"So... did I pass?" Razeal askedas if he were asking about the weather rather than the result of a violent exchange that had just shaken the entire colosseum. He stood relaxed in the center of the arena, posture loose, shoulders lowered, not even bothering to raise his guard. His eyes were fixed on Arthur not with mockery or aggression, but with a quiet, assessing curiosity.
Arthur, on the other hand, stood several ters away.. still frozen with himself.
Blood dripped steadily from his face.
It slid down the bridge of his broken nose, sared across his lips, stained his chin, and fell into the shallow water coating the arena floor, blooming outward in faint crimson ripples. His palm was still raised in front of him, fingers trembling slightly as he stared at the blood covering it, as if his mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing.
He was bleeding.
That fact alone felt unreal.
Arthur had taken blows before. He had been thrown, crushed, slamd into walls, battered by sea beasts and trained by his own father until his bones scread. Pain was familiar. Injury was familiar. But this.. this was different. This wasn’t damage accumulated over ti. This was the result of a single, clean strike.
From a human of that?
Razeal watched him carefully, noting the way Arthur steadied his breathing, the subtle tightening of muscles beneath torn skin, the way his stance slowly re-ford despite the shock. Internally, even Razeal was surprised. That punch had carried more force than he’d intended. Enough force that, had it landed on stone or even boulder of diamond, the structure would’ve caved in without resistance.
Yet Arthur was standing.
Not unconscious. Not crippled. Still standing.
That physique really is sothing else, Razeal thought, eyes narrowing a fraction. Royal Atlantean body... so that’s not exaggeration he thought.. as rembering so reminders from Neptunia in secret..
Arthur finally clenched his fist, blood dripping between his fingers, and spat violently onto the arena floor. The red mixed with water, then he wiped his mouth and nose with the back of his hand in a rough, careless motion, saring the blood across his face rather than cleaning it.
"Pass?" he repeated hoarsely, a broken chuckle bubbling up from his chest.
His eyes lifted.. sharp, furious and burning.
"Until I’m satisfied," Arthur said, voice low and edged with raw ego, "or until one of us is completely defeated... you don’t pass."
He straightened fully now, shoulders rolling back despite the pain, bloodied grin twisting his expression into sothing of arrogance. "And trust .. I won’t be satisfied until I beat you."
The air around him shifted.
Not with mana. Not with aura. But with pressure.. pure intent, honed pride, and wounded authority twisting together into sothing sharp.
"So your only way forward," Arthur continued, teeth stained red as he smiled, "is to defeat ."
His eyes darkened.
"And don’t misunderstand," he added, voice dropping further. "I was holding back before."
The water beneath his feet trembled.
"I’m serious now."
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Arthur vanished.
The water didn’t just part.. it vibrated, collapsing inward as if space itself had been yanked aside by his speed. A shockwave rippled outward, distorting the arena floor beneath him.
Razeal’s gaze sharpened instantly.
Arthur reappeared directly in front of him, fist already mid-swing, body twisted perfectly to drive maximum force into the punch. It wasn’t sloppy. It wasn’t reckless. It was clean, precise, and brutal.
Razeal raised his hand to intercept
but the mont before contact, Arthur disappeared again.
A feint.
Razeal’s eyes raised slightly..
Arthur was already behind him.
Razeal twisted sharply, reaching out to grab..
but Arthur had already spun away, movent flowing seamlessly as he snatched his spear from the ground in the sa breath, creating distance with a single fluid motion.
"Really?" Arthur sneered from afar, gripping the spear tightly, blood still dripping from his face but still a cool smile on his face. "You think I’d make the sa mistake twice?"
The spear lowered, its tip aligned perfectly with Razeal’s center of mass.
"I can fight from range too," Arthur said coldly. "So dodge. Let’s see how long you can keep that up."
He lifted the spear overhead, muscles in his arms and back tightening, veins standing out as he brought it down with terrifying force.
The water in front of the spear compressed violently, folding inward before erupting forward as a crescent-shaped water slash dense, razor-sharp, and propelled entirely by physical force rather than magic or anything else.
It scread through the water toward Razeal, cutting a visible path through the arena.
Razeal didn’t move.
"Co on," he muttered, unimpressed. "I’m not that weak."
He just raised his hand as slapped the water slash aside with a bare hand.
