— Sage Falls —
"Sage!" Lexy's scream tore through the battlefield like a blade. Every hero's eyes snapped upward as a limp body fell from the sky. Sage plummeted, pale and unmoving. Earth, the rock-wielding hero, stamped his foot; jagged stairs erupted from the ground. He sprinted upward, caught Sage's frail body, and exhaled in relief.
"He's alive…" Earth muttered, holding Sage close.
---
— Zoe's Broadcast —
Far away, the chaos flickered on a dying livestream. Zoe's channel was flooded with angry comments from viewers demanding to know what had happened to the broadcast. She didn't bother answering. Lying back on her bed, she smirked at her phone.
"Well… that was exciting," she murmured, chuckling softly.
---
— Demon Arms Up —
The Slay Beast crouched low, lowering Demon gently onto scorched pavement. Its three massive tails swayed like serpents before it convulsed and vomited up a steel container the size of a coffin. Inside lay new gadgets, weaponry, drugs, elixirs, and body boosters glinting like treasure.
Demon's lips curled into a thin smile. "Finally." He snatched an elixir, uncorked it, and downed it in one go. The bitter liquid burned through his system, purging the gas that had crippled his powers. Black blood spilled from his mouth as he coughed violently — a sign it was working.
He rummaged through the box, slipping a new comm unit into his ear. Betty's voice cracked through with playful familiarity:
"Hello, boss man."
Demon grinned as he laced up a pair of new boots, his voice low and calm.
"Finally nice to hear your voice. Now tell me — what took you so damn long?"
Betty's laugh was light, almost teasing.
"Oh, nothing really. Just wanted to see how you'd do without any tools or powers."
"Wow. You're one psycho…" Demon muttered, slipping into his new battle suit. "…then again, I'm surrounded by psychos."
He patted the Slay Beast's paw.
"Who's a good boy, huh?"
The monstrous creature wagged its tails like an oversized puppy.
Then — a flash of steel. Razor-sharp cards sliced through the air, whistling as they tore into the Slay Beast's flesh. Blood sprayed; the creature roared, then collapsed into meat and silence.
Demon leapt back, eyes burning as he turned toward the source of the attack.
"How dare you…"
Across the field, Lexy's fury burned like wildfire. Cards hovered around her, glinting as they spun lazily in midair, waiting for her command.
"You're next, brat," she hissed.
Demon spat, lips curling into a dangerous smirk.
"Bring it on, bitch."
Betty's voice chimed in his ear before he could move.
"Hey, De. You need to lay low. Hakimi just wrapped up his part of the mission; the rest are almost done. Camp out and save your energy. These aren't students — they're pro heroes."
Demon ground his teeth, whispering back,
"And what do you expect me to do? You think they're just gonna let me camp out?"
Lexy caught the movement of his lips. Realization flashed in her eyes — he was speaking to someone over comms.
"Hey! Don't you dare look away from me!" she screamed, flinging her hand forward. Cards darted toward his head like homing blades.
"Stepping Wolf." The words slipped from Demon's lips and, in an instant, he vanished, flickering across the battlefield at impossible speed.
Lexy's eyes widened. Wait… his powers. They're back.
Near the crate, Demon whispered into his comm,
"I hope your plan works…"
He pulled three spheres from the box. Heroes closed in, sprinting to back up Lexy. Demon smiled darkly and hurled the spheres. They cracked open midair, spilling light. Portals bloomed like wounds in space.
Three Slay Beasts. Four humanoid monsters. All stepping into the world.
"Go wild," Demon ordered, his voice like thunder.
The creatures surged forward, a tide of claws and teeth. Heroes gasped, muttering about Dr. Anthony's experiments. More spheres rolled across the ground, bursting into more monsters.
Chaos devoured the battlefield. Heroes fought. Students hid and cried. Those too slow were crushed under clawed feet. Those who stood their ground gritted their teeth and pushed through hell just to survive.
---
— Capper Awakens —
Back in the warehouse, where it had all begun, Capper stirred. His eyes snapped open, taking in the ruin — the blood, the bodies of friends and comrades, the distant war raging outside. He touched his jaw and winced. Dislocated. Memories came back like knives: going after Demon… and being knocked out cold.
"That son of a bitch," he growled. "I'll kill him…"
A Slay Beast burst into the room, jaws clamping down on a screaming hero. Capper froze — then his instincts flared. I'm a Tamer. That's a Slay Beast. I can tame it, right?
