Namaah's claws tore toward El. He raised his sword to block, but the sheer force sent him flying at breaking speed.
El vanished mid-flight.
Using instant transmission and carrying his momentum forward, he reappeared beside Namaah and unleashed his strike.
Sun Breathing, Third Form: Raging Sun.
Multiple blazing slashes tore across Namaah's body. A few cuts drew blood—but only a few. Through his X-ray vision, El could already see the damage wasn't enough for the curse to spread faster.
Namaah coated his hand in jagged ice and swung toward El—but shadowy hands burst from the ground, binding his arm mid-motion.
Behind her, Nacht emerged in Devil Union: Equus × Gallus, his defensive form radiating oppressive pressure as he attempted to suppress Namaah's mind.
"Can you buy me half a minute?" El asked, lunging forward.
Sun Breathing, Sixth Form: Sunflower Thrust.
The strike aimed straight for Namaah's heart—but he twisted aside at the last moment. The blade tore into his shoulder instead, blasting a deep wound into his body.
"Only if you can kill this monstrosity," Nacht replied, taking a brutal hit that forced him five steps back.
"I will," El said—and vanished.
Namaah sneered. "You're no fun. Where did that human run off to—"
A sword burst through his back and emerged from his stomach, staggering him forward.
"You worthless trash." Namaah growled, grabbing the blade, but the moment he touched it, his strength drained unnaturally.
"Ahhh—!"
The demon detonated a blast of ice and fire inside the wound, blasting the sword away—but his eyes narrowed as he realized the injury wasn't regenerating fast enough. The earlier wound El had left was already half-healed. This one wasn't.
"So the mana-less piece of trash is more dangerous than these ants?" Namaah roared.
Above the arena, a city-sized sphere of pure mana formed and dropped instantly.
Everything vanished beneath its descent.
At the last moment, Nacht pulled Noelle and Asta into the shadows, reappearing far from the impact zone as the explosion erased the battlefield behind them.
Before the dust could settle, Namaah reappeared.
The Demon kicked Asta in the stomach. A pillar of fire erupted from his back, blasting a hole into his stomach and sending him flying.
A massive water dragon lunged at Namaah—but froze midair, alongside Nacht, who had rushed in to shield Noelle.
Noelle hurled a water lance but Namaah crushed it with brute force and seized Noelle by the mouth, lifting her off the ground effortlessly.
Noelle struggled, gathering mana for one final attack—but then her Valkyrie armor dissolved.
The card's time limit had ended.
Her strength faded instantly as Namaah tightened his grip over her mouth.
"You ants should not fight battles that were never yours." Namaah sneered. "Now go and die the slow, agonizing deaths you deserve."
What followed was a gruesome sight.
From Noelle's body, jagged ice spikes erupted outward, mixed with blood and shattered flesh. As if she were nothing more than debris, Namaah hurled her far into the distance.
Nacht tore himself free from the ice, but he was too late.
He emerged from Namaah's shadow but As if he had been waiting for him, he swung both arms, encased in razor-sharp ice and searing fire.
The blow cleaved straight through his shadow armor, carving a wide gash across his chest, broken ribs exposed beneath torn flesh.
Namaah seized his head with both hands and began pouring mana into it—freezing and burning him simultaneously.
Nacht screamed, struggling to pull away, but his shadows were forced back, burned away by Namaah's flames.
"I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Namaah laughed ecstatically, still sensing the growing mana signature in the distance but not caring.
Then Asta appeared from Natch's shadow.
Fully healed. Sword held upright in his half demonic form his eyes focused, completely in control.
The blade passed cleanly through the mana-infused limbs and layers of ice and fire, as if there were no resistance at all.
In a single motion, Asta severed both of Namaah's arms holding Natch. Nacht collapsed to the ground, sinking into his own shadow.
"You trash—how are you…?" Namaah shouted, disbelief twisting his face. He couldn't comprehend how Asta had recovered from the life-threatening wounds he had inflicted.
Asta didn't answer.
He swung again.
Namaah dodged—but the blade extended beyond its normal reach, piercing straight through her head and slicing away half her forehead.
"You should have gone for my heart." Namaah spat, staggering. "Die properly this time, you trash—"
The massive mana signature vanished in the distance and reappeared directly in front of him.
