Ishiki stood in the demon's path, he held the bladeless hilt in his trembling hands that couldn't decide between fury and grief.

Kaori's possessed body came to halt and her expressions twisted into annoyance as she looked at Ishiki. Blood trickled down her nose and ears because of the damage to the brain.

Filch who reached a little late took in the scene and his jaw tightened. He looked at the side and said quietly. "I am going to find Nina... She must be hiding at the place where I told her to."

Yuki nodded and saw as Filch's figure turned around and disappeared unto the ruins.

"You're not taking another step," Ishiki said, raising the invisible blade. "I don't care what you need. Nor do I care about your 'Great Lord.' You're not using her body for this."

The demon's expression shifted through various features.

Finally she stopped at a look of shock and disgust. "Get out of my way... I will do as I please. This flesh is mine now."

Ishiki's mouth opened and closed. He didn't have any words to say... he lowered his sword and wiped his tears with his forearm.

Outside the periphery of the Inner ring... myriad of players who were hidden had come out and looked at the fallen obsidian gate in awe and dread. Even those who were living on the other side of the wall had mobilized and were slowly reaching to the Inner ring.

All of them slowly entered through the space that the dragon had made and looked around... witnessing the Inner ring in the cold light of the moon.

It was magnificent.

It was terrifying as well.

Within the darkness ahead... the dragon marveled at the pristine avenues of the Inner Ring as he walked towards the castle situated at the center.

It was impossible for anyone looking for the castle to get lost because of the statue soaring high into the sky which was visible even from the outer ring. It was the statue of the said Angel.

As the group of survivors gathered around to where Ishiki, Yuki and Kaori stood.... the demon took the moment of distraction and lunged forward.

It had a basic grasp of how the abilities of this body worked and he had been moving his hands and legs from the moment they stopped.

Having stored enough Kinetic energy it burst it all through Kaori's legs and slipped past Ishiki's guard, breaking into a furious run towards the dragons location.

"KAORI, STOP!" Ishiki spun and gave chase.

The demon spent almost 80% of the body he had stored and strode faster than Ishiki.

The dragon had already broken two of its three seals and gotten back half of its original strength. If he successfully broke the thirst seal as well it would become impossible for 'Her' to get the orb.

Of course, it was actually a flawed reasoning for 'Her' actions. But it couldn't be helped... it was the corruption that 'She' had been suffering from an eternity.

This action was also influenced by 'Her' desire to once again see their Lord in his full glory.

Kaori's body reached the dragon within seconds.

The dragon stood almost fifty meters ahead with his back towards the demon. He was studying the golden gates of the Golden castle that stood in front of him like his final destination.

His two subordinates flanked him—the broad-shouldered dark-skinned man and the blonde youth with a vicious scar down his face.

A grin appeared on Kaori's face and all rational thoughts were consumed by the demons corruption.

But before she could reach the demon... The blonde youth noticed her, turning sharply.

And then he suddenly appeared from the darkness besides her with his sword moving down. "Where do you think you are going, sweetie?"

Ishiki appeared like a ghost, materializing from near-invisibility as [Ghost Blade] deactivated. His foot caught the blonde youth square in the chest with a kick.

The impact sent the youth flying backward.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Ishiki snarled, standing protectively between the youth and the demon's fleeing form.

The blonde youth slid his hair back, eyes blazing. "You little shit—" He launched himself forward with his sword.

The dark-skinned man moved to assist as well. "Boss said we don't need interruptions."

He only took three steps forward before his eyes widened and he jumped back barely avoiding the lance of ice.

Ishiki dodged the blonde youth's swing, countered with a wild swing that the youth barely avoided. The youth was weary of the hilt that Ishiki was swinging rather than normal people who took is lightly.

He knew it wasn't normal.

In the chaos of combat—of Yuki desperately holding back the steel-bodied man, of Ishiki trading blows with the blonde youth—the demon slipped past.

Kaori's body crossed the remaining distance to the dragon, who still hadn't turned around. The demon poured every remaining scrap of kinetic energy into one final burst.

It let it all go at once.

Kaori's body launched forward like a missile, covering twenty meters in under a second, fist drawn back...

The demon drove Kaori's fist into the dragon's back with everything.

The hand shattered on impact.

Every bone inside her hand broke at contact... as if the bones were made up of glass and the dragon's back was made up of metal.

The dragon didn't even flinch.

He stood perfectly still and utterly unmoved. Then slowly he turned his head and looked at the possessed corpse with cold disgust.

"Pathetic."

Kaori's body collapsed to its knees, broken hand hanging limp. The demon stared at the shattered limb with dawning horror.

'This body... Its weaker than I imagined... its like a normal human body! But how? How can an awakened body be so weak?'

The dragon raised one hand, and everyone who was fighting stopped and looked at them.

"You've annoyed me again and again. And now you even desecrated what I specifically chose to preserve."

His hand shot forward with impossible speed and his taloned fingers phased through Kaori's chest as if flesh were mist.

Golden light erupted from his palm, flooding into Kaori's chest cavity and illuminating her from within.

The demon's spiritual form was torn from the corpse. It was violently extracted and forcibly given temporary physical form.

It turned into a naked female body made up of crimson mist. It had long serpentine hair and very sharp and cunning eyes.

"Your 'Great Lord' isn't watching," the dragon said softly. "And even if they were, they wouldn't be able to save you."

Then he opened his mouth and consumed the demon whole.

The dragon's jaw unhinged slightly, golden light building in his throat, and he inhaled the demon's essence directly into himself. The form stretched and distorted, screaming in frequencies that made players clutch their heads in pain.

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