Zone raised his hand and formed a Black Sphere before hurling it toward Hiro. But Hiro, relying on his imagination, convinced himself the Sphere wasn't real. It flickered and vanished, leaving the surrounding demons stunned and silent for a brief moment.
"Move now, or your entire body will disappear," Yoshi warned calmly.
"Yawn… Watch your mouth, human. Lower your head," the demon taunted. In an instant, Zone appeared right in front of Yoshi, radiating immense power—but Yoshi didn't flinch. He raised his hand toward the demon's face.
"Erase."
Zzt… The demon's head vanished in an instant, yet it still managed to grab Yoshi's hand and slam him into the ground. "BAM!" Yoshi skidded backward, dust and blood flying, but his expression remained calm.
"Hey kid, what's your name?" Zone asked curiously.
"Hiro… Just Hiro."
Zone smirked. "Alright, Hiro. Let's enjoy our little game."
"Time to head outside—looks like there's more of them," Hiro said, preparing to move.
"Do as you like," Zone replied nonchalantly.
Before Hiro could react, he launched a flying kick at Zone's face, striking faster than the demon expected. "Akh…" He followed up with rapid punches to Zone's stomach.
Suddenly, Hiro blinked—and Zone was behind him, grabbing his back. He formed another Black Sphere, slamming Hiro away and leaving deep wounds. Hiro's injuries healed almost instantly, though.
"What? How did he…? Have you ever eaten a demon's body?" Zone asked, bemused.
"Huh? Why would I?" Hiro replied, brushing off the question.
"Seems like fighting him won't be easy," Zone muttered, irritation flickering in his eyes.
"Before I can react… Blink!" Hiro found himself in front of Zone again, stunned. The demon spat blood onto his face, searing his skin. Zone laughed, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"I have an experiment I haven't revealed yet," Zone sneered.
Meanwhile, on the lower level:
Yoshi faced a towering demon, exchanging blow after blow while dodging attacks with precision. The demon's fists struck like hammers, pounding its chest rhythmically. "Haa… haa…"
Yoshi's body tensed as the demon's next strike cracked his bones. Blood spilled from his mouth, but no pain appeared on his calm face. Activating his Exorcist ability, Yoshi erased the lingering agony instantly.
"Erase."
The demon froze, panic spreading across its features. "How… how is he doing that?" it gasped.
Their battle escalated, strikes landing with devastating force, tearing through each other's bodies. The demon roared, activating its Overdrive form, abandoning sanity and disregarding all pain…