Thunder crashed into Daredevil once more, scattering the black energy enveloping him. Looking closer, Jason could see that tendrils of darkness still clung to Daredevil, anchoring the demonic force to his body.
Jason's mind focused, and the dragon chi within him shifted instantly.
A sphere of golden-green light gathered in his palm, radiating vitality. His expression hardened with determination as he drove his fist forward!
The transformed dragon chi surged into Daredevil's chest. The possessed vigilante released an unearthly scream as extraordinarily dense black energy erupted from his body. The darkness writhed and convulsed, desperately trying to reclaim its host.
Kingpin, now back on his feet, noticed the phenomenon. He roared with fury and charged forward!
In that critical moment, Jason converted every ounce of energy in his body into pure electrical power, unleashing it without restraint!
Amid the violent tempest of lightning, he stood like a god incarnate on earth. The electrical storm not only blocked Kingpin's approach but prevented the black energy from reconnecting with Daredevil.
At the epicenter of this maelstrom, Daredevil slowly regained consciousness.
He remained disoriented for only a moment before his eyes filled with despair. Gazing at the burning city around them, he whispered, "What have I done?"
"You've become a criminal, Matt Murdock," Jason answered grimly.
"You know my name?" Daredevil's head snapped up in surprise. "You're... Iron Man? No—Hell's Butcher!"
Jason nodded, his expression tinged with solemnity. "Matt, I'm going to kill you."
According to the system, after the demonic force expelled from his body, Daredevil is classified as a silver-tier target.
The electrical barrier was gradually weakening. Kingpin would break through at any moment.
Daredevil offered no resistance. He glanced at the black energy still straining to reach him, closed his eyes, and nodded in acceptance.
"The evil spirit attaches not just to the body, but to the soul," he said quietly. "It radiates outward constantly, contaminating everything it touches. But once it's completely dispersed, the corruption ends."
"Thank you. I understand."
Jason immediately crouched down, drew back his right arm, and channeled his strength. "I'll send you on your final journey."
His fist compressed the air like a pneumatic hammer.
BOOM!
Blood and flesh scattered across the pavement, mingling with the debris!
Without the enhancement of the black energy, Daredevil's physique simply couldn't withstand the impact of Jason's five-ton strike.
The electrical storm dissipated.
The black energy flashed and enveloped the broken remains on the ground, but at this level of destruction, even the demonic force couldn't revive him.
"NO!" Kingpin bellowed with rage. "What have you done? He was the perfect vessel! There are no others like him in this world!"
Kingpin rushed toward Jason with murderous intent, but in the next second, something extraordinary happened!
The black energy surrounding Daredevil's remains suddenly pulsed and shot directly into Kingpin's body!
In an instant, Kingpin's attack halted mid-stride.
CRACK!
The red ghost mask shattered. Kingpin clutched his head and screamed in agony before collapsing to the ground.
"Haha... hehe... hehe!"
An inhuman voice emerged from his throat.
He rose slowly, his eyes transformed into bottomless pits of darkness, wisps of black vapor seeping from them.
"Those pathetic old fools actually tried to seal away my consciousness! They died far too easily! They should have been roasted in hellfire for seven days and seven nights, then slowly carved into a thousand pieces!"
The entity fixed its pitch-black gaze on Jason, making a sound of appreciation. "Tsk, tsk... such perfect chest muscles, powerful thighs, and magnificent masculine features... Those blind old fools! They never realized that your body is the ultimate vessel in this world!"
Jason glanced at his system display as the possessed Kingpin regarded him with undisguised hunger: Platinum-tier target!
So this is the Beast's complete form? Jason thought grimly. After all this fighting and even sacrificing Daredevil, we're back to square one? Dammit, was Daredevil's death for nothing?
The Beast lunged at him. Jason met the attack head-on. They clashed with such force that the air rippled around them, dust and debris swirling in their wake.
This incarnation of the Beast was undeniably powerful—far stronger than the possessed Daredevil. But perhaps due to limitations of Kingpin's physical form, its raw strength remained slightly inferior to Jason's enhanced capabilities.
