A suffocating pressure befell the land as Samael's infernal rage seeped out of his body, crawling throughout the area like a plague.

No one knew or understood, but Samael's astral pressure was tremendous. It was reaching beyond levels deemed impossible by someone of his rank.

But what really sent fear rippling through the wolf's spine was the dense bloodlust it brought along.

That blinding red bloodlust is enough to drown you alive. It was like a living beast, stalking and lurking.

The only way this could be possible was if Samael killed hundreds upon thousands of living creatures. Enough to form mountains.

However, Erubin and Timeus did not feel any of this. But they can instinctually tell something is happening.

The air was heavy and the mood was grim. Tension was at an all time high since Samael arrived.

Reaching its breaking point, Erubin's body plummeted towards the ground, but Samael's figure appeared close to him as he held the man from falling.

Even in such a battered state, Erubin kept muttering under his breath. Repeatedly mentioning one thing and one thing alone.

"Ella..."

Assisting the man, Samael could hear his heartbeat weaken and his breathing become shallow.

He was dying.

There was nothing he could do.

As Erubin's heartbeats continuously slowed down, he kept muttering. "Ella... Just wait for me... I will avenge you."

Watching the man slowly perish, Samael's face warped as he spoke. "Rest. Rest now, Erubin. Leave everything else to me."

"This war... I'll end it now."

Erubin, lost in hysteria, slowly smiled, as though he can hear Samael's assuring words. Slowly, his body limped, his heart completely going to a halt as he spoke one last time, his hand reaching forward.

"Ah, Ella..."

He was gone.

Laying the man to rest, Samael put forth his hand as he closed Erubin's eyes.

Rising to his feet, Samael shifted his gaze at the pinned-down wolf, sending a cold shiver down its spine as Samael closed in on the beast.

Watching Samael approach, the wolf saw his figure slowly submerge in pitch-black darkness with only his crimson eyes staring at him.

"All seeing eye."

Status effect [Primal Fear] Has taken effect! The enemy will feel unimaginable fear towards you!

The wolf wailed as it pissed itself, its body trembling in absolute gut-wrenching fear.

In his eyes, Samael was one with the Void, and what was staring before him was a collosal eye.

In its pupils was raw power circulating in its midst, peering through his very soul.

However, before the wolf could even faint, the pressure vanished without a trace, allowing him to breathe again.

"Get up," Samael said, his tone cold and heavy as he unsheathed Crimson Raven.

The wolf stared at Samael, unsure of what to do as it kept trembling like a lamb to a slaughter.

"I said, get. up," Samael restated, the mark in his hand slowly expanding up his forearm, followed by his hand morphing black.

Before the beast's eyes, Crimson Raven took on a fiercer aura as it emanated raw power along with a sense of dominance he could not explain.

"Get. up," Samael said for the final time.

The wolf shakily rose up to its feet as its hair stood on ends, sweat trailing down its skin.

"You liked to mock your victims, right?" Samael asked as he inched closer. Each and every step he took prompted the abomination before him to retreat.

"Where's your smile now?" Samael asked before his figure vanished.

The wolf flinched as its eyes widened, confusion stemming from its heart as he was unable to follow Samael's speed when he was toying with him before.

"Now... it's my turn," Samael's words echoed.

Like lightning, Samael's figure appeared above the wolf as he delivered a devastating kick, smashing the beast down and shattering the ground, fracturing its skull in the process.

The wolf wailed in pain as it hastily tried to run, but to no avail.

"Void Cleave."

A thunderous cry of pain bellowed from its lips as it flailed uncontrollably, its leg ripped off as it tried to claw at the excruciating pain of the Void attack.

With Samael's recent climb in power, the purity of his Void element also soared, allowing him to leave waves of hellish pain with ease.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Not giving the abomination time to breathe, Samael grabbed its tail as he dragged it up, smashing it against the earth with enough force to leave deep cracks in its surface.

Not done yet, Samael kept smashing the wolf left and right, its blood staining the earth black.

But Samael made sure to leave it still alive as he let go and appeared before its arms.

"Zepiro."

The wolf spasmed in torture as its leg deformed. It grew twice its size as it bloated and weaved in unnatural directions.

Using Crimson Raven's edge, Samael slashed a dozen times, inflicting shallow cuts and causing immense pain with the weapon's ability.

The other Wolves in the vicinity did not dare step another foot forward as howls and screams of agony thundered in the air.

By the time Samael was done, the once mighty wolf was reduced to a piece of flesh barely hanging on to dear life.

The wolf was now impaled in spikes as it hovered in the air, its limbs cut, twisted, and skinned as its once lustrous fur is now nothing but rags.

Its lower jaw was missing, and its eyes were now gone. It was barely breathing. Barely living.

Samael's breathing was heavy as he sat down in front of the creature, looking at its eyes without fear or guilt, only... rage.

Samael made sure to watch as the light illuminated the beast's eyes, making sure he saw it suffer before its death.

Due to the effects of the second shard, the hosts required essence to tier up has multiplied. But to compensate, the effects are also enhanced.

Devoured Void Essence of "Royal Imgrave Wolf." [Enlightened III] +1150

With a sigh, Samael rose up from his seat. He had avenged Erubin. He had avenged himself. But his mission was not over yet.

