Toma wrinkled his nose. “Your breath stinks! Ever heard of brushing your teeth?”

  Arlen snapped his gaze toward him, disbelief cutting through the tension. “Toma, this is not the right kind of joke in a situation like this!”

  “Come on,” Toma grinned despite the peril, “in movies they always say stuff like this, and it fits the situation perfectly.”

  Arlen’s voice was dry. “I just hope it swallows us whole and doesn’t chew our bones apart—because that would be even more painful.”

  “If you think about it,” Toma mused, “I still think that would be better than dying in stomach acid…”

  “Damn, I didn’t think of that!” Arlen groaned.

  The demon didn’t care for their banter. Its massive mouth loomed closer, the reek of death pouring from between rows of teeth. Just as it was about to bite down, a bolt of lightning split the sky—searing white fire lanced downward, severing the tentacles holding them captive.

  The boys dropped free.

  “Inspector—it’s you! You saved us again!” Arlen’s relief was almost enough to bring tears.

  Toma landed beside him, eyes wide. “Inspector, how did you survive when the demon stabbed you?”

  “Good question,” Carter’s voice was tight, his breathing uneven. “But barely… I’m still bleeding, and we don’t have much time. I wrapped the wound as best I could, but if we don’t hurry, I’ll bleed out. Honestly, I was just lucky the slash caught my side and missed my organs—otherwise I wouldn’t be standing.”

  The reprieve didn’t last. The demon’s severed tentacles regrew instantly, sprouting even more as it launched into a full-scale rampage. They lashed out, tearing buildings from their foundations and hurling them toward the trio. Carter stepped forward, his blade alive with crackling power. Each swing sent titanic bolts of lightning screaming into the air, shattering the airborne wreckage before it could crush them.

  Arlen and Toma seized the opening. They leapt onto the flying debris, using each chunk as a stepping stone to gain momentum. The moment they closed the distance, —Arlen carving through the tentacles sprouting from the demon’s left side, Toma tearing into those on the right. Severed limbs rained down in heaps, only for new ones to replace them, forcing the boys into a relentless rhythm of cut, leap, and cut again. Their speed became impossible to follow; to the distant eye, they were nothing but flickers of steel and shadow.

  It became a war of endurance. Who would give first—their bodies, or the monster’s regeneration?

  Before the answer came, Carter struck from behind. His blade dug deep into the demon’s back, carving wound after wound. But the beast roared and thrashed, its violence building until it flung Carter away and forced the boys to retreat as well.

  Tentacles lashed out in every direction, pulverizing what little remained of the battlefield. The demon’s horn flashed—and then came the xeron, a massive shockwave that obliterated the ground and sent earthquakes tearing through the ruins.

  Carter steadied himself, a grim smile cutting through the chaos. “Oh no… I think we’ve really made him angry now.”

  Toma’s voice rose above the rumble. “What’s the plan now?”

  “Take advantage of this moment and go for his legs! I’ll aim for his head!” Carter’s grip tightened on his sword. “I’ve got one last charge in me—let’s go, guys!”

  “Wait, Inspector!” Toma’s voice cut in sharply.

  Carter glanced at him. “What is it, Toma?”

  “It’s complicated to explain, but it’ll work. I just need you not to attack until I shout ‘Now.’”

  “Alright. I trust you. But make it convincing.”

  “Understood.”

  Toma and Arlen sprinted straight toward the demon’s massive legs. The beast was in such a frenzy that it didn’t even register their approach.

  “So, what’s your plan?” Arlen asked between strides.

  “We cut its Achilles tendons. Bring it to its knees, then launch our combined attack from the air.”

  A grim smile spread on Arlen’s face. “I like it.”

  They moved as one, blades slicing deep. The tendons gave way, and the demon bellowed—a raw, agonized roar—as its colossal frame buckled. Knees slammed into the earth.

  In the same heartbeat, the boys shot into the sky, power surging through them. Toma’s Blue Nova flared alongside Arlen’s roaring flames, merging into a single blinding strike. The attack crashed down, stripping the flesh from the demon’s body in a searing blast.

  “NOW!” Toma’s voice ripped through the air.

  “Perfect! Thanks, boys!” Carter’s swords were already at the demon’s neck. One decisive slash, and its head fell. The body toppled with a thunderous crash. The battle was over.

