Ramiel carefully tracked with his eyes the series of colorful explosions that followed Night Deuce.
The monster didn't have an easy task. He would have to work hard if he wanted to get his hands on Ramiel. Every time he stepped out of the shadows or stopped briefly to change direction, an unpleasant surprise awaited him in the form of cute butterflies.
The seemingly innocuous creatures imploded under the influence of the hunter's mana, spicing up the overgrown cat with several new scars.
Ramiel showed perfect control over the spell, leaving not the slightest possibility for a counterattack. He simply couldn't afford it, and the smallest mistake could prove tragic in its consequences.
He no longer had any monsters to fuel the engine called Leach, and those in Azazel's domain were slowly dying. Despite reversing the blunt of time, the wounds he had inflicted proved too much of a burden.
With each passing minute, Ramiel felt himself becoming weaker. This time, time wasn't among his allies. It was quite the opposite, becoming his worst enemy.
" Azazel, how much more can I afford? "
For the first time in centuries, the self-proclaimed ruler of Hell couldn't answer the question correctly. He could only speculate.
In fact, his host should have died an hour ago, but by some miracle, he was still on his feet. More to the point, he was engaged in a fairly even fight with a relic of the past.t.
' Take what I say with a big pinch of salt. There's a good chance I could be wrong, but you should be able to withstand three more... not two mana replenishments. After that, I have no idea what will happen to you. I've been alive for eons, but this is the first time I've seen a freak like you. Next to you, even the worst freaks of the exodus era are measly ants.'
Ramiel subtly nodded his head.
The information provided by Azahiel didn't fill him with joy. Three or two times? Casting a spell that can do any damage to the Night Lich consumes all the mana that Ramiel's body can process.
Without it, he can only dream of buying time for Asme, Caera, and Avi to escape.
Boom Boom Boom
The distance between the explosions and Ramiel shortened drastically. Night Deuce stubbornly pushed forward.
' Kid, are you going to stand by and watch this thing slit your throat? Or are you going to take the plunge and show it... why did your enemies tremble at the mention of Ramiel's name? The choice... I leave to you.'
Azazel's quiet whisper seemed extremely tempting to the hunter.
' Since you're breathing down your neck anyway... there's no harm in taking him with you... '
The demon's sweet whisper overshadowed Ramiel's common sense. Promises of a bright future tempted him into action.
Swoosh
Without much thought, Ramiel sent his dagger towards the charging monster.
The butterflies standing in the path of the whirling weapon immediately dispersed, creating a wind tunnel.
Logic dictated that they should be used to distract from the sneak attack, but Ramiel didn't care too much about that. In his mind, he had another plan. The dagger was never going to do the Night Lich any harm anyway. It served as a means of transportation.
The green eyes of a relic of the past reflected the image of an ominous blade inexorably approaching towards him.
He had mixed feelings about the dagger. At first glance, it wasn't much different from an ordinary object. However, his sixth sense thought otherwise.
An unpleasant feeling of unease nestled in his mind, thus putting all his senses on high alert.
The Night Deuce had already underestimated Ramiel once and had learned a painful lesson for it. The monster didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
Swoosh
With one leap, the relic of the past slid under the dagger.
At the same time, a flock of butterflies suddenly appeared before eyes, obscuring his vision.
Ba - Thump Ba - Thump
An electrifying shiver ran along the monster's spine. The Night Deuce felt uneasy about the man's disappearance.
Usually, it could find its prey in many different ways. Hear a heartbeat, sense fear, smell a scent unique to any living thing, or find a faint trace of mana.
However, it was different with Ramiel. The hunter masked himself perfectly. The omnipresent mana associated with the Butterfly Dance made tracking him harder. To say more, he didn't feel even a shred of fear towards the being who sowed terror eons ago.
The hunter was literally lost as soon as he disappeared from the Night Lich's sight.
The monster had to choose. It would continue to follow the dagger above it or focus one hundred percent on the search for Ramiel. The second option appealed more to the beast.
What Night Deuce didn't know, however, was that the dagger's distraction could cost it dearly.
