Sarahoff was enveloped in black energy, effectively 'blackening' the purple blade.

That wasn't all.

Red, serrated 'fangs' appeared along the blade like a shark's teeth. Hoffman's face also appeared behind him, except his eyes were red and his face was painted black. His expression was vengeful and furious.

Kang Oh was slightly taken aback by the demon sword's sudden metamorphosis.

However, he soon realized that this was Demon Sword Sarahoff's latent ability, which would only manifest itself against Inarius. Thus, he swung his blade till the very end.

Swoosh!

Demon Sword Sarahoff unleashed a crescent of dark red energy.

Inarius protected itself with a transparent, sparkling barrier.

Then, the dark red energy extended like a whip and struck the magical barrier.

Split!

The dragon-made barrier was sliced apart, and the dark red energy struck Inarius's neck.

Bam!

Inarius's face contorted, and dark red shards of light spilled from the wound.

"Kuhaahk! How dare you injure me!?" Inarius fiercely swung its right arm.

Tasha quickly took control of Kang Oh's wings, and flew all over the place like a fly.

"You insect!"

Stone pillars surged from the ground one after another.

Kang Oh dodged them and then backed off.

In the meantime, his companions pierced through Inarius's magical bombardment, and started to appear one or two at a time.

Bart and Sephiro, who rode on Waryong's back, simultaneously unleashed their attacks.

Shining Bombardment!

Chaos Arrow!

Two arrows, one assuming the shape of Waryong and the other a spiral of light and darkness, flew through the air.

Thud.

Inarius stomped on the floor. Then, lava and flame pillars surged from the ground.

Bart and Sephiro's attacks were consumed by the lava, and Waryong flew even higher in order to dodge the flame pillars.

"There's no escape!" Inarius yelled furiously.

Rocks fell from the ceiling.

Waryong did its best to dodge them, but like Inarius said, there was nowhere it could escape to.

Bam!

Kieek!

A rock struck Waryong's right wing, and it, as well as its riders, plummeted to the ground.

"Uheok!"

"Ugh."

Inarius was absolutely merciless.

Roar!

It unleashed a giant fireball at the falling Waryong. At this rate, Waryong, Sephiro, and Bart would be smoked meat.

However, Rudy fluttered its flaming tail, rose into the air, and shot flames of its own at the fireball.

Inarius's flames were surrounded by black light, which gave off an evil vibe. On the other hand, Rudy's flames felt mysterious, yet warm.

Roar!

The two disparate flames crashed against each other and spread far and wide. However, it was clear that Rudy's flames were fighting a losing battle.

'It's my turn!' Isshin, who'd been protecting himself with his shield, raised his hammer into the air.

Luhan's Light!

Isshin's hammer radiated Luhan's holy light, which specialized in repelling all evil.

The Phoenix's flames and Luhan's light fused together, and managed to force back and dispel Inarius's flames.

Asu and Nile leapt off the rocks on the floor, and attacked Inarius's sides.

Helena used Double Casting and cast two spells simultaneously.

Water Dragon Bullet!

Monster Bird's Wind!

A giant water pillar, as well as a golden vortex-like wind came flying at Inarius.

"Haahp!" Nile floated in the air, and swung his right leg downwards.

Hell Kick!

His foot unleashed energy in the shape of a Dokkaebi.

"Chaht!" Asu lowered her body and then swung Lightning's Heart diagonally.

Crackle!

Blue lightning split into three like a trident's prongs.

However...!

A dragon's magical prowess was unrivaled.

Twisted Gravity!

The space around Inarius shifted. Nile's energy attack, Asu's lightning, and Helena's magic lost their immense power and missed Inarius completely.

At the same time...!

It felt like Asu and Nile were stomped on by a giant's foot.

In an instant, their feet dug deep into the ground. They couldn't budge.

A short while later...

A giant shadow was cast over Nile's body. Inarius's tail and claws came for Nile and Asu respectively.

Danger!

Asu gritted her teeth and barely managed to protect herself with her sword. Her lightning-shaped blade radiated light and darkness, which transformed into a white and a black panther.

Black and White Fang!

This was the Legendary Knight's secret move!

The twisted gravity didn't affect it that much. Thus, the two panthers spun through the air and repelled Inarius's claws.

Meanwhile, Nile crossed his arms.

Whir.

