A shockwave of raw force blasted forward, tearing through the entire altar and sending everyone flying backward like rag dolls. They crash onto the temple's walls, which fracture further.

Azrael reappeared midair, stabilizing himself with a burst of black lightning. "Pseudo demigod level…" he muttered grimly. "Great. I thought I was lucky earlier. Why would I be lucky at any moment, when my whole life is nothing but a mess?"

He clenched his fists. His lightning coiled tightly around his arms like serpents ready to strike. "Then I guess I have no choice but to depend on his power."

The Werewolf Lord tilted his head, amused. "Show me, human. Show me more despair. I would love to see despair from you more than ever, the one who forced me to such an extent…"

Azrael turned serious. "Despair? My whole life is filled with despair. Not even death can bring me despair. What can your stupid powers bring to me…"

The next second, they both vanished and clashed in blurring figures. However, when they clashed, everyone saw the Werewolf Lord's claws slam into Azrael's chest.

BOOOOM!

Azrael was hurled backward like a cannonball instead, crashing through a temple wall and carving a trench through the stone floor. The entire structure trembled. He groaned, sliding to a stop amid rubble.

Before he could even stand, the Werewolf Lord's massive shadow loomed over him.

"Too slow, boy."

A claw the size of a blade swung down — CRASH! — sending Azrael flying again. The ground exploded. Debris scattered like shrapnel.

The others were just watching helplessly as their supposed savior was beaten into the dirt.

"Azrael!" Iphi shouted, fists pressed against the invisible wall. "Get up, you idiot! Get up!"

Cyro clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "That thing's too strong… Even his lightning can't hurt it anymore…"

The Werewolf Lord landed before the crater and laughed in amusement. "The earlier dominance you all showed no longer had an effect on me. Your journey now ends here…"

Azrael coughed, blood trickling down his lip. He stood up slowly, lightning faintly flickering over his skin, but it looked quite weaker. His breathing was ragged.

The Werewolf Lord's lips twisted into a grin. "That's the difference between a transcendent being and a mortal human. Humans are the weakest creatures in the world, boy. A werewolf and a human have the same soul energy and intelligence; 10 out of 10 times, the Werewolf wins it."

He appeared before Azrael in a blur, the next instant.

BOOM!

A knee struck Azrael's gut, folding him. A follow-up clawed backhand sent him spinning midair before slamming into the floor again.

"Get up," the beast mocked. "Come on, show me that arrogance again!"

Azrael's body twitched. His fingers clenched into the dirt.

Every bone hurt. His lungs burned. His vision blurred. But…

He wasn't dying even if he wasn't afraid of death. He won't die until his goal of destroying the Death Clan is fulfilled.

As if the demonic bloodline in his body was responding to his will, the wounds that should've killed him began to close.

His breath came deeper now — rougher.

Cracks appeared on his skin — not wounds this time, but dark fissures glowing red underneath.

The Werewolf Lord's eyes narrowed. "What…?"

Behind him, Celia gasped. "His body— It's regenerating… just like… the Werewolf Lord… No, it's more… demonic…"

Iphi's voice quivered. "What's happening to him?"

A low growl rumbled from Azrael's throat as he pushed himself up. The air distorted around him, warping with raw power.

Then—

SHHHHK!

A pair of massive bat-like wings burst out from his back, sparks of dark lightning that hissed around those wings.

The Werewolf Lord instinctively stepped back. "Those… aren't human…"

Azrael raised his head. His face was still human, but his expression was gone.

And then, his horns tore out from his temples, curving back like a ram's, coated in a dark obsidian glow.

CRACK-CRACK!

His skin split. His flesh peeled away, replaced by crimson muscle and demonic hide beneath.

"Azrael…" Iphi whispered, trembling.

He turned slightly toward her, and for a moment, she saw it — the last fragment of his human face, still the boy who shared a room with her just a week ago. His lips curved faintly, as if to reassure her.

Then, the last light in his eyes flickered out — replaced by twin orbs of scarlet as his patch was burned away. The half mask that was covering his face was also gone, showing the scarred, burnt face.

