Nyzzor's shoulders hunched sharply as his posture dipped lower for half a second. Tendons bulged across his neck while his claws flexed open and shut beneath the blackened skin of his arms. His jagged teeth peeled into a distorted grin.
Then he hurled himself forward violently.
The tendrils erupting from his back snapped through the air like living spears while his claws carved deep pressure trails across the ruined street. Broken asphalt exploded upward behind every movement as he tore toward Tempestia without slowing down.
She moved calmly.
One half-step backward.
A sharp pivot across loose rubble.
A smooth slide around a collapsing section of pavement.
Every movement stayed controlled and efficient. Nyzzor's claws missed her face by inches before smashing through abandoned vehicles behind her instead. One tendril slammed against the warped space surrounding her body and instantly disintegrated into black fragments that scattered across the ground.
Tempestia leaned sideways underneath another strike while keeping her breathing steady.
The displaced air still brushed against her cheek hard enough to push strands of hair across her face.
"These attacks are not half bad," she muttered quietly.
Her boots scraped across the broken street as she repositioned herself again.
"But I am more concerned about their leader."
Her eyes flicked toward Megalodon for the briefest moment.
The Demon King remained floating above the battlefield with all four arms crossed calmly over his chest.
He didn't bother with a reaction and he didn't seem concerned either, not even interested.
"He is not impressed at all…" she realized.
Nyzzor let out a distorted snarl as frustration overtook him. His claws slammed downward again, obliterating the section of street Tempestia had occupied a second earlier. Chunks of concrete burst upward while nearby wrecked cars flipped onto their sides from the force.
"Why can I not hit you?!" he screamed.
Before he could attack again, the air directly in front of him darkened abruptly.
Moon-Light appeared.
Black and silver energy rolled violently off his body while opposing auras twisted together around his arms and shoulders. Nyzzor's shifting face froze in shock the instant Moon-Light stepped into range.
Moon-Light rotated his torso sharply and raised one leg.
Then everything slowed.
His body blurred forward.
The first kick slammed into Nyzzor's ribs hard enough to cave part of his chest inward.
The second strike twisted his knee backward with a violent crack.
The third hit snapped across the side of his skull and sent black blood spraying sideways through the air.
Moon-Light pivoted mid-motion and drove another kick upward into the demon's shoulder socket. Bone split apart underneath the impact while the entire arm folded inward unnaturally against Nyzzor's chest.
Black blood and broken fragments of armor hung suspended around them for one impossible second.
Then time resumed normally.
Nyzzor screamed.
His body launched backward through the ruined avenue before crashing directly into the damaged monorail station overhead. Concrete exploded outward around him while twisted steel rails collapsed from their supports. His skull smashed against one of the support pillars hard enough to leave a massive dent in the reinforced structure.
One side of his shoulder burst apart against the wall in a spray of dark blood.
Moon-Light landed lightly across the shattered pavement below. Dust rolled around his boots as he straightened up casually and slid both hands into his pockets.
He exhaled slowly through his nose before glancing toward Tempestia over his shoulder.
"Tempestia," he called out calmly, "I think I will handle these two for now."
His eyes drifted across the burning city surrounding them. Collapsed towers. Destroyed streets. Fires spreading through shattered districts.
"You should focus on figuring out how we are supposed to survive against their boss."
He scratched the side of his head while looking at the destruction around them.
"And honestly…"
He pointed toward a completely collapsed office block nearby.
"The taxpayers are absolutely going to hate us after this."
A tired sigh escaped him.
"We are never hearing the end of this mess. My salary is probably dead already because we showed up two seconds late."
Tempestia stared at him for a second.
Then the rubble nearby shifted violently.
A deep growl rumbled upward from underneath the collapsed tower where Molvok had crashed earlier. Massive slabs of concrete cracked apart and slid away as something underneath forced itself upright.
Molten light poured through the debris.
Molvok emerged slowly from the wreckage.
Large sections of his damaged armor broke apart and crashed to the ground around him. The exposed core glowing inside his chest pulsed violently with heat, each beat sending another wave of burning air rolling across the battlefield.
He straightened up fully.
Then threw his head back and roared.
The sound shook nearby buildings hard enough to crack already weakened glass. Loose steel beams groaned overhead while portions of damaged streets trembled underneath the pressure.
Then his body began changing.
Two massive horns forced their way through his skull with sickening cracks. Bone split apart around the growths while boiling blood evaporated before it could even drip down his face. Heat distortion warped the air surrounding him so intensely that nearby structures started softening under the temperature alone. Glass windows melted downward in thick streams while concrete edges sagged apart.
Tempestia immediately pointed toward the transforming demon.
"I swear," she said while looking toward Moon-Light, "you focus on the dumbest things at the worst possible moments." she sighed.
Her expression hardened.
"He is transforming."
Molvok staggered forward through the smoke, one massive hand clutching the side of his ruined face. His chest rose unevenly while molten light pulsed brighter through the cracks spreading across his body.
"I…"
He dragged another breath inward painfully.
"AM…"
The ground beneath his feet started melting again.
"GOING…"
Lava dripped steadily from his claws.
"ALL OUT!"
His broken mouth stretched wider as rage twisted across his damaged face. Saliva mixed with dark blood spilled between shattered teeth while his voice rose into another furious roar.
"YOU BITCH!"
His fists clenched so hard the remaining armor around his fingers split apart.
"THAT HURT!"
Heat swelled beneath the demon's skin until his posture started to distort under the pressure.
His shoulders jerked once.
Then the wave burst outward from his body hard enough to shove loose debris across the ruined street.
"IT REALLY… REALLY HURT!"