Across from Aziz, Amon stood still with a smile. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. His whole body was battered, yet he was standing perfectly fine.

He was no longer trembling.

The shadows around his body moved more quickly, coiling like living things. They wrapped around his arms, his legs, his torso, flowing like liquid smoke. His wounds were still there. But they no longer slowed him.

His dark eyes were calm. Too calm.

Aziz narrowed his eyes. For the first time since the fight began, he felt it clearly.

Pressure.

"This isn't just desperation anymore," Aziz said slowly. "You're dangerous now."

Despite Aziz being at the third rank, for some reason he felt danger. Till now, he hadn't fought with everything he had. But he couldn't fight leisurely anymore. He wouldn't hold back.

Amon didn't reply. He stepped forward.

Unlike before, when Amon needed to use his shadow ability to strengthen his weapons or use his Umbral Sword Art.

Now, since he was a Mana Initiate, he didn't need to do that anymore. He could augment his weapons directly with his elements.

His sword was covered with pure darkness.

His ability also seemed to grow stronger. His shadow felt more powerful and more vast. He wrapped it around his legs and hands. His physical strength had increased as well, along with a greater amount of mana, which strengthened his muscles.

Because of this, his speed increased by a lot. Enough to keep up with Aziz.

Just before his breakthrough, his body had very little mana. But during the breakthrough, he could feel mana unnaturally entering his body from the surroundings.

The ground cracked beneath his foot. Aziz's smile vanished.

He dashed forward as well, flames erupting around his sword. This time, he didn't hold back.

Clang!

Their blades met again, but this time the impact felt different.

Aziz's arm shook.

His eyes widened slightly. He could tell clearly that Amon was far stronger than before.

Amon pushed forward, shadows exploding outward with every strike.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Their swords clashed repeatedly, fire and darkness tearing into each other. Each collision sent sparks, flames, and black smoke flying.

In between this, something flew through the air in the direction of both of them.

It was Amon's hatchet. He had sent a small amount of his shadow toward the hatchet to summon it back.

Aziz countered with a powerful downward slash.

Amon stepped inside the attack instead of backing away. His left hand was holding the hatchet.

Shadow surged.

He blocked. Not with his sword, but with his hatchet. The darkness element covered the hatchet blade instantly.

Crack!

Aziz's blade slammed into the curved blade.

"What–?!" Aziz gasped.

Amon's knee shot upward. It was strengthened with his entire arsenal. His shadow, his darkness element, and even pure mana.

Bang!

It smashed into Aziz's stomach.

"Guh—!"

Aziz was lifted off the ground and sent flying backward. He crashed through a tree, splintering it in half before hitting the ground hard.

He rolled once, twice, then stopped on his side.

Aziz coughed violently.

Blood spilled from his mouth.

He pushed himself up slowly, his breathing heavy now.

"Tch… damn it…" he growled.

He had underestimated the boy.

Meanwhile, Amon, despite fighting with a smile, knew his own limit.

'I can't keep this up for much longer.' He though grimly.

He knew it was like a sudden extra boost in power after leveling up. Only for a few minutes.

So he needed to kill him as fast as possible.

Aziz wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and straightened his posture. The playful arrogance he had shown before was gone. What remained was sharp, cold hostility.

"So that's how it is…" he muttered. "A freshly broken-through Mana Initiate. You really think you can kill me?"

"We will see it soon."Amon replied casually with smirk.

Flames flared violently around Aziz body. The mana he had been holding back finally poured out without restraint. The air around him distorted from the heat, and the ground beneath his feet blackened.

Aziz raised his free hand.

[Burn Lances]

A magic circle ignited in front of him, blazing crimson. From it, several fire lances shot forward, screaming through the air toward Amon.

Amon's eyes sharpened. He moved instantly.

His body blurred as shadow wrapped tightly around his legs. He twisted his torso, narrowly avoiding the first lance as it tore past his shoulder and exploded behind him.

'Fuck! He still feels so strong.' Even though he was at second rank now. It was hard fight him.

BOOM!

The second lance came from the side.

Amon kicked off the ground, shadow bursting beneath his foot, flipping over it midair. Heat grazed his back, scorching cloth and skin, but he landed rolling, instantly back on his feet.

More fire followed.

Aziz didn't give him time to breathe. Fireballs, arcs of flame, and sharp bursts of compressed heat rained down, turning the forest into a burning battlefield. Black trees caught fire, the ground cracked, and smoke filled the air.

Amon weaved through it all.

He ducked, slid, jumped, and twisted. Every movement sharp and precise. Shadows pulled him just out of reach again and again. His heart thundered in his chest, mana roaring through his body like a flood.

But it hurt.

Every dodge tore at his muscles. His bones screamed under the strain. His vision flickered for a moment, and blood dripped from his chin.

Still, he smiled. "Hehehe~"

Aziz clicked his tongue.

"Annoying little rat!"

He slammed his foot into the ground.

[Flame Prison]

Fire erupted in a wide circle around Amon, walls of blazing heat shooting upward, closing him in. The temperature skyrocketed instantly, the air itself burning.

Amon felt his skin scream.

He didn't hesitate.

Shadow burst outward from his body, spreading along the ground like spilled ink. It climbed the walls of fire, swallowing chunks of flame and thinning them just enough.

Amon charged straight through.

His body emerged from the firewall, smoke trailing behind him, clothes torn and burning. His skin was burned in some places. Yet he smiled widely at Aziz.

Even at this moment, Amon couldn't help but smile at the thought of killing the demon in front of him. His eyes locked onto Aziz.

Aziz's eyes widened.

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