The rain continued to fall, pattering against the cracked asphalt like a somber percussion. Horns blared in frustration from the cars stuck in traffic, their drivers oblivious to the monstrous battle unfolding before them. Their headlights cast strange, shifting shadows across the broken landscape, illuminating the impossible scene in fragments.

  Lucifer flexed his fingers, testing his new form. His movements were flawless, his motions unnaturally smooth, each punch and kick slicing through the air with devastating speed, creating faint whistling sounds as they displaced the atmosphere.

  Kage could barely track them. His trained assassin's eyes—eyes that could follow the fastest of movements—struggled to keep pace with Lucifer's casual demonstration.

  "Now, Kage, my child..." Lucifer's voice was soft, yet it reverberated inside Kage's skull, making it impossible to shut out. His two-toned voice, overlapping in perfect harmony, seemed to bypass Kage's ears entirely and speak directly to his mind.

  "...where shall we begin?"

  Before Kage could react, Lucifer teleported.

  Not like Kagawa.

  Kagawa used to simply vanish—his body blinking away in an instant, there one moment and gone the next.

  But Lucifer?

  The air around him distorted, bending unnaturally as a faint after-image of himself lingered before disappearing. Reality itself seemed to protest his movement, creating visual echoes that stretched and warped. The visual made Kage's instincts scream danger in a way he'd never experienced.

  Lucifer reappeared behind him, the air crackling with energy.

  Kage spun, throwing a fist—but struck only empty air. His punch met nothing, throwing him off-balance.

  He's toying with me, Kage realized, a cold sweat breaking out along his spine. Testing my limits. Seeing how I react.

  Instinctively, Kage's shadow lunged, forming into a tendril sharp as any blade, aiming to impale Lucifer from below.

  Lucifer effortlessly dodged, his movements fluid as water, each step precise and economical. His perfect face showed nothing but casual amusement, like an adult watching a child's fumbling attempts at a complex task.

  Good. Keep underestimating me. Kage's mind raced, cataloging every micro-expression, every slight movement. The more confident you get, the sloppier you'll become.

  Then—Kage's shadow finally caught him, wrapping around Lucifer's ankle like a vise.

  For a split second, Lucifer should have been trapped, held in place by the unnatural darkness.

  But somehow, he stood right in front of Kage, smiling, not a hair out of place. The distance between them had vanished without warning.

  Kage's body stiffened. How—? I didn't even see—

  Lucifer's smile widened slightly as Kage stepped back instinctively, his breath caught in his throat. The air between them felt charged, electric.

  Kage threw a punch, muscles coiling with lethal precision, but Lucifer merely tilted his head back, dodging by millimeters. The soft breeze of the missed blow ruffled his amber hair.

  "Oh, dear child... you still think this is a fight?"

  His voice carried absolute authority—not commanding, not forceful—just... certain. A statement of fact, irrefutable and impossible to deny.

  Kage's vision blurred. His thoughts felt clouded, as if wrapped in cotton. He tried to blink away the fog settling over his mind, but it persisted.

  What the hell is this? Some kind of mental manipulation?

  Lucifer's voice—it wasn't normal. It wasn't just sound.

  Each word was like a song, perfectly pitched to resonate within him, drawing him in, lulling him into agreement. The voice slipped past his defenses, whispering directly to something primal within him.

  "You are a great warrior. Join me, and be recognized."

  Kage's hands twitched. He was frozen—not by force, but by persuasion. The air around him seemed to thicken, making each movement an effort.

  "You fought so hard to be acknowledged... yet, what did you gain?"

  No. This isn't real. This is just—

  Kage's breathing slowed. His thoughts became muddled, tangling together like yarn.

  "Your family... abandoned you. Your father... hated you. Your sister never saw you as an equal. And the Guild?"

  Lucifer's voice dipped into something almost gentle, a caress of sound.

  "...They used you."

  Stop. Stop thinking about it. But the memories came anyway. The disappointment in his father's eyes. Emi's cold indifference. The way the Guild treated him like a tool.

  Kage's vision flickered, the world pulsing between clarity and fog.

  Was he wrong?

  Had he truly gained nothing? Was his life just a string of hollow victories?

