Azrael raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "Fight you? Sure!"
A psychotic, battle-obsessed smirk curved on the crazed former Dark Emperor's face.
"May I know your purpose? Well, fuck it, who cares—let's battle."
He stretched forth his hand, and a sword materialized from thin air, as though the air itself was the sheath from which he drew it.
The silver blade gleamed in the lime light, exuding an aura of sharpness and thirst for blood.
The sword was perfectly crafted, with dragon scales carved into the hilt and an orb at the center shaped like an eye.
"What kind of sword is that?" Evan asked, amazed by its beauty.
The destructive power it emitted seemed to make the air itself sharp; getting too close felt like her skin would be sliced by its mere presence.
"Just something I picked up during my god-slaying days in the Celestial Realm. The Dragon Slayer Sword," Azrael said, taking a firm stance.
"Dragon Slayer Sword," Evan repeated, even more fascinated.
Now that Azrael had gone through an evolution, his body could withstand some of his skills.
Although he couldn't use them at their full power—too much output would destroy his human form—his newly strengthened body allowed him to perform certain skills, like Abyssal Maw.
Over time, Azrael had collected many powerful weapons, though none could compare to Lyrx, his true Godslayer sword, the bane of all gods and their powers.
'Using another weapon feels like a disrespect to Lyrx, but I have to sharpen my skills—it's been a while,' Azrael chuckled to himself.
"Shall we begin?"
Azrael vanished from his position, his figure blurring with each step, and within seconds he appeared before Evan.
Evan's eyes widened—she hadn't even seen him move.
To her, it was as if one moment he stood across the room, and the next, he was directly in front of her.
Like a mighty being prepared to strike down an entire army, Azrael swung his blade with ease.
The blade sliced through the air, descending toward Evan.
Fortunately, her reflexes kicked in, and she raised her own blade to meet his attack.
Earlier, at the pawnshop, Evan had chosen a new sword. Her previous weapon had shattered during Azrael's battle with the strogoi.
As a warrior of the White Wolf clan, a hunter's weapon was their companion until death.
Both swords were enveloped in their unique auras—Azrael's dark energy and Evan's moonfang energy—creating a chaotic swirl of black smoke and warm purple light.
With a resounding clang, the two swords collided, sending sparks flying as the metals struck each other.
Evan dropped to one knee, gripping her sword tightly, struggling to withstand the force pressing down on her.
'What strength!' she thought.
From her position below, she saw Azrael's eyes glow red, a sharp, toothy grin spread across his face.
"This isn't even a fight if you can't withstand a single blow," Azrael taunted.
"Show me the strength of a White Wolf warrior, or are you weak like the others who were wiped out?"
"Ah!" Evan managed to break free from the deadlock, rolling to the side as Azrael's sword crashed to the floor, shattering it.
'Hm, she managed to escape my lock. Interesting,' Azrael thought.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring room, a couple was about to enjoy an intimate moment together after a long day of being apart.
Just as they were about to embrace, the entire room shook, and a crack appeared on the wall.
"What the hell?! An earthquake?!" they exclaimed.
.
.
.
"The fuck, that could have been me!" Evan exclaimed.
"Hm!" Azrael phased from his position again, materialized in front of her, and kneed her in the face.
The impact sent her flying backward, colliding with a wall.
'He's so strong; every attack turns into a fatal blow,' Evan thought as her back fractured the expensive wall.
Nonetheless, Evan was not one to give up easily. Though her entire body hurt, she landed on her feet, using her hands to balance herself.
Luckily, she had landed in a sprint position. Kicking off the ground, she ran with all her might toward Azrael.
'This human is full of surprises. A hit from me could instantly kill a champion, even with his weak body, yet she survived and still wants to continue the fight.'
'Either she's a strong human with great potential, or I am just too weak.'
Azrael was actually getting excited; the human before him could be valuable when nurtured to be a great warrior.
The thought of recruiting her to his army crossed his mind.
Evan thrust her sword forward, but Azrael's speed was unmatched, and he simply moved out of the way.
Out of frustration, Evan increased her attack speed, striking with both her wolf claw imbued with Moonfang aura and her sword.
At this point, they moved so fast that the people watching could no longer see their movements.
The door to the room was left open, and the noise of their fight and things breaking drew attention to them.
It was meant to be an angry mob of people who rented rooms, coming to complain about the commotion.
However, when they reached room 604, the intensity of the battle inside made them hesitate.
These were people with wealth and businesses known by many. It would be utter stupidity to get in the middle of this fight unless they sought death.
They only feared for their safety and hoped the building would withstand the pressure placed upon it.
Even the manager was called, but he was strangely calm and made only one statement to reassure the crowd.
"Be calm, everyone. The situation will be resolved as soon as they are finished."
This was said right after he tried to step in, but Azrael gave him a stare that shook his soul.
'Wow, that guy's scary!' the manager thought, frightened.
With a loud clang, Evan was pushed back, maintaining her footing.
Her breathing was heavy, and her energy was depleted.
She hadn't managed to strike him even once with her blade, despite using Moonfang energy to double all her senses, especially speed and strength.
"I have to admit you're quite agile and skilled in combat. Unfortunately for you, that's nothing to a being of my standards!"
Azrael's sword burned brightly with condensed dark energy, then he simply slashed it through the air.
A sharp blade slash was sent toward her, and Evan quickly raised her sword in defense.
Unfortunately, the moment the slash met her blade, it instantly shattered, and the force slammed her into the wall once again.
****