“Impossible!” the demon exclaimed, staggering back in shock. “Wh-what did you—”

  “I said NO!” Hina cut in sharply.

  “Arrgh, what a hassle,” the demon sighed, tilting its gaze toward the ceiling. “If you won’t accept my deal…” It lowered its head and fixed a piercing stare on the trio, raising one arm toward them.

  “Hmm,” Code narrowed his eyes. Ryūma tensed beside him.

  “…then die!” The cannon barrel cranked with a metallic groan, then fired straight at Hina. Her heart lurched.

  “Get down!” she screamed.

  Code and Ryūma lunged to leap aside. But the demon’s lips curled into a vicious grin.

  “Too late,” it said. A cannon shell erupted from the barrel, tearing through the air toward the trio. It struck with catastrophic force, sending explosive tremors rippling outward.

  “Hahaha!” The demon laughed, grin widening as dust and smoke swirled around it. “No way they could’ve survived that,” it muttered, turning away and dragging Finn along by the collar.

  “No, save me!!” Finn shouted, thrashing desperately, but the grip only tightened.

  “Oi, there’s no point struggling,” the demon said, its footsteps echoing heavily.

  ‘Shit, don’t tell me they’re dead,’ Finn thought, heart pounding as sweat slid down his cheek. ‘Hina. Ryūma. Code. There’s no way they’d die this easily.’

  A sharp metallic ring sliced through Finn’s spiraling panic, snapping him back to reality. ‘Is that—’ His eyes widened as he locked onto the faint gleam of steel cutting through the haze. “Uhn?”

  The demon paused mid-step when it noticed Finn’s sudden stillness. “Whatcha looking at?” it asked, turning back.

  That was when it saw them. Sparks ignited in the cloud, followed by a fierce shout:

  “Crimson… Burst!!”

  The dust instantly parted. Ryūma stood revealed, flames roaring from his palms as he propelled himself forward at blistering speed.

  “How?!” the demon exclaimed.

  A ripple tore through the air. Code was already in stance, left foot drawn back, body coiled forward.

  ‘Muscle Enhancement…’ he thought, veins and arteries hardening, muscles tensing to their limit. ‘…Acceleration!!’

  Code became a blur, blitzing forward at impossible velocity.

  “So fast?!” The demon’s breath caught as both attackers closed in. “You fucking bastards are such a hassle!!” it roared, swinging its barrels toward them.

  But a cold whisper cut through the chaos: “No, you don’t!”

  Ryūma was suddenly right in front of it.

  “Wha? When did—” the demon started.

  “Die!!” Code shouted, driving a catastrophic punch into the demon’s torso.

  “Oomph!!”

  The demon’s eyes bulged; saliva sprayed from its mouth as the impact hurled it backward, cratering the wall behind it.

  “Arrgh. Arrgh,” Code exhaled heavily, gaze shifting from the crater to Ryūma, who now stood beside Finn.

  “We did it,” Ryūma said, grinning through labored breaths.

  “Y-you guys,” Finn muttered, tears glistening at the corners of his eyes. “I thought you’d abandon me and run away,” he wailed.

  “What are you talking about?” Ryūma cut in. “There’s no way we’d leave a member of the team behind.” He turned to Code. “Right?”

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “Yeah,” Code nodded, a genuine smile breaking through. “Y-you guys…” Finn whispered, eyes shining. “At least I know I’ve got good friends now.”

  “Yeah, but it’s true that you’re useless in battle, though,” Ryūma added flatly.

  “Eh?!” Finn blurted in shock.

  “Man, you didn’t have to add that,” Code said, facepalming.

  “Y-you, how could you?!” Finn wailed, pointing accusingly at Ryūma.

  “Yeah, yeah, it’s not like I’m lying,” Ryūma said, waving it off casually.

  “Anyway, where’s Hina?” Code asked, changing the subject. “If not for her, things might’ve gotten ugly there,” he muttered, recalling the moment.

  …

  Right before the cannon shell struck, Hina had leaped backward, gripping her sword and raising it in defense.

  Sparks flared violently as metal met metal.

  “Hnngh!” she grunted through clenched teeth, struggling against the shell’s momentum.

  “Ahh!” She cried out, twisting her blade and deflecting the projectile at the last instant. It detonated harmlessly off to the side.

  …

  “Yeah, she saved our asses there,” Ryūma said grimly.

  “What’s this? Are you guys praising me now?” Hina’s voice rang out as she stepped into view.

  “Wha…” Everyone turned.

  Her face was smeared with blood, arms bleeding heavily.

  “Hina,” Code whispered.

  “H-Hina, are you okay?” Finn exclaimed, rushing toward her.

