Awakening

"What should we do now, brother?" Satella inquired in a hushed tone, her demeanor surprisingly composed.

Noticing her calmness, Austin too eased up and replied, "I doubt our bodies could handle a fall from this height. Plus, who knows what's waiting for us below? What if they've got another partner lying in wait, expecting us to take a leap? We'd be utterly exposed and defenseless in mid-air. Our safest play is to break through these guys."

Satella nodded in understanding.

"Can you handle one of them in your current state?" Austin inquired.

After resting for a few hours and absorbing the residual energy from the Asmodeus's Horn, Satella admitted to him that she would be in a weakened state for about a week. The reason being, that she had pushed her body to the limit in attempting to absorb all those energies in the first place. 

"I can give it a try," Satella replied confidently.

"Alright then, you take care of the one with the bandaged arm. I'll handle the blademaster," Austin made an arrangement.

"No, I'll deal the blademaster," Satella asserted.

"Satella!" Austin frowned.

"Brother, I'm not saying you're weak, but you should know I do stand a better chance against him, right?"

Austin furrowed his eyebrows but remained silent. Despite the urge to argue, he couldn't deny the truth of her words.

How would he confront the blademaster? With his fists? They'd be chopped off in no time.

Satella, on the other hand, had already awakened her bloodline ability and possessed numerous abilities she hadn't revealed. In essence, she was right about having a better chance despite her weakened state. 

"Fine," Austin reluctantly agreed. This was not the time they should be arguing, so, he made the decision quickly.

"Have you finished your little discussion?" Hagrid commented with a sneer when he saw the couple had fixed their gaze on them. 

"So, who wants to die first?" Brad taunted with a smirk.

Austin kept his poker face and abruptly made his move. He swiftly grabbed the nearby metal pipes and gripped them with both hands. 

He closed in and, upon reaching several meters away, exerted his strength on his right arm, hurling one of the pipes like a javelin in Brad's direction.

Whizz!

Surprisingly, Brad, despite looking old, managed to dodge it by lowering his body and adopting a bow-like posture.

The metal pipes flew past his body before going deep into one of the concrete walls.

"Phew, that was close." Just as Brad heaved a sigh of relief, he saw Austin had jerked his left arm and was ready to throw another metal pipe.

"Again?" Brad looked stunned. 

Whizz!

Austin launched another metal pipe, but this time, it was intercepted by a flying barrel.

Clank!

Another one?... Austin's gaze froze as his eyes met the unexpected arrival of another person. He swiftly pulled back, taking a moment to catch his breath while assessing the situation.

"Senior!" A young man, dressed similarly to Brad, emerged. His youthful face carried a hint of naivety.

"Daniel, you foolish brat! Where did you run off to arrive this late?" Brad scolded.

"I was setting up some devices to block signals, making sure the demons can't call for backup," Daniel explained.

Brad's expression softened, and he promptly praised, "Well done!"

Austin immediately narrowed his eyes at Daniel.

So, this guy's the reason my phone's been out of service... While contemplating, he also swiftly evaluated Daniel.

This guy addresses the bandaged man as his senior, which means he's the junior, and likely a lot weaker. If I had to pick, this guy seems more suitable to be my target.

He shifted his gaze to the other side, where Satella fought with the blademaster. It appeared they were locked in a stalemate, with Satella firing energy blasts like bullets while maintaining a safe distance. 

This implies that the solution to breaking this deadlock rests with him. If he could manage to capture Daniel, he could use him as leverage, threatening the others to back off in exchange for his and Satella's release.

"So, these are the demons? They don't look any different from us! That girl is so gorgeous!" Daniel exclaimed in surprise.

"You won't say she's beautiful once you see her true form," Brad chided.

Daniel didn't respond to Brad and continued to fix his gaze on Satella's curves.

"Hey, watch your eyes, brat! Don't let the demon tempt you!" Brad warned with a yell.

Daniel quickly snapped back to reality and finally tore his gaze away from Satella.

At that moment, Brad suddenly shouted, "Watch out!" He pushed Daniel's body to bend below as another metal pipe sailed past.

Damn! That was dangerous... The close call sent shivers down Daniel's spine. He couldn't imagine what would happen if Senior Brad wasn't there to help him. 

Brad looked sternly at Daniel, "You move further away!"

Daniel acknowledged Brad's order and hastily tried to retreat. He knew in a battle like this, his presence would just hinder his seniors. 

However, Austin was determined not to let the man escape. 

