Dax opened his eyes.
Before him stood Dantatos—but something was off.
Dantatos' hand was wrapped tightly around his neck.
*What happened? Did I lose?* Dax shook his head, dismissing the thought. *If I lost, I should be dead.*
Dantatos stared at him, confused.
"Human, why aren't you dead? You should be bleeding from every orifice, taking your last breath." There was a strange duality in his tone—mockery laced with bewilderment.
That snapped Dax's attention.
"You're not Dantatos," he muttered, calm and observant. His eyes flickered to the air above—there, a feminine figure hovered. Bloody skin clung to her frame, part of her skull exposed.
Four strings extended from her fingers, puppeteering Dantatos' body.
Noticing Dax's gaze on her, she acted.
Dantatos' fist, charged with a dense aura, punched forward—he released a devastating punch, strong enough to shatter massive boulders.
The impact drove blood up Dax's throat, but with Dantatos' grip still around his neck, he choked on it.
Dantatos smiled.
He loved this.
The struggle.
The pain.
With a wild swing, he slammed Dax into the ground.
**BOOM!**
A massive golden shockwave erupted from Dax's body, launching Dantatos back.
Dax's face turned red like it was about to explode.
"...Why do I still feel his grip on my neck?" Touching his neck, he noticed Dantatos' hand was still gripped tightly there. In a pulling motion, he released the grip, breaking each finger with every pull.
**Cough.**
**Cough.**
Dax coughed out a mouthful of blood. Standing up, he picked up Dantatos' arm, storing it in his space.
"Thank you for the kind gesture."
A serpent slithered around Dantatos, encasing him.
Dantatos glanced at his right arm—he didn't flinch. Suddenly, the bleeding stopped. His flesh regenerated at an unnatural speed.
"Inerous," Dax said. "Give me a report on my current condition."
"Yes, Master."
A projected diagram of his body appeared, red zones and blue zones marked.
"Master, your lungs are corroding, and your kidney has been poisoned. Your body is adapting, but the process will take time."
"'ll kill that snake."
He gritted his teeth, stretching his hand forward.
"Blood Spear."
One hundred bloodstrings obeyed, weaving a massive crimson spear above his head—larger than his previous attempts.
"Compress."
The spear began to hum violently.
**"This is impossible,"** Amon murmured. **"Such pure blood element in the hands of a human."**
He turned to his Dalia. **"Junior sister, are you sure he's not of vampire descent?"**
She looked just as stunned. **"A half-breed's element could never be this pure."**
Amon was perplexed. **"Indeed. This rivals the vampire nobles... How will they react when they discover a human wields the blood element—and of the purest form?"**
He drifted into silence, thoughts coiling like smoke.
The crowd hushed.
Whispers echoed.
**"Why is there a human blood mage?"**
Unbeknownst to Dax, he had created a mountain of trouble for himself.
**"Spin."**
Ten strings latched onto the spear, each spinning it in succession.
On the tenth pull, a subtle wave burst forth as spirals of wind surrounded the spear—an intense, refined mana weighed on Dantatos, pinning him to the spot.
**"Pierce."**
His voice was cold.
The spear launched, whistling as it traveled with terrifying speed.
Dantatos' eyes widened. **"I see why he summoned me... this human is a monster..."**
A sense of death surged through him.
**"Vegas Dome!"**
The serpent moved, circling Dantatos, strengthening his defense with its body—
But Dantatos was never the target.
The spear drilled into the serpent's skull, pinning its corpse to the arena wall.
In an instant, the spear dissolved, assimilating into its skull.
Dax raised a hand to his ear, as if listening to music.
Then—
**BOOM!**
Blood and flesh rained across the arena.
The silence returned—this time, out of fear.
Notifications flooded Dax's vision—but he ignored them.
His attention was on a sizzling chunk of flesh nearby.
He examined it. **"Corrosive,"** he noted, touching it with his bare hand. It burned, but not enough to matter. He'd endured annihilation this was nothing.
**"You underestimate me, human!"** Dantatos roared. **"Let me show you why they call me Dantatos the Possessed!"**
**"Omyooo shi akebe yuda."**
The air chilled. Ten small blue flames circled his horns—lost souls.