El stood with his sword drawn back. His feet were planted wide, knees bent, shoulders squared. One hand steadied the blade, aligned perfectly with his eyes, his entire body coiled like a loaded spear aiming at the demon's heart.
At the tip of El's sword, a white orb of energy burned—blinding, violent, unbearably hot. Larger than what was used against Lilith. Denser. Deadlier. The heat scorched his own skin just to contain it.
"Sun Breathing, Fourteenth Form: Cruel Sun Thrust."
Taking in the demon's mocking gaze, El drew in every ounce of heat his breathing could manifest. El poured everything into Murasame—mana, stamina, will.
The blade shone brighter than ever.
El had needed at least half a minute to prepare this attack. Now, it was more than five times stronger than the strike he had used against Lilith.
Using Instant Transmission, El closed the distance in a single step.
And drove the Sun Breathing Fourteenth Form—Cruel Sun Thrust—straight through Namaah's heart, just as he had done to Lilith.
A miniature sun, no larger than a basketball, materialized at the tip of Murasame. Even the S-Rank treasure murasame began to melt under its heat.
The condensed sphere of pure energy slammed into the demon's chest—right where the heart lay and an explosion followed.
A cloud bloomed like a small atomic blast, the shockwave hurling both El and Asta hundreds of meters away. They skidded across the ground but stabilized their footing.
El could still sense Nacht's unconscious presence far in the distance. Noelle, too—her life fading, for reasons unknown she still hadn't consumed the Senzu bean.
But the battle here mattered more.
"Damn it… even this wasn't enough." El muttered, glancing at his remaining mana—barely five percent.
Only half of Namaah's head and heart remained. A radiant star supplied mana beside the heart, while her obliterated body desperately regenerated—only to be torn apart again by black runes and Sun fire.
"Asta, follow me." El said.
He appeared before Namaah once more and drove Murasame straight through what remained of the demon's heart. The red blade burned hotter and hotter as black runes spread across the heart—only to be incinerated by absolute demonic fire.
"Don't kill me human, i will form a binding contract with you... ahhhhh..." But El didn't hesitate.
Asta followed through, driving his blade into what remained of the demon's heart.
Sensing the clash of wills he could no longer win, Namaah made a final, desperate attempt to cause mutual destruction. A column of fire erupted beneath their feet, scorching flesh and bones alike.
El reacted instantly. He forced the pierced heart down, nailing it to the ground alongside Asta's blade, then kicked Asta clear of the flames. In the same motion, he vanished using Instant Transmission, leaving the curse and Anti-Magic to finish their work.
El reappeared at a distance where Noelle had collapsed.
A massive, gaping wound tore through her abdomen and throat. Ice spikes protruded from her body—dozens of them—one forcing its way from her mouth. Her hand was clenched tightly around the Senzu bean, but she lacked the strength to consume it.
"I see… you'll become a capable mage, just like your mother." El said quietly.
Her unfocused eyes sharpened for a moment before dimming again.
El didn't hesitate. He took the Senzu bean from her failing grip and crushed it between his teeth. He hiked her body higher onto his lap and captured her lips with his. The "Breath of the Sun" surged through her, melting the ice in her throat and chest instantly.
Inside her mind, the frozen darkness shattered. His tongue guided the warmth deep into her throat, melting the jagged ice. Her wounds healed at a pace visible to the eye. Subconsciously, she moved her tongue to meet his like an amateur, but El remained professional, controlling himself and letting the "Breath of the Sun" and the Senzu bean do their work.
"You're healed." El said, his voice low as he pulled away. A thin trail of saliva lingered between them.
Noelle looked down at her unscarred skin, then back at his lips. Her face burned with a deep flush.
"You're safe now," he said and retrieved a robe from his subspace ring. As he held it out, Noelle felt his gaze lingering on the patches of snow-white skin exposed at her waist and chest.
Under the weight of his stare, she felt dangerously exposed, her skin tingling as if he were touching her without laying a finger on her. (Noelle's own delusion)
As he draped the heavy fabric over her shoulders, his knuckles brushed against her bare collarbone. The brief contact sent a jolt through her, and she instinctively pulled the robe tight against her chest, her heart hammering against her ribs as she struggled to meet his eyes.
***
Author Note : Hu… Hu… Hu… I know I'm not very good at designing fight scenes—or intimate scenes even more so—so please bear with me. As always, feel free to leave your valuable thoughts in the comments. They really help me improve!