Lucas surged forward toward the man who still held Noah by the throat. Without hesitation, Lucas leapt and seized the assailant by his head, slamming it into the ground with devastating force. The earth shuddered from the impact, and several trees in the surrounding forest swayed violently, their trunks groaning under the strain.
Before the fight could escalate further, a figure emerged from the forest's depths. He wore shimmering armor that appeared blue, though upon closer inspection, it seemed anything but physical—more like an ethereal projection than solid metal. Aaron's fingers tightened around his wooden sword as he stopped time. Moving with practiced efficiency, he altered the sword's properties, transforming it from blade to wooden practice weapon and back again. His heart pounded as he approached the frozen figure.
The man stood suspended in time, exactly as he should be. Aaron had learned that only that monstrous creature could move freely during his time stop, and that thing was dead—or at least it should be, from what Noah had told him. Aaron stepped closer, studying the stranger's face. The man's eyes held an unusual bluish tint that seemed to shimmer even in temporal stasis.
Aaron resumed time, but only for this one individual.
The man in the shimmering blue armor looked up at Aaron, his expression shifting from surprise to irritation. "Who are you, and why are you destroying my forest?" he demanded.
Aaron held his gaze, unflinching. "This is your forest?"
"Yes, it's my forest," the man replied, his voice carrying an edge of possessiveness. "Well, it's mostly my training ground, but I still consider it my property. After all, no one else comes here but me." He deactivated his shimmering blue armor, revealing another set of blue armor underneath—this one actually physical, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"What's your name?" Aaron asked, maintaining his defensive stance.
"Kane. My name is Kane, but my name is probably the least of your concerns right now." He gestured toward the man who had been holding Noah by the throat. "That one is something you should be worried about. Wasn't he trying to attack you, or maybe it's the other way around? Maybe he was acting in self-defense. I don't know, and frankly, I don't care." Kane's expression hardened. "I only wish for you to stop damaging my forest. I train here. I don't hurt anything. I like to keep this place as pristine as possible, so if you would kindly take your battle somewhere else."
Aaron stared at him in disbelief. "But we're in the middle of a fight here. How are we supposed to take our battle somewhere else?"
"It's simple," Kane said with an almost casual air. He raised his hand, and a portal materialized before them, shimmering with blue light. "This is how."
He snapped his fingers. "Soul bubble."
A sphere of pure soul energy formed instantly, expanding rapidly until it enveloped all three combatants—Lucas, the man from the Conqueror faction, and Aaron himself. Only Kane remained outside its confines. With a swift motion, he pushed the bubble toward the portal. Since time remained stopped for everyone else, no one could resist. Even if time were resumed, they would still be powerless, locked within this prison of pure energy.
Kane guided the bubble through the portal's shimmering surface. The portal began breaking down the bubble's structure, and with it, the bodies of those trapped inside began to disintegrate—a natural part of the portal's transportation process.
"Now, let's see where exactly you all came from," Kane muttered. He activated his soul sight, his eyes glowing as he traced their origin point. "All right, let's hope it takes you there."
The portal snapped shut behind the bubble, and Kane stepped back, brushing his hands together with satisfaction. He turned and walked back into the forest's embrace, his footsteps silent on the moss-covered ground.
Meanwhile, in the Black Star mansion, Sin slowly regained consciousness. He stood, his red eyes staring down at the floor as he stretched his limbs, working out the stiffness from his partial transformation with the Shadow Demon. The transformation hadn't consumed much power, but it had cost him dearly in terms of exhaustion.
Ray, the leader of the Black Star faction, was gone. Lily, the little girl with too much light contained within her fragile body, had vanished as well. Every single member of the Black Star mansion had disappeared.
"What just happened? What happened while I was unconscious?" Sin said aloud, his voice echoing in the empty halls.
He looked around in amazement. Everything had been rebuilt during his slumber—the walls, the floors, everything. Apparently, he had been asleep for far longer than he'd realized. A feeling of unease settled in his chest.
Suddenly, a notification appeared from his system. The interface had changed—it now displayed a deep red color, the previous blackness fading away.
