Blood dripping from his left arm, robes torn from an unexpected impact, Azreal stands facing the charging Killon. His towering bronze form continues to bulge and ripple as he exerts his body. With an effortless sidestep, Azreal uses his quick footwork to dodge and launch a slash filled with lightning Qi across Killon's upper back.

"Fuck!" Azreal shouts in pain and frustration as his blade, Calista with its white metal brilliance, bounces off the bronze skin sending a reverberation of pain shooting down his arms. Skidding a few steps back, a blur of crimson in his periphery, Zhan Luo erupts from a nearby wall, splinters exploding outward from his devastating charge. It takes a brief glance to identify the robed figure, Zhan Luo, Killon's bound Master.

Crack!

Azreal watches the disciple's approach, his celestial gaze analysing every detail, every subtle shift in Zhan Luo's movements. Even in the midst of the chaos, Azreal's mind is clear, a cold, calculating machine that dissects his opponent's actions and maps out a myriad of potential responses. He sees the arrogance in Zhan Luo's eyes, the misplaced confidence that this battle is not worth his time. It's a weakness, an advantage Azreal knows he will have to press every opportunity he gets if he is to survive.

The Crimson Pavilion disciple's face is a mask of cruel anticipation as he bears down on Azreal like a fiery bolt of energy. Zhan's face is contorted with disgust as a twisted evil smile slowly creeps across his mouth.

Azreal, activating his celestial gaze, grimaces in his heart, he has thought that if Killon underwent an unnatural change, Zhan Lou most likely would've done the same. There are many methods to increase one's cultivation quickly, and most seem to have terrible drawbacks.

Azreal's heart thunders in his chest as he barely evades Killion's massive fist, the rush of air from the near-miss rushes past him. The hulking man's strength is monstrous, each swing carrying the force to shatter stone. Azreal knows he can't take too many direct hits before his body would crumble. A screaming instinct urges Azreal to dive left, as a fiery sword strikes the air where Azreal once stood.

I'm cornered! Azreal's mind races, as he forces himself to stand, finding himself backed onto the wall of another wall, his instincts screaming for him to move. He gathers his Qi and explodes into motion, blurring as he slips between his attackers by a hair's breadth. The charge of Qi displaces air buffets him as Killion's fist pulverises the wooden wall behind where he stood a heartbeat before.

Killion charges forward with a ferocious scream, his massive fist aimed squarely at Azreal's chest. A swift deflection from his sword, Azreal manages to misdirect the punch from the monster's man before him. In the same motion, using the power of Killion against himself, Azreal strikes with Calista, the blade flickering with lightning as it seeks the giant's exposed side.

But Zhan Luo is there, interjecting himself with explosive speed. Flames erupt from his sword as he parries Azreal's strike, the clash of Qi sending a small shockwave rippling outward. Azreal, seizing the moment to escape, disengages with a flash, having to deflect another strike from Zhan Luo's fiery blade.

They're working in tandem, Azreal realises, a bead of sweat tracing down his temple. Killion's raw power paired with Zhan Luo's speed and technique. It's a formidable combination, each covering the other's weaknesses. He knows he can't match them head-on.

As Azreal faces the onslaught of Killion and Zhan Luo's relentless attacks, memories of their past interactions flash through his mind. The subtle sneers, the condescending remarks, the constant undermining of his efforts - all these moments fuel the fire of his determination.

He refuses to let them win, to let them crush his spirit as they have tried to do so many times before. With each strike of his blade, each pulse of his Qi, Azreal pours his pain from a childhood ruined, his anger from being cursed at birth, and his unyielding will to destroy those before him into the battle.

Where is the Celestial Defense Pavilion, why is no one helping me? Azreal curses the lack of assistance from the Sect even though he is so deep within the Sect. So much for 'protecting the Sect', everything and everyone always fails me, unless I show that I'm worth something, the world does not care for me or my life. Fuck this, fuck Killion, Fuck Zhan, they will die for this.

A deep and seething feeling of hatred begins to fester and bubble deep within Azreal's heart and soul, born from his life of being trodden upon and terminal illness that seemingly even the most advanced medical equipment cannot cure.

