Chapter 51: Starting to Fish
"Good. Since you've decided, we'll follow the plan."
klein leaned back against the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on his knee twice, his thoughts clear.
"You stay here with me first. Daniel's thing should be quite badly injured now; his spine is broken. Even with the aura of Hell supporting him, repair will take time.
He's in a hurry to complete the ritual, so he'll definitely come looking for you as soon as possible—especially when he finds out you're the only, and last, living person left from my place."
"Being here with me... on one hand, this is my territory, and I have some arrangements set up. On the other hand, it also gives you a layer of protection.
If he can be lured over, that's for the best; it saves you the risk. If he can't be lured... then we'll have to execute the second step—"
You go home, stay alone, and completely expose yourself as the most tempting bait. But that's a last resort with higher risks. Let's see if he dares to come over the next few days."
Emily nodded vigorously, without the slightest hesitation on her face: "I understand. I'll follow your arrangements, mr. klein."
"Mm." klein responded, then turned to Aunt Mei, who had been listening quietly with a furrowed brow.
"Mei, don't go back tonight. Stay here and accompany Emily in the upstairs guest room. Her current situation requires someone to look after her."
Aunt Mei knew what was important. She immediately called Peter to tell him she had a female client to stay with and wouldn't be back tonight.
After hanging up, Aunt Mei gave klein and Emily a gentle nod, indicating that everything was arranged.
klein stood up and rolled his shoulders.
"Alright, it's settled then. Mei, take Emily to the second-floor guest room—the one at the very end. The sheets and bedding are freshly changed. You two get some rest. I'll be downstairs."
...
The night wind blew through the empty streets, swirling up a few fallen leaves.
klein stood at the shop entrance. Between his fingers, a nearly transparent thread shimmered with an imperceptible pale gold luster under the moonlight, extending toward the dark alleyway in the distance.
Ran away again.
This was already the fifth night, and the third time Danielhad appeared near the shop to spy.
Every time, he maintained his distance with extreme caution, as if he could sense danger. He only hovered at the edge, like a hungry wolf prowling outside a hunter's trap.
klein retracted the thread, his brow slightly furrowed.
Something's not right.
Logically, Daniel, being deeply corrupted by the aura of Hell, should be more violent, bloodthirsty, and reckless.
Especially now, with the ritual only one step away from completion, his desire to finish the curse and harvest Emily's life should have reached its peak.
But this guy... is too cunning. Too cunning to be a mere puppet driven by a demon.
The sensation from the Parasitic Thread was also strange. Although it could vaguely locate Daniel's direction and general state, the life field it perceived fluctuated in strength, sometimes even experiencing brief "disconnections," as if something was interfering or shielding it.
Could it be that "Atsar" is pulling strings behind the scenes?
"Tsk, what a pain. Can't we just face off directly?" klein clicked his tongue, turned back into the house, and pulled down the rolling shutter door.
The light was on in the second-floor bedroom, where Aunt Mei was talking with Emily.
Emily's mental state was a bit more stable than a few days ago, but the cold light of deep-seated fear and hatred intertwined in her eyes had become even clearer.
Seeing klein come up, both of them looked over.
"He still didn't dare get close?" Aunt Mei asked, her voice tinged with worry.
"Yeah, slipperier than a loach." klein sat on the edge of the bed, pulled a box of cigars from his pocket, thought about it, and stuffed them back in—Aunt Mei didn't like him smoking in the bedroom.
"Waiting like this isn't the way." Emily suddenly spoke, her voice slightly raspy but calm.
"He's stalling for time. I can feel it... every day, it's absorbing my energy, making me more and more exhausted. He wants to drag me into a dream..."
"He won't." klein interrupted her, his tone certain. "With me here, you won't die."
He paused, looking at Emily: "But you're right, we can't let him keep stalling. This guy is smarter than I thought; he knows it's not easy to enter my place, so he's waiting for an opportunity, or... preparing something else."
"Then what do we do?" Aunt Mei asked urgently.
klein leaned against the headboard, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling with flickering eyes.
"If the enemy doesn't move, I will. If he won't come in, I'll go out and find him. However..."
He turned his head to look at Emily, his lips curling into a cold arc.
"We have to make him feel like the opportunity has come."
...
The next day, Emily Russell stood opposite klein. Her face was still pale, but her eyes held a bit more resolve after last night's discussion.
Aunt Mei stood to the side, her face unable to hide her worry. Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing, only handing Emily a small travel bag containing a few changes of clothes and toiletries.
"Are you all ready?" klein looked at Emily.
"Yes." Emily took a deep breath and nodded, taking the travel bag, her fingers turning slightly white from the force of her grip.
"Then we'll follow the plan." klein picked up two items from the long table.
The first was a Mutton-fat White Jade Peace Buckle, about the size of a fingernail, strung on a dark green cord. It felt warm to the touch, and the jade's texture was delicate, giving off a soft luster in the morning light.
Looking closely, there seemed to be an extremely faint, almost imperceptible Five Elements Power slowly circulating inside the jade.
"Wear this close to your skin. Don't take it off at any time, even when bathing or sleeping." klein handed over the peace buckle, his tone solemn.
"It has been nourished with Five Elements Power and can passively form a weak protective field. It can help you resist a certain degree of negative energy erosion, including demonic whispers and mental shocks.
If you encounter a direct physical attack, it can also help offset part of the impact. It can save your life at a critical moment."
Emily took it with both hands. As the cool jade entered her palm, it strangely transmitted a reassuring warmth.
She immediately looped the cord over her neck and tucked the peace buckle into her shirt collar, close to the skin below her collarbone.
That warm touch seemed to truly bring a faint but real sense of security.
The second item was a piece of Yellow Ritual Paper folded into a small triangle, its edges outlined with dense runes in cinnabar.
The paper itself carried a faint scent of sandalwood, and the cinnabar runes faintly shimmered with a dark gold light.
"This is a Sensing Protective Talisman, an improved version of my own." klein placed the Triangular Talisman Paper in Emily's palm.
"Keep it close to your person, preferably in an inner pocket or taped to your chest. Once you encounter a threat beyond ordinary danger—"
For example, if Daniel appears, or if you feel that chill of being watched or dragged into a nightmare reach its peak—it will be triggered immediately."
He paused, looking into Emily's eyes: "As soon as it's triggered, I'll know immediately and can roughly sense your location and life status."
Emily looked down at the small triangular talisman in her palm, which seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds. She squeezed it tightly, feeling the unique toughness of the talisman paper against her fingertips.
She knew these two items were her last resort and the invisible yet solid bridge connecting her and klein.
"I'll remember, mr. klein." She looked up, a flash of gratitude in her eyes, but even more so, a determination to burn her bridges. "I will definitely take good care of it and keep it on me at all times."
"Mm." klein nodded and patted her shoulder with moderate force. "Remember, your task is to stay alive. If you feel anything wrong, immediately run toward a place with people and light.
If the talisman is triggered, I'll be able to sense it. Just try to stall for time, and I'll get there as fast as I can."
"I understand." Emily carefully placed the triangular talisman into her inner shirt pocket, feeling it pressed against her heart. The coolness was gradually warmed by her body temperature, like a reassuring pill.
Chapter 52: The Bait is Taken
The bait has been set; now it's just a matter of seeing when the fish will bite.
Daniel, the fish in question, proved to be quite patient.
klein waited for three days without seeing Daniel make a move.
However, the one who was truly anxious was that Hell Demon.
On the night of the fourth day, klein suddenly opened his eyes, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Daniel finally couldn't hold back anymore. Through the faint perception of the Parasitic Thread, klein discovered Daniel moving rapidly toward Emily's home.
klein dressed and went downstairs, driving his raptorpickup toward Emily's home at high speed.
The streets of New York at midnight were much emptier, and the raptor wove nimbly through the vacant roads.
While driving, he focused his mind to sense the information transmitted by the Parasitic Thread.
Daniel's aura was chaotic, filled with violence, greed, and a hint of... an indescribable urgency.
klein accelerated again, the raptor letting out a low growl as it charged through the intersection just as the light turned red, racing toward the middle-class apartment area in Queens.
About seven or eight minutes later, klein suddenly slammed on the brakes...
Meanwhile, at Emily's apartment.
Darkness, like thick ink, seeped into every corner of the room.
Only a small nightlight by the bed emitted a dim, fragile yellow glow, barely outlining the blurred shapes of the furniture.
Emily curled up in the center of the bed under a thin quilt, her body taut like a fully drawn bow. She wasn't asleep at all, nor did she dare to sleep; it had been like this for the past few days, fearing that if she fell asleep, she would never wake up again.
