Dominion Bond System: The Only Man Left Has A Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 76: Why Isn’t He Dying?

The moment the compressed sphere of mana above the Devil’s Eye reached its limit, the entire sky trembled.

The surrounding clouds twisted into a giant vortex.

Every strand of mana within the forbidden territory surged toward the creature.

Reiji’s expression darkened. His instincts screamed at him.

That attack wasn’t something he could dodge.

The Devil’s Eye slowly lowered its head.

Its eight crimson eyes locked onto him at once.

Then the beam descended.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

A pillar of blinding white light crashed toward the earth like divine judgment, swallowing everything in its path. Ancient trees vanished before they could even be reduced to ash. The ground melted beneath the overwhelming pressure, leaving behind a canyon that stretched for hundreds of meters.

Reiji didn’t move. Instead, he closed his eyes.

"...Demonic Essence."

A deep black aura seeped out from every pore on his body.

Unlike Blood Rage’s violent crimson aura, this one was eerily calm.

The darkness wrapped around him like liquid before slowly hardening into a thin layer that covered his entire body.

An overwhelming sensation flooded his mind.

He could feel it.

The demonic energy inside him was responding to the attack descending from above.

Ding!

[Demonic Essence Resonance Detected.]

[Demonic Skills Enhanced.]

[Soul Torture Flame effectiveness greatly increased.]

[Rupture effectiveness increased.]

[Hardening infused with Demonic Essence.]

[Blood Rage partially enhanced.]

The notifications vanished almost instantly.

The beam arrived.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!

The entire forest disappeared beneath an ocean of white light.

The explosion continued for several seconds.

The Devil’s Eye remained hovering in the sky, watching without blinking.

Nothing should have survived.

Not even an A-Rank monster would have walked away unharmed.

The light slowly faded.

A massive crater stretched across the battlefield.

Smoke drifted upward.

The Devil’s Eye narrowed all eight eyes.

Something was still standing.

At the center of the crater...

Reiji slowly lowered his crossed arms.

Black cracks spread across the hardened aura covering his body before disappearing.

His clothes had been badly torn.

Several shallow burns covered his arms and shoulders.

Blood trickled down one side of his forehead.

Yet he was alive.

Reiji slowly exhaled.

"...So that’s what Demonic Essence does."

The attack had still hurt.

A lot.

But the overwhelming demonic energy inside the beam had been weakened tremendously the moment it touched him.

It was almost as though Demonic Essence had devoured part of the attack before it could reach his body.

His breathing remained steady.

Blood Rage still coursed through his veins.

Overload continued strengthening every movement despite the constant pain tearing through his muscles.

The Devil’s Eye let out a furious shriek.

*SKREEEEEEEEEE!!*

Its enormous wings beat once. The air exploded. It descended like a meteor.

Reiji’s eyes sharpened.

[Shadow Step.]

His figure disappeared.

BOOM!!

The Devil’s Eye crashed into the crater where he had been standing only moments earlier.

The impact shattered the surrounding earth.

Before the monster could recover, Reiji appeared beside its injured neck.

His right hand burst into black flames.

The Soul Torture Flame had changed.

The once amber fire had become pitch-black with crimson veins running through it.

The surrounding air distorted from its terrifying heat.

Reiji thrust his palm forward.

[Soul Torture Flame.]

BOOOOOOM!!

Black fire exploded across the creature’s neck.

Unlike before, the flames clung to its flesh instead of dispersing.

The Devil’s Eye released an agonizing scream.

It desperately rolled through the air, trying to extinguish the flames.

They refused to disappear. The black fire continued burning.

Not only its flesh but even its soul. The creature’s aura fluctuated violently.

Reiji didn’t waste the opportunity.

[Verdant Grow.]

Hundreds of thick vines erupted from beneath the ground.

Unlike before, faint black patterns spread across every vine.

The Demonic Essence had affected them as well. The vines wrapped around one of the Devil’s Eye’s legs.

CRACK!!

The creature tore through most of them immediately.

But that tiny delay was enough.

[Shadow Step.]

Reiji appeared above its back.

[Rupture.]

BOOM!!

A violent explosion blasted another chunk of scales from the creature’s spine.

Blood sprayed through the air.

The Devil’s Eye twisted violently, swinging its enormous serpent tail.

Reiji blocked instinctively.

[Hardening.]

The tail slammed into his forearms.

BOOOOOOM!!

The impact still launched him backward, but something surprised him.

His arms weren’t broken.

Not even cracked.

The Hardening skill had become vastly tougher after being infused with Demonic Essence.

He skidded across the ground before stopping himself.

Without hesitation—

[Water Jet.]

A compressed stream of water pierced toward the creature’s exposed eyes.

The Devil’s Eye tilted its head just enough to avoid a direct hit.

The beam sliced across two of its crimson eyes.

Blood erupted.

The monster screamed again. It retaliated instantly. Its four wings beat together.

Thousands of razor-sharp golden feathers shot toward Reiji like arrows.

Each feather carried enough force to pierce solid rock.

Reiji activated Rainfall.

Dark clouds instantly gathered overhead. Heavy rain poured across the battlefield.

The falling rain altered the trajectory of dozens of feathers just enough for Reiji to weave between them with Shadow Step.

Those he couldn’t avoid struck his hardened body.

CLANG!

CLANG!

CLANG!

The impacts pushed him backward but failed to pierce his skin.

Only a handful managed to leave shallow cuts across his shoulders and thighs.

The Devil’s Eye hesitated.

Its eight eyes stared directly at him with confusion. This creature... Why wasn’t he dying?

Its attacks should have crushed him long ago.

Instead every exchange ended with new wounds appearing across its own body.

Reiji noticed the hesitation immediately.

’...Good.’

That meant the monster was beginning to doubt itself.

He couldn’t allow it time to think. His feet exploded forward.

Shadow Step carried him across the battlefield faster than ever before.

Every movement flowed naturally into the next.

Verdant Grow restricted the monster’s movements.

Water Jet disrupted its vision. Rainfall concealed his approach.

Soul Torture Flame continued burning every wound it touched.

Rupture detonated beneath broken scales.

The Devil’s Eye retaliated with claws, tail strikes, wing slashes and compressed blasts of mana, but Demonic Essence drastically weakened the demonic energy behind every attack.

Combined with Hardening, Reiji endured blows that would have killed him only minutes earlier.

Even so, victory remained far away. Overload was slowly destroying his own body.

His muscles screamed every time he accelerated.

Blood seeped from tiny tears beneath his skin. His breathing became increasingly ragged.

He ignored it.

Every second he survived increased his chances. The Devil’s Eye suddenly spread all four wings again.

Its entire body began glowing with golden light.

Mana surged violently around it.

Reiji narrowed his eyes. "...Again?"

The creature was preparing another devastating attack.

This time...

It looked even stronger.