“You know…” the [Hatred Demon] said.
Its voice was low and dripping with malice as it slowly approached Alex.
“I always wondered if someone strong enough to fight me would ever show up.”
Alex didn’t respond.
He kept stepping back, his eyes locked on the creature as it advanced.
Each step the demon took felt like a hammer striking the ground, the weight of its presence pressing down on him.
“It seems like today is not the day,” the [Hatred Demon] continued, its grin widened, “You’re too weak.”
Alex clenched his fists, his mind was racing.
He couldn’t afford to let the demon’s taunts get to him.
He needed to stay focused.
He needed to find a way to turn the tide.
But the odds were stacked against him, and he knew it.
All around them, the dragons of [Dragon City] had realized the gravity of the situation.
Dozens of them, both in their humanoid forms and their massive dragon forms, rushed toward the [Hatred Demon].
Their roars echoed through the city as they prepared to attack.
But the [Hatred Demon] didn’t even flinch.
“I despise interruptions,” it whispered, its voice was cold and filled with disdain.
In a split second, it moved.
Its body was a blur as it reached the other side of the dragon assault.
And then, with a single motion, it unleashed its power.
Dismantle!
Hundreds upon hundreds of crimson slashes erupted from the demon’s body.
Each one cut through the dragons with terrifying precision.
The creatures didn’t stand a chance, their bodies were torn apart.
Reduced to nothing more than chunks of flesh and scales in an instant.
“So… weak,” the [Hatred Demon] said, and it tilted its head as it surveyed the carnage.
Its smile never wavered.
The surviving dragons looked at one another, their eyes were filled with fear.
Without hesitation, they turned and fled.
Their wings beat frantically as they tried to escape.
They knew they couldn’t defeat the [Hatred Demon].
No one could.
“But it’s fine though,” Alex laughed, the pressure and nervousness made him want to taunt the demon, “You’re still weaker than the gods.”
“Am I?” the [Hatred Demon] replied, it lifted its arm as if preparing another attack, “I believe with my abilities, I could take care of all of them.”
“That’s… stupid,” Alex shot back, his voice lacked conviction.
He knew the truth: Alex was worth 90% of Kaelios, the God of Destiny’s, power, yet now was being dominated by the [Hatred Demon].
Then it meant one thing: the [Hatred Demon] had the power to back up its claims.
[The Heart of Calamity informs you that your hatred for it is so strong that it in turn makes it stronger.]
[The essence it has sucked in is far superior to what it would have gotten in your past life, granting it more power.]
[Beating it is almost impossible, but remember, three strikes at its heart, and it’s over.]
“Alright,” Alex muttered.
He spread his four wings, two dragon wings and two angel wings, and flapped them to gain altitude.
“If I can’t beat you, I’ll simply have to tire you out or not do it at all.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Seeing how effortlessly the [Hatred Demon] had defeated the dragons, Alex knew releasing it in its current state was a terrible idea.
Instead, he wanted to waste its time.
To buy himself a chance to think of a way to win.
If [Flames of Oblivion], [Celestial Judgment], and even his [Universal Orbs] hadn’t worked, then that left only his [Destiny Powers].
He still had 56 Destiny Points.
44 away from being able to use [World Cleaver] again.
That was his only hope.
But even with the [Orb of Balance], Alex knew it wouldn’t be enough.
The [Hatred Demon] was too fast, too strong.
Even when its heart had been exposed during the explosion, getting close enough to strike would have meant certain death.
The creature had regenerated in just five seconds.
Its body healed as if nothing had happened.
The only time it had been truly vulnerable was when [World Cleaver] had struck it.
And the [Destiny Shackles] had restrained it.
That was Alex’s goal.
He needed to save as many Destiny Points as possible to make that happen.
But as he finalized his plan, the [Hatred Demon] moved again.
Alex flapped his wings once more.
He soared even higher into the sky to avoid the incoming attack, and he looked down at the city below, his mind racing.
‘It never used any ranged attacks until now,’ he thought, ‘But I know I can’t be careless.’
And he was right.
Because as Alex flew above the city, the [Hatred Demon] raised its arm: it was charging up an ability.
Its grin widened as it brought its arm down in a single, powerful motion.
Cleave!
[Effect: charge up this ability, setting a person in view as the target. Once fully charged, you can cleave through them at any distance.]
Fwish!
BOOOOOOM!
A crimson line slashed through the air.
It cut through the distance between the [Hatred Demon] and Alex.
Even though he was a kilometer above the ground, the attack reached him instantly.
It sliced through his body with terrifying precision.
“Huh?” Alex muttered, his eyes widening as he realized what had happened.
[You have died.]
“SHIT!” Alex panicked.
His mind was racing as he activated [Destiny Shift].
[Undoing Death…]
Golden threads of energy wrapped around his body.
They pulled the two halves of his severed form back together, and his wounds healed.
He was back in the fight but the cost was steep.
[Destiny Points: 46/150]
“So close to death~” the [Hatred Demon] mused, its voice was low and mocking, “So close to being a puppet~”
“So close to being forgotten,” Alex shot back.
His eyes burned with determination.
He transformed his left hand into the [Bleeding Dragon Claws], his resolve hardened.
“Here goes.”
Threads of Fate!
Thousands upon thousands of golden threads appeared around the [Hatred Demon].
Each one represented a possible action or movement.
The sheer number was overwhelming.
Alex couldn’t even begin to count them.
Even the creature’s limbs were surrounded by hundreds of threads, all intertwining in a chaotic mess.
‘There’s… so many,’ Alex thought, his eyes widened, ‘Holy shit…’
Even Kaelios, the God of Destiny, hadn’t had this many threads.
The [Hatred Demon] was on a completely different level.
But Alex knew he couldn’t afford to hesitate.
He needed to use this ability.
No matter how daunting it seemed.
The [Hatred Demon] took a single step, and instantly, all its threads moved.
Alex focused, his mind raced as he tried to make sense of the chaos.
To his relief, he found that he could understand them better than he had expected.
‘Good,’ he thought, ‘If I couldn’t understand them, it would have truly been over.’
But just as Alex was about to take action, the [Hatred Demon] stopped.
It looked around, and its eyes narrowed as it noticed the golden threads surrounding it.
“Haha~” it laughed, it pointed at the threads, “Is this one of your abilities? Interesting!”
“Huh…” Alex muttered.
Usually, opponents couldn’t see the [Threads of Fate].
They were intangible and invisible.
But the [Hatred Demon] could see them.
The creature reached out, and its claws swiped at the threads.
But to Alex’s relief, its claws passed right through them.
It was unable to tear them apart.
“Oh well,” the [Hatred Demon] shrugged, but its grin never faded, “I’ll just have to kill you with those things around me.”
“Try,” Alex growled, his voice filled with defiance.
[55 seconds left for “Threads of Fate.”]
He couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
With a powerful flap of his wings, Alex dove downward like a meteorite.
He was ready to clash with the [Hatred Demon] once more.