Samael drifted back into consciousness as if rising from the bottom of a dark ocean. His vision swam. His thoughts lagged. A ringing echoed in his skull, the aftermath of Adamas’s Divine Flash.

  He blinked through the haze and saw Uriel struggling, Adamas effortlessly deflecting the archangel’s blade. A cold, sinking dread filled him.

  Am I about to watch another archangel…die?

  Damn it, only if I were stronger. I could have protected you.

  His gaze dropped. He was unable to watch his student die.

  Then…a voice spoke inside him. Not a stranger’s voice. His own, older, sharper, filled with venomous disappointment.

  Is this how your story ends? Watching your student perish at the hands of that insignificant brat?

  Samael turned within his mindscape. A hardened, battle-worn version of himself stared back, disgust carving deep lines across his face.

  “I’m… too weak,” Samael whispered. “That ‘insignificant brat’ beat me…easily. After he kills Uriel, I’m next.”

  His killer instinct scoffed.

  Pathetic. Is this what we’ve become? Someone who gives up and waits to die? You might as well give up.

  Samael’s eyes snapped open in the real world. “Give up? That’s your advice? Aren’t you my killer instinct? You’re supposed to fight.”

  I should be telling you that. The instinct snapped. We are the strongest. No borrowed power can defeat us. A grin formed on his face. This is the perfect time to unleash everything we’ve held back. And you want to quit when things are finally getting interesting?

  A slow smirk grew across Samael’s face.

  “Of course not.”

  Since childhood, we’ve held ourselves back so others wouldn’t see the monster they already imagined. We shall hold back no longer.

  Resolve flooded through him, and all his restrained power flowed through him. He pushed past his killer instinct, standing in front of him and rushed forward.

  Before Adamas could land his killing blow, Samael flashed into the fray, driving a brutal cross into Adamas’s face. The impact hurled the fallen angel backwards.

  Adamas shook off the blow and grinned, a spark of challenge in his eyes.

  “There is something different about you. I like it.”

  “Uriel.” Samael gently pushed his hand against the archangel’s chest. “Stay back.”

  “There is no need for that; both of you are about to die.” Adamas cackled until a single drop of blood slid from his nose.

  He froze.

  Impossible…I barely felt that punch. How did it make me bleed?

  Uriel stared, wide-eyed. How did Master do that?

  Unable to rationalise what had just occurred, Adamas dismissed it as sheer luck.

  “That was just a lucky shot, don’t—” Adamas began, before he could finish, Samael pressed in and unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes: an elbow to Adamas's jaw, a cross to his sternum, and a crushing uppercut to his midsection.

  Adamas folded over Samael’s left hand, coughing blood, before stumbling backwards.

  Again…? How is he hitting me like this? He was struggling moments ago.

  Adaptation Stone, what’s going on?

  << Analysing… give me a minute.>> It responded in a feminine voice.

  A minute?! Adamas cursed inwardly. I don’t think I have that—

  Samael blurred forward and slammed his palm into his sternum. Golden sparks flew from his palm as the impact launched Adamas across the battlefield.

  “That’s for trying to kill me,” Samael declared, voice cold like steel. “Now I’ll return the favour—not just for me, but for Lilith, Castiel and every angel you butchered.”

  Adamas struggled to comprehend what was happening.

  I didn’t even see him move.

  Uriel trembled. Has Master always been this strong?

  Finally, the Adaptation Stone spoke:

  << All his mana nodes are now active. Before, he was fighting at half capacity.>>

  Adamas felt the world tilt. “What…are you?”

  Samael smirked. “You're one to talk. You are the greatest threat I’ve encountered, and the thought of ending you fills me with twisted satisfaction.”

  Uriel looked between them. “What’s going on?”

  “Your master has been the strongest archangel while only using half his mana nodes,” Adamas answered.

  Uriel was bewildered by the revelation. Only half? How was he so strong then? Master, you are a monster—

  Samael shoved him away and caught Adamas’s thrust.

  “Uriel, you all have to leave. I can’t be distracted when fighting an opponent like him.”

  With a flick of his wrist, all the archangels were transported back to Heaven.

  Adamas chuckled. “Why send away the audience?”

  “So, you can’t hide behind them when I beat you to death.”

  Adamas’s eyes flashed crimson. “Unfortunately for you…this match is already over.” He pushed forward to overpower Samael.

  But Samael swiftly sidestepped, yanked him forward, and launched a powerful knee strike. Adamas brought his guard up instinctively. Samael read it instantly, twisting his hips so he slammed his knee on the crown of his skull. The blow staggered him.

  Gritting his teeth, Adamas lashed out with a furious combination. The blows were so fast that Samael could barely see the blur; however, he instinctively deflected every single one of them.

  Adamas’s eyes flashed red again, and this time the weight behind the strikes increased exponentially, making them harder the deflect.

  Samael jumped back, but Adamas chased.

  He redirected a cross, seized Adamas’s head, and slammed him through a conjured brick wall.

  When did he—

  Samael ripped him out and hurled him through another conjured wall. The impact cratered the stone.

