Sam’s [Eternal Barrier] had shattered. His [Forsaken Clone] was dead. And yet... his expression remained the sa.
"I can see that your shield is gone," Asmodeus said with a grin, his trident still crackling with energy. "Which ans the next ti I hit you... it’s over."
Sam said nothing.
The rings of black fla swirling around Asmodeus began to tighten, as though feeding into his weapon.
The dark fire seeped into the trident, charging it with even more devastating power.
"I guess even the so-called True Primordial isn’t strong enough to reach the [Third Stage] at his current level."
The heat around the arena intensified.
The sea of black fire roared, rising higher and higher as the platform trembled beneath them.
Sam felt it now. The heat. The pressure.
Without his barrier, one wrong move ant instant death.
"Let’s finish this."
Asmodeus gripped his trident with both hands now.
The air bent around him from the heat. The tip of his weapon glead with condensed power.
[Void Watcher: He knows he can’t allow you to get too close. Even though he acts smug, he’s still cautious of you.]
’So he’s still afraid...’
[Hatred Bar: 49%]
’Not even close to being enough.’
Asmodeus charged, his trident slamming down with monstrous speed.
Sam blocked with his sword, planting his feet firmly into the scorched stone of the platform.
The shock from the clash rang out like thunder.
"You’re still only using one hand!" Asmodeus growled. "Charging up sothing, are you? It won’t matter! It’ll fail!"
Fwish! Slash!
He unleashed a barrage of strikes, but Sam blocked every single one. His movents, though minimal, had intent.
His aura surged. Stronger than before.
He was syncing his powers. Enhancing his own sword technique with his affinities. Improving mid-battle.
Clash! Slash! Clash!
The tide of the fight shifted. For the first ti since the beginning, Sam wasn’t losing ground.
Every attack Asmodeus made was blocked. Every burst of black fla, every projectile trident thrown, Sam avoided all of it.
"You’ve gotten stronger..." Asmodeus muttered, eyes narrowing. The grin on his face was gone.
The two clashed again. Sparks exploded from every collision.
Minutes passed. The ground beneath them cracked and scorched from the raw power being exchanged.
Asmodeus suddenly leapt high into the air.
"You’re done—TAKE THIS!"
His trident, glowing with every ounce of energy it had absorbed, pulsed violently as he struck down with all his might.
Sam stood still.
"You’re in my way."
Then, he opened his eyes.
GAZE OF THE PRIMORDIAL.
The spiraling abyss returned to Sam’s pupils. Power radiated from his stare.
Asmodeus looked straight into those eyes, and paused.
["Asmodeus" is immune to this status effect.]
But even if immune, his body flinched. Sothing deep inside him reacted.
Sam parried the blow at the last second and slipped to the side, then slashed forward.
SLASH!
He cut through one of Asmodeus’ wings, sending blood flying across the arena.
SLASH!
Then right afterward, his sword sank into Asmodeus’ chest, forming a deep gash.
"ARGHH—!"
Asmodeus roared in pain, staggering back, clutching his wound.
"You... YOU FUCKING—"
The rings of black fla around him spun violently. He kicked Sam away, sending him skidding near the edge of the arena.
Sam dug his sword into the stone to stop himself from falling.
Asmodeus laughed again, but it wasn’t stable. It was manic.
"I should have known! You all do this... to the very end!"
He stood, panting, but still grinning.
Sam raised his sword again. But suddenly, Asmodeus dropped his weapon.
"...?" Sam narrowed his eyes.
"As I said before..." Asmodeus muttered, "THIRD AND FINAL STAGE."
The entire arena began to tremble.
"HELL WILL CO TO YOU."
The black flas surrounding the sub-layer, the ones in the sky and beneath the arena, began to move.
Those above plumted downward. The flas below surged up.
A wave of heat slamd into Sam from both directions. He was trapped.
"As I said... you lost the mont you ca here. You were always trapped."
The flas were just ters away now, forming a wall of death.
"This is the part where they all realized their mistake. All the other Primordials. Right before they died."
And yet... Sam smiled.
He looked at the fla in his palm. That sa fla he had kept the entire ti. The one that never left his hand.
’I knew it...’
He clenched his fist around the fla.
FWASH!
Sam’s entire body began to be surrounded and burn by his own dark flas.
They wrapped around him, covering every inch of his form.
"What...?" Asmodeus stumbled back, eyes widening in confusion."What the hell are you doing?"
But Sam didn’t stop. The flas spread further, shielding him from the descending hellfire.
And then—
BOOM!
The sea of black fire finally collided with the arena. The entire layer was engulfed.
Sam was nowhere in sight. Asmodeus let out a breath.
"Idiot..." He shook his head. "I did it."
He stared at the burning sea with narrowed eyes.
"I killed the last Primordial..."
This was what they’d been working toward for all this ti. The end of the Primordial bloodline.
And now that they had done it they would—
SLASH!
"Huh—?"
A blade pierced Asmodeus’ chest. Right through his heart.
"GAAARGHH—!"
Blood sprayed from his mouth. His weapon fell from his hands. He dropped to his knees.
And standing before him... was Sam.
His entire body burned with his own flas. His eyes glowed with crimson light.
"What... but... how?!" Asmodeus couldn’t understand, ’I killed him... I saw it... he was consud...’
But Sam had already figured it out before the final stage began. Instead of launching his strongest fire attack [Primordial Hellfire], he had surrounded himself in it.
Using his own flas to protect himself from Asmodeus’ hellfire.
It worked. A clash of flas. But one was stronger.
Ding!
---
[Your "Sovereign Inferno" has improved.]
[You have learned "Fire Protection".]
[Hell-Mode Analysis: The flas of the Primordial are so of the strongest in existence. By putting them around you as protection, almost no other fire will be able to harm you.]
---
Asmodeus gasped for air, gripping his bleeding chest.
"You... didn’t give up..."
"The others... at the very end... they always gave up," Asmodeus muttered, coughing blood, "But you..."
"I’m the True Primordial," Sam replied, "I can’t give up. Not even in the face of death."
SLASH!
Sam cut off Asmodeus’ hands.
The Forsaken Lord fell backward, groaning in pain.
"I... failed... too..." His voice was fading. His eyes flickering, "But this is only the beginning..."
More blood spilled from his mouth.
"Others... will co... and eventually..."
His gaze t Sam’s one last ti.
"...We’ll shatter your soul."
SLASH!
Sam severed his head.
"...You weren’t strong enough either."
The black fire began to fade.
Within seconds, the platform cald, the sky cleared.
Only one body remained: Asmodeus, dead.
Then...
Ding!
[Congratulations to "Sam Walker" for being the first human in history to complete the "Fourth Layer" and killing the Layer Boss: Asmodeus.]
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