Nyx stood before Raithasu, his body engulfed in flames and his eyes filled with hatred. Raithasu stood facing him, visibly weakened by the previous battle, yet still capable of fighting.
Nyx glared at him. "This time, I'll make sure you don't survive, Kairon. I won't let you walk away alive again."
He then turned toward Auren.
"Auren, stay out of this fight. This duel is between me and him. We've played around with him long enough."
Auren's expression darkened. "Nyx, we can only defeat him through teamwork. He isn't human. He's a monster."
"I'll handle him myself," Nyx replied coldly. "And if I lose, then you can deal with him."
Raithasu slowly began walking toward Nyx, his expression calm despite his injuries.
"Come on," he said. "Let's see what you've got."
"Don't underestimate me, you fool!" Nyx roared.
Without another word, Nyx charged toward Raithasu. At the same moment, Raithasu sprinted straight at him from the opposite direction.
Auren moved to intervene, hoping to protect Nyx, but before he could reach them, Raithasu had already slipped behind Nyx.
His hand transformed into blazing fire.
BOOM!
Raithasu drove his flaming fist straight through Nyx's back. A massive hole tore through Nyx's abdomen as the force of the attack sent shockwaves through the cave.
But Raithasu wasn't finished.
He twisted his body in midair and delivered a powerful kick to Auren's neck.
CRACK!
Auren was hurled away, crashing to the ground. His body went limp as he lost consciousness.
"That's enough. It's over," Raithasu muttered.
He began pulling his hand out of Nyx's abdomen.
But suddenly—
SHHHHHK!
A stream of scorching, high-speed slime burst from Nyx's body and struck Raithasu, flinging him across the cave. The sticky substance wrapped around him, trapping him like a fly caught in a spider's web.
Raithasu struggled, but the more he moved, the tighter the slime held him.
Meanwhile, Nyx's destroyed abdomen began regenerating. Slime flowed into the enormous hole, gradually restoring his body until the wound disappeared completely.
Nyx looked at Raithasu with a cruel smile.
"You thought defeating us would be that easy? We're among Vesper's finest invasion units. What made you think we'd go down so easily?"
Raithasu narrowed his eyes. His hands ignited, transforming into blazing flames. He directed the fire toward the slime, attempting to melt the substance holding him captive.
FSSSSHHH!
The slime began to melt, and Raithasu finally broke free.
Without wasting another second, he charged toward Nyx.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Raithasu unleashed a relentless barrage of flaming punches. Nyx dodged the incoming blows, slipping away from each strike with fluid movements.
But something was wrong.
Raithasu's attacks passed straight through Nyx's body. His fists pierced the slime-like form, yet none of the punches inflicted any lasting damage.
No matter how many times Raithasu struck him, Nyx simply regenerated.
"What's wrong?" Nyx taunted. "Is that all you've got?"
Raithasu clenched his fists.
His flames intensified.
He channelled more power into his arms, pushing his fire punches to a higher level. With a furious roar, he drove a devastating punch straight into Nyx's face.
BOOOOM!
The impact blasted through Nyx's head, scattering slime in every direction.
Yet even that wasn't enough.
Nyx's body began recovering almost immediately. Before Raithasu could launch another attack, Nyx's arm liquefied, transforming into a thick stream of slime that wrapped around Raithasu's arm.
"Got you!"
Nyx yanked him violently and hurled him across the cave.
CRASH!
Raithasu slammed into the distant wall, sending fragments of stone raining to the ground.
For a moment, he remained still.
Then he slowly pushed himself upright.
He wasn't the kind of man who gave up after taking a few hits.
Raithasu charged again.
Nyx raised his arms, launching a volley of liquid arrows toward him.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The projectiles tore through the air.
Raithasu dodged them one after another, weaving between the attacks with incredible speed. Before Nyx could react, Raithasu had already closed the distance between them.
Nyx's eyes widened.
"How—?!"
Raithasu seized him with both hands and slammed him violently into the ground.
KRAAAASH!
The impact shook the cave floor.
Dust billowed into the air as cracks spread beneath Nyx's body.
But this time, something was different.
Raithasu's hands hadn't passed through Nyx.
He had grabbed him.
He had made physical contact.
Raithasu stared down at the creature beneath him, his expression growing serious.
Had he finally discovered Nyx's weakness?