After the golem incident in Buckheim, all the Cottontails prioritized combining their minds and ideas to fortify their city's defenses. Jules helped design the defenses and make the blueprints, while Joe helped build them.

 

Because Astrid decided to stay, she was able to warn everyone about the upcoming great catastrophe, helping them properly prepare for the inevitable.

 

While everyone was busy inventing new ways to fortify the city, Astrid and Coney spent the past months training intensely with their swords.

 

Now that the battle against the demons had started, they could finally put their efforts into action. This time, Coney and Astrid weren’t the only ones fighting back. Everyone had finally stepped up to protect their precious city together.

 

Coney and Astrid took the lead on the front lines, focusing on cutting down the demons. The Cottontail residents focused on ensuring no demons passed through their city’s defenses, supporting the fighters with their inventions like heavy cannons and guns that shoot metal nets.

 

Unfortunately, no matter how coordinated they were, they would eventually run out of stamina. They faced the same problem as the others: the demons were endless unless they managed to close off the portal and destroy the energy source, a fact Astrid had shared when she saw their enemies were demons.

 

“Hey, Astrid. Do you have any idea where we can find the energy source?” Coney asked, deflecting a demon's claw.

 

“It’s probably just around here somewhere, we just have to keep looking while we focus on pushing these demons away,” Astrid responded.

 

The two combined their strength to defeat the demons while the others supported them. This continued for minutes until the demon general assigned to face the Chosen One appeared from above the city, making a grand entrance. The general had been observing them from the stalactites above.

 

He landed directly inside the city, bypassing their defenses and shattering the ground where he landed.

 

The sound caught Astrid and Coney’s attention, so they rushed back inside. They were met by a small boy with an overwhelming and ominous demonic presence.

 

The demon looked similar to Luz, one might speculate he was related to her human host, perhaps an identical twin.

 

He shared the same physical features as his sister. However, his hair was incredibly unruly, with a long strand obscuring one eye. Like his sister, his face was twisted into a wide, almost predatory smile, revealing a set of sharp, shark-like teeth. His nails were long and sharp like claws. His one visible eye was a striking, glowing crimson red, and his demeanor exuded a constant, unsettling hunger. His rough voice didn't match his small physique.

 

“Aah! I’m so hungry I could eat anything!” He shouted. He immediately started rampaging and running around the city, eating everything in his path, including the rocks on the ground and the metal plates that made up the city structures.

 

“Fa-ha! Thanks for the meal!” He shouted, followed by a loud burp.

 

The residents tried to stop him, but he was too fast and agile.

 

His rampaging caused immense destruction inside the city, causing residents to panic. Thankfully, Coney and Astrid were around to guide them.

 

“Everyone, please evacuate the city! Let me and Astrid handle this demon!” Coney instructed.

 

Her voice calmed the residents. They listened, leaving the big boss to their care and focusing on fending off the demons coming from the portal.

 

The demon general heard Coney’s voice, which put a huge smile on his face. “Ha! You’re finally here! Tony’s my name, and I’m here to feast upon you! The Chosen One!” He revealed, pointing his sharp claw towards Coney.

 

Coney was shocked, as this was the first intelligent, human-like demon she had encountered. “I see. So this demon can talk… we might be able to gain some valuable information out of him,” she muttered.

 

“Yeah, but we have to be careful. He’s one of those intelligent and powerful ones who’s possessing a human host. We’ve faced one before and struggled so much that we were almost wiped out,” Astrid warned.

 

“I see… a human host, huh? Guess we have to hold back,” Coney responded with determination.

 

“Yeah, our priority is to capture him so we can make him talk. He probably knows where the energy source of the demon portal is,” Astrid answered.

 

“Hey now… what are you two muttering about? Don’t leave me out or I’ll get sad!” Tony chimed in.

