Vergil barely had time to process what he had just summoned before Zuri rose in the arena, filling the space with a menacing, eerie presence. Her form was almost human, but her face was a grotesque mask of hunger and bloodlust, her eyes glinting with a fiery malice. Her hair, like living serpents, writhed around her, and her sharp ws gleamed with a fierce thirst.


    Zuri nced around and noticed Magnus, who was looking at her with disdain.


    "What the hell is that?" one of the demons in the crowd whispered, clearly horrified. "That familiar is an abomination."


    Zuri raised her head at thement and burst outughing. "HAHAHA... An abomination? Coming from a bunch of trash who only judge by appearances? The real ugliness is in you lot, you worms!" she sneered, ring at the noble demon.


    Magnus narrowed his eyes, irritated by the interruption. "Is this pathetic thing really going to fight me? This is what you called up to face me? Looks like something from a poorly stitched nightmare."


    Zuri let out a gutturalugh, tilting her head. "Look who''s talking! You know, your face would look much better if I ripped it in half!"


    She took a step forward, and the murmurs of the demons around grew louder. Some seemed intrigued, others horrified. But Zuri didn''t seem fazed in the slightest, and her grotesque smile only widened.


    "Enough talk," Magnus said, his eyes zing with cold fury. He extended his hand and muttered ancient words in an almost-forgottennguage. A zing light appeared in his palm, growing in intensity until it formed the shape of a colossal phoenix, its feathers appearing to be made of searing mes. It let out a piercing scream that echoed through the arena.


    "Finally! A real toy for me to break!" Zuri eximed,ughing as she licked her sharp teeth, eager to pounce on the phoenix.


    The phoenix soared high, its ming wings creating scorching currents of air, but Zuri showed no fear. On the contrary, her expression was pure excitement. She leaped with surreal speed, heading straight for the fiery bird as the audience watched in tense silence.


    The phoenix dove with swift precision, unleashing a rain of fire meant to consume Zuri entirely. But she dodged with a manicugh, spinning in the air and extending her sharp ws in a devastating strike. The impact was violent, ming feathers exploding around, yet Zuri didn''t stop. She continued her assault, her ws tearing through the fire barrier and reaching the body of the phoenix.


    Meanwhile, Vergil and Magnus didn''t remain idle. The two faced each other, both with predatory smiles.


    "Now that you''ve seen what my phoenix can do, let''s see what you''re made of," Magnus murmured, rushing at Vergil with astounding speed. They exchanged brutal blows, punches and kicks shattering the ground around them. Vergil blocked and countered with equal intensity, his eyes gleaming with the adrenaline of the fight.


    At one point in the fight, Magnus attempted a horizontal strike, but Vergil ducked and delivered a powerful kick, sending him backward. Taking advantage of the moment, heunched an attack on the phoenix, which was locked in a close-quarters struggle with Zuri.


    "Oh, you think you can steal my fun, do you?" Zuri muttered, dodging with an agile spin. "This filthy bird is mine!"


    The phoenix raged, unleashing an explosion of mes that lit up the entire arena, but Zuriughed, ignoring the pain of burns beginning to mark her skin. She seemed even more exhrated by the pain, her eyes shining with fierce insanity.


    "Is that all you''ve got? What kind of fire is this? I''ve been through barbecues hotter than this!" Zuri taunted as she delivered a brutal blow to the phoenix''s face, ripping out ming feathers.


    Magnus, enraged by Zuri''s audacity,unched himself at her, trying to intercept and defend the creature from her relentless assault, but Vergil swiftly stepped into his path.


    "You got a problem with me, remember?" Vergil growled,nding a powerful punch that forced Magnus to step back.


    The battle had be a deadly dance of chaos and precision, with Vergil and Magnus exchanging brutal blows, while Zuri savaged Magnus''s familiar. At one point, Vergil and Zuri exchanged a nce, a silent understanding passing between them. Without a word, they knew it was time to switch opponents.


    Vergil charged toward the phoenix, while Zuri turned her predatory grin on Magnus.


    "So, you like to y boss, huh? Let''s see if you can handle this!" Zuri taunted.


    Magnus, ustomed to the respect and obedience of his familiars, grew visibly enraged at Zuri''s disrespect. He struck with force, but Zuri dodged and countered with insane speed, her ws tearing through the air with lethal precision.


    Meanwhile, Vergil shed fiercely with the phoenix. The ming bird attacked with sts of fire, but Vergil, with his honed reflexes, dodged and countered, shing deep into its fiery wings. They moved like predators, each trying to overpower the other until Vergil managed to reach the bird''s head and delivered a devastating blow that sent it crashing to the ground.


    Magnus cried out in fury as he saw his phoenix felled and lunged at Vergil, but before he could reach him, Zuri intercepted with a brutal punch.


    "Forgot about me, mighty Magnus?" Zuri sneered, and they locked back into brutalbat, their strikes so fierce that cracks splintered across the ground beneath them.


    Vergil, taking advantage of the distraction, positioned himself beside Zuri, and together they assaulted Magnus with a natural synchrony. Magnus tried to block their attacks, but theirbined speed and strength overwhelmed him.


