Cael absorbed the blood scattered across the battlefield and flipped his switch again. The damage inflicted by the Darkness Devil was repaired instantly.
This was, without question, the strongest devil he had faced so far.
But it was only overwhelming in power.
In Cael's eyes, it wasn't as dangerous as the Curse Devil. At least it didn't lock down his mind completely.
As long as his consciousness remained intact and there was enough blood, he could keep fighting at full capacity.
That was the broken advantage of a Weapon Human.
"Cael, pull the arrow out of my right eye, I'll help you!"
Hearing Quanxi's voice, Cael paused for a second.
Another heavy hitter?
She could actually keep up in a fight like this?
Then again, judging by what she said, she was probably a Weapon Human too.
"Alright."
Cael didn't hesitate.
If that was the case, then he might as well make full use of it.
With a thought, a violent gust of wind surged forward.
The eyepatch over Quanxi's right eye was torn off.
Clang.
The arrow lodged in her eye socket was ripped out by the wind.
Blood sprayed.
A flash of white light followed.
Her limbs regenerated instantly, her head transforming into a sharp, metallic devil form lined with spiked protrusions.
Crossbows extended from her arms.
The Crossbow Hybrid.
An ancient weapon brought to life.
Quanxi was not only one of the first Devil Hunters, she was also the Crossbow Devil's chosen host.
Unlike others who needed heart transplants, her power had been given willingly.
A rare case.
Which made her stronger, more refined.
Cael stood beside her, glancing over.
"So you're a crossbow type. Could've mentioned that earlier."
"You didn't ask," she replied flatly.
She raised her arms and aimed at the Darkness Devil.
Dozens of glowing arrows formed instantly.
"You've pissed me off."
Whiz.
Ten streaks of light shot forward like comets.
Cael's eyes lit up.
Now that was clean.
He had underestimated her.
This wasn't some outdated weapon, her output was insane.
Honestly, she might even hit harder than Reze in certain situations.
"It's not over!"
Quanxi's voice sharpened.
Her wives had been torn apart, barely alive.
That alone was enough to push her into a frenzy.
Arrows poured out nonstop.
Hundreds.
Then thousands.
Silver streaks flooded the sky, crashing into the Darkness Devil in a relentless storm.
Its body was covered in arrows, like a glowing porcupine.
Quanxi kept firing without pause.
But something felt off.
Cael narrowed his eyes.
The Darkness Devil wasn't reacting.
It just stayed there, wrapped in its cloak, taking everything.
No damage.
No movement.
Nothing.
Then it clicked.
It didn't even see this as an attack.
To it, this was just noise.
Cael exhaled slowly.
Yeah.
He had overestimated her a bit.
"Cael, why aren't you attacking? Let's sync up and hit it together!" Quanxi called out between volleys.
"Yeah, give me a second."
As he spoke, Cael flicked a tiny grain of gunpowder toward her.
"Huh?"
Boom.
The explosion tore her apart instantly.
Her body scattered across the ground.
Cael didn't even blink.
"Sorry. You'll come back anyway."
He rolled his shoulder slightly.
"You can't break its defense. You'd just slow me down."
A brief pause.
"But your ability's solid. I'll make good use of it."
A notification echoed in his mind.
He absorbed her power.
A sharp sensation formed in his right eye.
"Let's see if I remember this right."
Squelch.
He pulled an arrow out of his own eye.
Then activated his ability again.
Another fusion.
A bow and arrows formed along his back, far more exaggerated and powerful.
His stats spiked again.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
He drew the bow.
"Fear Extraction."
Dark red energy flowed out from everyone nearby, gathering in front of him.
Fami contributed the most.
Aki and the fiends added more.
Kobeni barely contributed anything.
Cael shaped that energy into arrows.
Dozens of them.
Each one carried the same effect as his spear.
"Let's see you tank this."
He released the string.
The arrows shot forward in a blur, faster than before, glowing like crimson meteors.
This time, the Darkness Devil moved.
It threw aside its cloak.
Its full body was revealed again.
Restored.
Completely.
The damage from earlier was gone.
It had healed.
Cael's eyes sharpened.
So that's how it worked.
As long as it stayed in darkness, it could recover endlessly.
But that wasn't perfect.
Light could break it.
The Darkness Devil raised its hand.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Every incoming arrow was sliced apart mid-air by invisible attacks.
Clean.
Precise.
Not a single one reached it.
"Tch."
Cael didn't stop.
He closed the distance instantly.
The Darkness Devil suddenly spoke.
"Ye."
Cael blinked.
"Oh, you talk? Thought you were just standing there looking stupid on purpose."
He lunged forward with his spear.
Then everything changed.
Boom.
Invisible impacts struck his body.
His chest caved in slightly.
His heart throbbed violently.
His movement froze.
Before he could react further, the Darkness Devil extended its hand.
A massive black sword appeared out of nowhere.
Four bells hung from its hilt.
It pierced straight through Cael's chest.
Clean.
No resistance.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
His vision blurred.
"I... f*ck your mother..."
The bells rang.
A low, echoing sound.
Then his wound exploded outward, blood pouring like a broken dam.
His body collapsed.
Dead again.
The Darkness Devil's power was absolute.
Once that blade struck, and the bells rang, death was guaranteed.
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