 

“Sorry but time isn’t on our side, so we have to finish this as soon as possible,” Coney said. Without hesitation, she leaped into battle and initiated the attack using the Prismanium Sword Joe had made for her.

 

Tony had very sharp senses and was agile due to his small physique, allowing him to dodge Coney’s attack easily.

 

“Going straight for the kill, huh? That’s just my style!” Tony said happily. He retaliated using his sharp claws, forcing Coney to defend.

 

The two continued clashing. They were so fast that Astrid couldn’t find the right moment to join in the fight.

 

“Fa-ha! This is amazing! I’ve never fought anyone who’s fast enough to react to my attacks!” Tony said happily.

 

Not a single word left Coney’s mouth. She was struggling and having a hard time dealing with Tony, using all her effort just to defend against his sharp claws.

 

She knew that if she held back, she wouldn’t be able to defeat him, so she finally decided to get serious and hope she wouldn’t kill Tony’s human host. The moment she saw an opening, she used an ability she had honed during her training with Astrid.

 

[Sword Technique - Moon Magic: Crescent Strike]

 

She infused her prismanium sword with mana and unleashed a devastating crescent-shaped wave of pure energy with a single, focused slash. The energy slash roared through the air, a luminous arc of pale silver light that resembled a rising crescent moon.

 

This caught Tony off guard, but instead of dodging it, he decided to open his mouth in an uncanny, wide shape and swallowed Coney’s attack.

 

This shocked Coney, who thought he could only eat physical materials. She didn’t know he could also eat magic itself.

 

“That was delicious!” Tony said, followed by a burp and a creepy smile. “Now it’s my turn.”

 

He drew a deep breath, and the air shivered as raw power gathered in his chest. A low hum turned into a violent shake as dark light spilled from his mouth. His jaw snapped open wider than it should, and he unleashed everything in one brutal blast. A beam of pure rage tore out of him, burning the air pitch-black and carving a straight path of destruction.

 

Coney was caught off-guard and didn’t have time to dodge. Thankfully, Astrid came to the rescue. “Look out!” She shouted, extending her sword and pushing Coney out of the way, saving her from the beam at the last second.

 

“Phew, that was close! Are you alright, Ms. Coney?” Astrid asked, reaching her hand to Coney.

 

“Y-yeah, I’m okay, thanks to you,” Coney responded, grabbing Astrid’s hand.

 

After using his ability, Tony once again ran around the city and started eating all the scraps he could see to replenish his strength and energy.

 

The way his ability worked was that he stored energy whenever he ate something, using that energy as a powerful blast. The more he ate and the higher the quality of what he ate, the more powerful his energy blast became, to the point where he could flatten an entire city.

 

“We have to stop him from eating, or else he’ll use another energy blast again,” Astrid said worriedly.

 

“You don’t have to remind me,” Coney responded.

 

The two combined their strength to stop and capture Tony, but he was too fast and agile, eating every scrap while dodging their attacks.

 

“Fa-ha! Catch me if you can!” He taunted.

 

"Grr! Annoying little… Stay still!" Astrid shouted angrily.

 

It didn't take long until Tony had eaten enough and filled his belly, but thanks to Astrid and Coney’s non-stop assault, he couldn’t find an opening to use another energy blast.

 

“Don’t give him even a second to recover! We have to stop him right here, right now, or there will be more destruction ahead of us,” Coney urged.

 

“On it!” Astrid responded with determination.

 

Coney and Astrid’s teamwork was finally pushing Tony to his limits. They managed to catch up to his speed and cornered him against a tall, sturdy wall.

 

“It’s over! You have nowhere to run to anymore!” Astrid declared, pointing her sword toward him.

 

Instead of feeling threatened, Tony was smirking and laughing like a maniac. “Aah! This is so fun, but unfortunately, I’m not satisfied yet. More! I want to eat more!”

 

“Enough! I won’t let you roam free any longer!” Coney shouted.

