Who cares about me?

After that, Larian tried to familairise himself with his newfound powers but was unable to control the Blood Knights like Beleth did. Whatever link that connected them to Beleth was unique. It seemed like Beleth set up contingency plans in case another Blood Lord attempted such a feat.

 So he directly cut them down and extracted their blood essence for himself.

Their essence filled Larian's miniature lake like a large basin. But what good was a few more splashes worth in a large lake.

'At least the lake rose a few inches.'

Walking up to the tied up duo, Larian saw how they were binded with metal chains that bore new orange symbols. Despite how careful Beleth was, it seem he directed most of his attention towards the promising Star instead of Larian. 

Larian should thank Star for being such a great distraction but the looks she gave Larian made him hold his tongue.

Unbinding Star, she stared blankly at Larian. He softly cleared his throat.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you like that."

Star, lost in thought, continued to gaze into the distance. Her pale face and her eyes, red and swollen from tears, reflected the turmoil in her heart. It felt like his words fell on deaf ears so for the moment, Larian just sat in silence, allowing the weight of the moment to hang in the air.

'How does someone comfort a girl?'

Larian found himself instinctively reaching out to Star in an attempt to offer her comfort.

But as he drew near, Star, with her trembling voice and a mixture of anger and pain in her eyes, forcefully pushed him arms away.

She swallowed the sour saliva in her throat as she stared into the empty space in front her.

Larian sat still. He understood her plight. As a child plotting revenge, this has been a real roller coaster ride of emotions. Larian could guess that there was some trauma that made her embark on the path of revenge just as he did, then she had to endure the horrors of this accursed place. 

Growing stronger through blood, sweat and tears she had it all robbed in front of her eyes by someone else. The target of revenge was extinguished so simply.

It must have been heart wrenching. And she was only a child.

A strong premonition rang through Larian's veins, their time here was limited and if there was a time to go, it was now.

He tried helping Star up but as she looked straight into his eyes she spoke with lifeless and cold expression.

"Don't ever come close to me. I hate you for what you did to me."

Larian swallowed. Why did it feel like he was rejected by a girl a second time? And he wasn't even making any advances on her, she was a child for god's sake!

"Ok…"

The Devil couldn't take the silence any longer and yelled out.

"Ahh! It doesn't matter. Free me!"

Larian replied with a sigh.

"Follow me for a while."

Larian and the Devil left Star alone in the throne hall. He felt sorry for what he put the girl through but there were other things more important now.

He entered the lab. There he walked to each glass container. There were amalgamation of different monsters that suffered the curse of immortal pain and he was going to put them out of their misery.

The Devil wanted to speak but after seeing Larian's resolute eyes, he chose to remain silent in fear of invoking the wrath of this man. He had fooled everyone in the chamber and killed one of the most powerful figures in this castle when he was one of the weakest among them.

He was far more dangerous than anyone thought he was. He showed that he excelled in a bloody arena as a skilled fighter, but was a talented deceiver as well, something even Larina himself didn't realise. 

Swinging his blade, Larian smashed through each glass with his blade. As the glass drained and the creature within slid out, Larian would immediately notice the heart and brains of each creature. 

It was an instinct driven by the blood he inherited from Beleth, it allowed him to preserve the anatomy of any living creature and hence give him the quickest solution to kill them.

'Being a Blood Lord is greater than simply using Blood Magic.'

Dogs, Werewolves, Kobolds, Vampires, Gremlin, Hobbes, Headless Giants, Serpents, Lambs, Lions, Gyths, Elves and Humans. There were many more species which Larian had never seen. Either transformed by the blood lord or a new race that dwelled in the Ashlands, Larian didn't know but he offered them a swift and painless path to the afterlife.

Finally he came across the eight legged girl. The one who truly made him mad at the atrocities committed.

Her expression was hopeful and for once, she smiled.

Were there no other options? The Blood Lord is dead and he has his powers. Concentrating on her body, Larian found how convoluted the limbs were attached, the invasive limbs were firmly socketed into her body which meant to remove them he had to cut off more when he thought.

Imagine the end of the process Larian only saw the disfigured woman with no limbs and holes in the shoulders.

It was not a way to live, granting her a merciful death was the only way.

Nothing could elevate the weight in Larian's heart as he swung down his weapon.

Her final words before Larian cutted her down was.

"...Thank…you…"

Larian delivered a clean cut slicing her neck off her body.

Staring at her cold corpse Larian's hands hovered in mid-air. The lab was heavy with the weight of sorrow and their shared helplessness.

He let his emotions subside before gritting his teeth, he quickly turned to the rest of the experiments and grant them the same fate.

By the time he was done with the entire lab he found a new power welling from within him.

