Shing!

As Leo lay flat against the ground, a beam of blood-red liquid tore past him. The instant it touched the tree ahead, the trunk was pierced clean through—as though resistance itself did not exist. No, the pressure behind the shot was so overwhelming that the tree never stood a chance.

The beam continued onward, sweeping across nearby trees like a crimson laser. Bark peeled away under its path, shredded as if by a raging chainsaw, before the trunks finally gave in and crashed down one after another.

Leo twisted his head just in time to glimpse the figure of the attacker—the same one who had nearly killed him twice.

The figure's very presence screamed a single word.

Demon.

The fire tornado still raged behind him, yet the demon had walked out of it regardless. His body was scorched black and angry red in places, flesh cracked and smouldering, and his expression was twisted with fury. His eyes were stretched wide, veins bulging, teeth clenched so tightly they creaked—clearly in unbearable pain. Then he forced his mouth open and bellowed,

"PURGATORY PHOENIX! IT'S YOU!" Xyren shouted at the exact same time as Lu. The two shared a history of blood.

"Tsk! What rotten luck," Xyren spat, his voice thick with hatred.

Among humans, Lu carried an almost embarrassing title. Among demons, however, he was infamous.

Purgatory Phoenix.

With a rare Phoenix beast at his command, the flames Lu wielded were exceptionally lethal to corrupted beings—especially demons. His fire wasn't just heat; it carried purifying destruction that gnawed directly at their existence.

That was precisely why Lu was never meant to reveal himself so early. If demons learned he was present, many would flee without hesitation. Only demons of a rank higher than Lu could endure his flames—and the fact that Xyren had survived the fire tornado confirmed that much.

Still, the attack had worked.

Xyren's regenerative ability had stalled completely, charred flesh refusing to knit back together. The pain radiating off him was unmistakable. This was the very reason Lu could contend with higher-ranked demons—and today would be no different.

"You want to protect that kid, huh?!" Xyren snarled. "Let's see how long you can manage it!"

He clapped both hands together, joined fingers aiming directly at Leo. His palms glowed a deep, pulsing red as his blood art condensed—and then—

SHHHHIIIIIGGGG!

A piercing shing split the clearing. The blood beam moved at terrifying speed, crossing the distance in a blink and reaching Leo, who still lay frozen on the ground, eyes stretched wide in horror.

I will die!!! Leo thought.

At the very last second, Lu appeared before him. A dense wall of fire erupted instantly—so thick and fluid, it looked closer to surging orange water than plasma. The blood beam slammed into it, turning the flames a violent crimson, yet failed to pierce through.

"Fight me, you coward!" Lu roared, the heat of his voice matching the inferno around him.

"HAH! Keep that pathetic principle to yourself!" Xyren barked back. "Wrath demons don't have PRIDE!"

The agony from the burns crawling across his body seemed to have driven him half-mad.

"Stand up, kid," Lu said, not even turning around. His limbs ignited once more as he activated another skill, flames coiling around his arms and legs. "Run. Get as far away as you can—now!"

But before Leo could move—

Xyren slammed his hand into the ground.

The earth convulsed violently. With Lu and Leo at the centre, the surrounding terrain erupted outward as a perfect circle of blood-formed chains burst from the ground. They writhed and spiralled through the air, rushing toward them from every direction, clanking and shrieking like living restraints hungry for flesh.

Lu wasted no time. A blazing globe of fire erupted around both him and Leo, sealing them within a scorching sphere. The blood-formed chains slammed into it from all directions, only to halt a few meters out before dissolving into steaming crimson mist.

But then—

The same condensed blood beam pierced straight through the fire and tore toward Lu.

SCREEEEE—!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive fire beast materialised midair. Its form was avian yet monstrous, wings of living flame unfurling as it opened its beak wide and unleashed a torrent of fire straight into the incoming beam.

Phoenix(High-5★) – Noble Bloodline

The two attacks collided head-on.

Blood and flame twisted together, forming a violently pulsating orb of red and orange that screamed under the pressure, swelling larger and larger as it threatened to burst.

Then—

BOOOOM!

"SHIT!" Leo cursed, scrambling as he hastily conjured layers of earthen walls in front of himself. They didn't last even a second before disintegrating completely, the shockwave smashing into him and hurling his body back several meters across the ground.

Lu stood firm, fire roaring around him as he successfully blocked the blast.

"Phoenix! Take the kid away—now!" Lu shouted over the chaos.

The flames twisted instantly toward Leo.

"Bear the heat! Your regeneration can handle it!" Lu barked, already darting straight through the fire toward Xyren without a single glance back.

"Wha—?!" Leo barely had time to react before the phoenix surged forward. Its massive talon clamped around his torso; they were so big, it looked like he was in a cage as only two of it fastened around him, they crushed the air from his lungs, and in the same instant, it shot straight upward like a flaming comet.

The searing heat from its talons fused Leo's skin and clothes together around his stomach. The pain was immediate and overwhelming. Just as Lu had said, his regeneration kept his body intact—but that did nothing to dull the agony.

"ARGHHHHHH—!"

Leo screamed as white-hot pain flooded every nerve in his body.

Within seconds, they were high up in the sky—far higher than Leo's mind could comfortably comprehend, especially while drowning in pain. Yet there was one small mercy. The toxic residue from the blood beam was completely gone. Fresh flesh had already begun covering his chest, regeneration fighting endlessly against the fire that continued to burn it away.

He sucked in a shaky breath, forcing himself to endure, trying desperately to calm his racing thoughts.

He just had to survive this continuous pain for a while—pain in exchange for certain death below.

He was safe. At least, that's what he thought.

Suddenly, the phoenix violently jerked its body to the side, moving so fast it left a blazing afterimage nearly fifty meters away.

Leo's gaze snapped upward.

A thick blood beam carved straight through the sky, stretching nearly five hundred meters upward without losing even a fraction of its lethality, tearing through the clouds like a spear meant to skewer the heavens themselves.

"Fuck…!" Leo muttered.

"What is that demon?"

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5-star stats attribute equivalent [Commander]

5000 - 10000 = Pseudo 5-star

10000 - 20000 = Low 5-star

20000 - 30000 = Intermediate 5-star

30000 - 40000 = High 5-star

40000 - 50000 = Peak 5-star

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A/N: People still complaining of Leo being overpowered?

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