Renny's jaw tightened. "Then you'll have to fight me for it."

Avradren laughed, sharp and offended. "Fight? Don't be ridiculous. You? A punk like you can't even…" He cut himself off with a snort. "Look, those rumors you've heard about yourself? Don't let itngwt to your head. Now hand the key over."

"No," Renny said flatly. "If you want it, come take it."

Avradren's grin faltered. "You're serious? You can't be. You actually think you stand a chance? Does you not see what I did to Khevlack?"

Renny didn't flinch. He knew what Avradren was. He also knew what he himself had become: His branch-level power stronger than before. If it came to it, he'd push himself past the pain.

But one thing was certain: he was not handing that key over. Not for any goddamn reason.

Renny's gaze hardened. "I'm not Khevlack," he said evenly. "And I'll say it again, if you want the key, you'll have to take it from me."

Avradren chuckled, low and mocking. "Seems you've grown a pair. Daring to challenge me even though you know you stand no chance. Impressive, but also stupid." His tone darkened. "If you attempt to take me on, it won't be without consequence."

"I'm well aware," Renny said coolly. "But let's make it interesting. Whoever knocks the other out first keeps the soul key. The loser doesn't come after it again. Agreed?"

Avradren scoffed, unimpressed. "That's stupid and pointless. I don't waste time with childish wagers."

Renny tilted his head, smirking. "What's the matter? Scared you'll lose?"

That struck a nerve. Avradren's laughter burst out, sharp and taunting. "Lose? To you? Such disrespect…" His grin widened. "Fine. You've got yourself a deal."

"Fantastic," Renny said.

With that, he summoned his fracture dagger, the blade humming with violent energy. His demon eyes activated. He slid the soul key into his suit pocket and took his stance, calm and ready.

Avradren's grin twitched with genuine surprise. "Okay… okay, I'll admit, didn't expect that kind of fire from you." He cracked his neck once, and without summoning any weapon, lunged straight at Renny, aiming for the key.

The moment Avradren closed in, Renny knew he was in trouble. The speed, while not on par with the other Grade Fives he'd faced, was still overwhelming. Avradren moved like a storm, faster than Renny could match, but not so fast that he couldn't try.

Renny stood his ground. He cast his demonic spells, not directly at Avradren but into the environment, tearing at the ground beneath him, warping the air with bursts of force. It slowed Avradren for a heartbeat or two, but that was all. The Grade Three recovered almost instantly, each step closing the distance until he was on Renny again, striking with relentless precision.

Renny dodged, blocked, even countered a few blows, but it was clear, he was outmatched. His fracture dagger hummed with power, yet against a higher-grade demon, it might as well have been glass. Each slash he landed left only shallow cracks that sealed before he could follow through.

Then came the opening, and the punishment.

Renny swung; Avradren caught the motion, twisted, and slammed a brutal strike into the side of his head. Renny staggered, vision flashing white…

"Mikhora."

Avradren's voice carried the command like a curse. Black energy flared, wrapping Renny's skull in a crown of jagged thorns. The barbs pulsed red-hot, searing into flesh, feeding on agony. Renny screamed, falling to one knee, the dagger still clenched in his trembling hand.

Avradren crouched, almost casual, and plucked the soul key from Renny's pocket. "You're holding up well," he said, smirking. "Better than Khevlack ever did. Impressive."

Renny growled through the pain, but Avradren wasn't done.

"Let's see how much more you can take."

He raised his palm. "Zahrith."

The thorned crown writhed, unraveling into a black serpent that slithered down Renny's neck, coiling tight around his body. The pressure was crushing. Scales sprouted spines that dug deep, barbs wriggling like living worms beneath his skin, tearing, burrowing, as though they meant to devour him alive from within.

Renny screamed louder now, his voice cracking under the strain. The thorns dug deeper, every barb biting into muscle and bone, every breath pulling another pulse of pain through his body. He tried to move, he couldn't.

Avradren turned away, dusting off his hands as though the fight had been a minor inconvenience.

"That should do it," he said, smirking over his shoulder. "See you around, punk."

Renny barely heard him over the pounding in his skull. His body screamed for relief, but his mind kept working. This pain… it's bad, but it's nothing compared to the Royal Eye. He'd survived worse. He could endure this. The problem wasn't the pain, it was breaking free.

He knew how Damaruk spells worked. They were built on torment, the more the victim resisted, the tighter the chains grew. Brute strength would only dig the thorns deeper. If he was going to escape, he needed to think like the caster.

Renny exhaled sharply, forcing his breathing to slow. He activated his demon eyes, ignoring the sharp burn they caused behind his lids. The thorns glowed with dark sigils, and within that glow,he saw it. A faint fracture, thin as a thread of glass, running through one of the core vines.

"There you are…" he muttered.

He raised his trembling hand, whispered the spell.

A pulse of crimson light cracked through the air. The serpent of thorns convulsed, shrieked like a dying thing, and exploded into black dust that scattered into the air.

Renny staggered to his feet, breathing hard, body trembling from the aftershock. His eyes snapped toward Avradren, now several paces ahead, walking leisurely through the clearing.

He wasn't getting away.

Renny tightened his fists, exhaled once, and blitzed forward, air splitting around him as he crossed the distance in a burst. He cut across Avradren's right side, and just as he lined up with him, he twisted, driving his fist straight into the demon's jaw.

The impact cracked like thunder.

Avradren's head snapped sideways, and his body lifted off the ground, spinning violently before slamming through the dirt. The shockwave rolled across the clearing, shaking the trees and sending a ripple of dust through the air.

Renny stood there, chest heaving, eyes blazing with demonic light.

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