The bloodlust hidden deep within his mind awoke at last, rushing into his veins, into his very soul. The world around him darkened, different colors turning into shades of gray, while the lone prey before him turned red.

Yet, even Relentless Hunger couldn't get rid of the golden eyes and symbols along Payne's body. They were like a beacon in the darkness, begging to be snuffed out forever.

And you will get your wish, Leo promised, enveloping his blades in additional layers of Essence and shadows. Time to die.

Similar to the beginning of the battle, they rushed forward at the same time and clashed somewhere in the middle. Only this time, they didn't test each other's strength and continued cutting and slashing at the other.

One couldn't even blink in the time it took them to exchange a flurry of strikes. Clangs of blades filled the area, consuming every other sound as the duo found themselves in their own little world where only their power mattered. Another Outbreak could happen next to them, and they wouldn't have noticed.

Fast, Leo admitted after the Serafin almost got past his defense.

He still deflected in time and moved for a counter. His arms blurred, striking faster and faster as Relentless Hunger continued to ramp up. Yet, the other man somehow managed to defend, blocking everything that came his way. It wasn't without consequences, though—with each block, Payne grimaced, his knees buckling ever so slightly.

What if I do this? Carefully, Leo slowed his offense, feigning overextension.

The Serafin took the bait and moved to attack without using this brief time to recover his own strength. His strikes became sloppier, but Leo still only defended, acting like he could barely do anything. Again, the other man jumped at the show of weakness and put everything into the next attack, hoping to knock away one of his enemy's weapons.

Leo let him.

The other man acted upon the fake opening and thrust his other sword forward, going for the heart. Leo burned more Essence and leaned to the side in the last second. As he did that, his other hand grabbed Payne's extended arm while his tail slashed at the defenseless man, leaving behind a deep cut going from shoulder to hip.

Payne hissed in rage, trying to free his trapped hand. Light filled his entire body, preparing another defensive discharge, but it was too late.

Leo tugged on the hand in his grasp, letting his claws slip into the soft flesh. Then, with one more push, he cut through the bone inside and jumped away, ripping the limb off just before the explosion of light could swallow him.

He landed a safe distance away, the hand in his grasp fading to dust as Devour did its job. The explosion also settled, revealing a heavy-breathing Payne. The man looked ahead with hate burning in his eyes as he held the bleeding stump close to his chest.

"You..." the Serafin hissed as his remaining sword glowed brighter than ever. "You will pay for this."

Leo smiled. "No, I don't think I will."

The other man roared, his healthy arm becoming a blur. With each slash, condensed arcs of light flew out of his sword, all filled with enough power to kill.

Leo jumped high, avoiding the first salvo. Mid-air, he pushed a burst of Essence out of his body, using blink to appear back on the ground in the middle of another rain of light projectiles. He flexed his energy one more time, teleporting all over the place until he found himself not even a foot away from Payne.

His extended blade surged forward, slipping into the man's chest, right where the heart was. The Serafin stiffened, his sword clattering to the ground as he looked down at the weapon penetrating his body. He coughed and then turned to gaze into the violet eyes of his killer.

"N-No..." he stuttered. "Y-You can't... How..."

"You are too weak, too slow," Leo growled, plunging his other blade into the man's stomach. "The rule of the new world is simple. Only the strong survive. You fell behind, and you lost."

"I see," Payne muttered, his lips lifting up in a bloody smile. "Forgive me, my lord, for ever doubting you. You were right from the beginning..."

The bastard went completely mad. Leo shook his head and released Devour from the cage in his soul.

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The forever-hungry ability rushed through his blades, ready to end Payne's existence once and for all. However, the moment it tugged on the man's life force, it tugged back. At the same time, the symbols on the Serafin's body shifted, growing bigger and bigger until they left no skin uncovered.

What? Leo pulled his blades out and struck again, this time going for the neck.

Just as Payne was about to lose his head, the symbols glowed brighter, enveloping the man in a thin barrier, hiding him from sight. The incoming blades bounced off.

Leo, fearing another explosion, jumped back, already gathering Ruination Essence in his palm. If a blade couldn't end this, the Void's true power definitely would.