  “Barely, but I’m alive,” Hina reassured them. “I’ve had worse. What’s important right now is killing the demon.”

  “What demon?” Code asked, confused, turning back. “Didn’t I already—” He froze mid-sentence, mouth falling open.

  “What the—” Ryūma muttered, eyes widening. “No way that’s the same demon.”

  “Hahaha,” a low, metallic chuckle rolled through the air as the demon stepped forward. Each footfall cratered the floor. It now towered over two meters tall, six additional cannon barrels protruding from its body for a total of eight.

  “You’ve pushed me to revealing my true strength,” the demon said, voice echoing with dark menace.

  “Bruhh, this guy’s giving me crazy vibes,” Ryūma said. “I wanna kill it so bad.” His grin widened.

  “You took the words right out of my mouth, man,” Code replied, smirking back.

  “This just got more interesting,” Hina added, her own smile turning dark. “Oi, Finn, try to stay out of the way this time,” she ordered.

  “O-oh, yeah,” Finn replied, quickly stepping back.

  ‘What?!’ the demon thought, stunned by their reactions. ‘After showing my true form, they aren’t even batting an eye?’ A bead of sweat slid down its face.

  “Wonderful!” the demon declared, raising its gaze to the trio. “I’ve never met humans so resilient.”

  “Thanks for the compliment,” Hina replied coolly. “But that doesn’t mean we’ll spare your damn life.”

  The demon’s lips parted. “I’ll enjoy killing you!”

  The air split into violent ripples. A destructive shockwave rolled outward as all eight cannons fired at once, shells screaming toward the trio.

  “Here it comes… Sword Art…” Hina whispered, drawing her blade and dropping into stance.

  “Fire Sorcery…” Ryūma said, flames condensing around his fists.

  “Enhancement…” Code muttered, muscles tensing, veins hardening.

  The shells reached them in less than a second.

  “Void Crescent!!” Hina shouted, swinging her sword in a wide arc. A wave of dark energy cleaved the air, slicing one shell cleanly in two.

  “Fire Clap!!” Ryūma slammed his palms together. A destructive blast of flame roared outward, engulfing several shells and detonating them mid-flight.

  ‘Scatter!!’ Code drove his fist forward. The shell crumpled inward on impact, folding in on itself before exploding harmlessly.

  The remaining cannons erupted, sending flames and shockwaves tearing through the ground.

  “Let’s go!!” Hina boomed, charging out of the fire, sword cleaving the air.

  “Yeah!” Code and Ryūma answered, dashing after her.

  “Nice job surviving that…” the demon said, twisting backward. “But you won’t survive the next.”

  It exploded forward. Before the words finished leaving its mouth, it was already in front of Hina, hands planted on the ground, legs spinning in the air.

  “Twisting Tornado!” it roared, legs whirling like blades toward Hina’s neck.

  “Suu… arrgh…” Hina exhaled deeply, gripping her sword tighter.

  ‘Sword Art: Air Splitter!’

  Dark energy spiraled around the blade as she swung, unleashing a horizontal vacuum slash.

  Both attacks collided. The walls and floor shattered from the sheer force of the impact.

  The demon backflipped away, but just as it prepared to land, a whisper cut through the chaos.

  “Fire Sorcery…”

  “When did…?” Its eyes flicked left. Rows of glistening fireballs hung in the air.

  “Fireball Barrage!!” Ryūma shouted, unleashing the volley.

  The fireballs tore across the space, riddling holes through the demon’s arms and obliterating the surrounding floor and walls.

  “Tch,” the demon hissed, jaw clenching as it spun, aiming one barrel point-blank at Ryūma’s face. “What’s next?” it whispered.

  “My turn!”

  “Shit,” Ryūma muttered, staring down the barrel.

  “You bastard!!” the demon’s gaze snapped toward the new voice rippling through the air.

  “Asshole!!” Code roared, descending from above with a devastating punch aimed at the demon’s face.

  But the demon shifted at the last possible instant.

  Code’s fist slammed into the ground instead. The impact exploded outward with cataclysmic force, cratering the floor.

  “Shit,” Code muttered, looking up. ‘It dodged at the last second.’

  ‘Pulverize!’ He launched upward with a brutal uppercut.

  “Pointless,” the demon whispered. It landed on its arms. Its legs flashed like scythes, slicing across Code’s waist.

  His right leg tore free in a crimson spray.

  “Wha?” Code’s eyes widened.

  “Huh?” Ryūma’s mouth fell open as he landed.

  “Code,” Hina whispered in horror, staring at the twitching limb on the floor.

  Blood erupted from Code's knee, soaking the ground and chairs in crimson.

  “Hahaha, looks like the tables have finally turned,” the demon chuckled.