The Nephilim took a step forward.

The ground beneath its foot erupted in black flames, spreading outward in a perfect circle. The fire didn’t just burn ho, it turned the grass into brittle ash that crumbled at the slightest touch.

King watched the flames spread, already cataloging the threat.

This was the second phase.

He’d fought both versions before.its form was different, but the upgrade was just as he recalled.

Enhanced strength, two new abilities, and a double edged sword... an agro cranked to maximum it actually went berserk.

The Nephilim raised the doom hammer.

Black flames roared along the weapon’s surface, wrapping around the hammerhead in spiraling torrents. The chains rattled violently, glowing white-hot despite the dark fire consuming them.

King shifted his stance, preparing to move.

The Nephilim swung.

Not at King, at the air.

The hammer cleaved through empty space, and the black flames exploded outward in a wave that scorched the earth, leaving charred trails across the grass.

King retreated backwards, keeping a safe distance from the flames. And from above the false Nephilim, a construct seal appeared

The creature didn’t even look.

It swung the hammer backward in a casual arc, shattering the construct as it descended.

King cursed under his breath.

The Nephilim was much more faster, stronger and aware.

He always expected this in the second phase, but to actually live it felt that bit different.

CRACK!

From the rooftop, Eli fired.

SCATTER. The single shot dispersed into multiple rounds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Its new form walked through the pool of smoke like nothing had happened

King stood his ground, though still maintaining safe distance. "This version two," he muttered into his earpiece. "its sturdier Eli, you’ll need to increase your output."

"Noted, Master King" Eli’s voice crackled in his ear. Far away, hidden in the thick canopy of an ancient oak, the butler kept watching the battlefield through the eyes of his Spirit Eagle.

King retreated a bit more, then he raised his left hand, blue energy spiraling around his fingers. Two construct seals appeared above and below the Nephilim. One half of a pillory erupted from the ground, and from above another descended. Locking the Nephilim in a bind that held its neck and wrists.

There was a pause.

And surprisingly, the monster didn’t even flinch. It only flexed its muscles in a fit of increased rage, shattering the energy construct into harmless blue dust.

King’s eyes tracked upward. Floating just under the Nephilim’s health bar was a flickering red bar—the Aggro Meter. It was at 40% and climbing with every failed attack.

"Yes, that’s it!" King exclaimed.

"Eli, new plan," King said, dropping his voice to a focused whisper. "We aren’t trying to kill it. Not yet. We’re going to feed it."

"Feed it?"

"Yes, I’m going to keep it busy until that meter hits max. When it goes Berserk, it’s going to use the core suction. That’s our window. I’m going to disarm it right before the blast and let its own gravity finish the job."

"High risk," Eli noted, though the sound of a bolt sliding into place echoed through the comms. "I’ll keep the pressure on. Just don’t get crushed."

"Sure thing Eli" King said moving into action.

He danced around the Nephilim, keeping his distance and opted more for restraining rather than directly attacking the Nephilim. Each time he struck, a cuff here, a construct chain there, the red bar ticked upward as the Nephilim broke free more enraged.

70%.

85%.

And then, just after it had tore to the serpentine coil of King’s translucent chains...

CRACK! BOOOM!

A single shot blasted into it’s eyes again.

The Nephilim roared, a sound like a dying engine. The Aggro Meter flashed a violent, bloody crimson.

100%.

The creature’s muscles surged. It planted its feet, hoisting the Doom Hammer high above its head.

[Heaven and Earth Collapse.]

The hammer became the center of a localized gravitational pull, dragging everything nearby toward it.

Debris lifted into the air, spiraling inward toward the hammerhead. The force tugged at King’s cloak, trying to drag him forward.

"Hold for six seconds!" King yelled. That was how long the pull lasted before the explosion came, king remembered it clearly because he’d used a similar mechanic to defeat it multiple times.

He resisted, planting his feet and leaning back. A construct seal formed behind him, releasing two chains that wrapped his torso, keeping him locked in place.

"Locking on!" Eli responded, as his eagle locked on the Nephilim’s wrist.

At four seconds, the suction was a hurricane. Rocks, debris, and King himself were being dragged toward the center of the hammer. At five seconds, the hammer began to glow with a blinding, unstable white light.

And then he tapped the earpiece.

"Now."

He raised the Calamity Long-Shoulder, still on Precision Scatter-Shot mode.

He charged, boosting the rifle to its maximum fire power, and pulled the trigger.

CRACK! SCATTER!

The shot split mid-flight, fragmenting into two rounds that tracked their targets with perfect accuracy, swerving through the debris.

BOOM! BOOM!

Both rounds hit.

The first tore through the Nephilim’s right wrist.

The second shredded the left.

The creature screamed, losing its grip on the doom hammer.

The hammer dropped directly on it, and the debris sphere detonated.

BOoOoOoM!!!

The explosion erupted from the hammer’s core, engulfing the Nephilim in a maelstrom of black flames and shrapnel. Stone and metal tore through cursed flesh, ripping the creature apart from the inside out.

The Nephilim screamed.

Its body convulsed, writhing as the explosion consumed it. The curse markings across its skin began to crack, splitting open and leaking molten fluids.

And then it shattered.

The Nephilim’s form exploded into fragments of charred bone and ash, scattering across the ruined yard.

The doom hammer fell.

Slamming into the dirt with a heavy thud, flames sputtering out as the weapon went inert.

King let his energy constructs vanish, his chest heaving as he fought for air. Where the Nephilim once stood, the crater hissed with heat. Thin trails of smoke drifted into the sky, and grey ash dusted the blackened grass like snow.

Eli stepped out from the shadows of the trees, finally lowering his rifle.

"It’s over," the butler said, drawing closer.

King gave a slow, tired nod. He kept his eyes locked on the Nephilim’s remains, waiting for a twitch or a sign of life.

There was nothing.

Then, a glowing notification snapped into existence right in front of his eyes.

[FALSE NEPHILIM FELLED]

[+1000runes]

And Eli also received [+1000runes]

Eli approached from the side, stopping a few feet away. "That was close."

King glanced at him. "Yeah."

"You good?"