"I'll kill you now," Samael said, his voice slowly becoming distorted as large waves of Void matter began to envelop his hands and feet, morphing them black as they also began to change Crimson Raven to something fiercer.

"Finally! Some real competition!" Azerel screamed as he laughed maniacally, his blade leaving its sheath as the rays of the sun bounced off its white edge.

As the battle began, Samael's killing intent blasted forward, clashing and slamming against Azerel's aura, causing cracks in the earth and shattering the windows of the nearby houses.

Rotating his blade in his hand, Samael rested it on his shoulder as he fell on his stance, lowering himself near the ground as he grasped the earth before him, launching himself with speed Azerel himself could never underestimate.

Flashing like thunder forward, Samael slashed down, but Azerel was swift as he pivoted to the side, avoiding the attack as it landed on the ground, smashing it to pieces.

Countering back, Azerel swung his greatsword towards Samael's neck—his eyes widened as he retracted the blade fast as a single Void spike erupted from the floor, nearly impaling him as it left a gnarly scratch on the flat side of his weapon.

Slamming it down, Azerel spoke.

"Tide light."

Light energy converged within the greatsword, prompting it to glow brightly before sending forth waves upon waves of light, shattering the surrounding area and forcing Samael back.

With the distance between them, Azerel jerked his blade back and forth as multiple arcs of light travelled towards Samael, cutting whatever may block its path.

But two can play that game.

Swinging his arm up, Samael muttered.

"Void Cleave."

Azerel's eyes widened as multiple black waves smashed against his arcs, shattering them as the Void matter cut through them.

Reacting fast, Azerel dodged left and right, avoiding the dark waves as he occasionally sent light arcs ahead. However, Samael wasn't going to let him be as he lunged forward, sending chunks of earth back as he weaved through the attacks.

Closing the distance fast, Samael sliced horizontally, forcing Azerel to step back, but a Void cleave soon followed from the weapon, causing the Ministry saint to prematurely block, sending him back a dozen meters, his figure smashing against a building.

Taking advantage of the situation, Samael raised his finger as he spoke.

"Void fire."

A plethora of black bullets shot ahead, one after the other, destroying the building to dust as explosions shook the earth. However, Samael flinched as he hastily ducked, following his instincts as Azerel's blade passed by, a nasty smirk present in his face.

Azerel chuckled menacingly as he used the momentum of his initial attack to rotate his body and send another vertical slash. But Samael was nimble as he activated his ability Flow, allowing him to hasten his speed and dodge the attack last second.

With his speed and agility increasing, Samael flexibly bent his body as he delivered an upward strike, forcing Azerel to flip back and send a light whip.

However, his attention soon shifted when a large hand overshadowed him.

"Void Palm."

Azerel's smile widened as he rotated his body mid-air and spoke.

"Divine hand."

From above the sky, a massive golden hand broke through the clouds, swiftly smashing against the Void palm, causing a massive explosion that levelled multiple houses away.

As the dust cloud settled, Azerel swept the surroundings with his eyes but found no signs of Samael. But just as he was about to extend his astral compass outward, he felt the wind shift as he cast a shield made of light.

As he did, a loud bang erupted along with a large shockwave that cleared the dust away. On the other side of the shield stood Samael, his axe embedded in the barrier, with a large crack present in its surface.

"Neat trick!" Azerel praised. But Samael wasn't done yet.

"Void bind."

Just as Azerel was about to back off, his advance was halted as multiple black chains protruded from the ground, binding him down.

Taking advantage of this confusion, Samael spoke.

"Null thrust."

Slamming his fist at the barrier, a large concentration of Void matter gathered at one point, easily shattering and piercing the shield as it drove straight to Azerel.

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Unable to dodge away, he spoke.

"Blinding light!"

Without warning, a blinding flash of light came off his weapon, causing Samael to lose focus as Azerel cranked his neck to the side, the attack nicking his cheek and blowing away his right ear.

"You fucking did it!" He screamed as he laughed hysterically. As he did, his body too ignited in a bright display of light, shattering the chains and pushing Samael back.

Landing on his feet, Samael slid off the earth as his feet drew lines. Halting his movements, he glanced at the scene.

When the lights died out, Azerel walked out unscathed, his ears healed, and his cheeks were all good. As though he was never injured.

Azerel was like most priests and people blessed by Taranius. His talent was by no means the best, although it was better than some. But what truly made him stand out and be chosen by a Cardinal was his unique affinity and obsession with violence and regeneration.

Azerel had a talent for inflicting severe pain on his enemies in the form of searing burns and cuts, making sure to torment them before they died. This is why he takes pleasure in such hard battles, as he knows the great ecstasy of bringing his foes down.

Not only that, but he also possesses great talent for the ability to regenerate. He has mastered the skill of using light to heal his injuries. He was a person who inflicted harm on others and recovered from it.

