For a brief moment...
Time itself seemed to freeze.
A thin crimson line stretched across Barrett's back.
A burning pain spread through his body.
His instincts immediately screamed in alarm.
Why does it hurt this much?
There's barely even any blood.
How can such a shallow cut be so painful?
If he hadn't trusted his combat instincts and twisted aside at the very last second...
That red-eyed man's strike would have been far more terrifying than he had imagined.
"Tch."
"You dodged pretty fast."
Ritter's voice carried a hint of regret.
It sounded genuine.
As though he truly regretted missing.
But Barrett's face grew even colder.
Hidden beneath that regret...
He sensed mockery.
That mocking tone hadn't existed before.
He was certain of one thing.
He had fallen into some kind of trap.
The only problem...
He had no idea what it was.
Ritter didn't pursue him.
Instead, he casually rested Black Tide across his shoulder.
"Is that all the firepower you've got?"
"You walking tin can."
Tilting his head, Ritter grinned.
"So you've been relying on that pile of scrap metal strapped to your back to carpet-bomb everything."
"And after all that..."
"You've barely managed to touch the corner of my clothes."
"My, my."
"So this is one of Pilurka's great generals?"
"This is the legendary Steelbone?"
"What a disappointment."
"You should quit and go raise pigs."
"You'd probably make more money."
When he was at a disadvantage, Ritter fought like his life depended on it.
The moment he gained the upper hand...
He never stopped talking.
And stabbing people where it hurt most was practically an art form for him.
The red glow inside Barrett's electronic eye flickered violently.
Clearly...
Ritter's trash talk was working.
"You silver-tongued insect!"
Barrett roared.
"You think speed alone can defeat me?"
"The power of science is invincible!"
"Mechanical Ascension is the future of this world!"
"Oh?"
"Is that so?"
Ritter laughed.
"You sound exactly like the leader of a pyramid scheme."
"And last I checked..."
"Fraud is illegal, bastard."
He smiled wider.
"How about..."
"We change venues."
"So I can properly appreciate your so-called absolute power."
Suddenly, an emotionless mechanical warning echoed from Barrett's body.
"Warning."
"Unknown foreign energy detected."
Before the words had fully faded...
The blood mist surrounding Ritter erupted.
"Blood Prison Scroll..."
"Open!"
Buzz!
Dark crimson light instantly swallowed the battlefield around them.
The plaza.
The Allied Army.
The royal capital.
Everything outside faded away like an old painting whose colors had been washed clean.
In their place...
Appeared the world Barrett both recognized...
And despised.
Ritter's domain.
A shattered blood moon hung overhead.
The earth below had long since decayed into a lifeless wasteland.
The air itself reeked of rust.
Blood.
Death.
"This damned place..."
Barrett slowly scanned his surroundings.
"Welcome, Barrett."
Ritter's voice echoed from every direction.
Elusive.
Impossible to pinpoint.
"Here..."
"We can have a proper conversation."
"No one will interrupt us."
"And you won't have to worry..."
"...about your adorable comrades seeing how pathetic you look."
"Dragging you into this place wasn't exactly easy."
That wasn't empty boasting.
It really had taken considerable effort.
Ritter's abilities relied heavily on his blood mist.
Whether it was illusion techniques...
Or direct offense...
The mist was absolutely indispensable.
Normally, all he needed was for someone to breathe it in.
The particles entered the bloodstream.
Then reached the brain.
Simple.
But Barrett...
Didn't breathe.
The alternative was forcing the mist directly into his body.
Unfortunately...
Most of Barrett's body consisted of metal plating and electronic components.
Ritter had searched for a long time before finally discovering a tiny section near Barrett's heart where he could infiltrate.
He had even located Barrett's energy core.
His original backup plan had been to stab directly into it.
But there was one problem.
He had no idea how unstable that power source was.
If he pierced it...
And it exploded immediately...
He'd be caught in the blast as well.
Compared to gambling on that...
Dragging Barrett into the Blood Prison Scroll was the far safer option.
"You coward!"
"Get out here!"
Barrett roared.
The Thousand-Blade Arsenal unfolded completely.
