Chapter 387: I Believe
Damian’s eyes went wide.
’This... what is this, Kuro?!’
His body was changing.
Long black wings erupted from his back, tearing through flesh and cloth with wet, ripping sounds, spreading wide behind him like living shadows. His nails extended into cruel, obsidian-black claws, sharp as blades and darker than the void itself. Feathers like tempered steel grew along his arms, his shoulders, his chest, harder than the Obsidian Hide had ever been, gleaming with an unnatural sheen.
The whites of his eyes turned completely crimson and pupilless, glowing with otherworldly power.
His Aura exploded outward in a violent storm, the pressure doubling, then tripling, slamming into the surroundings like a physical wave.
Power coursed through him like nothing he’d ever felt before, like every cell in his body had been set on fire and rebuilt stronger, raw and primal and absolute.
The status screen flashed in his peripheral vision:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Aura: A (B)
Strength: 784 (641)
Speed: 847 (678)
Stamina: 793 (638)
Vitality: 858 (653)
━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Kuro’s voice came through strained, weaker than before, but filled with fierce determination.
’I... don’t know how long we can maintain this... maybe minutes... maybe seconds...’
All of this happened in less than a second.
Kethran’s eyes widened in pure shock, his strike freezing mid-swing.
’What... what is he?’
The human’s form had changed completely.
’Is he human... or beast? Is he from the beast world? Did humanity make a deal with–’
Damian’s hand shot out. Telekinesis ripped his axe from the ground and slapped it into his clawed palm with a heavy thud.
His fingers closed around the handle, and something shifted deep inside his mind.
The despair was still there. The black fog still wrapped around his body like chains, still whispering about his impending death, still showing him visions of dying alone in this clearing.
But–
’So what?’
The thought came clear and sharp, cutting through the noise like a blade.
’So what if I die here?!’
His grip tightened until the wooden handle creaked under the pressure.
’I am the goddamn Godfather! I built an empire from nothing! I survived two lifetimes! I crawled out of hell and kept moving forward!’
The Slaughter Intent that had been flickering weakly reignited, blazing brighter than ever before, dark crimson flames roaring around his transformed body.
’If I’m going to die, then I’m taking this bastard WITH ME!’
He looked at the black fog wrapped around his body, at the despair trying to drag him down into oblivion.
And screamed with every ounce of his Will.
"YOU ARE MY FUCKING DOMAIN!"
The words tore through the void like thunder.
"YOU ARE MY DESPAIR! MINE!"
The fog trembled violently.
"I DECIDE IF I FALL OR RISE! NOT YOU! NOT HIM! ME!"
The hands made of fog that had been pulling him down–
Burst apart.
BOOM
The Domain shifted, responding to his overwhelming Will. It turned back outward with renewed fury, slamming into Kethran like a tidal wave of pure darkness.
Damian stood tall, wings spreading wide behind him, claws gripping his axe with unbreakable resolve.
Blood ran from his mouth, but his crimson eyes were clear and burning.
"ABYSSAL SLAUGHTER!"
The weapon art activated.
Not from belief that he would survive, but from cold and absolute certainty that this would end things.
One way or another.
He moved.
BOOM
Sonic Blink carried him forward, but faster now, his merged form pushing the skill beyond its limits, turning him into a crimson-and-black blur of death.
Kethran’s eyes widened.
"IT DOESN’T MATTER!"
His voice roared across the clearing as both swords came up.
"WHATEVER YOU’VE BECOME! WHATEVER DARKNESS YOU WIELD!"
CLANG
Their weapons met with a deafening crash.
"I AM STRONGER! I WILL WIN!"
SLASH
Damian’s axe carved through the guard, opened a wound across Kethran’s chest as blood sprayed.
"I BELIEVE!"
Damian’s voice exploded with raw emotion as he pressed forward.
"I BELIEVE I CAN WIN!"
SLASH SLASH
His axe moved like lightning, each strike carrying more weight than the last, Abyssal Slaughter growing stronger with every blow.
"I BELIEVE I WILL KILL YOU!"
CLANG CLANG CLANG
Kethran blocked desperately, both swords working in tandem.
"You’re insane! This changes nothing! You’re still B rank! Still weaker! Still–"
SLASH
Damian’s axe caught his shoulder, tore through muscle and bone.
Kethran screamed.
"WHAT DO YOU EVEN KNOW ABOUT BELIEF, ELF?!"
Damian’s voice carried over the clash of steel, over the Domain’s pressure, over everything.
BOOM
They crashed together, weapons locked, faces inches apart.
"When something is certain, it’s a fact!"
SLASH
Damian broke the lock, his axe opening another wound across Kethran’s ribs.
"You don’t need belief for facts! The sun rises! Water flows! Those are FACTS!"
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG
They blurred again, moving so fast the forest around them became a streak of colors.
The Domain pressed down harder on Kethran, slowing his movements, forcing visions into his consciousness even as he fought.
’This human...’
Kethran’s thoughts raced as he blocked another devastating strike.
’He’s getting stronger. Each strike hits harder than the last. How is this possible?!’
"BELIEF IS WHEN THINGS DON’T GO YOUR WAY!"
SLASH
Damian’s axe nearly took Kethran’s head, missing by inches.
The Slaughter Intent around him intensified, the dark crimson flames growing larger, brighter and more oppressive.
"WHEN EVERYTHING IS AGAINST YOU!"
BOOM
He drove Kethran back ten meters with a single strike.
"WHEN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS BENT ON MAKING YOU LOSE ALL HOPE!"
SLASH SLASH SLASH
Three strikes in rapid succession, each one breaking through Kethran’s defense, each one drawing blood.
"THAT’S WHEN YOU BELIEVE!"
Kethran tried to counter, but his swords felt heavy, his movements slow.
The Domain’s weight was crushing him.
The wounds were adding up.
And this human, this THING, just kept coming.
"THAT THINGS WILL GO YOUR WAY!"
CLANG
Damian’s axe crashed against both swords, the impact sending Kethran sliding backward.
"THAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN THE WAY YOU WANT!"
SLASH
Another wound, this one across Kethran’s stomach.
’He’s... he’s actually going to...’
"YOU BELIEVE!"
BOOM
Damian closed the distance in an instant, wings propelling him forward.
"AND KEEP ON TRYING!"
SLASH
"AND TRYING!"
SLASH
"AND TRYING!"
SLASH
Each strike landed, each one more devastating than the last, Abyssal Slaughter growing in power with Damian’s conviction.
Because he did believe.
Against all logic, against all evidence, against the gap in their ranks and stats and experience–
He believed he would win.
"UNTIL IT HAPPENS!"
The final words came out as a roar.
His axe blazed with Slaughter Intent so intense it looked like black fire mixed with crimson, the conviction behind it was undeniable and unbreakable.
Kethran brought both swords up in a desperate block.
’Madman! He’s a complete madman! This isn’t how combat works! This isn’t how power works! You can’t just BELIEVE your way past the gap between us!’
But Damian’s axe was already moving.
The strike that would end everything.
The blow that carried every ounce of his Will, his Slaughter Intent, his Abyssal Slaughter art pushed beyond its limits.
’One strike!’
The thought crystallized with perfect clarity.
’This kills!’
