The moment the Hatred Demon tore itself free from the earth, the city beneath it collapsed in a massive chain reaction.
The already destroyed buildings broke even more, and the streets split apart.
A deafening roar filled the air as dust and debris surged outward in a thick, suffocating wave.
A wall of mist and shattered stone rose alongside the towering figure, obscuring its form entirely.
For an instant, the entire battlefield was silent, as if the world itself was holding its breath, trying to comprehend the sheer presence of the being that had emerged.
And yet… even through the dense mist, Alex could see its shadow.
A twisted, monstrous silhouette loomed over the ruins, its shape barely discernible through the haze.
But what little he could make out was enough to paralyze his thoughts for a split second.
This was not the same Hatred Demon as before.
The thing standing before him was something else entirely—something that defied reason.
A chill ran through Alex’s spine, his instincts screaming at him that he should not be here.
That no one should be here.
“You are…”
The voice of the Hatred Demon rumbled through the air, a deep, distorted growl that sent shockwaves through the very ground.
It started to speak, but then, without warning, it stopped mid-sentence.
“…Never mind.”
Alex barely had time to process what that meant when—
Cleave!
A flash. A blur. A silent cut through the mist.
Before he could react, an unseen force sliced straight through his body.
He didn’t even see it happen.
One moment, he was standing.
The next, his torso was split cleanly in half, severed diagonally from shoulder to waist.
A strange numbness filled his senses.
‘Huh…’
It wasn’t the attack itself that startled him.
He had already been hit by this same Cleave skill before. It was the speed.
He hadn’t even registered when the attack happened.
His eyes… his reflexes… his very perception had failed to capture it.
Even knowing it had struck him, his brain refused to comprehend how.
His body hit the ground in two separate pieces, and as his consciousness started to fade, a single terrifying thought surfaced in his mind.
‘I… didn’t even react.’
Alex had faced powerful enemies before—monsters, gods, even beings that defied natural law.
He had always found a way to fight back.
But this?
This was something else.
His breath hitched as his vision darkened.
He still had Destiny Shift—his one chance to undo the last five seconds.
But the sheer shock of being unable to even react to the attack made him hesitate.
One second passed. Two. Three.
His hands trembled.
Four.
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing death…]
A blinding light enveloped him, and in an instant, his body was whole again.
Alex gasped as life returned to his limbs.
He had no time to adjust before—
Slash!
Another cut, another instant, another death.
The Hatred Demon had moved again—just as fast, just as effortless.
This time, the mist cleared slightly more, its thick veil parting just enough to reveal a fragment of the creature’s form.
Alex barely had time to process the change before—
Destiny Shift!
[Undoing death…]
Slash.
Again. And again.
Over and over, the cycle repeated.
Every time he revived, the Hatred Demon struck him down with the same perfectly timed attack.
It wasn’t random. It was deliberate.
It was toying with him, slowly slicing away the mist with each execution, forcing him to witness more of its body piece by piece, as if making him understand just how utterly outmatched he was.
And Alex had no way to stop it.
[Destiny Points: 10/150]
The number drained rapidly.
After using World Cleaver, he had only 50 left.
And now, without a way to counterattack or even activate Threads of Fate to dodge, every single point was disappearing.
He was helpless.
He tried to think of something, anything, but every time his body was reformed, the Demon’s attack struck again before he could even lift a finger.
[Destiny Points: 0/150]
His last revival triggered.
He was out of points.
The next time he died, it would be permanent.
Panic flared through him as he gritted his teeth.
‘ANGEL! COME!’
The divine presence that had always saved him before… wasn’t here.
No voice. No light. Nothing.
The realization hit him like a hammer: he was alone.
For the first time since this battle began, there was no backup plan or anything of the sort.
No second chances left.
His body had barely finished reforming before the Hatred Demon raised its arm again, preparing to strike once more.
It knew. It knew Alex was out of revivals.
This time, there would be no reset.
“Weak.”
The single word echoed through the battlefield, spoken with absolute certainty—as if it had already decided Alex was finished.
The Demon’s arm descended.
And Alex… closed his eyes.
It was over.
There was no dodging an attack he couldn’t see.
No blocking a strike that his body couldn’t react to.
Even if his eyes had started to adjust slightly to its speed, it meant nothing if his body couldn’t keep up.
The fight was lost.
But then—
BAM.
Time froze around him.
A pulse of sheer willpower surged through his mind, stopping the world in its tracks.
[The Crown of Calamity feels like the host shouldn’t give up so easily.]
Alex’s eyes snapped open.
‘I didn’t give up,’ he muttered, ‘It’s just—this thing is—’
[You gave up the moment you realized it overpowered you,] the Crown interrupted, its voice ringing through his mind, [If so, you should have just run away when I told you to.]
Silence.
[Yet you’re still here. Fighting.]
Alex’s breath steadied.
His trembling hands clenched into fists.
His gaze lifted.
The mist was finally gone.
For the first time, he saw the Hatred Demon’s true form.
It was massive, towering over everything, its body sculpted from writhing blackened flesh.
Every fiber of his being screamed that this thing should not exist.
“Holy shit…” he muttered, not even able to actually inspect the hatred demon’s actual form before lowering his eyes.
All he saw was its size and skin.
The Hatred Demon simply observed him.
“My previous heart gave you an advantage,” it acknowledged, its tone cold, unbothered, “But it doesn’t matter.”
“I have reached my ultimate form.”
“I am now beyond everything.”
It wasn’t boasting. It wasn’t even gloating. It was simply stating a fact.
A crimson system panel appeared in front of Alex.
[Hatred Demon, Ultimate Form: Pure Hatred]
[Level: ???]
[HP: ???]
[Skills: ???]
[Note: Do not try to fight it.]
Even the system itself was telling him to run.
But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.
Slash!
The Demon attacked again, aiming to finish him once and for all—
And this time, the Crown of Calamity moved.
Dark tendrils erupted from the crown, forming a barrier that intercepted the blow.
The attack slammed into the defense—yet not a single tendril broke.
[The only thing I can do is assist you,] the Crown murmured, [You are strong, deal with the rest.]
A fire ignited in Alex’s eyes.
For the first time since the hatred demon’s new form appeared, he wasn’t paralyzed by fear.
He wasn’t backing down. His gaze locked onto the Hatred Demon.
His [Cursed Eyes of Truth] pulsed with light.
He was going to analyze every inch of this thing.
And then… He was going to find a way to kill it.