  His fists unclenched slightly, the fight draining from him.

  But—

  Before he could fully fall into Lucifer's grasp, his own shadow struck him.

  A vicious punch—his own power, turned against him. The shadow formed a fist that crashed into his jaw with bone-breaking force.

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  SNAP.

  Kage gasped, staggering back—his mind cleared instantly, like cold water had been thrown over him. Pain brought clarity, a moment of sharp focus cutting through the mental fog.

  Smart. Use my own instincts against his manipulation.

  "You'll have to try harder than that, bastard," Kage said, shaking off the lingering fog from Lucifer's voice, spitting blood onto the cracked asphalt.

  Lucifer's eyes narrowed slightly, his smirk unwavering. "Oh, don't worry, my child..."

  His voice dipped into something more sinister, the harmonics shifting to a minor key.

  "...I intend to try harder."

  Lucifer slowly clapped his hands together, the sound unnaturally loud.

  Thunder rumbled across the sky—then his fingers twitched unnaturally.

  A sharp, jerking motion, like a marionette being controlled by invisible strings. His joints bent at impossible angles, bones visibly shifting beneath his perfect skin.

  What the—? This isn't normal sorcery.

  A shudder ran down Kage's spine, primal fear washing over him.

  Then—lightning fell.

  Not from the storm clouds above, but from Lucifer's will. A jagged spear of blue-white energy split the sky and struck where Kage had stood a moment before.

  Kage barely dodged, rolling away as the impact sent sparks and flames dancing across the road. The asphalt melted where the bolt struck, filling the air with acrid smoke.

  Lightning? But that's not his concept. That was Kagawa's teleportation. What the hell is happening?

  "What the hell is this?" Kage gritted his teeth, the smell of ozone burning his nostrils.

  Lucifer hummed softly, his voice melodic, almost childlike in its playfulness.

  "La, la, la, la, la..."

  He gestured casually—wind howled through the street, tearing chunks of concrete from nearby buildings. The debris crashed into parked cars, crushing metal and shattering windows in a cascade of destruction.

  Kage ducked as a streetlight, ripped from its foundation, sailed overhead and crashed through a storefront, the glass exploding outward in glittering fragments.

  Multiple elements. He's not using concepts—he's commanding nature itself. How is that possible?

  More destruction followed with each casual gesture from Lucifer. A fire hydrant erupted, sending a geyser of water into the air that instantly turned to scalding steam. The superheated mist rolled across the battlefield, forcing Kage to cover his mouth and nose.

  "This isn't a concept," Kage realized, feeling his body tense as understanding dawned. This is something else entirely. Something beyond sorcery.

  "What the hell is Lucifer using?!"

  Lucifer smiled, raising one hand toward the storm-darkened sky.

  The air distorted, rippling like heat over asphalt.

  A massive storm began to swirl above them, clouds spinning into a vortex at unnatural speed. The wind picked up cars from the street, hurling them through storefronts and into buildings with thunderous crashes.

  "Fire. Wind. Water. Lightning. Obey me... just as my men once did."

  A violent heatwave pulsed outward, making the air shimmer.

  A nearby driver—who had just stepped out of his car to yell at them—collapsed instantly, his skin bubbling from the intense heat, a scream dying on his lips as he fell.

  He's not just powerful—he's playing god with the elements themselves. And that vessel... Kage's eyes narrowed, studying Lucifer's form. Those cracks from before. They're still there. Spreading.

  Kage felt his breath catch in his throat, horror cutting through his usual stoicism.

  But beneath the horror, his assassin's mind worked. The vessel can't contain this power indefinitely. Every display weakens it further. I just need to survive long enough.

  "You still think this is a battle?" Lucifer asked softly, his dual voice carrying easily through the storm's roar.

  The flames swirling in his palm expanded, forming a massive fireball that cast everything in hellish orange light. The heat warped the air around it, creating visible distortions.

  "This is a lesson, child."

  Lucifer threw it, the flaming sphere leaving a trail of burning air in its wake.

  Kage dodged right, muscles burning with the effort—

  But Lucifer appeared in his path, gripping Kage's face mid-dodge with irresistible strength.

  There—those movements. They're not as smooth as before. The vessel is struggling.