  Adamas tore free, enraged as his eyes flashed crimson yet again. “This is getting tedious—”

  Samael snapped his fingers, and an explosion ripped across the battlefield, throwing Adamas. He tumbled, skin seared.

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  With two fingers pointed at his foe, the bricks of Samael’s conjured wall launched at him like missiles. Adamas deflected one, only for it to explode on contact, blasting him through the air. The remaining bricks continued to meet its mark, launching him back even further.

  Even with rapid healing, the relentless pressure was crushing him.

  He’s weaponising constructions…and every piece is rigged. I need to be more careful. Adamas thought, charging forward.

  As he did, Samael conjured another wall directly in front of him.

  He tried to stop his momentum, but it was too late; he slammed headfirst into the wall.

  Samael landed a Divine Flash into the wall, and it detonated, releasing a hyper-compressed, violent burst of heat, launching Adamas backwards.

  The top half of Adamas’s soul was covered in burns, leaving him confused.

  This shouldn’t hurt. I already adapted to it.

  His injuries swiftly heal.

  Samael clicked his tongue. His healing speed is insane. I need to be harsher.

  They clashed again, exchanging rapid blows.

  Adamas’s eyes flashed red, and his speed spiked. He overpowered Samael, driving him back, one step at a time.

  Then his attack was repelled by a sudden barrier. A mixture of Genesis: Creation and Chronicles: Divine Counter. The force of the repel threw Adamas off balance.

  Before Adamas could react, a Divine Flash smashed into his jaw. Samael followed with a brutal chain of blows. A chop to his throat, following up with an eye poke, then a jab to the sternum, ending the combination with another Divine Flash to his gut.

  Adamas coughed blood and stumbled.

  Samael kicked him into another conjured wall, which exploded on impact, launching Adamas into striking distance. Adamas’s eyes rolled back, and his brain fogged.

  Samael launched another Divine Flash, but at the nick of time, Adamas’s instincts kicked in. He countered Samael’s cross with an elbow strike, cracking his wrist.

  Samael swiftly jumped back, glaring.

  He adapted again? No, I didn’t see that with my omniscience. Could he have begun adapting to it? That’s the only explanation. That means my plan failed.

  Light surged from his wrist, healing it.

  Adamas healed instantly, eyes predatory and cold.

  “Congratulations, Samael. You have my undivided attention now. Even with my new powers…you remain a threat. I’ll no longer hold back.”

  He released his full aura. Samael’s hair swept back from the force.

  Samael smirked. “Good. I’ll hate to beat you if you aren’t going all out.”

  Adamas and Samael charged forward, and their Divine Flashes collided.

  Meanwhile in Heaven, the archangels woke to find Uriel watching the battle unfold on the supercomputer and joined him.

  The blow from the impact blew apart Samael’s hand, knocking him off-balance. Adamas followed up with another to Samael’s midsection, but he blocked at the last moment.

  The force of the attack still sent him flying and broke his other hand.

  Adamas clasped his hands in the gesture of the fallen angels. Instead of interlocking his fingers like the angels, he extended all his fingers except his ring fingers and pressed them together.

  “Goodbye, Samael.”

  Before he could expand his Territory, a seal on his midsection activated—transporting him away.

  Adamas appeared in a sealed chamber.

  He scoffed. “You think this will slow me—"

  A brutal brain aneurysm struck. Blood poured from his nose. He fell to one knee, wracked with agony.

  “Damn it—Revelations: 7 Plagues of The Lord. Adaptation stone, we—”

  He collapsed.

  His spirit fragmented, and he plunged into a river of blood. It drained his life force, erased all his adaptations and drowned his soul.

  A sun ignited the river, burning him alive.

  As he struggled to shield himself from the heat, flaming thorns penetrated his skull, shutting down brain functions.

  He was a twitching husk, left in a catatonic state.

  Then he was cast into a mana-draining desert. The Adaptation Stone panicked, forcing emergency reactions into his soul. He jolted awake, resisting the drain.

  In an instant, the desert exploded, propelling him back into the battlefield.

  He materialised with his back to Samael. His eyes flashed red, but he spun too slowly.

  Samael’s Divine Flash slammed into his sternum. Blood sprayed from Adamas’s mouth. He retaliated instantly, driving forward through the shockwave. The two exchanged a blinding flurry as they zig-zagged across the air.

  << I found the issue, >> the Stone said. << He’s using a Heavenly Pact that nullifies adaptation whenever he shifts his mana frequency. >>

  No wonder. What a cunning fighter. He hurled a Divine Flash.

  Samael deflected it with his elbow, and the backlash blew apart half of Adamas’s hand, knocking him back.

  Samael vaulted over Adamas’s desperate leg kick and landed a spinning back kick that punched a hole through Adamas’s sternum.

  “Spamming Divine Flashes? Pathetic,” Samael said. “Try harder, or you won’t last much longer.”

  Adamas’s eyes burned crimson, and he took a defensive stance.

