<h4>Chapter 152 Chapter 34.3 - First Step</h4>


    BOOM!


    The explosion that followed was more intense than the previous one, sending shockwaves through the room.


    ''NO!''


    Reiner wanted to shout, but he couldn''t even open his mouth.


    TING!


    His body was shaking as if something different had entered his body, disturbing his strength.


    He shielded himself with his demonic barrier, absorbing some of the impact, but the force of the st still rocked him.


    THUD!


    Annie was also caught in the radius of the explosion and struggled to maintain her bnce.


    The feeling of nausea rose from deep inside their stomachs as if something was breaking the order in their bodies.


    "Burghk!"


    The remnants of a shiny mana left an ethereal glow in the air, creating an eerie atmosphere.


    ''Holy Attribute?''


    It was a holy attribute, the biggest enemy of the demonic humans.


    "Haaaaaah...."


    Reiner took a deep breath to calm himself down, risking showing his position.


    "Grrr….."


    Annie was also grinding her teeth, as she didn''t have the defenses that Reiner had to protect herself.


    "You bastard…"


    The smirk on her face was far long gone, reced with an angry expression.


    However, on Reiner''s mind, something far more concerning was there.


    ''Pieck.''


    One of their members caught up with the explosion. The demonic humans had the power to regenerate themselves most of the time, but the holy attribute countered that.


    As the dust settled, a voice echoed through the room, mocking and distant. "How does it feel?"


    It was a voice filled with sneer. The sheer tone of coldness and hatred was enough to send shivers down Reiner''s spine.


    「Demonic Materialization. des of Hell. 」


    Without wasting any second, he immediately used his skill to attack the location where the sound came from.


    SWOOSH!


    The des of demonic energy flew; it was such a huge amount of raw energy that it almost even destroyed the walls of the research room, which was supposed to be able to resist any factor that could possibly ur in an experiment.


    SLASH! SLASH!


    However, even then, nothing was revealed there. Only pieces of a mana-engineering device.


    ''What?''


    TOK!


    At that moment, Reiner''s senses picked up something hitting the floor. Just beneath them, something hit there.


    ''Capsule?''


    It was an arrow with a capsule attached to it.


    PISS!


    Following that, a gas started spreading from the capsule, filling their vision.


    "Haaaah….."


    As the gas enveloped the room, Reiner and Annie found themselves struggling to breathe. The demonic mana in their bodies started getting harder to control with each second.


    The thing that once intensified their bodies was now biting them back.


    "What is this…..Haaah..."


    "I-I…..can''t breathe….."


    The darkness, nowpounded by the disorienting effects of the gas, intensified their sense of vulnerability.


    Reiner''s demonic materialization dispersed the gas immediately around him, but the assant''s tactics became clear. The gas had been a diversion, a tool to sow fear and confusion. Reiner, with his heightened senses, understood the implications.


    "Annie, stay close!" Reiner barked, trying to maintain a semnce of control.


    However, even in the darkness, they couldn''t see each other. The gas, coupled with the pitch-ck environment, made their perception unreliable.


    As if shadows were ying tricks on them, they were seeing figures moving in the gas.


    "How does it feel? The thing that once supplied you with power is now holding you back."


    Those words echoed in their heads.


    "YOU BAS-"


    He wanted to refute; he wanted to swear.


    SWOOSH!


    However, he couldn''t. Suddenly, an arrow with a faint mana glow streaked through the air. It was aimed at him, who instinctively activated his demonic barrier.


    CLANK!


    The arrow collided with the barrier, creating sparks. Despite the sessful defense, the attack added to the psychological pressure.


    "Reiner! Where did ite from?" Annie''s voice echoed in the dark.


    "I don''t know. Keep your guard up!" Reiner responded, his own uncertainty masked by the authoritative tone.


    The fact that Pieck had just exploded just before their eyes was enough to show that the assant had enough firepower to overpower them if they were caught off-guard.


    SWOOSH!


    However, they didn''t have any time at all. With those words, arrows filled with mana started raining upon them one by one.


    The sheer strength contained in those arrows wasn''t something much, as their demonic skin was enough to defend them from the strength they were ready to defend.


    STAB! STAB! CLANK!


    With their amplified body abilities close to high-ranking students of the academy, they were able to defend themselves even with their senses getting disturbed.


    But, that wasn''t the case for the arrows that were filled with the shiny color of blue.


    BOOM! BOOM!


    Mixed between the other arrows, those charged with the blue-colored mana exploded whenever they hit them.


    And whenever those arrows hit, they always left wounds on their body.


    To add salt to the wound, the assant didn''t seem to have any sort of difficulties while hitting them.


    The arrows always found their mark, as if he knew their location from the start.


    ''Fuck! Where is he?''


    SWOOSH! BOOM!


    With another arrow exploding just on his shoulder, Reiner felt the pain of discement. His bones broke as the heat spread through his body.


    "FUCK!"


    The explosive arrow had taken its toll, leaving Reiner seething in pain. The relentless assault, coupled with the gas-induced confusion and the lingering fear from Pieck''s demise, pushed him beyond his limits.


    "WHERE ARE YOU, YOU COWARD?" Reiner''s roar echoed through the room. His frustration transformed into a berserk determination. He couldn''t take it anymore. The unseen assant, mocking them from the shadows, needed to be silenced.


