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Chapter 118: 118. Pride King
The third-floor arena, the glowing dome in the center changed, its bright green turning a dark, scary blue-black, giving off a heavy energy that felt like a threat. The prisoners froze, their thin faces pale, eyes wide with awe and fear. The power from the dome pressed on their chests, a dark sign of something unstoppable.
Vivien and Lysa stepped back, their weak bodies shaking, the cold stone floor hard under their bare feet.
Lysa’s voice broke, a soft whisper barely heard. "What... is that?"
Erin, sitting high on her throne-like chair, leaned forward, her silver hair shining under the flickering mana-lamps. "Told you, Vivien," she said, voice warm but certain. "Your brother’s too stubborn to die."
Vivien’s crimson eyes flicked to the dome. "Is... is he winning?" she asked, her small voice shaky.
"Winning? Kid, the fight was decided before it started."
Inside the Mana Domain, Sylo’s peaceful Garden of Eternity was gone, replaced by a creepy deadland.
The sky was a stormy purple, cracked with blue lightning. Broken black pillars stuck out from the cracked ground, their ruins floating, wrapped in ghostly blue flames that flickered without heat, casting shadows that moved like alive. The ground throbbed with glowing blue veins, each pulse sending heavy energy that made breathing hard.
Sylo stood in the middle, her black hair wet with sweat, her violet eyes wide with fear. Her breaths were short, her knees weak under the domain’s crushing weight. Her cinquedea shook in her hand, its purple glow fading, like the weapon was scared too. "What... is this place?" she choked, voice weak, terror in her heart.
"My hunting ground, Draven’s girl," Leo’s voice boomed, shaking the deadland like a god’s command. Sylo’s head snapped up, her heart racing.
Leo stood halfway up a rough staircase of black stone, leading to a huge broken throne covered in roaring blue flames that made his shadow look fierce.
His red eyes flicked with a hunter’s smirk, his body wrapped in the same blue fire, swirling around him like a living coat, not burning him.
He turned, climbing the steps slowly, voice taunting. "You fools sent Valtharion to kill me, but he liked me better and handed me pride powers as a gift. Guess what? It’s my best trick now."
The pressure around Sylo tightened, like a rope around her neck, her breaths slowing, the air fighting her as the domain’s energy drained her. Her legs shook, her cinquedea almost falling from her sweaty hand.
Leo’s voice cut through, calm but dangerous. "I wanted to try something like he did." He reached the throne, turning to face her, his smirk so cold it made her flinch, her heart pounding. "This is what I made." He sat, one leg over the other, like a king owning his land, the blue flames roaring higher, lighting the deadland. "The King’s Pride."
The ground rumbled, a deep growl that cracked the earth. Sylo’s eyes widened in pure terror as shadow wraiths clawed up from the glowing blue veins, their dark forms growing solid. Dozens appeared, their purple eyes shining like cursed stars, sharp claws ready, circling her closer. Her cinquedea shook hard, her voice a desperate gasp. "You... you can’t do this!"
Leo leaned forward, his red eyes piercing hers, his voice a cold, final order that echoed with power. "Let’s start the hunt."
"I won’t lose to you moron!" she roared, voice breaking with anger as she swung her cinquedea, calling a storm of sharp petals to protect her. The wraiths attacked, their claws ripping through the petals like paper, forcing Sylo to dive to the cracked ground, her robe tearing on sharp stones.
She rolled and stabbed a wraith’s chest, making it fade into shadow. But three more appeared right away, their claws scratching her arm, blood spraying. She screamed, pain and rage mixing, swinging hard to destroy another wraith, but they kept coming, like a nightmare that wouldn’t stop.
High above, Leo sat one leg crossed, his crimson eyes shining with cold amusement. "Keep dancing, flower girl," he teased.
"You’re making this too fun," he mocked, flicking his wrist.
The earth shook hard, cracks splitting as more wraiths clawed up, their claws sharper, moving like a blur.
She gritted her teeth, calling a big thorny vine from the ground, its fanged tip snapping like a monster. It smashed a wraith to dust, but the others dodged, circling her like hungry wolves. She swung her cinquedea, petals swirling to block a claw, but a wraith got through, tearing her side. Blood soaked her torn robe, and she stumbled, gasping, her vision blurry.
"Damn you!" she yelled, her mana bursting out. A huge flower grew behind her, its glowing center pulsing, shooting a hot beam of green mana at Leo.
Leo’s smirk stayed as the beam came close, then he vanished just before hitting his throne, the beam swallowed by the blue flames that burned even stronger, like they laughed at her try.
"Nice shot, I almost fell for it" his voice boomed, full of sarcasm. Sylo turned, heart racing, to see him standing just a few feet away, hands in his pockets, looking calm but dangerous. His Shadowstep in this domain let him move like a ghost, untouchable.
Her eyes widened, panic hitting, but she growled, rushing him with her cinquedea raised, swinging hard.
Leo dodged each strike easily, his smirk mocking her as she slashed again and again, her attacks getting wild, her breaths short. He dodges all of them, hands still in his pockets, making her blade look slow.
As her cinquedea swung down in a desperate hit, Leo sighed, patience shrinking. He caught the blade with his bare hand, blue flames wrapping his fist, burning away the poison without hurting him.
Sylo’s eyes went wide, but before she could pull back, Leo’s boot slammed into her chest, sending her sliding across the cracked ground, blood trailing.
The cut on his hand from her blade started healing, the domain’s power helping him.
He cracked his neck, voice low and calm. "Time to finish, flower girl." A shadow wraith grabbed Sylo, pulling her up roughly, while another tossed her the cinquedea. She snatched it, eyes crazy with rage, and cut both wraiths to bits, their forms fading to smoke.
Leo laughed, dark and teasing. "Still got moody, huh?" He stretched his arm, and the Blood Dragger appeared, its usual red glow now a molten blue, pulsing like hot liquid, giving off heat that twisted the air.