The compressed blade of water shattered instantly, collapsing back into harmless ripples as if it had never existed.
Arthur’s lips twitched.
"...What the hell is your body made of?" he muttered, disbelief flickering through his fury.
Razeal didn’t answer.
Instead, he leaned forward, one foot pressing into the arena floor.
The ground cracked.
Then he vanished.
The floor exploded where he’d been standing, fractures spiderwebbing outward as Razeal launched himself forward with sheer physical power, water surging violently behind him.
Arthur reacted instantly, accelerating away, spear trailing behind him as he shot across the arena.
"You can’t catch !" Arthur shouted over his shoulder, teeth clenched. "Don’t even think about it, thick skinned bastard!"
The arena beca a blur.
Arthur moved first fast, fluid, perfectly adapted to the underwater environnt. His movents were natural, effortless, each shift of direction precise and controlled.
Razeal followed.
But the difference was obvious.
Razeal was slower.
Not just slightly.. noticeably.
His strength allowed him to close distance in bursts, but sustained pursuit was another matter entirely. The water resisted him, dragging at his movents, while Arthur flowed through it as if it weren’t there at all.
Arthur had been born here. Raised here. Water was almost in his veins.
While razeal was fighting against it.
They streaked across the arena, one chasing, one fleeing, shockwaves rippling with every sharp turn, spectators barely able to track their movents.
Arthur weaved, cut, reversed direction, clearly enjoying the advantage now.
Razeal narrowed his eyes, analyzing.
Agility gap is still too wide, he noted calmly. Even if I predict his path, my body won’t keep up.
He could feel it clearly the limits of his current speed, the resistance of water against muscle, the difference between raw power and refined movent.
While this catching-and-running ga was going on, the stream continued as well, showing everything that was happening.
Ancestor Xue thought, How is his body so tough? It doesn’t seem to be the result of any technique or thod, nor of any special training. This strength feels completely natural.
Vampire Progenitor: Because it is natural. A vampire’s body is fundantally different from a human’s its constitution, its structure, its very existence. Skin, bones, flesh... all of it surpasses the hardness of high-rank weapons even without deliberate training. We are not fragile creatures that need constant reinforcent. rely existing grants us resilience. Not just anything can harm us.
The ssage lingered for a mont, heavy with pride, as if written with blood itself.
Ancestor Xue: Hmm... so it is a racial characteristic. Beings of night and blood... creatures sustained by blood itself huh. Interesting. If you hadn’t told , I would never have imagined such a race could exist. In the realms I lived in, we had beast races, spirit races, divine remnants but nothing quite like this. Compared to those, your kind seems... excessive. Almost too powerful to be believable. So tell what weakness do you have?
Primordial Vampire: Weakness?
The word itself seed to amuse him.
Primordial Vampire: No. We do not have weaknesses. We are the strongest race in existence. I was the originator of the entire lineage.
The confidence in that statent was absolute unquestioning, immovable. It wasn’t arrogance born from ignorance. It was certainty forged through epochs of survival.
The chat stirred imdiately.
Degenerated Bastard: Yeah, no. That’s bullshit. Nothing exists without a weakness. And why does everyone here sound so full of themselves? Relax. We’re all dead anyway.
Primordial Vampire: With a title like yours, I can confidently say pride was never one of your virtues. Perhaps that is why you fail to understand it.
Ancestor Xue: His interests lying elsewhere does not an he lacks dignity or image. And judging a being solely by a na is crude.
Lily:Oh, I can judge just fine. From his na alone, I picture an old man halfway into his coffin ..scrunched body, long white beard dragging the ground, hollow eyes that haven’t seen desire in centuries. And considering how passionately you defend him, I’d say you’re a lecherous old man too.
There was a noticeable pause.
Ancestor Xue: ...That is not true.
Lily: Sure.
Lucifer: Enough. All of you shut up and focus on what’s happening in front of you. I don’t understand how you can ignore this embarrassnt.
Zara: Embarrassnt? You an watching this kid embarrass us? Yes. I feel ashad too. How can soone take this long to finish such a trivial fight? Playing around like this... it’s disgraceful.
Her words were sharp, almost biting, disappointnt bleeding through every syllable even though just from written text comnt.
Degenerated Bastard: What’s there to be ashad of? This has nothing to do with . Not like hes my son or disciple.