Still, Jason faced a seemingly insurmountable problem: expelling the complete version of the Beast from Kingpin's body would be extraordinarily difficult. Even with his dragon chi at maximum output, success wasn't guaranteed.
Dammit! Is the universe determined to prevent me from saving New York? One crisis ends only for another to begin. Are the lives of New Yorkers just cosmic playthings?
His gaze fell on the high-voltage cables he'd torn down earlier. With the earthquake's destruction, the power grid had long since failed.
Maybe I could find a power plant and finish him with an overwhelming electrical surge? Worth attempting...
Jason gritted his teeth, steeling his resolve. His eyes narrowed as he abandoned all restraint, channeling every remaining drop of dragon chi into one explosive burst.
Double the power!
BOOM!
His fist punched clean through the Beast's torso. Before the entity could recover, Jason delivered a devastating kick to its knee.
CRACK!
Left leg shattered.
CRACK!
Right leg destroyed.
Just as Jason reached to grab it by the collar, he sensed a disturbance.
Wisps of black energy were converging from all directions, floating through the air toward them.
The Beast, collapsed on the ground, laughed maniacally. "If I hadn't been forced to cross that magic circle, I wouldn't be so weakened! I don't need the bodies of insects like you anyway!"
Its voice dropped to a menacing growl. "But you don't seriously believe this represents the limit of my power, do you?"
A massive surge of black energy erupted from Kingpin's body, merging with the darkness gathering from the surroundings. Together, they formed a grotesque floating head with a single protruding horn.
"Become my perfect vessel," it commanded, "and I will lead you to conquer this world!"
Jason studied the enormous, malformed head hovering before him. His eyes reflected not fear but genuine curiosity.
"It seems you've never actually seen this world," he remarked casually. "You're just looking for a strong body, right? While my physique is impressive, there exists an even stronger form on this planet. A true behemoth with emerald flesh who can slam gods into the ground hard enough to leave craters!"
The dark entity hesitated. "Little mortal, don't attempt to deceive me! No amount of muscle can overcome a god!"
"You're painfully out of your depth. This planet is overflowing with wonders—gods, monsters, and forces beyond your comprehension. Every nightmare imaginable has walked this earth before you."
He stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"Little Beast… you chose the worst possible world to invade."
The black head quivered with rage. "How dare you! I will devour your soul!"
The darkness surged forward, enveloping Jason. At the same moment, Jason made his move—delivering a final devastating blow to the abandoned body of Kingpin.
BOOM!
"Hahaha! You're surrounded by my essence!" the black energy exulted as it wrapped around Jason's form.
"Hahaha! Kingpin is finished, and there's no one left for you to possess!" Jason countered, laughing at the darkness engulfing him.
The Beast's manifestation froze in confusion. What manner of creature was this? Was he actually sacrificing himself for justice?
Sensing something amiss but unable to identify the threat, the entity opened wide its maw and bit down on Jason—not attacking his physical form but striking directly at his soul.
To the Beast's shock, the bite was met with unexpected resistance. It felt as though its teeth had clamped down not on a human soul but on impenetrable stone.
"How is this possible?" it shrieked.
Jason shrugged nonchalantly. "Just kidding! Did you really think I'd waste time here with you if I didn't have [Soul Defense]? The game changed long ago!"
The Beast refused to concede, biting and hissing at Jason from every angle, but its efforts proved futile.
"Alright, what else can you do besides drooling all over me?" Jason waved dismissively. "You've had your turn attacking—now it's mine to counter!"
"What?!"
As the black energy fully enveloped Jason's body, he received a system prompt:
[System has detected a gift from the Beast. Do you wish to extract it?]
Extract.
"No! What is happening?!" The Beast's manifestation screamed in terror as an unknown force began to engulf its entire being.
It struggled desperately but couldn't break free!
"No! This is impossible! You cunning insect, this cannot be happening—"
[Congratulations on receiving the Beast's gift: Demonized Body]
CLANG!
As the Beast vanished, something fell from the dissipating darkness—a single horn.
Jason picked it up, and an unfamiliar system notification sounded:
[Congratulations on obtaining: Beast Horn - Dimensional Teleportation Key]
Teleportation key?
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