Chapter 199: The New Existence

The pressure coming from Xanxus nearly crushed the chamber.

Cracks spread beneath his feet as black-and-white energy flooded the upper floors. The light wrapped around his body like living armor, forming sharp patterns across his skin while the air distorted around him. Reinhard felt the pressure with every breath, and even his reinforced body struggled to withstand it.

Emily tightened her grip on Tepes. They had already pushed their combat capabilities close to SS-Rank through their Domains, weapons, and enhancements, yet standing before Xanxus now felt like trying to stop a natural disaster with their bare hands.

"Let us continue," Xanxus said.

He disappeared.

Reinhard’s Danger Intuition warned him before the attack arrived. He activated Demon God Body Enhancement and raised Right Hand of God, but Xanxus’s sword struck before he could fully brace himself. The impact sent Reinhard sliding across the chamber, carving deep grooves into the floor.

Xanxus appeared before him again, swinging a second time.

Reinhard’s right hand transformed into a crimson sword.

Right Hand of God — Awakening.

Their weapons collided, and the shockwave blew apart the remaining pillars. Reinhard held his ground for barely a second before Xanxus forced him backward, his superior strength pressing through the defense.

Emily attacked from the side.

Tepes swept through the spatial distortion surrounding Xanxus, cutting through the altered interval between them. A dozen crimson spears formed above her shoulders, each one sharpened from her Bloodkin power and threaded with silver spatial energy.

Bloodkin Art — Crimson Arsenal.

The spears launched from different angles. Emily manipulated their trajectories, opening tiny spatial corridors that carried the weapons around Xanxus’s guard. Three struck his back, while another pierced his thigh and two more tore through his shoulder.

Xanxus staggered half a step.

Reinhard immediately exploited the opening, thrusting his crimson sword into Xanxus’s chest before following with a crushing strike that drove him through a reinforced wall.

The rubble exploded a moment later.

Xanxus emerged with his wounds already closing. The black-and-white patterns spread across his damaged flesh, repairing the holes before his injuries could slow him down.

"Your weapons can still damage this body," he observed.

"I’m delighted you noticed," Emily replied.

"Unfortunately, damage and defeat are different things."

Xanxus raised his sword, releasing black-and-white streaks that bent through space and split into smaller trails. One struck the ceiling, another passed through the floor, and a third emerged directly behind Emily.

Reinhard used Spatial Push to knock her out of the attack’s path before swinging Right Hand of God at the incoming streak. His crimson blade shattered it, but the collision released a violent pulse that hurled him across the chamber.

Emily planted Tepes against the ground and opened a spatial corridor beneath another streak. The attack vanished into the opening and emerged above Xanxus, striking his shoulder before he could turn.

She raised her free hand.

Bloodkin Art — Crimson Rain.

Hundreds of blood spears formed overhead. Using Tepes to shorten some paths and lengthen others, Emily sent the weapons down in overlapping waves, forcing Xanxus to defend against attacks arriving from several directions.

He dodged the first wave and shattered the second with his sword. Rather than avoid the third, he allowed several spears to pierce his torso while attacking Emily directly.

Reinhard intercepted him, catching the sword with Right Hand of God. The impact drove him to one knee, and he gritted his teeth as his enhanced body struggled to withstand the pressure.

Emily opened a corridor beside him, pulling them both away before Xanxus could follow through.

"I’m starting to dislike him," Reinhard said as he stood.

"You started disliking him when he stabbed himself."

"That’s true. I was trying to be polite."

Xanxus appeared at the edge of their vision.

Reinhard activated Combat Analysis Enhanced, perceiving five possible attack paths before Xanxus committed to a move. He shifted toward the most dangerous route, but Xanxus changed direction midway through his attack. His sword came down, and Reinhard caught it with Right Hand of God.

The impact drove Reinhard through the floor into the level below.

He struck the ground hard enough to crater the reinforced surface, then pushed himself upright as Xanxus descended after him.

Reinhard raised his right arm.

The Strike That Crushes.

He gathered the force required to defeat his opponent into a single blow and struck Xanxus in the chest. The concentrated impact drove the transformed Awakener through two lower levels before throwing him into the tower’s outer wall.

