53. Self-doubt at the Death Door

"Should I go and save her?" Aphrodite asked.

"Don't do anything stupid. She's not worth your death," Blaze mouthed with unfocused eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of clattering metal and heavy footsteps made him gaze at the horizon. 'Back up!'

Blaze sharply turned to Zion, who just stood up. He launched himself at Zion, knowing that if Zion managed to pull some distance, his silent Tier-2 Weapon Spell would be a deadly assassinator.

Zion quickly moved to the side, making Blaze's fist slam into the ground, raising some tiny chunks of rock and causing spiderweb cracks to appear from Blaze's point of contact. Blaze sharply stood to his feet.

With nimble agility, the Baron harnessed the power of the wind, propelling himself effortlessly to the rooftop, poised to unleash his formidable Weapon Spell. While Blaze lacked the ability to execute a direct leap to such heights, his ascension up the wall was executed with remarkable swiftness, bringing him face-to-face with the astonished Baron. The Baron gawked at Blaze's speed of ascent, thinking Blaze had an extra pair of legs like a spider.

Unwavering in his focus, Blaze paid no heed to the astonishment etched upon Zion's face. Initiating yet another onslaught of punches, he skillfully interchanged the tempo between slow, fast, and feint movements. In a matter of moments, Zion found himself relentlessly battered and beaten. Blaze had identified a flaw in Zion's technique—once the Baron utilized his elemental abilities to accelerate his arm, changing direction instantaneously proved impossible. Exploiting this vulnerability, Blaze rained down blows upon Zion, surpassing any previous assault.

Zion, cognizant of the precariousness of the situation, endeavored to safeguard his head above all else, meticulously backstepping towards the edge of the roof. A punch that would grant him a glimpse of the heavenly gates at this tense juncture would prove fatal. His chest got the second priority when defending, as he valiantly attempted to evade or block the onslaught of strikes.

"You're crazy! The vibration will shatter your arms," Zion roared with strain, however his feminine voice made it comical. He finally knew what made Blaze's hands capable of competing with steel in terms of hardness.

Blaze said in a husky voice without disrupting the rhythm of his punches, "She-man, have your brain gotten muddled that you forgot your words? I'm a deadman. The last thing a deadman should be worried about is his hands." His husky voice, bloodied face, and menacing smirk made Blaze look like a real, hellish demon.

"You are fighting like a barbarian instead of a mage! You will need a Tier-3 healing spell to heal your arms if they shatter," Zion roared, trying to stop Blaze, but Blaze kept silent and focused on punching Zion.

Blaze could see that Zion was not a fighter, just more powerful than him. If Zion had stopped putting every effort into defending, and launched some attacks, then he wouldn't be a punching bag.

In a sudden display of cunning, Blaze launched a punch towards Zion's chest, prompting the Baron to lower his sword in an attempt to block the blow. However, Blaze swiftly followed up with another strike aimed at Zion's face. Yet, as if anticipating the attack, Zion raised his sword to parry the incoming blow, displaying his unwavering resolve while leaving his chest open.

Without warning, Blaze's fist, initially aimed at Zion's chest, changed into a claw shape, while his other hand continued its trajectory toward Zion's face.

With deftness and precision, Blaze seized Zion's sword with his clawed hand, diverting it aside, and swiftly landed a resounding punch upon Zion's face. Ignoring the laceration the sword inflicted upon his hand, Blaze steeled his resolve, conscious of his dwindling mana reserves. Should his mana be depleted, he would be left vulnerable: a sitting duck. Being ruthless to himself was the only way.

Zion nearly passed out, but another punch from Blaze woke him up. He tried to pull his sword from Blaze's grip, but Blaze's hand was like a clamp. Relinquishing his sword, Zion turned to jump off the roof and escape from Blaze, but his reaction was a tad slower than Blaze's lightning reflexes.

Blaze, leaving the sword that fell on the roof, swiftly extended his hand like a striking serpent, seizing hold of Zion's shirt just as the Baron was on the verge of making his escape.

Blaze unleashed a final, decisive punch towards Zion's face. Yet, to his dismay, his strike inexplicably came to an abrupt halt before reaching its intended target. A sudden paralysis gripped his body, rendering his muscles immobile and unresponsive at that very moment.

As the forbidden marks concealed beneath his attire flickered with an enigmatic radiance, Blaze found himself unable to visually perceive their ethereal glow. Yet, the unmistakable sensation of their presence coursed through his being, causing a maddening itch to irritate his skin. His muscles, once agile and responsive, suddenly ceased all movement, leaving him frozen in a suspended stance, his fist poised menacingly in front of the Baron's face.

Zion's eyes fluttered open, a sense of dread washing over him as he beheld the imminent punch poised perilously close to his face. The Baron's throat involuntarily constricted, his unease evident. However, to Zion's bewilderment, Blaze's countenance displayed an unyielding determination, his teeth gritted in defiance. Time seemed to stand still, suspended in an eerie stillness.

Blaze tried to release his other element – death energy – but it seemed that something locked it in place.

Abruptly, all the frost beneath Blaze's skin dissolved and vanished without a trace. His blood, previously held from flowing out of the multiple cuts received on his hands by the frost, surged forth uncontrollably, splattering upon the Baron. Slowly, Blaze relinquished his grip on Zion, succumbing to the inexorable pull of gravity. As Blaze's life force waned, his mind became a swirling vortex of introspection and self-doubts as he descended from the rooftop in a languid descent. His muscles, now rendered immobile, refused to heed his commands.

Aphrodite was about to appear as Blaze plummeted through the air, his descent unhindered. However, even in the midst of his paralysis, Blaze managed to shake his head ever so slightly, signaling to Aphrodite to halt her impending appearance.

Gazing upwards towards the vast expanse of the sky, Blaze's life and meticulously crafted plan flashed before his eyes, a rapid succession of memories appearing and disappearing in his mind's eye.

'What did I do wrong in the plan? Come to think of it, I haven't learned any spells. If I had one, maybe I would have survived.' As this realization dawned upon him, a searing pain coursed through his body, his back colliding with the unforgiving ground. The relentless flow of blood persisted, each cut serving as a testament to the strain endured by his bones as if his very marrow were mingling with the crimson tide.

'Maybe I kept fighting like I was on Earth and never adapted to this world. Or did my successful escape from various encirclements on Earth make me complacent? This will be the second time I failed to keep a promise. I wasn't powerful enough to roam freely in this world. I don't even know all the ranks. Maybe spending time to understand the planet would have been better.' As Blaze's life force waned, his mind became a swirling vortex of introspection and self-doubt.

Meanwhile, the Baron, undeterred by Blaze's internal musings, swung his sword with deadly precision, invoking the lethal might of his Tier-2 Weapon Spell. The alluring blue markings upon the Baron's skin crept from his neck towards his face, while the enigmatic red markings remained ominously silent, devoid of any discernible reaction. Blaze found himself contemplating which of these formidable forces would ultimately seal his fate: the relentless grip of the Ancient Curse or the imminent threat of the Tier-2 Weapon Spell, a wind-blade poised to strike.

As his eyes slowly closed, the culmination of his struggles and uncertainties converged, leaving Blaze to embrace the impending darkness.