Every whistle of the wind outside and every slight sound of a falling leaf brushing against the glass made her heart pound frantically in her chest, nearly shattering her ribs.
The peace buckle pressed against her skin, transmitting a continuous, faint but steady warmth—it was her only pillar of support at this moment.
As for that Triangular Talisman, she had used waterproof tape to stick it firmly to the center of her chest, as if it were a second heart.
Time passed minute by minute.
Suddenly—
"Click."
An extremely faint sound, like the internal spring of an old-fashioned door lock being flicked, came from the direction of the living room.
The blood in Emily's entire body froze instantly! She snapped her eyes open, staring fixedly at the bedroom door.
He's here! He's here! Daniel is here!
There was no violence of a door being broken down, no hysterical roaring.
The sound was so soft it was almost a hallucination, yet it was more bone-chilling than any loud noise.
With trembling hands, she reached for the phone hidden under her pillow. The screen lit up, showing the emergency contact interface with klein; a preset distress signal was ready, just waiting to be sent.
However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the screen—
"Squelch..."
An ear-grating, slimy sound, like a wet cloth being dragged across the floor, drifted in through the gap under the bedroom door.
Immediately after, an indescribable scent—a mixture of rust, sickly sweet spices, and some deeper level of decay—slithered through the door gap like a living thing, quickly filling the bedroom.
Emily felt a surge of intense nausea and dizziness; her vision blurred, and the hand holding the phone instantly lost its strength.
Bang!
The bedroom door was slowly pushed open from the outside by an invisible force.
No footsteps, no breathing.
A figure stood silently at the doorway, blocking the last sliver of light from the living room.
It was Daniel.
But his appearance now was even more terrifying than when he was at the apartment.
The tattered clothes he had been wearing seemed to have been replaced by a dark, loose robe resembling a cloak, barely concealing his body.
On his exposed skin—face, neck, back of his hands—those dark red, lava-like cracks were even clearer,
crawling and pulsating slowly under the skin as if alive, emitting a faint, ominous red glow that illuminated his face like a demon crawled out of hell.
His eyes had completely turned into two glowing coals of dark red fire, with no trace of whites or pupils, containing only pure, filthy fel energy.
The most horrifying part was his posture—his spine had clearly been kicked in half by klein, yet he could now stand upright in a bizarre manner,
though his movements carried a non-human stiffness and distortion, as if what supported the inside of that shell was no longer a human skeleton, but something else.
He just stood there quietly, his dark red eyes watching Emily on the bed, his mouth slowly splitting into a silent, extremely satisfied and greedy smile.
"Found you... my dear Emily..." His voice was raspy and distorted, carrying multiple eerie echoes, as if several people were speaking simultaneously within his body.
"The last one... the sweetest fruit..."
Daniel slowly floated toward the bedside. He reached out a hand; the fingernails were black and long, entwined with a nearly solid pale-black filthy aura, clawing directly for Emily's neck!
Just as that filthy hand was about to touch Emily's skin—
"Hum——!!!"
The peace buckle on Emily's chest suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly bright white light!
A light shield formed by a gentle yet resilient Five Elements Power instantly sprang out, enveloping Emily's entire body!
"Sizzle——!!!"
Daniel's hand struck the light shield, producing a violent sound like a hot iron being dipped into cold water!
Massive clouds of black gas steamed up from his fingertips. The light shield fluctuated violently, its radiance dimming at a visible rate, but it ultimately blocked that lethal grab!
"Ugh, ah——!!" Daniel let out a roar mixed with pain and fury, suddenly pulling his hand back. The fingertips that had touched the shield had actually turned charred, and a small portion of that filthy aura had been purified!
The shield's light flickered uncertainly, as if it might shatter at any second.
Yet under Daniel's continuous attacks, it remained as solid as a rock.
Daniel grew increasingly anxious, but he simply couldn't shake the shield. Finally, he used some unknown method.
Four pitch-black chains composed of demonic energy extended from his back, winding and coiling around Emily's body like living venomous snakes.
Between the dark chains and the pale golden shield, an ear-grating sizzling sound erupted.
The shield's light flickered violently under the strangulation of the chains.
Daniel's strength was astonishing. Dragging Emily, who was wrapped in the chains like a cocoon, he jumped out from the seventh floor. Instead of falling, he moved horizontally along the rough outer wall of the apartment building at an incredible speed!
Chapter 53: Hooking the Small Fry
"Trying to run?!"
A cold light flashed in klein's eyes. The raptor's massive tires screeched against the street as it instantly pulled a U-turn, hurtling in the direction sensed by the "Parasitic Thread."
Daniel's aura was moving extremely fast along an erratic path. Instead of a straight line, he was weaving through buildings, deep alleys, and even across the rooftops of abandoned structures, as if completely unhindered by the terrain.
To maintain such speed while carrying someone... after being eroded by the breath of hell, his body had likely undergone some kind of non-human mutation.
klein floored the accelerator. The engine let out a violent roar, making the vehicle resemble a blue steel beast on the empty late-night streets.
He pushed his perception to the limit, locking onto Daniel's chaotic and filthy life field while rapidly mapping out an interception route in his mind.
"East... the abandoned textile factory district... does he want to complete the ritual there?!"
That direction led to a long-abandoned industrial zone on the edge of Queens. With its dilapidated workshops and lack of people, it was the perfect place for an evil ritual.
He couldn't let him keep running!
klein drove to the abandoned textile factory. Its towering chimneys stood like silent tombstones in the night, and the shattered windows resembled hollow eye sockets.
klein got out and kicked open the rusted iron gate. A thick stench—a mix of rust and sickly sweet incense—hit him, mingled with the smell of fresh blood and... the ozone scent of an overloaded energy weapon.
The interior of the factory was vast and ruined. Broken pipes and discarded textile machinery cast grotesque silhouettes in the shadows.
Right now, these ruins had become a battlefield.
Several pale searchlight beams shone down from above, crisscrossing and shaking as they illuminated a central area.
Coulson was there with seventeen or eighteen S.H.I.E.L.D.Agents in black tactical gear, wielding strangely shaped pulse rifles. They were using several abandoned spinning machines as cover, firing toward the center.
"Fire! Aim for his joints and head!" Coulson's voice echoed through the vast factory. He held a specialized pistol that fired blue energy beams instead of bullets, accurately striking the target.
Their target was indeed Daniel.
Daniel's current state was even more terrifying than it had been at the apartment.
He hovered several meters above the ground. His dark robe was torn in many places, revealing dark red veins underneath his skin that writhed frantically as if trying to burst out.
Four pitch-black magic chains extended from his back, their ends tightly coiled around a pale gold cocoon of light—it was Emily!
She was curled up inside a shield generated by the "peace buckle." The shield's light flickered violently under the erosion of the chains and the impact of stray bullets, looking as if it might shatter at any moment.
Daniel didn't seem to care much about the S.H.I.E.L.D.Agents' attacks. The energy beams hitting him only kicked up small clouds of black smoke and ripples.
His dark red eyes were fixed on Emily inside the cocoon. He was chanting under his breath, producing a spine-chilling, non-human whisper.
As he chanted, a faint black light began to seep through Emily's arm area, even through her clothes and the shield, resonating with the patterns on Daniel's body.
Bang! An exceptionally thick blue energy beam struck one of Daniel's chains. The chain vibrated violently, and black mist billowed out.
Daniel snapped his head around, his dark red pupils locking onto the Agent who had fired. An idle chain shot out like a venomous snake!
"Watch out!" Coulson shouted.
But the chain was too fast. The Agent only had time to turn his body slightly before the chain grazed his tactical vest. The tough Kevlar fibers were instantly corroded, leaving a large hole. The Agent screamed as he was sent flying, crashing into a rusted machine, his fate unknown.
"Cover! Alternate fire! Don't let him concentrate!" Coulsoncommanded with a grim expression, but their firepower was clearly being suppressed.
They had obviously not expected the target to be this difficult. Conventional weapons were almost useless, and energy weapons only caused minor interference.
Just as Daniel shifted most of his attention back to Emilyand his chanting accelerated—causing the Triangular Talisman on Emily's chest to grow hot and glow with a faint red light—
Whoosh—!!!
A condensed, pale gold thread, moving fast enough to tear through the air, shot out without warning from the shadows of the factory entrance.
It struck with pinpoint accuracy at the junction of the four magic chains coiled around Emily—the center of Daniel's back!
"Super Strike Whiplash!"
Rip—!!!
Infused with the extreme sharpness of the "Sharp Metal Talisman" and wrapped in "Armament Haki," the thread's power was incomparable to before!
It sliced through the chains of foul magic as easily as a hot knife through butter!
"Arghhh—!!!"
