Kyren appeared.

The reanimated demon had disengaged from his own fight, leaving the two remaining nightmare demons behind as he blurred across the cavern with speed that shouldn't have been possible for a dread class demon.

His light blade was already moving, a perfect horizontal slash aimed at the demon's shoulder.

The demon tried to dodge, but the Static Field held it in place just long enough. Kyren's blade connected, and the demon screamed as radiant energy carved through flesh and bone.

But Kyren's target was right on the mark. Instead, his blade swept lower, catching the demon's extended arm just below the shoulder.

The limb separated from the body in a spray of dark blood. The severed arm hit the ground, claws still twitching.

[-8,947 HP]

The demon's scream intensified. It clutched the stump where its arm had been, dark blood pumping between its fingers.

Then Kyren's blade rose again, this time targeting the demon's head.

Specifically, its horns.

The light blade sheared through the left horn, cutting it off at the base. The demon's scream reached a pitch that hurt to hear, a sound of pure agony and humiliation.

[-3,234 HP]

Losing a horn was more than physical damage. For demons, horns represented status, power, identity. Having one severed was a mark of defeat that would follow them forever.

The demon's eyes, previously filled with confidence and malice, now showed only terror and rage.

It stumbled backward, still held partially by the Static Field, its remaining arm clutching its bleeding stump.

"Retreat!" it screamed to its remaining companions. "Retreat now!"

The two nightmare demons fighting near Kyren's previous position hesitated, torn between their orders and self-preservation. That hesitation cost them.

One of them, realizing the tide had turned, tried to use Shadow Tear to escape.

Dark energy gathered around its hand, forming into elongated talons of concentrated shadow magic. It slashed at the air, trying to create a portal or tear through space.

The other demons activated Shadow Claw and slashed in the air with all its might.

5 large slashes shot through the air and we're directly aimed at Jack.

Jack saw the skill activate and smiled.

He triggered Arc Reversal.

The skill seized the demon's Shadow Claw mid-cast, reversing the energy flow and turning the demon's own magic against it. The shadow energy imploded, then exploded outward in a burst of corrupted power.

[-6,550 HP]

The demon screamed as its own skill ravaged its body. The Shadow Claw, meant to tear through Jack, now tore through demon flesh like a grenade going off at point-blank range.

Dark blood sprayed across the blue crystal walls.

The second nightmare demon, seeing its companion devastated, tried to run into the portal. But it was too slow, still within range of Jack's position.

Jack activated Stormkeeper's Rebuke.

The skill detonated like a thunderclap. Concussive lightning energy exploded outward in an eight-meter radius, a shockwave of pure electrical destruction that hit everything in range with devastating force.

The two nightmare demons caught in the blast took the full damage.

[-7,278 HP]

[-7,278 HP]

Both demons were flung backward, their bodies convulsing as electricity ravaged their nervous systems.

The paralysis effect hit immediately, locking their muscles and leaving them helpless on the ground.

But the Stormkeeper's Rebuke didn't stop with the nightmare demons.

The mining demons, already injured from the Static Orbs, caught the edge of the blast. Lesser demons with health pools already depleted screamed as the concussive force tore through them.

[-5,500 HP]

[-5,500 HP]

[-5,500 HP]

Bodies dropped. Mining demons who'd been watching the fight as entertainment found themselves caught in the crossfire, their weaker constitutions unable to withstand even the periphery of Jack's attack.

The cavern floor was littered with corpses. The blue Aethrium light reflected off pools of dark demon blood, creating an eerie purple glow that made the entire scene look like something from a nightmare.

[Crimson Recovery Activated]

[+1% HP per second for 4 seconds]

More healing. More restoration. Jack's body mended itself with stolen life force, wounds closing as his ring converted death into sustenance.

The fastest demon, still clutching its bleeding stump, saw the devastation and made its decision. It turned and ran, abandoning its paralyzed companions without hesitation.

Even one-armed and bleeding, even humiliated by the loss of its horn, the demon's 190 Agility let it move faster than Jack could pursue. It blurred across the cavern, heading for the whole Jack crashed into.

Jack raised his Lightning Spear, preparing to throw it, but the demon was already too far. The Static Field's range had ended, and without that debuff, the creature was simply too fast to catch.

"Kyren!" Jack shouted.

But his reanimated servant was already moving. Kyren's hollow eyes tracked the fleeing demon with mechanical precision, calculating trajectories and timing.

His light blade dissolved, and for a moment, Jack thought Kyren was going to stop fighting.

Then Kyren bolted to Jack.

He blurred forward with speed that matched the fleeing demon. In three strides, Kyren closed the gap, appearing directly behind the two paralyzed nightmare demons still convulsing on the ground.

His light blade reformed.

Two perfect horizontal slashes. So fast they looked like a single movement.

Both demons' heads separated from their bodies simultaneously, rolling across the blood-soaked stone as their bodies collapsed. The light energy cauterized the wounds, preventing even a final death rattle.

[Enemy Killed]

[Enemy Killed]

Kyren stood over the corpses, his light blade still humming with power, his hollow eyes watching the tunnel where the fastest demon had disappeared.

Then he turned those empty eyes toward Jack, as if asking whether to pursue.

Jack shook his head. "Let it go. Let it run back to Pho with a message."

The cavern fell silent.

No more screams. No more sounds of combat. Just the quiet drip of water from the ceiling and the soft crackling of residual electricity still arcing between crystals.

The surviving mining demons, who'd been far enough from the fight to avoid the Stormkeeper's Rebuke, pressed themselves against the cavern walls.

Their glowing eyes were wide with terror, and none of them made any move toward Jack or Kyren.

Jack surveyed the carnage. Bodies everywhere. Four nightmare demons dead.

A dozen and half lesser demons killed as collateral damage. Blood covering the stone and crystals, making the entire cavern look like a slaughterhouse.

And standing in the middle of it all was Kyren, his single missing arm holding a blade of pure light, his burnt and broken body somehow radiating more menace than any of the living demons around them.

Jack's breathing had steadied, but he could feel the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

His health had recovered to nearly full thanks to the Crimson Recovery stacks.

He'd need to be careful if more enemies showed up. Without mana, his whole tool kit would be useless.

Against one really strong enemy would put his items to waste.

'Who the hell was this demon?' Jack thought again, staring at his servant with newfound respect and a touch of unease. 'A master swordsman who can move that fast? What kind of warrior loses a fight and dies when they're this skilled?'

The questions would have to wait. Right now, Jack needed to secure the area and figure out what these miners knew about Pho's operation.

He walked toward the nearest surviving miner, his Lightning Spear still crackling with residual energy. The demon cringed against the wall, its hands raised in a gesture of surrender.

"You work for Pho?" Jack asked, his voice carrying across the silent cavern.

The miner nodded frantically, too terrified to lie.

"Good," Jack said, his yellow eyes gleaming in the Aethrium light. "Then you're going to tell me everything."

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