The demon rose slowly, steam rising from his cracked skin as his wounds knitted themselves shut. Bones popped. Muscles flexed. He staggered, blood dripping from his lips, and laughed breathlessly.
"Amazing…" he muttered. "You're relentless."
Rikuya didn't answer.
His eyes gleamed silver, calm as a midnight sea—then the ground shattered beneath his feet as he surged forward like a beast uncaged.
A palm slammed into the demon's chest like a meteor, lifting him clean off the ground. Before he could scream, a bone-snapping punch folded him sideways—ribs cracking like dry branches.
The demon barely had time to grunt before Rikuya seized the back of his neck and drove a brutal headbutt into his face—blood sprayed, the nose shattering on impact.
He kept him close, dragging him into a second, downward headbutt—this one savage and punishing, teeth snapping loose and flying like shrapnel.
Then the storm came.
A flurry of spinning hook kicks tore into the demon with relentless precision. The first three crushed his ribs further, each thud echoing louder than the last. The next slammed across his legs, ripping balance from him and sending his limbs trembling.
Rikuya didn't stop.
His body moved like a whirlwind—hooks smashing across the demon's skull from alternating angles, twisting the neck violently with each impact, blood spraying in arcs.
Then came the final strike.
Rikuya spun—full circle—and unleashed a soaring hook kick that cracked against the demon's temple like thunder from the gods. The force sent him flying like a ragdoll, crashing through stone and flame until everything went silent.
But the demon wasn't dead.
Not yet.
He stirred, broken but alive, twitching as his healing kicked in. Rikuya just stood there, back turned, lightning still crackling faintly around him.
And with a voice that made the very air hold its breath, he muttered—
"Get up again... I dare you."
The battlefield shook beneath them.
Black fire spiraled around the demon's fists as he lunged, the ground splitting with each step. His movements were monstrous—raw, heavy, and full of hatred. But Rikuya stood his ground, body low, eyes sharp like a predator. Lightning danced across his skin, crackling with lethal energy.
They collided.
Blow after blow, the air trembled with their force. A punch from the demon scorched the space beside Rikuya's head. Rikuya countered with a vicious jab to the ribs, electricity snapping like a whip.
"You're fast… for a mortal," the demon sneered through clenched teeth, stepping back just enough to wipe black ichor from his mouth.
Rikuya's lips curled into a grin. "You're slow… for something pretending to be a god."
The demon roared, swinging his flaming arm in a wide arc. Rikuya ducked, sparks flying as he blocked with his forearm, then drove a knee straight into the demon's side.
"Mock me again," the demon growled, smoke pouring from his mouth, "and I'll turn your bones to ash."
"Hurry up, ashtray. I'm getting bored," Rikuya fired back, voice calm, eyes never blinking.
Fists met fists. Kicks slammed into ribs. The demon's flames hissed against Rikuya's lightning, the entire area lit like a storm trapped inside a cage.
"I've slaughtered kings," the demon bellowed mid-swing, "crushed champions. What are you!?"
Rikuya's body twisted, elbow smashing into the demon's jaw with thunderous force. "I'm the reminder that even gods bleed."
The demon staggered, coughing out smoke and blood, but still laughing—mad, entertained.
"You're arrogant. That's what gets heroes killed."
"I'm no hero," Rikuya muttered darkly. "I'm the storm they warn devils about."
The two surged again—black fire and blue lightning erupting as they clashed mid-air. The sound was like a thunderclap, echoing for miles.
"You're entertaining," the demon smirked, eyes gleaming with infernal joy. "I might kill you last."
"You won't live long enough to decide."
Then silence—only broken by the crackle of flame and static, as they stood breathing, battered, and ready to kill.
Then they collided again—hands locked, muscles tensed, teeth bared. Each one pushed with the fury of monsters, their powers clashing in a brutal stalemate. The demon suddenly slammed his forehead into Rikuya's, a sickening crack splitting the air. Rikuya's head snapped back—
—but only for a second.
With a snarl, he surged forward and drove an uppercut deep into the demon's stomach, lifting him off his feet. Before the breathless beast could recover, another uppercut rocketed into his jaw, snapping his head skyward with a loud pop of bone and tension.
Rikuya didn't pause.
He lunged in low, seizing the demon by the collar and shoulder with a beast's grip. With raw, primal strength, he yanked the monster toward him—and a savage knee rocketed into the demon's gut. The impact bent the demon in half, black saliva spraying from his mouth as the breath left his lungs in a grunt of shock.
Rikuya let go—only to fire off a vicious right low kick to the demon's thigh, cracking muscle.
A left kick followed, slamming into the ribs with a wet thud.
Then he twisted, spinning fully into a side kick that smashed into the demon's chest, launching him backward like a shot from a cannon.
But it wasn't over.
Rikuya's stance dropped. His neck tilted side to side. His arms went loose, swaying like a predator about to pounce. His body weaved left, then right, then left again — a rhythm building, violent and precise.
He darted forward, fists blazing in a blur.
A left hook sank into the ribs, rattling the demon's core.
A right uppercut followed, snapping his chin high.
A left hook caught his jaw, sending blood flying.
A right smashed into his temple — a thud that echoed like a drum of war.
Then came the final blow — a full-force overhead smash.
The demon's head slammed into the dirt, body crumpling like a puppet cut from its strings, the ground around them cracked and scorched.
Smoke drifted. Lightning buzzed.
