The entire mountain range shook from the sound of a deafening explosion, almost clearing the ash clouds in the sky from just the Shockwave.
With a deafening crash, one of the jagged black mountain's peaks exploded into dust and boulders that tumbled down, reducing almost a third of it into rubble.
From the dust walked out a familiar figure. His snow-white hair were disheveled and had turned red from the blood flowing from his scalp, courtesy of the nagamaki's onyx blade that had almost split his head open.
Blood ran down his head in thin streams, yet his eyes glowed with a firm determination and rage as he watched Apostle Daniel barely managing to dodge the dance of death unleashed by Rudger.
'He's an Oni. A demon whose kind murdered thousands and destroyed many families for no reason. And yet, he's fighting us to protect his people. Where was this sincerity when his kind devoured us?'
Subaru gritted his teeth, veins bulging around his neck and jaw. Hot, fiery blood flowed through them, soon seeping out of his mouth due to how tightly he was clenching his jaw.
'The Ashen Mountain's Oni tribe has never been to the human world, nor have they ever had a confrontation with any exorcist.' Daniel's words resounded in his mind, making him have second thoughts.
"Are... are all demons... really evil?" Subaru muttered to himself, staring down at the red and black tendrils coming out of his slitted palm.
[Name: Abyssal Threads
Type: Symbiotic Parasite
Class: Shapeshifter
Rank: ???
Durability: Indestructible as long as the host is alive
Conductivity: Excellent
Description: A parasitic worm that forms connections with different species. If the host is weak, it will devour the host and take the form of their worst nightmare.
(Currently tamed by the apostle and lives in perfect symbiosis. Gained Divine attribute by absorbing host's blood)
Effects:
[Formless]: Due to its malleable and flowing nature, the threads can take any form that the host wishes in exchange for their blood.
[Perfect Symbiosis]: By achieving perfect bonding, the host gains access to all of its abilities and senses, giving full control over every function of their body.
[Abyssal Power]: Due to the worm's origins, the unknown energy of the Abyss flows through the host, granting them additional skills.
+50 Strength
+50 Speed
+50 Endurance
+10 Intelligence]
'I... am no different from a demon right now... am I?' Subaru thought, clenching his fist, which was soon completely engulfed by the tendrils that hardened and took the shape of a gauntlet.
But he didn't rush in. Instead, he watched the fight unfolding between the two down below.
At the base, Daniel and Rudger continued to fight. Rudger, with his obsidian nagamaki, danced across the battlefield, spinning and curving to land precise and heavy strikes while Daniel dodged and countered with the eleven weapons floating around him, forged from his Divine power.
The weapons consisted of a large battle axe, a bow, a greatsword, two curved daggers, a tower shield, a war hammer, two bladed chakrams, a three-section staff, and a spear.
He maneuvered through Rudger's deadly dance, switching from weapon to weapon for the right counters.
If Rudger left an opening, Daniel would use the heavy axe or hammer; if Rudger created distance, Daniel would switch to the spear or the staff; and if Rudger rushed in, Daniel would switch to using the sword to parry or the shield to block—all while using the chakrams near his feet for enhanced mobility.
It was a perfect offensive and defensive technique that Daniel had developed himself through countless hours of training, and it was paying off. Rudger was beginning to accumulate wounds: small cuts, deep lacerations, and even broken bones.
"HAHAHA! YOU TRULY ARE SOMEONE WORTHY OF RESPECT, APOSTLE!!!!"
The Oni roared in glee before creating distance between them. Daniel didn't give chase, preferring to speak with words rather than weapons for a brief moment. "I must give praise. You are one of the most skilled warriors I've faced, to the point of making me use one of my most complex techniques."
"But it seems we'll end this now." Daniel concluded, gripping the daggers as the chakrams at his feet began to spin even faster. In a fraction of a second, he crossed the gap between them and tore through Rudger's skin, flesh, and bone, leaving behind a fountain of blood.
It looked as though Subaru wouldn't need to intervene, but suddenly, something changed. The horns on Rudger's head began to hum with energy, and his wounds mended almost instantly.
"Shit, so that's why he wasn't using his horns! He was accumulating his energy for a single burst! SUBARU! IF YOU'RE DONE SIGHTSEEING, GET DOWN HERE AND HELP ME OUT!!!"
Daniel yelled before gritting his teeth and leaping back. He summoned his bow and conjured a barrage of arrows, firing at the Oni, who was now shrouded in a brilliant silver aura.
But what truly concerned Daniel was the nagamaki, which was now enveloped in dense black flames that seemed to warp the surrounding space.
Subaru didn't make Daniel wait any longer. He leaped from the shattered peak, landing right beside him as the tendrils took the form of an odachi.
"Seems like we weren't the only ones hiding a trump card. What do you say, Daniel? Is it time to stop holding back?" He paused for a moment, glancing at the menacing aura surrounding Rudger, and nodded.
At that exact moment, the shrouds on their bodies began to liquefy, shifting shape to resemble obsidian armor plates instead of fabric.
[Combat Mode On. Synchronization in process... Synchronization complete.]
[All stats increased by 10]
[Skill proficiency increased by 100%]
The onyx armor gleamed with golden light emitting from the trims and glowing runes engraved upon it. But that wasn't the end of it.
The armor began to compress; the heavy plates melted and merged into one another. By the end, the bulky onyx armor transformed into a much sleeker, far deadlier battle suit with inverted colors—dominated by gold, while the trims turned black.
Their forearms and shins were now wrapped in spiked chains up to the elbows and knees. The heavy plating shifted into interconnected, small scales designed to absorb and disperse kinetic force.
Their fingertips sharpened into razor-sharp claws, and a pure white halo floated above their helmets.
[Angel's Descent triggered. War Mode activated.]
[All stats increased by 100]
[Skill proficiency increased by 500%]
[Heaven's Judgement activated! All attacks deal double damage to beings with demonic alignment!]
This was the second stage of the shroud—a power accessible only to those carrying Divine blood, reserved strictly for the direst circumstances.
'Well, fighting someone wielding a weapon forged from fragments of the Sins qualifies as a dire situation, right?'
Subaru thought, a smirk hidden beneath the visor of his helmet. This was the first time he had activated the shroud's War Mode, and the surge of raw power was exhilarating.
His blade lengthened and curved, transforming into a nagamaki with a design echoing the black-flamed blade held by the silver-haloed Oni across from them.
"On your command," Daniel said, all of his floating weapons locking onto their target while the chakrams at his feet spun faster and faster. The energy sustaining them grew purer and more divine, radiating a pale golden luminescence.
Subaru smiled involuntarily and dropped into a low stance, left leg forward, both gauntlets tightly gripping the hilt of his weapon. The muscles in his legs coiled tightly like compressed springs. He leaned his body forward and...
"Charge."