Andrey straightened, katana still raised, his brown eyes steady behind his cracked glasses. "It changes everything."

Hope stepped to his side, greatsword blazing. "He’s right. You’re not so untouchable now, are you?"

The demon’s golden eyes darted from one to the other, sharp and calculating. A long pause followed, heavy with unspoken tension. Then, his lips parted into a slow, genuine smile.

"Interesting," he murmured, touching the gash on his wrist. Golden ichor smeared across his fingertips. "You’re the first humans to draw my blood in decades." He straightened, his posture shifting from casual to something more focused. "Perhaps I underestimated you."

He raised his chin, his golden eyes gleaming with renewed interest. "I am Etos. Warlord of the Crimson Legion, servant of the Primordial Demon Laplace. And you, little humans, have earned the right to know my name before you die."

Hope’s grip tightened on her greatsword. "Warlord? Laplace’s servant?"

Andrey’s internal thoughts churned. ’Crimson Legion. That name... I’ve never heard of it. But if he’s a warlord, that means there are others. An organization. And Laplace’s servants are actively hunting the artifacts.’

"Before we die?" Andrey’s voice was calm, almost conversational despite the circumstances. "You talk like you’ve already won."

Etos’s smile widened. "Haven’t I? Your Valkyrie is exhausted. Her armor is cracked. Her mana is nearly depleted." His golden eyes shifted to Hope, who didn’t bother denying it. "And you, Andrey Thompson, are a C-rank playing at being a hero. Your tricks are clever, but cleverness doesn’t win against raw power."

Andrey held his gaze. "Then answer me this, Etos. What was your relationship with the demon who attacked Horizon Guild?"

Etos’s expression flickered—a micro-expression, gone almost before it appeared. But Andrey caught it.

"Gea? She was weak. A demon of low rank, easily defeated by mere humans." He paused, then added, "I have no connection to the fallen."

Andrey’s internal thoughts sharpened. ’The demon is dead?’

The chamber trembled as Etos raised both arms, shadows coiling around him like serpents. His golden eyes flared brighter, the pupils narrowing into slits.

"You think too much, little human," he said, his voice echoing off the crystal walls. "That’s your greatest weakness."

He thrust his hands forward.

The shadows erupted in a wave. A tidal surge of darkness that swept across the chamber floor, consuming everything in its path. Crystals shattered. The ground cracked. The air itself seemed to scream.

Hope’s greatsword swept up. "Luminous Aegis!" Golden light flared from her blade, forming a shimmering barrier in front of them. The shadow wave crashed against it, sparks of light and dark exploding on impact. Hope’s boots skidded backward, her arms trembling under the strain.

Behind the barrier, Andrey’s mind raced. ’He’s not holding back anymore. This is different from before. He’s actually trying to kill us.’

The shadow wave subsided, but only for a moment.

Etos stepped forward, his crimson skin gleaming in the aftermath. The darkness around him didn’t dissipate—it condensed, swirling around his arms, his chest, his horns. When he spoke, his voice was lower, more resonant, vibrating through the stone beneath their feet.

"You’ve seen my warm-up. Now... let me show you why they call me Warlord."

He snapped his fingers.

Fire erupted from the shadows.

Not ordinary flames. These were black at the edges, crimson at the core, and they burned without heat yet the air around them shimmered as if reality itself was struggling to contain them. They spread across the chamber floor, climbing the walls, licking at the ceiling. The crystals pulsed in response, their sickly light intensifying.

"Stage two," Etos announced, spreading his arms wide. "Let’s see how long you last."

Hope didn’t wait. She lunged, her greatsword blazing with golden light. "Divine Strike!"

The blade arced toward Etos’s chest. He didn’t dodge. He caught it.

Between his palms.

The golden light sputtered, dimmed, then went dark. Hope’s eyes widened as Etos held her greatsword in place, his claws digging into the metal.

"Your faith is admirable," he said, his golden eyes boring into hers. "But your god has no power here."

He shoved.

Hope flew backward, crashing into a cluster of crystals. They shattered around her, shards raining down on her armor. She struggled to rise, but her movements were sluggish, her mana nearly spent.

Andrey was already moving.

"Phantom Step!" He vanished, reappeared behind Etos, katana swinging toward the demon’s exposed neck.

Etos didn’t turn. A tendril of shadow shot from his back, wrapping around Andrey’s blade. The katana stopped inches from his skin, vibrating with trapped energy.

"Clever," Etos murmured. "But predictable."

The shadow tendril tightened. The katana groaned, cracks spiderwebbing across the steel.

Andrey’s eyes widened. He released the hilt and leaped back, but Etos was faster. The demon spun, his clawed hand closing around Andrey’s throat.

"You’re resourceful," Etos said, studying Andrey’s face as if examining an insect. "But resourcefulness only takes you so far."