Blood Magic. He could absorb life off things he killed and even control them if he wished. He could move them telepathically and with it he could cover the parts of his armour with hardened blood. He could also accelerate his metabolics system to speed up his body's recovery rate.

Controlling his flesh Larian could make his muscles bulge up like a weightlifter. He could even adjust his height. Everything in his body was under his control.

'Blood Magic… Maybe Beleth's overbearing figure is just as adjustment of his flesh. I wonder what he was really like if he didn't hold up such a bold front.'

There was still a lot he had to explore with this newfound power but he kept moving with the Devil in tow.

Back in the arena Larian could control the gates to open and close as he wished. When he walked through the blood stained floor, the dried blood clung to his moist feet.

The empty and silent arena felt foreign to Larian. He had removed his suppression early, but the sensation of the metal collar that clung to his neck felt soothing.

Finally Larian arrived at the dungeon where contestants were kept.

Controlling his new found Blood Power's, Larian didn't need a controller any longer. He lorded over all of Beleth creation now.

Gripping his fist tightly the orange glow radiating on the Slave's collar burned away.

Immediately, intense howls and shouts resounded all around him. The beasts started to slam into their cages.

Twirling his hands the locks on every cage unlocked himself. Walking through the wave of slaves, everyone naturally avoided Larian. 

With their instincts they sensed the Blood Magic within him. A natural fear that stemmed from Beleth's influence.

Waiting amidst the horde, Larian watched the enraged slaves kill their captors. The vampire guards were simply no match against the slaves who had been tempered through steel and blood.

And their strongest force, the Blood Lord and his Knights were taken care of by Larian. Without them, they were nothing special.

From the corner of his vision Larian saw Migel, Mad Doe and his knight.

"You've really done it! We are now truly, really free..!"

Larian hated to rain down on their charade but he quickly spoke.

"We have to get out of here as fast as we can. Before a stronger vampire than Beleth notices our escape."

Mad Doe furrowed his brows.

"Is the Blood Lord still alive?"

"No, he's dead. It's Lilith the Vampire Ascendant we should worry about. I'm not sure of her capabilities. But based on Beleth's control over the Blood Knights, it's safe to assume a Vampire of higher rank could easily find out if something happened to their subordinates."

Migel seemed doubtful of Larian.

"Isn't that just a wild guess?"

Larian lashed back.

"You wanna stay and find out?"

Migel chose not to argue with Larian at this time. But the truth was, Larian was definitely sure Lilith would appear soon, not because of what he said. But instead it was because of Adam.

'The shard of divinity that Adam ate up. Something that is important will definitely be monitored. Lilith could be here any second.'

And Beleth died just moments ago, so before Lilith appeared Larian had to run. 

He might have won against the Blood Lord, but it was entirely due to luck that he was able to jump ranks and kill the leader.

He could barely content with a Blood Knight! There was no way he was winning against the Queen.

Migel noticed Larian's hurried expression and chose to listen. Following behind Larian, they quickly moved through the dungeons.

By the time they reached the surface, the slaves had begun ransacking and tearing apart the castle and its residents.

Looking up at the ash filled sky, tiny beams of moonlight shone past the clouds. It was the brightest thing Larian had seen for an entire month.

It should have been soothing if Larian was not in a rush.

Sprinting to the gates, Larian exercised his control of blood and tried to force the guards controlling the gate to pull open the gates. 

But he realised one shortcoming now. He might be able to halt and push upon the blood of his opponents with his newfound powers, but he had to wrestle for control if he wanted them to move as he wished.

The most the guard felt was a slight tugging on his hands.

Larian shot up the stone walls with his rope and grappled up. Standing on the ash covered walls, Larian descended down some steps into the walls to where the lever was located.

The guard who was frightened did not oppose Larian and simply drew out his blade.

"P-please if they find out I let you through, I will be executed!"

Larian didn't have time and kicked the blade up stabbing the guard under his shoulder with his own blade. It wasn't a killing move but wasn't a painless one either. The guard screamed in pain and fell back.

Larian pulled the gate open and locked a piece of wood to keep it open. As he exited the room he slashed the walls crumbling the entrance. It wouldn't stop the rest of the guards but it was enough to buy the slaves time to escape if they wished.

Only the sensible ones will quickly get out of this place. And Larian was in no mood to lecture all of them.

Wrappling down safely, Migel and his team followed Larian. 

The Devil was nowhere to be seen.

'Trying to flee? Your chains are still on, idiot.'

Larian could command the Devil to return and find him no matter where he escaped since he controlled Blood Magic that held him down. The Devil will simply suffer the curse of the collar every moment until he finds Larian.

So Larian didn't have to care.

The four men kept running while the castle engaged in mayhem. 

