Zain stumbled forward.
Bracing himself against the wall of the tunnel as his vision swam.
His body was pulsing.
Not with pain, but with sothing worse.
His Heavenly Demon Body had entered the second stage.
He clenched his jaw as a violent tremor shot through his spine.
His legs buckled. Blood leaked from his nose.
"The second stage... it’s not just skin and muscle anymore."
He looked down at his trembling hands.
"This ti... it’s digging into everything."
"Bone. Nerves. Organs. Cells."
Another pulse hit him.
Like fire burning from the inside out.
His body arched, ribs straining as if sothing inside was forcibly tearing and rebuilding.
He dropped to one knee.
"Damn it!"
His breath ca in shallow bursts.
"I need to keep the Angelic Demon Shift active."
"Or it will fail for not getting enough energy."
His horns flickered, his aura fluctuating.
"But I’m running out of stamina... fast."
Zain’s eyes darted toward the twitching corpse of Skorvile.
He stared at it.
Then at his hands.
He winced.
"...No. No way."
But his stomach was twisting.
His body screaming for energy—now.
"Damn it..."
"Sorry, system... This one is for ."
He dragged himself toward the mangled beast.
Its blood still oozed out, its body limp and broken.
He paused.
Stared at the torn flesh.
"...Ugh. You’ve got to be kidding ."
Zain grabbed a chunk of its abdon.
Blackened and carapace-cracked.
He then yanked it free.
He held it up, scowling.
"Disgusting..."
He opened his mouth—and bit.
The taste was rancid.
Like burned blood and insect bile fused with ash.
He nearly gagged.
But he chewed.
Swallowed.
And bit again.
"Dammit," he hissed.
"I hate this..."
But with every mouthful, his vision steadied.
His stamina refilled—slowly.
The Heavenly Demon Core deep in his chest flared.
Absorbing the raw essence directly.
"...This is hell," he muttered, taking another bite.
"But if this is what it takes..."
"I’ll eat every monster in this damn city if I have to."
---
Night had fallen over BB-1, and with it ca silence.
Except in the underlayers of the district.
Where certain heroes moved without honor.
And so did one particular predator.
On the rooftop, Velra crouched silently in the shadows.
Her eyes followed the man walking below with chilling calm.
Dareth Malkin.
Alias: Chain Judge.
B-Rank. Clean record. Decorated for urban suppression.
Publicly, a model enforcer.
Privately?
A monster.
Velra narrowed her eyes as she watched him stroll down the alley.
The stink of cheap perfu still clung to him.
He had just left one of the hidden brothels near the lower district.
A place where "unregistered detainees" were known to vanish.
She didn’t move.
She didn’t need to.
"I rember that arrogant walk."
"The way he drags his chain fingers across the wall... like he owns the night."
Her fingers tightened at her sides.
"I’ve heard the stories. The won you’ve broken."
"The ones you bragged about when no one else was listening."
She leaned forward, crouching lower as he paused at a corner to light a smoke.
"Heroes who wear chains don’t scare ."
"Not anymore."
Her eyes tracked his every step.
"I was one of your ’mistakes,’ rember?"
She smiled beneath her mask.
"You thought I’d be easy to catch."
"You thought you’d scare with your cheap monologues and broken threats."
"And when I escaped, you didn’t even chase properly."
She rose slowly, one heel silently clicking into place on the steel.
"But now I’m stronger."
"And tonight, the chains break."
She leapt from the rooftop and landed behind him.
Dareth froze mid-step, his hand halfway to his belt.
He turned slowly, a smirk tugging at his lips—until he saw her.
His eyes scanned her tall, tight fra.
The black-and-pink bodysuit.
The high heels, the glowing collar, the masked face.
All too sharp, too perfect to forget.
He blinked once.
Then frowned.
"...You."
Velvet Demon tilted her head.
"Aw. You know . I’m touched."
He narrowed his eyes.
"You’re that masked freak. The one that’s been executing heroes."
Velra smirked behind her mask.
"’Freak’ is such a lazy insult," she purred.
"But executioner? Yes. That part’s true."
She stepped forward. Slowly.
"Tell , Dareth. How many girls did you break behind those walls?"
"How many scread for help while you smirked and called it discipline?"
He sneered.
"You don’t know anything about ."
Velra raised a finger.
"I know enough. I know your real record."
"I’ve spoken to the ones who survived you."
She tapped her mask gently.
"I even have recordings now. Real good audio, too."
Dareth’s jaw clenched.
But then—surprisingly—he chuckled.
It was low. Dry.
And then, he smirked.
"So predictable," he muttered.
"Of course you’d co tonight."
Velra tilted her head slightly. "Oh?"
He raised his hands and slowly began to clap.
"Well done, Velvet Demon."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
"You really know how to make an entrance."
Velra’s stance didn’t shift.
But her eyes narrowed behind the mask.
"Don’t flatter yourself, mutt. I didn’t co for your applause."
"Oh, I know," Dareth said.
He walked back casually into the mouth of the alley.
"But you should’ve known..."
He nodded.
"...I don’t walk these streets alone."
Suddenly, two new figures erged from the shadows behind him.
Both clad in combat gear, both wearing Hero Association patches on their shoulders.
One was a bulky bruiser with twin gauntlets sparking faint electricity.
The other was leaner, with a long whip coiled around his waist like a tail.
Dareth grinned wider.
"et my friends. Hero Rank: B."
"Good records. Clean reputations. And one thing in common."
He gestured with a casual sweep.
"They like dealing with trash like you."
Velra didn’t flinch.
"Three on one," she said calmly.
"You’re even weaker than I rember."
Dareth chuckled.
"You’re the one exposing secrets and killing heroes."
"You really thought they’d let you walk away from this forever?"
The whip-wielding one stepped forward.
"You’re not the only one who enjoys pain, Demon."
The larger one cracked his knuckles.
"Heard you’re fast. Let’s see if you can dodge all of us."
Velra took a breath.
Slow. asured.
Her fingers relaxed at her sides.
"Three B-Rank heroes. One alley."
She smirked.
"Perfect."
Dareth’s eyes narrowed. "What?"
She stepped forward, her body straightening.
"I won’t have to chase you down one by one anymore."
"I’ll bury all three of you right here."
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