Back on the battlefield, Morca deactivated Blank, stepping fully into view once more. He faced his opponent directly now, the Vampiro's blood-red eyes locking onto him with renewed intensity.
Sparks ignited between them.
The true battle was about to begin.
---
The royal monster glared sharply at Morca, its massive frame radiating a palpable sense of menace. The battle was far from fair, even though the monster was the strongest in the arena. The bitter truth, however, was that in as much Morca possessing the ability to kill it, it knew the price of victory would be its own death. On the other hand, if the monster wished to eliminate Morca, it had to strike a fatal blow before the human experts present could react. Otherwise, survival was impossible. That was why the monster had planned to rush into the crowd and unleash a massacre, but before it could even make a move, it found itself completely surrounded, every possible path of escape blocked.
"No," the royal monster thought. "I must form a good plan to end Crimson-black's life, even if it means my own demise."
On the other side of the battlefield, Morca stood poised, ready for the grueling battle ahead. This time, he had the option to use his unique skill, Blank, to conceal himself and launch a surprise attack. A well-placed sneak attack could spell the end of the vampiro. But then, Morca recalled the words of his clone: If you need something, fight for it. Do not rely on underhanded methods, that is what true strength is.
Morca clenched his fists. He wanted strength, the kind forged through battle, not deceit. He would use this opportunity to refine himself and his skills, pushing his limits in combat. He also knew that it was not too late to use his Blank skill if necessary. 'I must carve a path for my future. Since I have the ability to grow stronger through battle and killing, I must face every obstacle head-on. Only when all other options are exhausted will I resort to another means.'
The referee's signal echoed through the arena... Begin. In an instant, the two warriors clashed.
The royal monster attacked with relentless aggression, morphing its limbs into deadly weapons, sometimes hands, sometimes legs, hammering Morca with force that sent him reeling. Despite being knocked back multiple times, Morca wasn't merely enduring the attacks; he was analyzing them. His precision heightened as he started identifying patterns in the vampiro's movements.
A sudden strike from the monster's right arm, which had taken the shape of a massive war hammer, hurtled toward him. Morca reacted swiftly, raising his blade and deflecting the attack, though the force pushed him back several feet. Before he could regain his balance, the monster was already upon him, its left hand now a razor-sharp hook, aimed at Morca's neck in a bid to decapitate him.
Morca barely had time to react, using his blade... Avoc, to deflect the deadly hook. This time, however, a strange numbness spread through his arm. The monster, too, was shocked. An awakened human fighting against a 2-star royal monster was no trivial matter. If this human were allowed to grow stronger, the consequences could be dire.
Then, something unexpected happened. Morca noticed a change within himself. Each time he was struck, his body felt as though it was being tempered, strengthened, rather than weakened. The sensation of pain was replaced by a refreshing surge of power. Soon, he stopped resisting the vampiro's blows, letting them land as his body adapted. The audience watched in stunned silence.
At first, they marveled at Morca's ability to stand his ground against a 2-star royal monster, a feat in itself. But shock turned into disbelief as they witnessed him seemingly allowing the monster to pummel him. His form became battered, yet his resilience did not waver. Then, something even more astonishing occurred. As Morca rose from the latest attack, a crimson aura radiated from his body. A faint outline of a crimson moon materialized behind him for a brief moment before vanishing.
Morca felt the surge of power within him, but he restrained it. He could not afford to lose himself to this mysterious force.
For the first time, the vampiro trembled. An instinctual fear gripped it, warning that its life was in danger. The two combatants stood apart, yet the space between them felt like an insurmountable divide.
With a gruesome morph, the vampiro's body transformed further. Its height increased from 1.7 meters to a towering 2.5 meters. Its right arm elongated into a massive crimson blade, while its left formed into a dual-sided war hammer, one side blunt, the other razor-sharp. Its once humanoid white body now appeared as if it were clad in armor sculpted from blood. Two mighty horns protruded from its head, and its hollow red eyes gleamed with a spectral aura. Supported by its mighty limbs, it rooted itself firmly to the ring.
This was the true form of the vampiro royal monster.
Morca, meanwhile, glanced at his wrist, checking the time. A devilish smile crossed his face.
"Four minutes against a 2-star monster without using my Oblivion Blade," he murmured. "Good improvement. Now let's end this with the Blade Dance of Oblivion."
A burst of laughter erupted from him, echoing through the arena like the cackle of a madman. The spectators watched in disbelief. To them, it seemed as though Morca had finally lost his mind. Why else would he laugh in the face of such a monstrous opponent? Even the masked figure among the audience observed him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
Only one person remained silent... Neo Laura, the mysterious girl.
The laughter ceased. A thick crimson-black aura exploded from Morca's body. He stood still, his black blade, Avoc, now cloaked in the same ominous aura. His mismatched eyes, one a burning red, the other an abyssal black, radiated an eerie intensity, consuming the gaze of anyone who dared look at them.
The vampiro found itself paralyzed. Its instincts screamed for it to flee, but its body refused to obey. Its mind was drowning in an abyss where life itself seemed to dissipate into nothingness.
Morca's appearance had changed subtly. His ink-black hair now bore streaks of crimson. Had it not been for the white mask he wore, one could see a dark crimson-black tattoo forming in the space between his brows.
Then he moved.
The next moment, Morca stood behind the vampiro royal monster, their backs facing each other.
Silence fell over the arena.
No sound.
No movement.
Then....