Chapter 100: Destruction
Azrael looked at Rion, still fighting the orcs, then he gazed at the Warlord in front of him.
’Analysis,’ he said with a thought.
[Name: Beru]
[Race: High Orc]
[Racial Skills:
Battle Fury: Grows stronger in battle. With enough time, learns the skills of an opponent.
Endless Recovery: Regenerates from any wound. Stamina is nearly infinite.]
[Tier: 7]
Azrael looked at the orc with his eyes slightly widened.
He understood if he was the one who was fighting it, but the others fighting a being at Tier 7 was suicide.
Tier 7 meant the High Orc had destroyed all the stars in his Sea of Consciousness.
The gap was just too wide.
Even he was not sure if he could win against a monster of this caliber.
"Do not fret, for you possess Zareth," Zareth’s hoarse voice echoed in his head.
On top of his head, Alicia had begun to shake.
"If you are this scared, how would you deploy my domain later?" Azrael asked with furrowed brows.
But Livia did not reply.
He was joking anyway.
Livia was only scared because she was still in her dormant state.
"You," Beru said, pointing the tip of his crimson greatsword at Azrael. "Kill."
The words were forced and spoken slowly, as if it had mustered every ounce of strength in its body to say them.
Azrael smiled as he gripped Zareth tighter.
"This is the only time I will use you in a while, so enjoy it," Azrael said to Zareth.
Then the world seemed to blur as he tore forward.
The earth he had stood on was reduced to mere rubble from the force of his push.
"Spatial arts," Azrael said.
The katana in his hand vibrated lightly as he said those words.
Beru did not wait for Azrael to reach him.
He lunged, destroying a large chunk of the surrounding earth.
Metal met metal, and for a moment, the world lagged.
Then it blacked out.
Space itself folded from their combined assault.
Between them, the earth gave way, cleaving like butter pressed against a hot knife.
The ravine ran far longer than a human’s eyes could follow.
Azrael and Beru had long left that place.
Supersonic explosions rang through the air, sending rings of pure destruction rippling through space.
The earth beneath was devastated, reduced to mere debris.
On Azrael’s head, Livia was almost crying, her eyes rolling from the constant movements.
Then, as if they shared the same mind, both fighters stopped.
Azrael’s chest rose and fell slowly as he looked at the monster.
Beru, on the other hand, remained as still as when the battle started.
A smirk tugged at Azrael’s lips as he stared.
He was not tired. In fact, he was far from getting tired.
His chest was only rising due to the adrenaline rushing through him at this moment.
The feeling of fighting an opponent who matched him evenly was so exhilarating.
It was something he had not experienced for a very long time.
And he was going to savor the experience to its fullest.
He lunged again, this time as if he were glitching in and out of reality.
Beru raised his sword, slashing at Azrael’s approaching figure from a distance.
A wave of essence shot out along the arc, ripping through the air toward Azrael.
Azrael’s body flickered out of the arc’s path.
The arc did not stop; it continued its descent into the earth.
Rion’s eyes widened as he felt the slight sting of death on his skin.
His body reacted on instinct, raising all his weapons at the arc.
Rip.
His body gave up before it could carry the weight.
Although it was a casual attack from a Tier 7, it was not something a Tier 5 being could handle.
Azrael appeared behind Beru, his katana thrusting toward his chest.
Then his eyes landed on Rion at that moment.
Auto-pilot took over before he could register it, lunging backward just in time to avoid Beru’s backward thrust.
Azrael tore downward immediately after he escaped the attack.
"Seal art," he said as he slashed at the arc of essence.
The essence seemed to lose its ability to hold together as the sword hit it.
"Ahh!" A moan of pleasure filled Azrael’s head as Zareth sucked in all the essence.
"Blood is still better, but I can make do with this for now," Zareth said with a grin.
Azrael ignored all of this.
"Summoning art," he said.
Instantly, thousands of swords of different shapes appeared in the sky above him, filling the air.
The orcs below felt dread. Their bodies went pale.
They felt death coming, but they could not move. Their bodies remained rooted in place as if they were held down by a special power.
Then, the swords descended.
It was an apocalyptic scene that threatened to wipe every being from the surface of the earth.
Space quaked and warped under the overwhelming power.
Rion disappeared, reappearing beside Azrael the next second.
And when the earth was supposed to be destroyed, something shifted.
Something shot from above, landing on the earth with enough force to send earthquake-like ripples rolling outward.
Beru did not stop.
His sword’s length increased, essence traveling through every inch of the blade.
Then came a single slash.
The sword sent an arc upward, slashing through the air with a sharp whistle.
The arc cut through the swords, reducing them to mere essence as it split through them.
Silence.
Even the world itself seemed to hold its breath at this point, as if anticipating what was to come.
But nothing happened.
Time trickled by slowly.
The haze began to clear, but it was too late.
From the sky, something began to glow.
The temperature spiked, and heat waves became visible in the air.
From the earth beneath, a sudden wave rolled outward, cratering the earth and exploding outward.
A sharp glint appeared through the haze.
Following it was a release.
It was cataclysmic.
The ball of flames, plasma, and lightning conjured by Azrael tore downward, breaking through every sound barrier as it neared Beru.
Beru swung his sword upward at the same time, a wide arc releasing from the sword.
He followed behind the arc, his sword charging with essence until it began to vibrate.
The arc first slashed through the orb, reducing its power.
Then Beru’s sword came in, stronger and faster.