The attack was clearly effective—dark liquid poured from the wound like blood.
But that demon, like all demons, was resistant. If they weren't, hunters would've wiped them out long ago. That wasn't the case.
The demon screamed. "Silly hunter! You're getting on my nerves!"
Damian's last strike—the one that truly wounded the creature—triggered something primal. Survival instincts flared.
Before, the demon hadn't taken Damian seriously. But after being hit multiple times, after seeing his attacks blocked—it understood things had changed.
The demon was ready to go all out.
It screamed—not in anger, but pain. Not pain from injury… but transformation.
Its charcoal-colored skin exploded, flesh flying in every direction. That grotesque mass splattered across the room—hitting both Damian and Samantha.
The demon changed.
It became a chaotic mass of tentacles—merged and writhing. Only the face remained intact.
Damian leaped backward, putting distance between them. A transformation like that meant more power, more unpredictability. He had to reassess.
First thing he noticed—the demon had grown larger. The tentacles moved constantly, impossible to track.
Worse: the tentacles he'd already cut had regenerated. Endless.
"What do you think of my true form?" the demon said, voice twisted by a creepy laugh. "Not everyone gets to see this. You're a lucky hunter!"
Its aura was stronger now.
Before, Damian had estimated a rank F. Close to his own power. Manageable.
But now?
"It might be rank D… Fuck," Damian thought as reality sank in.
Damian was getting stronger—his system was helping with that. But he knew his limits.
Facing a rank D demon was nearly impossible. The one before him might be injured, sure, but it still held a full rank's advantage over him.
His mind raced. He had to kill it—there was no other choice. If he failed, Samantha would die.
And running? That would be suicide.
The other high-ranking demons believed he was powerful. That illusion was the only thing keeping them from tearing him apart. If word spread that he'd lost to a rank D and fled?
They'd kill him without hesitation.
Winning wasn't enough. He had to annihilate the demon—leave nothing behind. No witnesses, no stories whispered through the sewers.
Only silence.
"What?" the demon said again. "Are you scared now? And I thought you were powerful. At least that was what some of my superiors were saying, but apparently, that was a lie. Why are they protecting you?"
The demon was puzzled by the reason some demons were trying to befriend Damian. He wasn't near their strength to be treated like that.
Damian didn't answer—not because he was scared of that demon, but because his mind was focused on winning the fight.
He knew he had to somehow get stronger, and an idea popped into his mind. It was bold, dangerous, and there was a chance it wouldn't work, but he had to try.
Damian dashed forward with only one thing in mind: cut down one of the tentacles of that demon.
The demon didn't just stand still and wait for Damian to attack. It struck at him using its tentacles.
Now, there were too many of them. Damian dodged a few with his high agility and quick movements, but eventually, one of the tentacles grabbed his foot.
"You're done for!" the demon said with a chilling laugh.
Damian tried to use his strength to pull free, but it wasn't enough. Faced with no other option, he focused all his attention on that specific tentacle and cut it with his claws.
Nothing else mattered to him. The other tentacles had sharp tips, and they pierced through his body — hitting parts that weren't well protected by his hardened skin ability.
His shoulder and right arm were damaged by the tentacles, but that didn't stop him. He eventually cut through the one holding him.
"It doesn't matter that you're free now," the demon said. "I have more tentacles to trap you!"
Well, that wasn't the plan Damian had in mind. He placed his hand on the tentacle and absorbed it.
[Demon part absorbed]
[+6 Strength]
[+7 Agility]
[+6 Endurance]
[+5 Intelligence]
Damian's attributes increased again — and by a decent amount each. The demon he was facing was quite strong, so that was why his stats rose more than usual.
Not only that, but he also gained a new ability.
[Mana Tentacles (Rank C): Tentacles created by darkish mana, capable of attacking and defending. This skill will deplete your mana over time.]
[This skill can be improved.]
The new surge of power excited Damian. He activated his new skill. Dark tentacles formed behind his back, moving as if they had a life of their own.
The tentacles were different from the ones the demon had been using. Damian's were created by mana and had a dark property to them, which gave them their shadowy appearance.
The demon's tentacles were basically part of its body. They bled and hurt like everything else.
When the demon saw what was happening, he couldn't hide his shock.
"H-How? This is my ability!"
The demon had seen Damian absorb his tentacle — it vanished — and now he was using a tentacle ability too. It wasn't hard to guess that somehow Damian was copying the demon's skills. That was certainly something he had never thought possible.
Anyway, Damian controlled his own tentacles, and they clashed against the demon's. But while the demon had a fixed number of tentacles in his body, Damian could create more using his mana.
It would cost him more, sure, but he didn't care. He wanted to win the fight. That was what mattered to him.
Eventually, all the demon's tentacles were locked down by Damian's. It couldn't attack anymore.
"Damn it," the demon cursed.
Damian created more tentacles. These pierced through the demon's body and wrapped around it.
He moved toward the demon.
"Any last words?" Damian said.
The demon knew it was the end.
"Even if you kill me, other demons will get you one day. Your life won't be long."
Damian used his claws to cut the demon's head off. The creature was finally dead.
He deactivated his demon eye and mana tentacles. The tiredness was getting to him. It had been a difficult fight.
Gathering the last of his strength, Damian moved toward Samantha and cut the ropes, freeing her. After that, he dropped to his knees.
Samantha wasn't hurt. She was scared and confused by what had just happened, but she did what she could to help Damian get up.
"Let's get out of here," she said.
The sewers were not safe. They left the room, searching for a way out. Samantha carried Damian out of that place.