"What's that!" someone screamed from the clustered Hunter ranks behind him.
Shadowy figures were ripping themselves free from Renji's core, coalescing into forms of armored shadow. Only eight soldiers stood behind him, silent, massive figures shrouded in necromantic power. They were terribly outnumbered by the demonic legions, but their sheer power eclipsed that of the demons surrounding them.
"Eliminate all demons instantly!" Renji commanded, his voice sharp and absolute.
The eight shadows moved. Seven of them blurred outward to attack the demon horde, but Renji held the eighth back, a towering figure armored in aetherite, his face hidden by a spiked helm.
"Venerated Knight," Renji ordered. "Lead my way and follow me to the Lord."
The Oni merely extended his hands. The ground beneath the city fractured;
wreckage, cars, and broken structural steel lifted into the air, thrown outward, replaced instantly by his pulsing, demonic energy and grotesque formations. He repeated the action as Renji closed the gap, attacking the Mortal King with the landscape itself.
Renji ignored the debris, channeling Voidmancer energy to enhance his speed. He launched a powerful blow aimed at the Demon King's head.
The Oni didn't even look away from his hellish city construction. He effortlessly caught Renji's punch with his other hand.
The impact wasn't a shockwave; it was a detonation. A devastating surge of energy exploded outward, ripping steam and smoke from the connected hands.
"Hmph. Rubbish," Oni sneered, the memory of his brother's death hardening his face. He launched a brutal counter-blow into Renji's chest.
The force was astronomical, sending Renji flying like a meteorite. He used a snap of green flame to stabilize his body mid-air, landing gently against the side of the newly erected obsidian palace, avoiding a catastrophic crash.
"It's your turn," Renji commanded.
The Venerated Knight was already there, a blur of shadow. It drove a devastating kick into the Oni's side.
Oni stumbled several feet, the ground cracking under his boots. He touched the spot, cleaning the dust left by the Knight's boot. "Cough. Not bad. Not bad," he admitted, a trace of fury entering his eyes.
He sprinted, and Renji and his Knight sprinted too. Three figures collided in a devastating clash of energy. It was two against one, and the blows and kicks were invisible, fluid strikes only tracked by the resulting sonic booms. The Oni was fast enough to block every strike and retaliate, his first counter-punch catching the Knight and hurling it against a massive, bent metal beam, leaving a deep indentation.
Renji vanished, using a surge of Void energy. He reappeared at the Demon King's back, striking a kick toward the Oni's exposed neck, but the King caught it effortlessly.
"Useless tricks cannot harm me," the Oni growled. With a savage twist, he spun Renji violently in the air, then threw him high before following up with a brutal kick that hammered the Mortal King straight down into the devastated earth.
Below, the battle raged. The Obsidian Academy Warriors and the Special Hunter Forces were fighting a losing war. The seven Shadow Soldiers Renji commanded were tearing through hundreds of demons, their necromantic energy turning everything they touched to ash, but the sheer volume of the Demon King's legion was overwhelming.
Brave police and soldiers who had survived the initial helicopter crash rushed into the fray, only to be cut down instantly by demonic blades. The ground was becoming soaked with blood.
Renji struggled back to his feet, Void energy mixing with Necromancer shadows, but he was visibly struggling. He had spent too much power clearing Gehenna.
Oni's anger boiled over. The Mortal King wasn't falling fast enough. With a guttural roar, Oni's sleek battle-robe tore open, shredded by the sheer power surging through him. Beneath it, his body was a nightmare of lean, massive muscle and perfectly carved six-packs, a testament to absolute demonic power.
The battle intensified. Oni was now faster, stronger, and completely merciless. He traded blow for blow with the Knight, then smashed Renji into the dirt before Renji could unleash a powerful Void blast.
The fight was relentless, turning into a horrific display of endurance. Renji was fighting two battles: one against the Demon King, and one against the crippling exhaustion of his own body. He was bleeding now, his reddish sword clattering to the ground. The Knight was struggling to keep the Demon King engaged, but Oni, empowered by his rage, tore a piece of the obsidian palace and hammered the Knight deep into the rubble.
Renji gasped, sinking to one knee. Blood streamed from his forehead, mixing with sweat and dirt. He was beaten, his power flickering precariously.
Oni descended, his monstrous shadow covering the kneeling Mortal King. He lifted his hand, summoning a wicked, curved sword forged of pure hellfire.
"This ends your pathetic resistance, Mortal King," Oni spat, and drove the sword downward, aiming for Renji's heart.
Just as the blade descended, a figure darted forward.
Elder Kael, who had been commanding the Obsidian forces, threw himself in front of Renji.
"No!" Renji roared, but it was too late.
The sword plunged deep into Kael's chest.
But the impact didn't stop. The sheer force of the demonic blow was so absolute that the sword, after passing entirely through Kael, continued its descent, burying the tip deep into Renji's own chest.
Kael coughed, a terrible, final sound, his blood splashing Renji's face. He looked down at the King, his eyes filled with a sad, fierce finality.
"The Obsidian Star… remains loyal… to the King," Kael whispered, his strength failing. "Live, Renji. You must live."
Kael's body went limp, collapsing instantly. Renji staggered, his breath hitching, the sword still buried in his flesh. The blood loss was instantaneous, his Vision blurring as he collapsed entirely onto the earth, unconscious.
Oni stared down at the two bodies, his face a mask of cold satisfaction. He pulled the sword free, the hellfire consuming Kael's corpse into ash. He raised the dripping, red blade high above the prone, bleeding figure of Renji, ready to deliver the final, killing blow.
(To be continued...)