Journey to Become the Zenith

Battle Hungry Souls

”Fine then, I’ll show you my strongest attack!”

Anos raised both hands toward the endless white sky of the soul realm.

The moment he did—

Mana erupted from his body like a volcanic catastrophe.

BOOOOOOM—

The empty world trembled violently.

Crimson-black mana surged upward in massive spirals, twisting through the sky like furious dragons. The pressure alone distorted the surrounding space as waves of destructive energy spread endlessly outward.

Far above Anos’ head, a sphere of mana slowly formed.

At first, it was only the size of a house.

Then a mountain.

Then a city.

It kept growing.

Larger.

Denser.

More terrifying.

Azriel stood silently in the distance, watching with a grin on his face while his silver hair fluttered gently from the mana storms shaking the realm.

The sphere continued expanding until it became unimaginably enormous.

A gigantic black-red sun floating in the heavens.

Its size reached nearly three hundred square kilometers, large enough to swallow entire nations whole.

The pressure radiating from it was enough to crush ordinary beings into dust instantly.

Yet Anos continued pouring mana into it relentlessly.

The veins along his arms bulged as immense demonic power surged through his body. Even his horns glowed faintly with crimson light.

Then—

He compressed it.

Slowly.

Violently.

The massive sphere began shrinking.

The process looked simple, but the surrounding world screamed from the pressure. Space folded inward as the gigantic mana mass became smaller and smaller.

Mountains worth of energy.

Continents worth of destruction.

Compressed into something that could fit in one hand.

Sweat slid down Anos’ face.

This spell consumed absurd amounts of concentration.

One mistake—

And even he would be obliterated.

Minutes passed.

Throughout the entire process, Anos remained completely vulnerable.

But Azriel never moved.

Not even once.

He simply stood there calmly with his twin swords resting loosely in his hands.

Watching.

Waiting.

Smiling.

That arrogance...

Anos knew it well.

Because it was the exact same arrogance he himself used whenever facing weaker opponents.

Finally—

The mana sphere stabilized.

A palm-sized black orb floated above Anos’ hand, pulsing with enough destructive power to erase continents.

The surrounding air cracked merely from existing near it.

Azriel tilted his head slightly.

”Are you done, my junior?”

His lips curved upward faintly.

”Are you ready to attack?”

Hearing those words made Anos laugh softly.

Even their way of provoking others was identical.

”Yeah,” Anos replied while rolling his shoulder once. ”I’m ready.”

His golden eyes sharpened.

”I hope you receive this properly.”

Without waiting for an answer—

He threw the sphere.

The tiny orb shot forward silently.

Then instantly expanded.

BOOOOOOM—

The world shook violently.

The mana sphere rapidly grew larger as it advanced toward Azriel like a collapsing star. Waves of destruction spread outward from it in every direction.

Had this existed in the outside world—

Entire kingdoms would already be gone.

The spell carried absolute annihilation.

”World Ender: Crimson Abyss.”

Anos smirked faintly after naming the spell aloud.

The gigantic sphere devoured everything in its path as it surged toward Azriel.

But Azriel merely watched it approach with a vicious smile.

Then Anos noticed it again.

That strange power.

Invisible energy wrapped around Azriel’s body.

It resembled mana...

Yet it wasn’t mana.

It resembled sword intent...

Yet it wasn’t that either.

The energy itself felt fundamentally different from anything Anos had ever seen before.

It was purer.

Sharper.

More terrifying.

Anos narrowed his eyes.

’What is that...?’

The mana sphere was now directly before Azriel.

Even now—

The vampire emperor didn’t move.

No dodging.

No defensive spell.

No counterattack.

Instead—

He casually raised one hand.

Anos’ pupils contracted.

”He’s blocking it?”

That was insanity.

This was Anos’ strongest magic.

Even true dragons had suffered injuries from this attack.

Yet Azriel intended to stop it barehanded.

The instant contact happened—

Everything froze.

The massive sphere halted completely against Azriel’s palm.

The impact alone shattered the surrounding white landscape into countless fractures.

BOOOOOOOOOOM—

Shockwaves exploded endlessly outward.

But the sphere itself...

Couldn’t advance another inch.

Anos’ eyes widened.

Impossible.

His strongest spell—

Stopped by one hand.

Azriel stood there calmly while the gigantic mana sphere trembled violently against his palm.

