Michael's lungs burned, his pulse hammering in his ears, yet clarity coursed through him like wildfire. Umbral Frost hummed in his veins, the four vertical pillars and the diagonal lattice thrumming with life, radiating cold darkness into the air.
Even at C-rank, his first evolution was formidable; he could feel the shadows bending to his will, the ice searing the ground as he moved, forming spikes, walls, and blades that danced and twisted around him.
For the first time, the demon didn't evade. For the first time, it didn't mock. Its crimson eyes narrowed, measuring, calculating, and Michael could swear, just for a heartbeat, he saw something like caution flicker across its monstrous visage.
"This... this is it," Michael whispered to himself, voice ragged. "I can do this. I can end it. I can-"
The air around him thickened. Frost twisted and shadows coiled more tightly around the pillars, the lattice pulsing with raw force.
