As Diego watched Sebastian, he couldn't help but relive the harrowing moments that had just unfolded. He had struggled to keep pace with Sebastian's relentless onslaught, but it felt as though his opponent had suddenly gained the uncanny ability to predict his every move—true foresight.
It was an abrupt, chilling shift that Diego could never have anticipated; Sebastian's fundamental combat style remained identical, yet every strike Diego launched was met with empty air, while the tally of his own injuries continued to mount. Realizing that parrying and defending were merely delaying the inevitable approach of his own demise, Diego felt a cold desperation settle in his chest. His traditional tactics had been rendered obsolete by this newfound wall of tactical perfection. With his strength fading and the shadows of defeat closing in, Diego decided to gamble everything on a maneuver he had never before dared to attempt.
As Diego lost his arm, he realized he had to think outside the box to survive the relentless attacks Sebastian was only one step away from unleashing. He analyzed his dwindling options and decided to utilize his innate power of proprioception. His plan was to transfer his consciousness into the raw energy thrumming within his body; however, attempting to navigate his physical essence through the "sixth sense" proved agonizingly ineffective.
Furthermore, his focus wavered dangerously between the visceral chaos of the battle and the delicate internal transfer, a fatal lapse in concentration that cost him his hand as Sebastian's blade found its mark. Realizing he would never survive this onslaught with a divided mind, and feeling his life force drain into the dirt, Diego finally committed to a singular path. He silenced the external noise, narrowed his vision, and decided to pick one of the only two options he had left.
The first option was to continue the grueling war of attrition against Sebastian, desperately seeking a way to shatter his opponent's supernatural foresight and bypass the predictive gaze that rendered every strike futile, hoping for a singular, narrow opening to end the conflict once and for all. Conversely, the second, more perilous path required him to abandon all physical protection, rendering himself entirely defenseless against Sebastian's onslaught to focus solely on the volatile task of infusing his consciousness into the raw energy reserved deep within his body.
However, Diego wasn't granted the luxury of contemplating his next move. Before he could react, his leg was severed, the fractured limb falling uselessly to the floor. Panicked, he scanned his surroundings, realizing he was now handless and unable to strike back. Even if he attempted to regenerate his limbs, the agonizingly slow process would leave him wide open; Sebastian would surely seize that window to unleash a fatal finishing blow.
While Diego usually relied on his supernatural quickness to evade danger until he healed, his missing leg severely compromised his mobility. He knew he couldn't outrun the inevitable, especially since Sebastian could utilize his spatial abilities to enhance his own movement. When boosted by this spatial manipulation, Sebastian's velocity perfectly matched Diego's peak speed with both legs intact, rendering escape impossible in his current shattered state. Driven by desperation, Diego felt the cold weight of his mortality as he realized his once-reliable agility had been stripped away by a superior tactical force.
With a relaxed posture, Diego surrendered his defense and chose to transfer his consciousness into the energy within his body, betting everything on a single, desperate gamble. He wagered that the transition would hold; a few seconds ticked by, and he had nearly completed the process. His speed had improved significantly, forged in the heat of his earlier combat experience when he suffered a brush with death—specifically, when Sebastian's initial attack drove a sword directly into his skull. Now, possessing superior control and remaining fully lucid during the act, the transfer proceeded with unprecedented velocity. He could feel the familiar weight of his physical form anchoring him, yet just moments before the synchronization was finalized, a jagged tremor of psychic feedback surged through his mind, and he lost control.
That was the moment Sebastian slashed his rib cage making him lose stability. The feeling was alien, being split in two, Diego had never felt that way, he was used to structure, as awhile as it was, however when Diego broke off his rib cage, Diego was split into two bodies, the upper part and the lower part, and also the pathways of his energy was broken off, and so without energy and a sense of self, Diego felt dead.
Although his broken-off body parts lay lifeless on the ground and the energy pathways of his form had been severed, Diego himself wasn't truly dead. Instead, he lay in the silent threshold between existence and extinction, a liminal space where neither breath nor rot could claim him. Diego, however, had no inkling of this suspension; his final memory was merely the bitter sting of defeat. It was only when he became devout as a genuine soul vampire that he realized this dark transformation was a divine tether. He embraced this resurrection as a jagged gift from God—a second chance to rise from the dead and dismantle the enemy that had orchestrated his original downfall.
Armed with the knowledge discerned from their last encounter, Diego concocted a hasty strategy, intent on unleashing an immediate, overwhelming assault. He noted that his opponent appeared defenseless, seemingly stripped of that mysterious ability of foresight. Diego's eyes burned a vengeful crimson as he locked onto the individual he believed had orchestrated his demise.
Propelled by an immense, rhythmic power, his figure became a blurred streak of motion while a visceral, deep blue aura manifested around him, crackling with the weight of his unbridled animosity. Due to this staggering velocity, Diego arrived in Sebastian's presence like a bolt from the blue. He didn't even pause to witness how his own rejuvenated, perfect skin was now drenched in that same azure radiance, pulsating like a dying star, as he aimed a devastating strike directly at Sebastian's left shoulder blade.
Diego expected to see the shoulder blade he aimed at broken clean off, or perhaps a jagged crack running precisely from the bone down toward Sebastian's rib cage. However, that was not what he found. The moment his hand struck down, it became clear that Sebastian had utilized his annoying spatial ability to warp the distance between them, once again enhancing his speed to evade the brunt of the blow.
A deep scowl etched itself onto Diego's face. He cursed his own impulsiveness, wondering why he had allowed his volatile emotions to override his discipline. They were all his enemies—Maru, Frank, and even Sebastian. Diego had always prided himself on dissecting every aspect of an opponent's kit, using calculated, strategic probes to draw them out before delivering a decisive finishing move.
Now, he was recklessly unleashing his primary sequence without a full tactical profile, driven by a swirling internal chaos that clouded his judgment and left his flanks exposed to counterattacks. He was no longer thinking rationally; unfamiliar sentiments were sprouting within him like weeds, choking his logic and forcing him into the very amateur mistakes he usually despised in others.
If he hadn't been so emotionally compromised, he never would have committed a blunder as reckless as lunging with such immense speed, launching an attack he knew Sebastian could easily evade. Consequently, Diego chose not to pursue a follow-up strike once he realized Sebastian had slipped away; instead, he came to a dead halt, reining in his erratic impulses to meticulously dissect the diverse array of abilities Sebastian had unveiled. He stood motionless, his mind racing to deconstruct every movement and energy signature, desperately seeking a hidden flaw or a tactical oversight that would allow him to formulate a strategy guaranteed to finally take Sebastian down.