While lost in thought for a moment, the man got punched in the face and sent flying.
Inferno ignored him for the time being and rushed over to Chloe, who still had a crestfallen and sad expression on her face.
He quickly thought of a solution to keep her safe, knowing the demon wouldn't leave without a fight. Unfortunately, there was no guarantee of success—he didn't know how many enemies were hidden within the estate.
"You should stay in the room. No one is there, and it should be safe," Inferno said firmly. "If I don't come for you in the next twenty minutes, switch locations. Make sure not to leave any traces. We don't know how many Lord Realm experts the attackers have sent."
"Will you be okay?" Chloe asked, concern etched across her face.
"I don't know," Inferno admitted. "But I'll try to kill him. And if I can't, I'll keep him busy for as long as I can. I'll also try not to die—I don't want to weaken Aron."
Chloe nodded and made her way into the room. Before entering, she turned at the doorway and faced him.
"If you don't come back, does that mean you're dead?" she asked softly.
Inferno smiled faintly. "I'm immortal. I can't die as long as Aron is alive, and I believe that's a long time. Lock the door when I'm gone."
Chloe gave him a suspicious look but said nothing. She entered the room and began to examine it.
Inferno turned and started walking toward the man, who was struggling to free himself from the rubble.
"I really hate fire. It burns," the man muttered, brushing himself off as he climbed out. A part of his face, which had been punched, had all its flesh burned away from the intensity of the flame.
As he dusted himself off, he touched his face, flinching from the stinging pain. Then, as if by magic, new flesh grew over the burned area, revealing a brand-new face.
The man smirked at Inferno. "Well, this is going to be interesting," he said, ready for round two.
Inferno knew this was going to be a tough fight. He glanced back, thinking about Chloe.
I hope she'll be safe. I don't want Aron to kill me, he thought worriedly.
The man noticed that Chloe wasn't with Inferno.
"What about Chloe? Where is she?" he asked, glancing around.
When he couldn't spot her, his eyes narrowed. "She's hiding, isn't she? I can always find her," he sneered.
Inferno, curious but determined to prioritize the fight, decided to get his answers later. I'll ask him when he's near death. If that doesn't work, I can always torture him.
He stared at the man before finally speaking. "You should be worrying about whether you'll leave here in one piece."
The man laughed loudly, locking eyes with Inferno. "And who's going to do that? You?" He burst out laughing again.
"Tch," Inferno clicked his tongue, growing annoyed.
The man eventually stopped laughing, narrowing his eyes as if trying to place Inferno. "I don't recognize you. Are you one of the Lord Realm experts from the Cruz family? A high-ranking member, maybe?"
Inferno remained silent, knowing he wouldn't match anyone's expectations.
"Who are you, anyway?" the man asked curiously.
"My name is Inferno," he replied evenly.
"Not your name, numbskull!" the man snapped, irritated. "We have no information about a creature like you being associated with the Cruz family."
"Creature?" Inferno repeated, raising an eyebrow. "I'm a spirit. You can't expect to know everything."
"Well, I can always beat the answers out of you," the man said, smirking.
Inferno's flames began to burn brighter and hotter. The temperature around them rose sharply, making the air difficult to breathe.
The man moved in a blur—and so did Inferno. They collided, throwing punches at each other, each catching the other's attacks.
The impact generated a massive shockwave, shattering the ground and cracking the walls. Moments later, the estate's protective measures activated, emitting a blue glow. The walls and ground began to mend themselves.
Inferno, his fist locked with the man's palm, increased the intensity of his flames.
"Hot, hot, hot!" exclaimed the man, letting go and trying to create space. He realized, however, that his hand was still locked in Inferno's grip.
Inferno yanked him closer, delivering a gut punch that lifted him off the ground, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent him hurtling into the wall.
The man, momentarily dazed from being sent into the wall, pulled himself free. Blood and burn marks covered his body, but within seconds, his wounds healed completely, leaving him as good as new.