Not even his expression changed.

Then slowly—

His fingers tightened.

CRACK.

The mana sphere fractured.

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—

The gigantic spell shattered like glass.

And then—

BOOM!

It exploded into scattered particles of light before vanishing completely.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Anos nearly doubted his own eyes.

Azriel looked at him and smiled.

”So... is that your best attack?”

The vampire emperor tilted his head slightly.

”If so, this won’t be much of a fight, will it?”

Then he sighed dramatically.

”I guess I’ll need to give you a handicap.”

The monstrous pressure surrounding Azriel suddenly weakened.

”I’ll match my mana and spiritualization to your level.”

Anos immediately focused on that unfamiliar term again.

Spiritualization.

So that strange power truly had a name.

Azriel continued casually.

”I’ll even use different weapons.”

The twin divine swords Chaos and Serenity vanished into particles of light.

In their place appeared two ordinary short swords.

Completely normal.

Or at least they looked normal.

”And don’t bother preserving mana,” Azriel added. ”Inside this place, your mana recovers instantly after use.”

His overwhelming aura also weakened considerably.

Even so—

Anos could still instinctively feel danger from him.

A terrifying amount of danger.

But strangely—

He didn’t feel insulted.

Because he understood.

The gap between them truly existed.

Instead, Anos felt slightly disappointed for another reason.

’So I’m still not enough to make him serious...’

But that disappointment vanished quickly.

Because excitement replaced it instead.

His eyes gleamed.

Spiritualization.

New techniques.

Unknown powers.

This battle would teach him things he had never imagined.

Anos slowly exhaled.

’This isn’t the time to overthink.’

A savage grin spread across his face.

’Right now... I just need to enjoy this fight.’

The next instant—

BOOM!

Anos exploded forward.

The ground beneath him shattered instantly.

His massive dragon-bone sword swung downward violently toward Azriel’s head.

CLANG!

Azriel casually blocked it with one short sword.

The collision shook the entire soul realm.

Anos immediately followed with another strike.

Then another.

Then another.

Each slash carried enough force to split mountains.

Azriel blocked every single one effortlessly.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks exploded endlessly between them.

Anos suddenly twisted his body mid-swing.

”Demonic Art: Crimson Fang Cleaver!”

His sword erupted with violent crimson mana before releasing a gigantic crescent slash toward Azriel at point-blank range.

Azriel smiled.

With one simple step—

He disappeared.

The crimson slash continued flying into the distance before exploding violently across the white world.

BOOOOOOM—

Anos instantly sensed danger behind him.

He turned sharply.

CLANG!

Azriel’s short sword collided against his blade.

Even while suppressing himself to Anos’ level, Azriel’s swordsmanship was terrifyingly refined.

Every movement felt perfect.

Minimal.

Efficient.

Deadly.

Anos grinned wildly.

”Yes!”

He spun aggressively and kicked toward Azriel’s chest.

Azriel blocked casually with his elbow.

But Anos immediately chained another spell.

”Black Flame Prison!”

Dark flames exploded around Azriel from all directions.

The fire twisted like demonic serpents trying to devour him whole.

Yet Azriel simply swung his sword once.

SHHHH—

The flames split apart instantly.

Anos didn’t stop.

”Void Burst!”

Multiple compressed spheres of mana appeared around Azriel before detonating simultaneously.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The soul realm shook endlessly.

Smoke spread everywhere.

Anos rushed directly into the explosions with his sword raised.

But the moment he entered—

CLANG!

Azriel blocked again.

Inside the smoke, the vampire emperor smiled calmly.

”You fight too aggressively.”

Anos smirked back.

”And you talk too much.”

Their swords collided repeatedly.

The white world cracked endlessly beneath their feet.

Anos attacked like a berserk beast.

Azriel countered like a calm ocean.

Wild destruction versus perfect control.

Every exchange pushed Anos backward eventually.

Even after suppressing himself—

Azriel remained overwhelming.

Still—

Anos laughed harder with every clash.

Because this was exactly what he desired.

A battle against someone truly stronger than him.

Azriel looked at him with visible excitement in his crimson eyes.

’As expected...’

The vampire emperor’s smile widened.

’No matter the incarnation... no matter how weak...’

Their swords collided once more violently.

’In the end... we are fools hungry for battle.’

The two that shared the same soul clashed their swords, with gleeful smiles on their faces.