They kept running until the ancient black castle was nowhere in sight.

"Ha…. ha… surely we've escaped right? Pursuing us in this weather is impossible."

The group finally rested on the dusty ashlands as they caught their breaths. Migel, seemingly the least tired amongst them, was compelled to speak first.

"Larian. I am at a loss of words to express the depth of my gratitude. Your unwavering courage, ingenuity and compassion have not only the lives of so many slaves but rekindled the glimmer of hope that has been extinguished."

Larian felt weird. There was something strange in how Migel talked. It felt formal and noble, Larian almost forgot Migel had been a knight before he was infected with the despairing atmosphere of the Coliseum. 

Mad Doe instead looked annoyed.

"Him? Look at him! He was barely surviving the contestants a few weeks ago. I'm more suspicious of what happened to Star! The kid should have been the one who killed Beleth!"

Larian could see how Doe thought Star was their saviour. But he still felt indignant.

"Fine. Believe what you want. Beleth is dead and that's what matters. Star is just lagging behind, she'll make it out. She's strong."

Larian's emphasis on 'she' turned the trio's face into one of confusion, but Doe yelled at Larian.

"And you left her!? What kind of man are you?"

The statement angered Larian and he unconsciously gripped his fists. He achieved so much on this day that he couldn't help but be proud of himself. Why was everyone else finding faults with him? First it was Star, and now Doe was making it seem like Larian had ditched her to die.

Larian was about to lash out in anger, but his instinctive control of anger managed to hold him back. In this moment where he was angered, he found himself thinking rationally. 

"Ok. I understand why you trust Star over me. But it's complicated."

Larian explained everything that had happened during their meeting with Beleth and how he killed the Blood Lord. Of course he omitted out how he managed to move despite being turned into a Blood Knight.

Doe's expression calmed down, but clearly there still was some dissatisfaction from Larian's action.

"Tsk… You don't understand. Star… her family was sent to the Coliseum way before she was. Her Father and brother were contestants that came from a lineage of swordsmans." 

"The father excelled and entered the Rites early, but it is widely known that he opposed Beleth during the end and battled the Blood Lord."

"In the end he lost and had their heads hung on a pike as an example. Star's brother, Sunny was paired with me. I tried my hardest at that time to fend off the monsters, but the boy had fallen too deep in despair to defend himself. He didn't even hold his sword as he died."

"It's why I entered the Rites. I hoped to be of use to Star as she completes her revenge. But I just couldn't make it…"

"This revenge is important to her. It's why she accepted being a slave. She was just 10 when her family was sent in. I don't know how much time has passed since then, but she is still a child."

Larian stood motionless. His thoughts running.

He suspected Star's past to be one of revenge, but he never expected Doe to be a part of it.

"Star's strong, much stronger than you can imagine. She will make it out."

Doe slammed down on the ash floor causing a small dust cloud to form.

"That's not the point! She's alone and mad! Don't you understand? We have to save her!"

This time Larian stood up. 

"You can go back if you want. Star is not the only one walking the path of revenge. I have my own problems too. If she can't help herself, no one can. Look at me. No one here has thought about me. I was the weakest to make it to the end and no one cares how I'm feeling!"

Larian gripped his hands. He somehow felt that his outburst was… childish. But his emotions were on the brink of tipping, if there was one thing he could not accept it was being accused.

He has seen accusations break people's lives and he took them to heart. He was not letting go of his indignation.

Walking away from the Trio, Migel tried to stop Larian.

"Larian, please know that I consider you not just a saviour but a true friend and ally. If ever there is a way I can repay this debt, please do not hesitate to call upon me."

Larian stopped for a moment.

"Shinon, the Blade Heroine. That's who my revenge points towards. Are you really willing to walk the path step on?"

A shocked gasp escaped Migel's lips, but he did not hesitate.

"If the Heroine is your target, so be it. When the time comes for arms to be drawn, you can call upon me with his lifebound paper."

Migel handed Larian a thin square piece of Paper.

"It's an artefact that would point to and move towards it's other piece no matter where they are in the world. Hence it allows the holder to always be able to tell which direction the other person is in."

Larian kept the paper, but Doe seemed bent on heading back for Star. So Larian didn't stop him, he left the trio and tread across the ashland desert alone.

When they were out of sight, he held out a piece of metal. It was a controller which connected to the Devil's bindings. Holding it close to his mouth, Larian spoke into it.

"Go back and defend Star, no matter the cost. If she ever gets hurt in any way. The curse will burn you just as hard."

Somewhere afar, the lone Devil in metal bindings quickly changed directions. Annoyed as his metal collar radiated an Orange symbol, he yelled into the ash covered sky.

"Fuck! Why did you tell me to follow you if you were going to send me back! Fuck!"