"Roar——!!!"

  A beastly howl echoed from within the red light.

  In the next moment, the red light vanished like a burst bubble, and Morgar’s appearance underwent a drastic transformation.

  His body swelled to nearly three meters tall, covered in grotesque, bulging muscles crisscrossed with black veins. His upper clothing was torn to shreds. His eyes turned completely purple, filled with coldness and bloodlust. His hands enlarged dramatically, his palms morphing into sharp claws.

  "This is......"

  Morgar raised his clawed right hand and clenched it.

  "......my power now!"

  "How invincible——!!! The me of the past was nothing but weak compared to this! If I’d known demonization was this powerful, I would’ve abandoned being human long ago! Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

  "Power!!! This is my power now——!!!"

  Morgar raised both hands high above his head, then smashed them down with all his might.

  Boom——!!!

  In an instant, a powerful shockwave swept across the entire underground space.

  Hulim waved her wand forward.

  Stone walls shot up from the ground immediately.

  But most of those stone walls were still destroyed. It wasn’t until the last wall that the shockwave was fully neutralized.

  "Hmph~! Killing you now is as easy as breathing! Human! Regret your actions earlier!"

  Morgar said arrogantly, simultaneously deactivating the Demonization Array. While the array had blocked Hulim’s attacks, it had also trapped him inside.

  As the array’s glow faded, the dark red barrier slowly disappeared. Morgar walked toward Hulim at a leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll.

  "Morgar...... You no longer consider yourself human?"

  "Hmph! Human? A weak, pitiful species! Demons are the strongest, most perfect creatures! This world will soon fall into the hands of the demons, and we Gulos will become part of them—gaining eternity——!!!"

  Boom——!

  Almost as soon as the words fell, Morgar’s figure vanished from the spot, leaving only the sonic boom of his high-speed movement in the air.

  In an instant, he crossed a great distance and appeared directly in front of Hulim. His fist—even larger than the width of Hulim’s chest—smashed toward her with a terrifying gust of wind.

  "Storm Surge!"

  Two consecutive blasts of Storm Surge hit Morgar’s fist head-on, sending Hulim flying backward and out of harm’s way.

  "It’s useless!"

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Thud!

  The stone floor shattered.

  Morgar lunged at her again.

  "Wings of Wind!"

  Hulim flew into the air.

  "I told you——it’s useless!!!"

  Boom——!

  Pitch-black flames erupted from Morgar’s entire body as he flew toward the airborne Hulim at an unimaginable speed.

  "Storm——"

  "Don’t even think about it!!!"

  A pitch-black fireball materialized in Morgar’s hand.

  In the next moment, the black fireball hurtled toward Hulim far faster than Morgar himself, then exploded violently.

  Boom——!!!

  The massive shockwave from the explosion spread throughout the underground space, traveling up the surrounding walls and sending tremors through the upper levels of the underground structure.

  ......

  "Got you! Die!"

  A sharp sword stabbed toward Miko’s back.

  Boom!

  "Ah! What the hell?!"

  At that moment, the ground suddenly shook. The attacker stumbled, and the strike missed completely.

  "Opening!"

  Miko parried the attack in front of her, dodged, and closed in on the attacker from behind. The weapon in her hand sliced through the air swiftly.

  The attacker fell to the ground instantly.

  "Hey! Are you okay!"

  Taking advantage of the renewed earthquake, Arthur regrouped with Miko, and the two stood back-to-back.

  "I’m fine! But what’s going on here? Why is it shaking again?"

  "I don’t know, but we don’t have time to find out!"

  "These bastards! They took down another one of us!"

  "We’re definitely killing them this time!"

  "Charge!"

  "Ugh, this is endless!"

  Arthur shouted, swinging his sword and charging at the enemies. Miko followed closely behind.

  The chaotic battle resumed after a brief respite.

  ......

  "Hmm? Still alive, are you?"

  Feeling Hulim’s presence still lingering, a grim smile spread across Morgar’s face.

  "That’s the way it should be! It wouldn’t be fun otherwise! How else can I repay you for earlier——!!!"

  Thud——!

  He crushed the ground beneath his feet, and with a sonic boom, Morgar charged at Hulim.

  "......You really do love close combat."

  From beneath a pile of rubble from the collapsed wall, Hulim said calmly, then slowly stood up.

  "【......】"

  "Frenzy Aura——!"

  Boom——!!!

  The walls collapsed once more.

  "Huh?"

  Amidst the shattered walls, Morgar tilted his head slowly.

  In the center of the underground space, Hulim stood with a flickering red aura, like dancing flames, emanating from her body.

  "Why......"

  She slowly tucked her wand behind her back, then reached for the hilt of the mithril steel sword slung there.

  "......do I have to use the sword every time?"

  "Huh? What are you rambling about? Just die quietly for me, will you?!"

  Morgar stretched out his right hand, and another black fireball appeared in front of his palm.

  "Black Flame Detonation!"

  The black fireball, radiating terrifying heat, flew toward Hulim.

  "Whoosh——!"

  Hulim took a slow, deep breath.

  "【......】"

  "Thunder Armor Encasing——!!!"

  Boom!

  In an instant, countless bolts of lightning flashed across the entire underground space. All the lightning converged on Hulim, forming a dazzling suit of thunder armor around her body. Not just her body—even the mithril steel sword in her hand was shrouded in bright lightning, complemented by the rising red battle aura.

  No one would have believed she was a mage and not a warrior......

  As soon as the transformation was complete, Hulim charged directly at Morgar.

  Her mithril steel sword, wreathed in thunder, sliced down fiercely at the oncoming black fireball.

  Clang——!

  In an instant, the black fireball was split in two.

  Boom! Boom!

  Two massive explosions ravaged the underground space once more.

  Whoosh——!

  In the next moment, Hulim emerged unscathed from the explosion and closed in on Morgar.

  "You bastard——!!!"

  Boom!

  Even more intense black flames erupted from Morgar’s body as he charged at Hulim head-on.

  The two collided directly.

  Boom! Boom! Boom......

  Countless fists wreathed in black flames rained down like a tempest. The gusts from his punches even blew away the gravel on the ground.

  But this relentless assault was completely blocked by the thunder sword opposite him.

  The thunder sword seemed to have transformed into actual lightning, weaving a network of thunder that no amount of dense attacks could penetrate.

  "Bastard! Bastard!! Bastard!!! Bastard bastard bastard bastard......"

  Morgar’s emotions grew more and more unhinged. The black flames burning on his body raged hotter, and his punches grew faster and faster.

  Centered on the spot where they clashed, a terrifying storm formed. Everything—ground, walls, rocks, soil—was torn to shreds the moment it touched the storm.

  ......