Ramiel emerged from the shadows cast by the weapon. Waiting in his left hand was an impatient mace covered with a thick layer of Dark Specter. Additionally, with the help of the element of gravity, he increased its weight threefold.
Unaware of the danger, Night Deuce stood still and stared at the impenetrable wall of butterflies. It didn't even occur to the monster that Ramiel might jump out of the shadow cast by the dagger, which he considered useless.
Without leaving the slightest trace of his presence, the man prepared to deliver the final blow. His eyes fixed the jagged wound between the creature's twelfth and thirteenth vertebrae. It was located in the monster's dead point.
Ramiel didn't think long. He immediately spun through the air, giving momentum to the speeding maelstrom.
Night Deuce suddenly felt a pinching frost spreading throughout his skeletal system. Along with it, the specific taste of the hunter's mana made its presence known.
By the time the monster realized what it was dealing with, it was too late. The behemoth fell on its spine with devastating force, like a bolt of lightning striking a lone tree.
Slam Slam Slam
Ramiel led away with his eyes, perhaps the thick blood that erupted like a volcano. The sound of crushing bones and ripping flesh filled his eardrums, giving him a brief sense of satisfaction.
With his eyes, he saw the Night Deuce fall. However, despite being 100% sure that he had succeeded in reaching the monster, he couldn't shake the feeling that not everything had gone as he had planned.
" Ugh... "
Suddenly, a scream of pain mixed with fresh blood escaped Ramiel's throat. The man had found a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit.
The sound that gave him such wild satisfaction... didn't belong to the Night Deuce... only to him...
His left hand was lost along with his weapon, which shattered into hundreds of pieces.
Along with consciousness came the overpowering pain from the loss of an idle limb.
Ramiel clamped his mouth tighter, trying to escape the scene as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, Night Deuce wasn't one of the secondary villains who waited for the superhero, loved by all, to charge the ultimate ability.
Swoosh
The tail of a relic of the past pierced the air with a swish, knocking the hunter several meters away before he could get back on his feet.
Crackle
Ramiel tried to counter the crushing force with a gladius, but it proved pointless. The sword that was the pride of the Roman legions broke in half.
WRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
The Night Deuce let out an ominous growl of triumph. Unfortunately, it couldn't enjoy the victory for long. As soon as the monster moved toward Ramiel, it was swamped by a sea of butterflies that exploded one after another.
Growing irritation boiled from the angry heart of a relic of the past. Once again, the prodigy managed to avoid an encounter with the grim reaper, forcing the former ruler of chaos to go on the defensive.
Night Deuce was comforted by only one thing. Inferring from the abundant and trailing traces of scarlet liquid on the ground, his torment would soon be over. An annoying insect should soon fall to its knees... and when it does... a long and painful end will surely await it.
Just wait patiently under the cover of darkness, and time will do the rest for him.
While Night Deuce was splitting the skin on the still-living bear, Ramiel was desperately trying to stop the bleeding. As you might guess, he wasn't doing very well.
The image processed by his mind became cloudy and shrouded in intense red. His light and muscular legs, which had provided reliable support, suddenly refused to obey, trembling at the slightest attempt to move.
Each inhalation seemed to him as if he was delivering red-hot coal to his lungs instead of oxygen.
As if Ramiel's problems weren't enough, the mana inside his body stopped listening to him. Particles of energy slowly left his cells, ignoring the hunter's will.
" Azazel. "
Cough, Cough, Cough.
Ramiel interrupted with a coughing fit.
It didn't take long before he began vomiting blood.
With disappointment written all over his three faces, Azazel watched the unfortunate end of the host. Although he knew the duel's outcome from the beginning, he deluded himself until the last moment that things might turn out differently...
After all, Ramiel had come out of similar situations more than once. Maybe not so extreme, but similar.
" Azazel, what - what was it... "
The stripped and scratchy voice was nothing like the one from a few minutes ago.
' Sigh... '
Accompanied by an explosion in the background, the demon let out a heavy sigh.
