The Smiling Death

The skin on Alaric’s sword arm suddenly began to writhe.

His muscles twitched violently beneath the flesh, as though something alive was crawling through his veins.

"W-What...?!"

Alaric’s eyes widened. Inside his body Amon’s blood was moving. Not outside but inside.

Amon’s Blood Manipulation had forced his own blood through the wound created by the sword and into Alaric’s arm.

Controlling blood within another person’s body was far more difficult than controlling his own.

The strain was unimaginable. Amon’s body trembled violently.

Thin streams of blood slowly trickled from the corners of his eyes.

The pressure on his mind was so intense that it felt as though his skull might split apart.

Another line of blood ran from his nose. His vision blurred. Yet he refused to let go.

Above them, the gigantic blood spear continued spinning faster and faster.

The surrounding darkness gathered around it in endless streams, wrapping the crimson weapon in layers of black smoke until it looked like a spear forged from blood and night itself.

"ARGHHHHHH!!"

Amon roared with everything he had.

Every remaining drop of his will was poured into the technique. The blood inside Alaric’s arm suddenly surged.

RIP!!

The flesh of Alaric’s forearm tore open from the inside. Blood burst outward in every direction.

"ARGHHHH!!"

Alaric let out a furious scream.

For the first time, genuine pain twisted his expression. The muscles in his arm convulsed uncontrollably.

Purple lightning flared wildly around him.

His eyes glowed with violent fury.

"You little...!"

He immediately decided to incinerate Amon where he stood.

Lightning mana poured toward the sword still lodged inside Amon’s abdomen.

But the moment it reached his injured arm. The flow faltered. His own damaged muscles no longer obeyed him properly.

The foreign blood moving through his arm disrupted the smooth circulation of his mana.

"Tch!"

He was physically exhausted by fighting Seraphina. So raw strength was not helping much.

’That sword she was using... it was not normal.’ Alaric thought.

Alaric abandoned the attempt. Instead, he reached out with his free hand and seized Amon by the throat.

Crack!

His fingers tightened with terrifying force.

"Agh...!"

Amon’s breathing stopped instantly. Alaric lifted him off the ground with one hand.

His face was twisted with murderous rage.

"I’ll crush your neck myself!"

Purple lightning erupted from his palm. The electricity surged directly into Amon’s body.

Amon instinctively called upon his shadows.

Darkness rose around his neck and lower face, forming a protective layer in an attempt to weaken the incoming current.

Even so–

CRACK!!

The lightning tore through the shadow barrier. High-voltage electricity scorched his neck. The right side of his face burned black as the smell of charred flesh filled the air.

Amon clenched his teeth, refusing to scream again. His burning black eyes remained locked onto Alaric.

Then he smiled.

Alaric suddenly felt a chill. Above them the enormous spear had finished forming.

It was no longer spinning. It was falling. Straight toward his heart.

Amon didn’t care about his own safety. Even if he was get caught up in this attack he was ready to take it.

Alaric instinctively looked up.

"...!"

The colossal spear descended like divine judgment, surrounded by spiraling streams of darkness.

Without hesitation, Alaric released the lightning flowing into Amon.

His attention shifted completely to the incoming attack.

He loosened his grip around Amon’s neck but continued holding him by the throat.

His injured arm remained bound tightly to Amon by hardened blood.

At the same time, dense shadows still coiled around both of his legs, anchoring him firmly to the shattered ground.

Alaric found himself unable to move freely. And the spear was only moments away from striking.

"So be it..."

Alaric’s face twisted into a crazed grin despite the massive wound in his arm.

"If I’m going down...then you’re coming with me, Amon! We’ll die together!"

Purple lightning erupted from his left hand. He thrust his palm toward the descending spear.

BOOOOM!!

A colossal bolt of lightning shot upward, colliding head-on with the gigantic spear of blood and darkness. The two attacks crashed together with enough force to shake the entire valley.

The spear slowed for only a fraction of a second.

CRACK!!

The black spirals surrounding it tore through the lightning. The crimson spear continued its descent. Because Amon was still standing directly in front of Alaric, the spear grazed his right shoulder first.

Slash!

Blood sprayed into the air. A large portion of flesh was ripped away as the spear punched past him. Yet it never stopped.

THRUST!

The enormous spear drove straight through Alaric’s chest. Its momentum carried it completely through his body before burying itself deep into the shattered earth behind him.

A gaping hole now occupied the center of his chest.Blood poured from the devastating wound.

For any ordinary person. It would have been instant death.

Yet Alaric remained standing.

His smile never disappeared. Instead, the purple lightning surrounding him grew even more violent.

His entire body began glowing from within. Veins all across his skin lit up with brilliant violet light, as though lightning itself was flowing through his blood.

Amon’s expression changed.

"No."

Dense mana erupted from Alaric’s body. A gigantic magic circle suddenly appeared beneath both of their feet. Ancient runes rapidly spread outward in every direction.

Within less than a second, the formation expanded to nearly fifty meters in diameter. Purple lightning danced across every inch of its surface.

The surrounding air screamed beneath the unstable mana.

Alaric laughed. Even with a hole through his chest.

He laughed. "We’re dying together! This is my final spell!"

Amon instantly understood. It wasn’t a defensive technique.

Nor was it an ordinary attack. It was a suicidal spell designed to release every remaining drop of mana in one catastrophic explosion.

"Dammit!"

Without hesitation, Amon released his Blood Manipulation. The blood binding Alaric’s arm instantly dissolved. The shadows restraining his legs also retreated.

Amon yanked himself backward with all the strength he had left. The sword embedded in his abdomen slid free.

Shluck!

Fresh blood poured from the wound. Pain exploded through his body. Ignoring it completely, Amon turned.

His eyes immediately found Seraphina. She was only a few meters away.

Still kneeling. Still exhausted. She stared at him in shock, her body too drained to move.

Amon didn’t hesitate. He forced his battered legs forward. Every step sent agony through his broken body.

But he kept running. He reached her in an instant.

Without saying a word. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest. Using his own body as a shield.

If the explosion came. He would take it first.

Shadow, darkness, and blood enveloped their bodies, forming a barrier as solid as steel.

He held her tightly, refusing to let go. Too weak to resist, she simply remained in his embrace. Her trembling eyes fell upon his wounded shoulder as she whispered faintly,

"A-Amon... run away..."

He didn’t listen. He couldn’t abandon her. And even if he tried to escape, there was no way he could outrun the enormous radius of the magic circle.

"AAAAARRRGGHHHHH!!!"

His entire body began to glow with blinding purple light. The next instant, he exploded in a cataclysmic burst of violet lightning.

A massive purple explosion engulfed hundreds of meters of the forest, turning the darkness of the night into brilliant daylight.

An unbearable wave of heat and destructive energy swept across the land, consuming everything in its path.