Chapter 92 – Not a Demon?

Bonus Chapter

The rageful roar of the demon broke the tense silence within the park as Alexander grew even more tense.

Moonlight spilt across the empty playground and the rows of silent trees, while the distant glow of Burbank painted the horizon in pale orange. The swings creaked in the night wind. Somewhere beyond the park, a car passed on the road, its headlights briefly illuminating the branches.

Then the ground exploded as Neo came through the smoke in a blur of silver and green, sword flashing toward the demon's throat, but the demon caught the blade on the shaft of his trident.

The impact sent a shockwave through the grass, and for an instant, neither moved.

Neo's boots dug trenches into the earth as he pushed forward, both hands gripping his sword. His eyes burned with determination. Across from him, the demon stood with his trident angled defensively, the flames burning on top of his head seemingly increased in intensity to the point that the very air seemed to distort and blur around it.

He looked furious, yet there was something strangely restrained about his movements, as though some last fragment of reason was still fighting to keep the monster inside him from truly rampaging.

Neo twisted his sword and broke the lock before he spun beneath the trident and delivered a horizontal slash, but the demon ducked, making the blade pass over his head.

Neo immediately followed with a kick to his chest, which landed, making the demon stagger backwards.

Neo didn't give him the opportunity to recover and took advantage of this small opening.

A circle of magical symbols appeared beneath the swordsman's feet as he called out, "Arcane Edge!"

A crescent of violet energy erupted from his sword and tore across the park.

In response, the demon raised his trident and a wall of hellfire erupted before him.

The magical blade collided with the flames and for a heartbeat, the two forces wrestled, then the explosion illuminated the entire park.

Neo emerged from the smoke first; he was already moving as he crossed the distance between them in an instant, sword carving downward. The demon brought his trident up just in time.

Steel struck metal. The clash that followed was unlike anything Alexander had witnessed before.

Neo followed with another slash, then another and another, forcing the demon further back.

Neo's swordsmanship was relentless, each strike flowing naturally into the next. There was no wasted movement. Every attack was precise, controlled, and backed by magic.

The demon parried the first, blocked the second, deflected the third, but the fourth scraped across his shoulder, making him snarl.

Neo saw the opening and thrust forward.

The demon twisted aside, and the sword missed its target and left a shallow cut on the side of his torso instead of stabbing his chest.

Neo retrieved the blade and commented in a flamboyant tone, "You are not that strong, are you?"

The demon glared at him before the shallow wounds Neo inflicted immediately closed like they never happened in the first place.

Then, for the first time, something almost resembling a smile crossed his face as the demon muttered, "No..."

His grip tightened around the trident before he added, "...But neither are you."

The air changed, and both Neo and Alexander felt it immediately.

The flames on top of the demon's head suddenly changed colour as the fire became darker, hotter, and unnatural, making Alexander guess that it was something akin to Hellfire.

The demon swung his trident and a wave of flame erupted from its prongs.

Neo jumped over it.

The blast tore through the grass beneath him, leaving a smoking scar across the park.

Neo landed on a bench, pushed off, and launched himself toward his opponent, but the demon thrust his free hand forward, and a sphere of fire appeared in his palm before he launched it toward the Duel Spirit.

Neo's eyes widened, and the next moment the sphere exploded.

Neo crossed his sword in front of himself and conjured a magical barrier.

The blast slammed into it, and the barrier cracked under its force.

Neo gritted his teeth, trying to hold on, but then the barrier shattered, and he was thrown across the park by the blast.

He struck the ground, rolled three times, and came to a stop on one knee.

The demon was already approaching, and Neo rose to match him.

His sword began glowing as he declared, "Then let us see whose power breaks first."

He thrust his free hand toward the sky, making dozens of magical sigils appear overhead before they further multiplied and turned into hundreds.

The night sky above the park filled with glowing runes, making the demon look up.

Neo swung his sword downward and chanted, "Magic Barrage!"

The heavens came alive as bolts of magical energy rained down.

The demon vanished beneath the storm while countless explosions tore apart the playground. Metal bent. Wooden structures shattered. Dirt and grass erupted into the air.

Alexander watched in awe while thinking, 'Yes! Neo is winning. Incredible... To think that this is the kind of power that a Level 4 Duel Spirit can unleash...'

Neo stood perfectly still, sword extended, but then a black-red flame emerged from the smoke.

One step resounded even through the deafening explosions, then another and finally the figure of the demon, as he walked through the barrage, could be seen.

His whole body was burning; his skin showed the damage he received from the magical barrage, but he kept coming undeterred.

The Duel Spirit's expression hardened before he swung his sword downward again.

Another volley rained down, but the demon raised his trident and spun it, and as a result, fire erupted around him in a violent spiral, consuming the incoming magic barrage.

After that, he broke through the Magic Barrage's range while the damage on his skin had already recovered.

Seeing that, Neo attacked.

Their weapons met. The sword and trident clashed again and again, each impact ringing through the empty park.

Neo moved with supernatural speed, but the demon answered with raw power.

Neo ducked beneath a thrust before he slashed toward the demon's ribs, but the demon caught the blade against the shaft of his trident.

Neo kicked him in the knee, making the demon stumble, then he spun, and the sword struck the trident from his opponent's hands.

The weapon flew through the air and for half a second, the demon stood unarmed.

Neo raised his sword to take advantage of the opening, but then the demon laughed, and it wasn't a pleasant sound.

