Seeing the attack coming, Ash didn't move.
He let her claws sink into his stomach.
A brutal, visceral pain tore through him as the demonic energy slithered inside, sinking into his veins like corrosive acid.
His nerves screamed, his body twitched involuntarily, and blood sprayed from his lips. His muscles tensed, the corrupting mana twisting inside him like writhing snakes.
Leira's eyes widened.
She had flash of realization just then.
Then—
"Got you, bitch," he said his voice strained yet dripping with amusement.
If the darkness of his cloak didn't obscure his face, she would have seen the mocking smirk tugging at his lips.
And then—
[Lightning Wrath]
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
A pillar of pure lightning exploded from his body, its deafening roar drowning out all sound.
The storm of raw, unchained destruction consumed them both, turning the already broken dungeon into an electrified warzone.
The force of the detonation tore through the stone walls, sending massive chunks of debris flying like cannonballs. The air crackled with unstable mana, the smell of burnt stone and flesh thick enough to choke.
"AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!~"
Leira's scream tore through the chaos.
Her body convulsed, every muscle in her frame jerking violently as arcs of electricity ravaged her nerves.
Her demonic aura flickered, unstable, her instincts fighting against the overwhelming power frying her from the inside out.
Ash staggered forward. His stomach wound had already begun closing, but the damage was not gone. His organs still throbbed, the lingering traces of demonic energy clashing with his regeneration.
Leira, panting, her body smoking, glared at him through narrowed eyes.
The ground beneath them was shattered, their footprints etched into the stone from the force of their battle.
The dungeon ceiling above them groaned, cracks splintering outward from the continued destruction.
"You… freak…" she rasped, her voice raw, but her lips curled into a predatory grin.
Ash rolled his shoulders, exhaling slowly. "Says the demon."
Leira's breathing was heavy, but her crimson eyes gleamed with fury.
Smoke still rose from her scorched wounds, the thick scent of burnt flesh and singed stone lingering in the air.
Ash's body was regenerating, but it wasn't instant. The wounds still throbbed, pain pulsing through his nerves like molten iron.
Damn… My body's taking longer to recover than I expected. Guess the demonic energy really messed me up.
Even with the Rune of life fueling his recovery, he wasn't untouchable.
His muscles ached, his bones groaned under the strain of his previous attacks, and a dull pressure was settling in his skull from mana overuse.
Leira flexed her fingers. Her claws still buzzed with residual lightning, twitching slightly from the last surge of power.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," she muttered, shaking off the last vestiges of pain.
Ash said nothing, but his stance shifted.
Leira's gaze sharpened.
Let's not let him do what he wants
Then—
She disappeared.
Not in a straight charge.
She slipped into the shadows, vanishing between the broken pillars of the crumbling dungeon. The only trace of her presence was the faint rustling of disturbed dust and the lingering scent of demonic energy.
Ash's instincts screamed.
His grip on his sword tightened.
Then—
He felt a very small movement behind him, a movement if not for his new reformed body, he would not have been able to sense it.
He spun as he slashed backward,
A clawed hand burst from the darkness, but it didn't aim for his body.
It aimed for his sword.
Leira's fingers clamped around the obsidian-black blade, her demonic energy slamming against the lightning-coated sword.
Sparks erupted at the point of contact, tendrils of black and blue energy colliding in a violent dance. The sheer impact sent a deep vibration through the steel, making Ash's arm tremble for a fraction of a second.
His grip nearly slipped.
Her claws dug in, trying to wrench the weapon away.
She grinned.
A direct contest of strength?
Shit.
Before she could capitalize, Ash's instincts had already taken over.
His free hand flicked forward—
[Storm Spear]
A mana circle flared above his palm, lightning gathering in an instant. A small but condensed spear of crackling energy shot toward her face.
Leira tilted her head at the last second, barely dodging the brunt of it,
But that moment of distraction was all he needed.
Ash's knee snapped upward, straight toward the still-fresh wound in her stomach.
The impact was brutal.
A sharp, involuntary breath escaped her lips as the force drove into the torn flesh, pain spiking through her nerves. The momentary flinch in her muscles weakened her grip.
Ash took full advantage.
With a sharp twist of his wrist, he ripped his sword free.
His body spun. The blade followed, reversing into a downward arc—aimed directly for her leg.
Leira leapt back, barely escaping his range, but—
[Lightning Step]
Ash didn't let her escape.
He didn't reappear in front of her.
Not behind.
But above.
Leira's eyes snapped upward just in time to see his silhouette—a blur of black and blue—descending from the crumbling ceiling, his sword buzzing with unstable electricity.
She reacted, she used her racial ability to create a small shield made of demonic energy,
But betraying her expectations, Ash didn't swing.
Instead—
He let go.
The sword—his own weapon—slipped from his grip, dropping past her guard before she could react.
Her pupils shrunk.
Too late.
Ash's foot, wreathed in crackling lightning, slammed into the hilt of the falling blade in mid-air.
BAAAM!
