The black aura surrounding Revild was so intense it warped the very air. His eyes glowed with a deep blue, and the ground cracked beneath his feet. Small stones floated upward, dancing for a second before crashing back down, as if the world itself held its breath.
Slash.
Revild vanished in the blink of an eye.
He appeared directly in front of Koloris, so close their faces nearly touched. His hand was already gripping her face with savage force. Before Koloris could react, he slammed her into the ground with overwhelming power.
The impact was devastating.
Koloris was dragged across the broken terrain, her body scraped raw by jagged stone. Otakura, still injured, watched in silence, teeth clenched — caught between hate and envy. Revild's aura was insane, grotesque. The grin on his face wasn't human anymore — it was the expression of someone corrupted by the thrill of destruction.
With another explosive burst, Revild launched himself again. His foot crushed the ground beneath him, leaving a crater. He shot forward like a missile — but before he could strike, Koloris stabbed a knife into her own left shoulder.
No hesitation. No fear. Blood spilled — but only a little.
She whispered:
"Receptacle..."
Revild reappeared in front of her in a flash. His glowing blue eyes locked on. His right fist, cloaked in black aura, pulsed with raw energy.
BOOM!
His punch slammed into Koloris's stomach with such force the earth split beneath them. She coughed up blood, suspended in midair, and finished her sentence with a strained breath:
"...Spiritual Link."
Pum.
Revild froze.
His body twisted violently, as if pierced by invisible blades. A surge of force blasted him backward, dragging him across the ground.
Koloris stood up. Her wounds rapidly healed. The knife still embedded in her shoulder. With a subtle motion, she twisted the blade deeper into her flesh.
Revild staggered, struck by the unseen force, and collapsed to the side. His head slammed against the ground.
Then, his body ignited.
The same fire that once neutralized Otakura's power now surged around Revild, amplified fourfold. In a flash of speed, he charged at Koloris again, unleashing a storm of flames.
The air scorched.
Koloris's clothes smoldered.
She dropped to her knees.
Revild stood tall, but his black aura had vanished. The Resurrection's time limit had expired.
Koloris pulled the knife from her shoulder. Her voice was hoarse, grotesque:
"Portrait..."
Revild's eyes widened.
His mind was assaulted by a vision — Koloris stabbing herself in the shoulder — but something was off. The memory was warped. Before he could understand it, he instinctively nullified the spell.
Back in reality, Koloris dropped to her knees, spitting blood.
She glared at him, enraged. Her hands gripped her own face in fury.
"How dare you, you worm?!" she screamed, unhinged.
Revild just stared back — cold.
"What was that?" he asked in a dead voice. "What kind of magic were you trying to use on me?"
Koloris bit her lips, body trembling.
"How dare you disrupt my power? You miserable piece of—!"
Then she whispered:
"Fifth Resurrection...
Spiritual Link: Portrait."
Revild's body locked up.
He was forced to relive the moment Koloris drove the blade into her shoulder — but this time, he felt it in his own flesh. When he returned to consciousness, his body was covered in deep wounds. Blood gushed. His vision darkened.
He collapsed. Tried to keep his eyes open, but shadows consumed his sight.
Koloris approached, her body cloaked in a dark, pulsing aura. Her steps were slow, almost a cruel dance. Takamira, Sasha, and Alya stood paralyzed. Seeing Revild broken, unmoving, left them speechless.
"This is pathetic... and yet, impressive," Koloris whispered with a grin.
"You not only copied Ragnoto's demonic essence," she said, scornfully, "you used Resurrection — as if humans were allowed to do that."
Her eyes pierced into Revild.
In his mind, there was only silence.
"I... can't move..." he whispered, soaked in blood.
Koloris licked her lips with sadistic pleasure.
"You'd make such a perfect little toy," she hissed, licking her blade.
"I could teach you how to use Resurrection in... delicious ways."
But Revild couldn't hear. Only silence.
"I have to get up..." he whispered.
Not desperation.
Conviction.
His mind echoed with a voice:
> "Big bro, do you think I'll be strong like you someday?"
"I want to be just like you when I grow up. You're my hero."
The words resonated deep in his soul.
Revild clenched his fists.
"I can't lose..." he growled.
"I don't belong on the ground."
He slammed his hands into the dirt.
"Fourth Resurrection!"
PUM!
The black aura engulfed him once again. His eyes blazed with intense blue. A crooked, terrifying grin stretched across his face.
Otakura also stood, exhaling flames. In one joint impulse, both charged toward Koloris.
Revild vanished mid-motion, his cold smile lingering.
Koloris flinched. She could only follow Otakura.
Revild's presence was gone.
Then—
Slash.
Everything froze.
Time stopped. Stones hung midair.
Revild, Otakura, Koloris — motionless.
And then, Ereimode appeared.
He walked slowly, his footsteps echoing in that frozen world. He approached Revild, placed a finger on his shoulder. Did the same with Otakura.
Then, behind Koloris, he whispered:
"The King is calling. We must go..."
His voice was slow, lifeless.
Koloris, locked in time, could only listen.
In an instant, Ereimode vanished with her.
Time resumed.
BOOM!
Revild and Otakura were hurled into opposite walls. Blood poured from their wounds — but Revild regenerated mid-air, imitating Koloris's power.
Even so, the impact was brutal.
---
Meanwhile… in the Human World
The room was thick with tension. Monitors flickered.
Some employees whispered bets behind the man in the white suit's back.
He watched the scene — Revild and Otakura being hurled away — baffled.
He slammed the table. Eyes wide with fury.
"It's not enough! We need more!" he shouted.
"Run the announcement again!"
The teleport operator hesitated.
"Sir... if we force more players..."
"What are you trying to say?!" the man snapped, stepping forward like a lunatic.
"T-the monthly limit is fifty players..." the staffer stammered, sweating.
"If we overuse the demon world teleport, we'll lose magical energy for weeks—"
The man grabbed him by the neck.
"Then break the limit! Double the reward if you have to — but bring me more!" he roared.
He threw the worker against the table.
The others froze, pretending not to notice.
Turning away, he clenched his fists.
"I need that elixir... no matter the cost..."
---
In the Demon World
The air was heavy. Silence absolute. Dust floated in stillness.
Nemor faced Ris, wearing a wicked grin.
He planted his foot firmly into the ground, ready to strike.
Ris gripped his dagger tight. The earth trembled.
In the blink of an eye — they clashed.
BOOM!
Time stopped again.
Ereimode appeared once more, calmly approaching Ris.
"The King is calling. We must go..." he whispered.
He touched Ris's arms — and vanished with him.
Time resumed.
Slash!
Nemor, moving at absurd speed, nearly smashed into a wall.
He dug his hands into the ground to stop himself.
Looked up, grinding his teeth.
"That power..."
"I want to fight him too..." he muttered, eyes gleaming with sick excitement.
---
To be continued in Chapter 12: Nemor's Past – Part 2