The battle raged fiercely outside the main gates of Prisma. The martial alliance was steadily being overwhelmed by sheer numbers, with heavy casualties mounting among both orthodox cultivators and dark operatives alike.

Every combatant on the field was a trained martial artist utilizing distinct, refined disciplines. Yet the severely unbalanced troop ratio forced the defenders into a desperate, continuous retreat. The clash transcended standard steel-on-steel warfare, evolving into a chaotic exchange of explosive aura fields and high-yield elemental spellwork.

Over in the sector where Draudo had been hurled into the dirt, a massive shockwave rattled the terrain. Descending from above, Aaman moved at absolute velocity, pointing his twin long daggers downward to deliver a final, decisive strike against the supreme warlord.

This clash had to be brought to an absolute end. Combining high-density natural mana, internal reserves, and the absolute velocity of an assassin, Aaman aimed straight for Draudo's neck. He knew that injuring any other organ would prove futile, as the dark warlord would simply trigger his Black Blood cellular regeneration to repair the damage instantly.

WOOOOOSH!

Just as the steel closed to within inches of Draudo's throat, a sudden detonation of high-density dark magic erupted from the fallen warlord, forming a protective field that halted Aaman's descending blades. Refusing to yield, Aaman forced his internal core to its absolute threshold, straining to drive his daggers through the dark barrier.

There was no alternative window; a golden opportunity like this could not be squandered. Decapitate him and it's over! Aaman refused to believe the dark shield was impenetrable, pressing his weight downward to sever Draudo's head.

He channeled every ounce of his internal parameter into the strike. Yet as he forced his blades deeper, the dark magic radiating from Draudo intensified, lashing out like burning needles against Aaman's skin. He marvelled at how a target who had just absorbed a direct, catastrophic impact could still command such terrifying defensive output.

WOOOOOSH!

Before Aaman's daggers could clear the barrier, the surging dark magic exploded outward, hurling Aaman backward through the air. The dark cloud expanded rapidly, swirling into a massive, suffocating vortex.

Deep down, Aaman had known that defeating a supreme commander of a hundred-thousand-strong dark legion would not be so simple. The dark magic churned violently, and as the midnight shroud dissipated, a massive, monstrous silhouette materialized before them.

Enraged, Draudo had unsealed his ultimate Demon Transformation. He now stood as a five-meter-tall juggernaut with a massive torso and disproportionately huge, muscular arms, anchored by relatively slender lower limbs. Resembling a hulking, bipedal bull, his heavy frame was clad in thick, pitch-black bone armor.

Stabilizing his footing mid-air, Aaman landed lightly on the plain, dropping into a low stance. Overcoming the warlord in this form would prove exponentially more difficult, as his overall parameters had multiplied several times over.

Aji materialized beside Aaman, his movements fluid and precise. He quickly cautioned Aaman that Draudo had unsealed the peak tier of dark magic transformations. Once a dark practitioner entered the ultimate Demon Transformation, reverting to a human form became nearly impossible, yet their physical durability and offensive parameters surged tenfold.

"Sever his head entirely, Aaman—that is the only way to put him down permanently!" Aji instructed.

Draudo initiated the assault. His massive frame lunged forward toward Aji and Aaman with startling velocity. The sheer kinetic shockwave generated by his charge pushed a heavy gale before him, dealing air pressure damage even before his physical strikes landed.

WOOOOOSH!

Aji planted his feet, sweeping his wooden staff in a high-speed arc to meet Draudo's heavy fist. The kinetic aura imbued in the staff collided with the full weight of the warlord's strike.

BOOOOOOM!

The opposing forces grunted under the strain, each pushing to break the other's posture and secure a lethal opening. Yet neither yielded, remaining locked in a fierce contest of raw physical parameters.

Recognizing an opening while Draudo was occupied locking strength with Aji, Aaman stepped back two paces. Vaulting into the sky at maximum velocity, he looked down at Draudo's massive frame.

Hovering high above, Aaman drew his twin long daggers behind his back, preparing his absolute strike. He condensed his entire internal parameter into two concentrated points at the tips of his daggers.

It was his most powerful technique. Aaman combined his maximum assassin velocity with peak kinetic output, plunging from the clouds like a falling meteor.

"Ghost Speed!"

Aaman's vessel vanished into thin air, reappearing directly behind Draudo's exposed back. However, heightened by his demon transformation, Draudo's combat instincts were razor-sharp. Though engaged in a battle of strength against Aji, the warlord detected the high-speed signature closing in from behind.

