Zeras folded one of his legs on the other as he clenched his hands into a fist placing his chin on it before looking at Zumba curiously…
“Hmm, how interesting…” Zumba looked at the abomination before numbly. Looking at the dark red steps and the nightmarish throne, he looked on shocked for a while as he stared around wondering if this was where he was supposed to be yet he could tell although this place was unlike any other he had ever seen, it was no doubt a Soul Space.
The Joker race is known not for their combat ability but actually for their very strange abilities. They don’t focus on throwing punches and kicks as the real way of battle instead they focus on traveling around the world and delving into extremely mysterious and lost king arts, due to their very adapting Mana.
Among the arts of the Joker race, the Ancient Art of The Joker was one of the origin arts of the Joker race, an art which is no longer practiced by the Joker as they consider it outdated. Besides it was extremely hard to comprehend but by a string of fate the tome of this ancient art landed in the hands of Zumba and he noticed he could practice the art abnormally faster than others.
Ever since he was five, he had been practicing this art and now that he was seventeen he even arrived at the third level of yeh art. But there was something about the art that was only known to the few of the Joker races themselves.
The third art of the Ancient Joker time. It was a rare soul-attack art. Zumba had kept the secret to himself crazily practicing the third stage. It was like some sort of Ultimate triumph card, so he had practiced the art a hundred and one times.
But this was still a first for him. Normally a soul attack contains nothing but darkness with the owner of the soul space looking extremely small and dim while his soul has been repeatedly cultivated to be bigger than his opponents.
But looking at the stairs, at that malevolent throne, and at Zeras who looked like an incarnation of a hellish creature, he was shocked and speechless. This was just too great of an anomaly.
“You raise your head a little too high don’t you think…” Zeras slowly stretched his devilish hands pointing towards Zumba before making a motion to press down.
Zumba’s face immediately changed as his knees slammed on the ground, his neck soon following.
It was like the pressure in the place was suddenly increased to a thousand times sending him to the ground, his soul body shining white light quickly dimming.
“You’re pretty evil aren’t you,” Zeras asked looking at the bowing Zumba below him.
“Unable to win in a physical battle you come to attack me in my most vulnerable spot…” Zeras said a smile on his face.
“Judging by the way you entered into my Soul space and how you gently closed the door, I can immediately tell this is not your first time doing this. So it leaves me curious, just how many people have you made suffer, how many have you destroyed permanently a half of them and given them the most irreparable of damages…”
“NGGGGGGGHHHHH” Zumba clenched his teeth tightly as he felt the pressure suddenly increase by a thousandfold.
“But I like people like you. Those evilly wise for many reasons, and one of them is that…”
Zeras slowly stretched out his hands as he opened his palms wide.
A ginormous palm made completely of Abyssal-like shadows suddenly appeared beneath Zumba as it slowly congealed together forming a solid palm beneath him.
Zeras slowly began clenching his palms as he watched how the gigantic phantom palm also began closing.
“AHHHHHHHHH” The shrill scream of Zumba echoed out loudly as his soul was getting crushed. The power behind that palm left him completely unable to resist at all or the word of resistance even crossed his head.
— — —
Outside the battle stage, after about two minutes of the two people standing. A slight movement was observed from Zumba but the entire arena was shocked and speechless when they noticed blood pouring out from his ears, nose, and mouth.
His body rapidly began convulsing as a pool of blood quickly formed around him.
“What is going on?”
“I’m not sure he would survive if he loses more blood than that…”
“Why are the Handlers not already stopping the match?”
The murmur of the New Cadets rang out as all the Instructors and Handlers furrowed their eyebrows.
They all knew this wasn’t a battle they could interfere in, besides only a single person could stop this battle but unfortunately, she wasn’t around.
— — —
An Evil light flared from Zera’s light as he greatly relished this act. The act of making his opponent suffer.
Zumba has been completely crushed leaving only a small lightly burning whisp behind.
Zera’s hand immediately headed towards the wisp no doubt destroying it had he made the slightest contact, but he stopped at the last second as he regained himself.
“It would be wrong to completely wipe you out but I’m sure you’ll never be able to awaken and be in slumber forever so fine by me…”
The wisp of Zumba’s soul was blown out of the space as the shadows surrounding the space slowly dispersed.
Left in the Soul space was Zeras who sat down on the throne as he tried to understand this feeling. This feeling of being able to bend everything apart without standing from where he sat. This feeling of willing it and it would immediately happen.
“So this is the power of a Chaotic Existence. The power of the Hollow Domain. Ability to allow the user to create a space where they are absolutely Supreme. Now I understand…” Zeras said closing his eyes as his figure grew blurry.
— — —
— — —
The instructors grew frantic as the time passed but suddenly there was a slight shaking in Zeras’s body and the next second they watched as Zeras quickly got a hold of himself as his eyes regained their looks.
Zeras looked at Zumba who was in his pool of blood, his emotionless eyes staring at him for a moment before turning to look at the gobsmacked Handler.
“Umm… Winner, Zeras Celestria…”
“What!!!” This time it wasn’t the time for the New cadets to be shocked but it was the instructors who screamed out.
“He…he won!!!”
“He’s not only stronger physically but even mentally and managed to defeat a veteran at his art???”
“Just what is he honestly, can Someone tell me just what his genetic ability truly is?”
The crowd where shocked when they saw the Instructor suddenly begin mummering to themselves and even a slight argument could be heard.
“It seemed I went a little too overboard, this time. I revealed too much…” Zeras said his eyes narrowing, he was well aware from today on, that he would be watched under the strict eyes of the Instructors.
But he was also aware his potential had also been identified, besides he didn’t show any threatening part of him. So he should still be safe, for now.
“Winner of the Finals and the ultimate Winner of the event, Zeras Celestria.”