The sky of Jottunheim looked like cracked cosmic glass.
Black clouds rotated slowly, and from the fractures fell flashes of crimson lightning that brought no light—only shadows.
The ground was dry, like the bones of a world that had died long ago.
In the middle of that hellish landscape—
Eldric Vaelorian stood casually.
A thin cigarette hung from his lips. The smoke rose lazily, contrasting with the storm of energy raging before him.
Two white-winged beings hovered several meters above the ground.
Vorzeth moved first.
His hand rose.
His wings spread.
The sky instantly transformed like a shattered treasure vault.
Thousands of golden weapons formed from the air itself.
Swords.
Spears.
Axes.
All of them floating like a rain of wealth that had turned into instruments of war.
Greed.
Everything desired became his possession.
"Wow," Eldric said lazily.
He pulled one hand from his pocket.
"Nice collection you've got there."
He pointed at Vorzeth.
"That axe—how much did it cost? Which market did you buy it from?"
He snapped his fingers.
The blood in the air moved immediately.
The crimson liquid danced like a swarm of serpents.
Then it formed—
two twin swords.
"Lotus Vaelorian."
The twin blood blades spun in his hands like petals unfolding.
When Vorzeth's rain of weapons descended—
Eldric moved.
His motion was elegant.
Fast.
The twin swords whirled like a dance of crimson flowers in a storm of gold.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Vorzeth's weapons shattered like glass struck by a hammer.
Eldric sighed.
"Seriously?"
He looked at Vorzeth.
"You're the Sin of Greed and this is all you've got?"
Kafka was stunned.
He couldn't follow Eldric's movements with his eyes.
Then Belphegorion moved.
Slowly.
Not because he was weak.
But because he embodied Sloth.
Laziness itself.
He raised one hand lazily.
The air around Eldric suddenly became heavy.
Kafka immediately choked.
The oxygen in his lungs felt like it was being dragged away by invisible hands.
Belphegorion didn't even look at Eldric.
Yet from empty space—
cosmic hands appeared.
Thousands of them.
They moved faster than sound.
BOOOOM!
The ground behind Eldric exploded.
But Eldric was already gone.
He appeared in the air above Belphegorion.
His twin swords had already transformed.
The blood in his hands lengthened—
forming a crimson spear nearly three meters long.
"Lavaratis Spear."
He threw it.
The spear fell like a meteor forged from the blood of kings.
Belphegorion attempted to slow it with his field of sloth.
But the spear pierced through it like a needle through cloth.
CRAAAACK!
The Sloth demon was blasted hundreds of meters away.
Eldric landed casually.
He yawned.
"Still not enough."
Vorzeth screamed in rage.
His greed surged.
A mountain of gold erupted from the ground.
Crowns, swords, jewels, shields—everything piled together like a kingdom built from human sin.
He hurled it all toward Eldric.
Eldric sighed again.
The blood in the air shifted once more.
This time it became a long crimson whip.
"Serpent Lash."
The whip moved like a dragon awakening from sleep.
WHOOOM!
With a single swing—
Vorzeth's mountain of gold shattered into dust.
The whip wrapped around his neck.
Eldric dragged him down like a fisherman hauling in a sea monster.
CRASH!
Eldric stepped on the angel's head.
"You know," he said casually,
"I really hate greedy people."
He lifted his foot.
One casual slash—
SLASH
One of Vorzeth's wings split apart.
Belphegorion rose again.
Invisible hands attacked from every direction.
Eldric calmly exhaled cigarette smoke.
The blood around him transformed—
into a thousand spears.
"Just a small reply. Lavaratis Rain."
The spears shot forward like a crimson meteor storm.
The angelic demon was blasted backward.
Kafka stared in shock.
Blood techniques—
yet far more complex than his own.
Eldric wasn't merely controlling blood.
He was creating an entire world from it.
Swords.
Arrows.
Chains.
Shields.
Even wolf-shaped creatures.
All made of blood.
Eldric waved his hand.
Blood arrows shot forward.
"Seriously," he said casually,
"are you servants of Azhraviel or circus clowns?"
