Chapter 378: The Demon Who Wept Blood

The very instant in which Axel uttered those ominous ancient words. Evoking the Sin of obsession. The blood-colored rune symbol of obsession on his chest started to glow rhythmically. Pulsing like a heartbeat. Intense glow of power swirling through those red, smooth veins traveled through his entire figure.He found a good chunk of his intense emotions slipping away; in exchange, every cell of his demonic body overflowed with strength. Looking at the Nexus panel, he found that his strength stat continued to rise higher and higher, until it almost reached a level closer to Sophia’s.

He had exchanged a part of his obsession for a boost in strength. Apart from those internal changes, the most significant changes were in fact happening outside. Just as he expected, the world reacted very badly to his invocation of the true power of Sin.

Especially, because the Sin he wielded were not among the seven deadly ones. More than that, he was not supposed to be able to evoke the power of Sin, let alone a mutated sin like the ’Obsession’. The ground quaked violently, a crack spreading beneath.

The world itself vibrated and screamed, the enraged cry of the world Will rattled his mind, trying to take away the power he had just gained through his sacrifice of emotions, as the will deemed it as an unfair exchange.

With a furious demonic roar, Axel shouted, his voice shaking the entire metaphysical territory, "Sin of Obsession_ Desire for Evasion"

The world Will that was trying to take away his exchanged strength stopped, as if unable to find Axel Nomrad. This time, he sacrificed his emotions to evade the world Will. Another alien cry resounded across the globe. The Will expressed its frustration at being blinded, not able to see him anymore.

GHLAAAUUUNNNN—T’SHRRRREEEIIIII—VRAAUL’KMMM...

Axel ignored that cry and looked Sophia straight in the eyes. A silent yet profound understanding passed between them, and two ear-deafening sonic booms occurred that tore the fabric of the air in the same instant, with no words needed between the two.

KRA-BOOM!!

Sophia’s black spear struck down at Axel, in a vertical downward slash, cleaving the air and the demonic energy surrounding him.

Darkness was crashing down on him like a meteor falling from the skies.

While the Demon of obsession met that strike with an equal retaliation of his own, a horizontal uppercut with his sword, a bloody crimson lightning filled with his obsession, tearing through not just the air, but the fabric of space itself.

SKRRAA-THHHHRAAACK!!

The power of their clash reached a breaking point, causing both of their weapons to shatter instantly. A shockwave so great that it threw both of them back hundreds of meters ensued. Sophia’s whole armor, made of the purest darkness, threatened to crack, while Axel’s arms felt like they would shatter.

SHRRAAAAK—BWOOOOOOOM!!!

Sophia spat blood on the ground, wiping her mouth and manifesting a condensed dark sword. She was surprised by his increase in strength. But she dashed forward again; her willpower was as immovable as the mountains and the seas.

Axel did the same, bringing out the same exact sword from his arsenal. Their strength was almost on par at the moment, but he found his speed to be still lacking compared to hers, so he spoke the lost tongue again, "Sin of obsession_ Desire for Agility."

His speed increased tremendously, almost reaching her level. Their sword clashed again, shattering in the same manner as before. Both of their powers had outgrown what their tools could handle by a significant margin, but they fought on, uncaring of the agony of their tools. White explosions occurred one after another.

Spreading for miles and miles, leaving nothing but devastation and destruction on a scale that should only be possible for beings on the peak of the 4th phase. Yet, here they were, two mere initial-2nd-phase seekers, their powers surpassing all common sense and limits.

The crimson moons in the sky seem to ripple for the eyes that gaze at them. The clash of the two titans constantly created vacuums of air, followed by the refill of that empty air pocket, as if ripping the reality apart only for it to heal moments later. The agonizing screams of the world Will was like the weeping of Mother Nature itself.

But neither of them paid any attention to that phenomenon.

Solely focused on their opponent...

Their enemy...

Their adversary...

Their Antithesis and...also,

Their only eternal love...

