The coliseum plunged into a deathly silence. Tension crackled in the air like a drawn blade, all eyes locked on the center stage where chaos threatened to unfold.
"You must be tired of living, human," Amon growled, his voice guttural—less like speech, more like a sentence of execution.
Then he vanished.
A tidal wave of killing intent burst forth, his aura roaring like a storm. It wasn't just oppressive—it was absolute, pressing down on Dax with the weight of a mountain. The air turned thick, as if dipped in molten steel.
"No!" Dalia bolted forward, aura flaring, but she was a heartbeat too late.
Dax stood unmoving beneath the crushing pressure. Every nerve in his body screamed in silence. Muscles locked. Lungs froze. A cold shroud of death coiled around him, whispering his end.
This man… he's beyond anything I've faced. No—move, damn it! Dax's thoughts fired in a frenzy.
Master. Your lab, Inerous reminded him, voice calm amid the chaos.
Gene Palace.
Just as Amon's clawed hand reached out—
Dax vanished.
The world seemed to skip a beat.
"Impossible!" Dalia and Amon shouted in unison.
"Where is he?!" Amon barked, his spiritual sense exploding outward like wildfire, scouring ten kilometers in every direction. His brows furrowed. "How can a weakling vanish so casually?" His tone darkened. "Space magic?"
He spun on Dalia. "Who is he?"
Dalia hesitated, her heart racing. This was spiraling beyond control. Her brother's hatred for humans ran deeper than blood—but Dax wasn't someone she could let die.
"He's Dax... from the Godfall Clan."
The silence shattered.
"What?! A Godfall?!" Amon's voice boomed like a war horn. "You let a Godfall live?! This can't be!"
"GUARDS!"
The command thundered across the arena, echoing like an impending apocalypse.
"GUARDS!"
Four squadrons stormed in, each led by a Recognition Realm chief. Amon's aura seethed—blazing, unstable.
"Spread out! Hunt him down! White hair—bring him to me. Dead or alive." He paused, voice colder than frost. "Two hundred thousand low-grade mana stones for his head."
Cheers erupted. Greed ignited morale like oil to fire.
Dalia remained silent. This land belonged to their master, and while her authority was high, Amon's influence matched hers. Normally, he avoided coliseum affairs—his obsession had always been power. He stood near the peak of the Awakening realm….
Deep, in the isolation chamber, Dax stood quietly, the hum of ancient machinery humming around him.
"I think I pissed off someone dangerous."
You think? Inerous replied dryly. Master, you were fully aware of your actions.
Dax rolled his eyes. "Instead of sarcasm, how about a solution?"
Apologies. Calculating escape route.
Dax's tone hardened. "This place restricts my growth. We leave today."
Understood. I have a plan that can ease your escape.
A golden trail formed at his feet, weaving through the air.
I've also begun mapping power levels. That demon…. His base value is 6,490. Overwhelming.
"Then I need something stronger."
Indeed. Follow.
As the golden trail shimmered and coiled through his lab, Dax arrived at the Nutrient Chamber.
Suspended in gel, was a monstrous form—sleek, feline, bristling with bone spikes.
Scopic Beast. Power Level — 7,100.
Dax narrowed his eyes. "Stronger than him."
His gaze flicked to another feed.
Dalia: Power Level — 6,000.
"With the Annihilation Robe… she's easily surpasses that. She's dangerous."
*And that is all thanks to you.* Inerous replied
He exhaled, steadying his nerves. "Well then… I guess I don't have a choice."
Above, whispers stirred through the coliseum.
"What… what is that?" a demon gasped.
A strange beast slowly descended into the arena like a nightmare slipping free of its cage. Bone spikes jutted from its back. A long feline tail lashed lazily as it landed with disturbing grace.
It lay still.
Then, without warning, its body expanded—pulsing, shifting.
Its eyes snapped open.
Red slits burning with primal fury scanned the crowd. And in that instant, demons across the stands saw hell—their hell.
"Where... am I?" the beast muttered, its voice deep, confused.
Amon flinched. "What the fuck is that? Where did it come from?"
SCREEEEECH!
Its aura erupted. A tidal wave of primordial energy crashed down. The coliseum shook. Dust rose in whirlwinds. Even Amon and Dalia staggered, barely holding their ground.
"I'm very hungry," the beast whispered.
"It speaks!" a demon cried. "Only magic beasts above Level 200 can talk!"
Dalia's eyes narrowed. "Mel, merge with my shadow. Standard protocol."
She reached behind her, pulling forth the Annihilation Robe. Shadows rippled as the garment cloaked her body in wisps of annihilation.
Amon's eyes gleamed, his expression darkening. "Where did you get that armor?"
Dalia didn't turn. "We'll talk later."
"Yes… Dalia…" he hissed through clenched teeth. Where did she get such a powerful artifact? That surge… unnatural.
Then—
The beast vanished.
A shockwave burst from where it once stood.
"Where is it?" Amon growled, summoning his 8-star weapon. His aura flared—blazing blue and blinding.
"It's coming," Dalia whispered, shrouded in annihilation mist.
The air thickened.
CLANK!
BOOM!
Amon flew backward like a ragdoll, slamming into the coliseum wall. The beast emerged, gaze locked on Dalia.
Its irises shifted—from red to glowing yellow.
Dalia's mind blurred.
Suddenly, she stood inside a familiar room.
Her childhood bedroom.
"Dali," a soft voice called.
"No… it can't be," she breathed.
A woman stepped through the door. Pink skin. Two curved horns. Gentle green eyes.
"Baby, why won't you answer your mother?"
Dalia reached out, mesmerized.
DALIA!
Amon's voice shattered the illusion.