Daniel let out a shrill, agonizing scream. Black mist erupted from his back as the four chains snapped!
No longer restrained, the pale gold cocoon enveloping Emily fell from the air.
A figure dashed out from the shadows of the entrance like a ghost, moving so fast he left a trail of afterimages in the searchlight beams! It was klein!
He caught the cocoon steadily just an instant before it hit the ground. The massive impact caused his feet to slide, leaving two shallow furrows in the floor, but his posture remained unshaken.
klein looked down at Emily inside the cocoon.
Her face was pale and her eyes were tightly shut, seemingly unconscious, but her chest rose and fell slightly; she was still alive. The light of the peace buckle had dimmed almost to the point of extinction, but it had held on.
Most importantly, the Triangular Talisman on her chest, though hot, had not been fully triggered—klein had arrived just in time.
"klein?!" When Coulson saw klein appear, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes, followed by wariness and a hint of complex realization.
As expected, this mysterious Asian youth was involved in this matter, and... his strength far exceeded estimates.
klein ignored Coulson. He gently placed Emily and the cocoon on a relatively clean patch of open ground.
Then, he slowly turned around to face Daniel, who was writhing in pain in mid-air because his chains had been severed, his dark red eyes fixed on klein.
"Stealing my person right in front of me?" klein cracked his neck, letting out a series of pops, and a cold, mirthless smile appeared on his face.
"Daniel, or rather... whatever piece of trash is inside your body, you've got some nerve."
Daniel seemed to recover from the intense pain and the fury of his interrupted ritual. He stared at klein, his dark red pupils constricting as he let out a roar mixed with resentment and greed:
"It's you... you again! Repeatedly disrupting Lord Atsar's plans! You ant... I will pull out your soul and roast it over the fires of hell for ten thousand years!!"
"Too much talk." klein curled his lip. He opened his right hand and aimed it at Daniel, pale gold light beginning to flow, compress, and condense at his fingertips.
Sensing a fatal threat, Daniel let out a wild roar. He stopped hovering and slammed into the ground, his feet cracking the concrete like a spiderweb.
All the dark red patterns on his body erupted with a blinding red light. Foul magic rose like physical black flames, making him look like a monster crawling out of purgatory.
He gripped the air with both hands, and two twisted longswords, condensed from pure dark magic and burning with black flames, formed in his grasp.
"Die!!!"
He turned into a black and red afterimage, lunging straight at klein with an overwhelming evil intent and a stench of blood! Everywhere he passed, the ground was corroded with charred marks.
Chapter 54: Killing the Small Fish
"Boom—!!!"
klein's pitch-black fist, coated in Armament Haki and carrying Wonder Woman's divine power, collided violently with the magic sword burning with black flames!
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull, heart-stopping sound, a strange noise as if space itself were being squeezed and shattered.
In an instant, the twisted longsword in Daniel's hand, condensed from filthy magic power, shattered like glass struck by a ten-thousand-ton heavy hammer. Starting from the point of contact with klein's fist, it cracked inch by inch and disintegrated into black smoke that drifted through the air!
klein's fist didn't lose its momentum. The pale golden divine light swirling around the knuckles intertwined with the pitch-black Armament Haki, rapidly expanding in Daniel's incredulous, horror-stricken single eye, and then—
It slammed hard into his face!
Pfft!
The tooth-aching sound of crushing bone and flesh rang out.
Daniel's head was like a watermelon struck by a sledgehammer. Half of his cheek, along with his jawbone and teeth, instantly turned into a mess of black blood, bone shards, and an unknown viscous substance, splattering in all directions!
His massive body, burning with black flames, was sent flying backward as if hit head-on by a train traveling at full speed.
Tracing a parabola in the air, he crashed heavily onto the ground dozens of meters away, plowing a deep trench into the solid concrete as dust and smoke billowed into the sky.
The dust slowly dissipated.
Daniel lay slumped in a grotesque posture at the end of the trench. Half of his head was gone, revealing writhing, dark-red flesh that looked like a living creature and some kind of crystallized bone.
However, no blood flowed out; there was only a thick black mist and a nauseating smell of decay permeating the air.
Most bizarrely, at the edges of his horrific wound, dark red patterns writhed frantically, attempting to repair the damage.
But every time new granulation began to grow, it was burned and purified by the extremely faint yet exceptionally stubborn pale golden light remaining on the wound, making a "hissing" sound as it turned into black smoke.
His regenerative ability was completely suppressed by that pale golden divine power!
"Cough... ugh..."
With his remaining dark-red eye, Daniel stared fixedly at klein in the distance, who was slowly withdrawing his fist while maintaining his punching stance.
A raspy noise came from his throat, filled with incomprehensible shock and... a trace of fear toward a higher level of power, born from biological instinct.
"How... how do you have... this kind of power?!" His voice was airy and blurred due to the missing half of his cheek, but the terror within it was crystal clear.
"This... this... this is impossible! How can it be..."
"Take a guess." klein shook his wrist and grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth that looked somewhat grim in the dim light of the factory.
"Damn it!!" Daniel seemed completely enraged by this flippant mockery, and a hysterical madness erupted in his remaining eye.
The remaining dark red patterns on his body writhed frantically like dying poisonous snakes, erupting with his final strength!
"For the descent of My Lord Atsar!!!"
He roared, ignoring his shattered body and clawing at the ground with his hands as he lunged at klein once again!
His speed was actually several points faster than before; he was fighting by completely burning his life essence!
However, this time, klein didn't even move his feet.
He just tilted his head slightly, his calm black eyes locking onto the lunging Daniel.
The next moment—
"Swish—!!!"
Two crimson Heat Rays, condensed to the extreme and only as thick as a thumb yet radiating devastating heat and sacred purification power, shot out from klein's pupils without warning!
The speed exceeded Daniel's reaction limit, hitting him squarely in the chest with unerring precision!
"Pfft! Boom—!!!"
The Heat Rays easily pierced through the last bit of defensive black mist on Daniel's chest and plunged deep into his torso!
This time, the wound still didn't recover immediately.
That crimson light seemed to carry a purifying attribute as it exploded inside Daniel's body!
"Aaaaaaagh—!!!"
Daniel let out an unprecedented, shrill wail mixed with extreme pain and the agony of being burned by an ability that countered his own.
His movement toward klein suddenly froze mid-air, and his entire body twitched and contorted frantically like a pinned moth.
From the hole where his chest had been pierced, no blood flowed; instead, massive amounts of thick, asphalt-like black substance mixed with dark red energy fragments sprayed wildly from the entry and exit wounds!
As the sprayed black substance hit the floor, it immediately corroded the concrete, creating sizzling pits and emitting an even stronger stench.
The dark red patterns that had been writhing frantically now dimmed and withered rapidly, as if their source of power had been drained.
But surprisingly, Daniel still hadn't fallen.
Even with half his head missing, a hole through his chest, and his dark red patterns withered, his broken body was still driven by an evil intent that transcended biological instinct. In a twisted, uncoordinated manner, he lunged at klein once more!
"Heh... heh... My Lord... Atsar... Banzai..." Indistinct roars squeezed out from his damaged throat. His single eye remained locked on klein, filled with madness, resentment, and a resolve to perish together.
"Never-ending."
klein frowned slightly, a flash of impatience in his eyes. He no longer held back, raising both hands abruptly with fingers spread and palms down, pressing them toward the ground!
"Hum—!!!"
In an instant, an invisible force erupted with klein as the center, sweeping through the entire abandoned factory!
The floor, walls, ceiling—all the concrete, brickwork, and metal components swept by this force...
Silently turned into countless milky-white threads that were nearly transparent yet incredibly tough!
These threads surged and gathered frantically like a living white tide, driven by klein's will!
In the blink of an eye, a sea of pure white threads spanning dozens of meters formed around klein!
"Billow White!"
klein shouted low, swinging both hands forward violently!
"Rumble—!!!"
The sea of threads roared, condensing into a pure white giant wave over ten meters high and dozens of meters wide. With a terrifying momentum that could crush everything in its path, it surged toward the lunging Daniel!
At the very front of the wave, countless threads twisted, compressed, and solidified frantically, instantly forming an enormous white blade whose edge shimmered with the sharp light of the Sharp Metal Talisman!
Wherever the blade passed, the air was easily torn apart, letting out a shrill whistle!
Daniel's madly charging figure looked as small as an ant rushing toward a mountain flood in the face of this white wave that connected heaven and earth and the terrifying giant blade before it.
In his remaining eye, the rapidly expanding white terror was reflected!!!
"No—!!!"
The roar was drowned out by the thunder of the thread wave.
"Shink—!!!"
The white blade swept through Daniel's neck without resistance.