Then, he vanished.
A blur shot toward Inferno, grabbing him by the face.
A sizzling sound filled the air as the man's hand made contact with Inferno's flaming head. His palm burned, but the demon didn't let go. His face twisted in pain.
"Don't get cocky just because you landed a few hits on me," growled the man.
He hurled Inferno across the room, slamming him into a wall. Without hesitation, he began throwing a barrage of punches, driving Inferno deeper into the structure.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire building trembled under the force of the attacks. Cracks spiderwebbed across the walls as Inferno was pushed further in.
Annoyed by the relentless assault, Inferno's flames flared brighter and hotter. The wall behind him began to glow orange, as if it were burning from the intensity of his heat. Then, with a deafening shatter, the wall gave way.
Inferno caught one of the man's incoming punches, twisted his arm at an unnatural angle, and countered with a series of powerful blows. The impact shifted their battlefield, sending them hurtling apart. They separated briefly, locking eyes.
Without warning, they moved again, clashing midair.
The man crashed against another wall, blood dripping from his mouth. One of his horns was partially burned off, and he struggled to stand. As his injuries healed, he grimaced.
I can't keep healing like this... I'll tire myself sooner or later, he thought.
He touched his head, feeling the damage. When he realized part of his horn was gone, his face contorted with rage.
"My horn!" the demon screamed. Fury consumed him, and his body began to transform.
His horns elongated, though one remained partially burned. His skin darkened, turning pitch black like the void. He grew taller, his figure now towering and monstrous—a creature straight out of hell.
Inferno watched the transformation, his flames dimming slightly as he sighed. "So, you're a demon. This just got a whole lot harder."
The demon snarled, his voice dripping with malice. "You're going to die for this."
They both vanished, their movements too fast to track.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The aftermath of their clash sent Inferno sprawling to the ground. The demon appeared above him, raising a foot to stomp him further into the floor.
Inferno vanished just in time, reappearing behind the demon and throwing a punch.
The demon, moving as if he had eyes in the back of his head, twisted fluidly, dodged the blow, and grabbed Inferno's arm.
"You've gotten weaker," the demon taunted, slamming Inferno through several walls.
Flying through the debris, Inferno thought to himself, More like you've gotten stronger.
The demon gave chase, his movements relentless. Inferno, after crashing through multiple walls, finally regained his balance. His flames, however, flickered slightly, their brightness dimmed.
As he steadied himself, he saw the demon charging toward him again.
Meanwhile, in the room, Chloe sat in a corner, staring sorrowfully at her son's small arm. Although sorrow weighed heavily on her, she felt a sliver of peace knowing he was safe for now.
The sound of explosions echoed through the estate. Chloe turned toward the door.
"I guess it's begun," she murmured.
She shifted her gaze away from the door, surveying the room. Her eyes fell on the countless corpses strewn about—maids, guards, people who had been protecting the estate.
She sighed, her chest heavy with grief. How did the attack happen so quickly that so many people are already dead? she wondered.
The number of the dead must have exceeded a thousand.
As the explosions continued, Chloe's thoughts drifted to her husband, who she imagined was now fighting an intermediate demon.
Eventually, the sounds of battle stopped, and a dreadful silence followed. Fear gnawed at her, imagining the worst. She moved to a shadowed corner of the room, her breathing shallow.
After waiting and seeing no sign of Inferno, Chloe unlocked the door with trembling hands.
The door creaked as she opened it slightly and peeked through the crack. Seeing no one, she cautiously stepped out.
Bloodstains covered the walls and floor. Chloe, surveying the area, thought to herself, This must be the blood of that man.
She moved carefully along the walls, her footsteps silent, trying to avoid detection.
As she crept through the hallways, she heard a voice echo nearby.
"Give up! You and the baby you're carrying will die together," the voice said, sounding feminine yet laced with malice.
Chloe froze, her curiosity piqued despite her fear. She quietly made her way toward the source of the voice and peeked around the corner.