Z-Divinity

When Ignis opened his eyes, he saw the worst thing that could happen to him—the Apex, accompanied by a Commander Beast. Ignis knew that if he fought them alone, he would surely die. He also realized there was no way to avoid the fight.

The Commander Beast charged at Ignis, and before Ignis could react, he was thrown far away due to the beast's sheer impact. Ignis was now in a dire condition, bleeding from multiple wounds across his body. His vision began to blur, and a single thought consumed his mind: "Death." But whose death? Ignis didn't know. All he was certain of was that it might be his.

As a child, Ignis often fought devil beasts for training. Devil beasts, friendly toward the devil race, were excellent practice partners. Many devils kept them as pets, and in the army, devil beasts served as loyal companions and sparring allies. When a devil soldier reached elite status, they were gifted a devil beast companion to fight alongside them, with the beast type depending on the soldier's progress.

But these two beasts were completely different. They weren't like the devil beasts he trained with—they were true monsters. Their auras radiated pure terror. Ignis now had no choice but to fight. He stood up, forged a sword of flames called "Hellfire of the Abyss," and readied himself. The Apex appeared to be observing, intent on watching the battle between Ignis and the Commander Beast unfold.

Taking down a Commander Beast usually required several elite soldiers. For Ignis, who was not even a soldier but merely a prodigy, this was a near-impossible task.

The Commander was also an elemental, albeit a uni-elemental like Ignis. However, the Commander's element was far worse—it was water. This was exceedingly rare for someone outside the Leviathan family. The Commander created a water scythe to counter Ignis's Hellfire of the Abyss. He swung it, sending a wave of water toward Ignis, who neutralized it with his Abyss Flame.

The Commander's water abilities, though strong, were limited in scope as he wasn't from the Leviathan family. Nevertheless, his power was no joke. Ignis knew his only chance was to incinerate the Commander's brain using his strongest move, Abyss Flame.

The Commander created a water spear and hurled it at Ignis. Wounded and in pain, Ignis couldn't dodge it, and it pierced through his left shoulder. Ignis now realized that survival was impossible without a miracle—a concept he had never believed in. For him, fate, destiny, and miracles were nothing but meaningless notions. Hard work was all he ever relied on.

Despite the pain, Ignis conjured a chain of flames and charged at the Commander. The Commander jumped, seemingly dodging the attack, but Ignis used the chain to catch his left leg and, with immense strength, slammed him into the ground.

The Commander's weight was five times that of an elephant, but devil raw strength was unmatched by any race. Ignis followed up with flame spikes, intending to impale the Commander, but the beast cut the chain with his scythe and appeared before Ignis in a blur of speed. The Commander struck, severing Ignis's left arm with his scythe and sending him flying into the legs of the Apex.

When Ignis opened his eyes, the Apex loomed over him, looking at him as if he were nothing more than trash—less than an ant. Though humiliated, Ignis knew pride would not save him. Anger wouldn't win this battle either.

The Commander advanced on Ignis with a scythe in one hand and a battle axe in the other. But suddenly, a trap Ignis had laid earlier was triggered—a flame spike pierced the Commander's left foot. Ignis grinned and muttered, "Bingo!" He charged at the Commander with the last of his strength, aiming the Abyss Flame at his head.

However, before Ignis could strike, his Hellfire of the Abyss was extinguished. The Commander had neutralized it with his water element. The Commander's eyes turned blood-red, his drooling intensified, and his aura grew more terrifying. Ignis realized the truth. "Berserk—it's the Berserk Mode," he whispered.

The Commander swung his fist toward Ignis, but before the blow could land, his arm was restrained by a stone chain enchanted with dark energy. Suddenly, the Commander's left arm was severed by a sword. The attacker was the Commander of the dead soldiers, summoned by Nyxara.

As the battle raged on, Team 252 rallied to help Ignis. Lilithra used her succubus powers to weaken the Commander, while Kharos and Indraksha launched a counteroffensive. The Commander fought ferociously, destroying the dead soldiers, but Kharos managed to pull the unconscious Ignis to safety.

Nyxara started healing Ignis and the alliance which before wanted to kill team 252 also joined the battle and now was siding with team 252. The alliance stabbed the back of the commander.

The battle turned into a fight between Team 252, the alliance and the Commander Beast. Just as they began to gain the upper hand, the Apex joined the fray, firing an ice spear that killed a member of Team 209.

But before the Apex could strike again, a wall of blue flames blocked his path. It was Ignis, fully healed and ready to fight. The final showdown was set: Ignis vs. the Apex, and Team 252 and the alliance vs. the Commander Beast.