Bloody Odyssey

Chapter 102 102: Unforgiving Hand Of The Devil.

"You can't even use my power properly."

The voice that emerged from the Fifth Apostle's throat was no longer fully his own. It carried an ancient, chilling authority, as if the speaker had been slumbering deep within and had finally awakened.

"Let me show you how it's truly done."

The original consciousness of the Apostle — swallowed the bitter lump in his throat. Control over his own body was slipping away rapidly.

Instantly, Nadia snapped into a combat stance. Her instincts screamed that something fundamental had shifted. Without hesitation, she began casting a rapid series of enhancement spells on herself. Golden runes flickered across her skin, reinforcing her muscles, speed, and defenses.

"Hmm…"

The Angel's voice resonated on the ancestral tide of blood and power, sounding ancient beyond measure — like an entity that had witnessed the rise and fall of countless eras.

Suddenly, vast torrents of mana erupted from the Apostle's body. The crimson energy exploded outward, spreading like a plague across the entire battlefield and enveloping half the City of Roses in thick, oppressive blood-red mist. The very air grew heavy and metallic.

The Apostle stretched his arms apart slowly, deliberately. Blood from unknown sources — corpses, the ground, even the atmosphere — began rising and floating around him like obedient soldiers. He raised one hand toward the sky, his corrupted wings spreading wide in a display of dark majesty.

In a blur of utter madness, he vanished.

He reappeared directly behind Alfonzo.

"What is this thing?" the Apostle muttered, a flicker of genuine curiosity in his voice. He didn't wait for an answer. His blood-soaked hand descended with apocalyptic force.

Unforgiving Hand of the Devil.

Alfonzo's mind screamed Death! but his transformed body couldn't react in time. The attack was too fast, too overwhelming.

Nadia was already moving to intercept when she saw Alfonzo twist mid-air with impossible grace, as if gravity no longer applied to him. With the unnatural speed and precision of a battle-hardened veteran, he spun and fired a devastating point-blank shot from the Blue Death.

"Do you think I will fall for this again?" The Apostle laughed mockingly. His palm sliced cleanly through the kinetic blast, dispersing it into harmless sparks. He glanced at his fingers — several now missing chunks of flesh that refused to regenerate immediately.

"I was right to come after you first. Your attacks seem to interfere with my regeneration." His eyes narrowed. "I don't know how two mere Rank 4s managed to obtain such power. At first, I refused to dirty my hands… but now, all of you are worthy opponents."

His lips curled into a sadistic grin. "I will start by bathing in your blood."

Just then, a brand-new blade burst violently through the Apostle's belly from behind.

"Splashing like a newborn?" Kakarai's distorted, multi-layered voice cackled. "Then bathe in mine."

A grotesque, sword-like limb had erupted from within the Apostle's own body. The Angel showed no outward expression, but a flash of surprise crossed his ancient eyes.

The torn flesh began regenerating almost instantly, yet the Apostle's gaze never left Alfonzo. He was done holding back.

"I want to play."

With monstrous strength, he kicked Alfonzo like a ball, sending the transformed warrior flying across the ruins and crashing into a collapsed building. Then, without missing a beat, he turned to behead the still-attached Kakarai.

But Nadia was faster than the eye could follow.

She appeared in a streak of golden light, placing herself between the Apostle and Kakarai. The pressure radiating from the Apostle's bloodied palm alone was enough to shatter weaker domains and make the ground tremble. When their powers clashed, the impact sent violent shockwaves rippling outward.

Nadia clenched her teeth. For the first time in this battle, she coughed up blood, a thin crimson line trailing down her chin.

"Got you."

In the blink of an eye, the Apostle was behind her. His face hovered inches from the back of her head as he gently — almost tenderly — touched her back with his blood-soaked palm.

Nadia sensed the lethal danger instantly. She twisted with desperate speed, bringing her broken blade around in a devastating arc filled with holy intent and radiant power.

But it was too late.

The palm had already made contact.

BOOOOM!

A devastating pulse of corrupted angelic energy exploded against her spine. Nadia was blasted forward violently, tumbling across the rubble like a broken puppet. She skidded to a painful stop, coughing up more blood as her golden aura flickered unstably.

The Apostle — now fully overtaken by the Angel within — laughed with cold delight. The crimson crosses in his pupils spun rapidly as bloody tattoos continued spreading across his skin like living curses. His presence had grown exponentially more terrifying.

High above the battlefield, Dax and Madeka watched the escalation in silence.

Down below, Alfonzo pushed himself up from the debris, his third eye glowing with cold fury and his twin tails lashing. Kakarai's multiple limbs twitched with unhinged excitement, fresh blades sprouting from his body as he prepared for the next exchange.

"You insects refuse to die so easily," the Apostle spoke, his voice now a perfect blend of his own malice and the Angel's ancient contempt. "Good. That only makes your suffering more enjoyable."

He raised both hands. The blood orbiting him condensed into thousands of razor-sharp crimson needles, each humming with deadly intent.

Nadia forced herself back to her feet, wiping blood from her lips. Her broken blade trembled slightly in her grip, but her eyes burned with unwavering defiance. Moonlight continued streaming into her body, rapidly replenishing her mana.

Alfonzo leveled the Blue Death once more. Kakarai let out a manic laugh, ready to dive back into the fray.

The Angel wearing the Apostle's body smiled with pure, unfiltered cruelty.

"Come then," he beckoned, voice echoing across the devastated city. "Show me everything you have left… before I drown this entire city in your blood."

The final phase of the battle had begun.

And none below had realized that the true monsters where watching from above were still waiting for the perfect moment to descend.