The Golden Eyes burning in his eyes intensified again, gradually shifting from gold toward reddish gold.
Second-Stage Blood Rage increased both his physical abilities and the effect of Time Zero. In an instant, he left several long, narrow bloody cuts on the unsuspecting Friedrich. The white hunting outfit that had stayed dry even in the rain was now stained with blood.
Friedrich slashed. Rainwater gathered from across the sky, and an explosion of high-pressure water broke off their close-quarters struggle. Both men retreated.
Only then did Angers have the attention to spare for his surroundings and Uesugi Yue's group. The sky was gloomy beneath the downpour, but strangely, everything more than a few dozen meters away had vanished into darkness. Only this small area still had light and visibility, as though someone had sealed the entire block off from the outside world with a black box.
Uesugi Yue, Caesar, and Chu Zihang were no longer where they had been, which meant this was no mere trick of the eye. It might involve the rules of space.
"The Path to Godhood..." Friedrich wiped the blood from his chest. His blood was thick and black, bubbling finely where it met the air. "After all these years, humans are still relying on this path the Black Emperor already sealed off to slay dragons. That's why your failure is inevitable. Because you are pathetic, base, and arrogant."
He was the one who had been wounded, yet he still looked certain of victory.
"Still not using the little toy your master rewarded you with?" Angers exposed his secret with a single remark. "A mask that enhances your bloodline-is that the gift you got for betraying your friends? You really are fucking pathetic."
"Hilbert von Ange." Friedrich's voice was low. "I never considered you friends. How