And Rikuya stood above the wreckage, breathing like a dragon in the calm after the storm.
Rikuya exhaled, steam rolling from his body like smoke after a wildfire. The glow in his veins dimmed, his transformation fading, muscles relaxing—but only slightly. The silence that followed was thick, almost sacred.
Then—bones cracking, joints popping—the demon stood again.
His grin was bloodied. Crooked. Unshaken.
"That was intense, huh?" he muttered, voice like gravel dragged across steel.
Rikuya's eyes widened. Impossible…
Before he could brace himself, the demon lunged. Fast. Ferocious.
One clawed hand clamped around Rikuya's collar, lifting him like he weighed nothing. His feet left the ground—dangling, struggling—as black smoke curled around the demon's arm. It coiled around Rikuya's body like cursed fire, sending waves of searing agony through his nerves without a single wound to show for it.
The demon's other fist curled back, a low snarl building in his throat.
Then—crack—a monstrous uppercut.
It landed in Rikuya's gut, driving every breath and sound from his lungs. His body twisted midair, spinning like a ragdoll before smashing into the ground hard enough to crater it.
Dust and silence fell again.
Footsteps echoed—slow. Measured.
The demon approached, towering over the broken form of the hero. But he didn't strike again.
He crouched beside Rikuya—face just inches from his bloodied own, eyes glowing like twin embers in a sea of shadow.
"You live…" he whispered, grinning. "Only to remember."
No thanks," Rikuya growled, blood dripping from his lip. "But here's a lesson..."
His hand shot up mid-air, catching the demon's wrist like a coiled viper. Eyes locked.
"Never let your guard down... even against someone who looks beaten."
In a blur, Rikuya twisted like a serpent—his legs wrapping around the demon's arm. With a savage yank, the elbow popped sideways with a sickening CRACK! The demon howled in rage.
Before he could retaliate, Rikuya rolled with him, grabbing the demon's leg mid-fall and twisting viciously—SNAP! The knee folded the wrong way, his balance ruined. His hulking frame jerked in a violent spasm.
But Rikuya wasn't done.
He surged up, slipped under the demon's arm, and twist—popped the shoulder right out of its socket. The arm flopped, useless.
One final motion—
Rikuya rolled into a crucifix hold, pinning the demon's limbs. His elbow rose—then dropped. Crack. Again. Crack. Again. Blood flew with each blow. Finally, he gripped the neck, twisted hard—
SNAP.
Silence.
The demon's body lay spasming, broken and twitching in the dirt.
Rikuya stood slowly. Bloody. Breath ragged. Muscles trembling.
But victorious.
From the ground.
The demon's form shimmered for a moment, as if trying to heal once more, the wounds from the previous battle slowly regenerating. But Rikuya's eyes, once dull with exhaustion, sparked with a dangerous glint as he stood, unyielding. His hand lifted slightly, the air around him crackling in response.
The demon, now fully healed, let out a deafening roar and began chanting, dark energy coalescing into a swirling, massive ball of pure malevolence, building in the air above him. It swelled, its power threatening to consume the cave itself, casting ominous shadows against the walls. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the demon prepared to launch it.
But Rikuya wasn't done.
With a quiet whisper, his voice barely audible in the tension-filled air, a surge of blue lightning erupted along his forearm. The arcs of energy danced violently, wrapping themselves around his arm like a living serpent, coils of electricity pulsing and sparking.
His entire form shifted, becoming a blur of movement as he took a single step forward. His eyes glowed with an unnatural light, and the power coursing through his body gathered, coiling tighter. Without warning, he thrust his palm forward toward the demon's chest, unleashing the full force of his will.
A deafening crack split the air.
The electric energy slammed into the demon's body, driving deep into his chest with monstrous force. The shockwave sent a violent gust through the cave, shattering the ground beneath their feet, cracking the walls, and sending tremors throughout the entire structure. The impact didn't just tear through the demon's form; it unleashed a surge of raw power that ripped through the very air, sending trees splintering and boulders tumbling.
For a brief, terrifying moment, the demon's body locked in place, every muscle convulsing as the lightning coursed through him. His body twitched violently, spasming uncontrollably as the intense electric charge ravaged his insides. His flesh seared, and dark, acrid smoke rose from his body as his form buckled under the sheer force.
The sound of the impact was deafening, a thunderclap that seemed to shake the very foundation of the cave. The demon's body jerked as if caught in a vice, unable to move, unable to scream.
Rikuya withdrew his hand slowly as the lightning began to dissipate, the air crackling with its fading power. The demon fell to his knees, his once-glorious form now smoking and scorched. His eyes were wide, staring at Rikuya in shock and disbelief, but he was unable to make a sound. His body trembled, a broken shell of the power it once held.
The battle was over.
Rikuya stood over the demon, his chest heaving with each labored breath. The air was thick with the scent of burned flesh and ozone. He wiped the sweat from his brow, his body trembling with the weight of the fight. His eyes, though tired, still held a glint of resolve as he looked down at the demon's fallen form.
"Even monsters have their limits," he muttered, voice hoarse but steady.
The words hung in the air for a moment before he staggered back, exhaustion settling in like a heavy blanket. His legs gave way, and with a deep exhale, he collapsed to the ground. His eyes fluttered shut almost immediately, the toll of the battle finally catching up to him.
And in that moment, despite the chaos around him, Rikuya fell into an unbroken sleep, his body shutting down in a quiet, peaceful stillness.