"This is where you die, demon."

Axton's voice was as cold as ice.

Lethal, sharp and venomous like the fangs of a viper ready to strike.

Step by step, he advanced, his presence pressing down on the wounded ox demon like an invisible weight.

Suddenly, the demon's body convulsed.

A mouthful of thick, black blood spilled from its lips as its entire frame trembled violently.

Its eyes widened in disbelief.

'What… what the hell…?'

Confusion and fear clawed at his mind.

He had taken damage, but how?

His gaze darted downward in panic and froze.

A blade had pierced through his chest from behind.

The ox demon's face twisted in agony as he staggered, trying to half-turn.

His widened eyes caught sight of his assailant.

'H-Him…? Impossible…'

It was Axton… but that couldn't be.

The real Axton was standing in front of him, just some steps away.

'W-What trickery is this? How is he there… and there…?'

*Cough*

The demon spat more blood, his disbelief only growing.

'This human… he can create… clones?!'

Axton's clone didn't waste a breath.

With a cold, merciless glare, it pushed the Aura Sword deeper, dragging the blade downward and tearing through the demon's insides.

"Gaaahhh!!!"

The ox demon roared in anguish, its HP plummeting at a terrifying pace.

Desperation fueled its fury, overwhelming.

With all its might, it swung its massive arm backwards in a last, desperate attempt to crush the clone in one final, fatal blow.

It missed.

The clone was already gone.

It had leapt back to safety, retreating far enough to avoid the strike while leaving the demon writhing in agony.

The ox demon clutched its chest, black blood gushing uncontrollably between its fingers.

It tried in vain to stop the bleeding, but the wound was too deep.

Too fatal.

The Aura Sword had gone straight through its heart.

A cunning, ruthless surprise attack.

Axton's plan had worked.

He exhaled a shaky sigh of relief, his shoulders easing for the first time since the fight began.

"Did I… finally do it?" he muttered under his breath, staring at the collapsing body.

Was this the end?

Had he finally defeated the ox demon?

For the first time, the possibility of victory looked back at him.

******

Meanwhile, on another side of the battlefield, QueenBee was on the verge of collapse.

Her entire body trembled as she knelt down.

Sweat dripped down her pale face.

Her mana reserves had been nearly drained from forcing one healing spell after another.

Around her, the other healers weren't faring much better.

Several had collapsed to their knees, their hands quivering as faint sparks of light flickered uselessly at their fingertips.

But the work wasn't done yet.

The demons still lay sprawled across the ground of the entire battle field, their monstrous bodies twitching and groaning as they clung to life.

"Just… a little more," Hart urged, crouching beside QueenBee.

His voice carried both desperation and encouragement. "Come on, you're almost there. Don't stop now."

QueenBee bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

She wanted to yell at him, to tell him she had nothing left to give, but the pleading determination in Hart's eyes forced her to continue.

They had managed to recruit more healers, convincing them of the importance of this task.

Even with more hands, raising demons was a far more difficult task than restoring HP to players.

Demons were stronger and more resilient.

Their HP recovery demanded several times the mana of ordinary humans.

…And mana was exactly what they were lacking.

Some of the healers began to slump, their arms falling limply to their sides.

"It's no use…" one of them whispered.

"Come on!" Hart snapped, his voice like a whip cracking over their heads.

His fists clenched tightly as he stood among them. "We can't give up now. Not when Khan is out there fighting for us!"

The healers froze, their exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Hart's words were biting truth.

How could they give up when they had entrusted their survival to Khan?

That man was out there, fighting death itself, carrying their burdens on his back.

And all he had asked in return… was this.

This one task.

Compared to his struggle, their pain was nothing.

"We're almost there!" Hart roared, his eyes blazing with fire. "Push through! Just a little longer!"

The healers gritted their teeth, summoning the last dregs of their mana.

Streams of glowing light reignited around them as they pressed their palms into casting more healing spells.

They wouldn't stop.

Not yet.

Not until they either succeeded… or collapsed from failure.

******

Back at the battlefield where Axton was fighting the ox demon.

The ground began to rumble.

Axton stiffened, his instincts screaming danger.

Dark bubbles of energy formed around the fallen ox demon, swelling and bursting with sickening pops.

Demonic mana boiled, spilling outward and encasing the demon.

The sight made Axton's gut clench.

There was only one explanation.

The ox demon wasn't dead.

His senses sharpened like a blade drawn from its sheath.

The demon's limp body began to twitch, small spasms at first that grew into violent convulsions, as though it was being electrocuted.

Axton clenched his jaw.

Should he strike again now, while it was down?

Or was that exactly what the demon wanted?

To lure him in, only to retaliate?

Hesitation overwhelmed his mind, but deep down he knew the truth.

If he didn't finish this thing now, it would come back stronger.

And then…

It would be harder to deal with.

*Fwweeeepp*

Both Axton and his clone launched forward at once, equipping their blades.

The demon's body jerked upright, rising unsteadily to its feet as the black aura swirled like a storm.

Axton struck first, his clone mirroring the exact motion from the opposite side.

*Bang*

Their blades collided with an invisible wall, the impact rattling their bones.

Axton grimaced, the recoil reverberating through his arms. "Tch… damn it!"

"OX POWERRRRR!!!"

The ox demon roared with every ounce of its being.

A violent eruption of demonic energy exploded outward.

The shockwave blasted Axton and his clone several meters away, hurling them across the battlefield.

The demon's body started to darken, its skin slowly turning blacker than coal as it absorbed the swirling energy.

The ground itself quaked beneath it

And then, silence.

The mana abruptly vanished, leaving the ox demon standing limp, its arms dangling lifelessly at its sides.

Axton's eyes narrowed.

No hesitation this time.

*Fwweeep*

He and his clone blurred forward, blades aimed for the demon's chest and neck.

But this time, the demon was ready.

*Clang*

It crossed both forearms, blocking the simultaneous strikes.

Sparks scattered from the impact.

Then, in a fluid motion, it spun its massive body.

*Bang*

Its heavy kick smashed into the clone's chest, sending it crashing into the dirt with a thunderous impact.

The real Axton narrowly avoided a follow-up strike, leaping back with his teeth gritted.

'It's faster. Stronger.'

The ox demon's new form was overwhelming.

But relentless as ever, it charged at Axton with blinding speed, its fist cocked back to cave his skull in.

Axton had no time to dodge.

*Boom*

An explosive force erupted from his body, forming a protective shockwave that blasted outward in all directions.

[Shock Blast]

The ox demon was hurled back, skidding across the ground in a cloud of dust.

Axton gasped for air, sweat pouring down his forehead.

That had been too close.

But then, his sharp gaze caught something.

The ox demon staggered.

It had taken damage.

Despite its newfound power, the transformation wasn't complete.

'There's still a chance.'

If he struck now, before the transformation was finished, he could end this once and for all.

Just then…

*Ding*

A notification appeared before his eyes.

He glanced at it, and half a smile crossed his face.

[Hart: We are ready!]

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