The referee let out a long, tired sigh as he glanced between us. It was clear—he still rembered the day this woman had nearly killed Titania. That mont had almost led to a full-blown clash between us right then and there. And now, here we stood, facing each other once again. The air between us was suffocating, thick with sothing unspoken. I had no idea if the referee was dreading this match or looking forward to it, considering we were both clearly strong fighters. But the crowd? The crowd was ecstatic.
The spectators were roaring with excitent, their cheers echoing through the arena like rolling thunder. Their eyes were hungry, eager, like they were about to witness the bloodiest spectacle of their lives. Their energy was electric, a chaotic blend of adrenaline and anticipation. It was like they had been waiting for this showdown for ages, their anticipation feeding into the very ground beneath us.
The referee’s voice cut through the noise as he repeated the rules—over and over again. No killing. That was the biggest rule. If broken, the maximum punishnt was disqualification. He made sure to stress that point specifically to us. The way he hamred it in… it was almost like he wanted us to snap, to break the rule, to give this audience the carnage they were starving for. Or maybe he really was trying to prevent bloodshed. I couldn’t tell. Either way, it didn’t matter.
All that mattered was the person in front of .
When the referee finally finished his droning speech, he raised his hand, and in the next breath, it ca slicing down.
The fight had begun.
And yet, neither of us moved.
We just stood there, staring at each other, our bodies tense, our grips tight on our weapons. The air was suffocating, crackling with pressure so heavy it felt like the very ground beneath us was straining under the weight. A slow, invisible force pressed down on my shoulders, thickening the silence between us.
She didn’t move. I didn’t move.
It was like we were waiting—asuring, calculating, seeing who would crack first.
Did she already understand my strength? Was that why she wasn’t charging in recklessly? Or was there sothing else? Sothing more?
One thing was certain—this woman was different. There was no bloodlust in her stance, no burning rage in her gaze. Her eyes were hollow, emotionless, an abyss that swallowed everything and reflected nothing back.
I finally broke the silence.
"You’re a mber of Eclipse, aren’t you?" My voice was low but steady. "Or at least a forr one. A survivor from that already defeated organization."
She didn’t answer. Not even a twitch. Her expression remained empty, her silence colder than ice. It was like Eclipse ant absolutely nothing to her. No anger. No regret. No pride. Just… nothing.
Tch.
"Whatever." My fingers curled around the hilt of my sword, the grip firm, controlled. The Cursed Sword humd in my grasp, almost like it was responding to . Lately, I had been using this sword more than anything else, and for good reason. It felt perfect—almost too perfect. Unlike when I had fought the Great Darkness, this blade didn’t drain my strength or sap away my mana. It resonated with in a way that no other weapon ever had.
And I knew why.
Because this sword wasn’t just a weapon. It wasn’t just an "it."
She was alive. And the soul bound within it… was a woman.
Across from , my opponent finally shifted. Her stance was razor-sharp, precise in a way that sent a shiver crawling up my spine. The way she handled her sword—it was sothing I had never seen before. It wasn’t just skill. It was sothing beyond that.
There were no wasted movents. No exploitable openings. No hesitation.
And that?
That was exciting.
The restless murmurs of the crowd turned into outright jeers, their patience snapping like a brittle thread. The spectators were done waiting. They wanted blood. A fight. Sothing to tear through the dull anticipation clawing at their minds.
"Quit stalling and fucking fight already!" soone shouted. Others joined in, their voices overlapping, a cacophony of hunger for violence.
Fine.
We’d give them exactly what they wanted.
The mont I lunged forward, she moved in perfect sync. It was almost unnatural—like our instincts had aligned in that one fleeting instant. The air split with the force of our speed, a shockwave rippling outward as our swords clashed with a brutal clang. The impact rang through my arms, the vibration sinking into my bones, but it wasn’t intimidation I felt—it was exhilaration.
Sothing primal stirred in my chest, bubbling up from within. My pulse thrumd in anticipation, my breath steady despite the rush of battle. I could already tell—this was going to be fucking good.
So, I decided. I wasn’t holding back.
She felt it. The change. The way my strikes suddenly carried more force, more precision. And in response, her sharp eyes flickered—not wide, but just enough. A tiny shift, a subtle reaction. But I caught it.
Then, like a whisper from the abyss, a tallic chi resonated in my mind.
A sign.
She was interested now.
Seizing the brief opening, I peeled my focus away just enough to check the ssage that had appeared before .