"Let's do this again, yeah?" Azerel said, a fanatical smirk present on his lips.

***

Icarius watched as multiple silhouettes blackened the sun; their auras were stronger than the ones before them.

"This is going to be troublesome," Icarius said.

Transcendent creatures were strong and destructive. If they were allowed to rampage, everything in Tera would be destroyed.

However, Icarius has never seen so many at once. In his entire lifetime, he's killed about four, and they were in places no man would ever venture to on their own. Just where are they coming from? Where do these portals lead to?

Clenching his jaw, Icarius knew that even as a deity-ranked individual, even if he could kill these beings without much trouble, this many and this terrain could overwhelm him. There was only one way to take care of this, and that's to do it fast.

Sensing the odd concentration of energy, Aphemis shot a glance in Icarius's direction.

"Is he...?" Aphemis muttered.

"Is something wrong?" Cole asked.

"You might want to watch this," Aphemis said, prompting the man to look at Icarius's figure.

"What's happening?" Cole asked.

A small smile made its way to Aphemis's lips. "You're about to witness why deity-ranked creatures are called such and why Icarius was titled the strongest human to exist."

Icarius floated high in the sky as he watched the beast approach him by the second. Without fear in his eyes, he slowly raised his hand.

Slowly, specks of lightning erupted in his hands, along with metal forming in his skin. Clasping his palm tight, a bolt of lightning landed on his hand.

"First awakening: soul forge."

Slamming the bolt straight into his heart, a bright blue light engulfed the entire surroundings, devouring everything near it in its brilliant glory.

Amidst this chaos, a voice spoke, reverberating as though it were everywhere.

"Thunder God."

As the bright light faded away, Icarius's figure stood alone, hovering high in the sky. However, a suit of lightning encased his body, wrapping it in its embrace. The lightning acted as some form of armour, along with the metal acting as a gauntlet.

Soul forge, an ability one can acquire through sheer mastery of his element as he reaches the realm of Deity. It is at this rank that a human's soul leaps boundaries and gains the ability to show a potential that has been locked away.

Each soul forge is different from the rest, just like a person's soul. It may take the form of a weapon, a shield, or even an armor. In Icarius's case, it's armour. But no ordinary one.

The thunder god gave Icarius an exponential boost in strength, durability, endurance, and most importantly, speed. Not only that, but it allows him to wield his element with far more ease and lethality.

The armour also allows Icarius to turn to lightning for a few seconds at a time, but this does consume essence. Not only that, but it also deals with another type of damage only people of his rank and Samael know about.

Soul damage.

Bursting forward, Icarius closed the distance within a second, crossing hundreds of meters with ease as a loud thunderclap erupted in the air.

Unable to react, the abominations were engulfed in darkness as their bodies were blown to pieces, raining down and staining the earth crimson.

Looking at the monsters leaving the portals, Icarius's eyes narrowed as he expanded his astral compass. However, as usual, it was negated, surprising him even more.

"Even with thunder, God, I still can't sense whatever it is," Icarius asked himself. If so, how will he find out? Only one way.

However, his train of thought was once again interrupted as another batch of portals tore through space.

Casting a glance at the incoming beasts, Icarius raised his hand as two lightning blades formed. With one fell swoop, a large whip-like wave of lightning shot forward, tearing whatever it hit to shreds.

But his efforts were futile, as more and more came out. Each time stronger than the last.

Slamming his palms together, a loud crack of thunder escaped as a shockwave of lightning purged outwards, killing all it struck.

Charging forward, he blitzed multiple creatures, tearing through their insides and out the other side. Yet that never seemed to diminish their numbers. They only kept increasing.

Raising his hands, Icarius brought them down as multiple streaks of lightning rained down, destroying the beasts one by one.

In some of the portals, Icarius threw lightning bombs in, killing whatever may come out before they even step foot. But as though some sick joke, the portals kept increasing in number.

"Having a hard time?" Aphemis asked.

Icarius cast a glance at the woman. "These portals are coming from somewhere. However, I do not have the liberty to find out as these beasts seem to never end."

Aphemis shot a glance at the portals. "What's your plan?"

A smirk made its way to Icarius's face. "Blow everything up."

A sinister smile formed on Aphemis's lips. "I like your idea."

"First awakening: soul forge."

Raising her hands as though she were basking in the heat of the sun, Aphemis resumed.

"Infernal butterflies."

Multiple sparks of black flame erupted out of thin air, surrounding her as they began to form and converge. Each time it did, a butterfly made of hellfire was made, fluttering around Aphemis, creating a breath-taking sight.

However, as beautiful as they may appear, these butterflies can also deal soul damage. Not only that, but the burn they cause is enough to turn one into ashes if underestimated.

These butterflies will heed her call and protect her. Anything it touches, it sets aflame. It was a sea of destruction she wields at her own accord.

"Focus on your plan; allow me to slaughter these beasts."