The structure burst apart, exposing the night sky and the city far below.

Reinhard landed on a fractured platform, his right arm trembling. For a moment, Xanxus did not move.

Then he pulled himself from the broken structure.

His chest had caved inward, and black-and-white cracks spread across his body. Reinhard watched hopefully as the damage began closing, but the cracks soon disappeared, and Xanxus’s chest returned to its original shape.

"That was a good attack," Xanxus admitted. "A little more power, and it might have caused me some inconvenience."

"You know, most people say thank you when someone compliments them," Reinhard replied.

"Most people are not fighting for their lives."

"Neither am I. I’m fighting for my wife’s continued enjoyment of life, which is considerably more expensive."

Emily landed beside him. "Stop trying to negotiate with him."

"I’m establishing a relationship."

"You’re wasting Mana."

"That’s also part of our relationship."

Xanxus raised his sword, ending their conversation.

Black-and-white energy spread outward in a vast wave. The remaining platforms shattered, reinforced walls buckled, and entire sections of the tower began collapsing toward the city.

Reinhard and Emily had to keep moving.

Emily used Tepes to cut through spatial distortions, opening temporary paths through the collapsing structure. When a platform gave way beneath Reinhard, she created a corridor that carried him to the next intact floor. When Xanxus attacked Emily, Reinhard used Spatial Push to redirect the strike, giving her time to counterattack.

Their coordination kept them alive, but neither could establish a lasting advantage. Every time Emily pierced Xanxus with Tepes or her blood weapons, his body regenerated. Every time Reinhard struck him with Right Hand of God, Xanxus recovered before they could capitalize on the damage.

Then Emily noticed something.

Xanxus’s body recovered almost instantly, yet the black-and-white energy surrounding him did not always return at the same speed. After powerful attacks, some of the patterns faded before reappearing, and the light around his shoulders briefly weakened.

"Reinhard, his energy is changing!"

Reinhard activated Mind Glance Enhanced. Images flashed through his perception as he focused on Xanxus, revealing fragments of the tower, the transformed Guards, and countless black-and-white streaks flowing toward him.

Before he could understand more, Xanxus attacked again.

Reinhard caught the sword with Right Hand of God and used Spatial Push to force him away. Emily immediately followed, driving Tepes through the space Xanxus had occupied.

The blade pierced his abdomen.

Emily twisted her weapon, sending spatial force through the wound and throwing him into another collapsing wall.

Bloodkin Art — Crimson Wave.

A massive wave of blood erupted from the fractured floor. Emily fused it with her Gnosis, twisting the crimson current through spatial corridors until it struck Xanxus from several directions. The wave wrapped around him, compressed, and exploded in a violent storm of blood and distorted space.

The impact tore away much of his transformed armor.

Reinhard followed immediately.

Right Hand of God — Instant Strike.

His crimson blade crossed the distance between them in an instant, cutting through the remaining black-and-white energy and striking Xanxus before he could fully respond.

The attack sent Xanxus crashing through the outer wall.

For several seconds, only falling debris answered them. Emily lowered Tepes, breathing heavily, while Reinhard stood beside her with his right hand still glowing.

Then they heard a familiar sound.

A click of the tongue.

Xanxus pulled himself back into the tower, his body returning to its ordinary appearance. The black-and-white energy had almost vanished, leaving him in his black suit with his expressionless mask intact.

"You two are more troublesome than expected," he said.

Emily tightened her grip on Tepes. "What happened to your transformation?"

"I can only maintain that state for so long without replenishing it." Xanxus glanced toward the ruined floors below. "Fortunately, I have another source."

He raised his sword.

White-and-black streaks erupted from the depths of the tower, rushing through broken walls and shattered floors. They converged on Xanxus from every direction, sinking into his body as the patterns spread across his skin.

His aura exploded, and the crushing pressure returned.

Emily recognized the energy immediately. It was the same power that had transformed the Baal Guards and Collectors during the Black Moon incident.

And those enemies were still fighting below.

Maki, Lily, and Yuna were advancing through the tower, killing the Baal forces standing in their way. Every enemy they defeated might be supplying Xanxus with another fragment of the power sustaining his transformation.

"He’s absorbing their souls," Emily whispered.

