Kraig breathed heavily as he wound up his trump card, his final form. His head grew larger, resembling a xenomorph alien from movies. His claws became sharper and bigger compared to his acolyte form, and his feet took on the form of a wolf's feet without fur. Tenebis Velox, the moment he jumped, was a blur beyond Charles's comprehension of speed. The claws of Tenebis Velox took Charles's right shoulder off as Kraig traversed, passing through Charles.
Charles fell to his knees, agonized by his injuries, as Kraig continued to charge from many directions towards him.
"I can't keep up with his speed. It's like I'm a snail being played by a rabbit with its speed,"
Charles muttered, on the brink of death from continuous attacks by an awakened Kraig.
"I took you the first time we fought; I can do it for the last time, Charles. This time, I'll send you to your death's door,"
Kraig declared menacingly while attacking Charles from many directions.
Charles lost consciousness, falling into a dream where he glimpsed a beautiful elf, Heluna, from Kalundr island. She offered her hand, replenishing his anima mundi.
Charles got back up on his knees, still injured.
"Impossible! With that countless attacks I gave you, and you can still stand up?!" Kraig couldn't believe what he saw.
Charles emitted a powerful aura, recalling Noel Thomas's battle against Anetheron when he used a spell zone.
"Focus. I can do it. It may not be completed or mastered yet, but I need to pull it out. This technique will absolutely drag him to my spell zone. Since my anima mundi is restored, my container is ahead of Kraig. Even if he got upgraded and became much faster, I have to believe in myself. This is my final trump card,"
Charles said, determined to win against Kraig.
Charles clenched his fist and pointed it towards Kraig. Blood dripped from Charles's fist. Kraig, on the other side, wound up his momentum and generated his axe, charging at Charles at maximum speed. In the moment he charged, he saw his grandma in Charles's reflection.
"Please, my dear grandson, you have to stop," his grandma begged Kraig to halt his carnage.
Kraig continued his assault, and at that moment, Charles's blood fell to the ground.
"Spell Zone: Blood Reaper's Domain."
A vast blood wave enclosed both Kraig and
Charles, dragging them into a realm of spell zone created by Charles.
Confused and surprised, Kraig asked,
"A field of blood? What are you up to right now?"
"This is a spell zone, one of Knight Magu's pinnacle techniques. It drags the caster and their opponents into the dimensions of a spell zone user's ability, reaching its maximum potential or unleashing new techniques within a spell zone's domain,"
Charles explained.
Kraig replied arrogantly,
"Haaa! If you think that your spell zone can keep up with my speed, then you are wrong."
Kraig wound up his final attack with his axe in hand.
"Tenebis Velox, Aviant Ultimatum."
Kraig charged at the standing Charles with his ultimate speed, surpassing the speed of lightning. Kraig's attack reached Charles, but he remained unfazed and uninjured. On the other hand, blood burst out from every part of Kraig's body.
"What is happening?"
Kraig questioned as blood spilled from his mouth.
"What did you do?"
he demanded.
"This is my Spell Zone. I have complete control of every blood in this domain, including yours. I made my blood cells push against my tissues under my skin, increasing my durability multiple times. That's why your attacks didn't even scratch me. On the other hand, your blood is under my authority. I command it to burst out from every part of your body. Since I haven't mastered this spell zone yet, I can't manipulate your blood fully, so the capacity of my abilities hasn't reached its full potential, but they are still enhanced like this."
Charles put his palms to the ground of blood and chanted,
"Spell Zone Ability: Surge Sanguine Spikes."
The blood field unleashed a huge, enhanced, multiple giant blood spikes from the ground, delivering a final blow to Kraig.
The spell zone broke, Charles fell his knees to the ground, and Kraig fell his back to the ground.
"I should be heading to Risstle's whereabouts. I need to know their situation," Charles muttered, falling to his knees, depleted of anima and strength to stand.
Horror struck Charles as he saw Kraig still standing but in human form.
"I thought I killed him. This is impossible. I cannot stand anymore. Get up, Charles, or he will be on a killing spree,"
Charles urged himself, but Kraig didn't move an inch. His facial expressions were uncanny, and he gripped his hair as if distressed.
"What is this? What is this? My grandma!" Kraig exclaimed in agony.
Charles whispered to himself,
" His grandma? He had a grandmother?"
"So it wasn't the Holy Church's responsibility for your death? It was Netheroc!? What is this arrrrgggh,"
Kraig screamed in agony, realizing his altered memories were now restoring to normal, regretting all his past decisions.
"Raaarrrrgh,"
Kraig continued to despair, now powerless but seeking justice against Netheroc and regretting the crimes he committed.
Charles forced himself to stand up, seeming to understand the situation.
"I won't have any killing intent on you anymore. I can listen."
Kraig, still unsettled by his regained traumatic memories, suddenly grabbed Charles's checkers and begged him while slowly dispersing.
"Please do me a favor, take down Netheroc for me. I can't kill him. I can't bring justice to those innocents I've slain for all these years. He tricked me, altered my memories 1000 years ago, making me blame my grandmother's death, the church, and innocent people of Thalassino, and all those I've devoured."
A short flashback:
Kraig's grandmother lying on the ground, wounded, her breath thinning. Beyond her stood Netheroc, the real person who caused Kraig's grandmother's death.
"Your grandson holds the potential to possess a powerful surge of cursed energy rather than anima mundi. Kallios has no inheritance of your family's sorcery. He will serve me well," Netheroc menacingly said.
Achillia replied,
"My grandson is a kindhearted
person. I raised him well. He will never join the ranks of foul undead like you."
Netheroc said,
"If I kill you and leave a bandana with the markings of Thalassino village beside you, what do you think he will do?"
Achillia angrily replied,
"You vile wretch! You are making the innocent people take the blame for your schemes."
Netheroc chuckled,
"Don't worry. By the time he gets consumed by overflowing cursed energy, it'll be easier for me to alter his memories and make his assault on the church leave a scar on his heart. The village he cared so much for will inflict hatred on him because he is deemed a monster by the Thalassinos."
Netheroc finished off Achillia, leading to the Thalassino incident caused by Kraig.
Back to the present:
Charles assured Kraig,
"Let's put our faith in Renji. I believe he can take Netheroc down for us."
A sudden spark of dark energy emerged from thin air. Dylan reappeared again.
Charles was horrified by Dylan's ominous presence. He couldn't move even an inch.
"I'm sorry, son of HunterKing, but I'll be taking Kraig from here,"
Dylan said, suddenly absorbing Kraig into a black orb, siphoning every inch of Kraig's remains while he screamed in despair.
Charles stood up, ready to fight Dylan.
"Have you no mercy on Kraig? You sickening undead! And how come you know my father?" Charles demanded.
Dylan replied,
"I've known your father for many years. As my role as an undead, it would be my pleasure to kill you right now. But we have different business to take care of, so I'll be seeing you."
Dylan instantly disappeared, leaving Charles behind.
Charles had no more strength left. He fell unconscious to the ground. The outcome of this battle resulted in a victory for Charles, but the battle between acolytes and knight magus continues.
In mayor's city hall, the acolyte guards have fallen. Renji with raging fire aura walking towards main office, filled with anger, he is now ready to demolish Netheroc.