His broken head flew into the sky, tumbling several times. His dark red eye caught one last glimpse of the white hell below.
Immediately after, his body, still charging forward from inertia, was completely swallowed and shredded by the following boundless white thread wave...
The wave didn't stop, slamming hard into the thick load-bearing wall deep in the factory with a deafening crash. The entire wall was instantly covered in spiderweb-like cracks, teetering as dust filled the air.
Chapter 55: The Big Fish Surfaces
klein waved his hand again, and the giant white silk waves quickly dissipated and decomposed like a receding tide, as if they had never appeared.
Only the ground in the center of the factory, which had been thoroughly plowed to reveal fresh soil beneath, and the nearly collapsing wall in the distance, silently spoke of the terrifying power of that strike.
The dust slowly settled.
A deathly silence filled the factory.
Coulson and the surviving S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents all froze in place, staring dumbfounded at the cleared space, and then at the Asian youth standing at the edge of the clearing, who looked as if he had only done something insignificant.
It felt as if everyone's throat was being strangled by something invisible, unable to make a sound; only their hearts pounded frantically in their chests, making their eardrums buzz.
That white tide... what was it?!
Is that the kind of destructive power a single person can achieve?
This had already exceeded their understanding of superpowers!
klein ignored the nearly petrified S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents behind him.
He turned around, walked quickly to Emily's side, and squatted down.
Emily was still curled up in the nearly extinguished Pale Gold Light Cocoon, her eyes tightly shut and her face as pale as paper, but her breathing was relatively stable.
klein reached out, his fingertip lightly tapping the surface of the light cocoon.
"Crack..."
With a soft sound, the already dim light cocoon shattered, dissipating into specks of light dust.
Emily's body trembled slightly, her long eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes.
At first, her eyes were somewhat dazed and vacant, as if she were still immersed in extreme fear and cold.
But when she clearly saw klein squatting in front of her, her pupils suddenly constricted, and her body instinctively shrank back.
"Emily," klein's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange, soul-settling power. "It's me, klein. It's okay now."
Emily's gaze focused on klein's face. "He... he..." Her lips trembled, letting out a faint whisper.
"Dead. As dead as can be."
Just as a hint of relief from surviving the ordeal appeared on Emily's face—
A sudden change occurred!
The viscous remains of Daniel scattered on the ground, like charred asphalt, suddenly vibrated and boiled violently at the same time!
"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Countless streams of filthy matter, as black as ink and as viscous as asphalt, erupted like fountains from every piece of flesh and bone, shooting straight toward the ceiling!
These asphalt-like substances quickly gathered and merged in the air. Instead of re-forming, they burst into violent flames with a "boom" out of thin air!
They emitted a bone-chilling cold and an evil aura that made the soul tremble.
The moment the flames ignited—
"Heh... Uh!!"
Emily's eyes suddenly widened to their limit, her pupils dilated, and a short, terrifying gasp came from her throat, like a fish suddenly thrown onto the shore!
She clutched her neck tightly with both hands, her face instantly turning from pale to a ghastly bluish-purple. Her mouth hung open in a futile attempt to breathe, but she couldn't take in a single breath of air.
It was as if an invisible giant hand had seized her throat. Her body leaned back uncontrollably, twitching and convulsing violently.
"Emily!" klein's pupils constricted as he lunged forward to support her sagging body.
As soon as he touched Emily, klein felt her life force draining away at a terrifying speed!
Her skin temperature was also dropping rapidly, and her heartbeat was so weak it was almost undetectable.
klein tore open the sleeve of Emily's arm.
He saw that the Black Curse Mark, which should have gradually faded with Daniel's death, had not disappeared but was instead undergoing a bizarre transformation!
The original four clear black marks had turned into five, and a sixth mark was "growing" out from under the skin at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"Damn! The final ritual has been forcibly triggered! That son of a bitch Hell Demon used Daniel as the final sacrifice and fuse!"
klein reacted extremely fast. The moment Emily's breathing stopped, he pulled out a thumb-sized Jade Talisman from his robe, which was lustrous and contained five-colored flowing light—
This was a high-level talisman he had nurtured with his own divinity and Five Elements Power.
"Snap!"
Without hesitation, he pressed the talisman against Emily's chest, right over her heart.
"Buzz—"
The talisman suddenly lit up. Gold, green, blue, red, and brown lights flowed in sequence, forming a small but solid light shield that protected Emily's entire heart.
The bizarre suction that was frantically devouring her life force seemed to hit an indestructible wall, instantly cut off and blocked.
"Hu— Heh— Heh—"
Emily suddenly took a deep breath of air. The bluish-purple tint on her face quickly faded, replaced by a weak, sickly paleness.
Her chest heaved violently, and her eyes refocused. Although she was still terrified, at least she was alive.
On her forearm, the sixth black mark that had been growing frantically came to a screeching halt, as if it had lost its power source. It froze at the final step, no longer spreading.
"mr. klein, mr. klein..." she panted weakly, clutching klein's arm as if it were her only lifeline.
"Don't talk, save your strength. As long as the talisman is here, you won't die," klein said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the area in the center of the factory where the dramatic change was occurring.
Coulson and the other dozen or so surviving Agents also witnessed this bizarre scene.
The burning remains of Daniel, the strange flames, and the harrowing change that had just occurred to Emily made them realize the situation was far worse than expected.
"Everyone, fall back! Establish a defensive formation! Energy readings are rising abnormally!" Coulson ordered sharply, his voice carrying an unprecedented gravity.
The well-trained Agents quickly dispersed, building a defensive line behind the more distant abandoned machinery. Their gun barrels were all aimed at the center of the burning flames, though they didn't know if it would be of any use.
Just then, a low, hoarse, bizarre whisper that seemed to come from the depths of the Nine Underworlds—neither male nor female, neither old nor young—sounded directly in everyone's mind without warning!
It wasn't any known human language; the syllables were strange and awkward, filled with profanity and malice.
But strangely, everyone who heard it instantly understood its meaning:
["Damned fool... couldn't even prepare six complete sacrifices... useless..."]
The voice was filled with extreme contempt and impatience, as if evaluating a failed, inferior tool.
["...Fortunately... I... have a trick up my sleeve..."]
The moment the words fell—
"Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!"
Surrounding Daniel's burning remains, five other locations on the clearing simultaneously erupted with five identical black, cold flames that emitted a thick aura of hell!
klein immediately sensed that these were the five women who had died before Emily.
Originally, with Emily, there should have been six sacrifices to form a ritual.
But because klein stopped it, the Hell Demon could only use Daniel as an alternative. The six flames formed a standard, giant Hexagram Array with a diameter of over ten meters!
The flames didn't burn upward but were like living tentacles, twisting and intertwining inward, frantically gathering and compressing above the center of the hexagram!
"Buzz—!!!"
Space groaned under the strain, twisting and fluctuating violently!
In the center of the Hexagram Array, the void seemed to turn into a curtain torn by an invisible force, and irregular cracks flickering with dark red and pitch-black lightning began to appear!
Then, a hideous giant hand covered in dark red scales, with long black claws and twice the size of an ordinary person's, forcibly reached out from one of the largest spatial cracks!
The giant hand grabbed the edge of the crack, its dark blue muscles bulging and its scales grinding with a tooth-aching sound as it began to pull outward with force!
"Crack... Rip—!"
The spatial crack was forcibly torn into a larger opening!
Another equally terrifying giant hand also reached out from the crack. Both giant hands, one on the left and one on the right, gripped the edges of the crack and pulled outward with all their might, as if tearing open a heavy curtain!
"Rumble—!!!"
The entire abandoned factory was vibrating violently! Cracks on the walls spread frantically, and dust fell in showers.
The violent hellish aura gushed out from the growing spatial crack like a tsunami, instantly filling the entire space with the terrifying pressure of sulfur, blood, and the wails of countless souls!
Chapter 56: Fighting the Demon (Part 1)
"Hahaha—!!"
The ear-piercing, frenzied laughter, sounding like countless metal shards scraping against each other, erupted from the widening spatial rift. It carried the stench of sulfur and decay, assaulting everyone's eardrums and nerves.
Immediately after, a massive, distorted figure squeezed through the forcibly torn rift with a brute-force posture, barging into the mortal world's view!
It had a humanoid upper body covered in dark red, rough scales that looked as if they had been scorched by lava, resembling a reptile's skin.
Its shoulders were broad and muscles knotted, yet they possessed an unnatural expansion and distortion.
Its arms were like two battering rams, ending in hideous, giant hands covered in the same colored scales, with long, pitch-black claws the size of an adult's head.
