The Game's Extra: Azhriel Odyssey-Chapter 125: To The Brink-4
Kerip lunged again, his movements blurring into streaks of black lightning. But this time, Azhriel was ready.
The instant Kerip closed the distance, Azhriel’s form flickered—then vanished.
(Switch.)
He reappeared several meters away, cold mist curling from his boots as frost gathered around him.
Without hesitation, he raised his hand, and sharp spears of ice formed midair — a dozen, then two dozen — all gleaming with pale blue light.
Swish—swish—swish!
The air split as the ice spears shot forward like arrows, screaming through the room toward the demon.
Kerip didn’t slow down.
He charged straight into the barrage, his body crackling with black lightning. Each spear that touched him shattered with a thunderous crack, reduced to snow and shards by his fists alone.
"Hah! Pathetic!" he barked, lightning surging around his body like a storm.
But before he could advance again—
Azhriel vanished once more.
He switched places with one of the remaining ice spears that had just passed Kerip’s shoulder.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the demon—barely an inch from his head. Frostborn hummed faintly in his hand, and his other hand burned cold with a pulsing orb of condensed frost.
’If this doesn’t work, I’m dead.’
The thought flashed through Azhriel’s mind like lightning. His pupils narrowed, and the frost in his palm began to twist violently — the air around him freezing over.
Kerip’s instincts screamed. His body reacted before his mind did. He stopped his forward charge, spinning on his heel and slamming his palms together.
Crack!
A wall of static burst from his hands, lightning expanding around him in a dome-shaped barrier. The energy was so dense that even the air seemed to hiss and warp. Anything that entered would be turned to ash.
But Azhriel didn’t stop.
Even as his skin prickled and burned from the electric discharge, he pushed through it, forcing himself into the barrier.
Black lightning streaked across his arm, scorching his clothes and skin black. The smell of ozone filling the air.
Kerip’s eyes widened. "You—!"
He hadn’t expected it. The boy wasn’t just using ice — he had lightning affinity too. The resistance in his body dulled the full pain of the shock, allowing him to push further.
Still, it hurts.
Azhriel’s arm trembled violently, skin cracking and charring as he pushed through the field of raw power.
But he didn’t hesitate.
’Now!’
The frost in his hand swirled violently, compressing tighter and tighter until it screamed under its own pressure.
The air itself seemed to freeze — white mist spreading across the room, coating the floor in a thin layer of ice.
"Frost Explosion."
The words left his mouth cold and calm.
A pulse of blue light burst from his palm, and the world erupted.
BOOOOOM!
The explosion of ice and mana blasted through the room like a storm. The temperature dropped instantly, and a wave of white energy expanded outward, freezing everything it touched.
The entire section of wall behind Kerip shattered as frost exploded from his head and shoulders.
"GAAHHHHHKKK—!"
Kerip’s scream tore through the air, his body thrown backward.
The impact rattled the entire building. He crashed through the remains of a wall, falling to his knees, smoke and frost rising from his half-burned face.
His head throbbed violently, his vision flickering. His skin was cracked and pale from frostbite, and his brain felt like it was being stabbed by a thousand icy needles.
Still, even through the pain, he managed a rasping breath.
"Hah... you... bastard..."
Azhriel stood several meters away, panting. Frostborn was buried halfway into the ground beside him. His right arm was scorched black from the lightning field, trembling uncontrollably.
He clenched his jaw. "Fuck it, that wasn’t enough."
The attack had hit perfectly, but at the last second, Kerip’s lightning barrier had absorbed nearly half its strength.
The explosion hadn’t gone deep enough to kill — only maim.
Frost still crackled in the air between them, the air dense with mana and vapor.
Kerip slowly raised his head, blood dripping from his nose. His face was filled with ice cuts and bruises.
One of his eyes was shut as blood dripped uncontrollably, while the other twitched with pain but he was grinning — the grin of a battle-mad demon who refused to fall.
"You... almost killed me," Kerip muttered, then broke into a wild laugh. "Haha! How very funny—me, a Seeker-ranked pure demon, almost dying at the hands of an Initiate-ranked boy. Hahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the frozen room, sharp and unhinged, before his face twisted into a cold glare.
"I can’t let you live, boy," he said, voice low and dangerous.
"You’re too much of a threat to my boss. Who knows what kind of monster you might become later. That’s why, even if I have to die here, I’ll kill you first."
The air grew heavier, thick with killing intent.
Goosebumps rose on Azhriel’s arms as he forced himself upright. His breathing was rough, his body aching from burns and frost backlash, but his eyes didn’t waver.
"So... you’re finally using your special ability, huh?" Azhriel said, steadying his tone. He took slow steps forward, frost trailing behind each footfall.
Kerip grinned, sharp teeth glinting under the dim lights. "Oh? You already know about it? I guess if you planned all this, it’d be strange if you didn’t."
Azhriel’s eyes narrowed slightly. Of course he knew.
Pure demons, once they surpassed the Advanced rank, gained a unique ability — a special power born from their blood and soul.
But among them were rare prodigies, demons so gifted that they awakened that ability early, long before reaching the Master rank.
And right now, one of those rare monsters was standing in front of Azhriel.
The air around Kerip began to spark, arcs of black lightning crawling across his body like living serpents. His hair lifted slightly from the static, and the smell of ozone filled the room.
However Azhriel also standing doing nothing. He eyes moved towards his ring, a gift that was meant to protect and love.
"Heal."
