But he was smiling. Actually, genuinely smiling with pure joy.

"More!" he demanded. "Give me more!"

What followed next was total destruction on a scale that defied comprehension.

Satou used Magma Manipulation, turning the entire battlefield into a lake of molten stone. The Reaper adapted to the heat and simply walked on the lava's surface, so Satou used Metal Manipulation to pull iron from the surrounding ruins, creating a storm of metal shards that moved at supersonic speeds.

The Reaper adapted to metal manipulation and turned the attack back on Satou, so Satou used Crystal Manipulation to create barriers of unbreakable crystal. The Reaper shattered them with enhanced strength and adapted to crystal properties.

Satou combined Shadow Mastery with Void Manipulation, creating pockets of absolute darkness where nothing could exist. The Reaper adapted to void exposure and created his own void spheres, turning Satou's technique against him.

Stone Spit at machine-gun rates—hundreds of stone projectiles per second, each one moving fast enough to punch through steel. The Reaper dodged most and adapted to the rest, making his skin hard enough that the stones bounced off harmlessly.

Life Drain on contact—Satou managed to grab The Reaper's arm during a close exchange, and for three seconds, he drained life force at a catastrophic rate. The Reaper's face aged visibly, his energy depleting, before he adapted and reversed the drain, forcing Satou to let go.

Haste—Satou accelerated his personal time flow, making himself 20% faster for thirty seconds. He pressed the advantage, landing five clean hits with Void Fang. But The Reaper adapted to temporal manipulation and matched Satou's accelerated state.

War Tactics and Ancient Dragon's Wisdom working together—Satou fought with strategic precision, predicting The Reaper's movements, setting up traps three moves ahead. But The Reaper's three hundred years of combat experience countered every tactic, every strategy, every clever plan.

Perfect Counter—Satou waited for The Reaper's overhead strike and executed a flawless counter, using the hero's own momentum to create an opening. Void Fang carved a six-inch gash across The Reaper's chest, and for a moment, Satou thought he had him.

Then The Reaper adapted to Perfect Counter mechanics and started countering Satou's counters, turning the defensive technique into a liability.

Predator's Gaze—Satou's eyes flashed with predatory intensity, inducing supernatural fear. For a fraction of a second, even The Reaper hesitated. That fraction was enough. Satou's claws, wreathed in dragonfire and enhanced by berserker strength, tore through The Reaper's guard and opened four parallel wounds across his torso.

The Reaper's blood sprayed, his adaptation struggling to handle the combination of reality-cutting void energy, concept-burning dragonfire, and the raw damage from enhanced strength.

Thirteen wounds now. Thirteen cuts that refused to heal properly, accumulating faster than The Reaper could adapt.

But the cost was becoming unbearable.

Satou's mana reserves were at 40%. His regeneration was working constantly, burning through energy like a furnace. Every wound The Reaper inflicted—and there were many—required mana to heal. The Abyssal Regeneration was keeping him alive, but it was draining him dry.

Survivor's Will activated automatically when a particularly devastating strike from The Reaper nearly split him in half. For sixty seconds, Satou couldn't drop below 1 HP, but the amount of mana required to keep regenerating fatal wounds during that period was astronomical.

When Survivor's Will expired, Satou's mana was at 25%.

The Reaper, by contrast, seemed inexhaustible. His stamina was infinite, his energy reserves limitless. Three hundred years of accumulation meant he could fight at this intensity for days without tiring.

The tide was turning.

The shockwave from their latest collision Dragon's Roar meeting Divine Judgment was so powerful that it rippled across the entire Fallen Spires, waking anyone who'd been unconscious.

Cassius's eyes snapped open. His body ached from The Reaper's earlier beating, several ribs still broken despite his vampire healing. He pushed himself up on trembling arms, looking around to orient himself.

To his left, he saw Seraphine. She was awake too, sitting up slowly, her corrupted wings reduced to tattered stumps. But she wasn't looking at him. She was staring at the battle happening a quarter-mile away.

At the two figures trading blows so fast they were barely visible. At the destruction rippling outward with each clash. At reality itself bending and breaking under the strain of their combat.

"This is... ridiculous," Seraphine whispered, her voice breaking. "I'm the fourth-seat demon lord. I've ruled for three centuries. I've built an entire civilization from ruins." Tears began streaming down her face, cutting through the blood and dirt. "And I can't do anything. I can't protect my city. I can't stop The Reaper. I have to depend on someone else—on a demon lord who's barely three months old—to save everything I've built."

Her hands clenched into fists, her nails drawing blood from her palms. "I'm useless. Completely useless. What kind of ruler can't protect her own people?"

Cassius dragged himself over to her, his movements pained but determined. He placed one hand on her shoulder, gentle despite his own injuries.

"Don't worry," he said quietly. "I believe Satou will defeat The Reaper."

"How can you be so sure?" Seraphine asked, her voice raw with emotion. "Look at them. The Reaper is still strong, still fresh. And Satou—I can see it from here. His movements are getting slower. His attacks less precise. He's running out of energy."

"I know," Cassius replied. "But Lord Satou has something The Reaper doesn't. Something more important than power or experience."

"What?"

"A reason to fight beyond boredom or duty." Cassius smiled, his fangs showing. "He's not fighting because he was ordered to. He's not fighting to test himself. He's fighting because he can't stand to watch someone die when he has the power to save them. That determination—that absolute refusal to give up when others need him—that's what makes him special."

Seraphine looked back at the battle, watching Satou take another devastating hit but immediately counterattack, his movements fueled by sheer willpower more than energy.

"I believe you can do it" she said with both of her hands on her chest.

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