Gripping pipes with both hands, he launched each one at Brad while maneuvering in a circle, aiming to reach Daniel.

"You damned demon! Do you think only you can throw things?" Brad cursed angrily and began tossing things at Austin. Metal barrels, pipes, poles, bags of cement, he threw all of them at him. 

Clang! Whizz! Thud! Thump! 

Austin quickly moved forward, sometimes to the side, and sometimes diagonally to evade Brad's barrage, all while continuing his advance. 

This demon is so slippery! Is this his bloodline ability?!... Brad was getting frustrated when he saw Austin kept successfully dodging his attack. 

However, he soon found himself in puzzlement.

Why does he keep moving away from me? What's his goal? Is he luring me?... Just then, his eyes fell upon Daniel, who was on his way to the stairway with his back turned to them.

As the realization set in, he grew furious.

So that's what you aimed for! You demon has always been cunning!

Without hesitation, he began ripping the bandages on his right arm.

Austin didn't throw any more things because it would just slow him down. Instead, he focused on reaching Daniel as quickly as possible. The moment he got hold of the man, the battle will be over!

"Brother, look out!" Satella's urgent cry pierced the air. Turning towards her, Austin's eyes widened as his vision was suddenly shrouded in searing flames.

"Incinerate!" Brad's thunderous voice resonated, and a wave of intense heat emanated from his charred right arm. 

His right arm began to radiate, and within seconds, a towering pillar of flames materialized, extending dozens of meters away and reaching ominously toward Austin.

With no other option, Austin instinctively crossed his arms over his chest, using his body as a makeshift shield against the oncoming pillar of flames.

Sizzle!

Pain! Pain! Ugh, is this what chickens feel when they're being roasted?... The absurd thought flashed through Austin's mind as he desperately tried to distract himself from the searing agony. Yet, the intensity of the burn quickly overwhelmed both his body and mind.

The flames raged around him, enveloping him in a blistering embrace. Austin could feel his skin burning, every inch of it tingling with the scorching touch of the inferno. 

The acrid smell of singed flesh wafted into his nose, assaulting his senses with a nauseating reminder of the ordeal.

His muscles screamed in protest, and every nerve ending pulsed with an excruciating awareness of the heat. Austin's vision blurred as waves of torment surged through him, threatening to drown his resolve

Yet, in the midst of this fiery torment, Austin clenched his teeth and tightened his resolve to hold on. 

He doubted the man could sustain the pillar of flames for much longer!

And his hunch proved valid. After a few more seconds, the might of the flame pillar gradually diminished before finally extinguishing.

However, not a hint of joy reflected on Austin's face, despite successfully resisting the flame pillar until its end. That was because he now had lost both of his arms. 

"Hah...hah..." Austin breathed heavily and looked at his arms which had grotesquely altered. Their skins had peeled away, replaced by a charred, raw surface.

The pain no longer registered in his brain; it seemed all nerves in his arms had been mercilessly destroyed in the fiery onslaught.

This is bad....really bad... Austin wore a grim expression. His charred arms hung low, looking frail and weak.

"Oh? You actually resisted my blessing's power. That's unexpected." Brad raised his eyebrows in interest. 

"That was...nothing," Austin smirked, his eyes holding a glint of defiance.

"Nothing, eh? Then, what are you going to do about the second one?" Brad's right arm started glowing again, and another flame pillar erupted with a menacing roar. 

"Incinerate!" 

Whoosh!

Sizzle!

This time, Austin was forced to take the flame pillar head-on with his body. 

"Argh!!" A long, painful roar escaped Austin as his chest, face, and waist were engulfed in searing agony.

"S-satella, run!" he shouted, his voice trembling with urgency. He had assumed the flame pillar to be a special skill with a considerable cooldown, but it turned out the man could spam it at will! This mean, both he and Satella were in a great danger! 

"Oh, so her name is Satella, huh? Too bad, neither of you is getting out of this construction site alive! Let this place be your burial spot!" Brad's tone dripped with sinister determination as he intensified the flame pillar, its brilliance and size growing.

"Ahhh!" 

"Brother!" Satella's cry echoed through the chaos. Desperate, she attempted to reach Austin, but her path was abruptly intercepted by Hagrid. "Where are you going?"

"Get lost!" Satella's aura turned violent, and Hagrid immediately fell into a trance as if just suffering a mental attack. However, mere moments later, Satella experienced an excruciating headache, forcing her to halt in her tracks, clenching her head to resist the pain.

