Charles stared at the fully transformed demonic figure of Nassim, recalling what the Great Elder at Shinryuji Temple had once told him.
The realm of a "Demon" wasn't nearly as simple as Charles had first understood.
Awakening meant a Blazer transcending their own fate, transforming their soul into something nonhuman—becoming an existence no longer bound by destiny.
This process was also called the "Beast's Soul," and it was why awakened Blazers were called "Demons"—because after awakening, they were no longer ordinary humans at all.
The Great Elder had also told Charles that there was a deeper transformation beyond Demon Awakening, called "Transcendent Awakening."
The soul and the body are linked. Once the soul takes on a nonhuman form, the body will also change to match it.
In other words, after this second awakening, a Blazer's soul and body would become that of a true monster in every sense.
The condition for Transcendent Awakening was simple: an awakened Demon abandoning their human heart completely, surrendering themselves fully to the abyss of monstrosity.
In that sense, compared to Demon Awakening, the step into Transcendent Awakening wasn't especially difficult—any Demon who lost control of themselves could fall into it.
For instance, Shinomiya Kurono had long possessed the ability to open the door to awakening, but she feared what lay on the other side—that she would become a monster—and so she had never stepped through.
That might also be one of the reasons why all major powers kept the truth about Demons hidden from the public.
And according to legend, those so-called fantasy creatures of history—demons, magical beasts, spirits—were actually Blazers who had undergone Transcendent Awakening.
As for Nassim, he was clearly not someone who valued his human identity. He had probably undergone Transcendent Awakening long ago, turning himself into a demon. His warped body was proof enough.
Now, he was simply revealing his true form.
"A demon, huh?" Charles smirked dismissively. "I've fought the real thing before. You think I'd be scared of a knockoff like you?"
Still, his tone didn't mean he wasn't taking this seriously. Now that Nassim had revealed his true form, both the quality and quantity of his magic power had changed dramatically.
Nassim opened his mouth, his voice like an old, broken bellows. "Do you see it? This is my true form. Power born from my utter disgust for this dull, meaningless world.
A life that transcends all limits, and a hunger for all vitality—death like the flames of hell itself. You have it too, don't you? That demon inside you that craves this very instant! Let me hear its roar!"
He stepped forward, his massive frame charging at Charles.
Nassim's body had bulked up enormously. Those jet-black, rock-solid muscles gave him immense strength—but also weighed him down.
To Charles, his movements were sluggish.
Still, his power had skyrocketed—so much that when he kicked, the air itself was ripped apart.
"Fire Dragon's Talon!"
Charles didn't back down and kicked as well.
Two legs of vastly different sizes slammed together, flames and dust exploding outward.
But the fire and dust didn't linger—they were instantly cleared by the sheer force of the impact.
In the blink of an eye, the two clashed in a flurry of exchanges.
Despite becoming a demon, Nassim hadn't lost his mind—his technique was precise and disciplined.
Most importantly, the massive magic shrouding his body formed a hardened armor that could even block Charles's flames.
Given their height difference, Nassim aimed most of his strikes at Charles's head. Charles tilted away from a straight punch—only to catch sight of a black shadow in his peripheral vision.
He sprang back, evading it. Only then did he see the source—a thick, muscular tail whipping toward him.
He wasn't surprised. Charles had fought plenty of actual monsters, and a tail was one of the strongest weapons in any creature's arsenal. Of course he'd be ready for it.
What made things tricky was Nassim's ability.
His fighting style was straightforward—overwhelm opponents with unmatched strength and magic. But his ability itself was terrifying.
"Desiccation" was indeed dangerous—Charles could feel his body's moisture being drained in each clash.
Even the skin on his arms, beneath the gauntlets of Dragon Slayer, was noticeably dried out.
If that was the case, it was time to get serious. At first, Charles had thought he could finish this quickly.
Shaking his head, he muttered the name of his technique under his breath.
"Dragon Flame Armor!"
A suit of armor made of condensed flames covered his body. He raised an arm to block Nassim's punch.
Then, grabbing Nassim's wrist, he yanked him forward and drove his other fist in with a three-hit combo, no holding back.
The reason people doubted Ikki Kurogane's chances of becoming a Magic Knight was his low magic power—most of his attacks couldn't break through another Blazer's magical defenses.
But Nassim's defense was his massive magic power—and Charles shattered it with his first punch. The second and third punches smashed his body apart.
A column of force tore through Nassim, blasting apart his black muscles and internal structures—which looked less like flesh and more like solidified magma.
Nassim didn't even care about the gaping hole in his body. Instead, he swung his fist again.
A touch from those fists could drain a person of all moisture—but the armor around Charles blocked it completely.
So Charles simply caught his arms, the two locking in a test of strength.
The ground beneath them cracked and collapsed, yet neither released their grip.
The hole in Nassim's body had completely regenerated, but the wrist and fist Charles held were burned and mangled.
Charles grinned, then heaved the much larger man into the air and threw him.
"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
A massive fireball spun into existence in his hands and shot toward Nassim.
The demon was swallowed in fire, struggling before tearing free of the flesh-searing blaze.
Before his body could fully recover, Charles was already upon him.
Those hollow, eyeless sockets revealed no emotion, but the golden light within flared suddenly.
With a flap of his wings, Nassim soared into the air, dodging the blow Charles drove downward.
"Running, are you?"
Flames burst into wings on Charles's back as he gave chase.
"This kind of dance on the edge of life and death—how could I ever run!?"
Nassim roared and dove at him, clashing head-on once more.
Charles guarded against the relentless blows, the force driving him steadily toward the ground.
Then, with a flap of his wings, Charles slipped to Nassim's flank, seized his shoulder, and slammed him into the earth.
The battered port, already fractured from earlier battles, split apart entirely—some smaller chunks tumbling into the sea.
Standing atop a tilted slab of concrete, Charles peered into the wreckage.
A massive hand emerged, gripping a stone, followed by Nassim himself dragging free.
"Let's settle this! Show me your demon!"
Golden magic flared in his arms, flowing so violently that his body began to rupture.
"Corpse-Dust Tempest!"
Unlike the first time, when it was used to split the battlefield, this was a far more terrible version—desiccation at its utmost, capable of disintegrating all it touched.
Charles said nothing.
In truth, Demons and Dragon Slayers were similar in some ways—both became nonhuman when abandoning their human heart.
But Charles was different—not only because the blessing of Anima magic shielded him from the side effects, but because he held an unshakable conviction.
That alone was why he would never lose to someone like this.
"Fire Dragon King's… ROAR!"
A massive red magic circle bloomed, and a storm of fire erupted from his mouth, crashing into Nassim's black dust storm.
There was no deadlock, no grand explosion—the fiery storm simply swallowed the Corpse-Dust Tempest whole, engulfing Nassim entirely.
Much later, Charles stepped across the glassy, heat-fused ground to where only a quarter of Nassim's body remained.
Even at the end, the man had not returned to human form.
Coughing, Nassim said, "What a shame… I never got to see your demon. Why… reject your true self?"
As his remaining body crumbled away until only half a head was left, Charles looked down at him and replied coldly:
"That thing… never existed in the first place."
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