Its head was even more terrifying—
A distorted snake-like face with vertical pupils of dark gold burning with sulfurous fire. Its wide-open mouth was filled with dense, interlocking fangs like daggers.
On both sides of its head, thick goat horns curved backward in a sinister coil, their tips shimmering with an ominous cold light.
And its lower body... had no legs.
In their place was an incredibly thick snake tail, also covered in dark red scales and ending in a sharp point. It slithered and coiled on the ground, supporting its massive frame.
A dense, almost tangible aura of hellish sulfur and evil pressure radiated from it like a tide, making the air thick and scorching.
This was the so-called Lord Atsar Daniel had mentioned—
A true demon subordinate from the Hell dimension!
"The mortal world! Weak, delicious, and filled with ignorant souls!" Atsar roared in its inhuman, raspy voice with multiple echoes, its dark gold vertical pupils greedily scanning the dilapidated factory and the humans surrounding it as if facing a great enemy.
"This place will become Lord Atsar's hunting ground! The feast of souls is about to begin! Hahaha—"
Its wild laughter echoed through the factory, making the shattered windows hum and rattle.
Just then, a trembling but still calm voice rang out:
"Sorry, excuse me for a moment."
Coulson took a step forward. Although his face was somewhat pale from the terrifying pressure, he still stood tall. His right hand hung seemingly casually by his side, but in reality, it was already pressed against a button on a specially-made holster at his waist.
He looked up at the nearly four-meter-tall monster that seemed to have stepped out of mythology and said in a steady voice:
"This is the mortal world. And the mortal world... will not be ruled by anyone or anything."
"Mr. Atsar... I suggest you go back to wherever you came from. Leaving now might avoid unnecessary... conflict."
Atsar's wild laughter came to an abrupt halt.
"Haha—ugh—!!"
"A tiny, fragile insect without even a trace of mana! You dare give orders to the great Atsar?!"
Atsar's giant snake tail suddenly whipped out, striking a nearby abandoned spinning machine. The steel machinery twisted and snapped like paper, parts flying in all directions!
"The mortal world belongs to the strong! And you are only fit to be sacrifices for My Lord, or... my appetizer for today!"
Atsar ignored Coulson. Its dark red, sclera-less vertical pupils slowly turned, looking past the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents who were on high alert, and finally landed on klein, who was supporting Emily and staring back with cold eyes.
"So it's you... who has repeatedly ruined my plans?" Atsar's voice was like a poisonous snake sliding across sand, sending chills down one's spine.
"The sacrifice that trash chose was actually protected by you... Interesting. Your soul smells... exceptionally delicious. This seat shall taste it personally!"
Before its voice could fade, Atsar's hideous snake tail, covered in dark red scales, suddenly whipped out!
"Boom!"
The ground cracked, and rubble flew!
Its massive body moved with a terrifying speed inconsistent with its size, instantly crossing dozens of meters.
The scaled tail, accompanied by a piercing sound of breaking air and a thick hellish sulfur scent, lunged down toward klein!
Before the wind even arrived, the suffocating evil pressure and sense of spatial restriction had already enveloped him, as if to crush klein along with Emily beside him!
"Coulson! Take everyone and retreat! Get as far away as possible!" klein shouted sharply without looking back, while simultaneously pushing the weak Emily toward a relatively safe corner behind him.
Facing that demon claw that seemed to blot out the sun, a cold light burst from klein's eyes. Without dodging, he took a half-step back with his right foot, lowered his waist, and clenched his right hand into a fist. The muscles in his arm instantly bulged, veins slithering under his skin like small snakes!
Faint golden divine radiance and pitch-black Armament Haki instantly wrapped around his fist. An indescribable, terrifying power, as if capable of shaking mountains, was frantically compressed and condensed within!
"Get—the hell back!"
"Thud—!!!"
klein's fist and Atsar's giant claw collided head-on, without any fancy tricks!
This Impact was duller and more terrifying than any before!
It was as if two mountain peaks had collided head-on at supersonic speeds!
A visible circular shockwave exploded from the point of contact between the fist and the claw!
The violent airwaves swept in all directions like a tsunami!
Several abandoned spinning machines nearby were directly flipped, twisted, and disintegrated!
The factory's already crumbling walls and ceiling groaned under the strain, as large chunks of concrete and rebar fell pattering down!
Even though Coulson and the Agents had already retreated upon receiving the warning, they were still hit by the terrifying aftershock of the Impact.
Many groaned as if struck in the chest by an invisible sledgehammer, staggering back; some were even knocked to the ground!
"Crack!"
A crystal-clear, teeth-gritting sound of cracking came from the center of the collision!
On Atsar's hard-scaled tail, capable of smashing steel, fine cracks first appeared where it touched klein's fist, and then it shattered and peeled off like porcelain struck by a heavy hammer!
Dark red, almost black, viscous blood like lava spurted from the cracks, dripping onto the ground and instantly corroding the concrete with a sizzling sound!
"Argh—!!"
Atsar let out a roar of pain mixed with agony, rage, and disbelief. Its massive body was actually shaken back half a step by the terrifying force contained in klein's punch!
Its dark red vertical pupils stared fixedly at its shattered claw, then snapped toward klein, who remained steady as a rock in his punching stance. For the first time, a clear look of horror appeared in its eyes!
"Impossible! A mortal body... how can it possess such power?! This aura... is it that damned... divinity?!"
klein slowly withdrew his fist and shook his wrist. He grinned at Atsar, revealing two rows of white teeth that looked exceptionally grim under the reflection of the drifting dust and leaping dark red flames.
"Your tail doesn't seem to be as tough as your mouth, little insect."
"Presumptuous!! Ant! You have enraged me!!"
"I will tear you to pieces! I'll pull out your soul and imprison it forever in the deepest depths of Hell, to suffer the burning of karmic fires!!"
Amidst the roar, even more intense and foul dark red flames erupted from the gaps between Atsar's dark red scales!
Its massive hellish aura was released without reservation. The smell of sulfur and blood in the air was so strong it was almost suffocating. The temperature rose sharply, and the ground began to soften and char.
No longer holding back, it made a grasping motion with both hands. Two giant Flame warblades, formed entirely of highly concentrated dark red Hellfire, quickly took shape in its hands!
The warblades were several meters long, their edges burning with distorted spatial ripples, emitting destructive high heat and malice that could erode all living things.
"Die!!"
Atsar crossed the twin blades and turned into a burning dark red whirlwind, lunging at klein again with a terrifying momentum that seemed capable of incinerating the eight directions! Everywhere it passed, the air distorted and the ground melted, leaving two charred gouges behind!
Facing this attack, which was even more violent and lethal than before, klein's eyes turned completely cold.
Chapter 57: Fighting the Demon (II)
"Boom—!!!"
klein once again turned the objects in the factory into a giant white wave, imbued with pitch-black Armament Haki, and slammed it fiercely into the dark red flame cyclone once more!
This collision was far more violent and tragic than any before!
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
"Screech—!"
"Rumble—!!!"
Fists and feet clashed, giant blades collided with silk threads; the shrieks of tearing air, the ear-piercing noise of metal friction, and the roar of energy explosions...
...along with the demon's painful roars and klein's occasional cold sneers, intertwined into a symphony of death that echoed wildly within the textile factory, which had long since been reduced to ruins.
The two fought at high speeds, their figures crossing, separating, and colliding again amidst the pervasive dust, broken masonry, twisted metal, and burning flames!
klein's body, having undergone multiple enhancements, had long since surpassed the mundane. Every punch and kick contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks. Combined with Wonder Woman's divine strength and Armament Haki, he was truly indestructible.
The white silk threads in his hands were ever-changing—sometimes transforming into a rain of arrows shooting across the sky, sometimes condensing into sharp blades that cut through everything, and sometimes weaving into an incredibly tough defensive net.
Atsar, on the other hand, had a completely different fighting style—violent, chaotic, and possessing the cunning and cruelty unique to hellish creatures.
Its flame warblade burned at an extremely high temperature, carrying a strong corrosiveness; every swing carried the malicious intent to incinerate all things.
Its serpent tail was flexible and lethal—whipping, sweeping, strangling, and piercing. Combined with the dual blades, its attack angles were tricky and ruthless.
Its scales offered amazing defense, and the dark red Hellfire possessed powerful regenerative abilities.
"Pfft!"
klein slammed a punch into Atsar's chest. The fist, wrapped in Armament Haki, easily tore through the hard scales, opening a gaping hole that went straight through his torso. Dark red, almost black, molten blood gushed out.
"Ugh!" Atsar roared in pain, swinging a blade back toward klein's neck.
klein sidestepped, the threads weaving into a shield before him to block the strike, sending sparks flying.
