However… Jorge couldn’t be more wrong.
“Begin.”
The Sovereign’s words had barely dropped before a loud bang shook the hall.
Malakai blasted forward, legs moving left and right as he closed the distance in a flash.
His scythe flashed, the curved blade screaming down toward Jorge’s head.
The expression of everyone shifted.
Jorge’s pupils dilated. ‘Fast! Too fast!’
He had anticipated many outcomes, hundreds of them, but there were none where Malakai moved this quickly. This fast. The sheer speed he currently moved made his heart feel like it was about to explode out of his chest.
Still, Jorge wasn’t some trembling amateur. He was a warrior.
And warriors fought.
His focus snapped into place.
His fingers clamped around the hilt of his sword, drawing it in a flash to meet the descending scythe.
But Malakai didn’t miss a beat.
He spun the staff in his grip, redirecting the scythe’s momentum mid-swing.
The blade twisted at the last second, slicing toward Jorge’s exposed left.
Jorge’s instincts screamed like a blaring horn.
He shifted, trying to shove himself to the right…
But he wasn’t fast enough.
The scythe’s edge kissed his thigh with a splut, spraying crimson blood into the air.
A wave of searing pain surged through Jorge’s leg, nearly buckling him.
His expression twisted, but Malakai gave no room to breathe.
In the next second, his leg whipped up like lightning, hurtling towards Jorge’s chin.
Jorge’s eyes widened. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain flaring from his wounded leg.
His lips parted.
“Bloodflow.”
The word barely left his mouth before his body lit up.
Crimson veins streaked across his skin, his eyes flushing a deep red as power surged through him.
His head snapped back just in time for Malakai’s kick to whoosh past his face, sending a gust that whipped his hair violently.
Jorge was ready to strike back, but then… he heard it.
Another voice. Cold.
Malakai’s.
“Bloodflow.”
Jorge’s blood ran cold.
The leg that had just missed him stopped midair, then descended with immense force before Jorge could even react.
CRACK!
The impact slammed into his chest like a battering ram. His ribs cracked as air left his lungs.
Blood erupted from his mouth as his body was sent hurtling backward.
The hall fell silent. Utterly silent.
They had anticipated numerous scenarios.
Where Malakai would lose in a single hit. Where he would struggle just to keep up.
Many had even been generous enough to consider a scenario where he might win, albeit barely, and only after suffering blow after blow.
However, none of them… none of them had ever expected that Malakai would overwhelm Jorge this one-sidedly!
What was that speed!? Was he truly a Genesis stage evolver!?
There was only shock on the faces of the Veins as they stared at Malakai.
However, Malakai didn’t even give them a moment to comprehend the events.
As his raised leg touched the ground, his body dipped, his blood and Vita roaring through his veins as he blasted forward, closing the distance between him and the hurtling Jorge.
Jorge’s eyes were wide open, his expression twisted into pure disbelief.
He couldn’t believe it.
He couldn’t understand it.
He had been there that evening. Just a few days ago, when Khana had beaten and tortured Malakai.
He had seen the boy’s helplessness. How he’d been unable to do a single thing.
But now… just…
What the hell was happening right now?
Jorge tried to comprehend it, but he couldn’t. Now wasn’t the time.
But he knew one thing.
‘I can’t lose.’
His talent was already crap. If he lost to the trash of the family, then his life within the clan was over.
Hearing the loud bang of Malakai closing in, Jorge’s expression turned serious.
His gaze sharpened.
He twisted his body mid-air, planting his legs firmly on the ground, skidding across the floor until his momentum halted.
In the next second, he spun.
His hand moved in a blur as he slashed upward, the strike arcing straight toward Malakai.
But Malakai’s eyes only sharpened.
His perception had reached heights he’d never touched before.
He could feel the Vita in a five-meter radius around him, clearer than sight, sharper than sound.
Every twitch. Every shift in Jorge’s movement. Every fluctuation in the flow of Vita around him, nothing escaped his notice.
And then there were his stats.
Malakai’s passive strength and speed were beyond what any Genesis evolver could ever hope to reach in their entire lifetimes.
Meanwhile, Jorge was currently being limited by a regulator.
Which was why, before Jorge had even thrown out that attack, Malakai had already moved.
His right shoulder and leg jerked back as he twisted sharply to the left, his scythe spinning with him in one fluid blur.
The motion ended in an instant, his momentum peaking as the scythe’s curved blade came slicing toward Jorge’s right temple.
Jorge’s eyes narrowed to pinpricks.
Once again, Malakai had caught him completely off guard.
‘He’s insane.’
And it wasn’t just his power.
It was everything else.
His movement, tight.
His footwork, flawless.
His flow, seamless.
The way he transitioned between defense and offense, it was like watching a master at work. Jorge had never seen a 14-year-old like this in his life.
‘I have to stop it.’
The blade carved the air, appearing inches from Jorge’s head.
His left arm shot up, desperately intercepting it.
His face contorted in pain as the blade tore through his palm.
He had hardened the blood in his arm, but it wasn’t enough, the scythe had pierced through it.
Still, the force of the impact diverted the trajectory just enough for the blade to miss his head.
‘This is my chance!’
Jorge’s eyes gleamed.
If he could close the gap, get inside the scythe’s range, Malakai would be at a disadvantage.
He clenched his pierced arm around the shaft of the weapon and prepared to pull.
But before he could even blink, Malakai’s head filled his entire vision.
Crack!
His skull slammed into Jorge’s nose with force, sending his head snapping back violently.
He didn’t even get the chance to comprehend what happened before his vision went black.