For a moment, Bologue thought he was dreaming, a nightmare.
Yes, he hadn't woken up from his nap yet, the closed building, hordes of demons, and that damned figure entangled with deadly blades, all of it was just the bizarre aspect of a dream... Bologue wanted to comfort himself with this thought, but he clearly knew that this was all real.
The metallic hum almost robbed Bologue of his hearing, sparks flew amidst the flashing of blades.
Bologue maneuvered with the demon wolf, amidst the fierce slashes, the arms wielding the blade began to grow numb, almost losing sensation.
After a brief clash, Bologue abandoned the idea of directly confronting this demon wolf, swiftly moving as they fought, to avoid being cornered by this creature.
Once caught by those deadly blades, Bologue would be shredded into pieces in an instant, just like the fallen demons.
Within the sealed building, a storm of blades raged, as the dark shadow swept past, countless cracks appeared on the walls, old dust continued to fall like swirling snow.
Bologue fled quickly, occasionally looking back to see the ferocious and terrifying figure breaking through the barriers in the hazy gray-white atmosphere.
The clang of steel burst forth, growing nearer and more piercing.
Bologue had never encountered an enemy like the demon wolf, its body lacked the decaying stench, making it hard to determine if it was a demon.
Human, perhaps?
Bologue didn't think humans could achieve such feats, at least not the ones he knew of.
Such swift speed, brutal and deadly power...
The sharp hum was close at hand, he was caught up.
Without a moment's hesitation, he abruptly turned, swinging his blade, the two figures collided, the folding knife cutting into the dense, blade-like mane.
The blade shattered, the folding knife in Bologue's hand filled with nicks, more blades clashed around, like thousands of whirling sharp edges, or a spinning meat grinder, tearing into Bologue's flesh, leaving his arm a bloody mess.
The intense pain radiated from his arms, Bologue gritted his teeth, mustering all his strength to swing.
The demon wolf was clad in iron armor, yet its weight was much lighter than Bologue expected, as if underneath the armor, there was no flesh, merely an empty shell.
The two clashed, but quickly separated, Bologue, at the cost of his injuries, successfully repelled the demon wolf, gaining distance once again.
From afar, he watched the demon wolf, it spun a few circles in the air, landed lightly, its wolf head raised, the faint blue glow covered with a layer of dust, the tangible aura seeping out from the gaps.
It stood up, faint blue light radiated from its pitch-black armor, while at the same time, intricate and ornate patterns reflected on the steel, for a moment, the murderous aura dissipated, instead resembling a piece of masterful art.
Alchemy Matrix.
Gazing at the patterns on the steel, a strange yet familiar term arose in Bologue's mind.
This was a term he had heard half a year ago, after getting drunk with Geoffrey.
At that time, Bologue could distinctly feel Geoffrey realizing he had misspoken, even sobering up somewhat, and after that, he never mentioned these topics again.
Bologue's reaction was swift, recalling the demon wolf's previous vague words, he quickly understood everything.
"This is your examination, right?"
Slowly retreating, the gray-white concrete walls sealed off all escape routes, while in this maze-like battleground, up ahead, the demon wolf advanced step by step.
This was an examination, from "those people," an organization truly within the Extraordinary World, only they could possess such peculiar powers, to trap one in this sealed cage unknowingly, and unleash innumerable demons and the demon wolf before him.
"Have I performed too well?"
Bologue complained, piecing together the demon wolf's earlier words, it seemed like it hadn't intended to take action, but his overwhelming suppression against the demons forced it out of the shadows.
A gurgling sound of flowing water arose, the spilled blood flowed back into Bologue's arms, as if time reversal, the damaged flesh gradually covering the wounds, restoring them to their original state.
Bologue exhaled a heavy breath, his movements seeming somewhat slow, but in the next moment, he swung up a roaring gale.
The folding knife filled with nicks was thrown, accurately striking the demon wolf's body, but was easily deflected by the iron armor, sparking slightly, yet this wasn't the end, he swiftly charged towards the demon wolf, flinging his binding coat towards it.
The black coat hung between them, blocking the demon wolf's sight, the hum quivered slightly, the demon wolf raised its hands, the blades on its arms slashed, shredding the coat into countless fragments in moments, but behind the fragments, there was no sign of Bologue.
Where was he?
A heavy blow struck from the waist, the folding knife pierced through the iron armor, Bologue could clearly feel the resistance from the hilt, after breaking through the outer layer of armor, all was smooth, just as he suspected, the demon wolf was merely an empty shell of iron armor, with nothing inside.
An unusual color flashed in its azure eyes, not lingering, Bologue released the folding knife and retreated sharply, leaving the lethal steel inside the demon wolf, while innumerable blades accompanied by claws struck down, leaving grotesque cracks in the spot Bologue had just occupied.