Flames roared around Ryūma, his eyes glowing crimson.

  "I only have a maximum of ten seconds in this form," Ryūma muttered, eyes narrowed on Aghnis and the puppets. 'Given his techniques so far, his abilities are necromancy through those parasitic worms and arms that transform into poisonous leeches,' he thought.

  'I can handle him if those puppets weren’t in the way.'

  "Hey!" Aghnis shouted, snapping Ryūma from his thoughts. "What are you zoning out for? Planning an escape?"

  His gaze darkened. "There’s no escape. My babies have you surrounded."

  "Twitch! Crunch!" The transformed humans shrieked and snarled as they closed in from every direction. Worms twisted across their faces and bodies.

  "Suuu..." Ryūma exhaled, releasing a gust of compressed air while raising his hands into a stance. "Might as well go brute force," he whispered. 'If I defeat him, the puppets will probably fall too.'

  Then he clapped his arms together and flames erupted, engulfing both arms and soaring outward.

  "Hehe," Aghnis chuckled.

  "Fire Sorcery..." Ryūma whispered. A gust of wind swept past. Flames shimmered as Ryūma vanished.

  "He’s fast," Aghnis blinked. Ryūma was already in front of him, his entire body ablaze. "My puppets can’t react to this speed."

  Ryūma’s fists clenched. 'Explosive...' He launched his punches. 'Barrage!'

  A storm of rapid fire punches slammed into Aghnis’s face. They came too fast for him to dodge even one.

  "Ahh!" Blood spurted from Aghnis’s mouth as a blow crushed his jaw. 'How is this possible? He shouldn't have that kind of speed!' he raged internally.

  "BLUEGH!!" Another strike drove into his forehead. The impact smashed him into the ground with a bone-crushing thud, then launched him skyward in a spray of blood.

  "Ugh!" Aghnis’s breath hitched as blood spurted out of his mouth.

  A whisper followed. "Fire Sorcery: Crimson Burst!"

  Sparks flared. Flames burst from Ryūma's palms, rocketing him forward at blinding speed.

  "No, he’s..." Aghnis began.

  Ryūma connected mid-sentence. He thrust his blazing palm toward Aghnis’s torso.

  "Turn to ashes, jerk!!" Ryūma roared as the strike landed.

  Aghnis’s body folded inward. Air exploded from his lungs.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Sparks erupted around Aghnis followed by the detonation of flames from Ryūma’s palms. A catastrophic shockwave hurled Aghnis backward. He crashed through the convenience store and shattered the building.

  Dust and debris filled the air in a thick cloud.

  "Arrgh, arrgh," Ryūma exhaled, landing with a soft clack.

  'Did I do it? Did I kill him?' he muttered.

  Then a surge of pain shot through his body. His heart thudded.

  "Ugh!" Ryūma winced and dropped to his knees. Blood spilled from his mouth onto the ground.

  "Shit, the side effects are already hitting," he winced, clutching his chest while breathing heavily.

  Amid his struggle, a sudden crash sounded. "Huh?" Ryūma’s eyes snapped upward toward the ruined store. "Wa-was that not enough?" he whispered.

  "Oh...oh..." a low rasp echoed through the haze as Aghnis stepped out.

  "What?!" Ryūma exclaimed. Aghnis’s body was whole and unscathed, as if never touched.

  "Oi, kiddo," Aghnis smirked, bending low. "You really thought those weak attacks would kill me?" He chuckled.

  "Tch." Ryūma clenched his jaw, revealing bloodied teeth.

  "Well, they might have killed me without my babies," Aghnis admitted, spinning with joy.

  "What is he..." Ryūma’s eyes widened. "Wait." He spotted a body lying far behind Aghnis that looked exactly like him. "You created a clone?" Ryūma asked, voice filled with shock.

  "Nah," Aghnis replied, waving a hand. "But you’re close. The worms are part of my body. Whoever they possess becomes part of me too." His lips twisted into a wicked grin. "I can switch bodies among my puppets. You can kill this one, but you can’t kill me."

  "Ah?" Ryūma’s mouth fell open.

  "Nice try, kid, but I’m immortal," Aghnis said, stepping forward. "And you look done fighting. You only paused the poison temporarily."

  "Tch." Ryūma hissed. 'He’s right. Now that tenzen flow is restored, the poison will start again,' he thought, grimacing.

  "Damn it. I misjudged him." Ryūma bit his lip, as blood trickled down. "I shouldn’t have underestimated him," he whispered, staring helplessly as Aghnis smirked down at him.

  "Now, you have three choices." Aghnis raised one finger. "One, die from the poison." He raised another. "Two, let my puppets eat your flesh." He raised a third. "Three, my worms take your body and you become another puppet."

  Sweat slid down Ryūma’s cheek as he swallowed hard.

  Aghnis’s smile widened by the second. "So, what’s your decision?" he asked.

  "Tsk," Ryūma exhaled, head dropping. 'Isn't there anything I can do in this situation?' his jaw clenched, gaze fixated on the ground. Then, he slowly raised his head. "My decision is..."

  A sudden noise stopped him as a door flew through the air and smashed into a puppet’s face, crushing it.

  "Huh?" Aghnis and Ryūma turned toward the sound.

  "Fucking hell!" a tired voice rasped as white smoke trailed from the wrecked store. "How am I supposed to get Ryūma's money back?!"

  Ken stepped out, drenched in blood and gore. An intestine hung across his suit, and in his left hand was a skull.

  "Wait, there are more of them?" he exclaimed, staring at the hordes of puppets.

  "Wha?" He blinked at Aghnis and Ryūma’s confused faces.

  "Who the hell?" Aghnis spat, expression souring.

  "Ken. You came," Ryūma called, eyes brightening.

  "Ryūma?" Ken said, staring at him.

  "Eh." Aghnis smiled and licked blood from his cracked lips. "Another puppet for my collection," he growled, stepping toward Ken.

  But mid-step, Ken suddenly vanished. Only distorted air remained.

  "Where..." Aghnis started, freezing in shock.

  "Man, you’re beat up bad," Ken’s voice came from behind.

  "How did—?" Aghnis spun and saw Ken crouched beside Ryūma.

  "Nice timing," Ryūma said with a faint grin.

  "Y-you!" Aghnis shouted. "How dare you ignore me?!" He pointed an accusing finger.

  Ken blinked awkwardly, then spoke. "Shouldn’t you worry about your head first?" He muttered, tone dripping with mock concern.

  "Tsk." Aghnis clicked his tongue. "What are you—" His head erupted into the air like a geyser, spraying blood across the ground before he could complete the statement.

  "What?" Aghnis gasped from his spinning head as it watched his headless body collapse. "When did he cut my head?"