The force behind the kick drove the sword forward like a bullet, piercing through the barried straight into Leira's stomach.
She didn't even have time to scream before her body was blasted into the dungeon floor.
The stone caved in beneath her, a deep crater forming on impact. Cracks raced outward like jagged scars, rubble and dust erupting into the air.
Ash landed lightly a few feet away, barely feeling the lingering vibrations beneath his feet.
His hand snapped up—
[Lightning Bind]
Thin tendrils of electricity burst from the ground, snaking toward Leira like living chains. They coiled around her limbs, clamping down on her wrists and ankles. The bindings hummed, pulses of energy digging into her flesh as they struggled to contain her.
Leira gritted her teeth, muscles tensing as her demonic energy flared in retaliation.
"Uhh....you...are..a..demon...aren't..you?," she muttered, her voice thick with pain.
Ash stayed silent. He was exhausted, every muscle in his body aching from the prolonged battle.
Still, he didn't show it.
His posture remained relaxed, unfazed.
Then—
Demonic energy burst from her, black tendrils destroyed his lightning as she used her racial ability.
She didn't hesitate.
She tore herself free, ripping the sword from her stomach with a brutal yank, her injured hand trembling from the force.
Blood gushed from the wound, staining her torn clothes, but she didn't stop. With a fierce snarl, she threw the blade aside.
"You made a mistake throwing your weapon," she spat, one hand pressing against her bleeding stomach.
Ash's gaze flickered toward the sword. Then back to her.
But in that moment, she was already in front of him.
Her speed was monstrous.
In a blur of motion, she seized his wrist.
Her claws sank in, piercing deep.
Demonic energy flooded into his flesh, twisting inside like venom, crawling through his veins.
A sharp, searing pain exploded in his arm.
A normal person would be dead due to influx of the demonic energy, but he was not normal.
He gritted his teeth.
And then—
He headbutted her.
CRACK!
The impact snapped through both of them, sharp and jarring.
Leira staggered, her grip loosening just enough for Ash to wrench himself free.
His arm felt like it was on fire. His veins ached, demonic energy still lingering in his body despite his Rune of Life actively destroying it.
But that wasn't the worst part.
His regeneration was slowing.
Shit. Due to demonic energy my regeneration is getting weaker and weaker.
If only I had a skill creation chance...
Blood dripped onto the broken ground.
Pooling between them, mingling in the cracks.
Leira exhaled, then… chuckled. A raspy, half-strained sound. "You're insane."
Ash stood silent for a moment, his breathing steady despite the searing pain in his body.
Then, voice laced with amusement, he replied—
"You just noticed?"
**
The sound of the explosion shook the very air around them, rattling the walls of the dungeon as the intense clash between Ash and Leira intensified.
Selene's fingers twitched, as she watched the battle unfold. Every clash sent shockwaves through the air, rattling the very foundations of the dungeon.
It wasn't just a fight.
It was a collision of Beasts.
"They're fighting like wild animals," she muttered, barely suppressing a shiver as another burst of Ash's lightning illuminated the battlefield.
Lucien, who had just downed a mana potion, exhaled through gritted teeth. "It's not that they're fighting like beasts."
His eyes remained locked onto the battle, sharp and calculating, "They are wild beasts themselves."
"But who is that person?" Lucien asked, eyes narrowing.
The group remained silent, exchanging confused glances.
"Nah," one of them muttered.
"I don't know either."
Nathaniel glanced at Irene, concern flickering in his gaze. "How's Ray? Is his body badly damaged?"
Irene's lips pressed together as she focused on Ray's still figure, the residual heat from his overloaded mana circuits still rising from his skin like steam.
"His muscles, veins, and cells are overheated. They've been stretched past their limits. From the looks of it, he'll need an entire stockpile of high-quality healing potions or a Saint-rank healer if we want a fast recovery."
"How long?" Nathaniel pressed.
Irene sighed, shaking her head. "If we use standard healing potions, one to two weeks. If we had a Saint-rank healer… maybe three days at best."
Nathaniel exhaled through his nose, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Honestly? That's still a relief. The way he was pushing himself, I thought we'd be collecting his ashes."
Vince let out a deep, irritated scoff. "The way he was firing off those destructive attacks, it didn't even look like his body was gonna hold out."
He crossed his arms, glaring at the distant battlefield where lightning and demonic energy continued to explode in chaotic bursts.
Selene shook her head. "Why are we just sitting here? If the demon wins, we're dead. And if that unknown person wins, who's to say he'll spare us?"
"That's why we need to regain our mana and stamina. For the worst-case scenario," Nathaniel said, voice grim. "There's no escape. The only exit is through the reward room, and those monsters are still fighting their way there."
Vince scoffed. "Great, we're stuck in the middle of all this."
Selene's eyes flickered to the distant chaos, then to Nathaniel. "And what about the thing about the Demon King they talked about? Is he planning to invade the world?"
Before Nathaniel could respond, another explosive sound shook the room.
BOOOOOOMMM!!!
The dungeon seemed to shake with the power of it.
The fight was nearing its climax.