The dragon's giant tail was right in front of him. If it hit him, every bone in his body would break.

He activated the survival technique he'd learnt from the God of Fighting, Khan.

Great King Style: Unshakable!

Nile's body turned gold.

Ring!

The beautiful chime of bells rang out.

All of a sudden, however, gravity returned to normal.

Swoosh!

"Kuhaahk." Inarius cried out. A clear sword scar had been left on its chest.

It was Valan.

He had used Divide the Sea from afar, cutting through both the twisted space and Inarius itself.

That was a relief. Asu and Nile quickly backed off.

Kuhaaang!

Inarius roared. A dragon's roar would make all lesser beings tremble in fear.

However, Kang Oh's party was immune to its effect due to the Dragon Slayer armor set.

Inarius's eyes lit up with rage.

"I'll rip you apart."

Inarius gained another pair of wings, though they looked more like deadly weapons than wings; they were shaped like the Reaper's scythe.

Swoosh!

The red dragon's wings came flying from all directions with blistering speed.

Moreover, Inarius had sharpened its wings, which gave them tremendous cutting power. They would leave a huge mark in the ground wherever they went, as if there had just been an earthquake.

'I have to dodge it!'

Asu and Nile threw themselves out of the way.

However, they had been a split second too late.

Bam!

"Keuk."

"Ugh."

A handful of red shards fell from Nile and Asu's bodies.

Helena hadn't remained unscathed either. Although she'd protected herself with a triple layer barrier, the sharpened wings had sliced through both them and her body.

Valan didn't even bother to block or dodge them. He just sliced through them.

However, the cut areas mended together, as if he had just cut through shadows. Thus, he had no choice but to swing his sword while backing off.

Kuhaaa!

Inarius went absolutely wild.

* * *

Kang Oh checked Sarahoff's new specs. He needed to know how it changed in order to use it effectively.

[Ice Demon Sword Sarahoff - Dragon Slayer]

A once in a lifetime masterpiece created by Hoffman! It is an exceptional blade that contains the Ice Soul's power.

Hoffman's deep hatred for Inarius has given the sword a new appearance and new powers.

+ Dragon Break: Separating Inarius's scales from its skin, cutting through its flesh, and crushing its bones becomes easier.

+ Bitter Grudge: Always deals triple damage against Inarius. Every attack is a critical hit no matter what.

+ Dragon Slaying Sword: The blade radiates dragon slaying energy. This energy changes at will, and deals tremendous damage to dragons. Also afflicts the target with horrible pain.

+ Ice Soul Wall: Summons a wall with the Ice Soul's power. Even Inarius's Fire Breath won't be able to melt through this wall that easily. Cooldown: 10 minutes. MP Cost: All of your MP. The amount of MP used determines the toughness of the wall.

+ Blinded by Rage: Deals no damage to any target besides Inarius. The sword's effects do not activate against any other target.

Rank: SS.

Abilities: Attack Power 2,000, Damage to Dragons +100%. Significantly increased resistance to dragon magic.

Minimum Requirements: Clear the Trial of the Demon Sword. Fight against Inarius.

It was a sword specifically designed to fight Inarius. Against its designated target, it was on equal footing with a holy sword like Max Perado.

'Nice.'

Kang Oh, who was assuming his Frostblood Demon state, kicked off the floor and leapt over the giant stone pillars.

He could see his companions being attacked by Inarius's four wings. Unwelcome guests had also made an appearance.

Lava Spirits popped out of the lava lake.

They were essentially rocks with lava flowing through the cracks, but they were all different sizes. The largest of them were more than 5 meters tall, while the smallest were about 1 meter tall.

There were dozens, no, about a hundred Lava Spirits rushing towards them.

Kang Oh created a bridge out of Frostblood. Inarius was right at the end of it.

Tap, tap, tap.

Kang Oh quickly rushed towards the red dragon.

To think he'd create an ice bridge. There was no way it wouldn't draw the dragon's attention.

"You worm!"

Black spheres formed around Inarius's body, which shot at Kang Oh like homing missiles.

Kang Oh leapt over some of them, while Sephiro and Bart dealt with the rest using Shining Bombardment and Light's Judgment.

When he got close, Inarius unleashed a mighty beam of darkness from between its horns.

Whir!

Dodging or blocking it would be too much for him. Backing off would be an act of lunacy too.