"What are you doing?!" he roared. "It's tricking you!"
The beast's energy twisted the air. It wasn't mana. It wasn't demonic.
It was something older—alien.
CLANK! BOOM!
Dalia was sent flying, her amour glowing a dim purple.
Screeeech!
The beast screeched, lunging. The sound—unbearable. Blood poured from the ears, eyes, and noses of dozens in the crowd. Some dropped dead without a scream.
Annihilation energy…? The beast face paled.
The beast bit its own paw off and tossed it. The limb disintegrated on contact with the ground.
"Why does she have annihilation?" It muttered.
Then, slowly, it turned to Dalia. Lowered its head.
And extended a glowing tendril toward her cheek.
The moment it touched her—memories flooded its mind.
NO! NO!
Its voice rose in horror.
"Why is that bastard here?!"
In Dalia's memories, it saw a face.
Dax.
"I have to heal. Before that lunatic turns me into parts again…"
Its voice trembled with dread.
"Now I know where she got that armor… Hahaha. No need to be ashamed. That psycho even managed to get Balrog."
"I WILL NOT be turned into raw material."
Suddenly, Dalia's eyes snapped open. A torrent of mana exploded from her body, flinging the beast back.
She raised her hand—an orb forming.
No. Not yet… I haven't mastered that.
She halted, breathing steady.
Instead, she floated upward, raising a staff carved with runes and set with a violet gem.
Symbols spun around her.
"SINNER'S BLADE!"
A golden blade descended—holy, furious. Dozens of sword-auras launched from it like arrows of judgment.
The beast dodged, barely.
Pat! Pat! Pat! Pat!
Amon dashed in, drawing a curved blade from his waist. Flames erupted—his hair turning blue. The very mana in the air caught fire.
He carved an arc through the sky—a blazing slash aimed at the beast.
"FALL!" Dalia screamed, her divine blade dropping like a hammer of judgment.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire arena detonated.
Dust surged. Stones shattered. Barriers trembled.
Silence.
Dalia hovered above, scanning the smoke.
"…Is it dead?"
—
AHHHHHHHHHH!
Screams erupted from outside the coliseum barrier.
Her blood ran cold.
It wasn't over.
Something far worse had just begun.
The beast moved through the chaos like a shadow with purpose. Demons scattered in panic, shrieking as the Scopic Beast began to shrink—its form warping grotesquely until it was no larger than a bug.
It curled into a tight sphere… then launched like a cannonball.
Thunk.
A demon dropped instantly, twitching before going still. Blood oozed from a pin-sized hole in its skull.
The crowd froze.
Silence.
Not the silence of awe—the silence before slaughter.
"How the hell did that thing dodge us so easily… and breakout of the barrier?" Amon demon said.
Dalia didn't respond. Her eyes tracked the beast, pounding heart.
This has to be his doing. That man... Ever since I met him, I haven't been able to read a damn thing about him. Dalia grit her teeth.
Inside the fresh corpse, the Scopic Beast feasted.
It chomped. Chewed. Slurped. Its face was drenched in blood as it devoured the demon's brain, its tiny frame twitching in satisfaction.
Suddenly, the stump of its missing arm began to regenerate. Its fur shimmered—shifting from brown to a burning orange.
"That was tasty," it rasped, dragging itself out of the demon's skull, eyes darting like a beast starved for centuries. "I need more."
Weak.
It pounced again, this time onto another demon. Its jaw snapped like a steel trap.
Then another.
And another.
Before anyone could act, thirty demons lay dead, their skulls hollowed out like broken shells.
Dalia and Amon chased after it, rage in their steps.
"Awaken!" they shouted in unison.
A burst of blinding light erupted across the arena.
Amon's body twisted as horns curled back like a ram's. His frame bulked up, black flames licking across his flesh. His demonic aura exploded outward.
Meanwhile, Dalia morphed into something unrecognizable.
A third eye bloomed from her forehead. Her ears stretched into elongated points. Her skin pulsed with hatred as her aura turned dark and venomous.
Amon's eyes widened. "Daughter of Wrath..." he whispered, stunned.
Far below, Dax stepped out of his lab, unfazed.
The arena trembled above. His gaze followed the waves of chaos dancing through the air.
"…Is that Dalia?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. Such raw power...
[Dalia: Power Level – 9,000.]
"That's insane... Definitely linked to that form she's using."
But he had no time to dwell. He turned away, entering the dimly lit hallways.
This path… it seems familiar.
Master, where are you going? Don't tell me it's what I think it is...
Dax ignored the Inerous, his pace quickening. Every guard he passed was silently eliminated—stored away like meat for later study.
Finally, he reached his formal cell. A grin tugged at his lips.
"Batman!" he shouted.
From the shadows stepped a towering man—muscles sculpted like armor, skin the color of ash, and large black demon wings stretched behind him.
"…Is it really you?"
"Wrong guy," Dax said with a smirk, stepping forward. "Kidding. It's me."
"Come back!" the winged man snapped.
"What are you doing?!" Korg's voice rang out behind.
Dax raised a hand, forming ten crimson blood spears that hovered, trembling with energy.
He fired.
BOOM!
The lock shattered. The gate creaked open.
The winged man dropped to one knee. "Dax… I pledge my undying loyalty to you. If I ever betray your trust, may my soul be devoured by the flames of hell."
"I know what you did for me . You repaired my shattered core… and gave me a gift only a god could bestow. I was weak and you blessed me with strength. I'll serve you to my last breath, Master."
Dax gave a cold, pleased smile. "Then follow me."
Minutes later, they arrived at the path leading to the Guard's Court.
Two chief guards stepped out, weapons drawn, snarling.
"You stupid human," one hissed. "You should've stayed in hidden."