The city's skyline cracked beneath the weight of the unnatural storm tearing Harrowreach apart. Thunder bellowed like the roar of an ancient beast awakened. Rain fell sharp as shattered glass, slicing through unnatural shadows that twisted and writhed along the cracked streets. The air was thick with sulfur and decay... choking, suffocating, as if the city itself was bleeding rot.
Then, the sky ripped open... jagged and bleeding, and spilled forth hell's own brood: demons warped and twisted, snarling, claws scraping concrete, teeth gnashing with cruel hunger.
Bren's eyes burned, not with fear, but an insatiable hunger that clawed beneath his skin.
Nythor's voice hissed inside his mind, cold and slick as oil.
"Let them come. Let them taste the storm you are."
His lips curled into a smirk... dark, hollow, a mask barely containing the chaos inside.
His body pulsed—Resonance: 57%—sigils glowing faintly on his arms before igniting a savage violet.
He moved fast, brutal, and unstoppable.
With a guttural roar, Bren surged into the nightmare.
The first wave shattered beneath his onslaught, demons clawing, snapping, but none fast or strong enough.
A savage sweep of his arm unleashed Crescent Shadow Slash, a crescent of shadowy energy slicing through five grotesque fiends at once.
They crumpled, melting into steaming pools of black ichor that hissed against the cracked pavement.
His footwork was a storm, unpredictable, relentless, the deadly dance of a predator stalking prey.
But this fight wasn't just physical.
Bren felt Nythor thrumming beneath his skin... power intoxicating, wild, and raw.
With each kill, the inner demon sang louder.
From a distance, Squad 12 watched, eyes wide with dread.
Silas' jaw was tight, pale as the rain soaked his uniform. His gaze never left Bren.
"That boy isn't just fighting anymore... He's changing."
"Keep your distance," Silas warned quietly, voice tight like a snapped wire.
"Bren's resonance is spiking. If he loses control…" His words hung heavy, unfinished.
Myla's eyes flicked nervously between Bren and the advancing demons. "This isn't Bren anymore. It's like... something else."
Koven gripped his sword tighter, fists white. "If he goes full demon, none of us will stand a chance."
Back in the chaos, Bren's eyes are black, veins throbbed with raw darkness and sigil energy.
A guttural laugh ripped from his throat... dark, hollow, unhinged.
"Let's burn this city down."
He stepped into the crowd, tearing demons apart with savage, unrelenting force.
Sigil Burn... corrupted shadow flames erupted from his fists, turning flesh to ash and bone to dust.
Demons screamed, desperate to flee, but none escaped.
His strikes blurred, each faster than the last, each kill feeding the inferno inside.
Nythor growled in his mind, "You are the storm. The reckoning. Unleash the chaos."
Bren's smirk widened... madness gleaming in his eyes as they widened.
"Not just a hunter anymore."
With bare hands, he crushed a demon's ribcage, bones snapping like brittle twigs.
Suddenly, a hulking demon, covered in jagged spikes and burning eyes, lunged.
Bren caught its claw mid-air, crushing it with a sickening crunch.
The beast's scream shattered the storm before exploding into a shower of black ichor.
His sigils flared, glowing red-hot.
The Trial of Death was nothing compared to this.
Lilith's laughter sliced through the chaos... cold, mocking, venomous.
"Bren, darling. You're playing with fire."
Mundus stepped forward, eyes gleaming sharp as razors.
"Let's see if the prodigal demon survives the true darkness."
The air thickened, a tempest of shadows and flame as they charged together.
Bren's grin twisted, madness blooming.
"Bring it."
The battle erupted like a living storm.
Lilith's crimson eyes burned with cruel delight, each movement a deadly dance.
She flicked her fingers and tendrils of black and crimson flames erupted—hotter than hellfire, searing armor like paper.
"You think you're a storm, Bren?" she taunted, venom dripping from every word.
"I am the wildfire that consumes it all!"
Mundus moved with terrifying grace, his blade a blur of jagged shadows.
Each strike shattered hunters' defenses, leaving screams and broken bodies in his wake.
But Bren… Bren was a nightmare made of flesh.
His vision tunneled... blood, shadow, and the pounding roar of his own heart.
[System Update: Resonance 65%]
The sigils on his arms burned hotter, cracks spiderwebbing through his skin like molten lava veins.
His breath hitched as a fresh surge of power tore through him.
Nythor's voice roared in his mind, drowning out the storm itself.
"Give in, Bren. Tear down this broken world."
Bren clenched his teeth, stepping forward, eyes still black with corrupted light.
Each strike was a blur of shadow flames, Sigil Burn, Crescent Shadow Slash, Phantom Claw Assault... each more brutal, more merciless.
Demons and hunters alike fell before him.
Lilith hissed, flipping backward as Bren closed in, a dark whirlwind of rage and power.
Steel clashed with shadow.
Lilith's claws met Bren's fists, sparks flying as magic and raw strength collided.
Her flames lashed, but Bren moved like liquid darkness... absorbing and reflecting the pain with unnatural speed.
Mundus slashed low, Bren barely dodged, the blade grazing his side, ripping fabric and skin. Blood welled up, but his grin only deepened as it slowly healed.
"Oops... not fast enough."
He grabbed Mundus' wrist mid-swing, twisting savagely.
The snap echoed like a gunshot. Mundus screamed, staggering.
Bren's other fist ignited in black flames as he punched Mundus square in the chest, sending him crashing into a shattered wall.
Lilith snarled, fury blazing.
She unleashed a tempest of shadow fire, whirling, swirling like a living storm.
Bren planted his feet, sigils flaring with blinding intensity.
[System Update: Resonance 75%]
[System Alert: Demon Form activation imminent]
His skin started to ripple, darkness pooling beneath the surface, veins erupting like molten rivers of ink.
Bones cracked and shifted... elongating, thickening.
His eyes glowed a void-black.
Teeth sharpened into jagged fangs.
Blackened skin hardened like obsidian armor... thick, impenetrable.
Bren's voice deepened... raw, distorted.
"I am the reckoning..."
From the distance, Squad 12 watched, breaths caught in their throats.
Myla whispered, voice trembling, "Is... is that really Bren?"
Silas' eyes were hard, haunted. "He's gone too far. This is something else now."
Kovan's grip on his sword faltered, knuckles white. "If Bren falls… none of us stand a chance."
Lilith stepped back, eyes wide, a mix of awe and fear.
Mundus, struggling to rise, spat, "Demon... or not, you'll fall."
Bren's hands curled into claws, each movement rippling with unholy power.
He lunged, faster than anything living should be.
With a guttural snarl, he tore through Lilith's defenses, slashing a vicious arc across her side.
She stumbled... crimson blood blossoming against the black of her skin.
His eyes flickered... madness and triumph warring within.
But deep inside, the battle raged—
Is this power mine? Or am I losing myself?
Nythor whispered, intoxicating,
"Your true self waits in the shadows."
Bren laughed... cold, feral, unstoppable.
The city was burning... and so was he.
The Surge of Madness had truly begun.
To be continued...