  The three of them descended to the ruined ground.

  “Nice work, boys,” Carter said—before his knees gave way and he collapsed.

  Toma and Arlen caught him, hoisting him onto their shoulders. “Inspector, hold on! We need to get you to a hospital right now, or you’ll die!” Toma’s voice cracked with urgency.

  Carter gave a pained chuckle. “Alright, but where do you think the nearest hospital is? Or maybe we could call an ambulance…”

  “But none of us has a phone,” Arlen muttered, scanning the destruction. “And I doubt we’ll find one nearby.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Rubble stretched in every direction. The city was gone. Buildings flattened, streets unrecognizable—there wasn’t a single living soul in sight.

  “What happened to the people, I wonder? Did they manage to escape?” Arlen asked.

  “I don’t know… I didn’t even realize how much destruction the battle had caused…” Toma replied.

  “But right now, we need to figure out how to save Inspector Carter!”

  “You’re right! He’s completely unconscious — we have to help him, or he’ll die!”

  “First, let’s bandage his wound. That might buy him some time to survive!”

  “Alright, but since I don’t have a shirt anymore, tear a piece from my pants!”

  “Got it, Toma!”

  Using a strip of cloth torn from Toma’s pants, they tied Carter’s wound tightly to minimize blood loss.

  Meanwhile, Kiron had been watching the events unfold — and completely lost his composure.

  “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! The master had just created this demon, and it was magnificent! The problem is, there were three of them… If it had been a weaker captain, this demon could have defeated him! Those stupid brats irritate me so much! I’m going to kill them!”

  “No, Kiron, we mustn’t draw even more attention!” Amon said.

  But by the time he finished speaking, Kiron had already vanished.

  Arlen and Toma were just about to try and carry Inspector Carter to safety when suddenly, an overwhelming demonic aura surged toward them, freezing them in place.

  Kiron stood before them.

  Carter’s gaze hardened as the oppressive aura crashed over them.

  Looks like this is the guy I’ve been investigating. I have to stop him.

  These two boys are in this mess because of me… and it’s incredible how they fight at such a young age. Without them, I wouldn’t have killed the giant demon. I couldn’t look in the mirror if these two warriors died because of me.

  That feeling again… just like back then… my family… the ones I couldn’t save…

  Then a dark memory flashed into Carter's:

  ***

  Rain poured down in icy sheets. My swords dripped blood into a growing crimson puddle. I stood motionless, head bowed, my tears mingling with the rainwater. The weight of failure crushed my chest.

  Back then, I swore I’d become stronger.

  ***

  So even if it kills me… I won’t let these boys die!

  Carter stepped forward to face Kiron.

  Kiron’s voice dripped with venom as he stepped forward. “Hey, you’re still alive? Tough little worm, aren’t you? Well, then you’ll be the first corpse.”

  Inspector Carter only smiled, the faint curl of his lips defying the threat, and then lunged without hesitation.

  Kiron responded instantly, unleashing his Xeron—but Carter’s blade moved even faster, a lightning-quick slash deflecting the strike before immediately counterattacking.

  From the folds of his clothes, Kiron pulled out a strange mask. The moment it touched his face, his arms twisted and stretched, transforming into monstrous demonic limbs tipped with razor claws. He slashed forward in a blur, defending against Carter’s steel before gradually seizing the momentum of the fight.

  Then he launched himself like a projectile. Crossing his claws, he struck in a pattern that was not only fast but maddeningly unpredictable. Carter angled his blade, deflecting the first blow aside, but the second swiped dangerously close to his ribs—missing by a hair’s breadth.

  Kiron’s movements flowed into one another like a relentless, deadly dance. Every strike had intent. Carter spun back, one sword raised to block while the other thrust toward Kiron’s side, only to find the claws’ unnatural length keeping him at bay. Every impact rattled his arms like a hammer striking iron.

  Then Carter pushed off the ground with explosive force, flipping high over Kiron’s head. His twin blades crossed mid-air, crashing down toward his opponent—but instead of retreating, Kiron surged forward to meet him.

  The claws arced in a vicious cross-slash. Carter twisted mid-fall, narrowly avoiding a hit that could have ended everything; even the smallest wound risked turning him into one of the monsters he hunted.