"The world is filled with lost souls... such a blessing."
He turned to the crowd, his eyes hollow. "This is my curse. Still—I'll use this to kill you."
He raised his blade, pointing it at Dax.
Dax was irritated.
He stored the serpent's remains, gripping Bloody Edge.
His aura erupted. Killing intent burst forth like a broken dam.
**"Third Form: Killing Cut."**
He slashed.
Again.
Again.
Each strike laced with pure murderous will.
**"He's using killing intent as aura,"** Enkida warned.
**"I know,"** Dantatos muttered, narrowly dodging the barrage. He managed to ground himself, raising his sword. He rubbed his palm on the blade's edge—suddenly, his blood began moving like it was alive, traveling to the hilt.
The fingers on thew hilt grew longer, wrapping around Dantatos' arm.
**"Cut of the Forgotten."**
A lost soul condensed into his weapon.
**"Not good."**
Dax vanished—reappearing in front of Dantatos.
**Clash.**
Dantatos tried to retaliate—but he was too slow.
Dax stomped his chest, creating distance. Unknown to Dax, a silent black arc took form mid-air—
**"Danger."** Dax felt a dense, sharp aura behind him. Increasing his speed, he ran, trying to dodge—but it followed.
**"This blade... is tracking me?"**
Dantatos grinned, summoning dozens more.
Wasting all the souls on one barrage.
Dax danced through the flurry with impossible precision.
His body adapted to the battle's intensity—this act strengthened his perception, battle presence, and intellect.
Like a phantom dancer, Dax twisted through death—
In the blink of an eye, Dax vanished from the entanglement of blades, appearing before Dantatos. The blades followed Dax like ducklings following their mother. Waiting until the blade was a breath away—he touched Dantatos head.
**"Blood Bound."**
Instantly, he vanished.
The blood on the arena—belonging to the serpent—began floating, flying toward Dantatos.
Like patches, it covered him until Dantatos was turned to a blood man.
**"Ahhh!"** Dantatos screamed as the blood corroded his skin. He struggled. He thrashed. He tried every means possible—but he couldn't move.
Horror washed over him as the very blade tracking Dax came in contact with him. Unable to move or dodge, it cleaved deep into his chest, exposing his heart and decapitating his right arm.
**"Vegas Dome!"**
He screamed. He didn't want to die—
But Dax was already in motion.
**Pat.**
One step.
**Pat.**
Two.
**Vanish.**
He landed on the dome—
His foot cracking its surface.
Dax slashed, wild and relentless.
**"What are you doing!?"**
Fear cracked Dantatos' voice.
In an instant, ten blood spears appeared—each stabbing into the dome.
**Crack.**
It shattered.
The final spear stabbed his exposed heart.
Dread consumed Dantatos as the spear fused with his heart.
**Pop.**
It exploded.
**"Aaaaahhh! Stop it, human!"** he screamed, rage and terror in his eyes.
**"You look at me like I killed your mother,"** Dax mocked, dragging The Bloody Edge across his torso.
The blade drank deeply.
Suddenly—pain.
Severe.
Dantatos' veins bulged—to the point they began to burst.
**"So this is the effect of Blood Clot." Dax was marveled by it's demonstration.
Dantatos regeneration halted.
Dax raised his sword above his head.
The beheading was moments away.
**"Stop!"** A commanding voice echoed from the VIP rooms.
Dax looked up.
A handsome young man stood, furious.
**"I said stop, you vermin!"**
Dax smiled. He'd never met this man, but his authoritative tone ticked him off.
Raising his blade with theatrical cruelty, he brought it down—
**Shhhk!**
The jagged edges stuck to Dantatos' neck in an instant, Dax began sawing back and forth.
Blood splattered across his face, painting it red.
**Thud.**
The head dropped, rolling across the floor.
Roars.
Chants.
Cheers.
The arena shook.
Dax ignored them all, squatting to Dantatos' corpse. He stored the decapitated head and body.
Unbothered.
Unapologetic.
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