Aaman swung his daggers downward, aiming to shatter Draudo's neck beneath the heavy bone armor and terrifying horns.

CRACK! SHATTER!

Aaman's blades ground to a violent halt, intercepted by an impenetrable layer of dark steel that sprouted directly from Draudo's back. The sheer kinetic momentum of Aaman's daggers became trapped within the dark metal. Eight massive, spiked iron arms burst through Draudo's back armor, sprouting from his spine.

Four of the iron arms locked Aaman's daggers in place, while the remaining four swiveled around to crush his vessel in rapid succession. Recognizing the trap, Aaman released his grip on his weapons, channeling aura into his palms to deflect the incoming iron strikes.

Deploying Ghost Speed, Aaman twisted mid-air, dodging the four metallic arms with assassin agility. Reaching through a narrow gap, he reclaimed his daggers, using the kinetic rebound to vault backward to safety.

Floating mid-air, Aaman recalibrated his stance. The ultimate Demon Transformation of an Annihilation Demon was truly a terrifying combat state.

Below, Aji remained engaged with Draudo's primary arms. The eight metallic limbs sprouting from the warlord's spine swiveled forward, aiming to impale Aji while his hands were pinned.

CRACKLE!

Aji unsealed a wave of celestial thunder, spreading a high-density electricity domain that applied a movement-impairment effect over Draudo's eight metal arms. The residual lightning slowed the incoming strikes just enough for Aji to disengage. Stepping back half a pace, Aji executed a high-speed rotational kick aimed directly at Draudo's jaw.

BOOM!

The kinetic force of Aji's kick snapped Draudo's head sideways by a few inches. Yet despite the massive output behind the strike, the warlord's heavy bone armor absorbed the bulk of the impact. Had Draudo been in his human form, that single kick would have sent him flying across the plain.

Draudo felt a flicker of surprise. Even in his ultimate Demon Transformation—his absolute peak state—a strike from this young warrior had managed to force his head back. He realized that this unnamed youth from the Sky Squad was far more dangerous than he appeared, hiding god-like parameters beneath a calm exterior.

"Aaman! Keep him occupied for a moment—I need time!" Aji shouted.

Aaman nodded instantly, recognizing that Aji was preparing a high-yield execution discipline.

Aji evaluated the situation carefully. He knew the Demon Transformation represented Draudo's peak parameters, granting him absolute physical defense and monstrous strength. However, such transformations were strictly time-bound; once the transformation window elapsed, the user's internal core would enter a severe exhaustion phase.

At this moment, Draudo stood at the zenith of his power. Rather than forcing a brute-force breakthrough, Aji chose to execute the most efficient counter-strategy.

"You think you can stall for time against my full power? Naive brat!" Draudo roared.

Surging his dark magic to its absolute limit, Draudo spread his primary arms and his eight metallic limbs wide. He knew his transformation had a fixed duration, after which he would require time to recover under the protection of his legion. He resolved to unleash his total output immediately to eradicate both youths.

Tasked with keeping the warlord occupied, Aaman pushed his velocity to absolute heights. Unsealing the high-tier movement manual Aji had granted him—Ultimate Ghost Speed—he moved like a streak of invisible light, weaving circles around Draudo to confuse his perception.

Draudo scoffed at the evasive tactic, yet he found himself frustrated by Aaman's agility. Swinging his primary hands and his eight metallic limbs in wide sweeping arcs, he attempted to crush the swift warrior, but hit only lingering afterimages.

High velocity remained notoriously difficult to track with the naked eye, let alone intercept with heavy physical strikes.

"Enough games!" Draudo bellowed.

Raising his eight metallic limbs skyward, Draudo deployed a wide-area dark magic net over the sector. As Aaman moved through the dark field, his internal aura illuminated his path, exposing his exact position within the black shroud.

Exposed!

With his vector revealed by the dark field, Aaman found his path blocked as Draudo's heavy metallic arms closed in from all angles. He had stepped directly into a trap.

Inches before the iron hands could crush Aaman's vessel, a hand gripped the collar of his uniform from behind. Aji yanked Aaman backward out of the strike zone.

"You bought me all the time I needed, Aaman," Aji said with a calm, swift smile.

Dispelling the dark shroud around them, Aji stepped to the front just as Draudo's massive, multi-armed execution strike descended upon them. Draudo grinned savagely, believing victory was in his hands.

FLASH!