Chapter 6 – A Predator's Curiosity
The capital trembled.
Not from earthquakes.
Not from monsters.
Not from war.
It trembled because he had moved.
The Blood-Knight Sovereign had descended into the underground arena.
And everyone knew what that meant.
---
Arienne walked through the stone corridors beneath the arena, her footsteps echoing softly. The crowd's cheers still rang in her ears, but they felt distant now, muted beneath the pressure that clung to her skin like invisible chains.
Caelan followed behind her, his expression tight.
"He's still here," he said.
"Yes."
"You planned that too?"
"Yes."
He stared at her.
"You're insane."
She didn't deny it.
The Hunger System pulsed, reacting to the Sovereign's presence like a beast sensing a rival.
[High-Level Entity Nearby]
[Predator–Prey Resonance: Active]
[User Heart Rate: Stable]
She exhaled slowly.
Fear was irrelevant.
---
The corridor opened into an ancient hall—once an imperial vault, now a throne room of bones. Torches burned with crimson flames along the walls. Bloodstains covered the marble floor, layered over centuries.
At the center stood him.
The Blood-Knight Sovereign.
He leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, as if waiting for her like a host greeting a guest.
His crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"You're slow," he said.
Caelan's hand moved to his sword.
Arienne raised a hand slightly.
He stopped.
She stepped forward alone.
---
"So," the Sovereign murmured, "you crawled into my capital and started a festival."
"You allowed it."
He laughed softly.
"Yes. Because I wanted to see you dance."
He walked toward her.
Each step felt like gravity increasing.
The Hunger System screamed warnings.
[Threat Level: Catastrophic]
[Combat Recommendation: Retreat]
[Survival Probability: 2.9%]
She ignored it.
He stopped an arm's length away.
"Show me what you've become."
He raised his hand.
The air exploded.
---
Caelan barely saw Arienne move.
She vanished, shadows swallowing her form.
The Sovereign's strike obliterated the wall behind her, stone vaporizing under crimson energy.
Arienne reappeared above him, dagger descending.
He caught her wrist effortlessly.
She twisted, shadow energy erupting, forcing him back.
He laughed.
"Good."
He moved again.
The hall became a battlefield of invisible speed.
---
Their clash was not a fight.
It was a conversation written in blood.
Arienne struck with precision, shadows dancing around her like living creatures. She targeted joints, blind spots, pressure points.
The Sovereign countered with overwhelming power, his crimson blade tearing through space itself. Each swing reshaped the hall, walls crumbling, floors splitting.
Caelan watched, powerless.
This was beyond generals. Beyond emperors.
This was a clash of monsters.
---
Arienne activated Hunger Surge again.
[Hunger Surge: Activated]
[Temporary Power Boost: +50%]
[Cost: Emotional Stability, Life Force Minor Drain]
Her aura exploded.
Shadows erupted from the ground, wrapping around her like armor, wings, claws.
She struck.
Her blade pierced his chest.
For a moment—
He froze.
Then he laughed.
Blood spilled from his lips.
He grabbed her by the throat.
"You're fascinating."
He slammed her into the floor.
The impact shattered marble.
Her bones cracked.
Pain screamed.
The Hunger System went berserk.
[Critical Damage]
[Emergency Regeneration Triggered]
[Shadow Resilience Overload]
Shadows stitched her flesh.
She smiled through blood.
"You're still holding back."
He paused.
His eyes narrowed.
"You noticed."
"Yes."
He released her.
She rolled to her feet.
---
"You could kill me," she said.
"Yes."
"Then why don't you?"
He looked at her as if she were a puzzle.
"Because you are different from the rest of this city's trash."
He tilted his head.
"You died once. Now you walk with something else inside you."
The Hunger System reacted violently.
[System Identity Concealment Failing]
[User Exposure Risk: High]
She suppressed it.
He stepped closer.
"I want to see how far you climb before you break."
He raised his blade.
Caelan stepped forward.
"Don't—"
The Sovereign flicked a finger.
Caelan was slammed into the wall by invisible force, pinned, unable to move.
"Stay out of this, child."
He turned back to Arienne.
"Show me your killing intent."
She stared at him.
"You're not my target."
He smiled.
"Good answer."
---
He attacked again.
This time, she didn't dodge.
She met him head-on.
Shadows erupted around her, forming a massive spear.
[Skill Evolution: Shadow Construct – Unlocked]
[Power Growth: +15%]
She thrust.
The spear pierced his abdomen.
He froze.
The hall went silent.
Blood dripped.
He looked down.
Then he laughed again.
He pulled the spear out with his bare hands.
"You grow fast."
He flicked the spear away.
His wound healed instantly.
Regeneration.
Immortality.
Myth confirmed.
---
He stepped back.
"That's enough."
Arienne frowned slightly.
He sheathed his blade.
"You amuse me, Arienne Virelith."
He walked past her.
"I won't kill you."
Caelan shouted, "Why?!"
The Sovereign looked over his shoulder.
"Because killing prey before it matures is boring."
He looked back at Arienne.
"You will become strong. You will gather followers. You will challenge me."
He smiled.
"And then I will crush you personally."
---
He walked to the exit.
Then paused.
He turned back.
"I vow this."
His eyes burned.
"When you stand at your peak, when you believe yourself untouchable—
I will kill you."
He vanished.
---
The hall collapsed into silence.
Caelan dropped to his knees, breathing heavily.
Arienne stood still.
Her body ached.
Her mind burned.
The Hunger System pulsed erratically.
[User Survived High-Tier Encounter]
[Power Growth: Massive]
[Psychological Stability: Reduced]
She clenched her fists.
She had lost.
But she had survived.
And survival meant growth.
---
Later, they sat in the ruined mansion again.
Caelan stared at her.
"You're insane," he repeated.
"Yes."
"He could have killed you."
"Yes."
"Why provoke him?"
She looked at him.
"Because he is the ceiling."
He frowned.
"And you want to break it."
"Yes."
The Hunger System pulsed warmly.
[Emotional Bond Strengthened: Caelan Veyran]
[Growth Amplified]
She felt stronger.
People were power.
Fear was fuel.
Predators were ladders.
---
That night, she stared at the capital skyline.
She felt it.
The Sovereign's gaze.
The city's fear.
The system's hunger.
Everything aligned.
This was her world now.
And she would devour it.
---