He bit into his palm until blood welled, glowing faintly. Waving his hand, he splashed the blood onto the beast's lips. The creature snarled, licking it. Capper smiled grimly.
"From now on, you'll listen to me. As a Tamer, I've made you mine. You'll fight with me… die with me… and kill for me."
The beast roared, shaking its head violently — then slowly lowered itself, bowing.
Capper's voice dropped to a growl.
"A Tamer gains the strength of whatever beast he controls. Flying, speed, insane power — all of it."
He vaulted out of the warehouse, the Slay Beast at his side. A humanoid monster lunged at a hero in midair. Capper spun, kicking it back as his beast ripped the monster's head clean off.
---
— Spark's Realization —
In the Unknown base, Spark paused mid-punch. A chill ran down his spine.
"…Someone just overrode my control over a beast," he muttered.
The others froze, confused, as Spark stared at nothing.
---
— Demon and Bunny —
On the sixth floor of a half-destroyed building, Demon sat by a cracked window, watching the carnage unfold. Explosions rumbled in the distance. He leaned back on a couch, thumbing through videos on a small tablet. Betty's words about laying low echoed in his head. She'd even joked about grabbing a snack before cutting the line.
He tapped a video: his twelve-year-old self, training inside the CODE base. Memories flooded back — locked for two weeks in darkness, no food, only water. Another video: his first kill, a boy just like him. Another: scientists testing his "Soul Manipulation" by boiling him alive to measure his endurance.
"Wow, that looks insane, mate."
Demon flinched at the voice and spun around. Bunny stood there.
"How the hell did you find me?" he snapped.
Bunny chuckled, her tone lilting with that unmistakable British edge.
"Love draws me to you, innit? Don't be thick."
"That doesn't even make sense…"
Bunny only smiled faintly and sat beside him. Her eyes flicked to the screen.
"That you, love? In the video?"
"None of your business," Demon answered coldly.
Bunny's smile faded. Her tone softened.
"You know… my childhood was hell too."
Demon chuckled darkly.
"Your childhood? What, mummy didn't give you the birthday gift you wanted?"
Her eyes met his.
"Mum gave me the best birthday gift ever. Then I killed her."
Demon froze.
"You did what—"
"When I was six," Bunny said calmly, "Mum told me to give her all I had. To test me. So I did. When I opened my eyes… only half of her was left."
Demon stared at her, speechless.
She smiled sadly.
"Guess what Dad did when he found out?"
"He got mad at you," Demon said slowly.
Bunny shook her head.
"He told me I'd done well. That now I was stronger, and Mum was weak. That's life, innit? The strong live. The weak die."
Demon had no words. Bunny's smile deepened, brittle at the edges.
"I stopped socializing, scared I'd hurt people. But every night, I dreamed of a boy who could keep up with me. He was one year older. We had mad adventures. One day he wasn't just in my dreams. He was here, by my side." She tilted her head. "That boy's you. You're the only one who can handle my full power. My ride or die. My special place."
Demon stepped back. Bunny rose with him.
"Hey, love," she said softly. "Let's go all out. I want to feel your true power. To know the one I've chosen as my husband is strong enough. I want to know if my dream's true."
"You're talking nonsense," Demon snapped.
"Like bloody hell I am," Bunny shot back. "I've almost lost my mind, but you were there in my dreams, keeping up. We even shagged in my dream — I know every tattoo on your body."
Demon blinked, startled.
"How the hell do you know I've got tattoos? I cover them with makeup."
Bunny's grin was feral.
"Because in my dream, I counted every single one. A hundred and sixty-three demonic tattoos — up to your neck. You were bloody hot, especially with that red aura."
She dropped into a fighting stance.
"Fight me, love. I want to feel the passion between us."
Demon stared at her, then grinned and began to laugh. He peeled off his top and poured a liquid over his body, washing the makeup away to reveal the tattoos sprawling across his chest, arms, and neck. His eyes glowed red.
"You really want to see the devil in me?"
"I want to ride the devil in you," Bunny purred.
They stood facing each other.
Then — bang.
In an instant they vanished and reappeared in the center of the room, Demon's hand up to block Bunny's kick. She was already moving, foot inches from his face. They blurred again, attacks clashing, each strike making the building shudder.
Outside, heroes in mid-battle paused, staring up at the building in confusion as shockwaves rolled out from the duel inside.