Chapter-20 Death Battle

As Daemon and Emanuel walked into the dense forest, the towering trees loomed like silent sentinels. The air was thick with anticipation and the faint scent of pine and decay, mingling with the sickly sweet odor of something rotting as the other cartel members backed away forming a wide circle this clearing, known as the Whispering Grove, was where disputes were settled often fatally.

The Iron Cartel had ruled these woods for decades, their operations shrouded in secrecy and fear.

The anticipation hung heavy in the air as everyone aware that only one of these men would leave the clearing alive. Jason stood on the sidelines observing with an unreadable expression, knowing this fight would determine the true leader of the cartel hideout.

'His arrogance is his blind spot,' Daemon mused.

Emanuel drew a short, silver sword with a hint of black from his fur coat. The blade glinted menacingly in the dim light. "You think you can take me on? You're just another fool."

Daemon met his gaze his eyes was unblinking and cold. "Let's find out," he replied calmly.

Without warning, Emanuel lunged at Daemon, his sword slicing through the air with controlled yet wild swings. Daemon evaded with a graceful hop he narrowly avoiding the lethal blade. With a swift and powerful move, he countered, driving his knee into Emanuel's ribs.

The impact echoed through the clearing, eliciting a grunt of pain from Emanuel, though he stood his ground. While reward by Master Jackson before found it was said to be forged by some ancient warlocks of the Blackthorn Order centuries ago.

Emanuel swiftly retaliated, his sword curving towards Daemon's ribs. The sword's tip met Daemon's body, but the Tenebris Lacerna, the dark cloak Daemon wore, reacted instantly, summoning a barrier of shadow to absorb the blow.

The cloak crafted from the essence of pure darkness during the Shadow Wars, was said to be haunted by the souls of its previous wielders, each one consumed by its insidious power.

Emanuel's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered, following up with an uppercut that Daemon barely dodged, feeling the wind rush past his face.

In the same moment, Daemon's Tenebris Lacerna responded. A tendril of darkness shot out, striking Emanuel's side and drawing blood. Emanuel looked down in shock at the dark tendril embedded in his flesh. It began to pull him towards Daemon.

Emanuel with his sheer bulk, resisted. With a swift slash, he severed the tendril, his sword slicing through the dark Nyx energy with ease.

The short sword had been a gift from Master Jackson, imbued with the power to cut through most Nyx energy like darkness as that mostly used in the world. Emanuel touched his bleeding side now his eyes burning with fury as he faced Daemon again. "You're faster than I thought. But not fast enough," he snarled.

Meanwhile, one of the cartel members a lanky man with a scar running down his cheek, turned to Jason. "Manager, who do you think will win?"

Jason's eyes remained fixed on the Mortis and Emanuel. "I'm afraid I don't know. Emanuel's presence is terrifying, but Mortis... Mortis is something else entirely."

The cartel members around him, a mix of hardened criminals and desperate recruits, looked to him for guidance. The hierarchy within the cartel was clear: strength and loyalty were rewarded, while betrayal was met with swift, brutal retribution.

Emanuel, in a cunning move, shrugged off his fur coat halfway and flung it towards Daemon. The coat obstructed Daemon's vision, giving Emanuel a chance to attack underhandedly. However, Daemon's Tenebris Lacerna acted swiftly tendrils of darkness grabbing the coat and pulling it aside.

Emanuel seized the opportunity to attack from behind, aiming his sword at Daemon's head. But just as he closed in, Daemon's Tenebris Lacerna yanked him backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. Emanuel's sword embedded itself into the forest floor, leaving him momentarily vulnerable. Daemon, with a burst of speed, launched himself forward, delivering a powerful kick to Emanuel's head. Emanuel flew sideways crashing into a tree.

Daemon was on him instantly, grabbing Emanuel by the head and slamming it repeatedly into the tree, splintering the wood and creating a hole. Despite blood streaming down his face, Emanuel remained conscious. He roared in fury and used his hands to push back, freeing himself from Daemon's grip.

With a primal scream, Emanuel swung his arm, landing a solid punch to Daemon's midsection. The force of the blow, though partially absorbed by Daemon's defenses, sent him skidding back. Emanuel's strength had clearly increased, and Daemon quickly regained his balance, bracing himself.

Emanuel dashed towards Daemon, but Daemon was ready. He countered with a low kick to Emanuel's thigh, causing him to stagger. Following up with a sharp elbow to the jaw, Daemon sent Emanuel reeling back. 'He's tough, but reckless,' Daemon thought.

"I have had enough of you! I thought of going easy on you, but you're stronger than imagined!" Emanuel bellowed. During the fight he remember that training with Master Jackson warnings about his arrogance and his tendency to lead to recklessness during a fight.

Suddenly, he took a few steps back, his body convulsing. Daemon watched warily as Emanuel's clothes began to stretch and tear. His muscles bulged, bones cracked and realigned, fur sprouted, and his face elongated into a snarling snout. In moments, Emanuel transformed into a towering, seven-foot-tall silver and black werewolf. 

"A werewolf. How quaint," Daemon mused dryly, watching Emanuel's transformation unfold with detached interest. "Will this primal display grant you victory, or merely prolong the inevitable?"

This transformation, a result of a dark ritual performed by Emanuel father before he was even born, granted him immense strength but came at the cost of his curse of his bloodline so his descendants gain the curse weak or powerful but Emanuel was seen as weak by his father but he really wasn't.

"What do you think about this form?" Emanuel growled, his voice a guttural snarl.

Daemon looked unimpressed. "Is that it? You think that'll help you?" he said, his own powers manifesting as dark, leech-like claws emerged from his hands.

A werewolf, Is this transformation a blessing or a curse?, An intriguing manifestation of primal power...yet power without control is merely chaos harnessed.