    「Demonic Materialization. des of Hell. 」


    Reiner unleashed his demonic energy without restraint. des of raw, chaotic energy erupted from him in every direction. The once dimly lit room now became a chaotic storm of demonic energy.


    SWOOSH! CLANK! SWOOSH!


    The des collided with the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Reiner, blinded by rage, attacked without precision, creating a tempest of destruction in a desperate attempt to unveil the hidden adversary.


    The assant, having enjoyed the psychological advantage, now must have found themselves on the defensive.


    That was what Reiner assumed since the arrows ceased momentarily as they evaded Reiner''s wild onught.


    As he continued to fire his demonic des, supplying all his energy, "What''s happening?" Annie shouted, her voice almost drowned out by the chaos.


    "I''m done ying games!" Reiner bellowed, the des of demonic energy continuing to ravage the room.


    Annie, caught in the maelstrom, activated her own defensive skills. The scythe in her hands glowed with sinister energy as she tried to keep herself protected amidst the chaotic onught.


    "Hey! Slow down!"


    However, for Annie, she didn''t have many defensive skills, as she focused on offense. With her body already worn down from the constant attacks of arrows, now the des of Reiner attacked her, and she couldn''t defend herselfpletely.


    SPURT!


    Blood spilled from the wounds created by Reiner''s des.


    "YOU FUCKER! YOU ARE GOING TO KILL ME!"


    Annie''s desperate protest barely reached Reiner''s ears. His sanity had slipped away amid the chaos he himself had unleashed. The des of demonic energy continued tosh out indiscriminately, leaving Annie in a perilous situation.


    "Hey! Reiner! Enough!" Annie cried out; her voice strained as she tried to shield herself from the onught.


    But Reiner had long lost control. His hystericalughter joined the cacophony of destruction, a manifestation of his crumblingposure.


    "HAHAHA! I SHOULD LIVE! I SHOULD BE THE ONE! YOU JUST BEAR WITH IT!" Reiner''sughter echoed, a disturbing sound in the midst of chaos.


    Hearing this, Annie''s eyes widened in disbelief and fear as she witnessed the expression on Reiner''s face.


    The guy who was always calm now had a smile on his face, but the shaking of his body was giving away the fear he had.


    Annie''s disbelief turned into a surge of anger that burned hotter than the demonic glow surrounding them.


    "You bastard!" she spat, her frustration and rage channeled into her words.


    Even though the trio hadn''t been allies for a long time, they hadpleted a bunch of requests from the organizations, and they always looked after their backs while ignoring the annoying things each of them had.


    But now, this guy was cutting her off like that.


    ''I will kill you fucker.''


    The already different brain of hers was filled with an annoyance that wasn''t even natural from the start.


    As if something had been affecting her mind, she forgot the assant for a second and attacked the boy.


    SWOOSH!


    With a fierce determination, Annie, fueled by anger, dashed towards Reiner. Her scythe gleamed with an intensified sinister energy as she prepared to strike him down.


    "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GO CRAZY AND I''LL SIT BACK?" Annie roared, her voice cutting through the chaos. She swung her scythe, aiming for Reiner''s now manic form. The air whistled with the force of her strike.


    CLANG!


    Reiner, lost in his own madness, barely managed to raise a defensive barrier. Annie''s strike collided with the demonic shield, creating sparks that illuminated the dark room.


    "Hahahaah….What are you doing?" Reiner said with his arms shaking for a second, but then again, anger soared in his heart. "Do you want to die as well?"


    ''As well? Who else is here?''


    Reiner couldn''t help but think. But Annie didn''t give him any more time.


    As the sh echoed in the room, both Annie and Reiner seemed to be consumed by the same madness that had gripped their actions.


    The demonic des and the sinister scythe shed relentlessly, each strike resonating with the echoes of anger and madness.


    SWOOSH! CLASH! SWOOSH!


    The sound of their des meeting filled the room, drowning out any rational thoughts. Annie, now caught in the whirlwind of her own anger, attacked with a frenzied determination. Her strikes were relentless, driven by the betrayal she felt from the person she had considered an ally.


    "YOU THINK THIS IS FUN?" Annie shouted, her voice a mixture of rage and desperation. The crimson glow of her scythe intensified, casting eerie shadows on the chaotic scene.


    「Seal of Death」


    She used her skill, and the same eye appeared behind Reiner''s head, followed by his insides spilling out.


    「Demonic Materialization. des of Hell. 」


    "You fucker."


    Reiner, stillughing sporadically, responded with demonic counterattacks.


    His des moved with a chaotic rhythm, no longer following a strategic n but responding to the sheer turmoil within him.


    SPURT! THUD!


    Despite their demonic resilience, the wounds began to umte on both of them. The berserk state they found themselves in made them more susceptible to each other''s attacks.


    THUD!


    And finally, both of them fell to their knees as they couldn''t stand anymore, thanks to their umted wounds.


    "Kurgh…."


    Blood spilled from their mouths as rity returned to their head slowly.


    "Huh?"


    Reiner looked at his hands, feeling something was amiss.


    ''What was I doing?''


    He asked himself, but before he could say anything more, he sensed someone''s presence.


    CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!


    Followed by the sounds of pping.


    "It really worked…."