  The fireball struck the buildings behind him, erupting in an explosion that shook the city. Glass rained down from shattered windows, and chunks of masonry tumbled into the street, crushing abandoned vehicles.

  BOOM!

  Kage barely registered it before his skull was driven into the pavement with crushing force.

  His vision blurred—then darkened, stars exploding behind his eyes.

  Lucifer dragged him across the broken asphalt, leaving a trail of blood. With each movement, Kage noticed the slight tremor in Lucifer's grip, the faint crack in his voice.

  He's pushing too hard. The vessel is breaking down faster than he expected.

  Glass shattered against his face as his head was smashed into a car window, lacerating his skin with crystalline shards.

  Another movement—but this time Kage felt Lucifer's grip falter for just an instant.

  His skull crashed into a building wall, the brick cracking under the impact, but the force was less than before.

  There. He's weakening.

  Kage was hurled from the sky, plummeting toward the ground like a meteor.

  Pain exploded in his ribs as he hit the pavement. His ears rang violently, drowning out all other sound. The moment he opened his mouth, he tasted iron—blood pooling on his tongue, thick and metallic.

  He could smell it, heavy and copper-rich, leaking from his nose, mixing with the rain that continued to fall.

  Lucifer descended gracefully, his movements still fluid but less effortless than before. His expression remained calm, but Kage caught the slight tension around his eyes, the way his fingers twitched with increasing frequency.

  His perfect form is cracking. Literally. Those fissures are spreading.

  Above them, a massive bolt of lightning crackled, building in intensity, preparing to erase Kage from existence. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, charged particles gathering.

  Kage's breath was ragged, blood running down his face in rivulets, mixing with rain.

  I have to end this. NOW. Before he realizes how much the vessel is deteriorating.

  He studied Lucifer, forcing his battered mind to focus, to see past the divine perfection.

  Then—he saw it clearly.

  His perfect skin... was slowly fracturing.

  Tiny cracks along his arms, hairline fractures appearing along his jaw. The vessel—Kagawa's mortal body—was breaking under the strain of containing Lucifer's power.

  Every element he commands, every display of power—it's eating him alive from the inside.

  Kage's eyes narrowed, a plan forming in his pain-addled mind.

  If I can force him to overextend, push him into using more power than the vessel can handle...

  "It's a long shot... but I have an idea."

  Lucifer unclasped his hands—the bolt of lightning hurled toward Kage, a spear of divine judgment.

  Kage threw himself forward, his shadow launching him toward Lucifer with explosive force. His body became a missile, aimed straight at his tormentor.

  Lucifer smirked. "Oh? Coming toward me now?"

  Kage's eyes locked onto his, determination burning through the pain.

  "Why keep running..." His voice dropped to a predator's growl. "...when I can kill you right here?"

  He tackled Lucifer mid-air, slamming him into the pavement with all his remaining strength.

  Lucifer's body cracked the road beneath them, fissures spreading outward from the impact point.

  The cracks—they're deeper now. More visible.

  Lucifer's smirk twitched, the first sign of surprise on his perfect face.

  Kage wasn't just holding him down—he was using his shadow armor to enhance his strength, wrapping himself in pure darkness that rippled and flowed over his limbs like living ink.

  Every second I keep him in physical contact, every moment he can't rely on those flashy elemental displays—the vessel gets a chance to stabilize. But more importantly...

  For the first time in the fight—Lucifer looked intrigued, a genuine emotion breaking through his mask of casual superiority.

  I'm forcing him to burn energy maintaining this form instead of attacking me.

  Then—he laughed.

  A genuine, amused laugh that echoed with two voices in perfect harmony.

  "Interesting," Lucifer mused, grinning. The cracks in his perfect face spread further with the expression.

  He wiped the blood from his lip with an elegant gesture.

  "Perhaps you are more than just a disappointment."

  His glowing amber eyes gleamed with new curiosity, studying Kage with fresh appreciation.

  Good. Stay interested. Stay engaged. The longer this drags out, the more that vessel crumbles.

  His smugness was gone.

  Now? He was fascinated.

  "Now show me, child..."

  His grin widened—his wings spreading out, the black feathers catching the lightning's glow.

  "How long will you last?"