Meanwhile, Austin's body continued to endure the relentless roasting. As the flame pillar subsided for the second time, every inch of his body had turned black, rendering his appearance unrecognizable.

He crumpled to his knees, a wave of exhaustion washing over him.

"Vampires, werewolves, demons, witches, evil spirits – compared to those I fought in my prime, you're not bad," Brad remarked.

"Stand proud."

"You're strong."

Brad's right arm began to glow once more. However, this time, only a fireball shot forth from it.

However, tiny as it was, when the fireball crashed upon Austin's body, it sent him flying over the edge of the building. His weak body tumbled through the air, freefalling from the dozens of floors above.

Ah...I want to sleep... The fatigue weighed heavily on him, urging him to close his eyes immediately. However, as his vision neared blackness, he noticed Satella approaching the building's edge, poised to jump to his rescue. Yet, behind her, Brad loomed with his right arm aglow, ready to strike.

His mind screamed with anxiety.

Damn it! I mustn't fall unconscious! I must wake up to warn her!.. But no matter how hard he struggled, his body refused to cooperate; it was simply too exhausted.

His mind was functioning perfectly, but his body had reached its limits.

As the realization dawned on him, a surge of fury coursed through him. He was angry with Brad, who was disrupting his date. He was angry with Satella, who ignored his order to run and instead went over with the intention to rescue him. Above all, he was angry at himself for being such a useless prick. 

If only I had gained the Wrath Rune a day faster! This kind of scenario wouldn't be happening... With resentment, he looked over the sky. He cursed his luck, he cursed the gods, he cursed the heaven, he cursed the Church—he cursed them all.

Screw you all!

Fuck you!

As Austin released the flood of pent-up resentment, an unusual sensation suddenly enveloped him – time appeared to slow down, each moment elongated and pregnant with significance.

He became acutely aware of the delicate dance of falling snowflakes, each one a fleeting masterpiece in the quiet night air.

The cityscape, veiled in a snowy embrace, unfolded beneath him like a mesmerizing tapestry of twinkling lights and shadowy alleys.

Satella's tear-streaked face caught his attention. In this weird slow-motion, her pain became more evident, frozen in the air as a poignant snapshot.

On the other side stood Brad, his face twisted in a malicious grin that seemed to hang in the air like a malevolent specter. It was a stark contrast to the peaceful snowfall.

Above them all, seven colorful lights dotted the night sky, their luminescence cutting through the darkness. Each one held a mysterious allure, a celestial puzzle that begged to be unraveled.

In this slowed motion, the world revealed itself in intricate detail, as if Austin had been granted a momentary reprieve to perceive the nuances and emotions that remained hidden in the hurried pace of everyday life.

After a moment, he unexpectedly got transported into the familiar Rune Space.

Currently, six runes adorned the space, but out of nowhere, a ripple disrupted the air, signaling the materialization of something new.

And there it was – the missing piece of the puzzle, the Wrath Rune.

The final rune he had been searching for.

As the seven runes converged, a mechanism activated in response to their collective presence. The runes illuminated with a vibrant glow and emitted a resonant hum, speaking a language that Austin couldn't quite recognize yet somehow understood.

The hum resonated with a voice, each word echoing with significance:

"Pride! Sloth! Envy! Lust! Gluttony! Greed! Wrath!"

Instantly, Austin was engulfed in a powerful rush of mysterious energy. His blood began to heat up. Simultaneously, a cascade of information unfolded in his mind.

...

Upon leaving the Rune Space, Austin found the outside scene unchanged. It seemed as though time within the Rune Space had stood still. 

Time resumed its regular pace, but this time, Austin felt a notable shift. No longer did he feel the helplessness and desperation that had plagued him before.

Instead, he was overcome with a sense of joy, an intense happiness that burst out of him in uncontrollable laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

Upon hearing Austin's laughter, Brad, Satella, Hagrid, and Daniel involuntarily froze. They couldn't pinpoint the reason, but an inexplicable force compelled them to halt in their tracks.

"Throughout the Hell and Earth."

"I alone am..."

"The honored one."

Following his declaration, Austin's dropping body mysteriously dissolved into the shadows of the night.

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Errr... Hey everyone, I've got an announcement. This chapter marks the end of the free chapters. Starting from the next chapter, it'll be premium chapters, and you'll need to pay to access it.

I understand this might come as a sudden change, and I know it might lead to some readers dropping this story. But, I had to do it. Many sorry, and thank you for your understanding ^^