Neo froze as the demon's hand ignited. Fire crawled across his fingers, then something darker gathered beneath it.

The flames twisted around his arm like living serpents, burning with an intensity that made the surrounding darkness seem deeper.

Neo felt the danger and stepped back, but it was too late.

The demon thrust his hand forward, and a torrent of blackish fire erupted.

Neo swung his sword and cut through the first wave, but the second struck his shoulder, and the third caught him in the chest.

He was hurled backwards as he crashed through a tree, making wood splinter around him.

For several seconds, there was silence, then Neo emerged from the wreckage.

His armour was broken, his clothes were torn, and his body flickered faintly, as though his form itself were struggling to remain stable; still, he raised his sword.

The demon casually retrieved his trident as it floated back toward its owner.

Neo charged and the demon charged as well.

They met in the centre of the park.

Neo's sword descended while the trident rose, and they clashed.

The collision sent both combatants skidding apart.

Neo immediately attacked again, but the demon blocked.

Neo struck. Blocked. Again. Again. And again.

The swordsman began to overwhelm him through sheer technique.

He feinted high. The demon reacted. Neo reversed his grip and struck low. The blade sliced across the demon's thigh. The demon snarled as the wound healed. Neo spun and brought his sword around for the finishing blow. The demon caught his wrist.

Neo's eyes widened while the demon's grip tightened as he growled, "Enough..."

He drove his forehead into Neo's face.

The swordsman's head snapped backwards, then the demon slammed him into the ground with such force that it formed a small crater.

Neo tried to rise, but the trident blade stopped inches from his throat.

For a moment, the demon simply stared down at him.

His breathing was heavy. His eyes burned with rage.

Neo's hand slowly moved toward his sword.

The demon's expression changed, and the last thread of restraint snapped as the blackish fire erupted from his entire body.

Neo rolled away as the ground where he'd been lying melted beneath the flames.

He sprang upright, but the demon was already there.

The trident struck, but Neo blocked. The force drove him backwards.

Another strike. Neo blocked again. Another, and his sword cracked, making Neo's eyes widen.

The demon thrust his palm forward, and a point-blank blast of dark fire struck Neo's chest.

The Duel Spirit flew backwards before he hit the ground hard enough to leave another crater.

He tried to stand as his body flickered more.

The demon approached through the smoke.

Neo raised his sword one final time while a faint magical aura gathered around its blade.

The demon raised his trident, and flames coiled around the weapon.

"You're strong," the demon growled, "But not enough."

Neo said nothing as he charged. The demon did the same.

Their weapons crossed one final time, and Neo's sword shattered while the trident punched through the magical aura surrounding him.

A burst of blackish fire engulfed his body, and Neo froze.

Cracks of brilliant light spread across his form.

He looked down at himself as his body was coming apart, then his existence was being reduced to countless glowing fragments.

The demon withdrew his trident.

Neo remained standing for one final second, then his body shattered.

Motes of light drifted through the night air, sparkling like fragments of a broken star, while Alexander's expression froze and he muttered in disbelief, "No..."

Silence returned to the park.

The particles floated through the air, then they began moving toward Alexander.

They gathered around him before collapsing back into the shape of a card that Alexander caught instinctively; then he stared at the card.

For several seconds, he couldn't think.

This had never happened; his Duel Spirits had never been defeated, never destroyed in front of him.

His fingers tightened around the card as he confirmed that while powerful, they're not invincible and that the Marvel Universe hid many entities able to defeat them.

The conclusion was colder than he expected.

Whatever bond existed between him and his Duel Spirits didn't make them unbeatable, and the being standing across from him had just proven that he possessed enough power to defeat one.

Alexander barely had time to process it as the demon's head turned.

His gaze followed the trail of glowing particles back to their source, Alexander.

Noticing that, Alexander's stomach dropped.

Hannibal was unconscious. Blade was unconscious. Neo was gone, and he was alone.

Alexander immediately reopened the Card Database, and his eyes raced across the cards, 'Come on... I have to find it... Anything is fine. Something capable of...'

But before he could even fully formulate that thought, the demon disappeared.

Alexander looked up, and the demon was standing directly in front of him, making him freeze.

The golden trident rose.

There was no time, no distance, no opportunity to summon another card. The weapon began descending as Alexander's eyes widened.

Then the demon stopped as his expression changed.

His red eyes flickered as he looked down and really looked at Alexander for the first time before he groaned, "Urgh... W-Wait."

The flames on his head began disappearing while his voice became confused, "It's just a kid..."

The red light faded from his eyes, and the blue colour returned while the supernatural mark on his chest dimmed until it disappeared entirely.

The golden trident vanished as well.

The demon took a few slow breaths. He looked down at Alexander, then at the unconscious hunters behind him, then back at Alexander before he said, "I'm sorry..."

Alexander remained completely still.

The demon rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and he tried to explain, "Getting stabbed tends to make me lose control sometimes."

Alexander blinked, 'Sometimes...?'

The demon sighed and added, "That was... considerably worse than usual."

He paused for a moment before he said, "My name is Daimon Hellstrom."

Alexander stared at him.

Daimon glanced toward Hannibal and Blade, then back at Alexander and added, "And before you ask... I'm not a demon."

He hesitated and paused before his expression became slightly uncomfortable, "Well... Not fully."

At this point, Alexander couldn't help but exclaim, "I beg your fucking pardon!?"