Suddenly Vorzeth turned toward Kafka.
His eyes narrowed.
"A shadow…"
He assumed Kafka was merely one of Eldric's illusion techniques.
The creature shot forward.
"Little prince!"
Eldric was surprised.
He thought Kafka was in danger.
But Vorzeth moved faster than Eldric's blood techniques.
Kafka barely had time to think.
His sword came out.
CLANG!
The strike hit like a collapsing mountain.
Kafka was thrown back.
But he endured.
He blocked again.
And again.
His hands trembled.
Yet he didn't retreat.
Eldric stopped moving.
His eyes widened slightly.
"Eh?"
Kafka spun his sword.
Using the technique he had just learned.
After seeing it once—
he had almost perfectly copied it.
With great effort—
he forced Vorzeth backward.
Eldric burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA!"
He pointed at the two demons.
"Did you see that?!"
"My nephew just learned that a few days ago!"
"And he already pushed you back!"
He slapped his forehead.
"That's embarrassing for you guys."
Belphegorion opened his lazy mouth.
Invisible hands rushed through the air again.
Vorzeth lunged back toward Eldric.
Eldric tilted his head.
The invisible hands struck him.
BOOM!
The ground exploded.
But Eldric was already gone.
Vorzeth appeared behind him with incredible speed—
but Eldric had anticipated it.
CLANG!
A blood shield collided with a golden axe.
"Don't you care about that axe?" Eldric said.
"It looks pretty expensive."
He vanished instantly behind Vorzeth.
"Attacking from behind, huh?"
He chuckled.
"Perfect behavior for Azhraviel's servants. Backstab specialists."
Vorzeth spun and swung behind him.
But Eldric vanished again—
and appeared behind him once more.
"Let me show you how to attack properly."
A blood axe formed from his arm.
"Lavaratis Edge."
SLASH!
Vorzeth's body split apart and crashed into the ground.
Belphegorion attacked again from afar with cosmic hands—
but Eldric had already moved.
He appeared above Belphegorion.
In his hand now—
a blood bow.
And a three-meter arrow made of a blood spear.
"Cruxavari Meteor."
The arrow fell like a crimson meteor.
Belphegorion raised his sloth gravity barrier.
But the arrow pierced through it like a needle through cloth.
BOOM!
His chest was pierced clean through.
"Did that leave a hole?" Eldric laughed.
He looked like he was playing with children.
Then—
silence.
Cracks appeared across their bodies.
Their angelic skin shattered like porcelain masks.
And from within—
something far more disgusting emerged.
Vorzeth transformed into a gigantic floating head.
Its mouth opened so wide the jaw nearly tore apart.
From its throat emerged countless baby dragon heads—
constantly being born, snapping at the air like starving infants.
Greed.
Always hungry.
Always wanting more.
Belphegorion became a massive bloated body without legs.
His skin hung like rotten flesh.
His arms stretched like tentacles.
His half-closed eyes looked like a creature too lazy even to live.
But their aura now—
was ten times heavier.
Kafka shuddered.
His body collapsed to the ground.
He vomited.
He didn't know whether it was from their horrifying forms—
or the monstrous pressure they emitted.
Eldric looked at them.
He sighed.
"Ah."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Now it's getting interesting."
The blood around him began to vibrate.
A crimson aura erupted from his body like magma leaking from a volcano.
"Crimson Vengeance."
The ground of Jotunheim cracked.
The wind stopped.
"Twenty-five percent."
Blood gathered in his hand.
Forming a long crimson sword.
Its aura resembled a night sky filled with red stars.
Kafka felt his heart stop.
That wasn't an ordinary technique.
It was the heritage of the Vaelorian clan.
The Sky Demon Blood Sword Art.
Eldric raised his sword.
"You're lucky."
He smiled slightly.
He glanced at Kafka—
then back at the monsters.
"It's been a while since I showed off."
He stepped forward.
The movement was simple.
Yet it felt as though the world itself moved with him.
Vorzeth fired hundreds of golden laser beams from his dragon mouths.
