“What the hell? He’s more of a demon compared to before? How is that possible?”

“It’s a long story.”

Miko casually replied to Natasa’s question.

“If I had to simplify it, I’m half demon by birth but my Dragna half was more dominant so I had trouble using it. It didn’t help that I wasn’t taught how to use my demon traits when I was a kid either. Although, I did gain control over my demon blood I wasn’t able to grow as a demon that much which was a problem for me for many reasons. Fortunately, I learned a few stuff from the original demons millions of years ago and figured out a solution.”

Miko pointed at himself.

“I merely needed to increase the potency of my demon blood. The quickest way to do that is to slaughter people, bathe in their blood, and absorb the negative emotions in it. You know, Demonification. My previous form was the result of me demonfying myself but that was the limit. So I decided to take it up a notch using a rather crude method that’s no longer practiced.”

Miko spread his arms and demonic aura surrounded him.

“Destroying myself over and over again until my body was forced to evolve to survive!”

A savage grin appeared on his face.

“When pushed to the brink of death demons will enter survival mode where their demon abilities are boosted beyond the limits of their body. If you constantly stay in this state long enough your body will evolve and you’ll obtain a body similar to that of the original demons. No one knows for sure why this happens but it’s believed that those demons somehow touched upon the primal genes of their ancestors. Honestly, I don’t care about the truth. It just sounded like it was worth the try.”

“Worth the try? You had to literally dance on the border of life and death for a long time. One mistake and it’s game over. No wonder no one uses this method anymore. It’s insane.”

“And you wouldn’t do the same if you had even the slightest chance of obtaining power?”

“What are you saying? Of course, I would.”

Miko’s eyes widened.

“I mean, the risks are high but I can get stronger, right?”

Natasa clenched her fists tightly.

“If I get stronger then I can fight stronger people. I can get to meet more Kings and get to compete against them. I might lose my life but that’s fair game.”

She grinned.

“A king can’t be shackled by the fear of losing his life.”

Miko looked at her in silence for a bit before he burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! I really like you, Natasa. You’re my kind of girl.”

He started approaching her.

“I’m even more motivated to break you.”

“You get a new body and automatically think you’re the shit.”

Natasa started approaching him. The two walked slowly before breaking out into a sprint.

“Do you think that I’ll just roll over and let you beat me?!”

“Since when was it your choice?!”

They leaped into the air and simultaneously kicked out. Their legs clashed and a deafening sound reverberated. Shockwaves spread out around them and blew everything away. They were repelled in separate directions. The moment they landed they rushed towards each other again. Miko threw a punch while Natasa threw a kick. Fist clashed with foot and sent shockwaves through the area. Natasa flipped off Miko’s fist. She bent her back immediately after landing and Miko flew over her with a flying kick. She straightened up and spun around swinging her claws. Miko duck under her claws and slammed his palm in her stomach and twisted it.

*Bam!*

A crimson serpent burst through Natasa’s body. She stumbled back and was hit with a roundhouse kick. Miko followed up with an ax kick. Natasa caught it and slammed him on the ground. She grinned at him and took off dragging his body on the ground. She stopped and used the momentum to fling Miko. Her body flickered and she appeared above him. She twisted her body and slammed her leg on his chest. An explosive sound resounded but Miko wasn’t blown towards the ground as she thought.

“?!”

Her eyes widened when she felt a grip on her leg. Miko had caught her kick. He twisted his body in the air and started spinning her until they crashed into the earth and created a crater. With a thunderclap, Miko was blasted out of the crater. Crimson aura surrounded his body. He spread his arms and the aura formed into a pair of wings. Natasa flew at him with brown lights dancing around her. She punched out and the lights turned into lasers and chased after Miko who took to the skies.

“Black Ruin!”

He thrust his hand out and black static spread through the sky. Cracks appeared on the lasers. They crumbled and turned into dust. The black static spread towards the earth. Natasa flew back and watched as earth cracked open after getting hit with the static.

“Long-distance battles aren’t my styles.”

Her body started emitting electric sparks. She disappeared leaving a static behind and appeared beside Miko.

“?!”

She punched Miko before he could react propelling him to the ground. He flapped his wings and landed softly. By that time, Natasa had already disappeared from the sky. He was blasted by lightning from his side. His body cut through the air like an arrow. He turned to his side and saw Natasa matching him in speed.

(It seems like she’s finally gotten a hang of using some of her new abilities.)

Brown flames danced around her. Miko’s vision was soon overwhelmed with flames. He distanced himself from the attack.

(Natasa’s 1000 Beast Incarnations is indeed a very rare and powerful ability. I’ve technically lived thousands of lifetimes and I can only remember seeing a similar ability less than 10 times.)

Natasa flew out of the flames pointing her palms at Miko.

(Despite it being a powerful ability….)

