Slash! Slash! Slash!
The Hatred Demon’s claws tore through the air, cutting down clone after clone in a frenzy of crimson strikes.
The [Blood Domain] was thick with the scent of iron, the mist swirling around it like a living thing, distorting vision and sound.
Yet, despite its rage, the demon couldn’t shake the irritation gnawing at its mind.
Twice now.
Twice, it had fallen for cheap tricks, illusions, distractions, psychological warfare.
But no more.
This time, it wouldn’t be fooled.
Even in this domain, a place that should have been its own battlefield, the human had turned the tables.
A fleeting thought crossed its mind:
‘Should I use my final ability?’
The mere consideration was absurd.
That power wasn’t something to be wasted lightly.
The last time it had unleashed it was centuries ago, during an era when gods still trembled at its name.
And now, this human, this insignificant, fleeting mortal, was making it contemplate using it again?
‘No. The conditions aren’t right.’
That ability shouldn’t be used right now, especially in this domain.
But just as it dismissed the idea… the clones stopped coming.
The mist grew still.
No more figures lunging from the crimson haze.
No more false attacks.
Just silence.
‘Another trick?’ The demon’s muscles coiled, ready to react in an instant.
Its four arms stretched outward, claws gleaming like bloodstained blades.
Its eyes darted across the domain, searching for any sign of movement, any hint of deception.
And then, a figure emerged from the mist: Alex.
The demon didn’t speak.
It didn’t move.
It simply watched, waiting for the inevitable trap.
But then the figure spoke.
“I’m getting tired of this,” Alex said, his voice calm but edged with exhaustion, “And my domain is about to expire. Let’s end this.”
The moment the words left his lips, the Hatred Demon knew, this was the real one.
No clone could speak.
No illusion could replicate that tone, that presence.
Yet, the demon didn’t attack.
It remained still, stance firm, claws poised.
Because if there was one thing it had learned, it was that Alex always had another move.
And that hesitation… was exactly what Alex wanted.
Alex lifted his right arm.
A pulse of energy rippled through the domain.
Celestial Judgment!
Twelve radiant blades materialized above the mist, circling him like a halo of divine retribution.
Their glow cut through the crimson haze, casting eerie shadows across the battlefield.
The Hatred Demon scoffed.
“Is that all, human?”
It took a single step forward, still cautious, still analyzing.
“As you said, your domain is about to shatter. And when it does… it will be over for you.”
Alex smirked.
“Look around you.”
The demon’s eyes flickered—just for a fraction of a second—before it realized.
From the edges of the mist, dozens… no, hundreds of [Giant Blood Blades] emerged, their jagged edges glistening as they pointed directly at the demon.
The sheer number was overwhelming, an army of weapons waiting to strike.
For the first time in centuries, the Hatred Demon felt something unfamiliar.
Amusement.
Did the human truly believe this would be enough?
This desperate, last-ditch assault?
It could only mean one thing—the domain was collapsing.
Alex had no choice but to throw everything he had left.
A snap of Alex’s fingers.
The holy blades of [Celestial Judgment] shot forward.
The [Giant Blood Blades] surged from all directions.
The air itself seemed to scream as the attacks converged on the demon, a storm of steel and light meant to carve it apart, to expose its heart, to finally end this battle, but then…
Ding.
A panel flickered before the Hatred Demon’s eyes.
[Your Hatred has reached catastrophic levels.]
[Time to unleash everything onto the human.]
The demon’s lips curled into something resembling a smile.
Because unlike gods, unlike mortals, its power didn’t come from worship or training.
It came from hatred.
And right now, after centuries of dormancy, after being pushed to the brink by this human…
It had never been stronger.
The Cataclysmic Surge
The blades were inches away then—
“RAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!”
The demon’s roar shook the domain.
BOOOOOOM!
A cataclysmic explosion of crimson energy erupted from its body, a shockwave so violent that even Alex, standing several meters away, was sent skidding backward, his boots digging trenches into the blood-soaked ground.
The [Celestial Judgment] blades shattered.
The [Giant Blood Blades] disintegrated.
And when the dust settled, the Hatred Demon stood untouched, its body wreathed in a pulsating crimson aura.
Its eyes burned with an intensity that could melt steel, its muscles coiled with power beyond anything it had shown before.
Alex, now seemingly defenseless, simply… smiled.
The demon’s voice was eerily calm.
“Let’s end this with your glorious death.”
Its body thrummed with energy, the very air around it distorting.
“I can feel it… when I kill you, I will ascend. A new transformation. A power that will let me slaughter even the gods.”
Alex wiped a trickle of blood from his lip.
“You’ll have to get through me first.”
The demon’s expression didn’t change.
“So be it.”
With its hatred at its peak, it knew nothing could stop it now.
Not this human.
Not his tricks.
Not his domain.
This would end in a single attack.
Crimson energy crackled around its claws.
Alex’s eyes glowed gold in response.
And then—
“FINAL FULL ASSAULT!”
The demon moved.
In less than a microsecond, its claws were already at Alex’s throat, its four arms aimed at his vitals: his heart, his neck, his skull, every strike meant to erase him from existence in an instant.
Alex, even at his strongest, shouldn’t have been able to react.
Yet he was still smiling.
“In the end,” the demon whispered, “the hatred won.”
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Its claws tore through the air and connected.
[Destiny Points: 5/150]
Alex didn’t have enough to revive.
This should have been the end.
But nothing happened.
The claws hit him, the force behind them could have obliterated a level 2,000 being with a mere graze.
Yet Alex stood completely unharmed.
No wounds. No blood. Not even a scratch.
The Hatred Demon’s mind stuttered.
‘BUT HOW?!’
Alex’s smile vanished.
His voice was a whisper, but it carried the weight of a storm.
“It’s true that the hatred will win.” His fingers clamped around the demon’s skull, “But it will be mine.”
CRACK!
Alex slammed his forehead into the demon’s face.
Blood burst from its nose, its teeth rattling from the impact.
‘HOW?! MY BODY IS FAR STURDIER THAN HIS! HIS SKILLS SHOULD BE BROKEN!’
Then it saw it: a faint green glow surrounding Alex.
‘Invulnerability?!’
But when? How? Alex had never shown this power before!
The answer was simple:
The [Orb of Purity] and the [Orb of the Unbreakable], his two hidden trump cards.
Not offensive tools, but defensive ones, meant to be used at the perfect moment.
And now, for three seconds… Alex was untouchable.
The demon roared, shaking the domain.
“I DON’T CARE! YOU WILL DIE!”
It lunged again, claws flashing, but Alex wasn’t wasting a single moment.
[2 seconds left.]
This was the amount of time he had left for his protection, meaning that he had two seconds to change fate.
Two seconds to end this.