The broken pieces of the blade dropped onto the rocky ground, ringing softly - almost like mournful chimes at a burial.
Darius gaped at his bare palm, mind blank after the sudden turn. The blade - made of Blue-Steel - could cut stone without effort. Still, Kaelen broke it clean, like brittle wood in winter.
You..." Darius staggered backward, confidence gone - just raw terror now. "What in the world are you?
Kaelen stayed silent. Instead, he shifted forward.
He skipped the complex moves. Instead, he drove upward using raw power. The rock under him cracked from the force.
Boom!
Before Darius had time to react, Kaelen slipped past his defense.
"Since you like to use your fists on those weaker than you," Kaelen said, his voice cold and flat, "let's see how you take a punch."
Kaelen drove his fist into Darius's gut.
A loud snap echoed when Darius's costly metal chest piece folded up like paper. That power kept going - ripping past bone, squashing insides.
"Gahhh!"
Darius gasped, his eyes wide open. Spitting blood mixed with stomach acid, he staggered. Lifted off the floor, he tumbled through space - flung like trash in a storm. Mid-air for seconds, then slammed headfirst into the rocky barrier lining the fight zone.
Dirt plus bits dropped all over him.
The whole arena fell quiet. Moments earlier, fans shouting for Darius now stared in shock.
"Did... did you see that?" a merchant whispered, wiping sweat from his forehead. "One punch. He sent a Stage 5 cultivator flying with one punch!"
"Is that really the Third Young Master?"
In the private booth, Lord Magnus squeezed the edge of his rocky seat till it split. His knuckles whitened - then a crack echoed through the air. "Top level of stage five," he whispered, gaze tightening. Not quite… this power went way past that. Felt closer to stage seven."
Back in the ring, Darius let out a low moan. Though he attempted to rise, pain shot through him. Burning heat ripped across his torso.
"I... I am a genius," Darius wheezed, blood dripping from his chin. "I cannot lose to trash like you!"
With a shout born of sheer need, Darius ignited the core of his blood - an unstable method that grants sudden strength. Flames burst from him, shifting into a fierce red glow.
"Die! Roaring Flame Fist!"
Darius shot forward, flames of red energy wrapping his right hand. Not just any move - this one could burn through metal, part of an ancient fighting style. The temperature spiked, making the space nearby waver like water on hot stone.
Kaelen saw the man approaching. Instead of bracing himself, he stood still. Rather than move away, he stayed put.
"A firefly trying to outshine the sun," Kaelen mocked.
He drew back his right arm. As he moved, his muscles bulged - tearing through the fabric of his dark workout gear. Underneath, a soft glow flickered like gold dust beneath the surface. The light pulsed just slightly with each breath.
[Skill Activated: Iron Fist (Dragon Enhanced)]
Kaelen drove a direct hit - no sparks, no showy moves - yet force slammed through like thunder after silence.
BANG!
Fist met fist.
A moment passed - everything froze. After that, crunching noises ripped across the space, sharp as a blast.
"ARGHHHH!"
Darius yelled out when his arm bent sideways. Because of how hard Kaelen hit, the Flame Fist didn't stand a chance - his wrist snapped, then the bone in his forearm broke, followed by his elbow giving way.
Kaelen kept moving. One step ahead, then his left hand seized Darius at the neck - hoisting him up like a small dog, no effort showing.
Darius flailed his legs, face shifting to a deep red. Fire vanished from his palm, swapped by sharp agony where his ruined arm used to be.
"Remember when you pushed me off the cliff?" Kaelen asked softly, tightening his grip. "You said I was wasting space. You said I should disappear."
K-Kaelen… don't go…" Darius gasped, sobs blending with crimson streaks down his cheek. "I mean… we're tied by blood… same roots, same pain…"
"Family?" Kaelen laughed, a harsh, barking sound. "You didn't treat me like family when I was a cripple. Why should I treat you like family now that I am a god?"
Kaelen lifted his right hand once more. Thick silence pressed down, heavy like smoke. His target? Darius's skull - dead center.
"Stop!"
A loud shout burst out from the front-row seats.
A person in gray clothes jumped off the tall balcony, flying down like a bird of prey. That was Elder Boran - top elder in the group, yet also Darius's strongest backer.
"You vicious animal! Put him down!"
Elder Boran touched down near Kaelen - about ten feet off. A ninth-stage body tempering expert, he carried weight that bore down hard, like stone piling on top. His presence alone felt crushing.