 

She launched herself forward, intending to knock Tony out using the back of her sword’s blade so she could tie him up and question him later. She was fast, but Tony was faster. Due to his small size, he dodged Coney’s attack by bending his body, then used his energy blast directly at the wall behind him to destroy it and escape.

 

Tony’s energy blast sent pieces of the wall, and Coney flying.

 

Cough Cough

 

Coney was caught off guard and received minor injuries. She recovered immediately, but Tony was nowhere to be seen. “N-no! I lost sight of him! We must find him fast, or it’s our allies who’ll be on his plate next!” She said worriedly.

 

“I… I think I know where he’s heading,” Astrid assumed.

 

Astrid deduced Tony’s destination based on his personality. “He said he’s still hungry. He’s probably going to find more metals and scraps to eat, and the weapons everyone invented and worked hard for are made out of it.”

 

“If that’s the case, then we have to move fast. Our allies might be in danger as we speak,” Coney responded.

 

Astrid helped Coney get up, and the two ran as fast as they could towards Tony’s location. Unfortunately, before they could arrive, chaos had already taken place. Tony was already wrecking havoc and had destroyed and eaten half of their weapons.

 

None of the Cottontail residents were strong or confident enough to face Tony, so all they could do was run and watch everything get destroyed. But one resident was brave and reckless enough to put up a fight: Jules, who was nearby, delivering cannonballs and metal nets.

 

The moment he found an opening, he put a cannonball inside one of the cannons that was still working and shot it at Tony. “Hey, demon! Get out of our city!” He shouted.

 

Tony’s enhanced senses saw through the attack. Using his sharp claws, he effortlessly sliced the cannonball like butter. “Hey now… you shouldn’t interrupt someone when they’re having a meal,” he said. “Hmm… maybe it’s time to finally add meat on the menu,” he followed up menacingly.

 

Jules froze in fear, unable to move.

 

Tony ran toward him like a wild beast, ready to devour him whole. Jules was about to meet his doom when Joe came out of nowhere and stepped in. Joe pushed Jules out of the way and used his body to stop Tony’s attack. He didn’t die, but his right arm was ripped off and swallowed whole by Tony. “What a remarkable taste! I want more of it!” Tony said, licking the excess blood dripping from his mouth.

 

“M-Master Joe! Nooo!” Jules shouted in despair, approaching his master with his face covered in snot and tears.

 

Huff Huff

 

“I’m sorry, Master, it’s my fault that you lost your arm,” Jules apologized.

 

“Hehe… knowing you, kiddo, I’m sure you can just build me a new one,” Joe muttered, struggling. He followed up: “Now get out of here and survive!”

 

For a skilled swordsmith and artisan like Joe, losing an arm was devastating, but he believed saving his talented apprentice was worth the sacrifice.

 

Tony allowed the two to have their moment to savor their despair. He was about to resume his meal when Astrid and Coney finally arrived at the scene. Unfortunately, they were too late and only saw Jules crying and Joe lying on the ground, bleeding heavily with his right arm missing.

 

Seeing the person closest to Coney’s heart get hurt finally awakened a dormant emotion inside her, and it made her snap. Finally, she showed intense anger and hatred toward Tony, an emotion she hadn't even shown the Cottontails who mistreated her before.

 

“Sorry, Astrid, but I can’t hold back anymore,” Coney said, her heart and eyes filled with hatred.

 

“W-wait, Ms. Coney! You have to calm down,” Astrid said, but it was too late. 

 

Coney was consumed by rage.

 

Without hesitation, Coney called out for Puff and transformed into her Awakened Form. This time, thanks to her training with Astrid, she had more control over her power and more time before detransforming.

 

She confronted Tony once again, not holding back and not caring about hurting Tony’s human host any longer. She deployed everything in her arsenal, driving Tony to his limits.

