I Died and Became a Chapter 212: Pillars of Fire

Chapter 212: Pillars of Fire

Two and a half ters of pure muscle, his charcoal-gray skin covered in ritual scars that glowed faintly. He wielded a warhamr that was easily as large as Jack himself, the massive weapon’s head wreathed in hellfire that never quite extinguished.

"Interesting choice," Kaedor murmured. "Vox is known for his... enthusiasm in combat. Very well, that leaves

with..." His eyes scanned the yard before settling on another figure. "Korr."

Korr was smaller than Vox but no less dangerous-looking.

A Deathfrost Demon, his pale blue skin marked him as one of Pho’s own kind. Frost-tipped claws covered his hands.

"A brute," Loryn said, his skeletal smile widening. "This should be fun."

Rynath’s gaze fixed on Jack again. "Don’t make

regret this."

Jack said nothing. Just watched as Kaedor began moving through the training yard, calling out orders, organizing the impromptu contest.

Other demons began to take notice, their sparring slowing as word spread.

A fight. Backed by three of Pho’s generals.

Entertainnt was rare in the fortress. This kind of spectacle would draw attention.

Within minutes, a circle had ford. Demons pressed shoulder to shoulder, creating a makeshift arena in the center of the training yard. Their voices rose in excitent, bets being placed, predictions being shouted.

Vox stepped into the circle first, his massive warhamr resting on his shoulder. The hellfire wreathing the weapon’s head cast dancing shadows across his scarred face.

Korr entered from the opposite side, his frost-tipped claws gleaming in the light.

The Deathfrost Demon moved with fluid grace, his pale eyes scanning both potential opponents with cold calculation.

Jack walked into the circle last, his black and crimson armor drawing appreciative murmurs from the crowd.

Through his helt’s T-shaped visor, those red eyes that had once been yellow swept across his opponents with careful assessnt.

Jack’s plan ford in seconds. He couldn’t use magic. Lightning would be too recognizable.

But he still had Demonhand and Abyssal Steps. Transformation and mobility. That would have to be enough.

The crowd’s noise reached a crescendo, demons shouting and cheering for their preferred fighter. Then Loryn’s voice cut through the chaos, carrying an authority that silenced everyone imdiately.

"Silence!"

The training yard fell quiet. All eyes turned to the gaunt demon as he stepped to the edge of the circle, his skeletal form sohow commanding despite its apparent fragility.

"This is a three-way bout," Loryn announced, his hollow voice carrying clearly. "Last demon standing wins. No rules and no surrendering." He paused, letting the words sink in. "The victor receives a promotion. Direct assignnt with a general and appropriate compensation."

That changed everything. The crowd’s murmurs intensified. A promotion like that was the kind of opportunity demons killed for. Literally.

Vox’s grin widened, his grip on the warhamr tightening. "Finally. A real fight."

Korr said nothing, just stared at Jack. He was blatantly announcing who his first victim would be.

Jack remained motionless, his red eyes moving between his two opponents. This was going to be interesting.

"BEGIN!" Loryn’s command cracked through the air like a whip.

For a heartbeat, none of the three fighters moved. They stood in a triangle, each one assessing the others, calculating who to target first, who posed the greater threat.

Then Korr exploded into motion.

The Deathfrost Demon launched himself at Jack with blinding speed, his frost-tipped claws aid directly for Jack’s throat.

Ice trailed behind him like a cot’s tail, the air itself freezing in his wake.

The crowd roared.

And Jack’s hand began to transform.

Korr’s frost-tipped claws carved through the air toward Jack’s throat, the Deathfrost Demon moving with speed that left trails of ice crystals in his wake.

Behind Jack, an ice pillar erupted from the ground with explosive force. The blue ice shot up three ters in an instant, blocking any retreat, trapping Jack between the frozen wall and Korr’s approaching claws.

The crowd roared its approval.

Jack activated Abyssal Steps.

Reality folded. Jack disappeared from between the pillar and the claws, reappearing two ters behind Korr in the span of a heartbeat.

Korr’s claws struck empty air, his montum carrying him forward into the ice pillar he’d created. His eyes widened as he realized his target had vanished.

But Jack didn’t have ti to capitalize. His senses scread at him as sothing massive carved through space toward his head.

Vox’s warhamr descended like divine judgnt, the hellfire wreathing its head leaving a trail of fla.

The weapon was impossibly large and fast for sothing that size, aid with the precision of soone who’d spent his life gratifying this one strike.

Jack activated Abyssal Steps again.

He blinked ten ters to the left, appearing in a crouch as the warhamr crashed into the ground where he’d been standing. The impact was catastrophic.

Ice shattered in a radius of five ters, chunks of frozen ground flying through the air like shrapnel. The shockwave rippled outward, forcing nearby demons to stumble back.

Korr barely avoided the blast. His survival instincts saved him, hisnlegs coiled and launched himself upwards just as another ice pillar erupted beneath his feet.

The frozen column shot him into the air, carrying him above the destructive radius of Vox’s attack.

The Deathfrost Demon landed twenty feet away in a crouch, his frost-tipped claws scraping against the ice as he slid to a stop. His pale eyes moved between Jack and Vox, recalculating his approach.

"Did you see that?"

The voice ca from the edge of the arena, where the three generals stood watching. Kaedor leaned forward, his rchant’s face creased with confusion.

"That movent technique," Kaedor continued, his eyes fixed on Jack. "The way he just... displaced. I haven’t seen anyone use spatial manipulation like that since..."

He trailed off, his expression darkening.

Rynath’s scaled skin rippled with sothing that might have been concern. "Since who, Kaedor? Finish your thought."

"No one," Kaedor said quickly. Too quickly. "I’m just saying it’s unusual. Most demons don’t have access to that kind of magic."

"It’s not just spatial manipulation," Loryn observed, his hollow eyes never leaving Jack’s armored form. "Look at his hand."

All three generals’ attention shifted to Jack’s right arm, where black scales had begun spreading across the surface. The transformation was subtle but unmistakable, demonic flesh replacing whatever had been there before.

"Transformation magic," Loryn said with interest. "He’s using physical augntation alongside teleportation. That’s... not a common combination."

"Is that legal?" Kaedor asked.

"There are no rules," Rynath reminded him, though her gaze remained fixed on Jack with an intensity that suggested she was reassessing everything she thought she knew about this soldier.

In the arena, Vox wrenched his hamr from the crater it had created. Hellfire flared brighter around the weapon’s head, responding to his rising anger.

His scarred face twisted into sothing between a grin and a snarl.

"Running away?" Vox’s voice bood across the training yard. "Coward!"

He raised his hamr skyward, and the ground around him began to glow with internal heat. Runes carved into the ice started to smoke.

"PILLARS OF FIRE!"

Magic erupted from Vox’s position in a wave of destruction. Columns of fla shot up from the ground in a circular pattern, each one three ters wide and reaching toward the crimson sky.

The fire pillars ford a deadly periter around Vox, creating a ring of flas that would incinerate anything that ca close.

But Vox wasn’t done. He slamd his hamr into the ground, and more fire pillars erupted randomly across the arena.

One after another, flas burst from beneath the black ice, transforming the training yard into a hellscape of burning pillars.