The Werewolf Lord growled, his fur bristling as he instantly recognized. "You… You are not human!" he snarled, baring his fangs. "Why are you siding with them, demon?!"

Azrael didn't answer.

He simply lowered his head — and charged.

ZRRRRAAACK!

The sound of black lightning splitting the air drowned everything. Azrael's speed broke the sound barrier instantly, appearing right in front of the Werewolf Lord with a shockwave that shattered stone.

Their fists collided.

BOOOOOOOM!

The impact sent a pulse that leveled the remaining temple walls.

The Werewolf Lord roared, swinging his claw again, but Azrael parried with his bare hand. Sparks of black lightning crackled between them, and the ground beneath their feet melted into magma.

Then Azrael vanished.

The Werewolf Lord turned—

Too late.

THUD!

A lightning-coated fist smashed into his ribs, bending the beast's body sideways before launching him across the battlefield. He crashed through several walls before slamming into a statue, shattering it to dust.

Azrael appeared above him, descending like a thunderbolt, while his wings spread wide.

He slammed both hands forward. "Judgment Strike."

A pillar of black lightning exploded downward, engulfing the Werewolf Lord completely. The shockwave erupted outward, tearing through what remained of the temple's foundation.

The others shielded their eyes, barely breathing.

When the light faded, the Werewolf Lord staggered out, his body charred and regenerating. "You… think this will—"

He froze.

Azrael was right in front of him again.

Only this time… he was completely transformed.

No trace of the boy remained. His body was tall, demonic, wings stretched like blades of the abyss. His horns gleamed dark red, and his eyes — those glowing scarlet eyes — pierced through the divine aura around the Werewolf Lord like it was mist.

He wasn't just emitting black lightning anymore. The entire chamber was his lightning.

It coiled and twisted, forming shapes — claws, blades, serpents — writhing with his every breath.

The Werewolf Lord stepped back, for the first time uncertain. "What are you?"

Azrael raised his gaze, his voice echoing like a chorus of a hundred demons:

"I have many names, Samael… Satan… devil… Beelzebub, demon king… prince of darkness… the tempter… The Evil one… The Accuser… the light bearer… the fallen one… the lord of Elysia's hell… but of all those, the one I like the most is Lucifer Morningstar…"

Then he moved — faster than the eye could follow.

The Werewolf Lord tried to block, counter, roar — but the devil before him moved faster than he expected.

A claw swipe missed by an inch — Azrael appeared behind him, elbowing his spine with enough force to make the beast cough blood.

"Not fast enough," Azrael whispered in his ear.

Then he grabbed the Werewolf Lord's throat, lifted him — and slammed him into the ground so hard that the entire temple sank another meter into the seabed.

"Not strong enough."

Black Lightning surged again, consuming everything.

The Werewolf Lord screamed in defiance. "I AM THE LORD OF BEASTS!" His injuries and wounds healed instantly and his aura exploded further, shaking the walls of temples.

Cyro spoke aloud as he poured more soul energy into the barrier he conjured to protect the others. "Guys, I'm low on soul power. Someone had SP recovery cards."

"Here, Cap…" As someone hurriedly gave it to him, Cyro thanked them and continued to strengthen the barrier.

Celia then gritted her teeth. "We can't just sit here!" she shouted over the chaos. Her hair whipped wildly in the storm, eyes full of conflict. "Let's either help him or just leave. If we don't help him—"

Cyro snapped at her. "We'll die before we even make a step! Now, the werewolf isn't the only one you need to worry about. You can't feel it? That's not Azrael anymore. It's a demon we probably have to kill alongside the werewolf. One is already too overpowered for us. How do you plan on taking care of the demon, too."

Iphi clenched her fists, almost growling while defending the person whom she didn't want to have anything to do with, earlier. "That kid is not a demon. He is Azrael, who was forced to use his powers to protect us."

The Werewolf Lord gathered his palms, bellowing while creating a large sphere of energy, "DIE, ABOMINATION!"

Azrael retaliated instantly by gathering demonic energy between his horns to shoot a beam of demonic energy.

Just as both of their launched attacks were about to clash, suddenly, everything froze. The dust, the lightning, the noise, even the demonic beam and the Sphere of energy — all of it froze.