Harvey was sent flying, smashing into a broken tree, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Harvey!" Mira screamed. Her eyes were filled with worry and desperation.

Kalrik vanished and reappeared in front of Derrick. Again, he was too fast for anyone to follow his movement.

Derrick barely raised his dagger before Kalrik's blade smashed into his side.

Slash!

Derrick screamed as blood sprayed. He rolled desperately, barely escaping a killing blow.

Lucien attacked from behind, lightning surging wildly.

Kalrik spun and caught the spear mid-thrust.

"You rely too much on speed," Kalrik said calmly.

He headbutted Lucien.

CRACK!

Lucien staggered back, blood streaming from his forehead.

Amon rushed forward, shadow claws forming around his sword.

Dark hands burst from the ground, trying to bind Kalrik's legs.

Amon thrust his sword forward. A sphere of darkness compressed at the tip of his sword. Crackling escaped from it.

It shot forward.

[Eclipse Bolt]

Kalrik stomped once.

BOOM!

The shadow hands shattered like smoke. He bent backward. The sphere moved above him.

BOOM

It moved past him and hit a tree. He turned his gaze to Amon. "Oh… you're interesting."

Kalrik dashed. Amon barely raised his sword.

CLANG!

"Fuc–?!" Amon cursed in pain.

The impact sent pain shooting through Amon's arms. He was thrown backward, rolling across the ground, his vision spinning.

"Still you are weak for me," Kalrik said coldly.

Yet they didn't give up. Mira fired again. Kaelra forced herself to stand, charging with a scream.

Harvey dragged himself up, grabbing his axe with shaking hands.

Derrick wiped blood from his mouth and vanished once more. They fought desperately.

They even used different spells. They exploded. Mana clashed dangerously.

The forest was reduced to ruins, burned earth, shattered trees, craters everywhere.

Yet Kalrik still stood tall. He bled. There were some wounds on his body. His armor was broken in some places.

But he smiled. There was no tiredness. He was still fine. One by one, he struck them down.

Harvey was smashed into the ground again, unable to rise.

Kaelra's sword was knocked away, her arm twisted painfully.

Derrick was slammed against a tree, barely conscious.

Mira was forced to retreat, her breathing ragged.

Lucien stood trembling, his spear planted into the ground just to stay upright.

Kalrik walked forward slowly, relaxed, his blade dripping blood.

Amon used his hatchet, but this time it didn't work on the demon. Nor did any of his spells. He was thrown toward the trees, falling to his knees.

"This is fun," he said. "But you're all reaching your limit."

His amber eyes, which had been excited, became a little bored.

Suddenly, he vanished. Amon's eyes widened. They turned around to see where he had gone.

Kalrik appeared behind Lucien in an instant.

"Lucien—!" Amon yelled.

Kalrik didn't waste any time. The demon's blade thrust forward with pure killing intent.

SHHK!

The sword pierced straight through Lucien's back and out through his stomach.

Splash!

Blood exploded outward. Lucien's eyes widened in shock.

"Gah—!" he groaned in pain as he clutched his stomach.

Kalrik twisted the blade cruelly and pulled it out.

Blood sprayed across the ground.

Lucien fell forward, coughing violently, blood spilling from his mouth. His hands trembled as he tried to breathe.

The world froze.

"L-Lucien…?" Kaelra whispered, her voice breaking. She tried to move but fell to her knees.

Amon's mind went blank. He couldn't believe the scene in front of him.

He didn't make any sound. He didn't utter a single word. His dark eyes were locked in Lucien's direction. Not only him, but everyone was.

Just the sight of blood.

Kalrik stepped forward calmly. He shook his blade, trying to clean the blood off it.

Kalrik saw Lucien crawling and looked at him coldly. He was amused that the man was still alive.

Lucien groaned weakly, trying to crawl. His eyes shook with desperation. He breathed heavily. His eyes looked in the direction of his comrades.

His life was slipping away slowly. His thoughts became dazed. He couldn't think straight. He clenched his teeth. He needed to survive.

He still needed to go back home. The thought of his family came to him, his parents who were still waiting for him.

But Kalrik lifted his leg and kicked.

CRACK!

The kick snapped Lucien's neck instantly.

His eyes opened wide, losing their color instantly. His body went limp.

Dead.

Silence.

The battlefield felt unbearably quiet. Everything happened in a fraction of seconds.

So fast that no one was able to react properly. Everyone stood still and frozen. Their condition was not much better.

Harvey, Derrick, Mira, Kaelra. They all looked shocked, in disbelief. They couldn't believe it.

Amon couldn't breathe. His chest felt crushed.

"Lucien…" he muttered.

The one who joked. The one who ran beside him. The one who said, don't die.

He was gone. In just the span of a few seconds. Just moments ago, he had been fighting beside them. But now he was dead.

Just like that. Amon's hands began to shake violently.

'No…' His vision blurred.

'No, no, no, no…' damn it. Amon gritted his teeth.

A heavy pressure built deep in his chest, spreading through his veins.

He was right there. 'I was still close to him… yet we were not able to react…'

He felt rage. Guilt. Hatred.

But in some corner, there was fear.

Fear that he would end up just like Lucien. Not only him… everyone here. They were all clearly weaker than Kalrik.

Then he gazed at the demon. His breath came out ragged.

'I was too weak.'

His nails dug into his palms until blood flowed.

'If I was stronger…'

Kalrik turned slowly, meeting Amon's eyes.

"Oh?" he said with interest. "You look different now."

Amon lifted his head.

His eyes burned with pure killing intent.

"I'll kill you," Amon whispered.

They were not just empty words. It was a promise.

The shadows around him deepened, writhing like living creatures.

This was no longer fear. This was wrath. This was desperation. This was survival.

The fight was far from over. He needed to kill him.

Not only because he killed his friend, but also to survive.

He needed to kill him. They needed to kill him.

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