Aurumiel charged forward, the ground quaking beneath each thunderous step.
His golden blade crackled with divine energy, slicing through the air as he brought it down with devastating force.
Alex narrowly evaded the strike, rolling to the side just as the blade crashed into the ground.
The impact sent a shockwave rippling outward, hurling him backward.
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He hit the ground hard but quickly scrambled to his feet, his eyes locked on the radiant figure before him.
Every move Aurumiel made radiated celestial power, his attacks tearing through the battlefield with relentless ferocity.
Alex’s heart pounded in his chest, the weight of the angel’s overwhelming strength pressing down on him. But retreat wasn’t an option. Not now.
Aurumiel’s golden aura flared, and he lunged again, unleashing a flurry of rapid strikes.
Alex parried desperately with his dagger and even staff, each impact sending jolts of pain through his arms.
He gritted his teeth, refusing to let the angel’s taunts unnerve him.
“Is this the extent of your power?” Aurumiel sneered, his eyes glowing with divine fire. “You’re pathetic. You can’t even scratch me.”
Alex ignored the mockery, his mind racing for a strategy.
He couldn’t beat Aurumiel in raw strength, at least not directly. But he wasn’t out of options yet.
With a sharp breath, Alex activated [Blood Clones], conjuring two doppelgängers from swirling crimson energy.
The clones darted toward Aurumiel, their movements mirroring Alex’s own.
Aurumiel’s expression remained calm, almost bored.
With a single, sweeping strike of his blade, he obliterated the clones, their forms dissipating into red mist.
“Futile,” he muttered, his voice dripping with disdain. “You think these tricks will save you?”
Alex clenched his fists, his frustration mounting.
“He’s too fast… too powerful,” Alex thought, his heart pounding as he caught a flicker of intent in Aurumiel’s glowing eyes.
A [Soul Attack] was clearly being reserved for the moment Alex faltered, if he was pinned, it would be over.
But he couldn’t afford to give up. Not when he’d come this far.
Summoning his resolve, Alex activated [Chains of Restraint], unleashing glowing ethereal chains that lashed out and coiled around Aurumiel’s limbs.
The angel staggered as the chains tightened, binding him in place.
-120,972!
“You dare restrain me?” Aurumiel roared, his golden aura blazing as he struggled against the bindings. “I am the light incarnate! You cannot hold me!”
Alex didn’t respond.
His focus was entirely on the massive [Giant Blood Blade] he summoned, which still hovered around him after he grabbed his dagger back.
Its edges were pulsating with dark energy.
“Here goes nothing,” he mumbled as he grabbed the weapon.
Summoning his strength, Alex launched [Demonic Spear], the powerful projectile tearing through the air toward the restrained angel.
But Aurumiel moved with a speed that defied comprehension, his golden blade slashing clean through the spear as if it were nothing.
The attack exploded in harmless sparks of dark energy.
“Fool!” Aurumiel spat, his voice filled with scorn. “Do you truly believe such pitiful tricks can harm me?!”
“You talk too much,” Alex growled, his voice like ice.
Gripping the [Giant Blood Blade] tightly, Alex funneled every ounce of his remaining mana and strength into it.
The blade surged with dark energy, its edges writhing as though alive, feeding off his resolve.
The blood from his wounds was still being absorbed.
With a deafening cry, Alex swung the blade down in a devastating arc.
The massive weapon collided with Aurumiel, shattering his radiant armor in an eruption of force.
The blow struck deep into the angel’s chest, drawing a guttural scream of pain.
The impact shook the battlefield, cracks splitting the ground beneath their feet.
Ding!
[Critical hit + Weakness hit: Dealing 1000% of initial damage.]
And although the angel’s defense was high…
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The attack still almost killed him instantly.
Aurumiel’s wings flickered and drooped, their blinding light dimmed to a faint glow.
Alex’s weapon faltered, breaking apart under the strain as the blood dissolved into droplets, raining down like crimson tears.
Silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the labored breaths of both combatants.
Aurumiel fell to his knees, his divine radiance flickering like a dying ember. Slowly, he lifted his gaze, defiance still visible in his golden eyes.
“Not… yet…” Aurumiel gasped, his voice weak but defiant.
Alex didn’t hesitate.
With calculated precision, he pressed forward, his dagger flashing as he struck again and again.
Each blow pushed Aurumiel closer to the edge, his once-immense strength crumbling under the relentless assault.
Finally, with a final, earth-shaking strike, Aurumiel collapsed fully, unable to move.
The once-mighty angel lay motionless on the ground, his golden aura extinguished, but he was not dead.
[Aurumiel HP: 364,792/120,000,000]
Aurumiel’s body still faintly glowed, his chest rising and falling as he clung to the last shreds of life.
Alex knelt beside him, his eyes cold and piercing.
“Tell me how to become an angel,” Alex demanded, his voice sharp and unyielding.
Aurumiel’s eyes widened for a few seconds before his lips curled into a bitter smile.
“You? Become one of us?” he sneered, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. “A mortal like you could never ascend to divinity.”
Alex’s expression darkened.
He grabbed Aurumiel by the collar, yanking him upright.
“Don’t test me. Tell me what I need to know, or I’ll make your end far worse than it already is.”
The angel chuckled weakly, his defiance unbroken.
“You’re blind, mortal. Chasing a dream you’ll never achieve. Angels are born of the light… not forged in the darkness you cling to.”
Alex’s grip tightened, anger boiling beneath his calm exterior.
“We’ll see about that.”
With a flick of his hand, he activated [Chains of Restraint], ensuring Aurumiel was completely immobilized.
-120,972!
The angel groaned as the glowing bindings tightened around him, rendering him powerless.
“Even if I knew,” Aurumiel laughed, “I still wouldn’t tell you, since only the most powerful celestial can grant you the knowledge you seek, and I am not aiding you in that-”
Before he could finish, Alex plunged his dagger into the angel’s neck.
“You can rot here then,” Alex muttered, standing and turning away as the angel was on the verge of dying, “I’ll find another way.”
Aurumiel’s mocking laughter followed him as he walked off, the angel’s voice weak but taunting.
“Keep dreaming, mortal… The heavens will never welcome you…”
These were his last words as all the wounds in his body, especially the one at his neck, got the better of him, his eyes closing.
Ding!
[Aurumiel has been slain!]