Azrael froze when the man spoke his name, his eyes widening in disbelief. 'How... how does he know me?' His heart pounded as his instincts screamed danger. The dark-haired man in front of him—Silas Lan Varadis—grinned, his eyes glowing with an eerie crimson gleam.

"Hahaha, that look on your face," Silas said mockingly. "You don't remember me, do you? Well, let's just say your father and I had... unfinished business. And now, you'll be paying off his debts, one by one."

At the mention of his father, Azrael's expression hardened, and waves of demonic energy erupted from his body, scorching the ground beneath his feet. His eyes glowed blood-red as his voice grew cold. "You're an enemy of my father?"

Silas smiled darkly. "Yes. In fact, I was one of the reasons he died."

Azrael's entire aura shifted. Shadows coiled around him like living smoke as the temperature dropped. Selena stepped forward, her voice firm but calm. "Azrael, don't. He's trying to get under your skin. That's what he wants."

Silas laughed, the sound echoing through the forest. "Smart woman. But it doesn't matter. The talking is over—" his tone turned sharp, cruel "—it's time for revenge. I couldn't kill your father, but I'll make sure you die screaming."

With a flick of his finger, a massive portal tore open beside him. A gust of cold wind burst forth, followed by a figure stepping out gracefully—a woman with long, flowing green hair that glowed like emerald fire. Her eyes burned with fierce determination and arrogance.

Silas turned toward her and said, "Miss Arya, I could've handled this myself. Master Kyle didn't need to send you here."

Arya smirked, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Oh, I know. But I wanted to test something... and who better to test my strength against than the one they call the Void Empress?"

Selena's eyes narrowed. "Void Empress? So you know me but who the hell are you ?"

Arya's grin widened. "You'll remember soon enough."

In the blink of an eye, Arya vanished.

Before Selena could even react, Arya appeared right in front of her and slammed her fist deep into her gut. The impact sent Selena flying, crashing through several trees, each explosion echoing like thunder.

"Selena!" Azrael roared, trying to run toward her, but before he could take a step, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on him. His knees buckled, and he was forced to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.

Silas walked toward him leisurely, his aura radiating authority. "What's the rush?" he mocked. "Looks like after coming into this world, you've been restricted to Grandmaster (low) rank. Not surprising, really. Even in the Demon Realm, you were a failure."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Hahahahaha! You're lucky I'm still recovering my power and stuck at Transcendent (peak) rank, or you'd be dead already just from that pressure."

He paused, smirking as he pressed his boot against Azrael's head, grinding it into the dirt. "You know, I've heard interesting rumors about you lately. The once-failed prince of the Demon Realm—now feared by the same demons who mocked him. Tell me, how did that happen? How did your father's biggest disappointment become a name that even demons whisper about?"

Azrael could barely move. Every muscle in his body trembled as his mana tried to resist the crushing force. 'Damn it... I can't move... this bastard is too strong!'

-----

Meanwhile, Arya's fight with Selena raged in the distance.

Arya frowned, glancing at her knuckles. 'That hit didn't land cleanly... she must've deflected part of the impact.'

Just as Arya was about to search for her, a cold whisper brushed her ear. "You're a Peak Grandmaster too, huh?"

Her eyes widened. Before she could react, a devastating kick struck her spine from above. The ground cracked open as Arya crashed into it, creating a massive crater.

She groaned, blood dripping from her lips, then rose slowly, wiping her mouth.

Standing above her was Selena Vega—her expression calm but deadly. Her left leg gleamed metallic blue, the surface reflecting faint mana ripples.

"So you can turn any part of your body into a desired metal," Arya said, impressed despite herself. "The rumors about you were true after all."

Selena exhaled, her voice steady. "I'm surprised too. You took a direct hit from my left leg—transformed into pure Etherium, the strongest metal in existence—and you're still standing."

Arya smiled dangerously. "Then let's see who lasts longer."

Both moved at the same instant.

The forest trembled as the two vanished in a blur, exchanging a flurry of blows that shattered the air. Each strike released shockwaves that toppled trees and split the ground open.

Arya used her lightning affinity, sparks crawling over her fists as she weaved blindingly fast combinations. Selena parried each one, her metallic limbs deflecting the crackling blows with ringing metallic echoes.

