Logan's eyes suddenly caught something.

The man in the robe — his pupils, visible from the corner of his eyes — were fixed directly on Logan. And at the edge of his lips… a faint curve. A subtle smile, as if he were quietly amused by everything Logan was doing.

"He… can see me?" Logan whispered, disbelief creeping into his voice.

The robed man abruptly stopped fighting.

In that same instant, all the demons halted as well—every single one of them.

Not out of obedience… but fear.

He had stopped attacking, yet even that seemed to be sending a chill down their spine.

What was he about to do? A new technique? Something far more terrifying?

Tap… Tap…

The soft sound of footsteps echoed as the man began walking toward Logan. His robe fluttered gently with each step, moving with an unnatural grace.

And the closer he came…

The stronger that strange feeling grew within Logan. A sense of familiarity. It tugged at his mind, deep and unsettling.

'Where have I seen that face before?' Logan wondered, his thoughts tightening.

Meanwhile, the demons began to retreat — slowly, instinctively — creating a wide path for the robed figure. As if even brushing against him… meant death.

And it did.

Those who stood too close — especially the weaker ones began to stiffen.

Then...

Crack!

Their bodies turned to stone. Just from his presence alone. It wasn't that he was releasing any aura… But as if he were the aura himself. A blade unseathed.

Some of them dared to move — the stronger ones, whose pride refused to let them cower.

But the moment they did...

They were cut down.

Some split cleanly in half horizontally…

Others vertically. Effortless. Instant.

And yet, aside from walking forward, the robed man never made a move.

Minutes passed.

Or perhaps it was only seconds...

It felt like an eternity. Finally, the robed man stopped before Logan.

"You don't want to save those people being trampled by the demon?" he asked, a faint smirk still lingering on his lips.

"I do," Logan replied, though confusion still clouded his mind.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Logan asked.

The robed man tilted his head slightly. "What are you supposed to do? Are you this gullible… this time?"

"This time? What do you mean?"

With every word the man spoke, Logan's mind grew heavier — questions piling upon questions, each more unsettling than the last.

The robed man let out a quiet sigh and shook his head. Then he looked at Logan once more… and stepped forward.

Instinctively, Logan took a step back, raising his guard — though he didn't even know what he was preparing to defend against.

But he was too slow. The robed man walked past him...

No.

Through him. Their bodies overlapped for a single instant… and then the man vanished, as if he had merged into Logan himself.

The very next moment...

Everything changed. Logan found himself kneeling on the ground. A body lay in his arms.

A woman. Lifeless.

Logan could feel it. Warm tears streamed down his face as a surge of emotion rose within him — rage, grief, something vast and uncontrollable… like a tsunami gathering strength in the depths.

He could see everything. Feel everything.

And yet...

He couldn't control his body at all. His body moved on its own.

His knees straightened. His head lifted. And then he saw it.

A demon stood before him. A single horn protruded from the center of its forehead. Two pairs of arms extended from its body — each ending not in hands, but in deadly, curved scythes.

One of those scythes dripped with fresh blood.

The answer was obvious. The grotesque wound carved across the woman's chest…

The crimson-stained blade…

Logan needed no further explanation.

He felt the raging fury within him reach its peak... And then… it changed.

The burning rage turned cold. So cold it felt as though his heart had frozen solid. Yet at the same time, that coldness spread through him like molten lava — fierce, unstoppable, devouring everything in its path.

Before he could fully comprehend it...

The distance closed. His body moved on its own. His legs propelled him forward, and his right arm swept upward in a clean, rising slash.

But the strike didn't land.

There was only a faint disturbance in the air.

For a moment, Logan couldn't even tell what he had seen — had the demon moved… or had something else flickered past?

The next instant...

His vision spun. A crushing force slammed into him.

Thud!

Something shattered behind him. From the corner of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of cracked concrete and shattered bricks.

His body had been driven straight into a wall.

Yet before the debris could even settle...

His body surged forward again, tearing itself free from the cratered impact.

And then it moved once more. That strange sensation returned...

Not rage. Something deeper. Something purer.

Will. An unyielding determination. An instinct… to erase something that should never have existed.

The blade in his hand cut through the air again. But this time...

It changed.

The steel shimmered, transforming into a blade of bluish energy. The air trembled.

Something moved again — just like before he was thrown away.

But this time....

He didn't fly back. Instead…

He saw something severed. At lightning speed, something separated and was hurled away.

The demon froze... Not in fear. In shock.

Its eyes widened, as if it couldn't comprehend what had just happened.

Its palm… was gone. Cleanly severed at the wrist.

For the first time... It had been injured.

That overwhelming will surged to its peak.

A single bluish arc flashed through the air.

Before the demon could react...

A thin line appeared, running from the top of its body straight down to its feet.

Then...

Schlk!

Its body split cleanly in half. Each side slid apart, collapsing in opposite directions… even as they began to stiffen into stone.

Thud!

The stones shattered, the fragments fading into the air.