 

Astrid couldn’t rationalize with her, so while Coney was busy dealing with Tony, she prioritized helping Joe, stopping the bleeding from his arm before he died from blood loss. After tying up Joe’s right arm, she instructed Jules to take him away as far as possible and stay hidden somewhere safe until it was over. Jules agreed, carrying Joe on his shoulder and leaving as soon as possible.

 

“Please, make sure you two make it out alive, okay?” Jules said before leaving.

 

Astrid nodded. “It’s a promise,” she said genuinely.

 

With Jules and Joe out of the picture, Astrid was ready to lend a hand, but seeing Coney driven by negative emotions in her Awakened State worried her that Coney would make a decision she’d regret. Astrid decided to intervene before things got worse.

 

The fight between Coney and Tony this time wasn't even close. Coney’s agility and strength surpassed Tony’s. Tony could only defend against her attacks. He couldn’t find the time to eat or cast his energy blast.

 

Fueled by anger and hatred, each of Coney’s attacks was earth-shattering and devastating, each swing threatening to break her own bones. Her once finesse fighting style became barbaric. She didn’t care about the toll on her body, only about destroying the enemy.

 

Coney’s recklessness finally pushed Tony to his limits until he couldn’t defend anymore. Even his sharp claws shattered from her overwhelming attacks.

 

Tony was exhausted and defenseless, about to pass out. Coney found this opportunity to end him once and for all. She was about to cut him down when Astrid intervened and stopped her attack from reaching Tony. The fact that Astrid could stop an attack from an Awakened Chosen One was undeniable proof of her perseverance and dedication.

 

“What do you think you’re doing, Astrid?!? Get out of my way!” Coney shouted angrily.

 

“You’re not thinking straight right now! You need to calm down first!” Astrid insisted.

 

“No! I won’t rest until I vanquish the one who hurt Joe!” Coney insisted.

 

“That’s why I’m doing this! I won’t let you become a murderer!” Astrid declared with determination.

 

Coney couldn’t comprehend Astrid’s perspective, making her even more emotional. “Why? Why are you doing this? You said it yourself! These demons are the reason why you got separated from your family. They caused you so much pain… So why? Why are you still protecting them?” She asked, frustration etched on her face.

 

“Because it’s what my Mom would have done as well. At this moment, there’s an innocent human screaming for help… waiting to be freed from the demon who took over his body, and right now, we’re his only hope,” Astrid said.

 

Coney couldn’t help but break down, tears falling from her eyes. She was still angry, but little by little, her compassionate side started to resurface. “But it’s not fair… what about Joe? Because of that demon, he couldn’t do the thing that he loves the most any longer. His hand is what makes him… him,” Coney wept.

 

 “Ever since I was a kid, everyone stared at me like I’m some kind of a nasty monster. Joe was the only one who ever looked at me with compassion and treated me kindly, and it makes me angry that I couldn’t do anything to repay him,” she followed up.

 

Astrid had been containing her emotion, but finally, she snapped as well. “You’re not the only one angry! I owe Joe and Jules as much as you do, and I’m angry at myself for allowing such things to happen to them!”

 

She held Coney’s shoulder and looked her directly in the eyes. “But knowing Joe, he’d probably be shouting at us and laughing at how pathetic we look right now. Heck, he’d probably tell us that losing an arm isn’t a big deal. That's why instead of feeling down, we should stand up and show him that we’re not just some emotional girls… we’re proud warriors!” She said to lift Coney’s spirit.

 

Finally, Coney came back to her senses. She couldn’t help but laugh and smile after hearing Astrid’s inspiring words. She slapped her cheeks and stood up once again, this time, more in control of her emotions and more determined than ever. “You’re right, Astrid. I needed to hear that… so thank you.”

 

“Teehee…”

 

After their heart-to-heart talk, Tony finally recovered and decided to go all out to match Coney’s awakened state.

 

“Aah! You two remind me of my sister… you’re all annoying! Guess I won’t have to hold back any longer. It’s either feast or famine and I choose FEAST! I’ll start by eating you and your swords,” he said menacingly.

