The air grew heavier. Not because of Azrael’s demonic pressure, but because of something deeper.
Eternity.
Daniel slowly let out a breath. There was no hesitation left in his eyes. At this point, he had realized that underestimating an enemy was something only fools did.
From the very beginning, he had known the Crown Prince would be a very difficult opponent, and he had never tried to look down on him. And now, he had reached the conclusion that he needed to use more power.
At the same time, he didn’t want to waste any more time here. He didn’t know why, but his instincts were warning him that something dangerous might happen.
Azrael felt the change.
Not through sight, but through instinct. He could feel the power of eternity within this human... this was exactly what he had been searching for all this time. Yet instead of him, this human had managed to obtain it.
"...This feeling, haha, it’s better than I expected... Maybe I really can turn my ambitions into reality."
Daniel stepped forward. The ground cracked beneath his feet. The power of eternity flowed through his veins, not explosively, but calmly, as if he was deliberately letting it circulate.
He raised The Heaven’s Honor and struck. The attack was precise and fast, aimed straight at his enemy.
And just as expected, the first clash happened.
Sword and spear collided. The sound wasn’t like metal breaking; it was more like concepts themselves cracking. The space around both of them shook violently.
If it had been just a little stronger, the space might have collapsed.
Azrael stepped back for the first time. Not by much, but it was clear. His eyes narrowed.
This human... his strike had changed. He could feel that this time, Daniel was using far more power than before.
Had he activated a skill that boosted his strength? Or had he been hiding his true power all along?
Daniel pressed forward. Second strike. Third. Fourth. Each blow was wrapped in an aura of death. The edge of the sword chewed through existence like the mouth of a living creature.
Azrael spun his spear. Naturally, he wasn’t going to fall behind. No matter how strong this human became, he was the Crown Prince of demons. He would rather die than be defeated by a human.
[ Abyss Crown Manifestation ]
A crown of demonic energy formed above his head. The pressure around them suddenly multiplied.
He counterattacked. The spear shot forward like lightning.
Daniel didn’t dodge. He deflected the blow with his left fist. Thunder energy exploded. Cracks spread across Azrael’s arm.
Azrael’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second.
"I... got hurt?"
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He was truly injured. He could feel pain.
This was the first time in his life he had ever felt something like this. So this was what they called pain?
As the Crown Prince of demons, he possessed one of the strongest and purest bloodlines among demons. Because of that, his regeneration and healing were superior to any demon except the Demon King himself.
So strong that his wounds usually healed in less than a second. But this time... they didn’t.
He jumped back.
[ Nether Emperor’s Rush ]
His body shattered into multiple overlapping images at once. Spears attacked from all directions. Daniel closed his eyes.
[ Eternal Deny. ]
The attacks reached him, and became nothing.
They weren’t blocked. They weren’t stopped. They were rendered meaningless. The spears passed through his body like shadows.
He opened his eyes and smiled. It was the first time he had used this skill, and it was better than he had expected.
Azrael froze.
What did he do?! This isn’t defense... it’s denial!
And in that moment—
[ Strike Of Destruction. ]
The sword came down. The aura of destruction ignited along the blade.
One of Azrael’s images was cut in half. It was the real one. The Crown Prince barely managed to retreat. The ground behind him exploded.
He clenched his teeth.
[ Hellbound Eternity Chain ]
Chains of corrupted time burst out of space and rushed toward Daniel, trying to lock his movement, his will, and even his future.
Daniel stepped forward.
[ Glass Domain. ]
Space cracked. A transparent, cold, and merciless domain spread out.
Azrael’s power was cut in half, and his breath caught.
What... what did he do?! My power... decreased?! But how? How is something like this even possible?
Daniel disappeared.
[ Bloody Shadow Dance. ]
He emerged from the shadow of Azrael’s spear. His fist rose.
[ Thunder Of Lost Dreams. ]
Lightning descended. This time, Azrael screamed.
Nightmares, memories of war, corpses, and all of his fears flooded into his mind.
He dropped to one knee, not because of physical pain, but because of the blow to his soul.
Daniel didn’t keep his sword at Azrael’s neck. He stepped back.
He raised his sword.
[ Everlasting Edge. ]
A strike without an end. The sword came down.
Azrael raised his spear with all his strength.
They collided, and this time, Azrael was sent flying back.
Several kilometers. His body plowed through the ground, mountains collapsed. He stopped, gasping for breath. His energy armor was cracked.
The smile had vanished from his face.
This human... no. This being... he could no longer see Daniel as a human.
This human... no. This being... he was no longer willing to see Daniel as a human.
What kind of human could be this powerful? On top of that, the real problem was that this human was only at the Grand Climber rank! How could someone at that level possess power close to a Heavenly Climber?
Had all humans become this strong in the modern era? Of course not. Only the one standing in front of him was an anomaly.
If even 1/10 of humans were like this monster, the entire world would fall under human domination.
Even thinking about it was terrifying for a demon.
He raised his head. Daniel was calmly walking forward, sword in hand, the aura of eternity around him making the Crown Prince’s body tremble.
For the first time, Azrael felt real danger.