"Heed my call and appear before me, Velzagard."
The incantation left Hun Fang's lips and within seconds, the mana whirlpool that formed around his body expanded to an astonishing degree. From within it, the form of something otherworldly appeared.
Its skin was just as grey as the mana used to summon it, and its form was similar to a massive Minotaur with striking red eyes. Puffs of flame exited its nostrils every time it took a breath, and an aura of unbridled power emanated from its entire body.
"Merge."
Hun Fang indifferently called out. The Minotaur's physical body seemed to morph and shrink, becoming incorporeal and hovering like a phantom behind Hun Fang.
In response, Hun Fang's entire aura changed as well, becoming a mixture between the ghastly aura he had before and the aura of the Minotaur that had fused with him.
As the process took place, Damien had no intention of waiting silently. His body also began to change, undergoing Demon Transformation.
The two stared at each other from across the room. They had both chosen forms that heightened their physical power, but their battle from now on wouldn't be at close range.
But they were well aware that they needed to heighten their defenses for what was to come.
Damien's eyes sharpened. His vector field was erected in an instant and his hand flicked through the air.
Multiple spatial cracks appeared wherever his arm traveled and shot toward Hun Fang in a frenzied manner.
Ziu! Ziu! Ziu!
They sipped through the air and arrived at his position, attempting to cut him as the Dance of the Void had done before, but Hun Fang was quicker. A wall of souls formed and absorbed the impact before they could reach his body.
But Damien was just starting. Tens, dozens, hundreds of space blades shot forward with every passing moment. His vector control was put into full use as well, altering the trajectory of the blades so they attacked from unpredictable angles.
The soul wall that Hun Fang mobilized continued to block the damage. But as it did so, chunks of it were also banished into the void.
All of a sudden, a lone space blade separates itself from the masses, traveling far faster than the rest.
Zip!
It rushed through a crack in the soul wall's defense and when it arrived in front of Hun Fang's face, it tore apart and expanded as if someone was opening the zipper of a suitcase.
"Keuk…!"
Hun Fang coughed blood and shot backward due to the force of impact, but as he did so, he rapidly waved his flag in a strange pattern.
Ding~!
A formless wave of mana spread like a shockwave, accompanied by the crisp sound of a bell. Damien immediately put his vector field to work to divert the attack, but the formless wave kept moving regardless.
"Agh!"
When it passed through his body, Damien felt his internals churning. He didn't know how a mere sound could do such damage, but he knew he had to be careful of it.
Ding~! Ding~! Ding~!
The sound waves kept spreading, and as they bounced off of the walls around them, they impacted each other and multiplied.
As the sound continued to pass through Damien's body, he felt his mind becoming numb. A shadow appeared behind him while he attempted to reorient himself.
Bang!
The heavy force of a staff infused with intense physical strength impacted the back of Damien's head. His body leaned forward, and with the disorientation he was already feeling, he lost his balance.
'Fuck!'
Without hesitation, he spread Void Essence through his inner body and used it to protect his vitals. At the same time, he used mana to seal his sense of hearing so the sound waves would lose their effect.
He regained clarity in the middle of his fall. Instead of stopping his momentum, he planted his arms on the ground, pushed with all his strength, and twisted his wrists.
He infused his lower body with pure mana as he spun, emitting a wave of energy that pushed Hun Fang back before he could continue on his attack.
Damien flashed away. Behind his body, black and white balls began to form. He used spatial mana to form the exterior, trapping his volatile mana within the balls and compressing it. In an instant, he shot them out all over the room.
BOOM!
A massive chain of explosions rang out. Although the bombs had no real target, they had at least stopped the spread of the sound waves that had been continuously multiplying the entire time. At the same time, they created a veil that obscured Hun Fang's vision.
Damien's All-Seeing Eyes swirled in full force, allowing him to pierce through the veil he created.
His mana concentrated inside his throat. Pure spatial mana and blistering Void Flames combined together and amplified each other's effects. And in the next second, he roared.
Roar!
A beam of dragon's breath spewed from his mouth and charged towards Hun Fang, defying the concept of distance and reaching him instantaneously. Hun Fang's eyes widened as he suddenly sensed the fluctuation, but it was too late.
BOOOM!
The resulting explosion blasted apart the thick branches of the Primordial Undying Tree that made up the floor and ceiling of the strange room. Meanwhile, dozens of branches shot up and protected the purple fruit from any damage.
Seeing this, Damien grinned slightly. With the blood that leaked from his mouth due to the internal damage he had taken, he looked especially devilish.
'Good! I can go all out without worry!'
Even though they had begun fighting with more vigor, both he and Hun Fang had always been worried about damaging the fruit that stood in the middle of the room.
But it seemed their concerns were unwarranted.
"Hoo…" Damien breathed out deeply. He closed his eyes briefly before opening them once more, but they now contained a different glint within.
"Come."
Rumble!
Storm clouds began to brew within the confines of the room. Due to Damien's will, they didn't spread outside, but rather concentrated in one place.
Black lightning raged through the clouds. Even compared to any other time he had utilized his storm talent, it was much fiercer.
It was to the point where he couldn't control it.
Bzzt!
BOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning struck the ground wildly without his command. Following it, tens of lightning bolts did the same.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each one was deafeningly loud. It was like the lightning was roaring.
No, the lightning was truly roaring.
Those massive black bolts of lightning were like pillars. They were furiously striking the ground as if venting their frustration.
An unbridled aura of fury filled the room.
'You dare…ignore me?!'
Damien could've sworn he heard those words, but he knew it was just in his mind. But seeing the lightning's fury firsthand, he could understand what it was trying to convey.
The lightning's aura began to influence him as well.
Belligerence and destruction, these were the things that lightning was supposed to represent. But what had it become? It had become a useless part of Damien's power that he neglected even before he acquired the Void Flames.
The only time his lightning was used was when his Storm trait was used. The lightning itself was never given any importance ever since he had gained those mysterious affinities in his status.
Yet, that neglected lighting affinity, no, that mysterious affinity that Damien still didn't understand was furiously baring its fangs.
Whether or not Damien wanted it, it didn't care.
Damien's eyes were already red due to his Demon Transformation, but they began to give off a particularly bloody light.
His aura changed. A bestial desire emerged in his mind.
But he didn't lose his sanity. Not this time.
Damien clearly felt the changes in his body brought about by that third affinity of his. But he didn't try to stop them. No, he embraced them.
Because this whole situation gave off the scent of opportunity.