  Samael surged forward with Exodus 1st Commandment: Light of Heaven. His speed multiplied, and he feinted a high kick, drawing a reaction from Adamas.

  He landed a teep on Adamas’s sternum, sending him flying.

  Adamas narrowed his eyes. He’s only targeting my sternum…he’s trying to maximise spirit damage.

  His irises flashed red, his strength and speed spiked violently.

  He vanished.

  A heartbeat later, his strike grazed Samael’s neck, splattering blood across the air. Samael recoiled, but Adamas was already on him, hammering a barrage of rapid-fire blows. Samael slipped most of them, blocking only two.

  The force of the two blows was enough to break his hand. He grunted in pain and favoured his broken hand.

  Adamas capitalised immediately, smashing a cross on Samael’s nose, causing it to bleed. Before Adamas could follow up, Samael snapped an oblique kick into his knee, collapsing his stance and forcing him forward.

  Samael’s knee shot up, towards Adamas’s chin, but Adamas blocked it at the last second.

  That was close—

  Samael feinted a side kick, baiting Adamas’s to lower his guard to his sternum.

  A wrong choice.

  Samael’s heel crashed into the side of Adamas’s neck. The blow staggered him. He clutched his throat, but before he could regain his composure, Samael jabbed him square in the sternum. Blood spewed from Adamas’s mouth.

  What is going on? Why am I losing?

  Samael didn’t give him a moment to breathe. He pressed the attack, fist blurring, forcing Adamas to retreat and hide behind his guard. In desperation, Adamas fired a counter.

  Samael slipped it with ease and flipped him clean over his shoulders.

  Adamas halted himself mid-air.

  Samael’s going to conjure another wall—

  He twisted violently as a rising spike blasted up from below, narrowly avoiding decapitation.

  “You almost got me… what?” Adamas blinked.

  Samael stood directly in front of him, fist cocked back. His cross slammed into Adamas’s sternum, punching straight through. Golden sparks fly from his fist as Adamas’s eyes roll back.

  As Samael cocked his left hand back to land another Divine Flash, Adamas instinctually expelled an intense shockwave, hurling Samael away.

  Adamas gasped as his consciousness returned. That was close. He almost killed me.

  << You need to stop trying to adapt to his technique and focus on adapting your stats, >> The Adaptation Stone warned. << All his strikes are aimed directly at your spirit; that is why they all hurt so bad. It’s dangerous to take any more with your current defences. >>

  So that’s it…? He’s baiting out useless adaptations to create openings. Smart.

  Adamas’s expression tightened. But now I know, I won’t fall for it again.

  << That’s not all, he wants to force you to go all-out so he can kill you. You need to be careful; this man is the most dangerous foe I’ve ever seen. >>

  You don’t need to tell me twice. I’ll focus on adapting my strength and speed to overwhelm him without revealing my full power. Adamas grinned.

  Samael watched him carefully. That shockwave attack… that was Uriel’s technique. He can probably use all the moves he saw during training. What’s worse is I didn’t see it. He’s almost fully adapted to my omniscience.

  Adamas’s eyes flashed red again, then he blurred forward. His fingers were a breath from Samael’s eyes when Samael countered with a condensed replica of Uriel’s shockwave, blowing his fingers apart.

  Samael retreated, eyes narrowing. That was too close—

  Adamas appeared on his flank.

  A side kick slammed into his midsection with bone-breaking force. Samael folded over Adamas’s leg, rocketing backwards, blood spraying from his lips. The impact ripped the air from his lungs.

  He gasped, choking, clenching his ribs.

  Damn it, even with Perfect Guard, that attack nearly killed me. He wiped the blood from his mouth.

  He has fully adapted to my omniscience; now I’m running blind. If this keeps up, I’m doomed.

  Samael activated Godspeed and Leviticus: Anointing. Mana roared around him, like a storm.

  “You take soul damage, while I take spirit damage,” Adamas observed. “So what did you do?”

  Samael answered by charging. His blows landed, but they hurt less now.

  Adamas’s eyes flashed red, and he countered instantly. Samael was forced to leap back.

  “Why retreat? Scared?” Adamas taunted.

  “Because I wanted to figure out what you adapted to,” Samael replied. “Now I know, my next attack won’t miss.”

  “And I’ve figured out your strategy,” Adamas sneered. “My next hit will kill you.”

  They lunged.

  Just before impact, Samael’s gut twisted—a familiar warning. The same instinct that had warned him throughout the fight.

  This time, he obeyed it.

  A thunderous Divine Flash slammed into Adamas’s sternum. Before Adamas could recover, Samael chained Isaiah: Divine Lightning, stunning him. Adamas adapted instantly.

  This time, Samael didn’t go for the sternum as Adamas predicted; his next Divine Flash hammered Adamas’s midsection.

  Adamas’s eyes widened. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he flew backwards.

  Samael erased every future he couldn’t see and used Genesis to create one where he had the advantage. As such, Adamas’s adaptation to his omniscience failed.

  As Adamas hurtled through the air, Samael clasped his fingers.

  A shimmering dome expanded across the battlefield, trapping Adamas inside.