Numerous copies of Mchi''s giant sword materialized in the air and plummeted down towards Ezra. He dodged and weaved, his now healed wings and tail allowing him to maneuver through the deadly rain. Despite his agility, several swords found their mark, piercing his flesh and drawing blood.


    Ezra gritted his teeth, enduring the pain and focusing on Mchi. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance and drove his sword through Mchi''s gut. Mchi''s tentacles wrapped around him, squeezing with bone-crushing force. Ink surged forward, sizzling as it burned his skin.


    Ezra gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he spread his wings, trying to break free, but Mchi held fast, a tentacle wrapping around one of his legs.


    Mchi''s sword shed out, severing Ezra''s wings. His tentacle held Ezra up and then swung down with tremendous force. Mchi kept swinging Ezra into the ground, beating a crater into the floor.


    Ezra felt every part of his body break and reknit with every swing. He growled in frustration as his wing kept regenerating. He needed to end this, and quickly. His swordshed out, severing the tentacle holding his leg. With a beat of his wings, he put distance between him and Mchi.


    Mchi surged after Ezra, unwilling to let him create distance. Ezra coated his de in his darkness and turned to meet his charge. He cut Mchi''s advancing tentacles, being pushed back step by step.


    As he fought, Ezra noticed something. Each time his sword cut into Mchi, he felt a surge of vitality. His sword was sapping Mchi''s strength, turning the tide of the battle in his favor. He smiled grimly, bracing and readying himself for the final confrontation.


    Mchi noticed his dwindling vitality and snarled, teleporting around the cavern in an attempt to disorient Ezra. Ezra''s blood sang in his veins, his sword shing out as he predicted Mchi''s movements. He could feel the rhythm of the battle, each beat guiding his actions.


    With a roar, Ezra lunged forward, his sword cutting through the air with deadly uracy. Mchi appeared in front of him, but Ezra was already in motion. His swinging sword descended, the de connecting with Mchi''s side and drawing a howl of pain. Mchi teleported again, but Ezra was already moving, his blood song guiding him.


    The cavern was a blur of motion and fury. Mchi''s tentaclesshed out, but Ezra''s sword was faster, slicing through them and sapping Mchi''s vitality. Mchi teleported once more, appearing behind Ezra with his giant sword raised high.


    Ezra spun around, his sword meeting Mchi''s in a sh that sent shockwaves through the cavern. The feet underneath him cracked in a spreading wave. They were both exhausted, their regeneration slowing as their vitality waned. But Ezra had the advantage now. Each strike of his sword drained Mchi further, weakening him with every blow.


    Ezra''s swordsmanship grew more aggressive with every passing second. His attacks were a blend of raw power and fluid elegance, his movements almost a dance of death. He could feel himself sinking into the same state of mastery that Shadrach had disyed during his dreams.


    He blocked Mchi''s strikes with a deft flick of his wrist and retaliated with cuts that made Mchi roar in pain. Mchi''s tentaclesshed out in a frenzy, attempting to ensnare Ezra once again. Ezra countered with a spinning sh, his de slicing through the rubbery appendages with ease. ck ichor sttered across the cavern floor, each drop hissing and sizzling upon contact.


    Mchi''s frustration was evident. His teleportation became more erratic, desperate even, as he sought to find an opening in Ezra''s defenses. But Ezra''s blood song continued to guide him, each key in the song a whisper of Mchi''s next move.


    With a sudden, vicious lunge, Mchi managed to clip Ezra''s side with his sword. Ezra stumbled back, feeling the searing pain spread through his torso. He nced down to see the wound, deep and jagged, blood pouring out. He gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn''t afford to falter now. His wound healed slowly.


    Drawing strength from his sword''s siphoning power, Ezra pressed on. He spun on his heel and delivered a powerful upward sh that caught Mchi off guard. The de tore through Mchi''s arm, severing it cleanly. Mchi howled in agony, his teleportation faltering as his vitality ebbed. Mchi''s tentacles dragged him away.


    Seizing the opportunity, Ezra charged. His wings beat furiously, propelling him forward with incredible speed. He aimed for Mchi''s heart, his de a blur of silver and shadow. But just as he was about to strike, Mchi teleported onest time, reappearing above Ezra with his sword poised to strike down. The previous disy had been a feint!


    Ezra reacted instinctively, throwing himself to the side and rolling to avoid the deadly strike. The ground where he had stood shattered under the force of Mchi''s attack, debris flying in all directions. Ezra scrambled to his feet, his eyes locked on his foe.


    Mchi was weakening, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated. Ezra could see the fear in his eyes, the dawning realization that he was losing this battle. Summoning thest of his strength, Mchi roared and charged at Ezra, his remaining tentacles iling wildly.


    Ezra met the charge head-on. Their swords shed again, sparks flying as metal met metal. Ezra''s blood song reached a fever pitch, guiding his every move with uncanny precision. He sidestepped Mchi''s attacks with ease, countering with devastating blows that left Mchi reeling.


    Finally, Ezra saw his opening. Ezra''s blood sang, and he moved with blinding speed, driving his sword through Mchi''s chest and into his heart.


    Mchi gasped, his eyes wide with shock and pain. His tentacles iled wildly, but theycked the strength they once had. Ezra twisted the sword, ensuring the destruction of his heart.


    "This is for everything," Ezra said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion.


    Mchi''s eyes flickered with a mixture of rage and resignation. "You... will... never... win..." he whispered, his voice fading as the life drained from his body. Ezra guided the shadow on his sword to shred everything in Mchi''s ribs.


    Ezra watched as Mchi''s body went limp, his heart destroyed. The tentacles fell away, dissolving into the darkness as Mchi''s ck zone faded. The cavern was silent, the echoes of their battle lingering in the air.


    Ezra stood there for a moment, catching his breath and letting the reality of his victory sink in. Mchi was dead. The threat he had posed was gone.


    He dismissed his sword and transformed back into his human form, his body aching from the ordeal. His injuries began to heal, the regeneration slower now but still effective. He took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs and revitalizing him.


    With onest look at Mchi''s lifeless body, Ezra turned and made his way out of the cavern.


    As he made his way out and emerged from the darkness of the fortress, the first light of dawn began to break on the horizon. The sun peeked over the horizon, it''s golden light painting the sky.


    The Three Axe gang and the Red Orphans were now his. He hadpleted the punishment. He could feel the debts on his soul. His promise to Vren. His blood oath to Miss Red. And something else.


    A debt he''d recently noticed. A debt which he didn''t know when he incurred. A debt whose debtor was unknown. He gazed into the sky.


    It was a new day, and with it came new challenges. But Ezra was ready. He had faced the darkness and emerged victorious. And he would do it again, as many times as it took.


    END OF VOLUME 1: THE BOOK OF NIGHTMARES.