The Greatest Collector: I am ashad because i gave him a universe-grade item.. a Shadow Heart and he isn’t even using it. I’m irritated. Truly. I want to torture this child myself.
Lucifer: I gave him a to of infinite knowledge. Did he just opened it once and then ignored it or sothing? What is he doing? He’s disgracing the na of sacred demonic artifacts.
Zenocide: Now that you ntion it... I’m disappointed as well. He has accumulated an enormous amount of killing aura, yet he hasn’t refined it, hasn’t shaped it, hasn’t used it. I gave him a path one tied to a supre concept of reality itself. And this is where he stands? I understand his age.. But with that level of accumulated killing... to not even focus on killing arts? It’s shaful.
The stream did not calm down.
If anything, the tension inside that invisible space thickened, layered with wounded pride, offended authority, and the unmistakable temper of beings who were never used to being ignored.
Ancestor Xue: Yes... now that you all ntion it, I’m feeling offended as well. Truly offended. I guided him toward a supre path.. a path countless beings would kneel and bleed for. And what does he do with it? Uses it only for perception? How dare he. This is not ignorance. This is disregard. Disrespect. And an unforgivable sin.
His ssage carried a sharp edge, as if each word had been carved deliberately, grinding against ancient pride.
The others did not object.
They were villains selfish, ruthless, cruel by nature but even they understood one thing very clearly: opportunity was sacred. Power was not given freely. And anyone who received it without honoring it deserved scorn.
They were not angry because they cared about Razeal.
They were angry because their offerings had been taken lightly.
Ancestor Xue (continued): I even demonstrated techniques for him. Personally. Even explained the logic behind them. And yet he doesn’t use them. Not even once..I an only using for such small thing as perceltion?Its not for that.. How can I not be dissatisfied?
Degenerated Bastard:...Wait. You guys gave him skills? And training?
There was genuine confusion in that ssage.
Ancestor Xue: You didn’t?
Degenerated Bastard: Uh... no. I just gave him so of my own painted masterpieces since e seed to appreciate them a lot and only asked for that... He even got my authoragh on one.. Like... ten books or so. But they weren’t for learning skills or anything.
There was a pause.
A very long pause.
Ancestor Xue: ...Books?
Degenerated Bastard: Yeah.
Ancestor Xue: Are they... perhaps... paintings? Of beautiful won? With extrely detailed poses? Very... cultural angles?
Degenerated Bastard: How did you know?
Ancestor Xue: ...Damn.
Lily: You two are hopeless.
Lily: Also what are you all even complaining about? He’s just a kid. Sixteen or seventeen at most. Leave him alone. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m satisfied.
That earned her attention.. As popping ssages Paused for so seconds.
Lily: Yes, he isn’t using all the skills I gave him but look closely. Can’t you see what he is using? His perception. The way he reads movent, sound, intent. That perception skill? I gave him that. Barely two months ago.
And now look at him.. he’s using it at nearly the sa level as I do. Maybe a little lower, but still absurd for soone his age.
Lily: When he ca to , he was utterly weak. Not taphorically. Truly weak. Barely surviving. What he’s achieved since then defies logic. Even if I were in his position, I doubt I could’ve progressed that fast. So yes.. I’m satisfied. Very much so.
Ancestor Xue: Blah blah blah. You can be satisfied all you want. I’m not. He’s still a dumb bastard for not using what I gave him.
Degenerated Bastard:...You people are weird.
Lily: Honestly, the only thing he’s lacking is a proper movent technique. That’s all. Hmm...
A pause.
Then
Lily: Fine. I’ll give him one. He actually uses my skills, unlike yours. Hehehe. Seems like he likes more. What a good boy.
The stream panel chid repeatedly as notifications stacked one after another.
And then
Ding!
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a gift from Lily (The Greatest Thief) via Stream Gift Function.]
[Do you wish to open it?]
[Yes / No]
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Yooo guys! You are all handso, nice, and sweet authors here.
Happy New Year, everyone! May this year be sweet, kind, and friendly to all of you. Sending all my good wishes your way. And sorry for the late Chapter update. Today I was busy preparing for New Year, and also... today is a special day for . It’s the day my girlfriend proposed to .. the day we got together so it’s kind of our anniversary too. I was preparing for that as well.
Anyway, here it is, guys. Thanks for reading!
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