The war had just begun, and across the entire battlefield, fierce clashes were already erupting. In zone "A," countless high-level admins and glitches were locked in a brutal struggle. Amidst the multitude of combatants at that moment, one glitch stood out from the rest. It possessed a humanoid form and was entirely dark red, like its eyes with their black sclera and red pupils. Its body appeared to be covered in a substance akin to blood, but denser. Two small red horns protruded from its head, and it wore a mad grin as it effortlessly and swiftly slaughtered admins.
A group of admins, their faces grim with determination, attempted to encircle the crimson anomaly. "Attack!" one of them roared, their voice barely audible above the din of battle. They all lunged, weapons raised, but the glitch remained rooted to the spot, that unsettling smile plastered on its face. "Fools," it hissed, the single word dripping with disdain.
In the blink of an eye, the scene shifted into something grotesque. Blood-like tentacles, thick and pulsating, erupted from the glitch's very being, lashing out with terrifying speed. They pierced through the ranks of the charging admins, impaling them with sickening precision. One moment they were there, filled with righteous fury; the next, they were lifeless husks, falling silently into the digital void, their screams cut short. The red glitch watched their descent with an air of utter satisfaction.
But the lull in the chaos was shattered by a blur of motion. A figure moved with impossible speed, a mere flash of light against the grim backdrop. The red glitch barely registered the passing form before a searing pain ripped through its flank. A gush of viscous, black blood erupted from the newly formed wound, staining the digital ground. Surprise flickered across the glitch's crimson eyes, a rare and fleeting emotion.
It turned, its gaze settling on the newcomer. "Not bad," it rasped, a hint of something akin to respect in its voice. "You're a noteworthy opponent. I hope you won't be trash like those before."
Standing behind the injured glitch was an admin, a figure of stark elegance amidst the carnage. It was Grimborg, clad in his signature black attire, the white embroidery a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. His eyepatch concealed his right eye, leaving only the steely gaze of his left to pierce through the gloom. He regarded the red glitch with a chilling mixture of anger and cold resolve, his hand gripping the hilt of his saber, the blade faintly humming with an electric energy.
"I am Irax," the red glitch declared, its voice a low growl. "My singularity is 'bloodlust.' I am a high-level glitch. Who might you be, Admin?"
Grimborg's response was delivered with icy finality. "My name is Grimborg, and I am a high-level admin. Prepare to succumb, you hideous glitch!"
The air crackled with anticipation as both figures shifted into combat stances. Irax's arms flowed and contorted, the crimson substance solidifying into wickedly sharp blades. Simultaneously, an intense azure electricity erupted from Grimborg's body, bathing him in a vibrant glow.
Without a word, they moved. Two streaks of contrasting color blurred across the battlefield. Grimborg, propelled by his admin speed, was the first to strike, his saber aimed at Irax's core. But the glitch, despite its earlier injury, reacted with uncanny speed, twisting its body to narrowly evade the lethal blow.
The clash that followed was a whirlwind of motion. Blood-red blades met the humming azure saber in a rapid succession of strikes and parries. Irax unleashed two swift, crisscrossing blood strikes, each carrying the weight of its singularity, but Grimborg met them with agile footwork, ducking low and countering with a lightning-fast thrust that seemed to pierce the very air. Irax managed to parry the blow, the impact sending a shockwave through its body, forcing it to retreat a step.
Grimborg's voice, calm yet carrying an undeniable weight, cut through the din. "Let's get serious! Admin mode, install!"
The azure aura surrounding Grimborg intensified exponentially, swelling into a blinding wave of pure energy that washed over the immediate vicinity. Irax instinctively adopted a defensive posture, its blood blades held high, but Grimborg moved with a speed that defied perception. In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing directly behind Irax. A searing line of energy traced itself across the glitch's back, and a guttural scream tore from its throat as black blood sprayed outwards.
But the crimson liquid defied gravity. Each droplet froze mid-air, then began to vibrate, accelerating rapidly until they became lethal projectiles, a swirling storm of blood-blades orbiting Irax, who roared in pain and fury. Grimborg, caught in the unexpected counterattack, was forced to weave and dodge, the razor-sharp droplets tearing at his elegant attire.
Yet, even under this relentless assault, Grimborg remained focused. He channeled the surging electricity within him, focusing it into the blade of his saber. With a precise movement, he used the incoming blood spheres as conduits, unleashing a concentrated blast of azure energy that slammed into Irax.
The storm of blood instantly ceased. The droplets hung motionless in the air, then clattered to the ground like shattered glass. Grimborg's gaze was fixed on Irax's chest, where a pulsating red sphere glowed ominously. Its core.
But before Grimborg could press his advantage, Irax unleashed another earth-shattering roar. "Singularity: Bloodlust!"
The air around Irax twisted and churned, the spilled blood coalescing into a colossal vortex of crimson energy. Grimborg watched, momentarily stunned by the sheer power of the singularity unleashed. He was helpless before this swirling tempest of rage and madness.