His other hand raised, shadows coalescing into a sphere of condensed darkness. The sphere pulsed, growing larger, denser, until it was the size of a boulder.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

He thrust the sphere toward Andrey’s chest.

Hope’s voice rang out across the chamber. "GOLDEN AEGIS!"

A disc of golden light materialized between Andrey and the sphere, intercepting it just before impact. The explosion was deafening—a shockwave of light and shadow that sent both Andrey and Etos staggering back.

Hope stood at the edge of the crystal rubble, her arm still extended, her face pale. The golden disc faded, its light extinguished.

Andrey scrambled to his feet, his hands empty. His katana lay shattered on the ground, its blade broken, its hilt cracked.

’My weapon. It’s gone.’

Etos noticed. His golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction. "No more tricks, little human. Just you and me."

He raised his hand, dark energy gathering at his fingertips.

Andrey’s internal thoughts clicked into place, cold and clear. ’The katana is gone. My pistol won’t penetrate his defenses. Mana Threads won’t hold him. Phantom Step can’t outrun his attacks. But I still have my body.’

He stepped forward, empty hands raised.

"I don’t need a weapon to fight you."

Hope’s eyes widened. "Andrey—!"

Etos laughed, a deep, rumbling sound. "You’re going to punch me? A demon lord? With your bare hands?" 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Andrey didn’t answer. He closed the distance, Ki flowing into his fists, his legs, his core. The demon’s shadow tendrils shot toward him—he dodged, weaving between them, his movements a blur.

"Phantom Step!"

He vanished, reappeared directly in front of Etos, and drove his Ki-enhanced fist into the demon’s chest.

The impact sent shockwaves through the chamber. Etos staggered—only a step, but he staggered. His golden eyes widened in surprise.

Andrey didn’t stop. He grabbed Etos’s wrist with one hand, Mana Threads wrapping around it, and drove his other fist into the demon’s ribs. Again. Again. Each strike was weaker than the last, but he didn’t stop.

"You—" Etos’s voice was strained, not from pain but from disbelief. "You’re actually—"

A tendril of shadow slammed into Andrey’s side, sending him flying across the chamber. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up on one knee.

’Damage Absorb is full,’ he thought, his chest glowing red beneath his torn shirt. ’One more hit and I’ll overload.’

But he didn’t have a chance to use the stored energy.

Etos was already in front of him, his clawed hand closing around Andrey’s throat again. This time, he didn’t hold back. He squeezed.

"Enough," the demon growled. "I was curious about you, Andrey Thompson. But curiosity has its limits."

Hope tried to rise, but her body wouldn’t obey. Her mana was gone. Her strength was gone.

’No... no, no, no...’

Etos raised his free hand, shadows gathering at his palm. "Goodbye."

The shadow sphere expanded, growing larger than any before. It pulsed with malevolent energy, casting the chamber in dark light.

Hope watched, helpless, as the sphere descended toward Andrey’s chest.

The shadows exploded outward but not from Etos’s attack.

From Andrey.

He released all the stored energy in his chest at once. Damage Absorb overloaded. The red-gold light burst from his body in a shockwave that sent Etos flying backward, his grip broken. The shadow sphere detonated prematurely, its energy scattering harmlessly across the chamber.

Andrey collapsed to his knees, gasping. His chest was bare, his shirt shredded by the release. Burn marks covered his torso, and blood dripped from his nose and ears.

But he was alive.

Etos picked himself up from the rubble, his golden eyes blazing with fury. "Impossible."

Andrey looked up at him, vision blurry, but his voice steady. "I told you... I don’t need a weapon."

Etos’s golden eyes blazed with unrestrained fury. His horns seemed to darken, veins of crimson light crawling across his temples. The shadows around him writhed violently, lashing out at the crystal walls, shattering them into dust.

"IMPOSSIBLE... IMPOSSIBLE... THIS CANNOT BE!"

His voice echoed through the chamber, shaking the stone beneath their feet. The fire at the edges of the room surged higher, black and crimson flames licking at the ceiling.

"YOU!" Etos’s clawed hand shot toward Andrey, who was still on his knees, chest heaving, blood dripping from his nose. "A C-RANK! A WORTHLESS, INSIGNIFICANT C-RANK! HOW DARE YOU! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A FOOL OF ME!"

He lunged.

Andrey couldn’t move. His body was spent, his regeneration struggling to keep up with the internal damage from the overload. His vision swam, the demon’s form blurring into a haze of crimson and gold.

Then—

"GOLDEN AEGIS!"

Golden light erupted between them, solidifying into a wall of shimmering energy. Etos’s claws scraped against it, sparks flying, but the barrier held.

Hope stood behind it, her greatsword planted in the ground, both hands gripping the hilt. Her armor was cracked, her face pale, her breathing ragged but her blue eyes blazed with unwavering resolve.

"I won’t let you touch him," she said, her voice steady despite the exhaustion pulling at her limbs.