Neptune didn't dodge. No—he lowered himself along with his sword, aiming for another upward strike. Not at the creature's body, but at its fist.
One of Crownbreaker's abilities allowed the blade to grow stronger depending on the strength of its opponent. The Demon was a Soul Vessel above Neptune, but that didn't matter. His longsword grew stronger. He might just be able to cut through its skin and bone.
Or at least, that was what he hoped.
Neptune had been raised among soldiers. That meant they had trained him. He'd grown up with a blade in his hands, slowly developing his own fighting style. Without that, he wouldn't have survived this long.
He shifted his weight upward, channeling every drop of strength into the strike. The blade collided with the demon's fist, Crownbreaker sheared through skin and bone with brutal precision.
The monster's hand split in two. Green, boiling blood sprayed in all directions, splattering across Neptune's black leather jacket and searing his skin.
A wave of agony coursed through him.
"Arrrghhh!"
He screamed, stumbling backward, wiping the burning liquid from his face. The flesh beneath blistered and bubbled. His right shoulder flared with pain, his body begging him to collapse.
The Demon roared, outraged. Its jaw stretched unnaturally wide, a grotesque crack echoing as a stream of toxic green acid sprayed toward him.
Neptune dismissed Crownbreaker back into his Soul Vessel in the last moment, rolling sideways. If he had still carried the sword's weight, he'd have been far too slow.
"Way too close…" he muttered, breath ragged.
The Demon prepared to fire again, but Neptune was already moving. He summoned his blade mid-dash, driving the tip straight into its chest. The steel pierced its grotesque, pulsing heart.
The creature shrieked, stumbling before crashing to the ground. Neptune felt it—the familiar rush of Soul Fragments flooding into his Vessel. He yanked the blade free and leaned heavily against it, trembling, his chest heaving.
His skin sizzled where the blood had touched him. His right shoulder throbbed in agony. His whole body felt like it was burning from the inside out.
I wish I didn't have to move anymore… I wish I didn't have to fight anymore.
But rest wasn't an option. His charm flared again—more presences closing in.
Neptune coughed blood, tightening his grip on Crownbreaker. Out of the smoke, more demons emerged. Each one as tall and vile as the first—gray flesh veined with glowing green, oversized hands dripping poison.
"One… two… three…" he whispered. His voice cracked.
He was exhausted. So tired. Maybe he should just… stop? Was there even a point?
"I mean… everyone dies. Just at a different time… in a different place."
His thoughts spiraled. His will faltered. But something inside him, something deeper, kept him on his feet. An ember refusing to die.
The third Demon opened its maw, spraying venom. Neptune's body moved on instinct. He dashed aside, closing the distance in a blink. Crownbreaker slashed upward, severing the stream before it could reach him.
The second Demon lunged, its massive hand sweeping like a hammer. Neptune slid beneath the strike and carved into its arm, severing its hand cleanly. The creature shrieked, lunging with its other hand. But Neptune thrust forward before it could close around him, driving the blade into its palm.
Then—too late—he felt it.
A massive fist slammed into his back.
A fourth Demon.
His body snapped forward, flung like a ragdoll through the air. A scream tore from his throat as agony erupted along his spine. He crashed through the wooden fence of a burning house, the impact cracking his ribs.
His body and mind howled. His vision swam, darkening at the edges. Blood filled his mouth.
"I… can't… move…"
The world tilted, the flames dimming. His grip on Crownbreaker loosened. The sword clattered to the ground beside him.
And then, everything went black.
***
Neptune heard screams. Voices. And the guttural howls of Corrupted Creatures.
And then, he woke up again.
He slowly raised his head off the ground. It felt rock-hard beneath his cheek, cold and unyielding like solid concrete. The air was different here—thicker, heavier, almost suffocating. He coughed a few times before forcing himself into a sitting position.
The dim light made it impossible to see much, but what he did see froze his blood.
He was inside a cage. No… a prison. Obsidian-black iron bars surrounded him, slick with a faint unnatural sheen, and a metal door stood locked at the far end.
Neptune stumbled awkwardly to his feet, his boots scraping against the stone floor, and rushed toward the door. He grabbed the handle and twisted with all his strength—nothing. It didn't budge.
"H-Help! Hello?!" His voice cracked with panic as he slammed his fists against the bars. "Someone! Anyone!"
Silence. Only the faint echo of his own desperation.
The last thing he remembered was being hurled against a burning building, his bones breaking, his vision going black. How did he get here? Who brought him?
More importantly… why was he still alive?
Neptune's eyes narrowed as he took stock of his body. The searing pain from his wounds was gone. Even the shattered ache in his back had vanished. His flesh, once burned by demon blood, felt whole again.
Too whole.
He clenched his teeth and tried to summon Crownbreaker, but nothing happened. The familiar weight of the blade didn't materialize in his hands. A cold dread filled his stomach.
Closing his eyes, he reached inward, desperate to see his Soul Vessel.
And what he saw made him pale.
The white sphere that once pulsed with a calm turquoise glow was cracked, fractured like broken glass. Veins of glowing lime-green light spread through the cracks, pulsing unnaturally.
It wasn't just damaged. It was infected.
"N-No… no, no, no!!" Neptune's voice cracked as his knees buckled.
"That can't be happening! Why?!"
His Soul Vessel… was corrupting.
"Can you finally shut up?!" An angry female voice suddenly shouted from the corner of his cell.
Neptune jumped up. Since when was she there?
"Who-Who the hell are you?!" Neptune asked with fear and confusion.
The girl stood up from the ground. She was a bit shorter than Neptune, and from what else he could see, she had black hair too.
"Does that really matter right now." She answered and walked towards Neptune. "Fine, I'm Astariel."
"N-No don't come near me!!" Neptune walked backwards until he touched the iron bars.
She stopped a meter away from Neptune.
"Don't worry... I'm not gonna kill you... ." Astariel said with a strange smirk.
"Atleast not right now."