When the vortex finally dissipated, the figure that stood in its wake was drastically transformed. Irax's humanoid form had twisted into something far more demonic. A whip-like tail, ending in a sharp, bifurcated point, lashed behind it. Its skin now resembled the scaled hide of a dragon, and the unsettling smile had widened into a truly malevolent grin. The small red horns had elongated, curving back like those of a lesser demon. In its hand, it now wielded a long, wickedly curved falce, its hilt black as night and its blade the color of fresh blood.
Irax chuckled, a chilling sound that echoed across the ravaged landscape. With a burst of terrifying speed, it lunged, the blood-red falce arcing in a devastating strike towards Grimborg. But the admin, his reflexes honed by countless battles, teleported away just as the blade would have cleaved him in two. He reappeared in a flurry of motion, unleashing a rapid barrage of saber strikes that blurred the eye.
Irax met the assault with surprising agility, parrying each blow with its massive falce, the clang of metal and hardened blood ringing out. It retaliated with a flurry of blood strikes of its own, lashing out from all directions, forcing Grimborg onto the defensive. He parried and dodged, but a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Irax to exploit an opening, its falce tearing across Grimborg's shoulder, drawing a line of crimson.
Irax stood before the wounded admin, its malevolent grin widening. "I hoped you would be stronger," it hissed, its voice dripping with cruel satisfaction. "Die." It raised its falce high, preparing to deliver a final, horizontal strike.
But at the last moment, a faint smile touched Grimborg's lips. He teleported backward, the image of his wounded form flickering like a dying ember. Despite the bleeding gash on his shoulder, his eyes held a spark of grim determination.
"I didn't think I'd have to use my trump card so soon," Grimborg said, his voice low but steady. "But you're no ordinary glitch. Admin mode, install: lightning of blinding light!"
The heavens themselves seemed to answer his call. A colossal bolt of emerald lightning descended from the sky, striking Grimborg directly. A symbol, an eye of vibrant green energy, blazed into existence on his eyepatch. The azure electricity that had previously surrounded him surged and transformed, now a brilliant, almost ethereal green. Behind his back, six wings of pure green electricity materialized, crackling with immense power. His saber, too, underwent a transformation, elongating and narrowing into a sleek, deadly blade that pulsed with an inner azure light.
Seeing his opponent's terrifying new form, Irax felt a tremor run through its draconic limbs. It stared at its own trembling hands, its crimson eyes wide with disbelief. "This... is fear?" it whispered, the concept alien and unwelcome.
Grimborg's voice resonated with newfound power. "So even you glitches are capable of emotion. For the evil you have wrought, your punishment will be absolute!"
Irax, however, merely responded with a manic grin. "Do you truly believe that killing me will be the end of it? Believe what you want, fool, but nothing will truly change."
The two figures, now radiating vastly different energies, locked eyes. They moved simultaneously, two streaks of light colliding in a deafening clash. Their blades met in a furious exchange, the air around them shimmering with the raw power of their singularities and admin abilities. Grimborg, now imbued with the power of the blinding light, was undeniably faster, his strikes a blur of emerald and azure. Yet, Irax, fueled by its primal rage, managed to parry each blow with surprising ferocity. The impact of their clashes unleashed shockwaves of red and green energy, tearing apart the already ravaged battlefield.
Irax, desperate, unleashed a potent, blood-enhanced strike, a crimson wave of pure destructive force. But Grimborg, with a swift, precise movement, sliced through the attack, the green energy of his blade dissipating the blood magic. He followed through with an impossibly fast dash, reappearing directly behind Irax.
Before the glitch could react, a series of invisible strikes rained down upon it. Dozens of wounds, too fast for the eye to track, bloomed across its draconic hide. Irax roared in confusion and pain.
"You can't even see what's hitting you, can you?" Grimborg's voice echoed, laced with grim satisfaction. "Now that I've activated my admin mode install, my strikes are so fast that even your enhanced senses can't perceive them. To your eyes, it seems like I've only struck once, but in reality, I've landed at least thirty blows."
As he spoke, Grimborg's gaze locked onto the pulsing red core within Irax's chest. It was glowing brighter now, its rhythmic beat a desperate plea for survival. "It's time to end this," Grimborg declared, his voice resonating with finality.
Irax, its form riddled with invisible wounds, unleashed a monstrous roar, a sound of pure, unadulterated fury. It charged at Grimborg with reckless abandon, but the admin moved with a speed that transcended even its enhanced perception. In the blink of an eye, Grimborg vanished, reappearing a split second later as a colossal bolt of emerald lightning slammed into Irax's core.
"Final strike: lightning of the final thunder," Grimborg intoned, the words carrying the weight of judgment.
The raw power of the lightning tore through Irax's demonic form, its draconic hide disintegrating into nothingness. All that remained was the blood-red core, which pulsed one last time before exploding in a dull, muffled thud. The final release of energy from Grimborg's strike unleashed an enormous clap of thunder that reverberated across the entire battlefield, a resounding declaration of victory.
The clash with the blood glitch was over. The monstrous form of Irax was no more, its terrifying power extinguished. But as the echoes of thunder faded, the grim reality of the ongoing war settled back upon the ravaged landscape. The battle for zone "A" might have found a temporary reprieve, but the war itself had only just begun.