**Chapter:104
Chapter Title:The Phoenix's Wrath
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The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and ash, the once vibrant landscape of India now reduced to a smoldering wasteland. Rajesh stood amidst the devastation, his wings of flame slowly retracting as he gently lowered Sakamoto and Jayesh to the ground. The healing properties of his Phoenix wings had mended their wounds, though the scars of battle still lingered. His eyes, burning with a mixture of anger and sorrow, locked onto Ark Angel Michael, who stood tall and unyielding despite the destruction around them.
Rajesh's voice was low, each word dripping with pain and fury. "Years ago," he began, his tone heavy with regret, "I fought you alongside the two Locker brothers. We mummified you, sealed you away, thinking it was enough. But I couldn't bring myself to kill you. I thought sparing a human life was the right thing to do. And today… because of that decision, millions have died. Because of *me*."
As he spoke, flames erupted from his body, forming a circular wall of fire that encased him and Ark Angel Michael. The flames burned bright, their heat so intense that the ground beneath them began to crack and melt. The fire shifted, its color turning from orange to a deep, otherworldly blue. Rajesh halted his advance, his voice steady but filled with resolve.
"You couldn't curse Sakamoto's abilities," Rajesh said, his eyes narrowing. "Because he wasn't human to begin with. That's why you didn't drain his power. But even if you could curse me, even if you could make every use of my abilities drain my life force… today, I will kill you, with the very ability you cursed."
His eyes glowed with a killing intent so sharp it seemed to cut through the very air. Rajesh blurred forward, his speed unmatched in his full cloak mode. From his hand, a whip of pure flame manifested, its fiery tendrils lashing out at Ark Angel Michael. **CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!** Each strike was precise, but Michael dodged with unnatural agility, his movements fluid and calculated.
Rajesh landed on the ground, his flames burning brighter than ever. The heat radiating from his body was so intense that the ground beneath him began to melt, the earth turning to molten slag. He stretched out his hand, a ball of flames forming in his palm. The fire grew larger and larger, its light blinding.
"Phoenix Flames: Supernova Blast," Rajesh muttered.
**FWOOM!**
The ball of flames shot forward, its speed unimaginable. The air around it crackled and hissed as it raced toward Ark Angel Michael. Michael's ten heads reacted instantly, two of them merging into one and opening their mouths to swallow the flames. **BOOOOOOM!** The explosion was catastrophic, the two heads disintegrating into ash as the flames consumed them. Michael staggered, his remaining heads writhing in pain because they where all connected.
"You… you destroyed two of my heads," Michael growled, his voice a mix of anger and disbelief. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Rajesh didn't respond. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth, the strain of using his Phoenix full cloak mode taking its toll. But he didn't stop. He steadied his breathing, his voice calm but filled with determination. "Phoenix Full Cloak: Ashes of Creation Rising Star."
From his back, the flames spilled upward, forming a massive phoenix with no eyes, its body burning as hot as the sun itself. The phoenix's wings stretched wide, its presence overwhelming.
Ark Angel Michael's remaining heads began to charge bubbles in their mouths, but instead of firing them, they swallowed the bubbles whole. Vapor hissed from their mouths as they prepared their next move. Michael's voice was cold and menacing. "I won't let you finish that attack."
The remaining heads opened their mouths, and a concentrated beam of energy shot forward. **FWOOOOOOOOOM!** The beam was massive, its power enough to destroy whatever was left of India. It tore through the ground, obliterating everything in its path as it raced toward Rajesh.
Rajesh's phoenix cloak which was activated, forming a dense ball of flames around him. The beam struck the ball, the impact shaking the earth. **BOOOOOOM!** The ground around Rajesh was reduced to nothingness, but the ball of flames held its ground. Inside, Rajesh was breaking down, his body pushed to its absolute limit. Blood poured from his ears, his vision blurring. But he wasn't done yet.
"I have to use the final card," he thought, his voice barely a whisper in his mind.
Inside the ball of flames, Rajesh muttered, "Shen Transformation: Phoenix."
His body began to change, his human form dissolving into pure flame. His limbs elongated, his torso expanding as feathers of fire sprouted from his skin to a more advanced form. His face shifted, his features sharpening into the majestic visage of a phoenix. His wings, now fully formed, stretched wide, their fiery feathers glowing with an otherworldly light. Rajesh had become a full phoenix, his presence radiating power and destruction.
With a mighty clap of his wings, Rajesh expelled a massive wind blast that destroyed the beam. **WHOOSH!** He soared into the air, his wings beating with a force that shook the heavens. He brought his wings together, the tips pointing forward, and unleashed a massive blast of energy. **FWOOOOOM!** The blast slammed into Ark Angel Michael, sending him flying. **CRASH!** Michael's body smashed into the ground, his heads writhing in agony.
Rajesh opened his phoenix mouth and let out a cry that tore through gravity, reality, and everything in its path. **SCREEEEEEEEEECH!** The sound wave pinned Michael to the ground, its force overwhelming. The wave shifted, transforming into a blazing fire with black properties that engulfed Michael, burning him over and over again. **CRACKLE… CRACKLE… CRACKLE…**
Through his connection to Sakamoto's shadow in the shadow plain, Rajesh was able to speak directly to him. "Teleport him into the shadow plain," Rajesh said, his voice echoing in Sakamoto's mind.
Sakamoto, still recovering,was surprised that he was able to talk to Rajesh despite him fighting, he hesitated. "The warlord's powers are beyond me," he replied.
"Embrace the power of the shadow plain," Rajesh urged. "It grants you unlimited possibilities. You can do this."
Sakamoto stood, his focus entirely on Ark Angel Michael, who was still burning under Rajesh's attack. Sakamoto's eyes glowed as he channeled the power of the shadow plain. The warlord's body began to bend and twist, his form gradually sinking into his own shadow. **WHOOSH!** Michael struggled, but there was no escaping the pull of his own shadow. He vanished, pulled into the shadow plain.
Sakamoto's vision shifted, and he saw his four shadows in the shadow plain, Ark Angel Michael bound by chains, his free will stripped away. Sakamoto snapped back to reality, his breath heavy, " in chains?" He muttered "why"
Rajesh, now back in his human form, collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. His body was broken, his energy spent. He could only stare at the destruction around him, the weight of his actions heavy on his heart.
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