"Let him go, Kaelen!" Boran shouted, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. " The duel is over! You have proven your point!"
Kaelen glanced sideways at the old man while keeping his hold tight on Darius's neck.
"Over?" Kaelen raised an eyebrow. "This is a Life and Death Duel, Elder. The rules are simple: It ends when one of us dies. He isn't dead yet."
"Insolent brat!" Elder Boran raged. "He is your cousin! He is a genius of the clan! You want to cripple the future of the Vance family over a petty grudge?"
"Petty grudge?" Kaelen's eyes glowed gold. "He tried to murder me. Where were you then, Elder? Did you jump in to save me when he pushed me off the cliff? No. You probably celebrated."
"Enough!" Boran drew his sword. "Release him now, or I will execute you for harming a fellow clansman!"
[System Alert: High-Level Threat Detected.] [Enemy: Elder Boran (Level 9).] [Win Rate: 5%.]
Kaelen figured the Elder was still too strong - maybe later. Still, one thing stuck in his head: the rules of the group held weight.
"You threaten me?" Kaelen shouted, his voice amplified so the whole crowd could hear. "I am following the laws of the Ancestral Arena! A Life and Death contract is sacred! If you interfere, you are breaking the clan's honor!"
He looked up at Lord Magnus in the stands. "Patriarch! Are you going to let an Elder violate the sacred laws just to save a loser?"
Magnus didn't move a muscle. Kaelen had called it - spot on. Rules said nobody steps in. Still, Darius mattered….
Seeing the hesitation, Elder Boran gritted his teeth. "I don't care about the laws! I won't let you kill him!"
Boran rushed forward, blade slashing toward Kaelen's arm - hoping he'd let go of Darius then. One wild move, meant to break the hold fast before things got worse again.
Kaelen's eyes flashed with madness. "Fine. You want him alive? Take him!"
Kaelen held onto Darius - swung hard, turning his weight into cover just as the Elder slashed forward.
You fool! Boran yelled, yanking his blade backward fast so he wouldn't slice Darius clean through. Halting mid-swing threw him off balance, making him trip sideways.
In that brief moment of chaos, Kaelen sprang into action.
"You can keep his life," Kaelen whispered into Darius's ear. "But I'm taking his future."
Kaelen's empty hand curled like a hook. Not toward the face - instead, it drove downward. Targeting the gut, right at the dantian. That spot where all inner power gathers in someone who trains.
PUCHI.
Kaelen's fingers broke through the tough leather, digging into Darius's stomach. A brutal turn ripped the inner core apart.
Darius's eyes fluttered shut. A quiet cry escaped him, then every muscle relaxed at once. His energy - once strong and bright - faded out, vanishing like mist in wind.
He wasn't a cultivator anymore. Yet he'd become disabled.
Kaelen flung Darius's lifeless form at Elder Boran, who staggered back off-balance.
Here," Kaelen said, brushing his soaked palm down his leg. "Grab it."
Boran grabbed Darius, feeling for a heartbeat. The broken core under his fingers told the whole story. Blood drained from his face - then rushed back in rage.
"You... you destroyed his cultivation!" Boran roared, his killing intent exploding outward. "You turned him into a cripple! You are evil!"
"I just returned the favor," Kaelen replied calmly, standing his ground against the Level 9 pressure. "Now he knows how I felt for seventeen years."
Kaelen faced the shocked group, while the quiet Patriarch stood nearby.
"I have won the duel!" Kaelen shouted. "Darius is alive, so I showed mercy. But from this day forth, I am the Heir of the Vance Clan!"
He raised his red-stained hand toward the clouds.
"Anyone who objects... can come down here and join him."
Silence. Not a sound anywhere in the space.
No one said a word. Their eyes shifted from the wrecked figure - once brilliant - to the cold kid who stood firm in the middle of the arena.
Kaelen Vance hadn't merely returned - no, he'd arrived with claws out. Power hummed under his skin, shaping something harsher than before.
[Ding!] [Quest Done: The Fight That Decides Everything.] [Goal: Beat Darius Vance.] [What You Get:] [1. Level Boost (Waiting)] [2. Surprise Gun Crate] [3. 500 Game Coins]
Kaelen grinned when his phone dinged. Despite Boran's furious stare, he strolled off. Yet the tension stayed thick. Still, nothing stopped him from leaving.
"System," he whispered. "Show me the weapon box."