The purple flames burned the red blood.

Every time Vetaal tried to attack using blood manipulation, the purple flames devoured it, turning his attacks useless. The blood weapons melted, evaporated, or burned away before they could properly reach Kazriel.

Yet even with that disadvantage, Vetaal was still faster and physically strong.

He was still able to land some hits on Kazriel. Small cuts formed on Kazriel’s arms and shoulders, but none of them were deep enough.

At the same time, Kazriel deflected almost all attacks from Vetaal with terrifying ease.

"You are still too weak, Vetaal," Kazriel said calmly. "Maybe if you were in your true form and with your true powers, you might have killed me a long time ago."

He thrust his spear forward.

Instantly, multiple spears made of purple flames formed in the air behind him and shot toward Vetaal like a storm of blazing lances.

Vetaal, using Amon’s body, flew through the incoming spears while creating multiple blood weapons in the air. Blades, spikes, and shields made of blood formed rapidly and clashed against the flame spears.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Explosions filled the air as blood and flames collided again and again.

But Vetaal, or rather Amon’s body, was reaching its limit.

Vetaal’s movements were becoming slower as the fight continued. Amon’s body was too damaged, too exhausted, and the flames were constantly burning his mana and blood.

CLANG!

BOOM!

Vetaal rushed closer to Kazriel and slashed at him from close range.

But this time, he was slower.

His movements were slightly delayed.

Kazriel easily dodged the attack and immediately slashed his spear across Amon’s belly.

"What the—" Vetaal panicked and jumped far away from Kazriel.

Inside, Amon again felt the same soul-burning pain. It was not just physical pain. It felt like his soul itself was being burned.

His mind became hazy.

Vetaal tried to use blood to fight against the flames that had caught onto his body.

"Boy, don’t give up. We can do it!" Vetaal tried to keep Amon awake.

But Amon was still feeling the scorching pain.

At this rate, he would lose consciousness. That could not happen.

He needed to stay awake.

He needed to stay alive.

He needed to survive.

And then get out of here. Go back to his kingdom. Go back to the academy. Go back to his life.

Inside his mind, Amon spoke slowly.

"Vetaal... don’t worry... more than anything... I want to kill that bastard."

The stomach area was still on fire. Vetaal was using blood to suppress the flames and stop them from spreading further.

But just then, Kazriel appeared in front of him.

BOOM!

His fist connected directly to Amon’s right cheek.

"Gahh!"

Amon’s body shot through the air like a meteor.

Kazriel moved with him at the same speed and landed another punch on his face.

BOOM!

Then another punch. And another came after that.

He continued attacking Amon non-stop, not with weapons but with his fists.

Punch on the cheek. Punch on his chest.

Kick on the legs.

"How’s this, Vetaal?" Kazriel mocked him.

Vetaal was also reaching his limit, so moving as fast as before inside Amon’s body became harder. Amon’s body continued to get beaten by Kazriel as he mocked him.

Vetaal couldn’t keep up with kazriel now. His control was becoming less.

The flames were doing more and more damage.

Another punch, another kick. Amon’s body flew horizontally through the air. Kazriel appeared above him and kicked him directly on the stomach where the flames were still burning.

BOOM!

Amon’s body shot into the ground and cracked it, creating a huge pit.

He lay on his back inside the crater.

Both Amon and Vetaal were feeling extremely weak. It was hard to keep their senses. Their vision blurred, their hearing faded in and out.

The purple flames slowly started spreading across Amon’s body as Vetaal struggled to hold them back. His blood was not useful against those flames.

Inside his mind, Amon spoke again.

’Vetaal... give me control over the body... let me fight with your powers this time... please... I want to land at least one hit on him before I die...’

His voice was tired but intense.

Vetaal laughed at his words in amusement.

’You are interesting, boy,’ he said. ’Fine. It seems winning is nearly impossible now... So I will keep absorbing mana and give you access to blood manipulation. Use it and do whatever you want.’

Then Amon spoke again.

’If by any chance... you and the others were able to get out... promise me... you won’t harm anyone.’

Hearing those words, Vetaal went silent for a moment.

Then he spoke slowly. ’I promise. Once again... I won’t hurt anyone.’

Outside, Kazriel watched calmly from above as the fire on Amon’s body slowly spread over his chest.

"He will die soon," Kazriel said quietly.

But then Amon’s body moved.

Slowly, very slowly, he stood up while purple flames still burned on his body.

Then he started laughing. "Hehehe~ I am back~"

But the voice did not belong to Vetaal. It was Amon’s voice.

Soon, his red eyes glared at Kazriel. Amon was smiling widely, but there was madness, anger, and determination in that smile.

He shook his hand slowly and looked up at Kazriel.

Kazriel narrowed his eyes. "So now it is the boy who is in control. You want to fight me? Do you think when Vetaal was not able to kill me, how can you?"

Kazriel noticed the change in voice, understanding it was Amon and not Vetaal who was in control of the body.

Amon did not reply. He was angry. He was irritated and furious at the being in front of him. More than anything, he wanted to get out of this place.

He was so close to deactivating the tower and escaping from here. Yet everything was ruined because of this man.

The will to escape became stronger. The will to kill the man in front of him became deeper.

Mana started circulating inside his body at an intense speed. It was getting faster and faster.

Soon, Amon’s eyes, which were red because of Vetaal, started turning black.

But it did not stop there. Even the white sclera of his eyes started turning pitch black. His eyes became like two black empty voids staring at Kazriel.

Kazriel flinched slightly for the first time, as if he was feeling something unknown while staring at the young man.

Darkness started seeping through Amon’s body. The shadow beneath his feet moved upward, crawling over his legs, torso, arms, and neck, covering his body like a living shadow.

The moment that shadow covered his front, it extinguished the purple flames like it was nothing.

Watching that scene made Kazriel shocked. He could not believe how the boy was able to extinguish the purple flames like they were nothing.

While on Amon’s body, something dangerous was going on. The darkness inside him started turning his fast-flowing red blood into pitch black blood.

The veins across his fair skin turned black, spreading like dark cracks across his entire body. His arms, his neck, and even his chest.

Because of the shadow covering him, they were not visible.

Then darkness covered his body completely like a shadow. It layered over the shadow on his body, strengthening it further.

The dark blood-red bat-like wings behind him slowly started turning completely black. The darkness coiled around them.

The wings were made up of blood, and since the blood had turned pitch black, even the wings had taken a black color.

Smoky trails came out of them as if the wings were made of smoke and darkness.

Inside Amon’s body, Vetaal spoke in shock.

’What the hell are you, boy...?’ he muttered in disbelief. ’What is happening to you? Who are you?’

Amon did not reply for a while. His eyes were locked onto Kazriel.

A drop of black blood came out of his right hand’s index finger. Then it spread outward, forming into a pitch black sword. He held its hilt tightly in his hand.

Shadow moved and wrapped around it, making it stronger and sharper.

Darkness appeared out of nowhere, making the blade even stronger, beyond the limit it could normally be strengthened.

Above, Kazriel was frozen. He was shocked. He just could not understand what he was watching.

What was he feeling while looking at the young man...

Fear.

A word he did not want to admit. But deep down, he knew he was afraid of whatever he was watching.

To the point he could not move.

The black darkness over Amon’s body sent shivers down his spine.

The shadow that devoured the flames was like a true devourer.

And the young man’s eyes that were staring at him... they looked like death itself.

Then Amon said calmly to Vetaal, in a chilling voice, "Who am I? What am I?... I am Amon.... Just an ordinary human."

The final battle was yet to begin. And this time the outcome might be different.