His body was in a chaotic state, his face finally exposed.
Crimson-red eyes.
Long black hair.
Pale skin.
Noble features—almost unfitting for a demon.
Gehrman rose from the rubble with difficulty, staring at his enemy in disbelief at how he had survived that overwhelming assault.
But what stunned him even more was Amon’s appearance.
His face... his features... everything about him.
"It’s like a smaller version of Crimson..."
In the end, Amon truly was the younger brother of the First Upper Rank.
The only real difference between them was likely their hair color .. Crimson’s had been ash-gray rather than black.
Amon was clearly damaged by Gehrman and Abraham’s final attack—yet the damage was far less severe than Gehrman had expected.
"Don’t be too surprised," Amon said calmly.
"You’re not the only ones with quick thinking."
He spread his arms, and his aura manifested into a form of armor around him ..
Armor made of dark aura.
"At the very last second .. before that annoying ability of yours activated .. I deployed one of my strongest defensive techniques, just in case."
Amon exhaled lightly, smiling.
"I’m glad my gamble paid off in the end... even though I still suffered considerable damage regardless."
Gehrman and Abraham both cursed inwardly, realizing just how much they had underestimated their opponent.
"I’ll admit it, Saint Gehrman... you are stronger than me," Amon said with a wide smile, acknowledging his foe.
"If you were at your peak and froze my body like that, your attacks would have defeated me no matter what I did."
The reason Amon survived that combined assault was Gehrman’s incomplete strength.
Had Gehrman been at his peak, Amon would have fallen—without question.
"You have my respect."
Amon closed his eyes as his body began to glow more violently than ever before.
"I’ve had enough... and now it’s time to end this."
Seeing what Amon was about to do, both Gehrman and Abraham braced themselves for the worst ..
Yet what followed far exceeded even their darkest expectations.
Before their eyes, Amon extended his fists ..
And hundreds... no—thousands... tens of thousands of blows erupted from him, from behind his back, and from all around.
A chaotic attack coming from every direction.
An onslaught so overwhelming that Gehrman and Abraham did not even have a single chance to block or evade it.
Without mercy ..
Amon annihilated them both and obliterated the entire area with his savage barrage.
The thunderous storm of blows raged on for a long time...
Before finally settling, revealing the outcome of the battle beneath the night sky.
In the end ..
Amon stood at the center of a colossal crater of destruction, its scars stretching for tens of miles.
Nearby, Abraham lay shattered upon the ground .. broken completely, yet still alive.
As for Gehrman ..
He had vanished entirely.
When it was over, Amon slowly walked toward Abraham.
"Human... as I promised, you will come with me," Amon said with a smile.
Abraham was utterly incapable of resisting.
"I deliberately spared your life," Amon continued calmly.
"So at least tell me your name."
Amon knelt beside the broken Abraham, who struggled to breathe, unable to utter a single word.
"So you won’t tell me, then... but there’s no need to worry. I already learned your name anyway. After all—I heard Gehrman call you by it earlier..."
"Abraham, wasn’t it? Hehehe."
Amon laughed softly for a moment.
Abraham tried to rise, but Amon immediately placed his hand atop his head, pressing him back down to the ground.
"Tell me, Abraham... why don’t you become one of us?"
Out of nowhere, Amon proposed something utterly insane.
"You’re incredibly strong, and my instincts tell me you haven’t reached your peak yet. So... why not become one of the Upper Demons? Rank Ten would suit you perfectly, considering you killed Zibar."
Amon spoke casually .. yet with absolute seriousness.
"Oh... and don’t worry. You don’t even need to be a demon to join us. That Nito fighting up there isn’t one either, yet he joined us regardless."
"The King won’t object. He truly loves the strong..."
Amon continued speaking for a while.
And although Abraham gave no reply, his eyes alone revealed that he would never accept such an offer.
"You’re putting me in a difficult position here, human warrior Abraham..."
Amon sighed, pondering what he should do next.
Then he paused.
He felt a familiar flow of aura.
And when he turned ..
He saw a familiar sight.
Gehrman was reforming once again, returning to life in the same manner as before .. except this time, his condition was far more wretched than ever.
Gehrman reappeared, coughing up a strange substance as he collapsed to the ground, utterly unable to rise.
At that moment ..
A ring shaped like a clock shattered—this time from his back.
"You really are stubborn, Saint."
Amon spoke as he walked toward Gehrman.
"Chrono Guillotine... that ability doesn’t just work on your enemies, does it? It affects you as well."
Amon asked, having uncovered the truth.
"It’s what allowed you to save yourself—by freezing your body at a specific moment and returning to it each time. But I can see now... it placed a devastating burden on this body of yours."
Gehrman had avoided death ..
But he had reached his limit.
Using a world-law-breaking ability like Chrono Guillotine after fighting Wesker with the Hand of the Ruler had been far too much for his already damaged vessel—even with Fulghor’s aura supporting him.
"Just rest now, Saint. In this condition, you won’t be entertaining me any longer."
Amon extended his hand, preparing to kill Gehrman—permanently—this time.
The Engineer slowly raised his head toward the demon, his eyes glowing fiercely.
He had done everything he could, all the way to the end.
But time had shown him no mercy.
The one who believed himself to be the greatest manipulator of time ..
Would fall, after his vessel was shattered by time itself.
"Farewell, Saint. I will never forget our encounter."
Amon unleashed his strike.
It should have been the finishing blow.
The demon’s eyes were calm ..
Until that calm shattered instantly when he felt his fist collide with something metallic... something impossibly solid.
Amon froze in shock.
Another figure now stood in his path, having successfully blocked the attack with a black sword.
"You... the vessel..."
Amon recognized his opponent at once, stunned.
Before him stood Frey Starlight, his body blazing with the aura of souls .. wielding a terrifying power through them.
Frey’s body was engulfed in roaring violet flames, flaring with such intensity that Amon stepped back at once, realizing that a new challenger had entered the battlefield.
Round Two... begins now.