To Alex's surprise, Morian didn't respond with anger. Instead, he spoke in a sorrowful voice, his words striking a deep chord in Alex. A life without hope—truly, it was the harshest fate a person could endure.
"And do you think killing all these people is the answer?" Alex asked. He knew there was more to the story, but he didn't care. No reason could justify the massacre of innocent lives.
"Well, it doesn't matter now. In this new world, only one law exists," he said, his voice cold and resolute.
With that, Morian launched himself from the sky at a terrifying speed, his body cloaked in blood-red armor and massive wings that made him look like a demon from the abyss. Swinging his sword toward Alex, he roared, "Only the strongest survive!"
Seeing the giant hurtling down at him, Alex realized he couldn't fully block the attack. Moving quickly to the right while Vlad darted left, he narrowly avoided Morian's strike. Morian's sword crashed into the ground, creating an explosion that left a crater a meter deep and five meters wide.
Dust erupted, obscuring the view. Seizing the moment, Alex and Vlad attacked in unison, coordinating a pincer movement. Alex swung his sword at Morian's right hand, aiming to sever it, while Vlad went for his left leg. The plan was simple: immobilize him, then finish him.
Realizing the imminent danger, Morian disappeared, reappearing behind Alex. But Alex had anticipated his teleportation ability and quickly darted forward, though he couldn't completely dodge the strike.
Morian's sword slammed into him, sending him flying. Though Alex managed to block the blow with his own sword, the impact shattered three of his ribs, and he was thrown several meters before he finally stopped, stabbing his sword into the ground to steady himself.
Vlad, undeterred, surged forward and appeared right before Morian. The difference between them was like that of a child facing an adult. Morian swung his sword swiftly to cut down Vlad, but to his surprise, Vlad dodged, delivering a powerful punch that sent him staggering back five meters.
Morian felt as if he'd been struck by a truck. He couldn't believe the strength this smaller figure had displayed. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his gaze remained fixed on Vlad.
Alex fought to suppress the pain that radiated through his body like knives. Straightening up, he cast a determined look at Morian, fully aware of how lethal his opponent's teleportation and strength combination was.
His ribs were already healing, a testament to the frightening power of his regeneration. He thought to himself as he approached Morian from behind, "This healing ability truly is something else."
Morian glanced over his shoulder, noticing Alex approaching, and burst into laughter.
"Boy, you really are something else—to possess such power so quickly without any sacrifices or contracts with the devil… you're exceptional!"
His laughter echoed across the field, piercing the silence. Alex looked at him, focused on one word: a contract with the devil.
"What is he talking about? Did he really make a pact with demons? Wait—are demons even real?"
At this point, Alex wouldn't have been surprised if demons appeared, given the insanity of everything happening.
"No matter. First, I have to kill him and get answers later," he thought, surging forward with greater speed, no longer holding back. The strain on his body was immense, but his regeneration kept him going. Still, he knew he couldn't keep up this pace for long.
The moment Alex moved, Vlad did too. Alex appeared behind Morian, aiming a swing at his left wing. Morian spun around, blocking the strike with his sword. At the same moment, Vlad materialized beside him, delivering a punch aimed at Morian's side, only for Morian to parry it with his other sword.
Before Morian could counterattack, Alex unleashed a rapid series of strikes. Morian was trapped, forced to defend against two highly coordinated opponents at close range. Even his teleportation ability was nearly useless in such tight quarters; moving would only leave him vulnerable to the other's follow-up.
Alex's strategy was simple: apply relentless pressure until Morian couldn't find room to breathe, then strike him down in one decisive blow. Keeping the distance close made a surprise teleportation attack nearly impossible, thanks to the speed of both attackers.
Vlad posed such a significant threat that Morian couldn't afford to ignore him to target Alex. If he did, he would sustain life-threatening injuries. His transformation was still incomplete, meaning his current power hadn't reached its peak, making it nearly impossible to recover from any critical wounds at this stage.
As Morian fought, his mind raced for a strategy to eliminate both Alex and Vlad, but their unrelenting assault left him little room to think.
Every strike from Alex was fast, powerful, and precise. Within half a minute, Morian had suffered dozens of cuts, none fatal, though his armor proved incredibly resilient.
After exchanging hundreds of blows within a single minute, both sides were exhausted. Neither Alex nor Morian could maintain this level of intensity for much longer.
In a sudden, swift move, a limb flew through the air. A fraction of a second too late, Alex failed to counter Morian's quick slash, and his right arm was severed.
He quickly stopped the bleeding with his blood manipulation ability, switching his sword to his left hand, though he knew he wouldn't wield it with the same effectiveness.
Morian wasn't pleased, either. He had aimed for Alex's head. And the attack had come at a cost; in exchange for severing Alex's arm, Vlad had struck him, shattering his armor and exposing his intestines.
Now both Morian and Alex were fighting solely on willpower. Whoever's resolve weakened first would be the one to fall. Morian regretted not preserving his blood angels, but he knew his transformation had consumed most of his energy, leaving him unable to sustain them any longer.