Journey to Become the Zenith

Beneath the Veil of Death

’Fangs of the Wolf. Has master learned Azriel’s favorite technique?’

The thought echoed through Diana’s mind the moment Victor lowered both blades and began walking toward her with that terrifyingly relaxed posture.

Every instinct in her body screamed danger.

She did not plan on waiting to receive that technique head-on.

The ground beneath her feet exploded.

Diana vanished like a black phantom.

A shockwave blasted outward from where she stood moments ago as her scythe carved through the air with murderous precision. Her long black hair fluttered wildly behind her while crimson eyes locked onto Victor’s throat.

Lane and Clara almost lost sight of her movement entirely.

So fast.

Far too fast.

Yet what happened next completely shattered their understanding of battle.

Lane saw Diana pass directly by Victor—

—and at that exact instant, Victor’s hands suddenly became blurry.

No.

Not blurry.

Too fast to properly follow.

The next second—

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

An explosion of metallic collisions erupted through the forest.

Sparks exploded everywhere.

The sound of clashing blades rang continuously like a violent storm of steel. Trees around them trembled from the pressure while the surrounding ground split apart under the force generated by their exchange.

All of it happened within a single second.

Then silence returned.

Both figures had already passed each other.

Wind swept through the battlefield.

Lane’s eyes widened.

Diana’s black veil slowly split apart before drifting downward in pieces.

And for the first time—

Her face was revealed.

A breathtakingly beautiful woman appeared beneath the moonlit shadows of black hair.

Pale white skin.

Soft crimson pupils.

Elegant features so unreal they almost felt divine.

It was the kind of beauty that made breathing difficult.

Even Clara unconsciously forgot the pain in her exhausted body as she stared blankly at Diana.

Lane’s lips parted slightly.

”So beautiful...”

The words escaped unconsciously.

Diana looked like a goddess born from death itself.

Cold.

Elegant.

Untouchable.

Yet strangely lonely.

For several moments, both women simply stared in stunned silence.

Then Clara suddenly noticed something else.

Victor’s left arm hung unnaturally.

The joints around his shoulder and elbow had completely dislocated.

The muscles beneath his black sleeves trembled violently from the backlash.

In their minds, Diana had clearly won that exchange.

But the reality was different.

Azriel smiled.

A vicious smile.

’Tsk... this body is far too weak.’

He rolled his shoulder slightly while feeling the torn muscle fibers scream in pain.

’It couldn’t even handle the basic attack form of Fangs of the Wolf.’

His irritation lasted only a moment before excitement replaced it again.

Honestly...

This thrilled him even more.

’Well, this kind of handicap is alright.’

His golden eyes gleamed dangerously.

’I just need to learn the limitations of this body a bit more.’

Meanwhile, Diana was silently assessing herself as well.

Her fingers tightened around the shaft of her scythe.

There were several shallow cuts across her sleeves and side.

Not deep.

But enough.

Enough to prove something terrifying.

’I wasn’t able to block everything...’

Diana’s heartbeat accelerated slightly.

That exchange had lasted less than a second, yet Victor had nearly executed a perfect incomplete version of Fangs of the Wolf.

Even with a weaker body.

Even with inferior weapons.

Even without proper mastery.

A faint warmth spread through her chest.

’Still... that was amazing.’

Her crimson eyes remained fixed on Victor.

’Victor was almost able to do a perfect Fangs of the Wolf.’

That realization alone was absurd.

Most people would spend decades failing to even imitate the foundations of that technique.

Yet Victor had nearly reproduced it instinctively.

As expected...

’The talent of these incarnations of Azriel are beyond understanding.’

A soft smile appeared on Diana’s lips.

Meanwhile, Azriel casually grabbed his dislocated arm.

CRACK!

The sound of bones shifting echoed loudly.

Lane flinched instinctively.

Victor forcefully shoved the joints back into place without even changing expression.

His arm twitched violently for a moment before stabilizing.

Clara stared at him like he was insane.

”That should hurt like hell...”

But Victor simply rotated his shoulder calmly.

The body truly was pathetic.

Weak muscles.

Poor durability.

Limited mana circulation.

Every movement risked damaging himself.