As Azreal faces his transformed adversaries, the Qi he channels begins to undergo a terrifying metamorphosis. The brilliant white-blue lightning that initially crackles around his body, casting stark shadows across the shattered courtyard, starts to flicker and warp. The air grows heavy, charged with an unsettling energy that prickles the skin and sets teeth on edge.

Slowly, insidiously, the pristine lightning starts to liquefy, its edges blurring and dripping like molten wax. The pure, vibrant blue white hue bleeds away, replaced by a deep, horrific red. The horrific shade of freshly spilled blood. It's as if the very essence of Azreal's Skill Stormblade Surge is being consumed by his hatred, twisted into something beyond reasoning.

A flash of dark red causes Killion and Zhan Luo to shut their eyes for a moment. As each of them reopen and focus their eyes on Azreal's figure, a deep seeded fear begins to bloom in their hearts as he is pulsed with harbinger blood Qi.

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Azreal's body screams in protest as he pushes himself beyond his limits. His muscles burn with exertion, his wounds throb with each movement, and his lungs heave with the effort to draw breath. But he refuses to yield, refuses to let the pain consume him. He draws upon the depths of his resolve, upon the years of training and the countless hours spent honing his skills.

Azreal feels a surge of power, a sense of possibility unravelling before him. His initial reaction is to embrace the evolving nature of his Qi, allowing it to guide his movements and fuel his attacks. With his Harbinger Blood Qi activating, Azreal's aura penetrates the hearts of Killion and Zhan Luo and causes fear to spread, an insidious infection in the minds of his enemies.

So this is what power feels like, to destroy the enemy's confidence in the face of your power. A wicked smile overtakes his face as Azreal feels his body become invigorated with power, the Harbinger Blood Qi imbuing his physical body with strength. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Azreal feels his body is incredibly light. Glancing down, he can see the veins in his arms throbbing with the rhythm of his heartbeat.

Azreal vanishes in a flash of crimson, reappearing behind Killion with his blade Calista, flickering between white metal and deep bloody red, poised to strike. The hulking guardian barely has time to register the movement before Azreal's sword, pulsing with a sinister red aura. Killon's eyes widen in surprise as Azreal's strike connects, cutting through the previously impenetrable bronze skin with ease.

"ARGH!" Killion screams in agony as his back is now split open across his shoulder blades. Throwing his arms in the air as he attempts to reach behind him.

Zhan Luo, reacting quickly, screams "Roaring Fire!" as he unleashes a torrent of flames towards Azreal. But Azreal, now in complete control of his augmented Qi, deflects the fiery onslaught with a swipe of his blade. An intense clash of flame and blood, a harsh metallic tang fills the air. A moment later the flames dissipate, leaving a trail of charred ground in their wake.

"What is this infernal Qi?" Zhan Luo spits, his hands still shaking from fear.

As the battle rages on, Azreal's connection to the sickly grey flame begins to increase as his eyes flicker with a hint of sadness.Fragments of forgotten knowledge begin to fill his mind and appeared at the edges of his consciousness, glimpses of the Grey Sage and the secrets they hold.

Azreal's harbinger blood Qi pulsates and surges again through his veins, a sickening mix of power and pain. His vision blurs at the edges, but he forces himself to focus on his enemies. Killion charges forward, his bronze skin gleaming in the twisted light of the echo. Azreal meets him head-on, his sword clashing against the guardian's unyielding flesh. The impact sends shockwaves through his arms, but he grits his teeth and pushes back, his crimson Qi flaring.

The air crackles with tension as Azreal and Zhan Luo circle each other, their Qi clashing in a dizzying display of crimson and grey. Azreal's eyes narrow, his grip tightening on Calista as he probes Zhan Luo's defences. The Crimson Pavilion disciple's movements are swift, his fiery sword leaving streaks of fire where his blade was moments before. But Azreal can sense the fear beneath the bravado, the flicker of uncertainty in Zhan Luo's eyes. He presses forward, his blood-infused blade a blur of motion as he rains down a barrage of strikes, each one aimed at a vital point.

