Chapter 81: The Scarab Knight
A deafening roar marked the start of the battle. William lunged like a hungry wolf into a flock of sheep. His sword, enveloped in a faint red light, cut through the beetles as if they were blocks of butter. Every slash was a beetle killed; no matter where the sword struck, it claimed the life of one of the beetles. Legs, mandibles, and wings flew into the air, accompanied by strident shrieks.
The shattered bodies of the dark beetles didn’t fall to the ground. As they were cleaved, they dissolved into a wisp of black smoke that swirled towards his finger, specifically towards the burning flame-shaped tattoo. The energy intoxicated him—a hot, violent, wild force. Every creature he struck down strengthened him: his wounds began to close with unnatural speed, his muscles tensed like forged steel, and his breathing, far from growing strained, became increasingly fierce.
He seemed possessed. His eyes glowed with a crimson light, his mouth slightly agape, showing teeth clenched in a furious grimace. For hours, he relentlessly destroyed waves of beetles that emerged from the abyss. The field transformed into a zone of death and black vapor. The ground was completely clean, but in the air, a large dark cloud seemed to have descended from the sky.
Until... everything stopped.
The remaining beetles froze as if a silent command had paralyzed them. Some began to spin erratically in the air, colliding with each other, as if searching for something that was no longer there. A low hum spread through the air, heavy and menacing.
William gasped, for the first time in hours. His finger began to burn intensely. The tattoo glowed like a living ember, throbbing with an irregular cadence. A sharp pain crept up his arm. His breathing became erratic, and a new uneasiness took hold of him.
"What... what the hell is happening...?" he murmured, his eyes wide.
The smoke he had absorbed seemed to be reorganizing inside his body. He felt his organs twisting. The burning sensation spread through his chest, as if something were burrowing within him.
"Angel!" he cried in desperation. "Angel, answer me, please!"