  He landed low, sliding backward, and his blade was already returning in a sweeping horizontal cut meant to knock Kiron aside. Kiron pivoted on one hand, flipping clear, and when he landed, the tempo of the fight shifted.

  Now Carter was the aggressor. He stopped wasting energy blocking every blow, instead striking precisely at the gaps in Kiron’s defenses. One sword guarded, the other attacked—a rhythm that forced Kiron into pure defense. Sparks flew each time claw met steel.

  A thrust toward the chest—Kiron dodged.

  A cut aimed at the knee—Kiron leapt.

  A downward strike—Kiron blocked, but the force drove him backward, his feet sliding across the trembling ground.

  Carter didn’t let him breathe. Each step forward came with perfect military precision, yet each attack carried an unpredictability that made them impossible to anticipate. Slowly, the blades began to draw blood. A shallow wound on Kiron’s shoulder. Another slice along his side.

  And then… Carter overextended. The deeper slash gave Kiron his opening.

  The claws lashed out, lightning-fast, knocking one of Carter’s swords from his grasp. The weapon clattered onto the broken ground, and in that instant, Kiron pressed forward with savage intent, his strikes coming faster and harder. Carter dropped onto one hand, evading by the slimmest margins as each blow ripped at the air where he’d just been.

  Now Kiron held the advantage, and he knew it. He drove Carter back step by step, his claws crossing in another vicious arc. Carter’s breathing grew ragged. Blood was running freely from a wound along his side, but his remaining sword stayed firmly in his grip.

  One trick left.

  When Kiron lunged again, Carter didn’t step away—he stepped in. His blade flashed upward in a motion so fast it was barely visible, and it sank deep into Kiron’s ribs.

  Kiron’s growl vibrated in the air, but before he could retreat, Carter’s sword spun in his grip like a whirling propeller, smashing into the demon’s shoulder with enough force to hit bone. Kiron dropped to his knees.

  But he wasn’t finished.

  The air itself began to tremble. Kiron’s eyes burned with a fierce light. His claws lengthened even further, and a suffocating black aura pulsed around him. His body quivered as if reshaping itself—a transformation, a final card to play.

  Carter stepped back, his instincts screaming. This was no longer a duel of skill. This was survival.

  Kiron’s new form struck with pure predatory fury. His speed became inhuman, his attacks no longer calculated but driven by the raw instinct to kill. Carter, his body battered and bleeding, couldn’t keep pace. A crushing blow drove him down to one knee. His chest heaved. Blood streamed down his armor. Yet his eyes still burned with defiance.

  From nearby, Toma saw everything—the clash of steel and claw, the surge of that monstrous aura—and his heart pounded.

  “This isn’t good… I need to move!” The thought tore through Toma’s mind like a lightning bolt. His jaw tightened. “I’ll push past my limits now and help the Inspector!”

  Blue light flared around his hands. Flow erupted from deep within, the raw energy channeling into his palms, bursting out in a blazing Blue Nova. It surged beneath his feet, propelling him forward with a deafening rush.

  In the blink of an eye, Toma was gone from where he stood. He shot toward Kiron like a human cannonball, every muscle screaming as he drove his fist straight into the demon’s stomach with all the strength he could summon.

  The impact boomed through the battlefield.

  “Toma!” Carter’s voice cut through the chaos.

  Toma glanced over his shoulder with a feral grin. “Let’s finish this guy off, Inspector!”

  From behind them came another voice—familiar, and laced with excitement.

  “Don’t leave me out of the fun!”

  Toma’s head snapped toward the sound. “Arlen, you’re here too?”

  “Yes,” Arlen replied, already closing the distance in long, confident strides. “I saw Toma’s method, and I realized how I could move as well!” Without breaking his pace, he hurled something through the air—Carter’s lost sword, spinning hilt-first.

  Carter caught it cleanly. “Thanks, Arlen!”

  “Take better care of it!” Arlen shot back, his tone sharp but laced with camaraderie.

  Toma’s voice grew serious. “This guy has some kind of terrifyingly strong aura—it’s not going to be easy to beat him.”

  “Yes, boys,” Carter warned, his eyes fixed on their opponent, “be extremely careful—if he even scratches either of you with those claws, it’s game over.”

  But while they spoke, Kiron was already rising from Toma’s earlier strike.