On the sidelines, Jason's eyes widened in surprise. "They both have powers... Emanuel is a werewolf, but what is Daemon's power?"

The cartel members were equally astonished, their shock mirrored by Emanuel, who had not fully anticipated the true capabilities of the Tenebris Lacerna. However, he was not yet defeated.

"Precision, finesse... bah! Such words are for weaklings who hide behind their shadows," Emanuel scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "Now, let's see how you handle this!" he snarled, his werewolf form radiating a terrifying presence.

With frightening speed, Emanuel charged at Daemon, his sharp claws slicing through the air. Daemon ducked and rolled, narrowly avoiding being disemboweled. He sprang to his feet and delivered a swift kick to Emanuel's knee.

Despite the impact, Emanuel's regenerative abilities quickly healed the damage, allowing him to continue his attack. His claws swung wildly, destroying half a tree in their path.

'His speed and strength are incredible he first started of as D level threat but now he a C. I need to use the environment to my advantage,' Daemon thought.

However, Daemon stood his ground, unflinching, Emanuel lunged, his claws slashing through the air, but Daemon's Tenebris Lacerna reacted, tendrils of darkness intertwining with Emanuel's movements slowing his attacks.

"Precision, Emanuel. It's a virtue you've yet to master," Daemon observed with clinical detachment, sidestepping a vicious swipe. "Like a brushstroke gone awry."

Daemon moved with calculated precision, striking at opportune moments. He dodged a powerful swipe from Emanuel and retaliated with a vicious slash from his dark claws, leaving deep gashes at the side of Emanuel he instantly howled in pain and fury his eyes burning with a primal rage.

As Emanuel turned towards him, Daemon leaped onto a low branch, using it to gain height. He launched himself at Emanuel, delivering a powerful flying knee to his head. Emanuel howled in pain but managed to swipe at Daemon, catching him mid-air and sending him crashing into a tree. The tree splintered on impact, leaves and branches scattering.

Daemon quickly stood up, unfazed, he noticed something disturbing. The shadows around the clearing had deepened, swirling with a evil energy. For a moment, Daemon's vision blurred, and the whispers from the Tenebris Lacerna grew louder, almost deafening. When his vision cleared, he saw something horrifying.

The shadows had taken shape, forming twisted, grotesque figures at the edge of the clearing. Their bodies were misshapen, with elongated limbs and faces frozen in eternal screams of agony. Their eyes glowed with an eerie, spectral light, and they seemed to be watching the fight with a sinister interest.

Daemon's breath hitched as he realized these were not mere shadows, but the tormented souls bound to the Tenebris Lacerna. The cloak's previous wielders, now twisted into monstrous forms, were here to witness his battle, their presence a reminder of the cloak's dark history and its insidious power. Their whispers grew louder, blending into a cacophony of anguish and despair, threatening to overwhelm his senses.

'Focus, Daemon. Don't let them distract you,' he thought, shaking off the chilling sensation. He could feel the cloak's hunger, its desire to feed on more souls, growing stronger. The Tenebris Lacerna thrived on darkness and fear, and Daemon knew he had to control it, not let it control him.

Emanuel, sensing an opportunity, attacked with renewed ferocity. He swung his claws in rapid succession, each strike powerful enough to cleave through flesh and bone. Daemon parried and dodged, his movements precise yet desperate.

Daemon with his mind now cleared he took a couple steps away. "You're strong, but not invincible in that form." he said.

Emanuel roared and lunged again at Daemon, who sidestepped and activated his Death Steps. The ground behind his feet began to decay, withering and blackening. His body was enveloped in a shroud of dark, swirling mist that absorbed the light around him. His eyes glowed with an eerie, pale light, and ghostly, skeletal images flickered around him, giving the impression that he was accompanied by the souls of the dead.

As Emanuel charged, Daemon moved up a nearby tree. Emanuel's claws swiped through Daemon's body, but they passed through harmlessly as if he were a specter. Daemon dived off the tree, reappearing behind Emanuel with his leech claws extended. The Death Steps had a soul-binding effect, making Emanuel momentarily immobile.

"Wait... How about we share?" Emanuel shouted quickly, desperation in his voice.

"Too bad I don't allow others in my circle," Daemon replied coldly.

As Daemon moved, his steps left behind ghostly, skeletal hands that grasped at Emanuel's feet, holding him back. Daemon dropped down onto Emanuel's body, his leech claws slamming into Emanuel's chest. The ground shook and cracked from the force of the blow, the shockwave echoing through the forest. Emanuel's body convulsed as he struggled to rise, Daemon standing over him, his breathing heavy but controlled, his eyes cold as Emanuel's life force was quickly drained.

"How...?" Emanuel choked out, his strength weakening.

"Skill over strength however Leadership is an art, Jason," Daemon asserted calmly, wiping blood from his knuckles. "It requires vision, calculation, and occasionally, a bold stroke."

After a few moments, Emanuel's werewolf form began to revert back to his human state. He lay defeated and broken on the forest floor. Daemon took a couple of steps back, his muscles tense, ready for any last-ditch effort from his opponent. But the fight was over. Emanuel lay still, his arrogance shattered along with his body.

Daemon turned and walked over to Jason, leaving Emanuel's lifeless body behind. The cartel members, witnessing the display of power and skill, knew they had a new leader.

Jason nodded slowly, acknowledging Mortis dominance. "We have our leader," he declared, and the cartel members bowed their heads in respect, recognizing Mortis as their leader.

The cartel members watched in awe and fear, aware that the balance of power had shifted dramatically, Jason nodded slowly, recognizing the beginning of a new chapter. He knew that with Mortis as their leader, the cartel would either rise to unprecedented heights or plunge into chaos.