A crimson aura exploded outward, consuming the space in violent waves as a system panel flashed before Alex and Lord X.
[The Hatred Demon has awakened.]
A chill spread through the air, suffocating and thick with an unnatural weight.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, the force of the energy release cracking the stone floor.
Lord X, who had monts ago been frozen in fear, now stared wide-eyed at the notification.
He had watched in horror as the [Hatred Demon] convulsed violently, its monstrous body twitching as if suffering a seizure.
He thought Alex's interference had ruined everything.
But now… now he knew the truth.
A crazed smile spread across his face as a feverish gleam lit up his eyes.
"THE LORD IS HERE!" he scread, his voice filled with fanatic devotion. "AMAZING!"
Alex barely glanced at him, "Yeah, fuck that," he muttered, dashing forward without hesitation.
His claws glowed with a deep red light, extending into razor-sharp talons that could rip through almost anything.
He didn't launch another orb.
He had a feeling wasting another one would be a mistake, especially if he had to fight it.
In an instant, he closed the distance between himself and the restrained [Hatred Demon].
Lord X made no move to stop him, still kneeling, still praying like so lunatic drunk on faith.
It didn't matter.
Alex could kill him at any ti.
Right now, the demon was the only thing that mattered.
With a sharp exhale, he swung for its neck. "DIE!"
His claws cut through the air with enough force to split boulders, aid directly at the monster's throat.
But the mont he locked eyes with the demon, his breath hitched.
The pupils that stared back at him weren't just eyes.
They were an abyss, a bottomless void of hatred so deep it could consu the world itself.
'Shit.'
For the briefest mont, his mind scread at him to retreat.
But he pushed forward.
He was nearly strong enough to take on Kaelios. He had fought against gods. He had killed monsters that people could only dream of fighting.
This shouldn't be a problem, right?
He had faced the [Hatred Demon] before.
Back then, it had caused chaos and destruction, but he had always assud it was weaker than the gods.
That was the logical conclusion.
But now...
Now, as he stared into those endless pools of malice, he realized sothing.
'What if I was wrong?'
'What if this thing was as strong as the top five gods?'
'What if it was stronger?'
The thought barely registered before...
BOOM!
A monstrous shockwave erupted from the demon's body.
The sheer force of the explosion launched Alex backward like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into the stone wall behind him with enough force to crack it.
Blood trickled down his forehead as pain shot through his body.
"Argh..." He wiped the blood from his eyes, already forcing himself back to his feet.
He couldn't back away now, not when he had co this far.
Lord X was still kneeling, still chanting.
Alex kept ignoring him.
His only priority was the thing before him, the monster wrapped in malice, a force of pure destruction that was barely beginning to move.
Alex clenched his fists, blood dripping from his claws.
"ALRIGHT!" His voice echoed through the space. "I'M ENDING THIS!"
He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't an idiot either.
He wasn't stupid enough to just keep swinging his claws.
He wasn't stupid enough to keep throwing spells at it, hoping sothing would work.
If close-range didn't work, if ranged attacks didn't work, then there were only two things left to try.
[Blood Arts] and [Destiny Powers].
His mind raced.
'Blood Arts first.'
He slashed his palm open without hesitation, crimson liquid bubbling up from his wound.
With a flick of his wrist, the blood hardened and elongated, forming into a massive blade, a [Giant Blood Blade] to be exact, which he hurled toward the demon with all his strength.
It cut through the air with a piercing screech.
Then... Fwish!
The mont it touched the [Hatred Demon], it disintegrated.
"...What the fuck?"
Alex stiffened.
The demon hadn't moved.
It hadn't even done anything, yet his attack was gone.
The air around the monster pulsed with aura, growing thicker, heavier.
And then, it smiled.
It was a small, barely-there movent, but Alex saw it: a smirk, as if it was mocking him and his attempts.
As if to say, "You're nothing."
The aura around it surged, pressing down on him like an invisible weight.
Alex's heartbeat quickened.
"ALRIGHT!" he growled.
His hands clenched into fists.
If nothing else worked… then that only left one option: [Destiny Powers].
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus.
A single phrase echoed in his mind.
"If it was a real battle, I would have simply used [World Cleaver] at the start."
Kaelios had told him this once.
Back when they trained, back when Alex still struggled to master his new abilities.
And now, he understood.
If [World Cleaver] was powerful enough to cut through the abyss itself, if it was strong enough to defeat the [God of the Abyss] even in his ultimate form, then there was no reason to hesitate.
No reason to drag this fight out.
Alex exhaled and closed his eyes as the world around him faded.
When he opened them again, he stood in an empty white void: the space inside his mind.
And there, floating before him, was the [Blade of Destiny].
A small, rotating blade, waiting to be wielded.
He reached for it.
The mont his fingers closed around the hilt—
BOOM!
A golden explosion of aura erupted around his body.
Back in the real world, the shockwave rivaled even the [Hatred Demon]'s energy.
The monster stilled, its gaze narrowing.
It could feel the shift in power.
Alex's aura flared, golden light swirling violently around him.
His body surged with overwhelming energy, his eyes glowing brighter than before.
The [Hatred Demon] trembled.
Lord X, who had ignored everything so far, finally turned.
And for the first ti, his expression showed sothing other than blind faith: fear.
Fwish!
The golden light coalesced, taking shape before Alex.
And slowly, a figure materialized: the [Blade of Destiny Wielder], a being of pure power.
A white robe that draped over the floor, long, flowing hair, a calm, angelic face.
And in its hands was the [Blade of Destiny].
It raised its weapon, and then, it spoke.
A single question, its voice powerful enough to shake the air itself.
[What do you want to cut, master?]
Alex pointed straight at the restrained monster, "CUT THE HATRED DEMON!"
The Wielder turned, nodding once.
[Very well, master.]
It raised the blade above its head, golden light flooding the chamber.
The aura intensified, the pressure enough to make the walls crack.
Lord X scrambled backward, his devotion wavering.
And the [Hatred Demon], it froze.
It wasn't supposed to fear anything.
It didn't fear gods. It didn't fear heroes. It didn't fear death.
But this? This was different.
Its eyes widened.
Was it… over?
It had no heart, but it could create a new one ff it had more ti, if it could just—
The [Blade of Destiny Wielder] smiled.
[Goodbye.]
SLASH!
The blade fell.
The world shook.
And then darkness.
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