The clash of their weapons, again and again, is so deafening that all the animals on the hill have fled elsewhere.
And yet, Ren's screams of rage and effort overpower even that.
The wide clearing that had stretched around them just minutes before is now nothing but a memory. In its place, craters and deep fissures scar the ground.
The only area left almost completely untouched is where Iris lies, still trapped in Jace's blood vines and growing weaker by the minute.
Ren is doing everything he can to keep the fight as far away from her as possible. His opponent, on the other hand, is doing the complete opposite.
«Blood Manipulation: Scarlet Predators!»
More tentacles like the ones holding Iris captive explode from Jace's palm and shoot toward Ren.
And… SWISH!
With a sharp swing of his enormous energy sword, Ren slices them cleanly in half before they can reach him.
Then he spreads his wings and charges Jace head-on, accompanied by the dazzling violet electric energy swirling around him.
The speed at which Ren skims over the ground is comparable to a bullet.
He raises his sword, ready to strike. But... CLANG!
Jace blocks the attack with great effort. He feels his knees buckle and his feet sink into the ground.
The shockwave from the clash of their blades is so devastating that it hurls both of them backward with brutal force.
Using his wings, Ren manages to regain his balance midair and land squarely on his feet.
Jace, on the other hand, isn't nearly as lucky. He bounces several times across the ravaged ground, finally crashing into a rock formation on the opposite side of the battlefield.
«This is nothing compared to what I'm going to make you go through, you damn bastard!» Ren snarls. Rage and tension seem to radiate from him.
From time to time, he shoots a brief glance toward his sister. She is still conscious, and that is enough to calm him just a little. But at the same time, every time his eyes fall on Iris, the anger and ferocity inside him burn even more fiercely.
«It's still too early to celebrate, Ren.
You haven't even seen a fraction of my power yet!»
The vampire is covered in blood, his body riddled with wounds from the impacts. Numerous bones have been shattered and crushed. But before he even has time to get back on his feet, both the injuries and the broken bones are already completely healed. It's as if those devastating collisions had never affected him.
He takes a guard stance again, ready to resume the fight, but Ren closes the distance in a flash.
He unleashes another slash aimed at Jace's neck, even faster and more powerful than the previous one.
Once again, Jace intercepts it with his axe, barely in time.
But this time, his defense doesn't hold.
«D-Damn it…!»
The axe shatters into a thousand pieces in his hands, and only thanks to his extraordinary vampire reflexes does Jace manage to leap back at the last instant.
Ren's energy blade passes just inches from the tip of his nose. But the displacement of air from that swing generates a blade of wind that opens a vertical wound running across the vampire's body from forehead to abdomen.
Once again, that long, deep gash regenerates instantly.
«Not bad at all, Ren Toya. But now let's see how you handle this... Blood Manipulation: Spike Bullet!»
The blood flowing from Jace's palm takes the shape of a massive spike aimed straight at Ren's face.
Given the projectile's speed and the short distance between them, it seems to leave him no escape.
Yet, with a violent beat of his wings, Ren manages to throw himself sideways in time and evade the potentially lethal attack.
But that's not all.
With that powerful flap of his wings, he also generates an intense gust of wind that slams straight into Jace. It sends him flying backward for dozens of meters, like an ant shot from an air rifle.
Only after crashing through four tree trunks does he finally slow down.
The injuries from that last series of impacts heal just like the previous ones, as do his shattered bones. And yet, this time it happens much more slowly. Where his regeneration had been almost instantaneous before, now it takes nearly two seconds.
Jace struggles back to his feet.
No wounds remain on his body, but the searing pain coursing through him still lingers.
A faint, nervous smile forms on his face.
«Your strength is truly incredible, Ren — I mean it. Even if you couldn't use Magic Paralysis, you'd still be an extremely powerful incubus. I underestimated you, but from now on, I'm getting serious too…»
Jace's skin begins to redden and overheat. His muscles swell to the point that his flesh starts tearing and healing over and over again. Now not only his irises, but his entire eyeballs are red — completely bloodshot.
«…the real fight starts now, Ren Toya!»