Xanxus tilted his head. "You understand quickly. Every member of my family who dies returns what remains of their strength to me. Their loyalty does not end with death."

Reinhard looked toward the ruined floors beneath them. Distant explosions still echoed through the tower, accompanied by the collapse of walls and the occasional burst of Mana. Lily, Maki, and Yuna were continuing their assault, fighting their way toward the upper floors.

Every victory brought them closer to reaching him.

And every victory might be making Xanxus stronger.

"That’s a rather unpleasant family tradition," Reinhard said, although the humor in his voice had faded. "Your relatives die, and you get stronger. I suppose inheritance laws work differently in the Baal Family."

"Reinhard." Emily kept her eyes on Xanxus. "If the others keep killing his Guards, he can replenish this form."

"I know."

He wanted to warn them immediately, but he couldn’t afford to look away from Xanxus. The transformed Awakener’s energy was already gathering again, and a moment of distraction could leave either of them dead.

Emily tightened her grip on Tepes. She couldn’t ask Lily, Maki, and Yuna to stop fighting while enemies were still trying to kill them. Leaving the remaining Baal forces alive would expose her family to even greater danger, yet continuing the assault might provide Xanxus with exactly what he needed.

They couldn’t solve this by simply stopping the battle downstairs.

"Then we need to end this before he can absorb enough power to overwhelm us," Emily said. "We find out how the transformation works and take away his advantage."

Reinhard glanced at her, his expression growing serious before his familiar smile returned. "Sounds like a plan. A dangerous, horribly inconvenient plan, but a plan nonetheless."

"Can you manage that?"

"I’m married to you. I’ve developed a tolerance for dangerous and inconvenient things."

Emily almost smiled, but Xanxus raised his sword.

Reinhard activated Emperor’s Insight Enhanced and studied the shifting aura around Xanxus. The black-and-white energy covered his body, but its movement was not uniform. Whenever Xanxus regenerated, the energy around the damaged area contracted before spreading outward again.

A wound opened across Xanxus’s shoulder as the remaining effects of Emily’s attack caught up with him. The flesh began repairing itself, and the black-and-white patterns rushed toward the injury. For a brief moment, the light surrounding his chest dimmed.

Then it recovered.

Reinhard narrowed his eyes. He had seen the fluctuation clearly, but he needed to know whether it was a weakness or merely a side effect of the transformation.

"Emily, watch his chest when he regenerates."

She shifted her attention toward Xanxus. Through Tepes, she examined the spatial distortions surrounding his body and compared them with the movement of the black-and-white energy. When Xanxus’s shoulder finished repairing itself, she noticed the same disturbance in the energy around his chest.

The energy wasn’t disappearing. It was being redirected.

"His transformation has to distribute its power throughout his body," she said. "When he regenerates, some of that energy is pulled away from the rest of him."

"Which means the form might have a weakness while it’s repairing itself."

"Or the fluctuation might be too brief to exploit."

Reinhard grinned. "I prefer the first possibility."

"Of course you do."

Emily raised Tepes and examined the distortion again. They still didn’t know whether the transformation had a fixed duration, whether the absorbed souls could sustain it indefinitely, or how much power Xanxus could draw from each one. But they had found something repeatable.

They needed to test it.

Xanxus advanced.

Reinhard stepped forward, his Right Hand of God forming a crimson blade. Instead of immediately attacking, he activated Combat Analysis Enhanced and watched the five possible paths of Xanxus’s approach. He needed to force Xanxus to defend himself, then make him regenerate before Emily attempted her cut.

"Emily," he said, "the moment his energy shifts, cut through the space around his chest. Don’t aim for his body. Aim for whatever is supplying the power."

"And you’ll force him to regenerate?"

"I’ll give him a very good reason to."

Emily smiled faintly. "Try not to get yourself killed."

"I’ll do my best. No promises."

Xanxus lunged.

Reinhard met him head-on, and their weapons collided hard enough to shake the remaining floors of the tower. Reinhard held his ground, watching for the instant Xanxus’s power shifted, while Emily moved along the edge of the clash with Tepes ready.

For the first time since Xanxus’s transformation, they weren’t simply trying to survive his attacks.

They were preparing to test the weakness they had found.