Smoke hung heavy in the ruins, curling around shattered stone and scorched earth. The air was thick with ash and tension, every breath a struggle.
Adil's vision blurred—his head spinning, body trembling from pain and exhaustion. His limbs felt like lead, his lungs burned, and his healing was slowing under the weight of repeated trauma.
Kael stood in the haze, transformed.
Fangs visible.
Clawed hands like a wolf.
Muscles pumped and sturdy, his frame now monstrous.
His glowing blue eyes pierced through the smoke, locking onto Adil's fading energy signature.
Kael (coldly): "Give up. No need to resist."
Two minutes passed.
Kael (snarling): "You're trying to hide… but it won't help."
Three Months Earlier
After defeating Zider, Adil didn't rest.
For three months, he trained relentlessly—isolated, focused, obsessed.
He pushed his body to the edge—building muscle, refining function, mastering control. Every day was a war against his own limits.
He studied the energy systems—Ki, Mana, Aura—asking questions from Eron and the system itself. He didn't just want to use power—he wanted to understand it.
But Ki was his obsession.
He tried to channel it.
Control it.
Shape it.
And every time he failed, he paid in blood.
Veins ruptured.
Bones cracked.
His skin tore from internal pressure.
He vomited blood more times than he could count.
His body screamed for rest.
But Adil refused.
Adil (gasping): "Damn it… agh… no, I can't stop now. I need to become stronger… I don't know what will happen afterward."
One night, staring into the void, his body broken and his spirit burning, he whispered to himself:
Adil (thinking):I don't want demonic energy… but I won't let it corrupt me.
He knew the risk.
Bloodcore Ki was unstable, violent, and borderline forbidden.
But he didn't care.
If it meant surviving the hells, he would walk the edge.
Back to Present
Adil knelt in the smoke, blood dripping from his mouth.
His body was healing—but the pain was unbearable. His ribs felt shattered, his muscles torn, his mind fraying.
Adil (thinking):I think I have no choice… I have to use it.
He stood slowly, eyes dim but focused.
Kael sensed the shift and stepped forward, claws ready.
But Adil moved first.
With full speed, he punched.
CRACK.
Kael barely dodged, stumbling backward from the shockwave.
His eyes widened.
Something was wrong.
Something was changing.
Adil stood in the smoke, breathing heavily.
Then—
His body began to shift.
Muscles pumped.
Veins bulged—glowing red, like molten steel under skin.
His eyes snapped open—crimson light flooding the ruins.
His hands twisted, claws forming from bone and flesh.
His teeth sharpened, jaw tightening into something inhuman.
A dark mist swirled around him, vibrating with raw Ki.
The ground beneath him cracked slightly, unable to contain the pressure.
Then the system flickered in front of him:
[SYSTEM]: Bloodcore Ki is flowing in the user's body. Transformation initiated.
Adil stood tall.
A demon forged from pain, rage, and Ki.
Adil (smirking, thinking):Well… I still don't have enough time. I can't maintain this for long.
But for now?
It was enough