--
You’ve captured the interest of Yurishia. You can now proceed to dominate her.
Na: Yurishia
Race: Unknown
Requirents to dominate Titania:
1. Defeat Yurishia
2. Unlock
3. Unlock
4. Unlock
....
--
Unknown race?
That was new. What the hell was that supposed to an? Enjoy exclusive adventures from .Côm
I pushed the thought aside. I’d figure that out later. Right now, there was only one thing that mattered.
I grinned, letting the heat of battle seep into my voice.
"Now, do I finally have your attention?" I taunted, my grip tightening around my sword. "Just so you know, I’m the one who killed that thing Sesillian summoned."
Her reaction was instant. A flicker of sothing deeper, sothing sharp. Her eyes widened—not in fear, but in revelation. It told everything I needed to know. She wasn’t Eclipse. Not exactly. More like soone circling around them, drawn to their ambitions, but not quite part of the core.
Interesting.
"Do you know Marie?" I continued, watching her closely. "She’s my prisoner. I rember her saying that whatever the Eclipse tried to pull at the capital was exactly what she wanted. No idea if she’s got people she’s working with, but I figured I’d bring it up."
That was the trigger.
The mont those words left my lips, the air cracked.
A suffocating pressure crashed down, a pulse of raw bloodlust so thick it felt like the world itself recoiled. The sheer weight of it was enough to send a shockwave rippling through the arena. The spectators closest to the platform didn’t stand a chance—several of them collapsed on the spot, unconscious before they even hit the ground.
It was the kind of bloodlust that could stop a weak bastard’s heart mid-beat.
And yet, standing right at the center of it, drowning in its murderous intent, I didn’t even flinch. It washed over like a tide, like a brutal wave trying to crush under its weight—but it did nothing. It didn’t shake . Didn’t make my pulse waver.
I just stared right back at her.
Her gaze burned with sothing unreadable—sothing dangerous.
"I see…" I said. "Seems to that you two are related sohow."
"Where is she?"
Her voice cut through the chaos like a blade. Sharp. Cold. Unyielding.
It was the first ti she had spoken. Not a single word had left her lips when I stopped her from killing Titania. No anger. No frustration. Just silence. But now? Now, she demanded.
I smirked, tilting my head slightly, watching the fire simr in her eyes.
"That’s a secret," I said, my voice laced with amusent, taunting her just enough to push her further.
I could feel the pieces falling into place. The Eclipse—it wasn’t Sesillian pulling the strings. He was just another pawn, a disposable cog in sothing far bigger. A shadow lood behind it all, sothing pulling the strings from the darkness. And Marie… and this woman—they were tied to it.
Which ant…
The Great Darkness wasn’t the real threat.
Sothing worse was coming. Sothing that made the Eclipse look like nothing more than a distraction.
Before I could dwell on it any longer, she moved.
One second she stood there, tension coiled in her muscles—then in a heartbeat, she struck. A blur of speed. A force like a storm breaking loose. This wasn’t so half-assed exchange anymore. This was war.
I felt it before I even saw it.
A shift in the air. A sudden pull, like gravity itself had been thrown off balance.
"Huh…" I muttered, eyes narrowing.
And then—her eyes.
Molten gold flared in her irises, burning like miniature suns. The glow bled outward, threads of luminous energy wrapping around her arms like living chains. It pulsed, flickered, crackled like an unstable supernova, raw and volatile.
Her jaw clenched, teeth grinding together. She glared at —no, she hated . It wasn’t just rage. This was deeper, sharper. Like I had personally slaughtered her entire family right in front of her and laughed about it.
She didn’t care about the fight anymore. She didn’t care about winning.
She just wanted to break .
And she was ready to use that—her ability.
Which ant, by the rules?
She was already disqualified.
But that didn’t stop the grin from stretching across my lips.
Before the referee could step in, before anyone could blink, I moved.
A single step—and then I was gone.
Dashing straight for her, faster than thought, sword raised high.
And the instant our blades collided—the world shattered.
A blinding explosion erupted from the clash, shockwaves ripping through the air like a detonation. White-hot light erupted outward, swallowing everything in a blinding inferno of gold and silver. The sheer force blasted through the arena, ripping through the air, shaking the ground beneath us like a earthquake.
The audience? They weren’t cheering anymore.
Because in that mont, it wasn’t just a fight.
It was a warzone.
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