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Chapter 116: 116. poison
Leo glared down at Sylo, the Blood Dragger’s edge pressed to her throat, but his vision blurred, the arena spinning like a nightmare. His body felt numb, a sharp pain twisting inside as his muscles burned, like they were wasting away. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining his chin, his veins turning a sick purple under his skin.
Sylo’s poison, from that small cut on the fourth floor, was tearing him apart. He’d been careless, too caught up in the fight to notice the venom.
Sylo’s cruel smirk grew as Leo’s grip weakened. With a quick roll, she broke free, jumping up and kicking him hard in the face. Leo collapsed, sliding across the stone, the Blood Dragger falling from his hand.
The arena went still. The prisoners flinched, their only hope falling apart.
"No... please don’t die," a woman whispered, voice shaky. Others stared, faces pale, hope fading fast.
She chuckle turned into a loud, mocking laugh that echoed in the chamber. She strutted around Leo, who lay still on the floor. "Your savior?" she sneered, looking at him like trash. "He’s just a dead lamb."
Vivien shook, her red eyes fixed on her brother, tears building but her voice stuck. Lysa stood beside her, frozen, her small hands clenched, too scared to move.
Sylo turned to Erin, who sat on her throne-like chair, that sharp smirk still on her face.
"This is your great Ruler?" she mocked, pointing at Leo’s broken form. "Lying there like a poisoned rat."
Erin’s smirk grew, her violet eyes shining with pity, which confused Sylo. Erin leaned forward a bit, muttering, "Come on, Leo, you’re good at acting."
Sylo’s eyes widened as a rough cough broke the quiet. She spun, shock stopping her. Leo was slowly getting up, his movements steady, like the poison didn’t touch him.
He stood, wiping blood from his mouth, voice rough but calm. "Damn, that poison hurts like hell." Sylo froze, her smirk gone.
Leo grinned, his red eyes sharp again. "Thought your powers would be worse, but it’s just poison, huh? Nice try."
[Item Purchased!]
[Mana Shards Left: 802]
The purple veins under his skin faded, turning normal as the poison flowed into the resistance ring on his finger, its faint glow pulsing purple.
[Resistance Activated!]
[Time Left: 29:57 secs]
The prisoners gasped, their fear turning to amazement. A man gripped the railing, voice trembling. "He’s... alive!"
A young elf girl, scars on her face, whispered, "The Saviour...." Cheers broke out, weak but strong, the arena shaking with their new hope.
Vivien’s tears fell, but a smile shone through, her voice small but proud. "Elder brother..."
Sylo’s shock turned to fury, her cinquedea shaking in her hand. "How... how are you standing?" she growled, her violet eyes wild. "That poison should’ve killed you!"
"Guess I’m cheating a bit, huh?"
Sylo’s teeth gritted, she raised her arm, and a swarm of sharp violet petals appeared in the air, flying at Leo like deadly stars. He dodged, the petals stabbing into the stone floor with loud thunks, cracking the ground.
He whistled, amused by that. "That’s pretty cool," he said, but more petals came, a nonstop storm chasing him across the arena.
He ran, rolling to grab the Blood Dragger from the ground, swinging it fast to block the petals. Each one sparked against his blade, but as he knocked away the last, Sylo rushed in, her cinquedea aimed at his chest while he was off-balance.
He spun, dodging the strike by inches, and trapped her arm in his elbow. With a hard twist, he slammed his other elbow into her head, the hit making a crack. Sylo, stunned but desperate, kicked his leg out from under him. Leo fell, letting her go, and she jumped, her cinquedea ready to stab his chest.
Leo rolled aside, the blade scraping the stone where he’d been. Sylo swung again, not stopping, and he blocked from his knees, their blades locking with a loud screech. Their eyes met, inches apart. "Man, you’re giving me a headache," Leo teased, his smirk steady.
"Shut up, you jerk!" Sylo snapped.
A thorny vine shot from the ground behind him, aiming for his heart. He used Shadowstep, vanishing in a flash of darkness, as the vine hit nothing.
She thrust her hands forward, and a swirling storm of glowing petals spun toward him like a deadly tornado. He darted left, then right, dodging the sharp petals that tore the arena’s walls, knocking down rusty chains and spikes.
"Getting fancy, huh?" he called, his focus tight, watching her every move.
"You can’t keep running!" Sylo screamed, her mana growing stronger. A huge flower bud grew from the ceiling, bursting open to drop poisoned needles. Leo stomped, using earth mana, and a stone slab appeared, shielding him as the needles stuck in it with loud pings.
He popped up, grinning. "Nice, but your aim is terrible!"
She waved her arms, and the arena exploded with glowing petals, thorny vines, and blooming flowers, all dripping with shiny poison. Petals fell like knives, vines whipped like snakes, and big flower buds burst into clouds of toxic mist.
Leo moved through the chaos, dodging the petals’ sharp edges and slipping between snapping vines. He cut a vine with the Blood Dragger, fire mana burning it, but more grew, the mist stinging his eyes and throat.
Sylo smirked, thinking she had him trapped. She summoned a giant flower, its petals opening to show a glowing core that pulsed with power. A green mana beam shot at Leo, burning the air. He dove, the beam melting the wall behind him, stone dripping like candle wax.
Using Mana Surge, Leo charged, jumping over a wave of vines, his body a blur of speed. Sylo sent a storm of petals to stop him, but Leo had figured her out. The Shadow Stepped mid-air, appearing above her, the Blood Dragger blazing as he swung it down hard.
The blade sliced across Sylo’s chest, cutting deep, blood spraying in a red arc. She screamed, stumbling back, her cinquedea falling to the ground.
The captives cheered, their hope exploding, one banging the railing, yelling, "Finish her!"
Sylo fell to her knees, blood pooling under her, her eyes fading.
But then her eyes flared with a crazy glow, a desperate spark.
"Not... yet," she rasped, eyes glowing with a wild light. "The Ruler must rot in bloom."
She slammed her palms into the stone. Mana screamed through the arena.
A dome of glowing green energy bloomed around them, pulsing with twisted life.
"Mana Domain: Garden of Eternity."