She fired a gigantic brown beam at him. Miko watched beam approached him and a sinister crimson aura started flowing out of his body. An image of a terrifying crimson beast appeared behind him. He then moved his arms in a circular motion

“Demon Art: Destructive Wave!”

A spiral crimson light rushed towards the beam and clashed with it. A huge explosion erupted and shook the city to the core. A gigantic smoking crater was left behind. Miko calmly scanned the area for Natasa. He felt a presence above him and thrust his hand overhead. Crimson sparks spread out and caught a fireball that was falling on him. Natasa popped up in front of him.

(Natasa’s ability has a dangerous flaw.)

He thrust his knee up and blocked a kick from her. The force behind the kick propelled him back. He used his wings to stop himself. Natasa cut the distance between them with her fists clenched.

(That flaw is ironically the reason why it’s so powerful; the 1000 beast abilities that she obtains.)

Natasa rained down punches on the Miko, who countered with punches of his own. Brown and crimson sparks flew between them and destroyed everywhere they touched.

(It’s true suddenly gaining 1000 abilities is a dream come true but that’s only on paper. What most people fail to realize is that for those abilities to be of any good use you need to master them all, otherwise, you’d be better off with one ability.)

He leaped back and swung his claws. Crimson slashes hit Natasa and but they were unable to cut through her scales. She grinned and rushed towards him again. Sickles grew out of her arms and legs. She used those sickles to slash at Miko’s vitals with punches and kicks. Miko twisted and turned his body to avoid the sickles while also countering with a strike with his claws. His claws were unable to penetrate her skin. Even so, Miko didn’t seem flustered and continued to take her on.

(That being said, Natasa is a natural-born fighter. If given enough time she’ll master all 1000 abilities. The fact that she can already make some practicable in this fight is proof of that.)

Natasa’s tail joined the assault making it incredibly harder for Miko. He distanced himself. Natasa spread her arms and her wings retracted into her back and dozens of sickle blades replaced them. The sickles extended and rushed towards Miko, who covered his hands in crimson aura.

(The problem is that before she gets the chance to master those techniques she evolves and a new 1000 abilities replace the ones she was trying to master, forcing her to reset.)

He shattered the sickles with lightning-fast punches. However, there was a frown on his face.

“This is so frustrating.”

He accelerated towards Natasa, ignoring the blades that were hacking away at his skin. Natasa threw a kick and he slid underneath it and through her legs. He slammed his leg in the center of her face the moment she turned around. She stumbled back while Miko walked towards her.

“The fact that this keeps happening is proof that you don’t know how to use your own ability. It’s yours so you just need to stop it from evolving on its own.”

Natasa fired a lightning blast from her mouth. The blast hit him head-on and caused an explosion.

“It’s so frustrating how you’re wasting your potential.”

Miko emerged from that explosion with burns over his body.

“Your very existence is so much of a waste that it makes me want to vomit.”

“You son of a-”

Several arms spouted from Natasa’s back. Energy started gathering in their palms. Lightning and flames started gathering in her mouth. She fired blasts from her hands and mouths at Miko.

“Demon Art…”

Miko lifted his hand in front of him and clenched it.

“Gluttony.”

A crimson mouth appeared out of nowhere and swallowed the blasts before disappearing.

“What?!”

Miko’s body flickered and he appeared behind her. Black light coated his hand as he swiped it across Natasa’s back.

“Black Ruin.”

The black light scanned over her back and gathered on her extra arms. They shattered like glass.

“Ahhhh?!”

Natasa attacked Miko while screaming in agony. He blocked her attack with his arms and was forced back. She glared at him with hateful eyes.

“I’m gonna kill you! I’m gonna tear you apart!”

Brown light enveloped her body and the earth started shaking. Miko’s eyes narrowed.

(I’ve been wondering about it for a while….She’s using Beastly Vita, isn’t she? But it doesn’t look like she’s aware that she’s using it….)

He gritted his teeth and started approaching her.

“There’s this thing called Diamond in the rough. I think it perfectly describes you who have so much potential but don’t know how to nurture it.”

Natasa blasted off the ground and headed towards him.

“Rough Diamonds are said to shine after you polish them.”

She popped up in front of him and threw a punch with everything she had. The lightning-fast punch was snail-paced in Miko’s demon eyes. He thrust his hand out and grabbed her arm. Natasa’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Her punch was completely stopped by Miko. He pulled her and locked her arm under his.

“I prefer to use a different method.”

He pulled her arm down while swinging his knee up. A snapping sound reached Natasa’s ear and it was followed by pain.

“Ahhhh?!”

“I prefer to break them.”

He released her and avoided her tail from piercing his head by leaping back.

“The scales on your skin prevents me from dealing real damage through melee or magical attacks. So I’ve decided to change my tactics.”

Miko cracked his fingers one after the other.

“I’ll just break you until you give up.”

“What?”

