The Game's Extra: Azhriel Odyssey-Chapter 128: To The Brink-7

Azhriel jumped back, using Switch to escape as Kerip closed in. He appeared several meters away, gasping for air, his breathing ragged and heavy.

"Huh, is that it, boy? Where’s all that arrogance now?" Kerip mocked with a twisted grin, turning toward him.

But Azhriel didn’t answer. His mind was racing, searching for a way to fight back — to survive. Yet before he could form a plan, Kerip didn’t gave him anytime as he moved again.

A sudden burst of lightning and demonic energy exploded from Kerip’s legs, propelling him forward at terrifying speed way faster than before.

Azhriel’s instincts screamed. His body tried to move, but fatigue made him slow just a second too slow — and that second was enough for the demon.

Kerip appeared right in front of him, a wild and feral grin splitting his face. His arm was pulled back, lightning swirling violently around his clenched fist.

Then—

Bang!

"Aagh!" Azhriel gasped as the punch slammed into his stomach.

The force was brutal — it felt like his insides were crushed. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, as raw lightning burst through him, searing his nerves.

His back arched as electricity tore through his body, bursting out from behind him in a violent stream that shattered the old shop walls nearby.

Pain flooded every nerve. He couldn’t use Switch — his body was in shock, trembling uncontrollably.

However just then he saw it — another fist, this time aiming straight for his head.

’Shit!’

Time seemed to slow. The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. The glowing fist grew larger in his vision, closer and closer.

He forced his body to move, summoning what little strength he had left with everything. With pure desperation, he activated Switch — vanishing right before the strike landed.

Kerip laughed. "Haha, I knew you’d do that, brat!, but did you forget that you had slowed down from before."

Before Azhriel could even steady himself, Kerip blurred again — appearing right beside him, his lightning-coated fist already flying forward.

"Huh—!"

That was all Azhriel managed to say before the impact hit.

BOOM!

The sound echoed through the street as Azhriel’s body was sent flying like a rag doll.

He crashed through wall after wall, each impact sending debris flying, until finally, after the fifth wall, his body hit the ground and stopped.

"Ugh—!" Blood spilled from his mouth as he coughed violently.

His hands trembled uncontrollably, numb from pain, as just at the last moment he had barely raised them. He could feel several hairline fractures across his arms.

His entire body twitched from the electric shocks still running through him.

’Damn it... I took too much damage,’ he thought, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with heavy efforts.

Kerip landed a short distance away, his boots cracking the ground beneath him. He too was panting, the toll of his own power showing.

"Haa... haa... now, boy," he said, his dark eyes narrowing. "Time to die."

’Fucking finally. But I’ll only get one shot at this,’ Azhriel thought as a sharp plan formed in his head despite the pain.

Riiing—

"That... doesn’t sound good," he muttered with a cough, his voice dry and weak.

His head throbbed painfully from the ringing in his ears as he forced himself to stand, using Frostborn like a cane to steady his trembling body.

Every breath hurt. Every step burned. Yet his eyes — cold and steady — never left Kerip.

"Haa... damn, boy," Kerip said, disbelief written all over his face. "Just what are you made of? Are you even human?"

He was a Seeker-ranked pure demon — a level far above Azhriel. This boy should’ve been crushed minutes ago, and yet here he stood, battered but unbroken. It didn’t make sense.

Still, Kerip couldn’t help but feel a strange shiver — a mix of anger and awe.

"Hm. That’s a strange thing to ask, you know," Azhriel replied, his voice low and calm.

The air around him began to shift. Frost spread across the ground like crawling mist, and with every breath he took, the temperature dropped further.

The street started to freeze, his mana pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Kerip narrowed his eyes. "Fine then, boy. Let’s finish this!"

Crackling lightning burst from his body as he launched forward.

His speed tore through the air, a blinding blur of black and blue. He’d decided to end it — one final strike, full of killing intent.

But Azhriel didn’t dodge. He didn’t use Switch.

He stepped in.

The two met head-on.

Kerip’s lightning-coated fist came flying, but Azhriel didn’t block it outright — he twisted his sword just enough to slide the fist along the flat edge, redirecting the full force away from his body.

The motion was sharp, precise, and painful — his arms screamed, bones cracking under the strain — but he didn’t stop.

The moment Kerip’s momentum broke, Azhriel’s other hand moved like lightning.

Bang!

His mana-infused fist smashed upward into Kerip’s chin. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, tilting the demon’s head back violently.

For a heartbeat, Kerip staggered.

But he was a monster for a reason.

Rage burst from his body like a storm. "You—!" he roared, lightning flaring around him in a violent field of raw power.

The sudden explosion of energy sent Azhriel flying backward, crashing through frozen debris.

Before Azhriel could fully recover, Kerip’s form blurred once more. He charged, his body cutting through the cold air like a thunderbolt.

But the instant his foot touched the ground—

Crack

Slip

His eyes widened.

The world suddenly tilted beneath him as his footing gave way. Frost had spread over the entire field without him noticing, turning the ground into a slick sheet of ice.

Kerip’s legs slipped, his balance shattering as momentum carried him forward uncontrollably.

Thud!

He crashed face-first into the frozen street, his own lightning scattering wildly into the air.

Switch

Azhriel switched one last time again.

"Got you." Azhriel spoke his voice trembling yet cold enough to send shivers through Kerip spine.