 

“This is bad, we can’t allow him to eat our prismanium swords, or it’s game over for us,” Astrid worriedly said. Coney agreed.

 

Tony finally used his trump card and muttered, “I offer ten decades of my life force.”

 

[Forbidden Cursed Technique: Feral Frenzy]

 

Tony’s body convulsed. Muscles swelled and tore, reforming into something feral. Bones cracked as his sharp, long claws reappeared, fangs splitting his jaw wider. His eyes drowned in blackness, consumed by a ravenous beast that knew only hunger and destruction.

 

Coney and Astrid prepared for the final confrontation, feeling the ominous and malicious presence from Tony, yet feeling more motivated than overwhelmed.

 

“You ready, Astrid?” Coney asked.

 

“Yeah! I got your back, Ms. Coney!” Astrid responded confidently.

 

Now that Tony had transformed, he was ten times faster and stronger, but at the cost of his mind and sanity, a mindless beast similar to a berserk Komraad. Coney could match him in strength and speed, and Astrid’s support was crucial, but they were running on limited time, as Coney could detransform soon. They couldn't use magic attacks because Tony would just eat them. They had to attack with their swords, but even that risked Tony eating their prismanium blades.

 

As they clashed, they struggled to find a weakness to exploit. Tony had a solution for everything. However, Coney suddenly realized they might be looking at things from the wrong perspective. They had been trying to prevent Tony from eating, but perhaps the problem was the solution.

 

Coney couldn’t help but smile and be worried at the same time. A crazy idea just entered her mind. “Astrid, I have a plan so crazy it might work. Want to try it?” She asked.

 

“Heh, of course! I trust you completely, Ms. Coney,” Astrid responded.

 

“Good. I need you to feed him all the magic you could throw at him. We’re going to overfeed him until he blows up from the inside!” Coney instructed, her eyes brimming with determination.

 

“Now you’re speaking my language!” Astrid said happily. She shouted, “Hey, demon! Here’s a full course meal just for you!”

 

[Sword Technique - Moon Magic: Consecutive Crescent Strike]

 

Astrid gathered all the mana she could get, stored it in her sword, and released a barrage of attacks.

 

As expected, Tony ate everything without hesitation. This continued until Astrid exhausted herself completely.

 

Huff Huff

 

“S-sorry Ms. Coney, that’s all I have,” Astrid said, falling to the ground, worn out.

 

“That’s more than enough, thank you,” Coney said in gratitude. She then shouted, "Here comes dessert!"

 

She threw her prismanium sword as hard as she could directly into Tony's mouth, and he swallowed it as predicted.

 

While Astrid was barraging attacks, Coney was transferring all of her mana into her prismanium sword. She poured so much energy into it that she detransformed from her Awakened State, with not a droplet of mana remaining in her body. This action left her so exhausted she couldn't move a single finger. It was a gamble of a lifetime.

 

After feasting on Coney’s mana and Astrid’s attacks, Tony finally had enough energy to release the most devastating energy blast. He was about to unleash a blast powerful enough to annihilate Buckheim in seconds, but before he could release it, his belly swelled up like a balloon, and the energy blast exploded inside of his body instead, causing him to pass out.

 

Just as Coney imagined, the amount of mana they fed Tony was too much for even his body to handle. Coney’s gamble paid off, securing them the victory against one of the Demon Generals.

 

“P-phew, I’m glad that worked out,” Astrid said while resting and lying on the ground.

 

“Yeah, but we can’t get any information out of him anymore,” Coney responded.

 

“Who cares! What matters is that we’re alive,” Astrid said.

 

“Hehe, you’re right,” Coney smiled.

 

Astrid and Coney were too exhausted to continue fending off the demons, so they put all their hope and trust into their allies.

 

Another Demon General has failed, giving our allies the upper hand in this ongoing war.