A few seconds before he could release the technique, dozens of golden strings of light surged out of the barrier protecting Payne. Leo almost dismissed his Essence, ready to get out of the way, only to realize that none of the tendrils were going for him.

Instead, they flew toward the Emissaries, no matter if they were dead or alive. The light threads dived right into their hearts. The ongoing battle ended in a matter of seconds as every single Blessed collapsed to the ground, screaming their lungs out.

'Leo?'

Don't ask me, but I won't let this continue.

He turned back to Payne and let the growing Obliterate fly toward the man. It crashed against the golden barrier, struggling to go through. He pushed more Essence into the beam, ignoring the growing pains, until finally, the shield cracked in a single spot. His technique spilled in and burned a hole in the human within.

No scream came this time, and instead, silence descended upon the entire battlefield as every single string of light pulled back, ending the Emissaries' suffering. All of them dragged a small glowing crystal on their tips—crystals that got consumed the moment they touched the barrier around Payne.

"Leo! What in the bloody hell is going on?!" Lily shouted, landing next to him.

He only spared her bloodied arm a glance before answering. "I've already told Nyx, I have no idea. He was practically dead, and then this happened..."

"Shouldn't we just attack?" The feline tilted her head once she joined their side. "Maybe if we hit him together..."

He shook his head. "Unless I put the rest of my Essence into another Obliterate, I doubt we will even get through the cocoon. I barely cracked it before he consumed those weird shards. Now it looks twice as strong."

"So what? We just wait?"

Leo narrowed his eyes at the cocoon that suddenly pulsed from within. He shivered. "No. We run. Now!"

Neither Nyx nor Lily dared to question him as they spun around and ran. A few seconds into their escape, an explosion rocked the earth. Its blast hit them in the back, sending them flying through the air.

Leo grimaced as he landed and used his claws to stop the momentum. Close to him, Nyx and Lily did the same, though the latter used her wings for that.

"Okay, that hurt a bit," his sister grumbled as she covered the few new bruises on her body in a layer of light. "He self-destructed?"

"I wish, but I doubt it," he replied. "You two good to go?"

After they both nodded, Leo shot toward the explosion's origin. It didn't take long before he reached the edge of a massive crater. It even swallowed half of the Buckingham Palace, and the safe zone barrier was nowhere to be found.

Shit. Just how many people died from this?

His gaze then traveled into the crater's depths, or rather the glowing, golden figure standing in the middle of it. It was a being made of pure energy, yet one that maintained a somewhat human form—a form Leo recognized well.

No...

"Leonardo Hale," the being spoke, their rich, booming voice filling the entire crater. "My sister's chosen. How nice to finally meet you face to face."

"Geron." Identify. Please, System, work.

Avatar of Light | LVL: N/A

Of course.

The Old One chuckled. "You recognize me. Good, very good. You did well against my host, child. I never doubted you."

"How?!" Leo shouted while signaling Nyx and Lily to back away with his hands. They needed to buy time and recover some of the strength they had used in the previous battle. "You are supposed to be dead!"

Geron laughed again, crossing his four arms. "My true body might be dead, but beings like my sister and I cannot truly fade into nothingness. You saw it for yourself, didn’t you? That shard in your chest made sure of that."

Yeah, I did. Leo narrowed his eyes. "So what are you? If you could have returned just like that, you would have done that ages ago."

The Old One raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Who do you take me for? Do you really think I will answer that, child? "

No, no, I don't. He said in the safety of his mind. One thing is for sure: This can't be his true body. Identify and him calling Payne a host only proves that. Yet, one question still remains... Just how powerful is he now? Nyx?

'I wish I had an answer for you. But... but he can't be much stronger than the combination of what he absorbed, right? It's only an avatar, and in the end, it's still Payne's body underneath it. There must be a limit to what a mortal can handle.'

I hope you are right...

"You don't want to talk. Not surprising. Allow me then to say what I need to," Geron continued, seeing that he was getting ignored. "Just as you had an offer for my host's people, I have an offer for you. Stand down, let me take the shard, and I will leave this planet alone. Nobody else has to die."

The Old one extended his two hands. "Your life for everybody else's survival. What will it be?"