Suddenly, Arya shifted tactics. Water surged from the air, forming serpentine whips that lashed out at Selena. One caught her by the shoulder, slicing through her armor and drawing blood.

Selena gritted her teeth, dodging another strike. She gathered her mana, her body flickering with black-violet energy—the signature of her Void Affinity.

"Let's see how you handle this," she whispered.

Her figure disappeared, reappearing behind Arya with a whisper of displaced air. Before Arya could turn, Selena's void blade sliced through her arm cleanly.

Arya screamed, clutching the bleeding stump, disbelief flashing in her eyes. "You... you cut off my hand...!"

Selena's eyes were cold. "Don't make me take the other one."

Arya's rage flared. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice!"

She slammed both hands onto the ground, activating an enormous crimson magic circle that spread across the forest. The ground shook as hundreds of monstrous entities began emerging—each one radiating Master (peak) level energy.

Selena's expression tightened, but she didn't falter. 'So she's summoning monsters... this is going to get messy.'

The beasts roared in unison and charged. Fire, lightning, and dark energy filled the air as the forest was consumed by chaos.

Selena steadied her breathing, ignoring the pain from her wounds. Her body shimmered with void energy as she murmured, "Fine... I'll take you all on."

She moved like a storm—vanishing and reappearing, her metallic limbs tearing through monsters with precise, lethal strikes. Explosions echoed everywhere as the forest disintegrated under the sheer force of battle.

But in the chaos, Arya used the distraction to land devastating hits. A lightning-charged fist slammed into Selena's ribs, followed by a spinning kick to her jaw. Selena countered instantly, her knee driving into Arya's stomach before releasing a burst of void energy that sent both crashing through trees.

Blood stained the ground as the two women clashed again and again. Arya coughed blood, panting heavily. 'Why won't this woman stay down!?'

Selena, her breathing ragged and body bruised, steadied herself amid the flames and smoke. Even surrounded by hundreds of monsters and facing a powerful opponent, her eyes burned with defiance.

'No matter what... I'm not losing here.'

The fight raged on, their battle shaking the very foundations of the dimension itself.

---------

Meanwhile, Azrael lay sprawled on the cold ground.

A gaping hole tore through his chest, blood endlessly pouring out, yet he still refused to die.

Silas stood over him, amusement flickering in his crimson eyes.

"Interesting... you're still alive. Just what the hell have you become?"

Without waiting for an answer, Silas drove his boot into Azrael's ribs, again and again.

Each kick cracked bones; each impact was followed by the sickening crunch of shattered fingers and twisted legs.

"Tch... now it's getting boring."

Clicking his tongue in irritation, Silas leaned down.

"Let's finish this."

A massive screen materialized before Azrael's fading eyes, its light glinting across the blood-soaked floor.

On the screen, a fierce battle raged — Arya and Selena locked in combat against an unending swarm of enemies.

Silas laughed, his voice echoing mockingly.

"Looks like that woman is about to die too..."

Azrael's hazy eyes struggled to focus.

He saw Selena collapsing under countless wounds, blood flowing from her broken form.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as a thought burst through the haze.

'No... this can't be happening. If i trust what my future silef had said..I can feel it... something bad will happen if that woman died.'

Azrael glanced weakly at the hole in his chest.

'Damn it... the core isn't here. I need life force... right now.'

An idea sparked within his fading consciousness.

Suddenly, an oppressive aura of domination erupted from his broken body, warping the very fabric of space around him.

Silas only laughed louder, unfazed.

"Whatever you're doing, Azrael, it's useless! Nothing will save you now!"

But then, the air itself cracked.

The dimension around them quivered as fractures split across space like shattered glass.

A faint smile crept onto Azrael's blood-stained lips.

'Sorry, Alex... but I have to do this. I'm taking your life force, even if it kills me.'

From the broken rift, an overwhelming surge of energy burst forth.

Massive streams of raw, pulsating life force spiraled toward Azrael, flooding into his dying body.

His veins glowed with unholy light, power surging where pain once was.

'What the hell... what kind of life force is this?'

The ground trembled beneath him.

And for the first time in ages, Azrael felt alive again.

----

A/N:

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