What the heck just happened?

Did Fallen Nergal just save Leo?

By killing Fallen Camazotz?

Leo gasped softly, sweat beading along his brow as his grip on his katana tightened.

He looked up, eyes wide, seeing the monstrous Fallen Nergal towering above, every step making the ground shudder. Thick black chains dangled from Nergal's fist. With a slow, brutal motion, he yanked his spiked flail weapon free from the shattered earth, fragments of bone and stone flying in the air.

There he saw… Fallen Camazotz, his form slammed and broken into the ground, wings crumpled beneath him. His body was riddled with gaping holes, torn open by the savage spikes.

Black, viscous blood spilled from his wounds, pooling into the small crater. For a moment, Leo thought he was dead. He let out a shaky breath, feeling relief rise in his chest—until Camazotz's mutilated limbs twitched and shuddered, the punctures closing before his eyes.

A guttural groan tore from Camazotz's throat as his wounds began to knit shut, and he staggered upright. He fixed his glare on Fallen Nergal, voice low and shaking with rage,

"Oi? What the fuck was that for? Do you want to die?"

However, Fallen Nergal did not answer his question. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He stared past the monster—his gaze was locked on Leo, and Leo alone, a predator hunting its chosen prey.

Seeing Nergal's silence, his attention fixed elsewhere, Fallen Camazotz's lips twisted in disbelief.

"Have you lost your damn mind, Nergal? And what's with that giant's body, huh? Why do you look like some hell-titan? Oi! ANSWER ME, BASTARD!!" He bared his fangs, insulted... he could not accept being ignored by the one he considered his eternal slave.

Without warning, Camazotz's hands warped into glistening claws, talons as black as midnight. He launched at Fallen Nergal, howling, "KNOW YOUR PLACE, FUCKER!" The air cracked as he slashed at Nergal's chest, claws screeching against flesh.

But Nergal didn't flinch... he caught Camazotz in one massive hand, fingers closing like an iron cage around the Camazotz's torso, lifting him. Nergal's one visible eye glimmered with cold disinterest as he regarded the beast.

"Oi! Let me go, bastard!" Camazotz snarled, thrashing with all his might, but Nergal's grip only tightened.

His voice rumbled like distant thunder, "That's. My. Prey." Then, with godlike strength, he slammed Camazotz into the ground, the impact shaking the bones of the earth, sending a wave of force rolling outward.

Nergal's hand remained planted in the ground, holding Camazotz down, yet his remaining eye searched the battlefield, scanning for Leo. However… Leo was not there anymore. He had vanished, slipping away the instant their brawl.

Fallen Nergal's face contorted. He let out a guttural growl, shaking with fury, preparing to hunt Leo to the very ends of the world when—

"Fucking asshole!" Camazotz's voice shattered the tension. With a surge of monstrous power, he tore himself from the earth and exploded skyward, body shifting and warping into the full, dreadful form of a vampiric bat demon. Massive leathery wings unfurled, eyes burning red, as he roared, "YOU DIE!!" Camazotz hurled himself at Fallen Nerga.

Their fight erupted with a savage. Blows rained down like meteors. Nergal's spiked flail whirled through the air, carving arcs of destruction, while Camazotz darted and weaved, talons flashing, fangs snapping.

Meanwhile, Leo crouched at the corner of a building, peeking out.

"Damn," he muttered, "Fallen Nergal's a lot stronger than Fallen Camazotz… What the hell are these things?"

Just what's going on with this fight?

What's provoking him to turn on each other now?

Was this the chaos Essa's Master asked him about?

That when the Fallen Nergal are provoked, even friends become enemies?

Leo's eyes followed Nergal as he battered Camazotz like a bug, slamming him into dust, treating he were nothing more than filth.

The only reason Fallen Camazotz wasn't dead already was that monstrous healing factor. If not for that, Nergal's assault would have reduced him to scraps of flesh and bone.

But seriously, Leo gulped. They looked completely different than before… their attacks and power levels had increased exponentially after absorbing the mana stone's energy.

If they could become this strong with just a share of the mana stone, what about Fallen Pride, who took the entire stone for herself?

Seriously, this fight was about to become deadly.

He shook his head, already feeling sickened by the situation. Clenching his fist, he took one last look at the two monsters locked in brutal combat before turning and running toward the distant beam of blue light tearing through the sky.

He tried to contact the others through his walkie-talkie again, desperate for any response. This time, static crackled—then, finally, a voice broke through.

/Crack… Crack… Leo? Can you… Crack… Crack… hear me?/

Hearing Raphael's worried voice, Leo let out a relieved breath as he sprinted, raising the device to his mouth and replying, "I can hear you. Where are you? Did you see anyone else?"

/I… I don't know… we're just following… crack… crack… and Ophis is with me…/

Leo's relief doubled—Ophis was with Raphael. Thank goodness. As long as she was with her, Leo didn't have to worry about her safety.

"Following what?" Leo frowned.

/I'm following the ligh—/

CRRRRRRRCCCCCKKKKKKK!!!

Suddenly, a screeching noise blared behind, making Leo wince. He clamped his hand over his ear, spinning around to look back—and there, in the middle of the ruined road, stood the murderous Fallen Nergal, clutching his spiked flail weapon, his face contorted in raw fury.

"Fuck you, man…" Leo muttered with a dejected groan, tightening his grip on the sword. He inhaled, mana hissing between his teeth as energy surged through him.

Fallen Nergal thundered forward, each stomp shaking the earth, his massive weapon dragging sparks from the cracked concrete.