Simultaneously, he delivered a side kick. His toes, imbued with Sharp Gold Power, acted like a battle-axe, kicking hard into Atsar's left ribs.
"Crack!" The tooth-aching sound of bones shattering rang out, and Atsar's massive body stumbled.
But the dark red flames on its body surged suddenly. The hole in its chest and the shattered ribs were filled and repaired at a visible speed by new, black-smoke-emitting granulation.
Although the speed was slightly slower than before—the pale gold divine power, like a cancer clinging to the bone, constantly burned the new tissue and delayed the healing—it was indeed recovering!
"Boom!"
Atsar's serpent tail, like a steel whip, took the opportunity to sweep across, forcing klein back several steps and plowing deep furrows into the ground.
"Damn, he's so fucking tanky!" klein spat, shaking his slightly numbed arm.
He had already lost count of how many times he had severely wounded his opponent.
He had pierced its heart, crushed its head, severed its tail, and broken almost every joint in its limbs.
But this damn thing was like an unkillable cockroach. Every time it took a heavy blow, the dark red Hellfire on its body would burn wildly, forcibly repairing the injuries.
Although the recovery speed was noticeably slower each time, the new tissue was far less sturdy than the original, and the burning of that sacred aura caused it immense pain, with each recovery accompanied by shrill shrieks.
But... it just wouldn't die!
"Hahaha! Ant! Do you see? This is the gap between a mortal and the great Denizens of Hell!"
Though Atsar was covered in scars, its new scales were dull, and its body was riddled with charred burn marks and unhealed wounds oozing molten blood.
Its aura was also much weaker than at the start, but it still laughed wildly, its dark gold vertical pupils filled with cruelty and triumph.
"Your power is indeed strange... to be able to wound me... But you want to kill me? Keep dreaming! As long as the Hellfire does not extinguish, my body shall not perish! I want to see how long your strange power can last!"
He was right. klein frowned slightly.
Sustained high-intensity combat was a massive drain on mental and physical strength.
Although his body was powerful and his recovery far exceeded that of ordinary people, a war of attrition was clearly disadvantageous against an almost immortal opponent.
Moreover, he could feel that although Atsar's recovery was amazing, with every regeneration, its hellish aura weakened, and the dark red flames seemed to dim.
This guy wasn't truly immortal; it was consuming some kind of source power to maintain this terrifying regeneration.
He had to find its core, or use damage that exceeded its recovery limit to completely destroy it once and for all!
"How long?" klein suddenly grinned, revealing a bloody smile. The battle intent in his eyes, far from fading, burned even more fiercely.
"Not long. Right now."
Before his voice had even faded, he slammed his palms together. The remaining Five Elements Power, divine radiance, and mental energy within his body were forcibly mobilized, compressed, and fused in an almost violent manner!
"Five Elements Rotation, Kamui Empowerment—Evil Extermination!"
"Buzz—!!!"
With klein as the center, gold, green, blue, red, and brown—the five-colored radiance erupted with unprecedented brightness, instantly filling the entire ruined space!
This radiance wasn't blinding, but it carried a grand, upright, and vast aura that cleansed filth. Wherever it passed, the pervasive sulfurous black smoke and remaining Hellfire embers vanished and were purified as quickly as spring sun melting snow!
"What?!" The wild laugh on Atsar's face suddenly froze. Under the illumination of this Five-Colored Divine Light, the dark red flames burning on its body actually made a "hissing" sound, as if boiling oil had been poured on them, fluctuating violently and dimming!
It felt a suppression originating from the level of life itself and a powerful purifying force, which was wildly weakening its connection to the source of Hell and eroding the foundation of the power it relied on for recovery!
"No! This is impossible! What power is this?!" Atsar was both shocked and furious, frantically driving the little Hellfire remaining in its body to resist the purification of the Five-Colored Divine Light.
But klein's attack followed immediately!
Chapter 58: Fighting the Demon III
klein no longer engaged in close-quarters combat; instead, he used his Cyclops ability and Five Elements Talismans, combined with Holy Power, to suppress Atsar from a distance.
"Roar—!!!"
Atsar's angry roar echoed through the ruins, only to be shattered by the continuous bombardment of talismans and the searing heat of the Cyclops beams.
Its massive body faltered under the radiance of the Five-Colored Divine Light, looking utterly pathetic.
Every time it tried to charge, its steps were slowed by the icy chains formed by the "Water Element · Ice Soul Talisman," or its scales were sent flying by a "Fire Element · Flame Burst Talisman" exploding in its face.
The occasional Hellfire it managed to spit out through gaps was firmly blocked by the thick barrier condensed by the "Earth Element · Monolith Talisman."
Furthermore, the crimson beams shooting from the human's eyes would deliver a finishing blow just as Atsar's old strength was spent and its new strength had yet to gather.
Whether it was the Five Elements Talismans or the Cyclops ability, both contained a holy aura that exerted absolute suppression over the essence of darkness!
The more they fought, the weaker Atsar became.
"Slash!"
Another pale gold thread transformed from a "Sharp Metal Talisman," like a scalpel, precisely sliced through the newly grown, yet-to-harden scales on the side of its neck, drawing a stream of dark red, almost black, foul blood.
Atsar hissed in pain. The Hellfire at the wound surged wildly, trying to repair it, but the pale gold Holy Power was like a maggot in its bones, stubbornly burning the edges of the wound, making the healing process exceptionally slow and painful.
The flames on its body were being continuously consumed by klein.
They dimmed visibly, changing from the initial roaring dark red to flickering embers that looked like they could go out at any moment.
The newly grown scales lost their luster, covered in scorch marks and cracks; hardly a patch of intact skin could be found on its massive body.
"Ant! Can you only hide and scurry like a bedbug?!" Atsarlet out a raspy roar from its damaged, leaking throat.
Its dark gold vertical pupils were locked onto the distant figure that kept moving and maintaining distance, filled with frustration and rage.
It possessed immense brute strength and evil supernatural powers, yet it was being utterly countered by the opponent's kiting tactics.
Every charge would be interrupted and delayed by various strange Eastern talisman arts, followed by those scalp-numbing crimson heat visions and the elusive thread-cutting.
It could feel its connection to the source of Hell being constantly weakened and severed by that damned Five-Colored Divine Light.
The remaining Hellfire in its body grew weaker and weaker; the power consumed to heal wounds far exceeded what was being replenished. If this continued...
"Can I only?" klein dodged another sweeping tail strike of fire, his body performing several agile maneuvers among the ruins. He casually threw out three more "Fire Element · Flame Burst Talismans," which exploded at Atsar's feet, forcing it to stumble back again.
He breathed slightly hard, sweat appearing on his forehead. The continuous high-intensity talisman drawing, energy manipulation, and mental locking were no small burden for him either.
But his eyes remained calm and sharp, like a veteran hunter patiently wearing down his prey's stamina, waiting for the chance to strike a fatal blow.
"Winning is all that matters. Who cares how you win?" klein sneered, the light of a talisman glowing at his fingertips again.
"Besides, dealing with a thing like you that crawled out of a gutter, do I really need to talk about chivalry?
You're so particular? You wouldn't happen to be an undercover Agent for God, would you? Does your master know?"
"You're looking for death!" Atsar went completely berserk. The remaining dark red flames suddenly contracted inward and then exploded outward!
It stopped trying to heal those small wounds and instead poured all the remaining Hellfire into the two Flame Warblades in its hands!
The warblades instantly surged, turning into two dark red pillars of fire that connected heaven and earth. With a determination to incinerate everything, they slashed down crosswise toward klein!
"Hell City-Incinerating Slash!"
This strike drained more than half of its remaining power, its might earth-shattering!
Wherever the two pillars of fire passed, the air was completely evaporated, and the ground melted into two bottomless lava trenches. The blistering heat made Coulson and the others in the distance feel a stinging pain on their skin!
However, facing this desperate strike, a cold light flashed in klein's eyes. He didn't dodge or hide; he even stopped moving.
His hands formed a complex seal in front of his chest as he muttered under his breath, then he suddenly pushed forward!
"Five Elements Rotation, Mutual Generation and Inhibition—Suppress!"
"Buzz—!!!"
Gold, green, blue, red, and brown—the five-colored radiance no longer dispersed but instantly intertwined and fused,
transforming into a solid, greyish beam of light that exuded a heavy aura like the dawn of creation. It struck first, accurately hitting the center of the two crossing dark red fire pillars!
"Rumble—!!!"
An indescribable explosion erupted!
The greyish beam of light and the dark red fire pillars clashed, annihilated, and eroded each other frantically!
There was no brilliant explosion, only the most fundamental annihilation of energy and collision of rules!