"Something's going on with my blood powers," Sin thought, his brow furrowing as he read the system message.
*Your Blood Control has leveled up. Blood Control: Level 1.*
"Wait, my Blood Control is at Level 1? I didn't even know I had Blood Control," Sin said, confusion evident in his voice. "I don't think I saw it in the skills tab before."
Elias laughed from within Sin's mind. Sin entered the mindscape, stepping into the vast void where Elias resided. He stared at the armored figure, whose aura had become more contained, the light dimming slightly.
"Why are you laughing?" Sin demanded, frustration creeping into his tone.
"You didn't notice?" Elias replied, amusement coloring his words. "The Blood Control was there the entire time. At least, from the moment I've been around you, I've always seen it. And of course, you should have received the system long before I answered your call, so naturally, you should have noticed it."
While both Elias and Sin argued, Dice stood in the middle of the mindscape. Even though he was a shadow spawn now, even though he couldn't technically feel fear anymore, he was still troubled by what he had witnessed. The head—that enormous, terrifying head—had looked down at him from within the mindscape. He could see it clearly, and he knew with certainty that it could see him as well.
"The head is Ray, at least from what I've gathered while fighting Noah," Dice thought, trying to rationalize what he'd seen. "There's nothing to be worried about."
But it still bothered him. Why had Ray been looking into the mindscape? What could he be searching for? This was Sin's domain alone. How could he peer inside another person's mind?
Dice continued to ponder these questions, but his facial expressions and body language betrayed nothing. He stood still, calm, unblinking. Inside, however, his mind raced independently of his body. His physical form acted according to Sin's will, but his consciousness remained his own. He still questioned Sin sometimes, though his body would never show such defiance. After all, being a spawn—especially a shadow spawn—probably wasn't the easiest existence in any world.
Suddenly, far away from both Knox and Dice, the Shadow Demon stood motionless. Its resemblance to Sin had grown stronger over time. The smile it had been wearing widened unnaturally, and it began bleeding shadow as it always did. But something was different now. Now it was also bleeding actual blood.
The Shadow Demon had never done this before, not in all the time since Sin had first discovered its existence when he'd entered the mindscape after being knocked unconscious by the Hunter. Sin remembered that time—the vast field, the confusion, being taken out by the Hunter and losing consciousness. So much time had passed since then.
He still wanted to visit Kylie inside the Demon Mansion, but he'd forgotten where it even was. He'd forgotten it was a pillar, forgotten it touched the skies. After all, there had been more pressing matters—fighting Noah, dealing with countless other threats. Sin couldn't afford to think about the Demon Mansion right now.
He stared at the Shadow Demon, a chill running down his spine. "There's something wrong with it."
Elias also observed the Shadow Demon carefully. "From what I've seen, it's always bleeding shadow from its eyes, correct? Its smile, its resemblance to you, its shadow armor—all of that remains the same. But its eyes are different. They usually bleed only shadow, but now they're bleeding both blood and shadow." Elias paused, considering. "I believe the Shadow Demon is changing."
"But why?" Sin thought, anxiety gnawing at him. "I don't know the answer to that question, but I will find out somehow, someway."
Far away from the mindscape, far from Dimension 10 where they all resided, far from the cave where the Hollows were confronting the Dark Forest, far from all of that—in a different dimension entirely—Knight stood in the middle of the arena grounds. She walked around, passing the guild building and the arena itself, searching for her target.
"Where are you, Nay?" Knight muttered, frustration building. "You said you were at the tournament grounds. Where the hell are you?"
She had long since put Slayer back inside whatever realm the creature came from. Finally, she spotted Nay tucked in a corner inside the arena. Knight rushed toward her.
Nay looked up and stood from her position, brushing dust from her clothes.
"All right, let's get down to business," Knight said, her tone businesslike.
"Oh, yeah, right. The guild," Nay replied, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I couldn't find any suitable locations. Every base I've seen is already taken over by a guild or just completely exposed. What are we supposed to use as a base?"