Natasa glared at him while trying to fix her back in place.

“Give up? Don’t make me laugh! A king never gives up.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. Kings do give up in the face of something superior.”

Miko looked at Natasa with cold eyes.

“I’ll have you submit to me. Right here, right now.”

“Like that will…”

Miko’s body flickered and he appeared behind her. She thrust her tail at him, he twisted out of the way and grabbed it. Black light spread over it and it shattered. Before Natasa could scream, his body flickered again. She gritted her teeth and fired a blast at her right. Miko appeared sliding under it. Natasa stomp on him with everything she had. Miko sunk into a crater but he caught her leg. He poured mana into her leg. Cracks opened up in her leg and blood sprayed out. Miko bent her leg and a loud snap resounded.

“Ahhh!”

Natasa fell on the ground holding her disfigured leg.

“Your body is hard so it’ll take too much strength to try and break it. So I’m going to inject my mana into you and destroy your insides first.”

Miko smiled.

“That will make it a lot easier.”

“You!”

Natasa spouted bat wings out of her back and took to the skies. Her body doubled in size and bulked up with muscles. Her claws lengthened and she grew six new sword-like tails. The current her looked even more like a monster. She roared and dozens of eyes opened up in the sky. These eyes were all glowing as they glared at Miko.

“That’s another problem that you have. You’re too reliant on your power. Just because you’re in danger you started using abilities that you’re not familiar with in hopes that it’ll throw me off.”

Crimson aura spread out around him. The eyes behind Natasa fired beams down on Miko. The beams covered the sky and looked like a punishment from the heavens.

“Demon Art:…”

Miko stomped on the ground. Crimson light spread across the earth and hundreds of demonic eyes opened up in the ground.

“Satanic Gaze.”

The demonic eyes fired lasers up into the sky. The lasers clashed with Natasa’s beams and caused the sky to lit up with countless explosions.

“He could do that too?”

“I’m the one who should be surprised.”

Natasa turned her head and saw Miko floating in the sky with crimson wings.

“What you just used was a Demon Art. Me using it isn’t anything special since I’m a demon but you’re human…. Looks like there’s still more to your Inborn Ability.”

“?!”

Natasa flinched and she started to slowly retreat.

“This is really interesting.”

The smile on Miko’s face made her blood turn cold.

“My desire to obtain you just keeps getting stronger.”

She gritted her teeth and roared. Her chest opened up and a vertical mouth appeared filled with tusk-sized fangs and a long black tongue. Black light gathered in the center of the mouth.

“Die!”

She fired a gigantic beam that divided the sky. The beam landed and caused a massive explosion several miles away. The shockwaves of the explosion still reached Natasa and caused the air to shake. She scanned the sky for Miko while trying to sense his presence. Even if he was hit she knew that he wasn’t dead.

“Good, you’re learning not to let your guard down.”

“?!”

She heard his voice but she didn’t see him.

*Bam!*

That’s when she felt a blow to her torso. She looked down and saw an arm stabbing into the mouth in her chest.

“That being said, you still have a lot to learn.”

Miko appeared out of nowhere with a smile on his face.

“This mouth looks cool and can fire some incredible attacks but it creates a huge weakness in your defenses.”

An explosion erupted inside Natasa and blood gushed out of her. Miko held her up and multiple explosions erupted inside her.

“Ahhhhh!”

Miko grabbed one of her flailing arms and broke it in multiple places in an instant. She screamed and thrust all of her tails at Miko. He blasted her insides and all of the tails grazed past him. Natasa became limped and was only staying in the air because Miko had his arm in her. Miko lifted her other arm and broke it. He went on to step into her knee and scatter her kneecap and quickly did the same to her other one. Natasa remained limp and didn’t say a word. The unfocused look in her eyes showed that she was barely conscious.

“It seems that you’ve reached your limit. That beam earlier must’ve drained you more than you expected….Another sign that you don’t know your own power.”

“………”

Natasa looked at him in silence. He smiled.

“Do you give up?”

She didn’t answer immediately and only responded after a long period of silence.

“….I’ll definitely kick your ass next time.”

A huge smile appeared on Miko’s face.

“Hahahaha! I like that response! Very well!”

He flung her up in the air and watched her fall towards the earth before shooting down with terrifying speed.

“I’ll help you be the diamond you’re meant to be and if you’re lucky you meant surpass me!”

He clenched his fist and black static started emitting from it.

“But first!”

He slammed his fist in her torso.

“Let me break your rough coating!”

With a thunderclap, Natasa was blasted towards the ground. The earth burst open and cracks ran through the ground along with black static. When everything calmed down Natasa was left spread out in a deep crater. Her scales were torn off along with her skin, leaving her a bloody mess. Miko landed beside her with a grin on his face.

“Natasa Kingsley.”

He stooped down, grabbed her hand, and shook it.

“Welcome to Renacido.”