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Chapter no.4 Vs the Asylum Demon
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Naruto followed Oscar through a metal-barred door, stepping into a broken hall under a sky that seemed forever gray.
The roof had long since crumbled, leaving debris scattered across the floor. But what caught Naruto's attention wasn't the destruction.
It was the land outside.
Instead of the lush green forests of Konoha, all Naruto could see were jagged mountains, rising like prison bars around the asylum, trapping them in. The air was cold and sharp, with a biting wind that whipped around him, tugging at his clothes and cutting through his skin like a kunai.
Suddenly, Naruto felt warmth in the icy air. He turned, his eyes locking onto a corpse slumped against the wall. Unlike the hollows they'd fought before, this one looked more… human. But that wasn't what caught his eye. It was the embers glowing faintly on the fingers, as though they were still clinging to life even after death.
"Pyromancy Flame," Oscar whispered, breaking the silence beside him.
"What's that?"
"It's an item that can help you use flame arts."
Immediately, it clicked in Naruto's mind. That's what I need to use fireballs!
Without thinking, Naruto rushed forward, excitement bubbling in his chest. But a gut feeling, a sense that something wasn't right. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the corners of the hall. Something felt off.
Naruto hurled a kunai toward the shadows. The sound echoed through the area, and sure enough, a few hollows began limping toward them.
"Good call," Naruto muttered to himself as he grabbed a few more shuriken. It was as good a time as any to practice. He flung the shuriken, watching as they sliced through the air, but the hollows didn't fall immediately. One of them dropped after the third kunai, while the other kept coming until Oscar stepped in and cut it down with a clean swing of his sword.
Naruto turned, eyes scanning for more threats. That's when he saw it.
The last hollow at the end of the hall was different. It was armored while holding a spear and shield.
"Remember, Naruto," Oscar said calmly, "There are two ways to deal with a spear, or any weapon with long reach."
Naruto listened closely.
"One is to keep your distance. The other is to get so close that the weapon's range becomes its weakness."
Naruto nodded, fully understanding the strategy. Neither he nor the hollow moved. It stood there, waiting, its spear tip gleaming in the light.
"Your turn," Oscar said, stepping aside.
"Oh yeah!" Naruto shouted as he suddenly remembered the pyromancy flame. Without wasting a second, he sprinted toward it.
The pyromancy flame still glowed faintly on the corpse's hand. Naruto reached out and touched it, and as soon as his fingers made contact, the embers seemed to come alive. They slithered like snakes, crawling up his arm, their heat warming his skin. The ashes covering the corpse's hand blew away in the wind, swirling in the air before magically attaching themselves to his hand.
For a brief moment, Naruto saw a beautiful pattern, like vines etched into his skin. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. All that remained was his hand, now looking ashy and strange.
"Naruto!" Oscar called from behind him, pulling his attention back to the battlefield. Naruto turned to see the undead spearman marching toward them.
"I'm going to do a fireball, sensei! Back up, I don't want you to get hurt."
With that, he stretched his hand out in front of him.
The moment he did, something clicked. He instinctively knew how to use this new power. It wasn't like chakra. This energy was different; more violent, more chaotic. It roared inside him like a wild flame, eager to burst out.
Naruto focused, pulling that energy into his hand. A beautiful orb of fire formed in his palm. The heat radiated from it, making the air shimmer.
The undead soldier took another step forward, raising its spear. Naruto didn't wait. With a swift motion, he hurled the fireball. As it left his hand, he felt a little disappointed as it wasn't as big as Sasuke's fireballs. But that disappointment vanished the moment it hit the soldier.
Boom!
Flames erupted in a massive explosion, scorching the entire area. The blast was so intense that the walls themselves were charred black, and the undead soldier was engulfed in the inferno. Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "Holy shit," he muttered. "My flames are definitely stronger than Sasuke's, right, sensei?"
"It's not dead," Oscar said calmly, his eyes fixed on the flames.
Naruto turned, and sure enough, the soldier walked out of the fire, its armor and spear melted, dripping like molten metal. But it didn't stop. It started running toward him, faster than Naruto expected. His heart leapt into his throat as it charged. Acting on instinct, he swung his sword, slicing its neck clean through.
The soldier dropped, its body crumbling into a lifeless heap at his feet.
"Always make sure the enemy is down. Don't turn your back on them until you're certain."
Naruto nodded, taking Oscar's advice to heart. That had been way too close for comfort.
Suddenly, the entire place shook, the ground rumbling beneath their feet. The knight and the boy turned to the side, and there down below, pacing back and forth, was the asylum demon.
"Looks like our friend is getting anxious."
Oscar glanced at him, his calm demeanor never faltering. "This battle will be different, Naruto. Are you ready?"
Naruto grinned, the thrill of the fight returning. "You bet! Let's take this thing down for good."
Oscar launched himself into the air and driving his sword down in a vicious plunge attack onto the demon's head. His blade cut deep, slicing off part of the demon's tree-like horns. The impact was so powerful it sent a spray of blood and ichor splattering across the ground, the demon roaring in pain.
Oscar landed in a roll, quickly making his way toward the gate as Naruto summoned dozens of shadow clones. They leaped toward the asylum demon, but none of them attacked. Instead, they popped, creating a massive cloud of smoke that engulfed the monster.
From the high ground, Naruto released a fireball, using the smoke as cover. The fireball soared through the air and exploded on the demon's face, flames licking up its grotesque features. But the demon was tougher than expected. It roared in fury, and its hammer shot up, smashing into the platform where Naruto stood. The ground beneath him shattered, crumbling into rubble. But the Way of Focality had kicked in letting Naruto see it coming. He jumped just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the upper floor was obliterated beneath him.