    With a final roar, Magnus threw himself at them, attempting to bring them both down at once. But Vergil sidestepped while Zuri grabbed him with her ws, pinning him to the ground. He struggled to break free, but Zuri held tight.


    "It''s over for you, big guy," Zuri murmured, a wicked smile spreading across her grotesque face.


    She turned, wiping her lips as if she''d just finished a feast. Her expression of satisfaction and gleaming, insane eyes reflected an insatiable thirst for destruction. She cast a mocking nce at the audience, who watched in a mixture of awe and horror.


    "This is it? This is the warrior you all respect?" Zuri taunted,ughing loudly. "If Magnus is the best you''ve got, I''d say the standard here is... deplorable."


    Murmurs grew among the demons, their voices a blend of fear and disbelief. "She shouldn''t exist... What kind of creature is she?" one of them whispered.


    "She''s nothing less than a nightmare," another replied, his voice trembling.


    Magnus, regaining himself, shot a murderous look at Zuri. "Don''t think I''ve been defeated. You think I''m that weak, you freak?" He raised his hand, and the phoenix, though battered and weaker, rose again, its mes pulsing with onest breath of energy.


    "Ah, look at that! The little bird''s back from the dead," Zuriughed, pping her hands. "I barely started having fun, but honestly, this is getting boring."


    "Do not underestimate my phoenix!" Magnus roared,manding it to unleash a final concentrated wave of fire. The mes, intense and focused, transformed into a whirlwind of pure heat, spiraling around Zuri. The entire arena was bathed in a sweltering, fiery glow.


    Zuri stood still for a moment, allowing the mes to envelop her, until her voice echoed from within the fire. "Is that it? Really? I expected more." Sheughed, baring a menacing grin as the mes seemed to die out around her.


    Magnus stepped back, visibly shaken. "This is impossible... No one should be able to resist the fire of my phoenix."


    Vergil nced sideways at the exchange between Zuri and Magnus, a satisfied smile creeping onto his face. "Better start praying, Magnus. Looks like you underestimated who''s really in charge here." Stay updated through м??


    At that moment, the battle between Vergil and Magnus exploded once more. They traded rapid, brutal strikes, each one seeking an opening. Magnus tried to focus on Vergil, but it was clear his confidence was rattled by Zuri''s presence.


    The two fought at such an intense pace that their figures blurred together. Vergil spun,nding precise kicks and punches, while Magnus blocked with skill, attempting counterattacks. The arena shook with each impact, and the audience held its breath with every move, uncertain who would emerge victorious.


    Suddenly, Vergil spotted an opening andnded a devastating kick that sent Magnus crashing into a wall. The impact made the structure tremble, and dust rose in a cloud around Magnus.


    Zuriughed aloud, amusement evident on her face. "Not much fight left in you, huh, Magnus? You might want to quit while you can still speak."


    Magnus staggered to his feet, blood trickling from a cut on his forehead. His eyes burned with fury as he red at Vergil. "I''m going to wipe that smug smile off your face," he snarled, charging with all his remaining strength.


    But Vergil was ready. He sidestepped the attack, grabbed Magnus''s arm, twisted it, and mmed him back to the ground. In one swift move, Vergil pressed his knee into Magnus''s back, pinning him down.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" Vergil asked, his voice dripping with disdain.


    Magnus growled, struggling to break free, but Vergil''s grip was unyielding. Deep down, Magnus knew he was being defeated, yet his pride refused to let him yield.


    At that moment, the phoenix, battered and barely holding on, tried to fly over to assist its master. Zuri smiled and, with a quick motion,unched herself at the bird, herughter echoing through the arena.


    The crowd watched, a mixture of shock and horror, as Zuri tore into the phoenix. She yanked out ming feathers one by one,ughing and taunting the creature. "Come on, is that all you''ve got? I thought you were the mighty familiar of Magnus. What a joke!"


    The phoenix let out an agonized cry as Zuri dismantled its fiery body until, finally, only a weak ember remained of what had once been a magnificent creature.


    Magnus watched, powerless and in shock. The defeat of his familiar sapped his own strength and will. He looked at Vergil, exhausted and defeated, realizing that his downfall was inevitable.


    Vergil smirked, seeing the devastation in Magnus''s eyes. "Seems like you finally understand your ce."


    Magnus let out a frustrated growl, but before he could react, Vergil delivered the final blow, striking him at the base of the neck and knocking him out cold.


    The audience, initially silent, began to murmur, stunned by the intense and terrifying disy of power from Vergil and Zuri.


    Zuri approached Vergil, wiping her hands and shing him a wild grin. "Not bad, boss. Looks like you do know how to have fun."


    Vergil shook his head, a mix of exhaustion and satisfaction on his face. "Seems I chose the right familiar."


    Zuriughed, tilting her head. "Oh, I''m way more than just the right familiar. Brace yourself, ''cause with me, things are only gonna get crazier from here on out."


    ~~


    ~~


    VIP Room.


    "Mom... he''s not fighting seriously, is he?" Katharina asked, a little confused... "What did you do to my husband?..." She mumbled


    "Huh? I just trained him... and told him to use Magnus as a whetstone... I mean, it''s not every day that you have an immortal being to use as an eternal punching bag, is it?"