Chapter Thirty-seven - The Bleeding Sky
As Lio Was about to hit Atta Luke's instincts flared. If he hits him again, Atta could die.
The moment Lio lunged, lightning coating his fist, Luke vanished from the balcony—
—and reappeared between them.
His palm slammed against Lio's chest, pushing him back with a shockwave that sent the angel crashing into the arena wall.
The crowd gasped as Luke turned to Atta, kneeling beside him. He placed a hand on the prince's shoulder, golden light flowing from his fingers. In seconds, Atta's burns healed completely, the pain vanishing.
Atta looked up, stunned. "Luke… what are you doing?"
Luke stepped back, lowering his head.
Atta rose, fury in his eyes. "Give me a good reason for interfering in my match."
Then Luke dropped to one knee.
The entire arena fell silent.
The announcer's voice echoed in disbelief:
"W-What are we seeing?! The Guardian of Humanity… is kneeling before Atta!"
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Atta crossed his arms, glaring down. "And now everyone knows I'm not some commoner. What are you doing, Luke?"
Luke swallowed hard, voice trembling. "My prince… there's been an emergency in the Human Kingdom. Your father has ordered me to bring you home—immediately."
Atta frowned. "What happened?"
Luke hesitated, then lowered his gaze. His voice broke. "...My prince… your elder sister, Princess Izza… has been killed."
Atta froze. His eyes widened, his face losing all color.
He grabbed Luke by the collar, yanking him upright. His voice was cold and shaking. "What did you just say? You know I could execute you for joking like that."
Luke met his eyes, his own expression hollow. "King Rauf told me himself. We… we must return for her funeral."
Atta's grip tightened. "I can't believe this… She was strong. She couldn't just—"
He stopped. princess Izza face shaking in his memories her warm smile her teasing jokes her motherly eyes
His eyes began to glow crimson.
He seized Luke by the throat, rage boiling over. "How did this happen?! Who did this?! You're Humanity's Guardian—and you were standing here protecting this tournament while your Princess was killed?!"
The sky above the arena darkened, turning blood-red. The ground trembled as Atta's mana surged violently— his control slipping away.
The Prince of Humanity was beginning to lose himself.
As Atta's rage boiled over, his body trembled — his heartbeat echoing like thunder through the arena. The sky above began to shift from orange to blood-red, swirling like a storm of fury.
Luke Blackwood's eyes widened. "No…" he muttered, realizing what was happening. Azeon… is waking up again.
Atta's grip tightened around Luke's throat, but before the prince's fingers could crush it, Luke teleported away in a flash of white light, appearing several meters back.
He turned toward the balcony and shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos: "Evacuate the stadium! Now! Things are about to spiral out of control!"
High above, David Diamante saw the crimson clouds gathering — an ominous pulse shaking the entire coliseum. Without hesitation, he began teleporting the panicked spectators out of the arena in groups of hundreds.
The ground trembled as if the world itself feared the awakening presence.
Atta knelt in the center of the arena, head bowed. His hair fluttered in the windless air, and his eyes glowed an eerie crimson — burning like living flames.
Then, from the royal balcony, Princess Isha leapt down, landing gracefully beside Luke. Her voice trembled slightly. "Luke… what's happening?!"
Luke turned to her, his face tense. "Princess, you need to leave. Azeon is waking — and you already know what happens when that monster takes over."
Princess Isha looked past him toward Atta, feeling the overwhelming mana flooding from his body. It was suffocating — thick, ancient, and wrong. "Why?" she asked, voice shaking. "Why did he lose control so suddenly?"
Luke clenched his fists. His voice broke with grief. "Princess Izza… has been killed."
Princess Isha froze, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. Her eyes widened, glassy with tears. "What…? Izza?"
Luke nodded once, grimly.
Isha turned her gaze back to Atta, who was now trembling violently, his aura exploding outward. "Can you control him?" she asked urgently. "Or should I summon more Guardians?"
Luke shook his head, undoing the clasp of his white robe — the symbol of his rank as Humanity's Guardian. The fabric fell from his shoulders and hit the ground softly. His green eyes glowed brighter as he readied himself. "No, Princess. He's my responsibility. I'll handle this."
He raised his hand toward her. "But you must leave. I can't protect a royal while fighting an ancient entity."
Before Isha could respond, something moved — a flicker, faster than light itself.
A shadow rushed forward.
A shockwave detonated through the arena — sending Princess Isha flying backward into the far wall. Dust and debris filled the air.
For a few silent seconds, nothing moved.
Then, as the dust cleared, she saw them — Azeon and Luke, locked in a clash of pure power.
Atta's form had changed — his eyes now blazed red like molten fire, and from his head grew a pair of curved, brown deer-like horns, spiraling upward. His voice was not Atta's anymore — deeper, older, haunting.
Princess Isha's heart pounded. She remembered the last time Azeon took control… but back then, Atta had no horns. This time was different. Stronger. Worse.
A chill ran down her spine as Luke's aura flared bright green — raw, divine energy radiating around him like a blazing storm. He had blocked Azeon's punch head-on — a strike powerful enough to create shockwaves that shattered the walls.
Azeon grinned, teeth sharp and feral. "Well, you're not bad," he said, voice echoing with a demonic resonance. "You've got plenty of mana… and you saw my punch coming. Experienced — I like that."
Luke's expression stayed cold. "Leave my prince's body… or I'll make you."
Azeon tilted his head, cracking his neck with a sinister smile. "It's the first time I've had full control of this boy's body. I think I'll play a little."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished — reappearing in front of Luke.
His fist connected with Luke's jaw, sending the Guardian flying backward.
Luke crashed through the air, spinning toward the wall, but before he could hit it, Azeon lifted one hand and whispered: "Earth Magic: Spikes."
Dozens of massive stone spikes erupted from the wall, ready to impale Luke.
But Luke twisted midair, kicking through the spikes with a single burst of green energy. The shards exploded in every direction as he landed sideways on the wall, then pushed off, shooting straight back at Azeon.
Their fists collided midair — the shockwave shattered the remaining arena seats.
"So," Azeon said between gritted teeth, smirking, "I hear Princess Izza died. How… disappointing. Personally, I'd have preferred the eldest — Princess Fiza — to perish instead. She might actually become a threat to my plans someday."
Luke's eyes widened in fury.
In one smooth motion, he kicked Azeon in the ribs, sending the demon crashing into the ground. "Don't you dare," Luke snarled, his voice shaking with rage, "Mock princess Izza death."
Azeon lay there, grinning — crimson eyes gleaming up at him. "Ah… now you're getting serious."
The red sky above pulsed like a heartbeat. The battle between the Guardian of Humanity and the Ancient Flame of Destruction had just begun.
To be continued...