The unease Simon had felt throughout the fight had finally taken shape.
It was behind him, occupying a corpse.
Darius's nose had been the first warning. It had detected danger beneath what Simon chose to reveal, recognising something his ordinary senses should never have understood so easily.
Then there was his body.
Darius had not simply become stronger because the battle lasted longer. Anger strengthened him. Excitement intensified the change, and the deeper he lost himself in the fight, the more power his body released.
His flames grew hotter with it, but Simon had never believed the phoenix explained everything.
Solace, the divine spear, had provided the final clue.
Divine weapons were weapons of gods. Even Demi-Gods treasured them for the power they possessed. A Level Ninety human did not ordinarily carry one onto a battlefield, much less speak about it as though it were an inseparable part of himself.
