The air cracked.Oban stood in silence.Yuji's breath formed frost as the dimension of Nolex trembled under their presence.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Blood Manipulation Phase 6 — Absolute Biological Disaster (Final Phase) Activated.]
Oban's eyes glowed like burning rubies, veins shimmering faintly beneath his pale skin. He could feel it — the blood around him was alive, whispering to him like an ancient god finally waking.
He exhaled. "So this is it… the final phase."
Yuji tilted his head, his crystal armor reflecting the broken light that fell from nowhere. "Final, huh? Then show me, vampire. Show me what your blood can do before I freeze it into dust."
Oban smirked, silent, lowering his stance.
Yuji raised his palm and the world stiffened. Frost expanded from his feet, racing across the ground like a storm unleashed. Oban froze mid-step, the ice crawling rapidly up his body — neck, chest, shoulder. But before it could seal his veins—
[SYSTEM: Adjusting internal temperature. Heating bloodflow — 210%.]
Steam burst from Oban's skin, cracking the frost apart. His body gleamed with heat waves, the ice evaporating before it could reach his heart.
"Blood temperature control," Yuji muttered, smirking. "Clever."
Oban vanished from sight, reappearing behind him, arm slicing through the air. Dozens of crimson arrows exploded outward — sharp, fluid, singing through the frozen mist.
Yuji dodged most of them, twisting his body with supernatural speed, but one grazed his cheek. A thin line of blood appeared — and froze instantly.
He smirked. "You'll need more than that."
Yuji thrust his palm forward, summoning a violent gust of wind — but this was no ordinary wind. It shimmered, filled with glacial energy that could slice through bone. The entire arena screamed as the cold wind clashed with Oban's blood shield.
[SYSTEM: Shield Integrity — 83%. Recommend Teleportation Maneuver.]
"Got it."
Oban teleported behind him again, reappearing in a burst of red mist. He struck hard — but Yuji spun around, their weapons colliding. Fang Mace met the crystalline blade in a roaring shockwave that tore through the frozen air.
The sound was thunderous. The ground beneath them shattered into endless fragments.
Outside, in the Mage City, chaos still reigned.
Vampires and mages clashed across broken streets. Fire, blood, and ice painted the sky. Klein tore through the battlefield like a storm, his hands dripping with ash and flame. Allisa, now healed, stood at the city's edge, her expression unreadable.
She clenched her fists, staring toward the distant dimensional rift.Is Oban fighting alone with Yuji?!
Then the ground shook again — the dimension itself trembling. The battle between Yuji and Oban was shaking reality.
Back inside Nolex, Yuji leapt forward, swinging his ice-forged sword in a wide arc. Each slash left trails of frozen air that cracked into thousands of tiny shards. Oban barely blocked the first, countered the second, then got slammed by the third — sent flying into the wall of frozen ground.
Yuji followed instantly, appearing right before him, hand glowing blue. He touched the air and the entire wall froze around Oban, sealing him in a crystal tomb.
"End of story," Yuji said coldly.
He turned—
A sharp sound echoed.
Crack.
Then another.
Crack… crack… BOOM.
Oban burst free, his body steaming, his eyes blazing crimson.
He spread his hands, blood floating around him like a thousand living threads.
[SYSTEM: Phase 6 — Subroutine 'Blood Arrow Projection' Engaged.]
Each droplet formed into blades.And each blade pointed at Yuji.
"You can't kill what already owns death."
They fired.
Dozens — hundreds — of blood blades shot forward like a storm of destruction. Yuji swung his sword, deflecting, breaking, and shattering many, but the sky was red, relentless.
He leapt back, raising his hand. A massive gust of icy wind erupted, forming a barrier of frost. The blades slammed into it, exploding into red mist.
When the mist cleared, Yuji was smiling. "Still not enough."
He dashed forward, faster than sight. One hit — Oban blocked with his mace. Another strike — Oban parried with his arm, blood armor forming over his skin. The two moved faster than lightning, blows echoing like earthquakes.
Then Yuji whispered, "Freeze—"
Oban felt it instantly. His entire left arm turned blue, solid, locked in ice.
But—
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Phase 6 ability — Thermal Override initiated.]
The ice shattered, vaporizing in an instant.
Oban punched him right in the jaw.
Yuji flew backward, crashing into a wall of solid crystal.
He stood, laughing quietly. "You're stronger than before. I like that."
He raised both hands — and the dimension screamed again. The air turned white, the light distorted. His armor pulsed — each plate of frost turning more radiant, his energy shifting to something beyond mortal sense.
"Let me show you what true frost feels like."
The air froze. Literally — time seemed to slow. Yuji's new aura expanded, each movement echoing like cracking glass.
Oban took a step back.[SYSTEM WARNING: Threat Level — Catastrophic.]
The ice mage's voice dropped to a whisper. "Absolute Zero — Compression Field."
The entire area became a white void. Cold beyond comprehension. Even the blood in the air froze solid.
Oban gritted his teeth, his breath slowing. "System… temperature reading?"
[SYSTEM: Ambient temperature — -459.66°F. Below survivable range.]
"Perfect," he whispered.
He pressed his hand to his chest.Blood erupted from his skin, surrounding him like a red sun.
[SYSTEM: Initiating Phase 6 Core Protocol — Biological Destruction Active.]
Yuji's smile faltered for the first time. "What are you doing?"
Oban raised his head, eyes glowing like embers through the mist. "You'll see."
From afar, the entire Nolex dimension began to twist. The frozen ground melted into blood. The walls became veins. Every molecule, every crystal, every particle of ice — slowly turning red.
Yuji stepped back. "You're transforming the dimension itself?"
Oban didn't answer. He stepped forward. His foot hit the blood-soaked floor — and the blood pulsed like a heartbeat.
Yuji raised his sword, ready to strike again. But then something snapped inside him. His right hand spasmed. The sword fell.
"What—?"
A burst of agony tore through him. His body jerked violently, his veins bulging under the ice armor.
Oban's expression remained calm.[SYSTEM VOICE: Nearby opponent's biological structure accessed. Commencing internal disruption.]
Yuji screamed, falling to one knee. His body was fighting itself — blood trying to move one way, ice trying to hold it back.
"Impossible…" Yuji gasped, trembling. "What are you—doing—to—me?"
Oban walked closer, silent. "You wanted to know what blood can do?"
He raised his palm. The blood on the ground rose with him, forming spirals around his arm.
"It commands life. And now—yours answers to me."
Yuji's body convulsed. One of his arms exploded into fragments of ice and blood. He roared, clutching his chest, eyes wild with disbelief.
Oban stopped walking. His face calm, but his voice low, heavy, final.
"It's called Biological Impact. You can't freeze it. You can't block it."
Yuji gasped for breath, falling to both knees. "You—monster…"
Oban smiled faintly. "No. Just evolution."
He turned his palm slightly — and Yuji's blood pulsed again, violent enough to make him collapse forward.
The frost around them dimmed, the cold dying out.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Opponent's Vital Energy — destabilized. Dominance: 94%.]
Yuji's gaze trembled, his armor cracking piece by piece.
And in that moment, Oban whispered quietly, "Right now, I can control your blood. No matter how strong you are."
The light flickered once, and the dimension fell silent.