Satou's mana was at 10%. His regeneration had slowed to a crawl. Wounds that should have closed in seconds were taking minutes. His berserker mode was still active, but even enhanced pain tolerance couldn't completely mask the agony of fighting with a body that was rapidly approaching its limits.

The Reaper, reading Satou's condition through his adapted battle sense, pressed the advantage. His attacks became more aggressive, more relentless. He wasn't giving Satou any time to recover, any moment to catch his breath.

A sword strike opened Satou's shoulder. A kick cracked three ribs. A palm strike, enhanced with divine energy, nearly stopped his heart.

Each wound healed, but slower. The drain on his mana accelerating with each injury.

5% mana remaining.

Satou knew he was approaching the end. One or two more exchanges, and he'd be completely dry. When that happened, his regeneration would stop entirely, and The Reaper would kill him.

But he couldn't give up. Not when Seraphine was watching. Not when Cassius believed in him. Not when fifty thousand civilians were depending on him to be the monster that could stop a legend.

Void Step into Shadow Step into Phase Step—Satou burned the last of his stamina reserves to chain mobility abilities, moving faster than The Reaper could track even with adapted reflexes. He appeared behind the hero, Void Fang raised for what might be his final strike.

The reality-cutting blade came down toward The Reaper's neck, aimed perfectly to sever his head. This was it—the killing blow. The strike that would end the strongest hero in the world.

Satou put everything into it. Every ounce of remaining strength. Every bit of willpower. Every desperate hope that this would be enough.

The blade descended—

And Satou's vision went black.

His mana hit 0%. His body, pushed beyond every reasonable limit, simply shut down. Consciousness fled. His enhanced willpower had kept him going longer than should have been possible, but even that had limits.

Void Fang fell from nerveless fingers as Satou collapsed forward, his body going completely limp mid-strike.

He fell flat on his face, unconscious before he hit the ground, his berserker mode deactivating as his body prioritized survival over combat.

The Reaper, who'd been preparing to block the incoming strike, blinked in surprise as his opponent simply... stopped. Fell over like a puppet with cut strings.

For a moment, he just stood there, processing what had happened.

Then he looked down at his own body—at the thirteen wounds from Void Fang that still refused to heal properly, at the burns from dragonfire that had actually damaged him, at the evidence that this three-month-old demon lord had pushed him harder than anyone had in a century.

"He ran out of energy," The Reaper said, his tone carrying something like respect. "Fought until his body literally couldn't continue. That's..." He paused, searching for the right word. "That's actually impressive. Most people give up long before reaching total exhaustion. He pushed himself to absolute zero."

In an instant two figures appeared between The Reaper and Satou's unconscious form.

Seraphine, her wings shredded but her eyes blazing with determination.

Cassius, his ribs broken but his stance unwavering.

They stood side by side, creating a barrier between The Reaper and their fallen lord. Their message was clear without words: If you want to get to Satou, you'll need to go through us.

The Reaper looked at them, at their battered bodies and defiant expressions, and something changed in his posture. The aggressive, berserker stance relaxed. The red aura faded. His body returned to normal, the dangerous combat mode deactivating.

When he spoke, his voice had returned to that casual, carefree tone he'd had at the very beginning.

"That was fun," he said, a genuine smile crossing his face. "Actually fun. Not just 'better than nothing' fun, but genuinely entertaining combat." He stretched, his movements lazy despite the wounds covering his body. "It would be a waste to kill you guys now. You've cured my boredom better than anyone has in decades."

He turned away, preparing to leave, then paused and looked back over his shoulder.

"I'm letting you go. All of you. Consider it thanks for the entertainment." His smile widened. "And honestly? I can't imagine how much stronger you'll become if you survived this. The next time we meet, you'll probably be even more interesting to fight. I'm already excited thinking about it."

Seraphine and Cassius stared in shock, trying to process what they were hearing.

"Wait," Cassius finally managed. "You were sent to kill us. The kingdom—"

"Yeah, they sent me to kill Seraphine and claim the Fallen Spires," The Reaper interrupted, waving dismissively. "But I don't really care about that. I'm not actually loyal to the kingdom. They're just the people who wake me up when they need someone dead. Whether I actually kill that person is entirely up to me."

He started walking away, his movements casual despite the blood dripping from multiple wounds. "And you guys gave me something I haven't had in two hundred years—a real fight. One where I actually had to try. Where I actually felt something other than boredom. That's worth way more than whatever the kingdom's paying me."

"But—" Seraphine started.

"Don't worry about your subordinates," The Reaper said, glancing back one more time. "I made sure not to kill them. They're all alive—beaten up pretty badly, but alive. I'm not actually cruel, you know. I just needed to fight someone who could handle me at full power."

He paused one final time, his expression becoming more serious.

"That demon lord of yours—Satou. He's special. I've never fought anyone who burned through their reserves so completely just to keep fighting. Most people preserve a little energy for escape. He used everything, down to the last drop, because he was more worried about protecting you than surviving himself."

The Reaper's smile returned. "Treasure him. Warriors like that are rare. And tell him, when he wakes up, that I'm looking forward to our rematch. Next time, I want him at full power, fully rested ."

Author Note :

The fight between Satou and Theereaper Lasted for 6 hours ,and this marks the end of this arc ,so what do you think about the arc ,what ratings will you give this current arc from the scale to 1-10 , and what do you think would have been better for this arc , you can be free to tell me what you think ,I will make sure to reply ,because Ur reviews and comments about this current arc will help me improve in my writings as a new author , arigatou (thank you ) and merry Xmas to everyone

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.