Casting a glance at the unconscious general, Samael glared at the distance, silently warning the wolves to keep their distance, lest they suffer the same fate as the royal imgrave wolf.

Taking a glance at the carnage from a distance, Samael flew off.

***

The two Saints faced each other with ferocity as they both spoke.

"Subspace: Shadow Nexus."

"Subspace: Decaying Ice Castle."

The two subspaces erupted in another clash, cancelling each other once more and sending them skidding back under the force of the recoil.

Pushing himself forward, Ajax flew at eye-blinding speed as he spoke.

"Shadow burst!"

Six waves of shadow slices came hurling at the mother beast, destroying the ground and forming a pathway through the fog.

Seeing the attack, the abomination swiftly casted in return.

"Ice blockade."

A large square sheet of ice swiftly rose up, greeting the shadow waves in an ear-shattering explosion.

However, the mother beast was not done yet.

"Forward."

The wall of ice barreled forward, crushing everything in its path.

Ajax clenched his jaw as he spoke.

"Shadow Morph."

Ajax's figure hastily changed shape from a human to a bird soaring in the sky as he narrowly avoided the attack.

"Pretty tricks!" The mother wolf said as multiple ice spikes formed around her, bursting forward like missiles.

Ajax weaved back and forth, moving in a zigzag as he avoided each and every blow.

Without warning, he dove down, tucking his wings back as he gained momentum.

The mother wolf stood strong for a moment before she dashed back.

A loud explosion rocked the field as boulders and chunks of dirt flew high in the heavens.

The mother wolf's previous spot was now nothing but a deep hole as Ajax climbed out unscathed.

Seizing the opportunity, the abomination lunged forward as ice and metal reinforced her maw.

Reacting fast, Ajax fell down his shadow as the beast bit down nothing but air, causing a spark as her metal fangs collided.

Taking advantage of her position, Ajax spoke.

"Shadow spikes."

A large, elongated spike burst from below the neck of the mother beast as she bobbed her head to the side, the tip of the shadow leaving a shallow but long cut on her neck.

Unrelenting, Ajax pursued the retreating beast as he spoke.

"Shadow barrage."

A plethora of shadow gauntlets manifested as Ajax threw one punch after the other in rapid succession.

Unable to escape, the abomination fought back by sending ice arrows to greet each and every shadow gauntlet.

Fireworks like explosions filled the battlefield as the two exchanged one abilities after the other.

Standing her ground, the mother wolf howled as she spoke.

"Ice shower."

Collosal chunks of ice descended from the heavens, darkening the ground and falling down like meteors, ready to devour anything they landed on.

However, Ajax was not lacking in his arsenal as he spoke in return.

"Shadow grasp."

Myriads of titanic black hands erupted from the earth, coursing upwards with enough force to ignite themselves in fire.

The wolves and warriors escaping held their breaths at the scene before them as the attacks collided.

Before their pupils, the chunks of ice shattered and rained down like a volcano eruption. Meanwhile, the large hands were torn to pieces by the aftermath of the collision.

What followed next was the delayed explosion and shockwave that swept the warriors off their feet.

Samael himself braced as he felt the violent winds strike him flat.

The two saints stared each other down as the rain of ice landed at random.

With one breath, Ajax slammed his palms together while the mother beast howled loudly.

"Shadow Avatar: Warrior of Darkness!"

"Decaying steel judgement!"

Ajax's body was devoured by shadows in the blink of an eye, rising upwards and expanding endlessly to form a giant, four-armed armoured warrior wielding a staff and a scythe.

On the other hand, above the mother wolf manifested a series of gigantic black steel greatswords, the same size as Ajax's avatar.

The two exchanged gazes before the avatar burst forward; each step it took shattered the earth beneath it, causing earthquakes of great magnitude.

The mother wolf released a large roar as the blades slowly pointed towards the approaching giant.

"Fire!" The mother wolf said as the blades catapulted forward one by one.

Ajax's eyes narrowed as his grunts echoed. With his command, the avatar swung the scythe sideways, bisecting one of the approaching swords.

Swinging the scythe back, it destroyed another projectile. However, two more blades descended from above.

Halting its steps, the avatar slammed down the staff it's wielding, causing a burst of shadow matter to deflect the incoming blades away.

Soaring in the sky, the greatswords landed over the forest, forming mountains in their wake.

The mother wolf growled as she sent another wave of greatswords forward.

Greeting the attacks head-on, the avatar dashed forward, using the staff to send a charge of shadow matter to tear through and redirect the swords.

The mother wolf, left with nowhere else to go, released a war cry.

"Wolven Avatar: Ancestral dominator."

On cue, large amounts of metal, rot, and ice ejected from the wolf's body, encasing her and forming a giant wolf with three heads.

Seeing this, Ajax halted his advance as he stood there unfazed. His gaze remained on the enemy saint, focused and sharp.

As the transformation ended, the mother wolf released a loud howl that travelled far and wide, shaking the forest.

The two giants stared each other down, their statures standing tall.

Approaching the scene fast, Samael saw the two collosal fighters size each other up, like gods among men.

At that moment, Samael knew things were at their peak.

The war has reached its climax.