Dude, the air in that tunnel was thick. Every breath burned like swallowing the lava. And that demon was coming, fast. The whole place shook as its shadow stretched across the entrance, horns scraping concrete like nails on a chalkboard. Real subtle, buddy.
Evelyn stepped in front of Rex, acting heroic. It was a cute move, honestly. Also, totally nuts.
"You're brave, doc," Rex grunted, trying to sound tough as he limped forward. "But this one's mine."
She grabbed his arm tightly. "You can barely stand."
He just grinned, full of confidence. "Yeah? Watch me."
[DEVIL TRIGGER ENERGY LEVEL: 87%. READY FOR ACTIVATION.]
Rex took a deep breath. The tunnel seemed to close in, everything else fading away. Just him and the big bad.
"Hey, ugly," he called out, swinging Rebellion in a lazy, show-off way. "Round two. Hope you brought your best because I'm not in the mood for overtime."
That demon let out a roar that sounded like it could peel paint, rattling pipes and raining down rocks. It charged with claws out, eyes full of rage.
Rex just smiled wider.
"Alright, [V.E.R.G.I.L.]. Time to go loud."
[DEVIL TRIGGER ACTIVATING. STAND BY.]
Boom, red energy erupted from him, wrapping around his body like a nightmare. His hair went wild, silver with streaks of something unnatural. Those eyes? Not human anymore. Full-on predator mode.
The air snapped and sizzled. Evelyn had to step back, peek against the pressure coming off him.
This was not a regular Tuesday.
Rex moved before anyone could blink, smashing Rebellion right into the demon's claw. The impact sent a shockwave down the tunnel, dust and gravel flying everywhere.
But this time, Rex didn't budge.
The demon's eyes went wide. Rex leaned in, grinning. "What's wrong? Not used to your toys breaking?"
He twisted, the blade slicing clean through the demon's arm. Black blood sprayed the walls. The beast screamed, swinging wildly, but Rex was already on it.
He was everywhere at once. A storm in ripped jeans.
Rex spun in midair, came down hard with Rebellion—boom, right into the demon's shoulder, dropping it to its knees. Suddenly, Ebony and Ivory were in his hands, blasting a storm of bullets straight down to its throat.
[STYLE RANK: B — BRUTAL.]
He snorted. "Just a B? Who's judging, Simon Cowell?"
[INCREASE VARIATION. EXECUTE AERIAL COMBOS.]
"Fine, fine."
He ripped off one of the demon's horns, flipping back and slicing down its spine—textbook style points. He landed behind it, swept its legs, and the thing hit the floor, twitching.
Time to finish it.
Rex lifted Rebellion, the blade pulsing with devil energy. "Nighty night."
He brought it down. Crimson power ripped through the demon, reducing it to ash and bone fragments.
And then, it was quiet. Like the whole tunnel was holding its breath.
Rex let out a shaky laugh, his aura flickering as he started to look human again,sort of. He was barely standing, but still on his feet.
Evelyn walked over, arms crossed, serious. "You're insane," she said, deadpan.
He nodded. "Probably. But you're here too, so what does that say about you?"
She smirked. "I have a thing for saving idiots."
"Same difference."
She almost smiled. Almost. Rex counted that as a win.
"You're bleeding again," she sighed, already getting more gauze.
"Part of the job description."
She patched him up, hands steady. No magic, no guns—just pure stubbornness. In a world full of freaks, that was pretty rare.
"I owe you, doc."
She looked up. "You've already paid me back."
"Nah," he said, leaning in, grin sharp as ever. "You saved my life, that's a tab I can't close easily."
Her face went a little pink, barely noticeable, but she held her ground. "Fine. Keep the tab open."
[MISSION COMPLETE. RETURNING TO SURFACE ADVISABLE.]
"Yeah, yeah, [V.E.R.G.I.L.], don't get your wires twisted. Let's get out of here before Gotham throws another fit."
Evelyn slung her bag over one shoulder. "Lead the way, Devil Boy."
Rex's boots echoed in the tunnel as he walked out, sword resting easily on his shoulder. For once, he wasn't walking alone. And that felt pretty good.