BOOOOOOM!
The Blood Demon's fist slammed toward the Demon Queen—
But just before it reached her—
WHAM!
The enormous tail of the Hell of Black Dragon swept across the battlefield and stopped the punch.
The impact created a massive shockwave.
The Blood Demon's crimson eyes widened.
Then he smiled.
A strange, almost playful smile.
"Hm…"
He looked at the dragon's tail.
"So there really is something in this world that can stop my attack."
His grin became wider.
"Interesting."
He laughed.
"This is going to be fun."
The Black Hell Dragon suddenly moved.
Its enormous tail wrapped around the unconscious Shion and the badly injured Mei Lian.
The two women were lifted away from the Reverse Gravity field.
The dragon carried them several hundred meters away and placed them on a relatively safe piece of ground.
The Demon Queen watched from above.
"What are you doing?"
The Blood Demon didn't answer.
The dragon's tail released Mei Lian first.
The Blood Demon raised one hand.
A small amount of crimson energy flowed toward Mei Lian.
Her breathing gradually became steadier.
Some of her strength returned.
Then his attention shifted toward Shion.
Her mechanical arms and legs had been torn away during the battle.
The Blood Demon crouched beside her.
A crimson glow surrounded her body.
The energy flowed toward the damaged mechanical limbs.
Slowly—
The mechanical arms reconnected.
Then the legs.
The cracks across them began disappearing.
Shion's eyes slowly opened.
She looked at her arms.
"…What?"
The Blood Demon simply smiled.
His blood energy continued flowing.
The mechanical limbs became completely integrated with her body again.
This time—
They weren't simply attached.
They were permanently connected.
Shion moved her fingers.
Everything worked perfectly.
She looked toward the Blood Demon.
For a moment, she couldn't understand what she was seeing.
Then she whispered—
"Renge…?"
The Blood Demon turned his head.
But he didn't answer.
He simply smiled.
Then—
WHOOSH!
He disappeared.
---
The Battle Resumes
The Blood Demon appeared directly in front of the Demon Queen.
His fist came forward.
The Demon Queen blocked it.
BOOM!
The force pushed her backward.
The Blood Demon followed immediately.
Right punch.
Left punch.
Elbow.
Knee.
Kick.
The Demon Queen dodged several attacks, but the Blood Demon moved faster than she expected.
BAM!
His fist struck her shoulder.
BOOM!
A second attack sent her flying.
She stopped herself in midair.
The Blood Demon was already there.
"Too slow."
He kicked.
The Demon Queen crossed her arms.
BOOOOM!
She was sent crashing through several layers of debris.
But before she could counter—
The Blood Demon appeared above her.
A crimson energy sphere formed in his palm.
"Blood Blast."
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion swallowed the Demon Queen.
The Blood Demon floated calmly through the smoke.
Then—
A massive black beam emerged from the smoke.
"Black Hell Beam!"
The Blood Demon crossed his arms.
BOOM!
The beam pushed him backward through the air.
His feet dragged against the ground.
He smiled.
Then he suddenly vanished.
The beam passed through empty space.
The Blood Demon appeared behind the Demon Queen.
BAM!
He punched her back.
She spun around and attacked.
The Blood Demon ducked.
Her fist passed over his head.
He grabbed her arm.
She countered with a kick.
He blocked.
She attacked again.
He dodged.
For several seconds, the two became nothing more than flashes moving across the battlefield.
BOOM!
BAM!
WHOOSH!
CRASH!
Their battle moved from the ground into the sky.
The Demon Queen fired multiple energy blasts.
The Blood Demon weaved between them.
One blast.
Two.
Three.
Four.
He suddenly thrust both hands forward.
"Blood Cannon!"
A massive crimson beam erupted.
The Demon Queen crossed her arms.
BOOOOOOM!
The blast swallowed her.
But when the smoke cleared—
She was still standing.
There were several cuts across her clothing and skin.
For the first time, the Demon Queen looked genuinely irritated.
"You…"
The Blood Demon laughed.
"Finally."
He pointed at her.
"I made you bleed."
The Demon Queen smiled.
"You're celebrating too early."
She climbed onto the back of the Black Hell Dragon.
The moment she sat upon it—
The wounds on her body began rapidly healing.
The Blood Demon stopped.
"…Oh?"
The cuts disappeared.
Her strength returned.
The Demon Queen smiled.
"As long as I remain upon the Hell of Black Dragon…"
She spread her arms.
"You cannot defeat me."
The Black Dragon roared.
The entire battlefield shook.
The Demon Queen's wounds continued disappearing.
The Blood Demon stared at her.
Then—
He laughed again.
"Now that's interesting."
He cracked his neck.
"Then I'll just have to destroy both of you."
The Demon Queen raised her hand.
"Try."
---
The next instant—
Both sides attacked.
The Demon Queen fired enormous black energy beams.
The Blood Demon answered with crimson beams.
The two energies collided in the sky.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion spread across the battlefield.
The Blood Demon came through the smoke.
He struck the Black Dragon's head.
BAM!
The dragon swung its tail.
He jumped over it.
The Demon Queen attacked from above.
He blocked.
She fired an energy blast directly at his chest.
He twisted aside.
The blast destroyed a mountain behind him.
He appeared beside her again.
BOOM!
Another punch.
The Demon Queen was thrown backward.
But—
Her injuries regenerated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The Blood Demon continued attacking.
Punches.
Kicks.
Energy blasts.
Beams.
Close-range combat.
Every attack pushed the Demon Queen back.
Yet every injury disappeared.
The longer the battle continued—
The stronger the Demon Queen seemed to become.
Then something strange happened.
The Blood Demon stopped.
His crimson aura flickered.
Flicker.
He looked at his hand.
"…Hm?"
The red energy around his fingers disappeared for half a second.
Then returned.
Flicker.
His crimson eye changed for a moment.
The strange pattern inside it vanished—
Then returned.
The Blood Demon stared at his hand.
"What…"
Another flicker.
His entire body briefly returned to Renge's normal appearance.
Then—
FWOOM!
The Blood Demon form returned.
The Demon Queen noticed.
Her smile slowly widened.
"Oh my…"
The Blood Demon looked toward her.
The Demon Queen laughed.
"So that's the problem."
She pointed toward him.
"Your time is running out."
The Blood Demon remained silent.
His tail moved behind him.
His crimson aura flickered again.
Flicker.
For a fraction of a second—
Renge's normal eye appeared.
Then the Blood Demon returned.
The Demon Queen smiled.
"You may have awakened…"
"But this body isn't yours."
The Blood Demon slowly raised his head.
A crazy smile returned to his face.
"Maybe."
His crimson aura exploded again.
"But before I disappear…"
He clenched his fist.
"…I'm going to have as much fun as possible."
The Demon Queen raised her hand.
The Black Hell Dragon opened its enormous mouth.
The Blood Demon lowered his stance.
Crimson energy gathered around his entire body.
Black energy gathered around the dragon.
The two sides stared at each other.
The battlefield became completely silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOM!
They launched themselves forward at exactly the same time.
And just before their attacks collided—
The Blood Demon's crimson form flickered once more.
Flicker.
To Be Continued…