~ Back to Raizen's POV ~

The power of the being coursed through my body like a raging flood slicing through the land without signs of stopping.

The being was here. It was with me. Apart of me.

But it was not me, it had not taken control of my will, nor had it made an attempt to control my actions.

All it had done was filled me with power beyond my scope of imagination. Power that I would now be using to kill.

'Act quickly little one. This power comes at a steep cost.'

I didn't need any more motivation than that.

With all of the strength roaring through my body, it didn't take much effort to rise up from position on the ground, then one quick scan showed me situation.

The pressure of the Vhampryl Immortal had receded entirely but the presence of the being now dwelling within seemed to be weighing down the entire world.

None could move.

None could show disrespect.

Even the world itself seemed to crack in submission.

Beyond them, the boys were still alive…but as for Jarken there was nothing but a splatter of blood remaining where his body used to lie.

A splatter of blood.

I could feel the wrath of the being reach a sweltering level.

My flames and my own anger rose along with it.

I immediately dove down in the hole that led towards the Earth's Core.

The Immortal was a coward.

He hadn't wasted a second in demeaning us and rattling on about how disappointed he was, but where was he when the being descended? Where was that bravado? Where were the disappointed words? Gone.

His presence had crumbled before the might of another, and his arrogance rendered mute.

Next he would lose ownership of his life. I would make sure of it.

I continued to speed down the hole at blistering speeds and the heat generated from the Core only intensified with each second I descended deeper.

But since when has heat ever been a problem for me?

My speed picked up and before I knew it I could see something red in my vision. It wasn't the Core.

'A barrier. Break it.'

With pleasure.

My spear could not contain the weight of the power I held now and will likely be destroyed. But it would serve me well in its last moments.

"Gather."

Flames heavier, stronger, and somehow far purer than anything I could have generated before immediately began rushing to the tip of my spear.

It sounded as if a hurricane was passing through the area as the black flames rushed to gather.

There was no need to compress them.

The spear was aimed forward but right as I neared the barrier I pulled it back and struck with everything I had.

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BOOOOM!!

A loud explosion sounded as the collision seemed to shake the entire Planet from the inside. If you told me that my actions just now likely caused a few earthquakes, I'd have no choice but to believe you.

I stepped through the mass of black flames that now blanketed the entrance to space I now stood in. A place where I laid eyes on something that I could only describe as a miniature sun.

It was the Core of Planet Earth.

A massive ball of bright reddish, yellowish, orangeish magma that was constantly moving in a bunch of directions at once now stood before me. And the amount of Qi I could feel wafting off it probably would have been enough to make me sick or even outright kill from the weight of it alone if I came down here as Qi Refinement Cultivator.

There was doubt as to how much power the core contained. Which is only right as this is the source of power and life for the entire Planet.

But its beauty was marred.

Countless red symbols were littered on the surface of the core, and they constantly flashed an even brighter red at seemingly random times.

If I didn't have the sense I had right now, I think I would miss the fact that it also seemed as if the symbols were working together to constrict and shrink the Core.

My gaze then shifted to the individual standing above the Core.

His skin was pale, his long hair was blood red, and his eyes were the color of crimson.

In his hands rested two scythes. Their blades were blood red too, and they seemed to pulse like the blood of something living was coursing through it.

He hadn't said a word and made a singular movement since I entered the space, but the second my gaze met his, his lips moved to speak.

"Come little matchstick. Let me show you that your flames could never burn the power contained in my blood!"

There was no need to provide a rebuttal.

Everything shall burn before the might of an Infernal.

My spear had long since crumbled away in my hands after breaking through the barrier, so with nothing but Eternal Flames coating my fists, I took off towards the Vamp.

Full intended on crushing his throat and I lashed out but as expected, I was quickly met with fierce retaliation from his scythes.

He brought but up them up for the sides with the intention of them meeting in the middle to bisect me, and I flashed out of the way and immediately moved to strike at his head from the left.

A wall of blood rose up from nowhere and a loud noise sounded as my fist crashed into the wall. The flames burned away at the blood for a moment before it formed into spikes and shot out towards me.

Flames immediately formed around my body and the spikes burned away before causing damage.

The Vamp wasn't just sitting there waiting on the result of his blood spikes and the scythes were once again enroute to bisecting my body and I was forced to dodge once more.

"Spread."

Flames exploded out from my body in a torrent akin to a deathly volcano releasing its spawn upon the world.

Everything in the Core cavern was doused in flames.

Even the actual Core was covered. I did that in an effort to not only protect it from the ensuing clashes, but also to eat away at the blood red symbols I noticed covering the core. I knew for certain that they were not natural and logical deduction was that they had something to do with the Core being sacrificed.

The only place that wasn't covered by Eternal Flames was the Vamp himself.

Our gazes met then he uttered two words I couldn't understand.

"Velith Nocthra"

Blood flowed like a waterfall from everywhere in the Core cavern.

It flowed from the ceilings, the walls, the literal space around him.

And then it began to fight back against my flames in an effort to push them away from the core and from around himself.

It was not working as intended for him, but that wasn't his goal here. All he wanted to do was stall. The timer hadn't stopped for a second in its countdown to our core being sacrificed and I'm sure it sped up at some point because we only had a few hours left.

Plus, I was on a timer.

I doubt I even had anything close to one hour to remain in this state.

'You have more control over your flames than you realize little one.'

For some reason even though that one line was all the being said, I knew immediately what I needed to do.

"Form."

The flames surrounding my body immediately began to coalesce around me in the shape of an intricate suit of black armor.

"Harden."

It locked into place and all of a sudden a suit of armor made of flames immediately became a sturdy suit of magnificent black armor. From a regal helmet to boots that belonged in a kingdom's hall of treasure.

Black flames were seemingly woven into the design from top to bottom. It screamed royalty.

Unfortunately, there wasn't any time to admire it, waves of blood had begun moving in my direction with a ferocity the Vamp hadn't shown before.

Shooting out at me from various angles and directions as I danced about the limited space in the cavern to dodge and where I couldn't dodge a burst of flames would erupt from me to incinerate the nearing blood.

But it was never ending.

Every time I tried to get close I would be met with a ferocious attacks from his scythes and equally dangerous amount of blood.

There didn't seem to be an end of it no matter how much of it I burned.

The timer of the sacrifice, and likewise the power I wielded continued to go down.

I had to end to end this now.

One final attack then.

"Spear."

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