Yet Azriel did not hate it.

In fact—

He enjoyed it.

A low laugh escaped him.

”Heh...”

Diana narrowed her eyes slightly.

Victor’s expression looked dangerous now.

Like a beast adapting to its chains.

Azriel slowly loosened his grip on the swords.

’If I continue forcing this body beyond its limits...’

He flexed his fingers once.

Tiny muscle tears spread again instantly.

’...then eventually it will adapt.’

That was the principle behind growth.

Stretch the rubber—

—and its limits expand.

Destroy the muscle—

—and it rebuilds stronger.

Pain was not weakness.

Pain was proof of evolution.

This junior incarnation of his truly possessed monstrous potential.

Even the body’s natural instinctive reactions during battle were improving rapidly.

Azriel could already feel Victor’s muscles memorizing the movements.

The body was learning.

Adapting.

Evolving.

His smile widened.

”Interesting...”

Diana suddenly moved again.

This time the ground beneath her froze instantly as cold mana erupted outward.

Her scythe spun beautifully through the air before slashing downward diagonally.

”Death Crescent.”

A massive black arc exploded toward Victor.

The attack sliced through trees effortlessly.

Azriel stepped sideways casually.

BOOOOM!

The attack annihilated everything behind him.

Before the debris could even settle—

Diana appeared directly above him.

Her leg whipped downward with terrifying force.

Victor raised one sword.

BANG!

The impact shattered the ground beneath him.

Cracks spread outward in every direction while a violent shockwave blasted nearby trees apart.

Lane covered her face from the wind pressure.

Clara’s eyes widened.

”That kick...”

Victor’s knees bent slightly under the force.

His current body truly lacked physical strength.

Still—

Azriel laughed.

”Good!”

He suddenly twisted his body unnaturally.

One blade trapped Diana’s scythe while the second sword slashed toward her ribs.

Diana released her weapon instantly.

The blade missed by inches.

Then—

Her palm struck Victor directly in the chest.

BOOM!

Victor flew backward across the battlefield.

Several trees shattered behind him before he finally stopped himself by digging both swords into the ground.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

His ribs cracked.

And yet—

He was grinning.

A genuine grin.

”Now this is fun.”

Lane and Clara stared speechlessly.

Neither of them could understand how Victor looked happier the more injured he became.

Meanwhile Diana retrieved her scythe with a graceful spin.

Her chest rose slightly faster now.

Not from exhaustion.

From excitement.

Every movement Victor made reminded her more and more of Azriel.

Not just techniques.

Not just instincts.

Even that madness during battle felt identical.

The way he laughed while injured.

The way his eyes brightened mid-combat.

The way he adapted continuously.

It was all the same.

Her heart trembled slightly.

Victor suddenly vanished.

Diana’s eyes sharpened instantly.

Behind.

She spun her scythe backward immediately.

CLANG!

Steel collided violently again.

Victor appeared behind her mid-strike.

Too fast.

Far faster than before.

Azriel’s eyes gleamed.

He was adapting already.

Every exchange allowed Victor’s body to understand combat better.

To synchronize further.

To evolve.

Diana pushed Victor backward with raw force before instantly casting several magic circles around him.

”Frozen Burial.”

Dozens of ice spears materialized instantly.

They shot toward Victor from every direction.

Azriel clicked his tongue.

Weak body.

Terrible mana capacity.

But enough.

More than enough.

His Zenith Aura exploded outward suddenly.

The pressure disrupted several ice spears midair while Victor spun through the remaining attacks with terrifying precision.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

Ice shattered everywhere.

Diana appeared through the storm immediately afterward.

Her scythe descended toward Victor’s neck.

Victor leaned backward barely enough to avoid decapitation before kicking upward violently.

BANG!

The kick struck Diana directly in the stomach.

For the first time—

Her feet left the ground.

Azriel instantly moved.

No hesitation.

No mercy.

His swords blurred again as he closed distance for the finishing strike.

But right before he could land the decisive blow—

Diana’s crimson eyes flashed coldly.

Mana exploded violently around her body.

While in mid-air Diana saw that Victor was about to give her the finishing blow, but before he could do so Diana used magic.

”Ice Coffin”