With blood still gushing from the now dead man's neck, Cassiel stares at Barakiel blankly, as if he was an idiot.
Continuing to stare at him, the two men from earlier appear once more, this time behind Barakiel.
"I see now, you're the one who hired these mercenaries, aren't you?" Cassiel says, finally blinking.
"I don't see why it matters though?" Barakiel responds, smirking.
"You're right, it won't, you'll all be dead soon enough anyways." Cassiel says, dashing forward at Barakiel.
Both men wear heavy grins.
Suddenly, Barakiel stomps the ground hard, which upheaves it, causing huge boulder sized rocks to fly from the ground and straight towards Cassiel, making him stop himself and lose all his momentum as he cuts one of the rocks clean in half, only to be met by Barakiel's fist crashing straight into his face, making Cassiel fly back rolling on the ground.
When Cassiel rises, he lifts his head up to look at Barakiel dead in the eyes as his own nose starts dripping a little blood.
Without exchanging any words, Cassiel's grin reemerges as he forms his sword in his hand once more.
The two of them take in a deep breath and charge at each other simultaneously, clashing in the middle as Barakiel's cane connects with Cassiel's sword.
"You're the strongest man I've come across after being freed, Barakiel, and for that I shall remember your name as I indulge in taking your blood." Cassiel mocks, still grinning.
With these very words however, Barakiel's entire demeanor changes.
He no longer grins alongside Cassiel, but instead, his tone and face took a turn towards complete seriousness.
Barakiel frowned an angry frown as his eyebrows burrowed frustratingly.
"You will suffer." Barakiel mumbled, exploding a ball of flame and making Cassiel fly back once again.
"What the hell was that all about..?" Cassiel said, confused.
Using his speed to his advantage, Cassiel dashes around Barakiel, hoping to confuse him before he finally darts directly at him from his side.
Aiming to slice his head clean off, Cassiel swings his blade, only to be parried and tossed to the side by Barakiel.
"You know... that wound in your back really is gonna get you killed." Barakiel says, still with the same serious look on his face.
"Shut up... shut up damnit!" Cassiel says, throwing a blood sphere straight towards Barakiel, only for it to be dispersed by a gulf of flames.
Now getting an estimate of just how strong Barakiel is, Cassiel realizes he can not beat him in his current state.
However, although Cassiel has realized he can't beat Barakiel, he doesn't wish to believe it.
The pride in him as a warrior refuses to let him believe there is anyone stronger than he is, meaning the only option out of this battle is his victory.
Exploding in a fit of anger, Cassiel begins to glow blood red as he brings his sword up to his chest, pointing his blade straight at his heart.
"Fifth tier magic, Formless Seppuku." Cassiel breaks out, his breath coming out in heavy pants, before he inserts his sword straight through his heart.
Cassiel screams out, not in pain, but in anger.
As the sword exits his body inch by inch, the blade seen by the eyes of Barakiel begins to glow a dark and bright menacing red.
Breaking the entire theory of color itself to Barakiel, the sword glows in a darkness of red.
"Prepare yourself boy." Cassiel says, now inches from Barakiel as he plants the hilt of his sword into his stomach, the force launching Barakiel back as he gets stopped by the walls of one of the city houses.
Coughing up blood, Barakiel stands up, dusting himself off before flipping his cane up.
Cassiel dashes straight towards Barakiel once more, only to stop himself as Barakiel stamps his cane into the ground, making a small column of flame appear before them, separating the two.
Barakiel was strong, using second tier magic without a word leaving his mouth, and he had believed himself to be the bane of all remaining vampires of Rampiel.
The only reason for that, however, was because he had never taken into account Cassiel's existence.
Dashing around the column of fire, Cassiel meets Barakiel face to face once more, although this time, Barakiel was prepared.
His fist glowing in a ball of flame, he throws a punch straight at Cassiel's face, only to be dodged and met with an uppercut.
This, however, was planned. An attack for an attack, is what he wanted to call it.
Grabbing Cassiel's arm with the hand he had thrown a punch with, Barakiel drives his cane straight into Cassiel's foot, breaking it instantly.
It never mattered though, Cassiel's pain tolerance was too strong, and with the ability he had just used, he was twice as strong as before using it, meaning this next attack was going to hurt twice as bad as it usually would.
Cassiel grabs the coat Barakiel is wearing, ripping it off of him and in return flipping Barakiel up and off the ground, spinning.
As he spins to meet Cassiel's face while mid air, Cassiel aims to punch Barakiel straight in the chest to make him fly back, only to be blocked as he brings his cane up just in time to take the brunt of Cassiel's attack.
Realizing how much stronger Cassiel has become after using magic, Barakiel quickly calculates numerous possibilities, only to land on two. Cassiel's formless seppuku either had a crippling drawback afterwards, or it was time-sensitive.. Seeing how Cassiel was charging straight towards him at full speed, he figured it was the latter.
He dodges at the last instant and hurls a flame sphere, only to burn away moments before reaching him, consumed by the sheer mana radiating from his body.
Charging once more, Cassiel finally comes back to his senses and stops acting like a maniacal brute as he dodges to the side to dodge three of Barakiel's flame spheres.
Taking back in the mana he was letting off, Cassiel thinks for a moment before coming up with his game plan.
Stepping back by a bit, Cassiel lifts his hands with his palms facing the sky as he begins to mumble.
Barakiel, not wanting to give Cassiel the chance to release an insane spell, dashes straight towards him, extending his cane as he swipes it to bash Cassiel's head in, only for it to be caught at the last second.
"I got you now you rat." Cassiel says, pulling Barakiel straight towards him as he delivers a punch straight to his face, launching him backwards as he spirals into the ground.
Hesitatingly, Barakiel stands up, looking down to see his arm completely broken and shattered as he screams out in pain.
Laughing, Cassiel begins to walk towards Barakiel slowly, before pulsing and falling on the ground, feeling completely shattered as his formless seppuku has finally worn off.
As Cassiel gasps for air on the ground, paralyzed and unable to move, Barakiel continues to scream and whine as he holds his arm, his eyes beginning to swell.
…..
After a small bit, the two mercenaries that were left from before finally run up to Barakiel, both kneeling down to meet him eye to eye as one of them takes his coat off to use as a makeshift sling for Barakiel.
"Hey, let's finish this vampire off and get out of here..." One of the mercenaries says, looking at the other.
As they both nod to each other, one of them stands up to go towards Cassiel, pulling out claw-like weapons as he kneels down next to Cassiel.
While the other mercenary helps Barakiel up and goes to walk away with him, a vampire appears before the two of them with a sword drawn.
It was Albus.