Jorge felt nothing but dread.
People might think Khana was the devil incarnate, especially with how cruel she had been with Malakai.
But Jorge knew better.
The true devil… was the 3rd Pulse.
A shrewd man, whose smile was never genuine. But Jorge had seen his true self.
A man who would do anything to get what he wanted. To him, people were nothing but pieces on a board.
Should he fall here, to protect his reputation… he would discard Jorge without a second thought.
It meant one thing: death.
But…
‘I don’t want to die.’
Jorge’s clarity snapped back into focus.
His mind steadied as he clenched both arms, ignoring the pain radiating from every inch of his body.
“Haaaaaaa!”
He roared at the top of his lungs as a surge of vita exploded from him, the force momentarily breaking through the barrage of punches.
Jorge’s vision was completely blurry. He couldn’t see anything, not even Malakai.
But if there was anything he was sure of… it was that Malakai was in front of him. And he was unharmed.
As Jorge’s feet touched the ground, he surged forward with both arms stretched wide, aiming to use his larger frame to tackle Malakai.
But…
A second passed, but there was no impact.
Only empty air.
‘W-what…?’
The thought had barely formed before Jorge felt his world spin.
Then, a sharp pain pierced through his leg.
‘I-I’m off the ground.’
The realization struck him; he had been swept off his feet.
In the next instant, his side slammed into the floor with a bam, but before he could even move, Malakai was already on top of him.
He locked him down with his legs before launching another torrent of punches.
They landed with loud, meaty bangs, splattering crimson blood all across the floor.
Jorge felt his mind going blank again as the barrage continued.
He tried to raise his arms to block, but Malakai had locked them tightly by his sides with his legs.
He hardened his blood across his face, but it was futile, Malakai’s power simply surpassed what his limited ability could reach.
He couldn’t do anything.
But if things continued like this…
He would die.
And Jorge didn’t want to die.
“I-I g-g-give u-u-u-up…”
Despite the barrage, Jorge managed to choke the words out.
Yet… Malakai didn’t stop.
His punches continued, uninterrupted.
None of the onlookers watching the scene moved to interfere either. The Sovereign had started this battle. Only he could stop it.
Instead, they turned to the Sovereign, wondering when he would finally bring it to an end.
It was already obvious who the victor was. So why wasn’t he stopping it?
But despite the punches continuing for many more seconds, the Sovereign remained silent.
They each felt confused. If this continued… Jorge would die.
As the thought slipped into their minds, their eyes widened.
Was the Sovereign really going to let Malakai kill him?
Many of them dismissed the thought quickly.
Even if the Sovereign wanted it, that didn’t mean Malakai could actually stomach it.
He was just a 14-year-old boy, one who, as far as they knew, had never taken a life. He wouldn’t be able to blatantly kill someone.
But as they turned to look at Malakai… many of their gazes narrowed.
It was the opposite of what they expected to see.
Currently, Malakai wore the coldest look any of them had ever seen on a child.
There was no hesitation in his gaze.
Only certainty.
His punches only grew harder, more vicious.
This was when they realized, he was going to kill him.
Malakai’s fist came down hard, and blood splattered from Jorge’s face, adding to the pool of crimson forming beneath him.
But Malakai’s fist suddenly stopped, hanging in the air.
He stared down at Jorge, who shakily opened his eyes to meet his.
Although Jorge’s face was mangled, his gaze didn’t lie.
He was pleading for his life.
Malakai saw all of this, but his gaze remained impassive.
Without a word, he channeled a large amount of vita and blood into his fist before he brought it crashing down.
The impact slammed into Jorge’s skull, shattering it, sending blood and gore exploding across the floor.
Nyx clenched her arms tightly, her eyes filled with joy as she stared at Malakai, who was now standing up after killing Jorge.
She didn’t care about the fact that he had just taken a life.
All she saw was that Malakai had won.
Varek, on the other hand, could only stare at Malakai in pure disbelief.
He couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed.
What the hell had he just watched?
The hall was utterly silent as Malakai rose to his feet, crimson blood dripping from his fists.
Then, slowly, Malakai turned.
His crimson gaze cut across the distance and landed on one person.
‘W-what!?’
Khana, who had suddenly met Malakai’s gaze, instinctively took a step back.
A wave of fear roared through her body.
‘H-he’s looking at me…’
It felt as though icy water had been poured over her. A shiver crawled down her spine.
Khana couldn’t understand it.
Malakai wasn’t saying anything. He wasn’t releasing any killing intent. But still…
It felt like a blade had been placed at her throat.
‘H-he killed him because of me…’
Malakai hadn’t said a word. But looking into his eyes, Khana could instinctively tell.
He had killed Jorge to send a message.
A simple one.
One meant directly for her:
You’re next.
“Khana.”
She flinched. The low whisper of her name snapped her back from her fear.
She turned to her front to see her husband casting her a cold glance.
She quickly cleared her throat, uncorking her ornate fan. She fanned herself rapidly, covering her flushed face, trying to calm her trembling hands.
Varnel shifted his cold gaze from his wife and lowered it to Malakai.
Seeing Malakai calmly return his gaze, his eyes narrowed.
Then, he smiled.
But as the second passed—
Boom!
A dark pillar of light erupted from Jorge’s corpse, collapsing into a large figure brimming with power.
A Grade 2 Enhancer.
But despite it appearing so close to him, Malakai didn’t even flinch.
Grade 2 darkness creatures were far more intelligent than Grade 1s.
While their instincts were still to kill and multiply, they could recognize predators.
Seconds passed, but the creature didn’t move an inch.
It stood rooted in place, its white eyes trembling as it took in the overwhelming presences around it.
Of all the places a Grade 2 could have formed… it had to be in a hall filled with the powers of the Sanguine Clan.
Its gaze slowly reached the figure seated at the top of the stairs, and its entire body trembled.
Its legs turned to jelly, wobbling uncontrollably.
Othric stared down at the creature silently.
Then, with a single flick of his hand, the metallic scent of blood flooded the entire hall.
Malakai’s eyes widened.
From beneath the creature, countless crimson spikes erupted, impaling it from every direction.
Black ichor burst out in every angle, drenching the floor.
‘A Zenith.’
Malakai’s eyes trembled at the overwhelming show of power.
But his thoughts had barely caught up before the smooth voice of Varnel echoed through the hall.