In the area where the abandoned textile factory stood, space distorted and fluctuated violently, as if unable to withstand this level of confrontation.
In the distance, Coulson and the Agents had already retreated to a safer distance. Even so, they were knocked off balance by the dissipating shockwave, their faces filled with horror.
A few seconds later, both the light and the flames were annihilated.
Atsar's massive body, as if all its bones had been removed, crashed to its knees.
The Flame Warblades in its hands had long since vanished, and the last bit of dark red fire on its body was completely extinguished. All that remained was a charred, broken shell covered in horrific wounds, like withered wood burned by fire.
The light in its dark gold vertical pupils dimmed, filled with unbelievable despair and weakness. It tried to lift its arm, but it only hung powerless.
"Im... impossible... I am... a subordinate... under Lord Asmodeus... how could I... lose to... a mere mortal..." Its voice was intermittent, like a broken bellows.
klein slowly lowered his hands from the seal and let out a long breath of turbid, hot air. His face was somewhat pale, and the sweat on his forehead gathered into drops and slid down.
That final strike, "Five Elements Demon-Suppressing Light," had nearly drained the remaining Five Elements Power and most of the divine energy in his body.
But it was worth it.
He walked step by step toward the kneeling, dying Atsar. His footsteps were exceptionally clear in the deathly silent ruins.
"A subordinate of Asmodeus?" klein stopped in front of Atsar, looking down at this once-arrogant demon with cold eyes.
"Regrettably, this is the Human Realm. Your master's reach is too long."
Chapter 59: Battling the Demon (Part 4)
"No!!! You ants! Don't even think about obstructing the great Atsar!!"
Atsar's battered body jerked violently, and those originally dim, dark-gold vertical pupils suddenly lit up with a crazed, resolute crimson!
An energy far more violent, chaotic, and filled with the aura of destruction than before erupted from within its body like the final radiance of a dying Beast!
klein's pupils constricted. Almost the instant Atsar's aura changed, his body turned into a blurred afterimage, retreating rapidly!
At the same time, his left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing Emily—who was slumped in the corner, barely conscious due to the protection of the talismans but unable to move—tucking her under his arm as his legs exerted sudden force!
Boom!
The ground exploded into a shallow pit. klein's figure, carrying Emily, shot backward like a cannonball, instantly retreating dozens of meters and landing behind a relatively intact broken wall.
Almost the very next instant after he left his original position—
"With my blood, I burn this remnant body! With your souls, I sacrifice to My Lord! Lord Asmodeus... grant me... the final strength!!"
Atsar's hoarse, frenzied roar, filled with endless resentment, echoed through the ruins!
On its battered body, within the gaps of those charred scales, twisted, evil, dark-red inscriptions—looking as if written in fresh blood—suddenly lit up!
These inscriptions moved and burned under its skin like living things, emitting a heart-palpitating, ominous glow.
Next, a hair-raising scene occurred—
Those hideous, bone-deep wounds on Atsar's body that had originally stopped bleeding suddenly burst open!
Massive amounts of thick, lava-like, dark-red-to-black demon blood gushed out like a fountain!
As the demon blood sprayed out, it was as if the highest-grade accelerant had been added to the Hellfiresurrounding Atsar, which had been as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.
Boom—!!!
The dark-red Hellfire instantly flared up in a frenzy! The flames shot into the sky, more blazing and several times more violent than even at its initial peak!
The color of the flames shifted from dark red to a deeper, filthier dark purple, emitting a terrifyingly high temperature capable of melting steel and an extreme malice that could corrode the soul!
After performing this self-mutilating blood sacrifice technique, Atsar's already battered body shriveled and withered at a pace visible to the naked eye, as if all moisture had been drained. However, those crimson vertical pupils burning with frenzied fire were terrifyingly bright!
"All of you... be buried with me!!"
It roared, its withered arms snapping open to both sides!
Clang-clang-clang—!!!
Several thick chains, formed entirely of dark-purple Hellfirewith lava-like luster flowing on the surface and hideous barbs at the ends, shot out from its burning body.
Like death tentacles from purgatory, they shot in all directions at a terrifying speed exceeding the speed of sound!
"Watch out!!" In the distance, Coulson, who had just stabilized his footing and was preparing to organize a wave of long-range fire support for klein, saw the exploding purple flames and the shooting chains. His face changed wildly as he roared sharply!
However, it was too late!
The speed of the chains was beyond imagination, and they seemed to possess an evil sentience that allowed them to track and lock onto enemies!
Except for klein, who had sensed the trouble early and retreated to a safe distance with Emily, and Coulson and three other elite Agents who reacted fastest at the edge of the formation, throwing themselves to the side to dodge the instant the chains attacked—
Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!...
The scalp-numbing sound of sharp weapons entering flesh and desperate, short screams rang out almost simultaneously!
The remaining dozen or so S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents didn't even have time to make effective evasive maneuvers before their chests, necks, or limbs were instantly pierced by the dark-purple fire chains!
The moment the chains entered their bodies, the barbs opened, locking them firmly in place!
Then—
"Arghhh—!!!"
Screams so shrill they didn't sound human erupted from the Agents hit by the chains!
Their sturdy bodies shriveled and withered rapidly at a visible rate!
Their skin lost its luster, clinging tightly to rapidly shrinking bones; their eye sockets sank, and their hair turned withered and white before falling out...
It was as if some invisible, greedy monster was using the chains to frantically extract and devour all the vitality, soul essence, and even every drop of blood in their bodies!
In just two or three seconds!
The S.H.I.E.L.D. elites, who were fully armed and well-trained just a moment ago, had turned into a dozen mummies tightly wrapped in tattered tactical gear!
Their equipment fell to the ground with a clatter, and their hollow eye sockets stared blankly at the sky, as if recounting the boundless fear of their final moments.
The dark-purple fire chains, having devoured the life essence of over a dozen elite Agents, became even deeper and more eerie in color, as if they had drunk their fill of blood.
They quickly retracted, pouring all the plundered, majestic life energy back into Atsar's withered and battered body!
Buzz—!!!
Having absorbed this final nourishment, the dark-purple Hellfire burning on Atsar's body surged once more!
Its shriveled body inflated and filled out again like a balloon. Although it couldn't return to its original peak state, and its new muscles and scales appeared twisted and deformed—full of unstable, violent energy—
The pressure and aura of destruction it emitted were many times stronger than when it was just at death's door! It even faintly surpassed the level it had when it first arrived!
"Hahaha!! Do you see?! Ants! This is the consequence of resisting the great Atsar!!"
Atsar waved its new arms, covered in deformed scales and flowing with dark-purple fire, letting out a triumphant and frenzied roar toward the sky. Its crimson vertical pupils locked onto klein behind the broken wall in the distance, filled with bone-deep resentment and a thirst for slaughter.
"Now... it's your turn! I'm going to tear you and that bitch you're protecting to pieces! Devour you!!"
In the center of the ruins, the dark-purple fire demon roared at the sky, the chains around it writhing like pythons, emitting a suffocating evil and violence.
Behind the distant broken wall, klein gently placed Emily, who had fainted again from extreme shock and weakness, in a relatively safe corner.
He slowly stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and looked across the burning ruins to meet Atsar's frenzied crimson vertical pupils from afar.
On his face, there was no fear, no anger, not even the fatigue from the fierce battle just now.
There was only a complete, icy calm.
"I wanted to save some strength..." klein whispered to himself, shaking his head as if regretting something.
"But you just had to seek death."
He raised his right hand, his fingers slowly closing into a fist.
His knuckles turned slightly white from the force, and the veins beneath his skin faintly emerged.
Next—
Buzz...
An invisible, intangible, yet mountain-heavy terrifying pressure quietly spread out with klein as the center.
The air seemed to freeze, the dancing dust was fixed in mid-air, and the crackling sound of the distant flames seemed to be pulled away and blurred.
Atsar's arrogant roar came to an abrupt halt.
Its crimson vertical pupils, burning with dark-purple fire and filled with violence and the desire for destruction, suddenly shrank to the size of pinheads!
A terrifying warning sign of pure biological instinct—originating from the lowest level of life, crossing races and dimensions, incomprehensible and irresistible—instantly pierced through its crazed consciousness like billions of ice needles!
Danger!
Fatal!
Unstoppable!
Run!!
This warning came so suddenly and so strongly that it even overrode the tyranny and confidence brought by the power it had just forcefully boosted through blood sacrifice and devouring.
Its new, deformed muscles tensed uncontrollably, and the dark-purple flames flowing on its body fluctuated and flickered violently, as if blown by an invisible cold wind.
"You..." Atsar's dry, distorted voice squeezed out of its throat, carrying a tremor it hadn't even noticed itself, "What exactly are you?!"
klein didn't answer.
