Alex's demonic rampage had escalated beyond anything Levi or Tobi had anticipated. Flames and beams of chaotic energy erupted from his mouth in rapid fire, each one aimed with terrifying intent at Bara. The air itself shook from the pressure of the attacks, while the ground cracked and trembled beneath the explosive impacts. Bara, unshaken, danced around the blasts with incredible speed, dodging each one with sharp movements that cut through the smoke. Bara was moving at lightning speeds as he was dodging and cutting through Alex's attacks.
Each collision of power between them caused shockwaves that shredded the terrain, reducing trees to splinters and carving deep scars into the earth. Levi and Tobi watched from a cliff's edge, the sky above them flashing with red and black energy.
Tobi turned, eyes wide. "How the hell are we supposed to stop this? I mean, i could stop it, but I'll get injured badly."
Levi remained calm, arms crossed. "He's lost control. That's not Alex anymore. That's what happens when someone gets power they can't handle—it strips away their will, their reason. Right now, he's nothing but destruction given form."
Tobi clenched his fists, eyes narrowing "Are you kidding me? It's a good thing he isn't rampaging in the city, otherwise everything would be gone in seconds."
On the battlefield, Bara wore a slight grin, his eyes glowing with excitement. He noticed something—despite the overwhelming power Alex was unleashing, he hadn't moved a step.
"He's rooted…" Bara muttered. "So much energy flowing through him, his body can't even handle motion. All the demon can do now is just stand in a place and just shoot powerful beams of energy."
Bara chuckled and shouted, "Come on, Alex! Let's take it up a notch!"
Charging up a swirling orb of energy in his palm, Bara launched himself forward at incredible speed. His fists met Alex's body in a flurry of strikes, each one producing eruptions that shook the forest and the land below. He delivered a devastating uppercut, launching Alex into the sky, only to follow him upward and slam him back down like a meteor.
The ground erupted into rubble as Bara raised a hand, gathering energy for a final blow. "Let's end this round!" he shouted.
He fired a massive blast wave downward, shaking the very sky as it crashed. The explosion consumed the area in light and smoke, annihilating everything within its radius.
But from within that smoke… came a growl.
Alex stood tall, his body covered in steam and smoke, unaffected. His skin cracked with red glowing lines. From his hand, a weapon emerged—a massive blade forged from thick, red demonic flames.
Bara's grin faltered "NOT GOOD!"
Alex vanished.
A slash tore through the air and flew at him at lightning fast speeds.
Bara strerched his arm in order to block the strike that was heading his way. He screamed in shock as the sheer heat of the blade burning straight through his robotic arm, disintegrating everything in its path "So much power....!", a grin popped on his face as he was getting obliterated. The destruction continued for a while leaving behind nothing but molten earth.
As the smoke cleared, Bara landed in the distance, laughing, half-crazed with part of his body burned. "Yes… Yes!! This is the power I wanted to test!!"
He didn't see Alex coming.
In a blink, Alex charged towards Bara, tore through the air and ripped Bara in half—only to reveal… gears, wires, and circuits. A decoy. It was a robotic clone.
The real Bara was never there.
Alex roared, a monstrous sound that shook the skies and split the clouds. The force of his cry generated a gust so powerful it uprooted what little forest remained.
Within his subconscious, Alex drifted—weightless—in a dark, cold void. Before him stood a massive demon, bound in chains, its body radiating black energy. It stared at Alex with glowing eyes, silent but hungry.
"Why can't I move…?" Alex muttered, his body weak. "Why… am I sleepy…?"
The demon growled and raised its massive arms, wrapping them around Alex like a cage.
—---
Far away, in the heart of the city, Kojin sat at his desk, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork. He sighed and muttered to himself "Jesus Christ. So much paper work in one day". The quiet was broken by a familiar, playful voice.
"You really are a hard worker, huh?"
Kojin froze. That voice… He stood from his chair, hands glowing with destructive energy waiting to burn something to ash.
"Ukina. What the hell are you doing here?"
Ukina sat lazily on his office couch, smiling. "Relax, I didn't come to fight. Just wanted to check on my old friend."
Kojin narrowed his eyes. "You're an international threat. The only reason I'm not vaporizing you is because of our past. Olivia is dead, she's no more."
"Jeez, cut me some slack. You haven't changed at all. Still mean and blunt as ever," she giggled.
"You're still a childish pain." Kojin replied with slight annoyance.
Ukina stood up, her smile fading just slightly. "I just wanted to remember what made me smile before I throw it all away. To be honest, seeing your face again brings so many good memories to mind."
As she turned to leave, her voice dropped. "Oh—and don't worry about Saito he doing perfectly well. But if I were you… I'd get ready for the storm he's bringing."
And then she vanished.
Kojin sighed, staring out the window as his expression grew stern.
—---
Back in the chaos, Alex had completely lost control. Beams and fireballs erupted from him, torching everything in sight. But then—chains burst out of the ground, wrapping around his limbs and neck, yanking him down.
Levi stood behind him, his hands moving swiftly through seals as he chanted an incantation. His palms glowed with magic circles.
"Tobi! Hold him down!"
Tobi rushed in like a bolt of lightning, his sword glowing with surging energy. He swung—CLANG—but it couldn't pierce Alex's burning body. "Huh? My sword can't go through? SHIT!"
Levi's voice boomed. "Release!"
A massive magic circle appeared beneath Alex, blasting a column of pure light upward. Alex screamed in agony, his demonic form writhing in pain as the light stripped him down to his true self.
When the light faded, Alex collapsed.
Levi caught him before he hit the ground, looking around at the carnage Alex had caused "Damn, if I hadn't learned that sealing technique when I was still a student under Kito, then I'd be tucked right now."
Tobi walked up, sword lowered. "Why didn't you let me fight him? I could've taken him."
Levi didn't look at him. "You could've kept up with him at Stage 4… but you would've been torn apart. This wasn't a fight. It was a massacre waiting to happen."
Tobi smirked a little. "Tch… You're no fun."
Levi shook his head. "You're a psychopath for a kid. You know that?."
Tobi just grinned.
END OF CHAPTER