Kafka struggled to dodge and block them.
Eldric didn't dodge.
He took every hit.
His body was pierced.
Even half his head exploded.
Kafka was horrified.
"UNCLE!"
Eldric laughed.
Within seconds his body regenerated completely.
His regeneration defied human logic.
He walked through the lasers as his body continuously reformed.
Vorzeth screamed in rage.
Mountains of gold erupted from the ground.
Treasure.
Weapons.
Jewels.
Entire kingdoms of greed formed instantly.
Then the entire mass launched toward Eldric.
A tsunami of wealth.
Kafka shouted.
"MOVE!"
Eldric didn't move.
The golden mountain smashed into him.
BOOOOOOOOM
The impact flattened the ground.
Dust exploded into the sky.
Kafka's heart froze.
Then.
laughter came from inside the crater.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The mountain burst apart.
Eldric walked out.
Half his torso was missing.
One arm gone.
His ribs exposed.
Blood dripping everywhere.
And yet,
his flesh regenerated in seconds.
Bones reformed.
Muscle regrew.
Skin sealed.
He rolled his shoulders.
"That tickled."
Kafka stared.
"What… the hell…"
Belphegorion screamed and unleashed far stronger cosmic hands.
Eldric's body was crushed to pieces.
Eldric just smiled.
"You like squeezing things?"
He cut off one of his arms.
Then threw it at them.
"Try squeezing this!"
The arm exploded into a giant sphere of blood spikes.
Belphegorion screamed in pain.
Kafka felt like dozens of swords stabbed through his ears from the scream.
From the thrown arm—
Eldric regenerated completely.
He immediately took a stance.
Then dashed forward.
"The Twelve Martial Forms of the Sky Demon Blood Sword."
First Form
Cruxavari Arrowfall.
Eldric slashed the air.
The sky changed instantly.
The blood scattered across the battlefield rose upward like crimson mist.
Then hardened.
Thousands of blood arrows formed.
They fell like a crimson meteor rain.
Each arrow carried the pressure of a falling star.
Vorzeth screamed.
The baby dragons rushed out to stop them—
but the arrows pierced through them like a storm destroying an ant nest.
Vorzeth's giant head filled with holes.
Belphegorion tried to slow the arrows with his sloth field.
But there were too many.
The sky collapsed.
BOOOOOOM
Jotunheim shattered under the rain of blood.
Second Form
Lavaratis Heaven Spear.
Eldric stabbed his sword into the ground.
The world trembled.
From beneath the earth—
hundreds of gigantic blood spears erupted.
They pierced the ground like mountains rising from hell.
Each spear stabbed through the demons' bodies.
Belphegorion couldn't even move.
He was pinned like an insect in a display board.
Third Form
Vaelorian Crimson Judgement.
Eldric raised his sword again.
The sky of Jotunheim turned red.
Like a sun drowning in the blood of gods.
He swung.
Just one slash.
But it stretched hundreds of meters.
A massive crimson wave split the air.
Split the earth.
Split the servants of Azhraviel.
Their bodies shattered.
Their flesh tore apart.
Their energy scattered like ash burned by sunlight.
Silence returned.
Eldric yawned.
"Ah."
He absorbed the blood sword back into his body.
"In about thirty days they'll resurrect again."
He looked at Kafka.
Grinning.
"Not bad."
He patted the young man's shoulder.
"You didn't die."
Kafka breathed heavily.
Like waking from a nightmare.
"Alright."
Eldric stretched his shoulders.
"I've decided something."
Kafka looked at him.
Eldric pointed at himself.
"I'm going to train you."
He grinned.
"At least before the world goes completely insane."
Kafka frowned.
Eldric looked toward the cracked land of Jotunheim.
From the fissures in the earth,
something began to move.
Red hands.
Blood creatures.
Just like those from the Blood Dungeon.
Eldric snorted.
"Ah…"
He sighed.
"Looks like the party is just getting started."
The winds of Jotunheim roared.
And deep beneath the earth—
monsters began to rise.
~To Be Continued ~