He just took a step forward.
Just one step.
Boom—!!!
With the point where his foot landed as the center, the solid concrete ground sank and cracked with a roar!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread frantically for over a dozen meters!
There was no dust, no flying stone chips; there was only the ground sinking into a clear footprint outline, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer!
klein raised his head, looking at the frozen demon in the distance, the corners of his mouth slowly curling into an extremely icy arc.
"Come, round two."
Chapter 60: Fighting the Demon (Part 5)
This was klein's final trump card, using the Five Elements Power to forcibly elevate his own status.
It only lasted for a brief ten minutes, but compared to Atsar's method of forcibly increasing combat power by sacrificing life force or even the soul...
klein's enhancement had no side effects; it would only leave him somewhat exhausted, with no other issues.
"BOOM—!!!"
klein flashed in front of Atsar, striking with a straight right punch. An afterimage flickered, followed by a dull thud.
The side of Atsar's head, which had just reconsolidated and was flowing with dark purple flames, looked as if it had been hit head-on by a cannonball. More than half of the cheek, along with the curved goat horn, instantly exploded and shattered!
Thick, dark red demon blood, mixed with burning bone fragments and scales, sprayed backward in a fan shape!
Only then did klein's close-at-hand, cold, and ruthless face belatedly reflect in Atsar's crimson vertical pupils, which were filled with tyranny and wild laughter.
Fast! Too fast! It was so fast that even its enhanced senses could not capture it!
"Ugh... Ah?!"
The excruciating pain and unbelievable horror struck its consciousness even before the shattered skull fragments did.
Atsar's massive body staggered backward from the terrifying kinetic energy contained in that punch, its dark purple flames becoming turbulent.
However, before it could make any reaction, or even before that shattered head could begin to self-repair—
"BANG!"
A heavy knee strike, wrapped in faint golden divine light and pitch-black Armament Haki, slammed like a launched battering ram into the deformed muscles that had just begun to swell in an attempt to repair the chest wound!
"CRACK!"
The sound of bone-chilling fractures exploded. The newly grown sternum, along with the writhing internal organs beneath, was instantly caved in and crushed!
A large amount of demon blood, mixed with organ fragments, sprayed wildly from its mouth!
"Hrrgh—!!" Atsar's eyes bulged. The intense pain caused it to let out a short, choked-off roar.
Atsar's snake tail instinctively swung and strangled, attempting to force him back and counterattack!
But klein's figure was like a ghost, retreating immediately after the strike. He sidestepped in the nick of time, letting the sweeping snake tail pass by.
At the same time, he pressed the five fingers of his right hand together like a blade, his fingertips wrapped in the Sharp Metal power condensed to the extreme, and slashed back!
"RIP—!"
Atsar's thick left arm, covered in deformed scales, was severed at the shoulder! The severed arm, trailing spraying demon blood, spun through the air!
"AWOOO—!!!"
The pain of the severed arm drove Atsar nearly insane. Its remaining eye turned blood-red as it frantically channeled the violent dark purple energy within. Granulation tissue writhed madly at the wound,
attempting to stop the bleeding and regenerate. Simultaneously, it desperately opened its huge maw and spat a highly concentrated dark purple breath toward klein!
This breath was not fire, but highly compressed hellish demonic energy with annihilating and corrosive properties. Everywhere it passed, even the air was corroded into hissing white smoke.
However, klein's figure was no longer there.
"Too slow."
A cold voice came from Atsar's right side.
"BANG! RIP!"
The dull impact and the sharp sound of cutting rang out almost simultaneously.
Atsar's sweeping right arm collided with a blurred figure. The deformed scales on its arm exploded again, and its bones groaned under the unbearable weight.
Meanwhile, the end of its snake tail was slashed by a condensed, pale gold Foot Shaving Line. The tough scales and muscles were sliced open, leaving a wound deep enough to see bone, as dark purple blood splattered.
It blocked it! At least, it wasn't instantly and heavily injured like before!
The price was that a portion of the power in klein's kick was deflected. He was forced to slide back several meters, leaving two shallow marks on the ground.
Madness and pain intertwined in Atsar's single eye, but more than that was a ferocious, near-manic determination to seize a glimmer of survival.
It was beginning to adapt to klein's speed and attack intensity.
"Ant!! Have you hit me enough?!" Atsar roared. The granulation tissue writhing at the severed arm and snake tail wounds accelerated madly. Dark purple flames surged. Although the repair speed was far slower than before, it was indeed stopping the bleeding and closing the wounds.
"Bang bang bang!"
"CLANG! RIP!"
klein's figure remained as fast as a ghost, his attacks coming from all angles like a violent storm.
Punches, hand blades, knee strikes, and elbow strikes, combined with the elusive cutting of threads—each strike contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and a holy aura specialized against demons.
But Atsar was no longer as defenseless as at the beginning.
It used its mangled single arm, its thick snake tail, and even didn't hesitate to use relatively solid parts of its body to endure, block, and deflect those attacks.
Although every contact was accompanied by shattering scales, groaning bones, splattering demon blood, and the excruciating pain of being burned by the holy aura,
it did indeed manage to barely keep up with the rhythm. At least, its vital points were not instantly crushed.
"BOOM!"
klein landed a heavy punch on Atsar's raised single arm, smashing the arm backward and bending it. The fist grazed its shoulder blade, tearing away a large piece of flesh.
Atsar groaned and used the force to slide back, its snake tail sweeping across at the same time to force back klein's potential pursuit.
"SHING!"
A Sharp Metal Line silently attacked Atsar's nape. It narrowly avoided it by tilting its head, leaving only a bloodstain on the side of its neck.
"You're adapting quite quickly." klein stopped on a pile of ruins, breathing slightly, his eyes cold.
He could feel the forcibly elevated power within his body slowly fading. Time was running out.
He couldn't delay any longer.
Moreover, although the guy opposite seemed to barely keep up with the rhythm, every injury and every repair was frantically consuming the violent energy it had forcibly sacrificed and devoured—energy that didn't belong to it in the first place.
After the initial frantic surge, its aura had begun to show signs of instability. Although the dark purple flames were still fierce, they carried a sense of hollowness.
The newly grown scales and muscles were also far less tough than at the beginning.
It was overdrawing itself, burning the last of its madness.
It was time to end this farce.
klein took a deep breath. His eyes suddenly became incredibly sharp, as if a physical edge was piercing through.
His hands slowly rose, forming a circle in front of him.
"Buzz..."
A strange ripple, as if capable of triggering a resonance with heaven and earth, quietly spread out with him at the center.
Gold, green, blue, red, and brown—the five-colored brilliance lit up again. But this time, they were no longer scattered and flickering; instead, they rapidly converged, compressed, and blended toward the center of his embrace.
The five types of power representing the Five Elements' origins, under the mediation of divinity and the forced command of klein's powerful will, began to break boundaries and undergo a deep, dangerous fusion.
The violent aura of metal, the vibrant power of wood, the endless rhythm of water, the explosive majesty of fire, the heavy bearing of earth...
Conflicting yet attracting each other, they formed a rapidly spinning, ever-shrinking dark vortex between klein's palms. Its color became deeper and deeper, finally turning into a chaotic void that seemed capable of swallowing all light and heat.
Five Elements Reversal, Return to Chaos—Annihilation!
"DIE!!!"
At the moment klein condensed this final blow, Atsaralso felt the destructive aura contained within that chaotic vortex, enough to freeze its very soul.
Survival instinct overrode everything. It let out a shriek mixed with fear and madness. No longer holding back, it frantically poured all the remaining, unstable dark purple demonic energy in its body, along with its burning life essence, into its only remaining arm!
That arm instantly swelled and distorted. Layers of scales stood on end. Dark purple flames entwined around it like living things, finally transforming into a hideous giant blade as tall as its body, burning with destructive demonic fire!
"Hell · Final Judgment!!"
It used the last of its strength to swing this Final Blade, which burned with its everything, toward klein and toward that vortex emitting an ominous chaotic aura, striking a blow of mutual destruction!
At that very instant, klein's embracing hands gently pushed forward.
That chaotic black vortex broke free from klein's control and floated lightly forward, meeting the imposing Hell Blade burning with destructive demonic fire.
The moment the two made contact—
There was no earth-shattering explosion.
There was no roar of colliding energies.
The edge of the chaotic vortex silently bit onto the edge of the Hell Blade.
Then, that imposing Final Blade, which condensed Atsar's final everything, was like a candle dropped into strong acid. From the point of contact, it silently melted, disappeared, and was annihilated.
The remaining power still slammed into Atsar's chest, sending him flying.