"I don't know," Knight admitted, her usual confidence wavering.
"I don't know where we'll be staying. Neither of us do," Nay said quietly.
They both stood in silence, looking out beyond the arena grounds, staring into the vast sky. Neither could think of a suitable place. They were stuck—without a base, without recruits. Without recruits, they would be sitting ducks.
"We only have three members," Knight said, counting on her fingers. "You, me, and Slayer."
Knight began pacing around the arena, her mind racing. Nay stood still, holding her head as if the effort of thinking caused her physical pain. She couldn't come up with anything, and the pressure was overwhelming. A moment later, she also began pacing, mirroring Knight's anxious movements.
Unknown to them, a man crouched behind a nearby building, watching them with keen interest. "Now that I've given both the Conqueror Guild and the Warrior Guild a little call, they know what you're up to, Knight," he whispered to himself, a satisfied smile crossing his face.
He laughed quietly, ensuring neither Knight nor Nay could hear him. "I know what your deal is. I know what you're planning to do, but I'm not going to stop you. After all, I'm not a murderer. I'm just a guy who delivers messages. I'm not a murderer—I'm a messenger. And honestly, messengers don't get involved in guild disputes. That's not my job."
He sighed, pulling his phone from his pocket and tossing it casually between his hands. "My job is to communicate between guilds, and that's it. The Warrior Guild and the Conqueror Guild can leave me out of their dispute with you, Knight."
He stood up, stretching his legs. "I am not part of all that drama anyway. After all, you can't hurt a messenger. I have nothing to do with this."
He walked off into the distance, disappearing into the shadows.
Inside the Conqueror Guild's base, a man stood abruptly, sweat beading on his forehead. He had dark hair, wore an expensive suit, and carried a sword strapped to his back, aligned perfectly with his spinal cord. His hands trembled slightly as he processed the information he'd just received.
"If that kid gets a guild, if he gains strong members—members as strong or even stronger than he is—we need to do something right now," he muttered, his voice tight with urgency. "I can't let that kid grow any stronger than he already has. And apparently, no one has killed him yet, despite the four million bounty."
He clenched his fists, his mind racing. "As the leader of the Conqueror Guild, I have strong ties with the Warrior Guild. A truce must be made. We must fight this man together and secure our victory. Then we can go back to fighting each other."
He smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Don't worry, Knight. I'm coming after you—not just me, not just my armor, not just my army, but my new associate as well. The Warrior Guild will be joining forces with us."
"Two guilds coming after one person?" a voice said from the shadows. "That's really weak of you. The fact that you can't take him down with the one guild you already command is pathetic in my eyes."
The leader of the Conqueror Guild turned sharply, glaring at the speaker. "What was that? Are you mocking me?"
The man stepped forward into the light, his features becoming clearer. "I would never mock the leader of the Conqueror Guild," he said smoothly, though his tone dripped with sarcasm. "But the fact that you can't eliminate a single man with the strength and armies you already possess is indeed pathetic. And I feel the same way about the Warrior Guild. They're just as pathetic as you are."
"You really think you can come into the Conqueror Guild and spew nonsense to my face?" the leader snarled, his hand moving toward his sword. "I will end you and everything you love."
"I don't think so," the man replied calmly, stepping closer. His dark hair shimmered under the dim light as his eyes began to glow. Red circles spiraled within his irises, hypnotic and terrifying. "I don't think you want to do that. You wouldn't want your entire clan wiped out along with you, would you? So how about you reconsider your choices? Unless, of course, you want to die."
He drew his sword with fluid grace, the blade gleaming menacingly. "Because I can arrange a meeting with God for you. Or I guess the gods, considering—never mind. Simply put, I'm going to kill you if you touch a single member of my family. And yes, I'm included in that, considering I'm a member of my own family."
"You think you're tough?" the leader spat, his face reddening with rage. "You do know that I am the leader of the Conqueror Guild, right?"
"You really think I care about your nonsense?" the man replied, his voice cold. "Your boasting is going to get you killed one day."