Not wishing to waste any advantage, Azreal moves his body with explosive speed as the blood Qi pumps through his veins pushing his physical ability to the limit.

"Killion!" Zhan Luo screams as he watches Azreal appear directly in front of the hulking bronze figure. Clutching Calista's hilt with both hands, a swift step forward and upward drives the flickering white and blood red metal to find its target and skewer Killion through the jaw.

"Die you bronze fucker!" Azreal roars as the harbinger blood Qi pulsates and grows around his form as the sword breaks through the top of Killion's skull. Killion can only make small gurgling sounds as his own scream of pain is abruptly cut off and his eyes fix on Azreal for a mere second before they become grey, lifeless, and roll to the side.

"You will pay for that!" Zhan Lou screams as he rushes towards Killion's location. "Echo of Flame!" Zhan Lou's words are fuelled with rage, his sword engulfing with a deep grey flame.

As Zhan Lou's sword erupts with the deep, sickly grey flames a sense of recognition fills Azreal's mind. The Ashen Void Flame. A flicker of a memory not his own, a mysterious figure cloaked in shadow, turns towards him with a stern expression and slight smile.

Another flash of knowledge erupts into Azreal's mind, the Grey Sage. The figure cloaked in shadow and mystery, wielding the Ashen Void Flame with terrifying precision.

What is this memory, why do I feel a sense of familiarity with this grey flame?

Azreal attempts to ponder the new information but there is no time to dwell on these revelations, as Zhan Lou charges forward, the Ashen Void Flame trailing behind him like a hungry spectre. The air around him warps and shimmers, the fabric of reality straining under the flickering sickly flame.

Azreal meets the attack head-on, withdrawing his sword from Killion's skull, his blood-red Qi twisting along his arms and through his blade. A lethal strike towards Zhan Luo, clashes against the eerie grey flame in an explosion of energy from the two conflicting forces.

"You killed my Brother!" Zhan Lou screams as spit flies from his mouth before evaporating into his own grey flame, "I'll tear your skin from your body! You fucking trash!" he continues to scream.

As Killion's body hits the floor with a tremendous thud, the world around Azreal and Zhan Lou begins to unravel. "NO! Not now! The Echo is becoming undone, pull me out now!" Zhan screams with a panic laden voice.

This is why everyone has disappeared, this has been another world or as Zhan called it, an Echo. Azreal stares down Zhan Luo, his desire to kill the bastard betrayer before him growing with each passing second.

With a shove of his blade against Zhan Lou's, Azreal raises his arm with incredible speed and brings his sword down. Just as the blade passes and makes contact with Zhan's right shoulder, the man before him fades into smoke.

The world around Azreal begins to spin and alter, the very fabric of reality unravelling. The sickly grey of the Ashen Void Flame flickers and fades, the echo of Zhan Lou's rage dissipating into the ether. Azreal feels a sinking sensation in his gut, a primal awareness that this pocket of twisted world is coming undone.

I must keep proof, Azreal thinks frantically, his mind racing even as the world or what Zhan Lou called an Echo collapses around him. He dives towards Killion's lifeless body, the hulking mass of flesh and bronze already beginning to fade at the edges, as if the universe itself is rejecting the abomination.

With a snarl of desperate exertion, Azreal drives his sword through the dead man's chest, the blade sinking into the flesh with a sickening, wet crunch. He reaches deep within himself, calling forth his Qi, injecting it deep into the body of Killion.

The crimson energy surges through his arm, down the length of his sword, and into Killion's corpse. It suffuses the dead flesh, saturating every part of the bronze giant's body with Azreal's Qi. The body pulses and writhes, Azreal's harbinger blood Qi forcing a semblance of solidity, a resistance to the unravelling of the false world.

This will hold him, Azreal thinks, even if the echo fades, they won't be able to get away with the evidence.

Azreal grits his teeth, his grip tightening on his sword, a flicker of fear for the collapsing of the world around him. But instead of oblivion or the void, there is light. Blinding, all-consuming, it washes over Azreal. He squints against the assault of the bright light.