In the middle of the Vampire Hall, Jerry and Jude stood, glaring at each other with anger. The entire Falcon family was present, along with Queen, Elle, Laila, and Nicholas Joseph from the Joseph family, as well as all his companions.
From behind Jude, a boy from his family stepped into the ring when Jude called him. Taking a token from Jude's hand, he quickly went to the reception to register their fight. This happened so fast that Jerry, who was behind Duke, and the referee were the only ones who understood what was going on.
Spectators who had come to watch the match were shocked to see Jerry declared the winner without a fight, but their surprise didn't last long. Soon, the referee officially announced that a fight between Duke and Jude had been registered. He quickly informed everyone that the next fight would be between Duke and Jude. Hearing this, the audience began to buzz with excitement.
Jerry, who was standing behind Duke, quickly approached the referee. The referee showed him his token, and upon seeing it, Jerry exploded with anger at Jude.
Jerry: Jude, you shameless man! This fight was supposed to be between you and me. How can you admit defeat without even fighting? Fight me now!
Jude (smiling): Look, Jerry, I'll fight you next time. But Duke himself offered me this fight—how could I refuse?
Jerry: Duke, what are you doing? Don't get involved in this. Leave. This is between me and Jude.
Jude: Jerry, now that our fight is registered, the only way out is to admit defeat. So, will Duke admit defeat?
Duke: Get out of the ring, Jerry.
Jerry: What are you saying? (stepping forward to face him)
Duke: This fight is mine, and so is this prey. (staring into Jerry's eyes)
When Jerry met his gaze, his entire body—and even his soul—shivered. He stepped back in fear.
Duke (cold tone): Now step down. I have some matters to settle, and no one needs to interfere in them.
Jerry said nothing, still gripped by fear, and walked over to Blake.
Blake: Jerry, why did the referee announce Duke's fight?
Jerry (nervously): Duke challenged him himself… and he said no one should interfere in his matters.
Blake (thinking, recalling): Arthur also said to keep Duke safe until others come to trouble him, but if he gets into someone's problem himself, you don't need to stop him.
Blake wasn't sure what to do. Now that the announcement was made, nothing could be changed. Meanwhile, the hall grew louder—everyone understood this was a rivalry, and the fight would be thrilling. Everyone knew Jude's level, and Duke was infamous across the continent for being "useless," with a noob-level rank. People were eager to see Duke's impending humiliation and began placing bets.
Betting was in full swing, with almost everyone betting on Jude. Laila was the only one betting on Duke. Seeing this, Queen spoke to her.
Queen: Laila, what are you doing? You know the result—this useless one is going to be crushed.
Laila (glaring at Queen): Don't worry about him. Just lend me all your blood capsules; I'll return them later.
Inside the ring, Jude suggested to Duke that since someone could disturb the fight, they should turn it into a cage fight. Duke nodded, and Jude informed the referee. The referee moved to each corner of the ring, where a round circle was marked, and infused his energy. An energy cage formed around the ring, preventing any interference.
As soon as people saw it would be a cage fight, the noise increased. News spread through the academy—it had been many years since a cage fight was held there.
Cage fights usually occurred between two families to prevent outside interference. The cage could even stop a Silver rank. Soon, the Vampire Hall was packed—over half the academy's students had come. Veronica, who had just left the Question Hall, arrived to see what was happening. Betting grew intense. Laila borrowed blood capsules from all her family members and bet them on Duke.
The referee asked both fighters if they were ready—they both agreed. Then, for entertainment, he addressed the crowd:
Referee: "After years, a cage fight is happening! Between Jude and Duke—enjoy the show!"
He started the fight and stepped aside.
Jude, a level-1 Beta with two cores, pulled both cores to his shoulders to channel their energy into his punches. As soon as he did, he began a barrage of punches on Duke.
[Note: A vampire's power comes from their energy core, from which they draw strength—just as Jude was doing, focusing his entire body's power into his fists.]
His powerful punches cut the air with visible force. His eyes turned red, and a dark red energy surrounded his body. He aimed to damage Duke's core, located between his eyes, so he targeted Duke's face directly. The crowd understood his intent, but they were surprised—despite several punches, none landed. Duke easily dodged all of them.
Then, in a cold tone with a devilish grin, he said:
Duke: Now… my turn.
Dodging Jude's right punch, Duke stepped in close, grabbed Jude's arm as it passed, twisted it over his shoulder, and—CRACK!—broke it at the joint.
Jude screamed so loudly that the entire crowd fell silent. His scream alone told them how badly he was hurt. The referee, shocked, moved in to stop the fight, but Duke, eyes still closed, spoke calmly:
Duke: Where's the blood?
Referee: What do you mean?
Duke (opening his eyes, smiling): The rule says the fight doesn't stop without blood or surrender.
Then Duke twisted Jude's arm behind his back, forcing it in the opposite direction. Jude screamed as if he were about to die—his shoulder twisted backward, partially damaging the core there. The crowd shuddered in fear. Jude fell to the ground, writhing, reaching for his injured arm, screaming in pain.
Ignoring him, Duke stared into the eyes of the man before him, grinning wickedly.
Duke: Until blood spills… this fight won't end.