The leader's expression twisted with fury. "It might. I might die from talking too much while you draw your sword and strike me down mid-speech. That might happen, I know. But not today, not tomorrow, not next week, not next month, not even next year." He raised his sword, the blade catching the light. "Because I won't give you a chance to move. If you make even the slightest movement, I will end your pathetic life. Do I make myself clear?"
The leader of the Conqueror Guild sneered, his pride wounded. "I'll get my men on you. Don't worry."
"I already dispatched half of your men," the stranger said casually. "The other half are probably cowering in fear, waiting for my return so I can execute them all. So whatever forces you have left are useless. You're welcome."
The leader stood, fury boiling over as he raised his own sword. "How dare you execute my men! I will end you!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the stranger's blade drove into his stomach. "What did I say about making sudden movements?" the man said, twisting the blade slowly.
The leader of the Conqueror Guild screamed in agony, his voice echoing through the halls.
"Seems like you don't listen to instructions very well," the stranger continued, his tone almost conversational. "Don't worry. I know just the thing for you."
He pulled out an axe. Runes lit up along its surface as flames began to spread across the blade. "I'll give you a warrior's death," he said, swinging the axe toward the leader's neck.
The leader dodged by mere inches, his survival instincts kicking in despite the pain.
"Oh, I missed. That's disappointing," the man said, gripping the axe again and swinging once more. "Let's try again. Maybe I'll hit you this time."
The leader ducked behind the swipe that would have taken his head clean off, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Looks like you're a dodgy little bug, aren't you?" the stranger said, clapping his hands together. "But dodging doesn't mean you'll win this fight."
Flames began spiraling across the man's arms. He formed a gigantic fist composed entirely of fire, ten streams of flame coalescing into one massive construct.
"If he survives this, I'll honestly be surprised," the stranger said, hurling the fire fist toward the leader.
The leader tried everything—ducking, weaving, rolling—but the fire fist followed him relentlessly, curving in mid-air to track its target.
"Let's end this. I hope this finishes it, because I assume you won't be coming back to life," the stranger said.
The fire fist struck the leader with devastating force, sending him flying through the air. He smashed through a wall and finally hit the ground, his body nearly disintegrated. Half of his face was gone, and he was barely conscious, barely clinging to life.
The stranger disintegrated the axe and extinguished the fire fist, walking calmly toward the fallen leader, his sword still at his side.
"You're strong, I'll give you that," he said, looking down at the dying man. "But I digress. This shows how weak of a leader you really are."
He continued walking until he stood directly over the leader. "You know what disappoints me? Hopefully, future guilds will actually be strong, because right now, you're anything but. All you did was dodge and scream in pain, which didn't help your survival at all."
He leaned down, meeting the leader's fading gaze. "Before you pass away, I just want you to know that you didn't put up a fight. I want you to know that you died a useless, non-fighting man. You died because you didn't fight for your life. If you'd fought back, you would have had at least a slim chance of survival—higher than what you had now."
The leader's eyes began to glaze over.
"Oh, you're dying already," the stranger observed, his tone almost clinical. "That's sad. Maybe while you're dead, you'll think about your last moments and curse yourself for not fighting back."
He stood up, brushing off his clothes. "But as of now, I have things to do—things far more important than taking down leaders of weak factions."
Suddenly, the leader of the Conqueror Guild stood back up. The wounds in his body began reforming, stitching themselves back together with unnatural speed. He looked toward the stranger, his eyes now pitch black, devoid of any humanity.
"This body is more suitable than that Noah kid," a voice said through the leader's mouth—a voice that wasn't his own. "That boy was honestly pretty cool, but this body, its strength, will work far better."
The benevolent entity that had once controlled Noah had now taken possession of the leader of the Conqueror faction. It stared directly at the stranger, malevolence radiating from every pore.
"It's time to end you," the entity said, its aura growing and turning a deep crimson. "It's time to do what this pathetic body couldn't. It's time to fight back and end your miserable little life."
The entity's power surged, filling the room with oppressive energy. "Let your death begin."