At first, it seemed like Sophia still had the upper hand, despite their strength and speed now being almost equal. So, Axel started to use his law of Sin again,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for Vitality," he roared,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for Stamina," he chanted,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for Endurance," he proclaimed,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for Mind," he announced,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for insight," he stated,

"Sin of obsession_ Desire for Combat," he wished,

With each of his desires invoked, that particular stat of his shot up, and the more he felt hollow inside, the less his emotions clouded his judgment, and all of his thoughts converged into one singular purpose: his entire being came into sync. Increasing his battle prowess as a byproduct.

His desire for insight, meanwhile, increased the analytical prowess of his runic eyes, allowing him to analyze and counter even the complex martial techniques of the valkyrie. His desire for combat also boosted his combat prowess to the point that he was no longer helpless in a fistfight against Sophia.

Because at one point in battle, they had both stopped using their weapons, as they would shatter right after one full-powered clash between the two of them. So their swords were only getting in the way instead of helping them in combat.

Fists, kicks, punches, and jabs all reigned down brutally.

THUP-THUP-THUP—WHAP! WHAP!—SHHK!—DMP!—RATATATATAT!

The valkyrie did not utter the names of her fancy moves; her focus was as clear as the glacial waters. Her mind was as sharp as the blades of the samurai. She fought on, nonstop against the towering Demon, who was wielding sinister, evil power—his power of obsession spreading through the world like a macabre, corrupt virus.

However, Sophia slowly began to feel overwhelmed by Axel’s constant improvements in mid-battle, which were evoked through his Sin of obsession. More than that, her stamina was hitting an all-time low; never once in her 100,000 years of experience had she been countered and ambushed so badly, both physically and mentally.

With so many disadvantages on her side, her mental fatigue reached its peak. Even if her iron willpower could keep it up, her body could not; there was not a single part of her body left uninjured beneath the darkness manifested armor. She had bathed in her own blood and sweat, which came out of all the pores on her skin.

Feeling suffocated inside that armor, like drowning in her own blood.

Just when it seemed she was losing her strength, her body... giving up against her mighty enemy. The world Will came to her rescue. As it was thoroughly angered by the actions of Axel, for not being able to find or detect him anymore, it chose to grant the valkyrie a boost of power.

Choosing her to be the one to finish off the Demon, who touched upon the forbidden power... a power outside of the world, Wills’ direct supervision. Axel cursed at the damned world will, for making it harder for him at the last hurdle, just when he was almost about to win.

Sophia, for a brief moment, felt conflicted by her renewed strength and restored stamina, though she began to use that power immediately nonetheless.

However, it was not a significant boost because, in all honesty, the world Will was also bound by its own rule of balance. It could not simply bestow supreme power upon Sophia so that she could overpower Axel in a mere second and finish him off.

The Will could only give Sophia the slightest push that would allow her to gain an equal footing against her demonic adversary.

Yet, that alone was enough for the valkyrie to retake the reins of their brutal battle. No matter what tricks Axel used, he could never hope to replicate the sheer, horrendous amount of experience she had gained through her trial.

Sophia did not lie in the slightest when she said that no one... on an equal level of power could match her uncontested combat prowess, not even the future demon king... Axel Nomrad. With a sharp sweep of her legs and a rotating maneuvered punch, she slammed Axel’s demonic body into the ground, deepening the already formed crater.

Axel struggled to get up For a short instant, a trace of despair flashed through his demonic eyes, realizing the true horror of the power which Sophia wielded.

He could not help but think, how could the difference in prowess between them be so significant? No matter what he did, even after all of this, he was still on the losing end of the stick. He couldn’t accept it, he couldn’t, no matter what.

Because if he fell here, it would not just be his own doom, but the doom of the very world itself.

Sophia noticed the twisted, almost helplessly despairing expression on Axel’s face. The voice came out of her mouth instinctively, a trace of compassion and pity blooming in her heart, as she looked at his helpless figure. Even if he was a demon now, he was still the only man she loved.

"Axel, we need a truce."

"Yes, a truce."

"All I ever wanted was you... just you."

"BESIDES, WHAT WOULD YOU BE WITHOUT ME.... AXEL???"

The moment those words reached the air, Axel’s body shot up from the ground; his eyes flashed, glaring at Sophia, his demonic voice came out... in a monstrous growl as he declared,

"Time to find out...."