Countless cannons locked onto every direction.
Energy surged wildly through the weapons.
"You think hiding means I can't touch you?"
"I'll blast this entire cursed world apart!"
"Steelbone Style!"
"Doomsday Baptism!"
An even denser metallic storm erupted.
More violent.
More relentless.
More destructive than the barrage outside.
Blades.
Missiles.
Energy beams.
Everything flooded across the Blood Prison Scroll, scouring every inch of the crimson world.
Explosions flashed continuously.
The blood-red sky flickered beneath the endless bombardment.
When it finally ended...
Nothing had changed.
The mountains of corpses had become slightly more shattered.
A few more craters scarred the rotten earth.
That was all.
Ritter remained nowhere to be seen.
And the destroyed landscape...
Slowly regenerated within the swirling blood mist.
"It's useless, Barrett."
Ritter's calm voice echoed once more.
"This is my world."
"Here..."
"Destruction and rebirth happen whenever I will them."
"No matter how much firepower you unleash..."
"You're only wasting energy."
As his words faded...
The blood mist churned violently.
One figure after another emerged.
Blood Warriors.
Each wore crimson armor.
Each carried blood-forged weapons.
They spoke no words.
Made no sound.
Like an endless tide...
They charged Barrett from every direction.
"Hmph!"
"No matter how many fodder you send..."
"They'll all die!"
Barrett roared.
His rotary chainsaws and heavy cannons tore through the approaching warriors with ease.
This time...
Something was different.
The shattered Blood Warriors dissolved into crimson mist.
Instead of disappearing...
The mist clung to Barrett's gleaming silver armor.
Sssss...
A nauseating sound of corrosion echoed through the battlefield.
Barrett's eyes widened.
The blood mist...
Was eating away at his armor.
It was slow.
Very slow.
But the dark stains spreading across the metal...
Combined with the warning messages showing his armor's defensive energy steadily dropping...
Made his heart sink.
"What is this stuff?!"
He tried shaking it off.
Nothing happened.
The blood mist adhered stubbornly to the armor.
Constantly consuming both its energy shields...
And the metal itself.
More Blood Warriors continued emerging.
Endlessly.
They knew no fear.
No exhaustion.
They simply charged.
Were destroyed.
Then used their own shattered remains to continue corroding Barrett's armor.
For the first time...
Barrett's attacks became frantic.
He was now forced to divert a significant portion of his energy toward maintaining his defensive barriers against the corrosion.
As a result...
His firepower weakened.
Its relentless tempo began slowing.
"What's wrong?"
"The mighty Steelbone General?"
Ritter's teasing voice arrived at exactly the right moment.
He would never miss an opportunity to push Barrett closer to breaking.
"Your 'absolute power'..."
"Seems to be rusting."
"Looks like Pilurka's technology isn't nearly as reliable as you claimed."
"My, my, my..."
Barrett clenched his teeth.
His scanners swept wildly across the Blood Prison Scroll.
He had to find Ritter.
Quickly.
The longer this battle dragged on...
The worse things would become for him.
Find him...
I have to find him!
He roared inwardly.
Yet his attacks inevitably grew sloppier.
His concentration was divided.
His energy dispersed.
Flaws began appearing.
Hidden within his own world...
Ritter quietly watched Barrett's increasingly miserable struggle.
"Heh..."
"You really are looking pathetic now..."
"'Steelbone' Barrett."
He watched the once-pristine armor become stained with spreading patches of corrosion.
He watched Barrett's movements lose their former precision as he struggled against endless enemies while resisting the relentless erosion.
The difference was obvious.
Moments ago...
Barrett had fought Ritter on equal footing.
In terms of battlefield decisions...
He might even have held a slight advantage.
His endless energy reserves had nearly overwhelmed Ritter through sheer attrition.
But now...
That calm confidence had completely disappeared.
Ritter slowly shook his head.
A trace of unmistakable disappointment flashed through his crimson eyes.
----------------------------------
Hooked already? Let me know what grabbed you leave a review and fuel the journey forward! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
Things are just heating up. Read ahead in Unbound Evolution and stay ahead of the crowd.
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.