Tengen's red sun, held aloft by his third arm, shone brilliantly, illuminating the battlefield in an eerie crimson glow. Suddenly, a giant sun materialized above him and launched itself straight at Techxin with devastating force.
But Techxin merely chuckled.
Just as the massive celestial fireball was about to consume him, Techxin swung his axe, and in a single effortless motion, the sun split in half, its twin halves dissolving into flickering embers. Without slowing his pace, Techxin continued walking straight toward Tengen, completely unfazed, as if nothing had just happened.
Tengen narrowed his eyes. He raised his hands high, and the red sun held by his third arm shone even brighter. Ten massive stars appeared in the air, aligning themselves into the shape of a sword.
Two stars formed the grip.
Four stars became the guard, shaping a dimensional outline.
Four more stars made up the blade, their burning light shaping a sword unlike any other.
Then, the stars ignited into blazing fire, their flames wrapping around the celestial structure, fully forming the sword of burning cosmos.
Five more of these colossal fire swords appeared, floating at Tengen's sides like the arms of a divine executioner.
And then—the red sun in Tengen's third hand turned blue.
Suddenly, all gravity in the arena disappeared.
Techxin's feet left the ground involuntarily, his body floating into the air. At the same moment, Tengen slammed his hand into the ground, sending an enormous wave of debris hurtling toward Techxin like a meteor storm.
Techxin remained calm.
With calculated precision, he swung his axe at the approaching rubble, cutting through it effortlessly. But each time he destroyed a rock, one of Tengen's fire swords would slash at him, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Techxin's movements were perfect—almost supernatural—but the endless barrage of attacks was beginning to wear him down. A slight miscalculation allowed one of the fire swords to graze his side, a thin line of blood forming along his ribs.
Techxin's grin widened.
Finally, he had enough. He lunged forward, punching Tengen with all his might.
Tengen blocked the punch, his flaming sword clashing against Techxin's axe. But the moment he did, all the remaining fire swords struck at once, forcing Techxin to block. That single opening was all Tengen needed—
With both hands, Tengen clasped his fingers together, and a storm of tiny stars spiraled around his hands. He slammed his attack into Techxin's chest, triggering an explosion of pure energy.
Techxin was sent crashing into the ground, the impact tearing the battlefield apart. The arena was left in ruins, thick smoke and debris clouding the air.
The King's voice rang through the chaos.
"Four minutes are up!"
A moment of silence fell.
Then—a voice.
A single, haunting chant, softly spoken by one of Maxi's siblings, a young girl.
"Blood for the Blood God. Blood of the Blood God. Blood. Blood for the Blood God."
And then—
"BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!"
Techxin's voice erupted from the rubble, echoing through the battlefield.
Techxin rose from the debris, his entire aura transformed. His eyes burned crimson, and his presence alone made the air feel thick as iron.
"BLESSING GET ENLIGHTENED."
A dreadful pressure filled the arena, something ancient and horrific awakening. Everyone in the audience, his siblings, his stepmothers, and his father, the king, instinctively covered their ears, their bodies reacting to a fear they long known.
Maxi looked around in confusion, unsure of why everyone was afraid. But then—he heard them.
The whispers.
A low, inhuman voice repeated the words "Blood for the Blood God" over and over again, a sound that threatened to drive him insane.
Maxi's maid, Angelina, saw his face twisting in terror and quickly shoved earplugs into his hands. Maxi barely had time to shove them in his ears, and even then, he covered his ears on top of them, trying to block out the whispers before they could reach him again.
Tengen, however, had no such luxury.
He could hear them.
Even for someone of his strength, the whispers were corrupting, clawing at his mind. His vision blurred for just a second—
And that second was all Techxin needed.
The battlefield changed.
All around, ten enormous blood geysers erupted from the ground, their crimson liquid shooting into the air, creating a rain of blood that ignored the zero gravity. The entire arena floor became a pool of thin red liquid, spreading across the battlefield.
Then, Techxin stepped forward.
He emerged from one of the blood geysers, his fingers clutching the top half of a mask—a boar's head, its tusks curved and jagged, completely made of blood.
Techxin stared at the mask for a moment.
Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, he placed it over his face.
And at that moment—all the lights in the arena went out.
Darkness.
Only a few things remained visible in the void.
1. The red sun which was held by Tengen's third arm.
2. The five massive fire swords, their flames flickering in the suffocating darkness.
3. Techxin's eyes—two glowing crimson orbs - more monstrous than human.
The blood continued to fall, sizzling as it touched the fire swords, steam rising where the two forces met.
Tengen clenched his jaw and commanded his fire swords to strike.
But before they could land, a blood geyser exploded beneath one of them, extinguishing its flames instantly.
Another sword attacked, but a massive blood-formed axe blocked its strike.
A third sword came for Techxin's feet, but he merely raised his foot, stepping on the blade. Two gigantic blood hands rose from the ground, grabbing the sword and holding it still.
Techxin stepped forward, walking on the rising blood geysers as if they were solid platforms. The zero gravity no longer affected him.
Tengen growled, his patience wearing thin.
With a mighty roar, he grabbed the last two remaining fire swords and charged Techxin head-on. His blades swung in deadly arcs, ready to end this.
Techxin didn't move.
With a single, effortless swing of his blood axe, he slashed in Tengen's general direction.
And in an instant—over a thousand slashes appeared across Tengen's body.
Blood poured from his wounds, his body trembling from the sheer force of the attack. But Tengen didn't fall. He forced himself forward, swinging his swords one last time.
But they never landed.
Techxin, his face expressionless, raised his axe to Tengen's head.
A single slash.
The next moment—Tengen's head flew from his body.
No blood spilled.
Silence.
Then—
"FIVE MINUTES UP!" the King announced.
The crowd stood in stunned silence, the battlefield quiet and still.
The King raised his hand, his voice echoing through the arena.
"THE WINNER IS TECHXIN BLOODHEART!!!"