Umi's laughter echoed out.
"My apologies… I've just been a bit sad lately…"
He raised a hand to cover his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Seeing you… I find it quite amusing."
Waffle froze at those words.
He clenched his teeth, producing grinding sounds like metal scraping against metal.
"Insignificant human!"
He raised his hand—ending in three sharp claws—and hunched his body.
Waffle tightened his grip.
"Beetle Form! Iron Wings!"
An orange aura of Essence spread around his arm.
Behind him, his hardened outer wings opened, revealing the thin inner wings that began beating rapidly.
"Prepare to die!"
He roared, stomping hard enough to crack the ground beneath him.
His wings beat violently, blasting away dirt, stones, and debris; flowers and grass were torn apart and blown away.
"You've dirtied all those beautiful flowers, Waffle."
Umi pointed at them, speaking gently.
"Shut up! Get ready to die, you worthless insect!"
Waffle roared and leaned forward.
He kicked off with both legs, his wings beating at extreme speed, stirring up clouds of dust.
The ground sank and shattered.
Waffle shot forward, charging straight at Umi.
Umi lowered his stance, observing carefully.
"A direct charge… fighting on instinct?"
He muttered, raising his hand.
"There's no way he's that foolish."
A thin layer of ice formed in his palm.
"Frozen Protection! Divine Deer Shield!"
Two antlers emerged, followed by the glowing head of an ice-made deer.
The surrounding air froze instantly, forming a massive shield in front of Umi.
Waffle rushed forward like an arrow, thrusting his claws into the shield.
The moment his fingers made contact, a crack spread across the deer's head.
Waffle laughed.
"What's wrong? Scared already!?"
He pulled his arm back, twisted his body, and unleashed dozens of punches at the shield.
"It's shaking? Is it trembling!?"
The shield vibrated violently, causing Umi's arm holding it to shake as well.
The final blow pierced through, shattering the shield into countless fragments that fell to the ground.
Waffle raised both hands and laughed in delight.
"How do you like my Essence, human!?"
Umi said nothing, carefully observing every detail of Waffle's movements.
"Those wings… constant vibration… it broke through the Divine Deer Shield…"
While Umi was still thinking, Waffle lunged again, slashing straight at him.
Umi didn't dodge—he twisted and slammed his foot into the ground.
A massive, sharp ice pillar erupted upward.
Waffle struck it, instantly shattering it into pieces.
Umi watched closely, his expression shifting.
"Right… I understand how his Essence works now."
He leapt backward, placing one hand on the ground.
Ice spread outward, freezing everything beneath him.
A large ice platform rose up, lifting Umi into the air.
Waffle swung his other arm and smashed into it.
The platform cracked and burst apart.
The ice collapsed, and Umi fell with it.
Waffle laughed loudly, raining punches down onto the icy surface.
"Die! You worthless insect!"
Umi landed on the ground.
As he looked up, Waffle charged again.
Umi tilted aside, narrowly dodging as Waffle flew past him.
Dust swirled wildly with every beat of his wings.
Waffle turned, stopped, and laughed.
"You're terrified now, aren't you?"
His wings kept beating relentlessly.
Umi sighed, brushing dirt off his clothes.
"A little… let me guess. Your Essence destroys anything you touch, right?"
Waffle stomped and sneered.
"Idiot. Completely wrong!"
He bent down and picked up a stone.
"When I flaps my wings, my entire body vibrates."
His wings flapped rapidly, making the stone tremble violently in his hand.
"Anything I touch… gets torn into pieces!"
The stone shattered instantly in his grip.
Umi didn't respond, only turned his head away.
Waffle mocked him.
"Scared now, you insect? Then hurry up and—"
Another burst of laughter interrupted him.
Umi covered his mouth.
He hadn't turned away out of fear—but to hide his mocking grin.
"First you told me your plan… now you've even explained how your Essence works…"
He turned back, laughing as he wiped tears from the corner of his eyes.
"I think I know who the real idiot is."
Waffle fell silent.
He stood completely still.
"What's so funny?"
Umi looked up, his laughter fading.
The orange shell covering Waffle's body began to crack.
The white flesh beneath swelled, breaking the outer shell apart.
"You insect… I'll tear you into pieces!"
Fragments of his shell fell to the ground.
Umi watched, slightly confused.
"Shedding your defense?"
The flesh beneath writhed constantly.
Only his chest, arms, and calves retained shape—the rest became soft, almost liquid.
Waffle stood motionless.
A brown fluid began to ooze from his eyes, mouth, and joints.
It hardened into a wax-like layer, encasing his entire body.
Umi frowned slightly.
"Standing still?"
A moment of silence passed.
Suddenly—two long, spiked arms burst through the wax.
They were pitch black, with orange streaks running along them.
"Molting, huh… looks cool, but not very effective."
As Umi spoke, the wax around Waffle's mouth cracked and fell away.
A mouth covered in black shell was revealed.
"Beetle Form! Black Wings!"
Waffle's voice echoed—distorted and eerie.
The entire wax coating shattered and fell away piece by piece.
Inside stood a completely different Waffle.
His body was leaner; the previous orange armor and muscles were gone, replaced by a black shell streaked with orange lines.
Waffle raised his spiked hand.
He exhaled a cloud of murky breath, then lifted his head.
His face had become grotesque and terrifying, with glowing red eyes.
"I'll show you… the true power of a high-ranking demon from the continent of Sernik!"
Waffle roared, his voice warped.
He spread his wings.
The once thin white wings had now turned orange—thicker and more rigid.