Alex didn't stop at that.
He followed through with a powerful kick, with his leg that hadn't been injured, aimed at Rakul's midsection.
The Red Demon staggered backwards, gasping for breath.
The gap was closing, and Alex could see the panic in Rakul's eyes.
Desperately, Rakul tried to teleport again, but Alex anticipated this move.
He reached out, grabbing Rakul's arm just as he began to disappear.
The sudden contact between them caused Rakul to bring Alex with him.
"Not so fast!" Alex growled, a sinister smile on his face.
He tightened his grip on Rakul's arm and pulled him closer.
He swung Virtue's Edge, not having enough energy to produce and sustain Phoenix flames after his two uses of teleportation during this battle.
He had used it at the start against Gormak, and now against Rakul.
The blade sliced through Rakul's side.
"ARGHHHH!"
He screamed in agony.
Alex didn't give him the chance to recover.
He pressed his advantage, striking again and again, each blow weakening Rakul further and causing him to lose more and more blood.
Not to mention completely decimate his internal organs.
The Red Demon's teleportation talent was useless in such close quarters, hence why he opted to become a long range supporter.
Finally, with one last, powerful strike, Alex drove Virtue's Edge through Rakul's chest.
His body convulsed violently, his eyes wide in terror.
Rakul left a last scream across the battlefield before the light of life left his eyes.
Alex stood over his lifeless body, his breathing heavy and laboured.
His body ached from the numerous wounds, and the pain in his foot and shoulder was almost unbearable.
But he had done it.
He sheathed his massive blade with a slow, deliberate emotion.
"You misunderstand me, human," he said calmly.
"I do not pity you. I simply refuse to sully my honour by fighting someone who is already half a corpse."
Alex's eyes widened in confusion, his grip on Virtue's Edge faltering for a moment.
"What?" he breathed, his voice barely a whisper.
"In the Red Demon race, it is dishonourable for Prodigies like myself to fight an opponent in a state such like yourself," Vorkath explained.
"Especially for someone of my stature. Top class Prodigies like myself cannot tarnish our reputation by engaging in such cowardly acts. Or else I'd risk losing my position as a Prodigy."
Vorkath looked down and rubbed his blade, cleaning a little bit of dust off of it, before turning back to look at Alex.
"And that... is not something that can happen."
Alex's mind raced, trying to comprehend Vorkath's word.
"So, you have the perfect opportunity to finish me off, yet you're just going to let me go?" he asked, disbelief lacing his tone.
If someone suggested such a thing back in the federation, they would get laughed off by the entire awakened world.
There was no such thing as 'Honour' in the world of awakened.
Everyone cared about their own strength and survival, that was it.
Such things like public image, reputation etc was not on their list of priorities, and they'd gladly take an opportunity to finish off a strong opponent like Vorkath had right now.
Vorkath nodded slowly.
"Correct. But do not consider it an act of pity. Should we meet again, I will not hesitate to kill you."
Before Alex could respond, Vorkath's body tensed, and with a powerful leap, he ascended to the sky.
Alex watched in stunned silence as Vokath soared higher and higher, disappearing into the clouds.
A moment later, a sleek, dark ship materialised out of nowhere, its form shimmering as it emerged from what appeared to be some sort of spatial storage.
The ship's engines roared to life, and with a blinding flash of light, it vanished into the black expanse outside of the atmosphere, leaving Alex alone on the battlefield.
The silence that followed was deafening, the distant groans of injured and almost dead soldiers and Red Demons being the only sounds disturbing this silence.
Alex fell to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"What the fuck just happened!?"
He fell unconscious just a moment later.