Alaric tightened his hold, not using any special technique, but relying on the full strength of a body trained to its highest potential. Every part of him, from skin to muscle to bone, was strengthened by mastery over the five elements. As he squeezed, he could feel the bones in the demon’s forearms give slightly, not yet snapping, just bending under the force. The demon’s body had been hardened to its limit, and it would not break easily.

But even a body this strong could not withstand what Alaric did next. He started channeling origin energy into the demon through their points of contact, letting it flow slowly and steadily. Instead of a sharp jolt, he used a constant, pressing force that reached right down to the cells. The wood element, part of his training, slipped into the demon’s body, patiently prying open pathways just like tree roots can split rock over time, steady, relentless, and impossible to resist.

He could hear the demon’s breathing shift, growing uneven as it sensed what was happening inside its own body.

"You’re quite heartless, Alaric. You did not mourn your friend when you found out he was dead; now you seek to destroy his body. Truly, my thoughts about your origin are proven correct once again. You are incapable of love," the demon said, its voice marked by a calm acceptance, as if it knew there was no way to stop what was coming.

"I know," Alaric said, his voice almost faltered for a moment.

The demon studied him. Its expression changed, not to fear exactly, but to something innately deeper and older. This was the unease of a creature that had survived for ages by understanding others, by always knowing what someone else wanted. Now, it faced Alaric and realized it could not read him at all. It was like meeting something completely new, with no way to predict what he might do next.

"You really mean to do it," the demon said, as if it was just now understanding the seriousness of Alaric’s actions. "You should realize by now that this is just a vessel for me. Destroying it will do nothing to harm me."

Alaric said nothing.

"You would destroy the body of someone you considered a companion." The heart demon said, almost sounding desperate.

"He is already gone," Alaric said. His voice sounded flat, but it wasn’t from a lack of feeling. It was the kind of emptiness that comes after you’ve accepted a loss too quickly, because there’s no time to mourn properly. "You told me that yourself. What’s left of him isn’t really him anymore." He paused before continuing. "You, on the other hand, are starting to sound desperate. It seems destroying this body will cause you a major setback. I refuse to let you roam around in the body of my friend."

The demon fell silent, perhaps realizing it could not change Alaric’s mind.

The slow, steady flow of wood energy kept moving through the demon, quietly working its way deeper. Around them, the forest had grown silent again, as if the world itself was holding its breath. In the corner of his vision, Alaric noticed a fallen tree, its roots bare and exposed to the afternoon air, with dirt still clinging to them and starting to dry out.

"I will find another body," the demon murmured, as if reassuring itself that this wasn’t the end.

"Maybe," Alaric agreed. "If you survive."

Suddenly, Alaric sensed the demon’s resolve shift. It wasn’t magic or some hidden sense; it was the way the muscles tensed in his grip, like someone bracing before a leap they can’t undo. He knew the demon had made its choice, and it was about to act.

Alaric was already starting to move as the demon unleashed its next move, a dangerous burst of energy stored in the body.

This wasn’t a technique Hundao had ever used, or maybe even known about. The demon sent origin energy into every stretchable part of the body at once, then released it in a single, powerful burst. The result was like a shockwave erupting from the center of the body, throwing force out in every direction. The goal was clear: to knock Alaric away and make room for whatever the demon planned next.

Alaric had reacted, but it wasn’t quite ’quick’ enough.

A powerful shockwave struck Alaric square in the chest, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying backward.

He was hurled about fifteen feet through the air. Instinct took over as he twisted midflight, turning his fall into a controlled roll. When he came to a stop, he was on one knee, his left hand pressed to the forest floor to steady himself. Pain radiated across his chest, but his training and the metal element woven into his body soaked up most of the force. Nothing was broken, though the impact had knocked the wind out of him for a moment.

Alaric lifted his head, scanning the clearing for his opponent.

Across the clearing, the demon stood in Hundao’s body. For the first time in their battle, the body was gasping for breath, evidence that the last attack had taken a real toll. Alaric could tell that the demon had just used up a lot of its stored energy. The demon knew it, too.

Alaric pushed himself up from the ground, steadying his stance.

He and the demon locked eyes, both assessing each other as the dust from the last attack settled.

The demon’s face flickered with a mix of emotions. Alaric could see the usual cold calculation behind its eyes, but now something else was there, an emotion ancient creatures rarely experience, simply because they’ve survived almost everything.

For the first time, the demon looked truly unsure.

"What are you doing?" the demon said. It was not the way it had asked before, rhetorically, condescendingly. This time it was a real question. Before, he couldn’t feel it, but having felt Alaric grasp his arm, he could feel the difference in strength.

Alaric stayed silent, letting the question hang in the air.

Without hurrying, Alaric started toward the demon. He could feel origin energy gathering in his hands, ready to shape into whatever technique he needed next. He had a dozen moves he hadn’t revealed yet and a few new tricks he’d created during the fight. The five elements worked inside him, earth giving him strength, fire boosting his recovery, wood pressing at his palms. He was prepared for whatever came next, and the demon could sense it.

He felt like he was only now getting started.

The demon seemed to realize this too. The only reason someone as ancient as him could be this cornered is that his current vessel is so limited. In terms of talent alone, Alaric was vastly superior to him.

It was obvious in the way the demon held itself. Alaric could almost watch the ancient mind inside it calculate and come to the conclusion it had been avoiding all along. For beings that survive by cunning and patience, there is one thing they fear most: facing something they simply can’t outsmart.

Sometimes, the opponent across from you is just stronger. There’s nothing you can do about it.

The demon met Alaric’s eyes, eyes swirling with purple energy, eyes that gave nothing away. In that moment, the demon made its decision.

Suddenly, Hundao’s body collapsed to the ground.

It didn’t just fall; it was let go, like a coat slipping off a hook. Hundao’s body crumpled in a careful, controlled way as the demon abandoned it. Darkness seemed to peel back from the limbs, then the chest, then the head, gathering in a shapeless cloud above the body before fading away into the afternoon light between the trees.In an instant, the demon was gone, or so it wanted Alaric to believe.

Slowly, the forest returned to normal. A bird sang, then another. The wind rustled through the leaves, and somewhere far away, Alaric could hear the gentle sound of running water.

Alaric stood over Hundao’s body, looking down in silence for a long time, letting the moment settle.

Hundao’s face was blank now, empty of any expression. Alaric crouched beside him and checked for a pulse at his throat. He found it, slow but steady. The body was still alive, kept functioning by the demon up until the end, even its warmth lingering from the fight.

But Alaric could feel that Hundao’s soul was gone.

He settled down close to the body, waiting for the final breath to come, but it never did. Instead, the pulse sprang back up instantly, hoping to catch Alaric off guard while he sat there contemplating.

The body moved instantly before pausing; what greeted him was no longer the indifferent purple eyes of the young man he once fought, but ones filled with a profound sadness that overwhelmed the surrounding atmosphere.

The impression he once had on Alaric shattered at that moment. Those words he spoke with the intention to rile him up and induce mistakes were just as effective, but he bottled them up for later. It spoke clearly of a form of control that penetrates to the level of a ’self’.

"How disrespectful," Alaric said, his voice steady but cold. "I was going to let him have his final words, but you chose to interrupt." The heart demon actually trembled at the firmness in Alaric’s tone.