with a monstrous amount of mana erupting from his body, his appearance and presence far more terrifying than before.

...

Back to Cassien’s position, he held those dual knives as if he were a professional, remembering all the MMORPG games he played as a kid would now enable him for this one moment.

’That’s just super annoying.’

The Demon Core was the biggest issue here.

What it does is replace a human’s vital functions. His heart no longer matters, organs don’t either, pain isn’t felt much, and the core keeps pumping out distorted mana through his body.

It’s illegal to do that action in this world, a crime that will give you the death penalty if found out.

So, Cassien didn’t need to hold anything back... he could kill Adam for good here and now.

"AHHHHHH!" Adam yelled, but it was no surprise because new parts were now taking shape.

Sharpened nails, glowing purple veins, a dislocated jaw, unstable mana leakage, one eye reforming incorrectly, bones cracking whenever he moved, and twitching movements that didn’t feel human anymore.

’Now... he’ll stay like this for as long as he lives.’

Adam breathed relentlessly for a second, the changes in his body clearly causing slight pain before finally shutting.

"Hehhehh..." A creepy laugh left his mouth before continuing, "Hahah!"

Boom!

Cassien shot him directly through the mouth.

"Would you shut up? I see why Victoria has never felt attracted to you... I mean, just look at where you stand... You’re pathetic."

"DAMN YOU!"

Adam rushed forward at rapid speeds, Cassien barely managing to keep up.

Cassien infused mana into both his weapons.

------------------------

[Temporary Boost]

[Weapon Mastery: Duel-Knives]

Accuracy: E- → E

Cuts: E+ → D-

Handling: E- → E

Critical Aim: E+ → D-

[Skills]

→ Flow State

→ Mana Threading

→ Precision Counter

------------------------

’Good enough.’

Cassien slid backwards just as Adam’s claw ripped through the exact area where his neck previously was.

Slash!

The cavern wall behind him exploded apart from the impact alone.

"Holy shit..." Cassien whispered under his breath.

Adam no longer fought like a human. There was no technique, no structure, and no rhythm.

Only instinct.

Pure violence.

Boom!

Adam lunged again.

This time, Cassien reacted faster, both daggers crossing while mana surged through his arms.

Clang!

The impact alone sent violent vibrations throughout his bones.

Adam’s sharpened nails screeched against the blades while purple mana leaked endlessly from every crack across his skin.

"YOU TOOK HER AWAY!" Adam screamed.

Cassien twisted sideways, narrowly dodging another strike before slicing one dagger directly across Adam’s ribs.

Slash!

Purple blood splattered across the cavern floor.

But Adam didn’t even react.

Instead... he smiled.

That horrifying dislocated smile.

"Oh... so that’s how it is." Cassien muttered while stepping back, "You really can’t feel pain anymore."

Adam’s body twitched violently before suddenly vanishing again.

Boom!

Cassien barely ducked in time as Adam appeared behind him, claws tearing straight through part of his academy uniform.

Blood splattered lightly. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Tch."

Cassien immediately spun low.

Slash! Slash!

Both daggers carved into Adam’s thigh and shoulder, yet the man only kept advancing like a corpse being forced forward through sheer hatred alone.

’This thing isn’t human anymore.’

Adam suddenly grabbed Cassien by the throat.

Grip!

The force behind it instantly lifted him off the ground.

Cassien’s eyes widened slightly while Adam’s malformed face slowly leaned closer.

"You think..." Adam whispered through broken teeth, "You can steal Victoria from me?"

Purple saliva dripped from his mouth onto Cassien’s shoulder, slowly burning through the fabric.

"You were never even part of her story..." Cassien coughed out while tightening his grip on one dagger.

Adam’s expression distorted.

And that single emotional shift was enough.

Cassien saw it.

For less than a second, the glowing purple core inside Adam’s chest became visible beneath the unstable mana leaking from his body.

’There it is.’

Boom!

Cassien fired his pistol directly into Adam’s stomach at point-blank range.

The force pushed Adam backwards slightly, loosening his grip long enough for Cassien to escape.

Cough!

Cassien rolled across the floor before standing again, breathing heavily.

’The core reacts whenever his emotions spiral out of control.’

Adam looked down toward the smoking hole in his stomach.

And slowly... it regenerated.

Flesh twitched.

Veins stitched themselves together.

Bones cracked back into place.

"Hahah..." Adam laughed weakly while blood leaked from his mouth, "You can’t kill me anymore-"

Boom!

Adam speaking pissed Cassien off so much that he shot him just to make that vile Demon shut up for once.

Cassien stared silently for a second afterwards.

Then smiled after, finally believing he had adapted to whatever this Demon-like Human now was.

"No," he whispered, "I definitely can."