As soon as Alex transformed into a demon, a massive black aura surged around him, forming a dark, jagged armor across his body. Horns sprouted from his head, and wings of shadow burst from his back, he had turned into a full demon. The very ground trembled under the weight of his power.
Bara's eyes widened. "The fifth stage... he's already reached it," he muttered in awe. Then, louder, he called out, "Alex! Show me everything you've got!"
Without hesitation, Alex vanished and appeared in front of Bara in a blur, speed-blitzing him and grabbing his face. While in this monstrous state, Alex growled "We're not fighting here.!". He proceeded to let out a large roar of anger as he proceeded to throw Bara out of the city and across a couple of mountains.
Bara's body tore through rock and trees as Alex pursued him, launching thick red fireballs in rapid succession. Explosions thundered in the distance as each blast shattered mountains and scorched forests. Alex was relentless, flying at impossible speeds, his fireballs raining down like a storm.
Bara struggled to maintain balance as he soared through the chaos, dodging the deadly fireballs with every ounce of speed he had. "If I slip up even once… I'm dead", he realized, sweat and blood mixing on his face.
The two clashed midair, tearing through the sky like comets as they were going blow for blow and causing powerfu explosions of energy that scorched the land, forests, and mountains below. Lava arms erupted from the ground at dangerous speeds, clawing toward Bara relentlessly, who twisted and weaved through them, firing beams to counter the relentless barrage.
Alex's arms morphed into jagged blades that slashed through mountains and forests with ease. Bara could do nothing but dodge as his surroundings crumbled with powerful and chaotic explosions with every strike. Every strike, fire ball, and beam of energy Alex fired, was just nothing but cataclysmic. The shockwaves cracking the earth and painting the sky in flames.
Just flying past the valleys, both Bara and Alex were leaving behind destruction.
Inside his mind while dodging for his life, Bara was panicking, although he had a smirk of excitement. "Wow... I really screwed up. One wrong move, and I'm finished. I can barely dodge his attacks for much longer—I don't even have time to retaliate. This is the power of a demon? It's deadly. Even his long-range blasts are faster than I am... I need that power."
He accelerated, dodging with even greater agility. But then—a giant lava arm burst from the ground, burnt everything around it just by fly upwards, snatched Bara, slamming him across the forest, then tossing him into the sky.
Bara coughed blood midair as his body was sizzling.
Alex appeared above Bara and grabbed his face again, flying straight to the ground, dragging him across the earth before launching him upward and blasting him with a fiery beam. Bara's body jerked from the impact—his mechanical armor cracked and failed to regenerate. "I CANT REGENRATE?", he asked himself with shock.
Before he could process the damage, Alex flew toward him, arm shifting into a massive hammer. He began slamming Bara through the sky, each hit sending shockwaves through the atmosphere.
Desperate, Bara charged a laser beam and fired.
Alex didn't dodge. He screamed.
A monstrous roar ripped through the sky, the sheer force obliterating the forest below. Bara's eyes widened in disbelief as he was flung back into the charred remains of what used to be a forest. He crashed towards the ground with an insane explosion of dust and debris all over the place.
As he struggled to stand, Alex landed with a crash that shook the earth. Flames circled him like a tornado, he roared again, louder and more chaotic than before.
"You've destroyed mountains with every attack..." Bara muttered, staring up at him with a smirk. "You speed-blitzed me like I was nothing... If this is only the fifth stage of your demonic power, then your full potential could wipe out the entire world. No wonder Ukina feared you."
He clenched his fists.
"This is a devastating power—one that should be locked away in hell. Tell me, Alex... how does it feel to wield such power? I need it. I want it!"
Alex roared again, and his aura surged, the black armor around him beginning to melt into thick, wild flames. He was losing control.
Meanwhile, in the city—
A chilling shiver passed through the people. Mori stood still and began to analyse the situation.
"That feeling just now... it was Alex," he said. "He possesses a unique power called demonic energy—a power only he has."
Sukuna, clearly confused, asked, "What the heck are you talking about? We know he came back stronger, and that new form he's using is powerful—but what is this demonic power thing?"
Serena chimed in, her voice serious. "It makes sense that Alex is behind this overwhelming pressure. Think back—three years ago, in the Forest of Death, and again when he fought Mori. That same aura appeared. And now, fighting a B-rank threat like Bara, it's returned... Something triggered him."
She paused. "If he kills Bara in this state, there's no telling what else he might destroy."
Son added, "So right now, Alex is stronger than most of us… and he's going berserk. My dad always warned me about Alex's power, but I never imagined it was this insane."
He looked around. "Wait—where's Raquel?"
Mori's face fell. "She went to help Alex. And now she's half-dead. That's what pushed him over the edge."
Back at the battlefield—
Alex, now in a frenzy, continued his relentless assault. His fireballs exploded, tearing through the sky and earth alike. His armor had fully transformed into a body of pure flame. He roared like a beast as his sixth demonic stage awakened.
Bara coughed blood again, staggering with steam and burns all over his body.
"Oh come on... You've already beaten me into the dirt. Your body is turning into fire now?!"
He tried to laugh, but it came out hoarse.
"You've entered the sixth demonic state... Just a guess, but... each stage seems to multiply your power. No, im wrong. If it multiplied your power, you'd be the closest thing to an S-rank or at least, a high A-rank. You demonic power amps you up about a few hundred times in every category. Although, logically, your fifth stage seems to make you fourth to even sixty times your original base. You really are dangerous.". Alex in this deranged state was just walking towards Bara, his demonic form was overwhelming, and his flames of hell were unrelenting.
Inside Alex's Mind—
A dark void stretched around him, endless and cold with a pool of blood all over the place.
Blood fell from his eyes like tears. He looked down at his hands, trembling.
"What the hell just happened...? Why am I so weak?" he muttered. "I let my friend die right infront of me. I desire strength… but all I do is mess up. What the hell am I even doing?"
From the darkness, a massive demonic figure emerged, cloaked in pure malevolence, chained within a giant cage. Its eyes glowed like dying stars.
The demon growled.
"You seem to be in a bind," it said, voice smooth and tempting. "Why don't I help you?"
It stretched out its hand through the bars.
"Pour out your rage to your hearts content. Let me take over."
Alex hesitated, his hand slowly reaching out "What does it matter? Everything would just turn back to the way it was eventually.", he muttered to himself —until someone grabbed his wrist.
He turned in confusion.
A man stood beside him, slim white armor and a flowing purple cape, his purple hair glimmering softly in the dark.
Alex stared, confused. "Who... who are you?"
The man smiled gently. "I'm Kazuma."
He placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"But if you want... you can call me Dad."
—END OF CHAPTER—