Inside Demon King Sumaru's castle, countless demons surrounded Yuki. Even in his heavily injured state, Yuki was still standing and trying to fight.
Meanwhile, Sumaru stood behind them, watching everything with a smile.
"Just a few more minutes and he'll die. I won't even need to do anything myself. Hihihi..."
Sumaru let out an evil laugh.
At the same time, Tiyara was still very far away from the castle, flying at top speed through the sky.
"I hope Yuki is safe... His mana is dropping rapidly!"
She continued sensing Yuki's mana while flying.
"I... I won't make it in time! No! At this rate Yuki will die! What should I do?! What can I do...?!"
She desperately pushed her speed higher.
Back inside the castle, Yuki was leaning against a wall for support. Hundreds of armed demons stood before him.
He was barely able to remain standing.
Suddenly, two demons leapt toward him.
Yuki noticed them, dodged their attacks, and countered while breathing heavily.
"Haa... haa... yaaa!"
His sword flashed through the air.
"Gyaaah!!"
The two demons were cut down instantly.
"Can... can I survive this battle...?"
Yuki slowly stepped backward.
The demons continued advancing.
"I... I don't think I can survive... Is today my final day...?"
Then a loud voice echoed from behind the demons.
"What are you idiots doing?! Can't you kill a single human?! Go and kill that insect!"
It was Sumaru.
The demons obeyed immediately and advanced with terrifying smiles.
Yuki raised his sword and suddenly threw it.
The demon in front dodged it, but the sword struck the neck of the demon behind him, killing him instantly.
Without wasting time, Yuki summoned another sword.
However, the moment it appeared, his body gave out.
"Agh...!!"
He dropped to one knee.
Trying to stand again, he struggled.
"Hng...! Ahh...!"
A demon rushed forward and swung a giant hammer.
The hammer was about to crush Yuki's head, but he barely blocked it with his sword and pushed the demon back.
"Grr... I'm exhausted... And my mana is almost gone too! I can't summon any more swords, or I'll collapse right here...!"
Yuki forced himself to stand.
But two more demons attacked.
He dodged one sword strike.
However, the second demon's spear pierced into his stomach.
"Guh...!"
Blood immediately poured from the wound.
When the demon pulled the spear out, the bleeding became even worse.
Yuki collapsed to the ground again.
The surrounding demons slowly approached him with creepy smiles.
They raised their weapons, preparing to finish him.
Suddenly...
The entire ground began to shake.
Rumble... Rumble...
Several demons lost their balance and fell.
Everyone looked around in confusion.
"What was that?" Sumaru asked.
"Perhaps an earthquake, My King," one demon replied. "But it's a very large one."
The trembling continued.
Massive cracks began spreading throughout the castle floor.
Parts of the ground started sinking.
Then—
BOOOOOM!
A gigantic centipede-like monster burst out from underground.
It was so enormous that it smashed through the castle ceiling.
Huge chunks of stone rained down everywhere.
Many demons were crushed beneath the collapsing debris.
Fortunately, Yuki was near a corner of the castle and avoided the worst of it.
Lying on the ground, he stared upward.
"What the heck is happening? What in the world is that thing?"
The monster's body was covered in countless hair-like growths that resembled human skin.
Its eyes glowed purple.
Its mouth was filled with rows of terrifying teeth.
Instead of ears, it had two dark holes.
Just by looking at it, one could tell it was an incredibly dangerous creature.
The monster looked around at the people below and roared furiously.
Sumaru stared at it with shock, confusion, and tension.
"What the hell is that ugly thing?!"
The remaining demon knights immediately began running away in fear, as if they had seen death itself.
The monster suddenly fired a venom-like substance from its mouth.
The demons struck by it melted almost instantly.
The creature roared again and looked around for another target.
Then a voice suddenly echoed through the ruined castle.
"Hey. Why are you looking around? I'm standing right here."
The voice sounded familiar.
Yuki's eyes widened.
Sumaru and the surviving demons turned toward the speaker in confusion.
Standing confidently before the gigantic monster was a single person.
It was Precious.
A calm smile rested on his face.
It wasn't arrogant.
It wasn't evil.
It wasn't insane.
It was simply peaceful.
Yuki stared at him in complete shock.
"P-Precious...?"
Precious turned toward Yuki and smiled.
"Yo. How've you been, Yuki? Long time no see, right?"
Yuki could barely respond.
"A-Ah... yeah..."
He nodded weakly.
Still smiling, Precious said,
"Well, judging by your condition, it looks like you're having a hard time here. Anyway, this is something you'll have to overcome yourself if you want to unlock your Kema Core."
Yuki listened silently.
Suddenly, the giant monster roared again.
Precious glanced toward it.
"Hold on. I'm talking with my friend right now."
Then he looked at Yuki again.
"So, Yuki... let me kill this centipede first. After that, we'll talk."
Suddenly, Sumaru shouted angrily.
"What the hell?! Who are you?! Where did you come from, kid?! Get out of my castle and take that disgusting creature with you!"
The moment he spoke—
The giant centipede slowly turned its head toward Sumaru.
Its terrifying eyes locked onto him.
Sumaru instantly went silent.
His entire body became drenched in sweat.
Without saying another word, he quietly moved into a corner.
Meanwhile, Precious looked at the centipede thoughtfully.
"Keep provoking it... This centipede is far beyond your level, Sumaru."
"It's an otherworldly insect that traveled through space from another galaxy and entered this world."
"In short, it isn't my creation. It's an intruder that entered my world without permission."
"Though I have to admit... If it managed to travel across worlds through space and reach this place, then it must possess some extraordinary abilities."
"It's certainly not weak enough for a Demon King like Sumaru to challenge."
Precious calmly observed the monster.
Despite his relaxed appearance, there was a serious intensity hidden in his eyes.
The giant centipede continued staring at him with murderous rage.
And on Precious's face remained only a calm, serious smile.