The wind howled through the wreckage of collapsed buildings. Shattered glass scraped under the gusts, mingling with rubble soaked by the relentless rain. Nothing in this city seemed willing to stop—not even the destruction itself.
Kael clung to the shadow of a cracked wall, trembling, unable to tear her eyes away from Seven.
She had seen him fight before. She knew his strength. But this… this was something else. An unstable presence, a contained rage so dense it seemed to swallow the light around him.
Seven advanced slowly, his sickles' chains twisting in the air, hissing like black serpents. Each movement precise, controlled… but beneath that mastery, something was cracking. His breath was uneven. His fingers trembled slightly.
His gray eyes stayed locked on Adonis.
Too dangerous…
If I continue here…
A crash echoed in the distance. A building, already weakened, gave way under the shockwaves from the previous clash. Screams pierced the streets. Figures ran, others froze, unable to comprehend. A car was crushed beneath falling debris; a body flung to the pavement, lifeless.
Seven's pupils flickered.
I have to leave… with Kael… now.
His gaze slid to her for a fraction of a second.
Then it shut.
…No.
The chains tightened around him.
If I let him go… he'll come back.
He raised his hand slightly.
The air vibrated.
An invisible pressure unfolded—silent yet oppressive. Reality seemed to fold upon itself around them. The noise of the city muted into a hushed void. A barrier had formed, isolating the battlefield from the rest of the world.
Seven exhaled slowly.
A dull ache pierced his chest.
It will cost me…
But it was already done.
Inside… those who hadn't fled in time were trapped.
Adonis scanned the area, then lifted his eyes to the invisible barrier. A slow smile spread across his lips.
"Interesting… you lock your own prey in?"
Seven didn't answer.
"Are you really an angel?" Adonis continued, amused. "Or do you just… not care about those you've condemned?"
Silence.
Seven gritted his teeth.
A cry behind him. Too close. A civilian trapped under a beam, reaching out. Eyes wide with desperation.
Seven looked away.
His chains writhed violently.
"You wanna play demon?" he muttered, low.
Adonis chuckled. "You're fast. But it won't be enough."
His foot struck the ground. Asphalt shattered with a deep rumble. Black spears shot out in every direction. Seven dodged, but a tip nicked his shoulder. The sting drew a grunt. Hot, real blood flowed. His vision wavered for the briefest instant.
He clenched his jaw.
His chains surged.
They wrapped around Adonis and slammed him into a wall with brutal force. The impact rattled the entire block. A shockwave swept the street. A façade collapsed. Debris tumbled… burying two figures before they could even scream.
Kael pressed her hand to her mouth, trembling.
Seven did not move.
His breath grew heavier.
But his eyes remained fixed.
"You think you can touch me?" he murmured.
Adonis spat black blood… then smiled.
"You're… strange."
His gaze sharpened.
"Not normal."
A shiver ran down Seven's spine.
Without another word, he vanished. A chain shot into the demon's back, the blade piercing his shoulder blade. Seven yanked hard, coiling the chains around Adonis's body. The impact echoed like thunder. The ground cracked beneath their feet.
Seven's breath hitched slightly.
His muscles burned.
Each move cost him more.
Adonis… laughed.
A low, unsteady laugh.
"Unpredictable…"
The battle resumed, fiercer than ever. Chains struck, blocked, shredded the air. The ground split beneath their exchanges. Each collision sent debris flying. An explosion hurled a body against a wall. Another was swept aside by a shockwave, crashing heavily.
Kael closed her eyes for a moment.
She could no longer ignore what was happening.
Seven continued.
Despite fatigue. Despite blood. Despite screams.
A weary smile tugged at his lips.
"Poor analysis…"
His voice low. Almost broken.
Then he reappeared before Adonis.
His hand seized the demon's face.
A suspended instant.
"SEVEN, STOP!" Kael screamed.
Seven's gaze flickered.
One second.
One single second.
Then something snapped.
He grabbed the demon's face and, with a sharp motion, drove two fingers straight into his eye sockets.
A fleeting, almost imperceptible heartbeat… a smile crept across Seven's lips—not human, not fully conscious, but warped, ecstatic. His blue eyes shimmered… then deepened to an abyssal lapis-lazuli. Within that gaze was a disturbing fascination, as if savoring the pain he inflicted. And just as quickly, it vanished. The smile faded. His pupils returned to their original hue. Silence, heavy and muted, filled his mind… but something had awakened within.
The scream ripped through the air. Black blood spattered the ground.
Kael stumbled back, panicked.
"We can leave! We can still leave!"
Seven slowly turned his head toward her. His eyes darkened.
"…Sorry."
His voice low. Distant.
"I can't stop now."
He flung Adonis to the ground with crushing force. Concrete shattered under the impact. Chains coiled around his limbs, pinning him to the fractured floor. Each snap echoed like a death sentence.
Seven stepped closer, breathing hard.
"Who sent you?"
Adonis spat blood. Then laughed.
Again.
"Now I understand…"
His smile widened.
"This aura… it's not human."
The chains tightened.
"Shut up."
Seven's voice cut like a blade.
Kael shivered.
Adonis raised his head slightly, despite his injuries.
"You think you've won…?"
Silence.
Then a breath.
"Look closely…"
Veins glowed red. His body trembled, then cracked.
"『 Adventum Inferni : Daemonis Gloria 』"
Pressure shifted abruptly. The air thickened, stifling.
Chains exploded.
Flesh tore. Black metal erupted. Horns pierced his skull. Dark flames poured from the cracks. Deformed limbs sprouted from his back.
Kael recoiled, terrified.
"Lord…"
Adonis rose slowly, monstrous.
"Look at me now…"
His voice resonated, warped.
"I am Adonis… Devourer of Saints."
The sky darkened further.
Seven raised his head.
His body screamed.
His breath shattered.
But his eyes…
Still glimmered.
A cold smile stretched across his lips.
"Finally…"
Chains rose slowly around him.
"Show me how far you can endure."
And in that oppressive silence…
The true battle had only just begun.