' Kid, I warned you not to abuse my abilities... You are unable to hold more mana. Cells, which are the body's main building blocks, are disintegrating from overload. '
" ... "
' Sigh... Take a look at yourself... You must have noticed this... Your mana is chewing you away. This is the end of Ramiel... I wish I could help you, but there's not much I can do. '
Azazel's ominous rant hung in the air, cooling the already icy atmosphere.
" ... "
By some miracle, Ramiel managed to cover the stump with a thick layer of ice. It cost him a lot of strength.
Ignoring his fatigue, he rose to his equal feet.
Although he was in pain, as if a sadist was peeling off every single piece of flesh with tweezers, he didn't even think about giving up.
" Azazle... please... one last time. "
The demon admired Ramiel for his determination. Even he would have given up long ago.
Only one question bothered him. Why is he doing this? He couldn't find a logical reason behind the hunter's actions. He has been observing the human species for eons and knows firsthand the nature of humans and the motives that drive them.
******
Sacrifice in the name of the greater good? Selfless help? Protecting someone by sacrificing your existence?
HHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I have never heard a better joke.
Such things exist only in children's books and fairy tales. Humans are selfish people. The worst of the worst. Even when they love someone with all their heart, they can sacrifice that person to survive. Tsk... if we want, we don't have to look that far. We can certainly find many situations where greed killed the other party. If I wanted to, I could give billions of examples where parents kill their own children.
I despise no one or nothing more than humans. They are hideous and fill me with disgust.
Of course, sometimes, there will be an exception to the rule. Some good people identify with the qualities I mentioned above. However, even they abandon the values that have accompanied them for most of their lives when they are severely wronged.
And this is where he, Ramiel, appears to us. A man hated by the world. Life has given him enough of a beating. He has lost his way many times on the road called life. I can't count how many times he has suffered harm from people.
And yet... all the time, they haven't changed a bit. Even after Samantha's betrayal, he continues to stand up for the beings he cares about. Such people simply don't exist.
Sometimes, I ask myself if you are really human.
******
Looking at Ramiel, Azazel finished his thoughts. His reptile eyes tried to see the secrets buried deep inside the man's soul. Unfortunately, the result was the same as always. A scant piece of space stood in his way, guarding the secrets.
' Focus, because you will only have one chance. I don't guarantee that it will work. But when you feel a sudden surge of mana, there will be a window for a second or so during which it will not be able to oppose you. Don't waste it. '
" Thank you... " A whisper, not unlike a breath of spring wind, left Ramiel's cracked lips. One word was enough to convey the emotions behind it...
Poof Poof Poof Poof Poof Poof
As if by the touch of a magic wand, the butterflies that constituted the shield separating Ramiel from the Night Deuce began to dissolve into the air, leaving only a bit of translucent dust behind.
The black-as-night barrier surrounding the relic of the past fell instantly as soon as the trace of Ramiel's mana was lost into nothingness.
At the sight of the hunter's pitiful state, a smile crept across the monster's muzzle. Now that victory was within his grasp, there was no need to hurry.
With a slow step, it headed toward the lone standing Ramiel. With a rasp of sand, he dragged his tail along the ground, trying to sow a seed of fear in the heart of the wayward man.
He didn't like the indifferent expression that graced his face, nor the way the hunter's eyes looked at him. Replacing them with an expression of desperation and fear would be quite a pleasure.
Standing in front of him, the Night Deuce bared its teeth. Its long and hideous tongue stuck to Ramiel's face, licking it all around.
Ramiel wasn't used to such humiliation. He reflexively swung his hand.
Intending to taunt the helpless victim, Night Deuce didn't dodge. Saying more, he moved closer to give the man better access.
Ramiel's fist helplessly stopped on the cheek of a relic of the past. This one, he didn't even feel it.
Master of the Dungeon of Damnation involuntarily smiled under his breath. He almost peed himself with happiness, thanking the world for endowing Night Deuce with a sadistic nature.
" Ice Prison... "
Two words immediately cooled the heated atmosphere.