He forced the words out with all the strength he had left, each syllable dragging through agony.

Yami stopped, his eyes narrowing.

And then...

"You dare try to trick me?" he growled, his voice low and menacing. "Bastard… You had Derek killed, you're working with these half-assed weird beasts, and now you are even trying to fool me?"

His roar shook the cavern. A suffocating pressure burst from his body, and the entire cave began to tremble. Dust rained down from the ceiling as small cracks formed along the walls.

Rage consumed him — pure, unfiltered rage. Though he had only known Derek for a short time, he had been deeply impressed by the boy's talent. He had even given him a spatial ring and allowed him to train in one of the training chambers that were only meant for instructors — that alone showed how much he valued Derek. And now, seeing his lifeless body before his eyes, Yami's anger exploded beyond control.

He was furious beyond words.

Yami crouched down, seized Peter by the neck, and lifted him effortlessly off the ground.

Peter gasped, his legs flailing helplessly as Yami's grip tightened. The pressure was so intense that for a moment, he felt his soul might be ripped from his body at any moment.

"I… I'm… telling the truth…" Peter choked out, his words broken and weak.

Yami's fist clenched tighter, veins bulging across his forearm. He was about to lash out again when a furious roar echoed behind him.

"Die… you pathetic human!"

The demon again came, launching another devastating attack at Yami.

Yami looked at the demon from the corner of his eyes and then swung Peter's body like a weapon.

Peter barely had time to scream before Yami hurled him straight into the incoming demon. The impact sent a thunderous boom through the cave, causing both Peter and the demon to crash hard against the rock wall, shattering it into fragments.

Yami moved again. Dust and debris exploded outward as he shot forward like lightning, his blade flashing with a deadly white gleam.

Slash!

Blood splattered across the rocks.

Another swing — another shriek of pain.

Peter screamed as Yami's blade tore across his arm, while the demon's scales split open under a follow-up strike. Yami moved like a blur, fury driving every motion.

The demon retaliated, claws glowing with crimson energy. It slashed wildly, sending waves of distorted force through the air, but Yami was faster. He weaved between the blows, his katana leaving trails of black light that ripped through flesh and bone alike.

"Stop… stop!" Peter cried, trying to crawl away, his face pale and eyes wide with terror.

But there was no mercy left in Yami's heart.

His blade came down again, slicing through Peter's leg. A scream of agony tore through the air, drowned out only by the demon's bellow as Yami's kick smashed its jaw sideways.

The demon staggered, black blood dripping from its mouth.

"You… will… pay!" it snarled.

"Pay?" Yami spat, swinging his katana once more. "You don't even deserve to speak!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cave....

The other demon continued clashing with Leo's beast form. The sound of their battle was deafening — growls, impacts, and explosions overlapping like a storm.

The ground cracked beneath their feet.

The air was thick with heat and smoke.

The constant thunder of their fight echoed like drumbeats through the cavern, shaking loose boulders from the ceiling that came crashing down in a rain of stone.

Bam! Thud!

Every explosion sent tremors through the chamber.

Amid that chaos, the girl finally stirred.

Her wrists were still bound by thick chains, but the moment Yami had entered, she'd felt a faint sense of safety for the first time in hours. Sweat drenched her face as she tugged at the shackles, her fingers bleeding.

"Come on…" she whispered through gritted teeth. "Just… break…"

Another explosion rocked the cave. The chains loosened slightly. Her pulse quickened.

She could see Yami in the distance — his back turned, his movements relentless, each strike sending shockwaves that cut through the smoke.

She yanked harder. The metal groaned, faint cracks forming.

But just when she was busy trying to break free....

A strange sound froze her blood.

Crack!

Her eyes snapped toward Derek's motionless body.

"What was that?!" she whispered.

Crack! Crack!

Again.

"What the..."

The sound grew louder, sharper. It wasn't the chains — it was coming from him.

Derek's fingers twitched slightly, and the last remnants of the demon core inside his stomach pulsed one last time before fading completely. Its final trace of energy seeped into his bloodstream.

The girl's breath hitched.

"Derek…?"

Crack!

Inside Derek's body, his bones were cracking and being restored again, but stronger. His dantian trembled as it was expanding slowly, the walls of his meridians stretching wider to accommodate the surging energy flooding in. His entire being was reforging itself — evolving.

The faintest shimmer of light began to emanate from his skin.

At first, it was subtle — a soft golden hue, barely visible through the smoke and flickering firelight. But with every passing second, it grew brighter, warmer, more intense.

His hair lifted slightly, the golden light tracing the outlines of his form, wrapping him in a halo of warmth and might.

And then...

Thump!

His heart beat once.

Thump!

Another pulse.

The golden light flared brighter, melting away the blood that covered his skin, healing wounds, restoring color to his face. His breathing — faint at first — began to steady.

Derek's internal energy continued to surge wildly. His dantian expanded at an incredible pace, stretching wider and wider, while his meridians grew stronger and thicker to contain the rising flow of power.

Yet, despite the explosive increase in his energy, his cultivation realm began to drop, slowly and steadily.

Emma lay frozen, her earlier desperation to break free completely forgotten. Her wide eyes locked on Derek's body, glowing brighter with every heartbeat.

"Am I… seeing things?" she whispered, voice trembling. "Or is he actually… getting taller?"

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