"Come at me, bald freak."

The creature extended its arms into blade-like forms and charged at Halo.

Shadow of Death grimaced but met it with similar intensity.

Halo was forced into defensive mode immediately. He moved evasively, staying clear of the creature's erratic attacks. They lacked any clear intent, as if the creature had never fought before.

Its attacks came from everywhere, impossible to predict and nearly impossible to dodge. The creature could manipulate every cell in its body, constantly sprouting additional blades from the ones already formed.

On the contrary, Halo would have been terrified by the creature's body manipulation and maybe even accepted defeat since it could easily regenerate. But now, with Beelzebub, he knew he'd be fine. Even the slightest touch would be enough.

He submitted entirely to defense against the creature's relentless assault. One reckless move could be the end of him. He needed to remain calm.

In every physical aspect, strength, speed, agility, and flexibility, he was completely outmatched. That much was clear. But he had the experience.

When his shirt got torn to shreds, he waited. When its attacks tore his flesh, he retreated and recovered. When it moved impossibly fast, he only shielded his vital organs and waited.

Until he saw.

The creature made one reckless move, clearly falling back on its usual pattern. Halo seized the opportunity, muscles coiled and ready for any surprise attack.

His blade shot toward the creature's neck. It twisted away at the last moment, manipulating its body to barely avoid the strike, but Halo adjusted, doubling his pressure and angling the blade just enough to score a shallow wound across its neck.

He immediately retreated, putting a distance between them.

The creature clutched its neck. Even without facial features, its panic was clear. It didn't like what Beelzebub was doing to its body.

Halo panted heavily, maintaining his stance despite trembling legs. He'd just stared death in the face. If he hadn't committed to that strike, the creature would have ripped his chest open. Its blade had come within inches.

Even in his relief, Halo's focus never left the creature. It backed away, still gripping its neck as Beelzebub slowly blackened the pale skin. The flames were devouring it alive…

But something wasn't right.

The wound Halo left was deep enough to speed the corruption, yet Beelzebub burned slower than it had on those vine creatures, even with their mere scratches.

More bizarre, the creature retreated into the water, returning to where it had first appeared.

Halo exhaled deeply.

"That's unusual. Normally they fight back… uhm, I could have died, though."

As soon as he muttered these words, something from the forest caught his attention.

His skin ran pale.

A massive creature rose, nearly twice the size of Spineless. Vines formed its entire body, white flowers bloomed where eyes should be, and leaves covered its back like coarse fur. It had the shape of a wolf, with front legs so elongated they nearly scraped the floor.

Halo swallowed hard, tilting his head back to take in the massive creature looming above him. Nearly forty feet. Horrified.

Understanding dawned. The real Sinners weren't the forest itself, they were creatures like the one he'd just battled, controlling the vines and trees.

He scowled.

He tried not to think about it, but deep down he knew it was true.

There was a Sinner beneath all the trees around him.

He'd been so sure of himself moments earlier. But this revelation changed things, confidence alone wouldn't cut it. What would happen if they swarmed him?

While he was still thinking, the creature's enormous limbs came down at him. He moved on impulse, leaping away as the strike demolished the root he'd been using as home.

He gritted his teeth in irritation.

The giant bastard was bad enough, but the vines writhing between the roots below weren't giving him any breathing room either.

He sneered, his annoyance clear.

He needed to take this thing down before it took him out. He sprinted between the roots, leaping clear of obstacles as he headed straight for its legs.

As he approached, the massive thickness of its limbs should have discouraged him, but he didn't falter. Magnus and Beelzebub, that was all he needed.

His blade sliced through the creature's limb as Beelzebub ate into the vines. But Halo was instantly in trouble. The giant started jumping, and the tremors alone sent Halo tumbling through the air toward the ground below.

"Shit!" He sniffled.

When he got to his feet, he wasn't pleased to be alive either. The corruption was spreading more slowly than before, just like last time. He didn't know if the creatures were adapting to Beelzebub's influence.

He squinted his eyes.

"What's going on?"

Without wasting a second, he decided to attack more aggressively this time. With calculated moves and calm precision, he bypassed the rumbling ground and sneaked past the jumping legs.

He had only so much time before he was sent plummeting to the ground again. Even so, he managed a few strikes. Not something to be pleased with either.

The thought quickened his heartbeat as he reached for it.

The creatures were creating counter-layers against Beelzebub. His current level simply wasn't enough. He might die if this dragged on.

After his recent connection with Beelzebub, he could tell he wasn't ready for an upgrade. Not even close.

His body trembled, staring at the gigantic creature.

He needed this to survive. He needed it to save Delilah.

***

[ Would you want to increase the level of Beelzebub to level 2? ]

Price: 3 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

'Yes.'

His heartbeat spiked. He sweated rapidly, trembling, and couldn't even keep his mouth shut. He felt like he was going to hurl his entire being. Head spun. Soul groaned.

He stood on buckled legs, clutching his chest with his eyes bulging in agony.

***

[ Would you want to increase the level of Beelzebub to level 3? ]

Price: 6 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

The gods could have yelled it into his ears themselves, and he still wouldn't hear or even read the system's message. His vision was blurry. Even though he held his ground, refusing to collapse this time, a faint voice in the red depths of his mind kept asking…

Would he be able to fight in this state?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.