Chapter 11: Chapter 11 - The Debt Left Unpaid (Part 2)
The air in the Underworld did not simply shake, it screamed. The oppressive sky, a sea of endless crimson and swirling black, seemed to bend and twist as if reality itself feared what was about to happen.
Arzael stood his ground, framed against the searing vortex, his figure sharp in the distorted air.
His breathing was heavy, the sound of each inhale like molten metal being poured into a mold.
A deep wound in his chest dripped blood steadily, leaving black-red stains on the cracked ground beneath his boots.
But the pain did not dull his gaze, his eyes burned crimson, twin shards of ruby encased in frost. There was no fear, no hesitation. Only the stillness of a predator locked on its prey.
HP: 514 / 850
MP: 470 / 550
EXP: 310 / 350
Blackfire bared his jagged fangs in a grin that was more snarl than smile, his voice breaking over the battlefield like a volcano’s eruption.
"YOU STILL WON’T GIVE UP, FILTHY HUMAN?!"
Arzael tilted his head slightly, his smirk almost imperceptible. His eyes cut through the raging storm of flame, steady and unshaken.
"Give up? ... I came here to end you."
There was no warning, no build-up, only movement. Blackfire’s massive foot slammed into the ground with an impact that sent a shockwave rippling outward, fissures spider-webbing under Arzael’s boots.
Then the demon lunged, a mountain of muscle and flame exploding into motion.
His claws, each the size of a broadsword, swept down from above. The air ignited around them, the sheer heat enough to scorch the breath from anyone’s lungs.
Arzael didn’t flinch. Instead, he whispered an invocation.
He vanished. In the space of a heartbeat, Arzael became a streak of black, moving faster than the eye could register. He reappeared at Blackfire’s flank, his blade already sinking deep into the demon’s side.
The scream that followed was a physical thing, pressing against the ears like a wall. Blackfire’s head whipped around, jaws opening wide.
A torrent of black fire roared forth, flooding the space between them with a furnace blast.
Arzael gritted his teeth as the fire washed over him. His skin blistered, the acrid stench of burned flesh curling through the air. The flames clung like tar before peeling away. He didn’t falter.
Slowly, he lifted Crimson Edge. The weapon seemed to pulse faintly in his grasp, mirroring his own rising fury.
[Skill Activated: Pain Conversion Lv.1 (+50% STR)]
STR: 46 → 69
With a burst of raw strength, Arzael stepped in and slashed. The blow connected with Blackfire’s left thigh, the impact loud enough to echo.
A spray of molten, tar-like blood hissed violently as it hit the ground, leaving smoking craters in the rock. Blackfire staggered, lowering his stance.
But the demon’s pride kept him upright. He raised both arms high, gathering power.
Above his head, fire condensed into a sphere the size of a house, swirling and thrashing with lethal intent. The heat alone distorted the air, warping the edges of the battlefield into a shimmering haze.
Arzael’s instincts sharpened. That attack would erase him if it landed.
"Blood Manifest."
Blood surged from the wound in Arzael’s chest, wrapping itself around Crimson Edge. The liquid pulsed with unnatural life, darkening until it was almost black. The sword hummed in his grip, hungry.
He dashed forward, his blade cutting the massive fireball cleanly in two. The detonation was instant and catastrophic, a storm of black flame and crimson sparks erupted outward.
The ground buckled beneath the force, the shockwave slamming into both combatants.
Blackfire’s eyes burned hotter. He lunged, claws raking across Arzael’s torso with a blow that could split a fortress wall.
-210 HP
HP: 94
+10 EXP
The world slowed. Arzael’s heartbeat pounded in his ears, deep and heavy. His limbs trembled, not from weakness, but from something else, something ancient, unfurling inside him. His blood ran colder and hotter all at once.
[Passive Triggered: Cursed Blood HP < 10%]
Effect: All Stats drastically increased
STR: 69 → 172
AGI: 33 → 82
VIT: 42 → 105
INT: 29 → 72
LUK: 10 → 25
Arzael’s lips curled into a cold grin.
"Now... it’s my turn."
He moved. No, he vanished. The space where he’d stood was empty, the afterimage left behind already dissolving in the air.
When he reappeared, it was directly in front of Blackfire, so close that the demon didn’t even have time to flinch.
[Skill Activated: Blood Reaving Lv.1]
Crimson Edge drove forward, slicing through armor-like flesh and plunging into Blackfire’s heart. The blade drank deep, black blood flowing into it like a river into a bottomless void. The weapon throbbed in his hand, feeding.
[HP Recovered: +300]
HP: 94 → 394
Blackfire staggered back, his flames sputtering. His eyes burned with one last hateful glare, but Arzael didn’t give him the chance to strike.
In one fluid motion, he activated Shadow Pierce again, the blade punching through the demon’s skull. The sound of splintering bone echoed like a death knell.
+700 EXP
EXP: 1030/350
(Level up)
(Level up)
+5 Stat Points
Level: 16 → 18
EXP: 160/500
[Crimson Edge Lv 1 → Lv 2]
Arzael exhaled, his voice low and rough.
"Finally... this sword has leveled up."
The giant body toppled, striking the ground with a sound like a mountain collapsing. Blackfire’s flames dimmed to nothing, and the Underworld itself seemed to exhale, the tension in the air loosening.
Even so, the earth trembled softly, as though acknowledging the fall of one of its rulers.
Blackfire’s voice came in broken pieces, each word drifting like smoke from a dying fire:
"My Lord... the Underworld... awaits... your return..."
His body dissolved into ash, carried away by a wind that smelled faintly of burnt iron.
Arzael remained still for a long moment. His eyes lingered on his own blood-stained hands, the crimson drops falling and vanishing into the scorched ground.
His breathing was deep, but the cursed energy still thrummed in his veins, making his body hum with unnatural strength.
"Again... they say that... What is really going on?"
The silence that followed was heavier than the roar of battle.