"Tasha!"

"Got it!"

Kang Oh flapped his wings and soared into the air. Although the black beam missed him, it did crush the ice bridge he'd created.

Valan, Nile, Asu, and Rudy charged at Inarius.

Helena, Bart, and Sephiro dealt with the Lava Spirits, while Isshin cast a Prayer of Healing, which replenished his teammates' HP.

"Just die already!"

Indeed, a dragon's spells were shockingly powerful.

Inarius repeatedly cast powerful magic without any incantations or preparation.

Hellfire Pillar!

Black Spear of Annihilation!

The red dragon was surrounded by countless flame pillars, and black spears fell upon Kang Oh's party like rain.

Its wings were reminiscent of a mantis's scythes; they waited for their opportunity and then struck at the opportune moment. They made attacking difficult, let alone approaching.

However, Kang Oh and his companions were the best of the best.

Though they were facing disaster, they either blocked or dodged the dragon's magic and wings, and attacked Inarius whenever they were able.

Inarius was most focused on Kang Oh, who was hanging around in the air, as well as Valan, who boasted unmatched attack power.

In spite of that, Kang Oh and Valan were able to break through its focused assault. They weren't Grandmasters for nothing.

Swish!

Valan's steel sword cleaved through the dragon's scales, leaving a red wound underneath.

Then it was Kang Oh's turn. He avoided Inarius's wing and swung Sarahoff.

Whir!

Sarahoff's dragon slaying energy manifested itself as a hawk's talons, which sliced through Inarius's back.

Several scales fell off, and a hideous wound was left behind.

"Kuahk!"

The agonizing pain came after.

Then, Inarius's tail came flying at him. The tip of its tail was enveloped in darkness, and out of that darkness came sharp blades.

Bam!

Kang Oh crossed his swords and blocked it, but it was too much for him to withstand, so he plummeted to the ground.

Countless shards of light spilled from his body like the shining surface of a river.

"Die!"

Inarius used gravity magic to restrain Valan's movements.

However, Valan reacted in a way that only he could. He repeatedly swung his sword.

At first, his blade moved extremely slowly. However, as time went on, it seemed to get lighter. Eventually, he outright shot an energy attack at Inarius.

Unfortunately, Inarius already had plenty of time to prepare a solid defense.

Super-Reinforced Barrier!

This barrier not only blocked Valan's attack, but Rudy, Asu, and Nile's attacks as well.

Isshin was busy out of his mind.

Not only was he responsible for healing his teammates, but there was magic flying everywhere. Plus, there were spirits attacking him now too.

Crack!

He swung his shining hammer and cracked the head of a Lava Spirit.

However, he saw a shadow cast over him. When he looked up, he saw Inarius's giant foot.

Isshin desperately raised his shield.

Protector's Shield!

Thud!

Inarius stomped on Isshin, but he wasn't able to kill him.

"Grr!"

Isshin gave it everything he had. Because of his efforts, Kang Oh, who had fallen to the floor, was able to save him from certain death.

Frostblood!

Tough pillars of Frostblood rose around Isshin. However, there was no way they'd be enough to withstand a dragon's weight for long.

"Hurry!" Kang Oh yelled.

Then, Isshin threw his body out of the way. Helena cast an 'Acceleration' spell on him, granting him enough speed to leave behind an afterimage.

Crack!

Inarius crushed the Frostblood pillars and left a giant footprint in the ground.

"Hey, you lizard!"

"Take this!"

Kang Oh's party focused their attacks on the dragon. They unleashed a variety of auras and spells. Waryong and Rudy's flames spread like red paint that'd been dipped in water.

Kuhaahk!

Inarius roared, and simultaneously created a giant ring of wicked flames around itself.

"Shit."

"Get out of the way!"

They hid behind the upturned earth or the giant rock pillars.

"Haa, haa!" Kang Oh hid behind a Frostblood pillar he'd created, and then caught his breath.

He'd expected it to be hard, but after actually experiencing it... Killing Inarius wouldn't be easy.

Dragons were called the strongest creatures for a reason. Rather than feel discouraged, he actually felt more confident instead.

'Yeah, let's see who comes out on top!' Kang Oh tightly gripped his demon swords.

Roar!

A tsunami of flames passed through the battlefield.

Kang Oh and his companions reappeared.

Their fight was long from over.