Naruto summoned more clones and used them as a launchpad to propel himself back into the fight. Meanwhile, Oscar charged in with a two-handed grip on his sword, delivering a devastating horizontal slice across the demon's midsection. The blade cut deep, blood spraying from the wound as the demon let out a guttural roar of agony.
"Sensei, dodge!" Naruto shouted as he landed, seeing the demon wind up for another attack. Oscar rolled to the side just in time, and Naruto took the opportunity to hurl another fireball. This time, he aimed for the Achilles tendon, the fireball exploding on impact. A chunk of the demon's leg was blown off in a fiery blast. Blood and chunks of flesh flying everywhere as the massive creature collapsed to one knee, roaring in pain.
The demon's wings flared open suddenly, and Naruto knew what was coming next. The demon began to rise, preparing for its shockwave attack. Oscar and Naruto were near the gate, just outside the immediate area of effect, but even from where they stood, they could feel it. The wind, the deafening sound, the dust filling the air as the demon crashed back down.
"Now!" Naruto shouted, and his clones responded instantly, hurling fireballs at the demon. Each fireball exploded on contact, covering the creature in flames. The demon's body was engulfed, the flames spreading quickly, but it wasn't done. With a savage roar, it lunged toward them.
Naruto barely had time to react when he felt Oscar's boot hit his back, shoving him forward. He stumbled, his jaw dropping as he saw Oscar do the impossible. Oscar parried the demon's giant swing, his sword cutting cleanly through the head of the demon's massive hammer. The weapon splintered, the hammer's head falling to the ground with a heavy thud. In one fluid motion, Oscar moved in for the kill, his blade plunging deep into the demon's stomach.
The demon screamed in a horrendous, bloodcurdling sound as its stomach split open.
Blood poured out, thick and dark, pooling on the ground beneath it. Tendons were severed, its intestines spilling out in long, grotesque ropes, steam rising from the exposed flesh. The creature's body convulsed, twitching as the flames continued to burn through its skin, charring the muscle and bone beneath.
[ Name: Asylum Demon ]
[ HP: 980 / 2,195 ]
For a moment, Naruto almost felt sorry for the thing. But then, something shifted, and the air around him felt wrong. The hairs on his arms stood on end as the asylum demon lifted the broken handle of its hammer. He watched in disbelief as the handle began to twist and warp, almost like it was alive. The demon's hammer morphed into a staff, pulling the broken pots around them into its grip, fusing them together to form a jagged, sharp edge.
[ Name: Stray Demon ]
[ HP: 980 / 2,195 ]
Naruto's breath caught in his throat. It can change its weapon? Why did its name change?
Without wasting a second, he threw his hands together and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dozens of clones appeared in a puff of smoke, charging toward the demon in unison.
The demon swung wide with its new staff, and most of Naruto's clones dodged it with ease. But then... Bang!
A deafening explosion ripped through the air. His ears rang, his head spun, and he barely registered the red flash of light before he hit the ground, hard. His body screamed in pain, and he gasped for breath, trying to figure out what had just happened. His clones... most of them were gone. They had popped almost instantly, wiped out by whatever that blast was.
This demon can use spells?
The thought clawed its way through the haze in his mind as he staggered to his feet. Before he could fully gather himself, he saw the demon again, gripping its staff like a baseball bat. He could barely react as it swung towards him, the jagged edge of the staff gleaming as it cut through the air with terrifying speed.
Naruto tried to move, but his body felt like it was moving through mud. His muscles refused to listen, still reeling from whatever weird spell had knocked him down. His chest tightened, and the cold realization hit him hard: I can't dodge this.
Is this the end?
The thought raced through his mind as he watched the staff coming at him in what felt like slow motion.
Suddenly, he felt a hard shove came from Oscar's hand. Naruto stumbled backward, gasping as he saw Oscar leap in front of the attack, his shield raised. The demon's staff connected with a horrifying crack, the impact so violent that Oscar was sent flying through the air like a ragdoll, slamming into the second-floor wall with a sickening BANG
"SENSEI?!" Naruto screamed, his eyes darted back to the demon, and it grinned at him.
A grotesque, mocking grin that made Naruto's blood boil.
Something inside him snapped. Chakra surged through his body, blue flames of energy exploding around him.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A hundred—no, a thousand clones burst into existence, filling the courtyard. The sound of battle cries echoed around him as his clones charged, hand axes raised, each one filled with the same rage that burned in his chest. This demon wasn't going to get away with this.
The asylum demon slammed its staff into the ground. The staff began to glow with a deep, pulsing red light emanating from it. Before Naruto could even process what was happening, the demon raised the staff high, and an orb of red energy formed at the tip. It hovered there for a brief second, crackling with power.
No…
Then it exploded.
The shockwave hit Naruto like a tidal wave, and in an instant, he felt everything. Eevery single clone, every single perspective, every single bit of pain and panic—all at once. Their thoughts, their memories, their fear, it all flooded into him like a crashing wave. Hundreds of lives, hundreds of viewpoints, merging into one chaotic stream. His mind felt like it was being torn apart, the sheer overload too much to handle.
I… can't… breathe…
The orb's energy surged through him, erasing his clones one by one, and then… it reached him. The sensation was like nothing he'd ever felt before like his body was being unraveled, piece by piece, thread by thread.
There was no heat, no sensation, just a growing void where his body should've been. His mind screamed for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. He couldn't even tell where his body ended and the nothingness began.
His vision blurred, and all the sounds of battle faded into silence.
There was no more pain, but it wasn't relief.
It was terrifying.
[ YOU DIED.]