The Birth of the Black Flame

CHAPTER 29

Mike slowly rose to his knees. An unstoppable rage and darkness swelled within him, rising from the depths of his body like a tsunami. The blue flames no longer carried peace or hope; they now radiated a suffocating darkness.

And at that moment… something broke.

His entire body began to evolve, willingly this time. The blue flames cloaking his torso slowly turned black like a darkness so deep it could swallow even the night itself, radiating a cursed energy that hummed with an eerie resonance. From his shoulders sprouted massive horns twice as large as before, curved and glinting with an almost metallic sheen. His wings thickened; the bony structure slowly took on a metallic texture, every vein-like ridge gleaming like a sharpened blade.

He grew taller… two and a half, nearly three meters. He no longer resembled anything human. His eyes no longer carried even the faintest trace of humanity; in the void of pure blackness, two tiny white flames flickered. The teeth in his mouth elongated, interlocking like jagged knives. The claws at the tips of his fingers weren't just sharp they looked as if they could shred through the hardest metal with ease.

This… was an entirely new form. And the most shocking thing of all… Mike had done this by choice.

Meanwhile, the chained demon watched Mike's transformation from within his dark dimension. From his rotting lips escaped a strange whisper, his voice both surprised and amused.

— "Wait… wait, how…? You can't evolve into that form without completely abandoning your humanity. This… this shouldn't be possible. You're still holding onto your humanity, yet this power… hah, interesting. Very interesting…"

For the first time, the demon fell silent. Perhaps for the first time, he had paused in the face of Mike's unexpected will.

In the warehouse, Gideon's laughter echoed. As he watched the change overtaking Mike's body, there was both admiration and fury in his eyes.

— "Hahahahaa! Finally… finally, Mike. At last you've reached a form that can stand against me. This is what I've been waiting for! Come… let's see what you can really do!"

Mike couldn't speak. In this new form, he hadn't yet figured out how to form words. Only a guttural growl, a deep, metallic hum emerged from his throat. He locked his eyes on Gideon; that look alone was more terrifying than any words, carrying a message far stronger than speech.

He slowly opened his palms. At that moment, a swirling vortex appeared in the center of his hands. From the vortex spilled black flames denser, deadlier, and more savage than the blue ones. Now he didn't even need to exert effort to control them. The flames responded to mere thought.

And then a storm of black fire erupted, crashing toward Gideon.

Gideon didn't try to dodge. He crossed his arms over his chest, but the moment the flames touched his skin, they instantly burned through. His back seared, exposing bone beneath charred flesh. The power was so immense that Gideon's muscles involuntarily spasmed. He lost his footing, staggered. For the first time, the sly smile on his face faded.

Mike saw his chance.

In an instant, he lunged forward, his massive wings tearing through the air with a single strike. He appeared directly in front of Gideon. The black flames still burned into Gideon as Mike pulled his fist back. Around his fist swirled both blue and black flames at once as if light and darkness had merged together.

And he drove that fist straight into Gideon's head.

But this was no ordinary punch. The moment his fist connected with Gideon's skull, the bones cracked and shattered and Mike's fist passed straight through Gideon's head. His skull split apart, his brain obliterated. Blood, mingled with a blackened darkness, flowed like a river and dripped onto the ground.

Mike pulled his fist back. It was a slow, calm motion… but the rage inside him hadn't yet settled. Gideon's body swayed on its feet for a brief moment before collapsing like a lifeless heap.

A pool of blood spread across the floor. Pieces of Gideon's brain were scattered everywhere. The warehouse fell into silence. Only Mike's heavy breathing filled the air.

Mike's eyes were still glowing. He stood in that massive form for a moment, then… slowly began to revert. The black flames faded back into blue, and the blue flames slowly receded beneath his skin. The horns shrank, the wings returned to their former state, the claws shortened. After a few minutes, Mike's form returned to that of a human.

But even in human form, his entire body was drenched in Gideon's blood. His arms, his face, his chest blood dripped from everywhere. He raised his hand and looked at it between his fingers were still warm fragments of brain.

He took a deep breath. He was shaken. This power… he had used it willingly.

And he knew there was no turning back now.