Leo gulped inwardly. Facing Nergal alone would be nearly impossible—but he had no choice. "Yeah? Come on, then!" he roared, slamming his foot down. The ground splintered beneath him as he launched himself at Nergal.

Fallen Nergal responded instantly, whipping his spiked weapon through the air, aiming to crush Leo where he stood.

Leo braced himself, both hands on the hilt as his blade clashed against the spiked flail.

BOOM!!

The impact roared out, a shockwave blasting debris in every direction. Leo nearly lost his footing, the force pushing him back, but his sword held firm.

This was the weapon he needed… something sturdy, something that felt right in his grip.

He noticed something strange stuck on the spikes, but ignored it.

With a burst of movement, Leo somersaulted high, twisting through the air. He landed atop Nergal's head, a feral cry escaping his lips

. "Arrhhh!" Leo drove his katana down, stabbing deep into the giant's skull. Fallen Nergal bellowed in pain, shaking his massive head, trying to dislodge Leo with powerful swipes of his huge hands.

Leo leapt again, flipping into the night. He landed hard, sliding across the battered ground, boots scraping, sword raised and gleaming in the moonlight. He wiped sweat from his brow and grinned,

"How is it?" Leo called out, smirking through the pain and adrenaline, "Feeling good now?"

Fallen Nergal shouted furiously, voice thundering through the city, before yanking back his spiked sphere as the chains rattled. Leo steadied himself for another attack, sweat trickling down his temple. This time, he decided—he'd cut off Nergal's leg, make him truly immobile, end this madness.

However—

Instead of Fallen Nergal's usual brutal charge, this time he began to swirl his weapon.

The chains rattled and screamed as the massive spiked sphere whirled around him, faster and faster, like he was some kind of monstrous martial artist.

Buildings nearby shuddered under the pressure, their windows exploding, concrete splintering as the weapon tore through the air with supernatural force. The ground trembled, cracks spiderwebbing outward as he increased the speed—when suddenly,

Sssshhhh~

A black, bloody, monstrous bat—Camazotz, still half-alive—finally peeled off the weapon and slammed into a nearby building window, shrieking, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, NERGAL—!" as he disappeared.

Just then, the enormous spiked sphere in Nergal's grip flickered and split—one became two, then three, four, five, six!

Fallen Nergal was now spinning six gigantic spiked spheres, each one attached to chains—wielded by six monstrous hands that split from his body like grotesque branches.

Leo stared in disbelief, horror racing down his spine.

What the hell was this thing?

What was wrong with him now?

Why did Nergal keep changing, growing stronger, mutating by the second?

Fuck this!

Leo roared, charging toward Fallen Nergal, deciding he couldn't give the monster any more time to finish whatever nightmare he was unleashing.

As Leo surged forward, the six weapons shot toward him, one after another, each spiked sphere whistling with deadly intent. Leo's vision sharpened, his mana flaring, time seeming to slow as the deadly barrage came at him.

"One!"

He dodged the first sphere as it slammed into the ground, pulverising everything it touched. Debris flew in all directions.

"Two!"

He leapt, somersaulting through the air, barely escaping as the second sphere roared past, brushing his boot.

"Three!"

He stabbed his sword into the ground, using the momentum to slide under the third attack, twisting at the last second to avoid being crushed.

"Four, Five!"

He rose up, swinging his sword to deflect the fourth sphere, knocking it just off course so it collided with the fifth, sending both spinning away with a shower of sparks and shattered stone.

"And… Six!!"

He dropped to his knees, sliding across the broken asphalt, his kneecaps scraping raw as the sixth weapon hurtled past, so close its spike grazed his nose—he could smell the reek of blood and rust. Using his knees like coiled springs, he vaulted up, landing atop the chain itself, sprinting along its length like a phantom.

Clang, clang!

The chain groaned under his weight. Fallen Nergal, eyes burning with hate, noticed at once and yanked the chain, trying to throw Leo off.

But as the yank surged toward him, Leo crouched, muscles tensed, and—

BOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted as the chain snapped taut, blasting Leo high into the air.

He whipped through the air, moving as fast as lightning, and in a split second landed on the ground—rolling once before kneeling on one leg, his katana dripping with black blood.

Leo finally exhaled, steady but deadly, his gaze murderous. Behind him… Fallen Nergal was motionless, just standing for a heartbeat—then his neck, or rather, half his neck, split open as his head tilted grotesquely to one side. Black blood spurted out like a volcanic fountain, and...

Fallen Nergal finally crashed to the earth!

THUD!

The ground trembled for a moment, then everything fell still.

Leo, still gasping, managed a soft, wild smile…

"Ha… hahah… Haha… It's freaking thrilling!!" Leo shouted, his face breaking into an almost manic grin. But then, pain surged up his body—"Ouch, ouch… My knees!" he screamed, looking down to see his pants torn and his flesh scraped raw, blood oozing from the bare skin.

"Shit! I should have brought knee pads!"

He muttered with a painful grimace before slowly pushing himself upright, glancing over his shoulder.

Fallen Nergal… truly fallen!

He sighed, "Three more to go," he murmured, a half-smile flickering across his lips as he stepped forward—

BA-DUMP!

A loud heartbeat echoed in his chest, pounding in both ears. Leo clutched his chest, stumbling as a crushing pain seized him...something inside was pushing out, straining, fighting to break free—

Beep-beep!

His wristwatch beeped, the digital display flashing: 12:00:00!

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